Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa: Premier League – as it happened

Villa pushed Liverpool hard, but clinical counter-attacks finished off by Darwin Núñez and Mohamed Salah were enough to send Arne Slot’s team five points clear at the top

Once the last strains of You’ll Never Walk Alone disappear into the night sky, a lone bugler plays the Last Post, the night before Remembrance Sunday. Exquisitely played, met with perfect silence, then a warm ovation.

The teams are out! Liverpool all red, Aston Villa all white. A bit like Real Madrid have come to town, three weeks early. A cracking few-pints-in atmosphere at Anfield, which reportedly rocked during the second half against Brighton last weekend. It’s usually one louder when the lights are on. The Villa support making their fair contribution to the noise as well. Here’s to everyone keeping it up.

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Battling Coco Gauff sinks Zheng Qinwen to win her first WTA Finals

  • American claims 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) victory
  • Gauff faced 5-3 deficit in final set

As Coco Gauff faced down a 5-3 third-set deficit towards the end of a relentless, brutal battle, the odds of victory were dissipating with every point. However, in her short career, the American’s grit has been a constant resource when all else has failed. She has found a way to victory from dire circumstances so many times. In one of the biggest finals of her career, Gauff spent almost the entirety of her three hours on-court just fighting to stay in the match against an opponent in the form of her life. Somehow, in the desperate final moments at the end of a brilliant tussle, Gauff rose up to topple Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) and win the WTA Finals for the first time.

Still just 20, Gauff is the youngest champion at the WTA Finals since a 17-year-old Maria Sharapova won in 2004. She did so the hard way, ­defeating the two best players, in Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, and then Zheng, the Olympic gold ­medallist. This victory marks Gauff’s third career title and ninth overall, her 9-1 record in finals a reflection of her immense toughness under pressure.

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Zeigler, Lanier each score 19 points to lead No. 12 Tennessee over Louisville 77-55

Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler each scored 19 points and No. 12 Tennessee held Louisville to 27% shooting in a 77-55 rout on Saturday. The Volunteers (2-0), who shot 57%, outrebounded the Cardinals 40-26 (28 defensively) and outscored them 40-10 in the paint in the first meeting between the schools since 2018. Tennessee led 10-0 after five minutes and several times by at least 20 points, pulling away for the last time after Louisville (1-1) closed within 47-38 early in the second half.