• Defeat against Chelsea extends winless run to nine games

• Carrick clinging on to job after club’s worst run since 1988

Michael Carrick insisted he would still be in charge when Manchester United face Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday, despite the 2-0 defeat at Chelsea on Saturday. United’s problems mounted as their winless run reached nine games. Carrick is clinging on to his job after overseeing the club’s first such run since 1988 and tried to focus on the next game as he analysed his side’s defending when Morgan Rogers opened the scoring for Chelsea.

“It’s never a good goal to concede,” he said. “Morgan went through the middle of us and at that point the game was right in the balance. To concede like that was a big moment. I’m just looking forward to getting the boys ready for midweek now.”

Get ready for another week of agonising over the sorry state of Manchester United. The legends of old will rage on podcasts, clips of a fuming Gary Neville will fly around social media and by the time United play again there is every chance a new manager will be in the dugout.

There were echoes of Erik ten Hag’s final game in charge as the walls closed in on Michael Carrick here on Saturday. United missed chances at 0-0, just as they did when Ten Hag lost to West Ham a day before his sacking two years ago, and Chelsea exacted punishment after initially delivering a performance so bad it had you worrying for the nascent Xabi Alonso project.

• Chelsea manager making latest Anfield return

• Andoni Iraola upbeat before Carabao Cup tie

• Forward sent off after 80 minutes for second yellow card

• ‘We need to have maturity to deal with difficult moments’

Xabi Alonso said that Cole Palmer must learn from his red card during Chelsea’s shock 2-0 defeat to Tottenham, who claimed their first win at Stamford Bridge since 2018 thanks to an own goal from Mike Penders and a late effort from Mathys Tel.

Spurs, who had won on one of their previous 34 trips to west London, were already 1-0 up when Palmer earned a second yellow card for catching Conor Gallagher with a late tackle. The playmaker could have been sent off earlier – his first booking came during a clash with Mateus Fernandes – and Alonso agreed that this could be an important lesson for the 24-year-old.

There are days when Tottenham go into these big games and find ways to beat themselves. This time, though, they held their nerve at a ground where they have mostly only known doom. Spurs played with control, stayed patient and won at Stamford Bridge for the first time since 2018 after waiting for Chelsea to press the self-destruct button during a calamitous and comical ending to a cagey game.

Chelsea were meant to have grown. Xabi Alonso had even praised his side’s emotional control and ability to manage awkward spells during the buildup, but perhaps that was asking for trouble. Chelsea, short of poise on and off the pitch, deserved to be beaten at home for the first time this season and there was plenty of blame to go around after Alonso got his tactics wrong, Mike Penders scored a ridiculous own goal and Cole Palmer was sent off after a lunge on Conor Gallagher when he was already on a booking.

• Spurs off bottom after first win against Coventry

• Lampard unhappy Marmoush goal stood

Roberto De Zerbi said that Tottenham are playing with more togetherness after holding a clear-the-air meeting before their recent game with Manchester United.

Spurs went on to draw 1-1 with 10 men against United and are out of the bottom three after beating Coventry 3-1 at home on Monday night. De Zerbi felt the performance against Coventry could have been better but was happy with his side’s attitude as they claimed their first Premier League win of the season.

Tottenham are level with Beyoncé at last. Progress is represented in Roberto De Zerbi’s side earning only their sixth home win in the Premier League since November 2024. Cynics will point out that this spectacular stadium has hosted as many Beyoncé gigs during that time, but Spurs are finally singing a happier tune after dragging themselves out of the bottom three thanks to a messy but gritty 3-1 win over Coventry.

It was not especially convincing. Coventry raged at the second Spurs goal, delivered when Omar Marmoush responded to Jack Rudoni’s equaliser for the visitors with a vicious effort in the 59th minute. Relief poured out of Marmoush after his first goal since joining on loan from Manchester City, but should it have stood? The Egyptian forward, who otherwise had a quiet game, was fortunate not to be penalised for an elbow on Milan van Ewijk.

If Liverpool’s spluttering forwards end up remembering this as the day when their luck turned then they will owe a big debt of gratitude to Yehor Yarmolyuk. This was a game with a very clear before and after.

Andoni Iraola will hope surviving one of the toughest tests the Premier League has to offer is a sign his methods are starting to work, but Liverpool’s manager will not forget it was a very different contest after Yarmolyuk’s red card for a butt on Jérémy Jacquet left Brentford trying to defend a 1-0 lead with 10 men for the entire second half.

• Former England manager last went to game in May 2025

• He says he got only brief enjoyment from wins by the end

Gareth Southgate has all but ruled out a return to Premier League management and revealed he “didn’t even enjoy the wins” for more than a couple of minutes towards the end of his time in charge of England.

Southgate, who has moved away from football since stepping down as the manager of the England men’s team after defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final, said he had not attended a game since watching his boyhood club Crystal Palace beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final last year.

Watch and learn, kids. The day began with one for the youth audience, Cole Palmer appearing on a live stream to explain the thinking behind his latest contract extension. It finished with the oldest player to join Chelsea during the BlueCo era stealing the show with an all-action midfield display.

Even Palmer was happy to step aside as Jordan Henderson used his right foot to curl home a free-kick that drew comparisons with one of David Beckham’s specials. It was Henderson’s second spectacular strike – he marked his home debut by opening the scoring with a bending effort from 20 yards and also laid on an assist for Morgan Rogers to make it 2-0 – although it is fair to assume that Xabi Alonso did not bring the veteran to Stamford Bridge for his goalscoring prowess.

• Palmer pulled out of England squad due to injury

• Attacker available for Chelsea’s game with Bournemouth

Xabi Alonso has said Cole Palmer is committed to playing for England and revealed Chelsea’s No 10 missed this international break with a problem related to the groin injury that kept him out for much of last season.

Thomas Tuchel did not hide his disappointment with Palmer, who is fit to face Bournemouth on Saturday, after the attacker made himself unavailable for the start of his country’s Nations League campaign last month. Tuchel said the 24-year-old “misses too many opportunities” to play for England and questioned whether Palmer wanted to be part of the squad.

• Tuchel praises Scott’s all-round display in Croatia win

• ‘We will not survive on two midfielders. More the better’

Thomas Tuchel warned that there is competition for Declan Rice’s place in England’s midfield after Alex Scott marked his first international start with an outstanding display during the 7-0 away win against Croatia.

Rice, who struggled with neural pain in his upper hamstring during the World Cup, withdrew from the camp because of load management and the vice-captain’s absence at the start of the side’s Nations League campaign has allowed Tuchel to broaden his options alongside Elliot Anderson in midfield.

• ‘We’ll always have a scar, but this is how we move forward’

• Manager praises ‘complete package’ Scott on full debut

Thomas Tuchel said England have moved on from their World Cup pain after seeing his side deliver a statement performance in Rijeka and hand Croatia their biggest ever defeat.

Tuchel was delighted after his front four combined to devastating effect at Stadion HNK Rijeka, where 6,200 local schoolchildren were allowed in free of charge even though the game was supposed to take place behind closed doors after Croatia were punished by Uefa for racist and discriminatory fan behaviour last year.

It had all the edge of a pop concert in the stands but England looked ready to steal candy from a baby. The 6,200 Croatian under-14s allowed inside Stadion HNK Rijeka were invited free of charge and this was a priceless footballing experience. England ripped Croatia to shreds to take a firm grip on second place in their Nations League group, boosting their hopes of reaching next year’s quarter-finals, and anyone supporting the home team could at least find consolation in watching Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham combine to devastating effect.

Perhaps the ticket should have come with an adult age rating. This was grisly viewing for the locals but Thomas Tuchel delighted in England’s most complete performance since surging to a 4-2 win over Croatia at the World Cup. Kane marked his 124th cap with his 88th and 89th international strikes and had plenty of help. Three assists and a goal decorated a scintillating display from Bellingham and Tuchel found satisfaction in the other members of his ruthless front four getting on the scoresheet.

The full-back is one of the best passers England has produced: Thomas Tuchel must find a place for him

It was the question nobody was asking: could Trent Alexander-Arnold do it against 10 game but limited Czechs on a mild Tuesday night in Prague? The answer was a resounding yes.

Alexander-Arnold played well after starting for the first time under Thomas Tuchel, demonstrating his value to England by helping them work out the dreaded low block with a trademark assist for Anthony Gordon to settle the nerves in a game coloured by Czechia losing Pavel Sulc to a debatable red card midway through the first half.

• ‘We defended well [v Spain] but had individual mistakes’

• Nico O’Reilly and Ezri Konsa are injury doubts for match

Thomas Tuchel will resist making drastic changes to his defence despite England going six games without a clean sheet before facing Czechia in the Nations League on Tuesday.

Although Tuchel acknowledged that his side were a “danger to ourselves” when they lost 3-2 against Spain last Saturday, the head coach stood by Marc Guéhi and Nico O’Reilly after their errors against the world champions.

• Head coach said latest withdrawal is ‘missed opportunity’

• England host Spain in Nations League on Saturday

Thomas Tuchel has thrown Cole Palmer’s England future into major doubt by questioning whether the Chelsea attacker wants to be part of his squad.

England’s head coach did not hold back on Palmer’s latest withdrawal from international duty, warning that the 24-year-old has missed too many opportunities to play for his country. Palmer has only 14 caps and his decision not to join up with the squad this week, because of a minor muscular injury, caused disappointment given he was left out of Tuchel’s World Cup squad after struggling with form and fitness last season.

• Barcelona winger says England cannot play like Spain

• Gordon: players ‘could have done more’ in semi-final

Anthony Gordon has sided with Thomas Tuchel’s assertion that controlling games through possession is not part of English football’s DNA. Although Gordon revealed surprise at being substituted when England were 1-0 up in their World Cup semi-final against Argentina, the winger refused to blame the defeat on Tuchel’s decisions and argued that wider cultural issues influenced the side’s collapse.

England’s perennial struggle to keep the ball when under pressure flared when a place in the final was within touching distance in July, allowing Argentina to fight back and go through with two late goals. The pain has not gone away and there has been intense scrutiny of Tuchel’s role in Atlanta. The head coach’s tactical choices were criticised and he faced a backlash after saying “ball possession” was not in his team’s DNA.

The billionaire’s departure will change little day-to-day but could be significant for club’s stadium plans

Not since a doomed foray into the thorny world of the transfer market has Todd Boehly had any real influence over the day-to-day at Chelsea. The American exits football as a diminished figure four years on, along with his fellow investor Mark Walter, and the first thing to say is that little will change in the Stamford Bridge boardroom just because Boehly has left the scene.

Clearlake Capital, the US private equity firm founded by Behdad Eghbali and José E Feliciano, was already the majority owner and guiding force. The trio of Boehly, Walter and the Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss had an equal share of a 38.5% stake but have drifted into irrelevance since the BlueCo consortium bought Chelsea from Roman Abramovich for £2.5bn in 2022.

Do not make the mistake of assuming this was a backs-to-the-wall effort from Hull. Their remarkable start to the season goes on and a point was the least Sergej Jakirovic’s side deserved after they pushed Chelsea to the limit in an absorbing game.

This was the first time Chelsea have dominated possession in a league game this season and it did not lead to anything pretty. Xabi Alonso’s attack was contained for long spells, even though goals from Morgan Rogers and João Pedro ended Hull’s spotless defensive record, and the Spaniard’s side remain a mess without the ball. Chelsea are conceding at a rate of two a game and saw their winless run in home games against promoted sides stretched to five after Mohamed Belloumi twice punished defensive errors during the first half.