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A look at the Australian batter’s 32nd Test century by the numbers

Sampath Bandarupalli29-Jun-202332 Centuries for Steven Smith in Test cricket are the joint-second most for Australia in the format. Ricky Ponting tops the list with 41 hundreds, while Steve Waugh also has 32 tons.ESPNcricinfo Ltd174 Innings Smith needed to score his 32nd Test century, the fewest among the 12 players with the feat. The previous quickest was Ponting, who scored his 32nd Test ton in the 176th innings he batted.22 Hundreds for Smith in the first innings of Test matches, the most for any batter, surpassing Ponting’s 21 tons. Seven of Smith’s 22 centuries came when the team was put into bat, the joint-most, alongside Jacques Kallis.ESPNcricinfo Ltd8 Test hundreds for Smith in England, the second-most by any visiting player in the country, behind only Sir Donald Bradman’s eleven tons. Smith has seven of those eight centuries against England, while another came against India in the WTC final earlier this month.12 Test centuries for Smith against England. Only Bradman (19 against England) and Sunil Gavaskar (13 against West Indies) have more triple-digit scores versus an opponent in Test cricket than Smith.1 Number of players to complete 9000 Test runs in fewer innings than Smith’s 174 innings. Kumar Sangakkara is the fastest to the 9000-run milestone, needing only 172 innings. Smith, however, is the fastest in terms of Tests played to complete 9000 runs, as he needed only 99 matches, while the previous fastest was Brian Lara in 103 games.ESPNcricinfo Ltd12 Smith’s hundreds in the Ashes. Only Bradman’s 19 tons rank higher in the Ashes, while Jack Hobbs also has 12 centuries. Smith is also now the fourth-highest run-getter in the Ashes with 3176 runs.2014 Test runs scored by Smith in England. Only three other visiting players have scored 2000-plus runs in England – Bradman (2674), Allan Border (2082) and Viv Richards (2014).416 Australia’s total in the first-innings is the highest for a visiting team at Lord’s since Australia’s 566 for 8 in the 2015 Ashes. Australia’s run rate of 4.13 is also the highest for any visiting team to make 400-plus in a Test innings at Lord’s.

His besting of Roy and Bairstow showed India shouldn’t just let match-ups dictate how they use their offspinner

Deivarayan Muthu15-Mar-2021In a time when T20 is all about match-ups, there’s sometimes a danger that teams can use bowlers in a formulaic way. Offspinner to left-hand batsman, left-arm orthodox to right-hander.In the first match of India’s T20I series against England, Virat Kohli held Washington Sundar back until the 12th over of England’s chase, and he struck immediately to pin Jason Roy lbw, but the game was already up by then. Axar Patel had taken the new ball against the right-handed pair of Roy and Jos Buttler, while Sundar was reserved for England’s left-hander-heavy middle order.Having slipped to a heavy defeat in that game, India put all their eggs in one basket and picked just five bowlers, including the allrounder Hardik Pandya, for the second.Sundar got to bowl in the powerplay role he so relishes, but it was in the middle overs that he made a stronger impression, and he did so by taking out two of the most dangerous right-hand batsmen going around in T20, Roy and Jonny Bairstow. Those two strikes set the scene for a slower-ball masterclass at the death from Shardul Thakur and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, as India went on to level the series with a seven-wicket win.Related

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The evening, though, didn’t begin well for Sundar. He prides himself on hitting an awkward, in-between length, and threatening the stumps with the new ball, but on Sunday he marginally missed his length and watched Roy plant his front foot and clout him over long-on for a first-ball six. Sundar immediately began hitting the pitch harder and dragged his length back to give up just a single off the next five balls of the over.In his next over, Sundar applied greater pressure and made Dawid Malan manufacture shots. Malan took a little trip down the pitch, but Sundar dug one right into it, hitting that in-between length and drawing an inside edge to the leg side. Malan then searched for one of his go-to shots – the slog-sweep – but then Sundar doesn’t offer you the length or time for that shot. He speared a non-turning offbreak into Malan’s pads from round the stumps at 103kph, with that sharp angle pushing the ball past leg stump.All of his six balls in Sundar’s second over were over 100kph, cramping the batsmen for length or room. Dinesh Karthik, Sundar’s captain at Tamil Nadu, speaking to reckoned that the spinner “looked like the fastest Indian bowler on display” on an evening where Thakur, Hardik Pandya, and Kumar all regularly took pace off the ball.When Sundar returned for his second spell, he didn’t have a left-hander to work with. Instead, he was up against Roy and Bairstow, who has been shifted down to the middle order to thrash any variety of spin. England were well-placed at 91 for 2 in 11 overs before Sundar slowed it up to 95.8kph and dared Roy to clear the longer square boundary on the leg side. The opener couldn’t get underneath it and holed out to deep square leg.Bhuvneshwar Kumar took a sharp catch in the deep to remove Jason Roy•Getty ImagesThen, in his next over, Sundar slowed it up further to 85.6kph, shifted his line wider, and found extra bounce from a length to have Bairstow skying a slog-sweep to Suryakumar Yadav at deep square leg. Eoin Morgan’s England are pretty big on match-ups, so they probably felt that their right-handers could go after Sundar, but the spinner had trumped them.Sundar is a fairly traditional offspinner without a variation that goes the other way, but his T20 smarts allow him to hold his own even without a ball that turns away from the right-hander.”Definitely, the mindset [while bowling to a right-hander] differs for me,” Sundar had told ESPNcricinfo in 2019. “And it varies from batsman to batsman as well. One might be strong on the off side and the other maybe strong on the leg side. Especially at this international level, there’s no margin for error and it’s important to do your homework. You need to be really precise with the lengths and lines you want to bowl.”Contrary to expectations, he actually boasts a better overall T20 record against right-handers than left-handers. He has 28 wickets at an average of 24.39 against right-handers as against 21 at 34.61 against left-handers. His economy rates – 6.92 against right-handers and 6.86 against lefties – are near-identical.On Sunday, Sundar’s middle-overs besting of two big-hitting right-handers from the No. 1-ranked T20I team made a big impression on his captain.”Special mention to Washi,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation. “He bowled to only one left-hander in the middle, and to all right-handers, used the big boundary really well, changed pace.”The series had begun with Kohli saying there was no room in India’s T20 plans for R Ashwin as long as Sundar was bowling well. He didn’t have much of a role to play in the series opener, but handed extra responsibility in the second game as one of only five bowlers, he rose to the occasion, in both the powerplay and the middle overs.

Shohei Ohtani faced a scary moment in his start Wednesday when he took a line drive from Rockies third baseman Orlando Arcia square on the leg.

With two runners in scoring position in the fourth inning, Arcia hit a ball right back up the middle as Ohtani simultaneously attempted to get out of the way and make the play. He couldn't get his glove on the ball in time as the contact with his leg made an audible noise. He ran to grab the ball and try to make a play at first but couldn't make the throw in time and he came up hobbling after the play.

The Dodgers' medical staff ran out to check on their superstar as he limped back to the mound. After a brief conversation, Ohtani stayed in the game and finished out the inning. His day on the hill was over after the fourth, though. When done on the mound, he stayed in the game as L.A.'s designated hitter and walked in the fifth, but the Dodgers pinch hit Alex Call for Ohtani in his following at-bat.

There's currently no word on whether the late removal is due to a potential injury to his leg following the come-backer from Arcia. Hopefully the fact that he continued pitching and then took an at-bat is a positive sign.

Nevertheless, the scary moment caused Dodgers fans to collectively hold their breath:

In the four innings thrown, Ohtani let up five earned runs and nine hits while striking out three batters. His ERA for the season moved to 4.61.

Tottenham have been handed a pitiful Dominic Solanke injury update as a new potential timeline emerges for his return to action.

Dominic Solanke's injury woes as Spurs left short up front

Solanke’s second season at Tottenham has descended into a frustrating saga of persistent ankle problems that have restricted the club-record signing to just three substitute appearances spanning a meagre 49 minutes.

The Englishman has not featured since a 12-minute cameo against Man City in August, with a recurring ankle issue that initially disrupted pre-season now transforming into an agonizing absence exceeding four months.

What Thomas Frank initially described as a small ankle issue requiring ‘minor surgery’ in late September has mysteriously evolved into one of the Premier League’s most perplexing injury situations.

Solanke underwent what was deemed a straightforward procedure in October, sparking optimism that his return was fairly imminent.

However, over two months later, the England international appears no closer to rejoining Frank’s depleted squad despite sporadic updates suggesting he was “weeks away” or “making progress” in training.

Thomas Frank confirms injured Tottenham star won't be back for a "long time"

The timeline is unclear.

ByEmilio Galantini 6 days ago

The striker’s prolonged absence triggered UEFA regulations permitting Tottenham to temporarily replace him in their Champions League squad with summer signing Mathys Tel, who was originally left out of their 22-man league phase list.

Frank admitted that he would have selected Tel had he anticipated Solanke’s extended rehab, but supporters are increasingly demanding more clarity in regard to the striker’s actual condition.

Questions revolve around why a supposedly minor procedure has morphed into such a protracted recovery.

The forward himself refused to establish a definitive return timeline during a recent interview, acknowledging his frustration whilst expressing eagerness to work under Frank.

Solanke’s unavailability has placed enormous pressure on PSG loanee Randal Kolo Muani and Richarlison, who spent most of last term out injured himself, while Tel and youngsters come as inexperienced alternatives.

This has led to suggestions that Spurs could sign a new centre-forward in January, with Frank stating last week that Solanke “is not close to rejoining the squad”.

That said, he did downplay fears that the striker would be out long-term in his post-match press conference on Tuesday when responding to questions about why they replaced him with Mathys Tel in their Champions League squad.

Asked if Solanke has suffered a setback, Frank insisted: “No, it was just an opportunity to get Tel in, which is nice to have that opportunity. And we can change back if we want to do that.”

Tottenham handeda pitiful Dominic Solanke injury update

Despite those words from Frank, reliable Lilywhites insider Paul O’Keefe has suggested that the 28-year-old could be out until as far down the line as February, with Spurs handed a pretty grim estimation on his potential return.

This means that Solanke could be in line to miss crucial games against the likes of Liverpool, Sunderland, Aston Villa, West Ham, Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt, Man City and potentially Man United — depending on how far into February it is.

The England international finished 24/25 as Spurs’ second-top scorer with 16 goals across 45 appearances in all competitions, trailing only Brennan Johnson.

Nine of those came in the Premier League, including a brace at home to Aston Villa and a strike away to Man United at Old Trafford.

Crucially, Solanke delivered pivotal moments during Tottenham’s Europa League triumph — including a nerveless penalty in the quarter-final second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt and the opening goal in their semi-final victory over Bodo/Glimt.

His energy, physical presence and ability to lead the line are a sore miss for Frank, with a reliable focal point conspicuously absent this campaign.

The Lilywhites need him back for crucial fixtures both domestically and in Europe past the new year, with Kolo Muani and Richarlison tasked to undertake huge responsibility as things stand, unless Spurs decide to enter the market.

Leeds United are now considering a January approach to sign a “fantastic” Premier League forward, who wants to leave his current club.

Leeds looking to bolster attacking options in January

Former scout Mick Brown has made it clear that Leeds still want to sign a new centre-forward next month, despite a recent uptick in form, telling Football Insider: “Leeds will still want to sign a new striker,”

“It’s easy to get caught up in recent results, and Calvert-Lewin has been very impressive, but that doesn’t take away from all of the games when he wasn’t performing.”

The former Everton man now has four goals to his name in 13 Premier League outings, which is a respectable return, and Daniel Farke should be encouraged the striker managed to score against Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in consecutive games.

That said, with the Whites still only two points above the relegation zone, bringing in another forward during the upcoming transfer window could help boost their survival chances.

Not only are they keen on a new striker, but a new winger is also of interest, with contact being made over a deal for Barcelona’s Roony Bardghji, and another target has now entered the frame.

That is according to a report from TEAMtalk, which states Leeds are now considering a January approach for Chelsea forward Tyrique George, who has decided he wants to leave the Blues, having struggled for minutes under Enzo Maresca.

George is yet to start a Premier League game in 2025-26, having fallen behind Chelsea’s new signings in the pecking order, and clubs are now queuing up to secure his signature, with Everton, Southampton and Fulham also keen.

The Whites are keen to bring in a creative player, capable of playing on the wing and in the number 10 role, and the 19-year-old might fit the bill…

"Fantastic" George could be solid Wilson alternative

Harry Wilson has been a long-term target for Leeds, having pursued the Fulham man during the summer, but it would not be surprising if the Cottagers are keen to keep hold of the winger, given that he has been in red-hot form.

Indeed, the Welshman has four goal contributions to his name in his last six Premier League outings, so Farke’s side may have to move onto alternative targets, and the Chelsea ace could be an exciting option, having received high praise from scout Jacek Kulig.

The Englishman has been impressing for club and country whenever given the opportunity, chipping in with three goals and one assist in ten outings for the Blues this season.

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However, George needs more game time if he is going to fulfill his lofty potential, so a move to Elland Road could be ideal.

Arsenal have been utterly sensational so far this season.

Mikel Arteta’s side are flying in the Champions League, and look near enough unstoppable when it comes to the Premier League.

More impressively, the Gunners tore Tottenham Hotspur to shreds on Sunday afternoon without the man many would consider to have been their best player so far this year: Gabriel Magalhães.

The Brazilian has been sensational in defence and attack, and so fans should be excited about reports linking Arsenal with a star who could be looked at as another version of him.

Arsenal target another Gabriel

With the transfer window just over a month away from opening, it’s not been a surprise to see reports starting to link Arsenal with some brilliant players in recent weeks.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

For example, while the Gunners are fairly well-stacked in the position, Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson has been touted for a £120m switch to the Emirates.

Likewise, despite Leandro Trossard’s impressive form this year, Kenan Yıldız continues to be linked with a move to the Premier League title challengers.

However, while incredibly talented, neither of these players can really be compared to Gabriel, unlike Murillo.

Yes, according to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of a few clubs interested in the Brazilian defender.

Alongside the Gunners, the report has revealed that Chelsea and Barcelona are keen to sign the talented centre-back, who Forest value at up to €90m, which is about £79m.

Therefore, it could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given his ability and similarities to Gabriel, one Arsenal should be pursuing.

Why Murillo would be another Gabriel

So to start with, there are the more superficial similarities between the pair, such as both being Brazilian centre-backs.

On top of that, there is the fact that when Arsenal signed Gabriel from LOSC Lille in the summer of 2020, he was 22 years old, and if they sign Murillo in the winter window, he’ll be just 23.

However, the comparison goes deeper than that, as, in addition to playing in the same position, the two defenders tend to play in a similar style as well.

For example, while he’s not quite as tall as the Gunners star, the “monstrous” Forest man, as dubbed by journalist Ryan Taylor, is someone who makes the most of his physicality.

Whether it’s in the air or on the ground, the former Corinthians gem is more than happy to go in for a full-throated challenge, which, more often than not, he comes out better off from.

However, don’t let that fool you into thinking the Sao Paulo-born titan is just an old-fashioned defender who can’t compete when it comes to the technical side of the game, as that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Like his compatriot, the 23-year-old is far more accomplished on the ball than most who don’t watch him on a weekly basis would expect.

For example, FBref ranks him in the top 5% of centre-backs in the league for successful take-ons, the top 9% for shot-creating actions, the top 11% for through balls and shot-creating actions from live-ball passes, the top 13% for progressive passes and more, all per 90.

% of Dribblers Tackled

100.0%

Top 2%

Blocks

1.83

Top 3%

Shots from Free Kicks

0.12

Top 5%

Interceptions

2.07

Top 5%

Successful Take-Ons

0.49

Top 5%

SCA (Defensive Action)

0.12

Top 7%

Passes Blocked

0.85

Top 7%

Ball Recoveries

4.87

Top 7%

Shot-Creating Actions

1.46

Top 9%

Tkl+Int

3.65

Top 9%

Goals/Shot

0.25

Top 11%

Goals – xG

+0.09

Top 11%

Non-Penalty Goals – npxG

+0.09

Top 11%

Passes Attempted (Long)

9.99

Top 11%

Through Balls

0.24

Top 11%

SCA (Live-ball Pass)

1.10

Top 11%

SCA (Dead-ball Pass)

0.12

Top 11%

Progressive Passes

4.87

Top 13%

SCA (Shot)

0.12

Top 13%

Tackles (Att 3rd)

0.24

Top 13%

Goals

0.12

Top 15%

When you consider those technical qualities alongside the fact that he helped Forest produce one of the defensive record in the country last season, it’s easy to see why one analyst made the bold claim that he’s “one of the best defenders in the Premier League.”

Ultimately, while he might not be on the exact same level as Gabriel – few defenders are – Murillo is clearly an exceptional player. Therefore, Arsenal would be wise to sign him before one of their rivals gets there first.

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As they look to shake off their 2024 collapse, the Minnesota Twins are reportedly adding an experienced infield name.

The Twins are signing first baseman Ty France to a one-year contract, according to a Tuesday afternoon report from Phil Miller of .

Per Miller, the deal will be worth $1 million and it will not be guaranteed.

France, 30, is entering his seventh season in the big leagues. He is three years removed from his 2022 quasi-breakout with the Seattle Mariners; that year, he hit 20 home runs for a playoff team and made the American League All-Star team.

In 2024, France slashed .234/.305/.365 with 13 home runs and 51 RBIs for the Mariners and Cincinnati Reds. His -0.6 WAR was a career low for any season.

Minnesota, which finished fourth in a strong AL Central in '24, is scheduled to open its season on March 27 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Alana King hit the last ball of the match for six as Lancashire Thunder and Somerset signed off their Vitality Blast campaign with a thrilling tie at Blackpool CC.Mahika Gaur produced a T20 career-best of 3 for 15 to spearhead a destructive start by the Thunder that reduced Somerset to 43 for 5 in a 17-overs-per-side game that started an hour late after some Thunder players became caught up in severe traffic congestion on the north-west motorways. Sophie Luff and Alex Griffiths mounted a rescue act with a 56-run partnership that took the visitors to a more prosperous 114 for 7 with Somerset skipper Luff making 36 and Griffiths finishing 29 not out.Lancashire looked to be in good shape at 57 for 1 in the tenth over of their reply but Griffiths snared Seren Smale for 25 before two wickets in two balls by Amanda-Jade Wellington in the 13th over pegged back the Thunder to 78 for 4. Wellington struck a third time to remove Ailsa Lister for 17 at the start of the 16th over and with 13 needed off the last and seven from the final ball Somerset looked set to win a second Blast game of the season. King swung the final ball from Mollie Robbins over the backward square leg ropes to produce a most unlikely tie.Eve Jones and Smale had made a positive start to the Lancashire Thunder run chase taking 34 from 28 balls, Jones twice driving Robbins for four but then skying a catch off Ellie Anderson to wicketkeeper Bex Odgers for 18.Smale reverse pulled and then swept Wellington for four in the ninth over to break the shackles exerted by some tight bowling, but hit the third ball from Griffiths to Wellington at mid-off for 25 in the next to have Lancashire 57 for 2 needing 58 more from 43 balls.Wellington built on that breakthrough with two wickets in two balls having Tilly Kesteven, who earlier had driven the first two balls she faced for four, stumped for 19 and Fi Morris bowled by a ball that spun and kept low. That left Lancashire needing 37 off 28 balls with 20 runs chipped away by Ellie Threlkeld and Lister before the latter edged Wellington to Olivia Barnes at short third for 17.With 13 runs needed off the last over, Robbins bowled Threlkeld for 11 with the first ball and had Tara Norris caught by Luff from the second. Two dropped catches followed with King and Darcey Carter scampering six runs to leave seven required from the last ball before King’s astonishing six squared up the game.After the delayed start to the match, Thunder captain Threlkeld opted to bowl first and the first over proved eventful with Odgers hitting Tara Norris for six over square leg, then dropped at gully off the next ball, but caught by Carter at extra cover two balls later.Gaur then struck twice in three balls immediately after the 5.1 over powerplay ended, bowling Niamh Holland for 8 with an inswinger while Fran Wilson was caught in spectacular fashion by Eve Jones at cover. When Ruby Davis chipped King to a diving Lister at short extra cover for 12, Somerset were in early difficulties and their situation worsened when Wellington, having driven her first ball for four, tamely chipped the next one from Gaur to Grace Potts at mid-on to leave Somerset 43 for 5 after 8 overs.Luff and Griffiths stemmed the clatter of wickets with a vital 56-run partnership, although Griffiths was fortunate to escape when dropped on 4 off Carter.Luff was the chief instigator, easing Carter for four over extra cover and bringing up the fifty partnership from 39 balls with a fierce drive for four off Potts before she was well caught next ball by Norris diving forward at mid-off having made 36 off 30 balls.Griffiths struck some late runs to finish unbeaten on a run-a-ball 29 with 11 runs coming from the final over to give Somerset a total of 114-6 that had looked unlikely earlier in the afternoon. The tied result was an even more unlikely outcome in a thrilling finale.

Tom Alsop makes 72 as Matt Critchley’s legspin chips away for visitors

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Jul-2025Sussex 204 and 245 for 7 (Coles 99*, Alsop 72) trail Essex 504 (Harmer 53) by 55 runsJames Coles led Sussex’s resistance with an unbeaten 99 but his efforts seem unlikely to deny Essex victory over Sussex at Hove.Coles was on the verge of a third successive Rothesay County Championship century when rain arrived at 5.20pm and play was abandoned shortly afterwards with Sussex 245 for seven in their second innings, still trailing by 55 after conceding a first-innings deficit of 300.Coles is Sussex’s man in form. He made 148 not out at Durham and 150 in Sussex’s last home match against Warwickshire and he top scored in their first innings with 52. Only five batters have scored more Championship runs this season than the 21-year-old, and he didn’t offer a chance here after arriving in the seventh over with Sussex 33 for 2.While he and Tom Alsop (72) were adding 141 in 72 overs for the third wicket Sussex harboured hopes of stalling Essex’s push for victory.But Alsop was lbw to Matt Critchley in the leg-spinner’s second over and after tea Sussex lost four wickets for 26 in 40 balls including their leading run scorer John Simpson, calamitously run out going for a second run on an overthrow.At the start of the day Essex skipper Simon Harmer clubbed three sixes to reach a half-century before he was last out for 53 as Essex’s first innings ended on 504, a lead of 300.Essex’s new-ball pair Sam Cook and Jamie Porter soon made inroads. Tom Haines nibbled fatally at Cook’s first ball and edged it to third slip beforePorter struck in the seventh over to remove Daniel Hughes, courtesy of a fine low catch at second slip by Harmer.But from 33 for two Coles and Alsop rebuilt patiently. Alsop’s fourth fifty of the season came off 104 balls and the normally more attacking Coles took 117 deliveries for his, but neither offered a chance as the Kookaburra ball quickly lost its effectiveness and Essex had to settle for containment.Having had little success himself, Harmer turned to Critchley in the 47th over and with his first ball he nearly won an lbw verdict against Alsop. But the fourth delivery of his next over straightened enough to beat Alsop’s defensive push. He faced 150 balls and hit nine fours.Essex had a breakthrough and after tea they rammed home their superiority, aided once again by some pretty poor shot selection by the Sussex middle and lower order.Dan Ibrahim (19), who’d helped Coles add 48 for the fourth wicket, got a leading edge in the first over after the resumption and Khaleel Ahmed took the catch in his follow through, while Simpson was run out by Sam Cook’s throw looking for a second run on an overthrow after a moment’s fatal hesitation between him and Coles.Critchley then struck in successive overs. Fynn Hudson-Prentice’s mistimed drive was caught well in the covers by Harmer and Jack Carson tamely picked out mid-wicket aiming to hit Critchley over the top.As the clouds rolled in, Ari Karvelas defied Critchley and Harmer for 33 balls but it would need a lot more resistance from him, Coles and Sussex’s tail to keep Essex at bay on the final day.

Liverpool slumped to another damaging, dismal defeat as Arne Slot’s side were dumped out of the Carabao Cup, beaten 3-0 by Crystal Palace while finishing the match with 10 players on a dire night at Anfield. Slot made sweeping changes to the team which was defeated by Brentford, with one eye on the clash with Aston Villa this weekend, but the fringe players and academy hopefuls were thoroughly outclassed by Oliver Glasner's side.

The loss heaps pressure on struggling Dutch boss Slot, who has watched his team lose six of their last seven matches, with their only win coming in the Champions League away at Eintracht Frankfurt.  

The Reds were the better of the two sides in the early exchanges, with Federico Chiesa, recalled to the starting line-up, squandering two gilt-edged opportunities. But Palace grew into the game and thoroughly deserved to take the lead in the 40th minute. 

The Eagles put together a neat interchange of passes on the edge of the Liverpool box, and though the ball fell to Joe Gomez, he scuffed his clearance to Ismaila Sarr, who in turn fired confidently past debutant Freddie Woodman. Palace doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time as they cut through the hosts’ porous defence and Gomez was at fault again as Sarr swept the ball home to send the small pocket of travelling fans delirious. 

The Anfield faithful were stunned into near silence for the majority of the match and Glasner could even afford to remove Sarr, who was on a hat-trick, as the hosts laboured to create chances in the second half. 

The diabolical night for Liverpool was made even worse after Amara Nallo was shown a straight red for a pull on Yeremie Pino, who was through on goal. And it was Pino who slalomed into the box to thrash the ball home into the far corner to complete the rout. With minutes left the heavens opened, the torrential rain providing the perfect backdrop to Liverpool’s performance – a complete washout.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Anfield…

AFPGoalkeeper & Defence

Freddie Woodman (4/10):

Had to wait until the 30th minute to make a stop, a decent drive from Hughes which he gathered comfortably, but there was nothing he could do about Sarr's opener. Was left woefully exposed for the second and similarly the third. 

Calvin Ramsay (5/10):

Started his first senior game in three years after returning from injury, but endured a difficult evening.

Joe Gomez (3/10):

The experienced defender featured in an unfamiliar centre-back pairing, but flapped at the ball when he should have cleared for Palace's opener, and went AWOL for the second, chasing Nketiah around the box, instead of standing firm in front of Sarr. Ended the match wearing the captain's armband. 

Andrew Robertson (5/10):

Deployed out of position at centre-back, but was unable to stem the tide in a makeshift back-line. Was clearly frustrated at his side's performance and was booked for a crude lunge in the 54th minute. Subbed off in the 67th minute.

Milos Kerkez (4/10):
The left-back was the only player to retain his starting place from the previous Premier League defeat, but it was another innocuous performance and his starting position for the clash with Villa must be in serious doubt. 

AdvertisementAFPMidfield

Trey Nyoni (4/10):

The academy prospect was handed a senior start in midfield as part of the significant line-up rotation, was asked to do a lot of the running, but failed to make a hugely positive impact. 

Wataru Endo (5/10):

Started in midfield to provide a solid base, but spent the entire match chasing the ball to very little effect. Was most effective when attempting to break play up, but will be keen to forget this one as quickly as possible.

Alexis Mac Allister (5/10):

Was included to provided much-needed experience in a youthful midfield line-up, but looked lost for the vast majority of his 67 minutes on the pitch, and was taken off without having made a significant contribution.

Getty Images SportAttack

Kieran Morrison (5/10):

The 18-year-old academy forward made his senior debut, lining up on the right side of the attack. Showed plenty of willing running, but not to blame for Liverpool's toothless display and was subbed off in the 67th minute. 

Federico Chiesa (4/10):

The Italian forward led the attack, and squandered a brilliant opportunity to open the scoring in the 23rd minute when he fired over from the edge of the box. Will be disappointed with his efforts and seemed anxious, snapping at chances. 

Rio Ngumoha (5/10):

The 17-year-old winger showcased his skills on the left side of the attack and did brilliantly to set-up a chance for Chiesa in the 28th minute. Was one of the few players who can claim to have put in a decent shift. Threat diminished in the second half, taken off with four minutes remaining.

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Kaide Gordon (4/10):

Would have been pleased to come on, but didn't make a telling pass. 

Amara Nallo (2/10):

His second red card for Liverpool in two senior appearances, sent off just 12 minutes after coming on for a desperate last-man challenge.

Wellity Lucky (4/10):

Mixed emotions making his debut on such a poor night for Liverpool. 

Trent Kone-Doherty (N/A):

Only appeared with four minutes remaining, not long enough to make an impact. 

Arne Slot (3/10):

Another woeful night for the beleaguered Reds boss. He'll point to the 10 changes he made with the massive match coming up against Aston Villa, but his side are devoid of confidence and another damaging defeat just makes the situation worse.