Josh Tongue takes the wicket of Steve Smith, as the Australian batter is caught behind for 138 to leave his side on 544-8 with a lead of 160 runs on day four of the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney.
FOLLOW LIVE: The Ashes fifth Test – day four
Watch Rangers v Aberdeen highlights
Rangers have made a “statement” by moving to within three points of Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts – but head coach Danny Rohl says moving above Celtic into second place is “still not what we want”.
The Ibrox side eased past Aberdeen 2-0 at Ibrox to record their 10th win in 13 league games since Rohl took charge in October.
Rangers were 13 points adrift of the surprise league leaders at that time and sat sixth in the division, having won just once in eight games.
Since then, though, only Hearts have beaten them in the Premiership, with the Glasgow side’s under-the-radar run propelling them into title contention with almost half of the campaign to unfold.
And while Rohl was wary of making grand statements about what his side may or may not do over the next 17 games – starting with a rematch with Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Sunday – he refused to rule out just a second title in 15 years.
“I’m very proud of the group at the moment,” the former Sheffield Wednesday boss told BBC Sport Scotland.
“We close the gap to just three points from 13 when I arrived. It’s a statement but still not what we want. We’re on a journey. It’s about the next game on Sunday.
” When I took over two years ago at Sheffield Wednesday, we were 12, 13 points under the line. In the end we survived. In football everything is possible.
Most noteworthy perhaps is that Rohl has built that run with the same group who were widely condemned during the wretched reign of Russell Martin.
The German spoke about infusing those players with “belief and self confidence” and how they had been “outstanding” in recent weeks.
But Rangers will still strengthen this month, with the head coach suggesting that midfield is a priority area. It seems unfathomable that the German will not want to upholster his defence and attack, too, though.
The success or otherwise of that – and similar manoeuvres at Hearts and Celtic over the next few weeks – will go a long way to deciding the destination of the title.
“They’re not controlling and dominating games as much as he’d want. He’s a good manager with a keen eye for what’s on the park”.
That same description could be applied to Derek McInnes at Hearts and Martin O’Neil, back for a third tour of duty at Celtic.
So with that in mind, which of the three teams is favourite to win the title?
“I think Hearts at this moment in time”, said former Celtic striker Chris Sutton on Sky Sports. “But it depends who gets the best of the January transfer window”.
Former Rangers striker Kris Boyd concurred.
“Hearts are still top, three points clear. And Celtic, for 45 minutes, absolutely battered Rangers on Saturday, and you’d expect them to get a lift.
” Rangers are winning games and deserve a lot of credit for doing that from where they’ve came from, but I’m not getting carried away.
Robbie: Rangers are creating some momentum now, I’d argue they’re favourites for the title as things stand.
Al: Been said many times but what a job Danny Rohl has done. If you’d have said back in October this Rangers team would be three points off the top, your sanity would quite rightly have been questioned.
Holly: So very good to see Rangers scoring from corners, it’s been years! Focus on set pieces for Rohl paying off.
Peter: Young Connor Barron is turning into something special bags of energy and belief in his style of play future captain if we can hold onto him.
Watch Rangers v Aberdeen highlights
Rangers have made a “statement” by moving to within three points of Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts – but head coach Danny Rohl says moving above Celtic into second place is “still not what we want”.
The Ibrox side eased past Aberdeen 2-0 at Ibrox to record their 10th win in 13 league games since Rohl took charge in October.
Rangers were 13 points adrift of the surprise league leaders at that time and sat sixth in the division, having won just once in eight games.
Since then, though, only Hearts have beaten them in the Premiership, with the Glasgow side’s under-the-radar run propelling them into title contention with almost half of the campaign to unfold.
And while Rohl was wary of making grand statements about what his side may or may not do over the next 17 games – starting with a rematch with Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Sunday – he refused to rule out just a second title in 15 years.
“I’m very proud of the group at the moment,” the former Sheffield Wednesday boss told BBC Sport Scotland.
“We close the gap to just three points from 13 when I arrived. It’s a statement but still not what we want. We’re on a journey. It’s about the next game on Sunday.
” When I took over two years ago at Sheffield Wednesday, we were 12, 13 points under the line. In the end we survived. In football everything is possible.
Most noteworthy perhaps is that Rohl has built that run with the same group who were widely condemned during the wretched reign of Russell Martin.
The German spoke about infusing those players with “belief and self confidence” and how they had been “outstanding” in recent weeks.
But Rangers will still strengthen this month, with the head coach suggesting that midfield is a priority area. It seems unfathomable that the German will not want to upholster his defence and attack, too, though.
The success or otherwise of that – and similar manoeuvres at Hearts and Celtic over the next few weeks – will go a long way to deciding the destination of the title.
“They’re not controlling and dominating games as much as he’d want. He’s a good manager with a keen eye for what’s on the park”.
That same description could be applied to Derek McInnes at Hearts and Martin O’Neil, back for a third tour of duty at Celtic.
So with that in mind, which of the three teams is favourite to win the title?
“I think Hearts at this moment in time”, said former Celtic striker Chris Sutton on Sky Sports. “But it depends who gets the best of the January transfer window”.
Former Rangers striker Kris Boyd concurred.
“Hearts are still top, three points clear. And Celtic, for 45 minutes, absolutely battered Rangers on Saturday, and you’d expect them to get a lift.
” Rangers are winning games and deserve a lot of credit for doing that from where they’ve came from, but I’m not getting carried away.
Al: Danny Rohl’s work has been praised many times. Your sanity would be questioned if you had predicted that the Rangers team would be three points off the top in October.
Holly, It’s been years, but I’m so happy to see Rangers scoring from corners! Focuses on Rohl paying off the set pieces.
Peter: If we can hold onto Connor Barron, he will become something special with his enthusiasm and belief in his play as a future captain.
Nuno Espirito Santo, manager of West Ham, expresses regret over his side’s defeat at Nottingham Forest, saying that their relegation struggle is still “not over.”
Nottingham Forest vs. West Ham 1-2, match report
Nuno Espirito Santo, manager of West Ham, expresses regret over his side’s defeat at Nottingham Forest, saying that their relegation struggle is still “not over.”
Nottingham Forest vs. West Ham 1-2, match report
The Times
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If Newcastle United tries to sign Jorgen Strand Larsen from Norway for a if they return to Wolves in an effort to sign him, they will have Tottenham for competition. (ChronicleLive)
Since Ghana international Mohammed Kudus, 25, has a lower-than-they had anticipated, Tottenham are considering signing a forward in January. (Telegraph requires a subscription)
Following Ruben Amorim’s departure from Old Trafford, Roma director Ricky Massara claims that the situation has changed regarding any moves for the 24-year-old Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee. (Football Italia, via Sky Sports Italia)
If Mohamed Salah, 33, stays at Anfield, Juventus’ hopes of signing Italy winger Federico Chiesa, 28, will depend on that player. (In Italian, La Gazzetta dello Sport)
Chiesa is another player Napoli are interested in, but they haven’t made any formal moves to sign him. (Sky Sports News)
Despite receiving numerous inquiries for the 37-year-old, Poland striker Robert Lewandowski does not want to leave Barcelona in January. (Sky Sports Germany)
Dayot Upamecano, a France international whose current contract expires this summer, has received a better contract extension offer from Bayern Munich. The 27-year-old appears more at ease about the situation while Bayern Munich offers him an improved contract extension offer. (Sky Sports Germany)
Kim Min-jae, 29, is a Bayern Munich centre-back, but any deal with AC Milan must be made in a deal that includes a contribution to the South Korean international’s salary. (In Italian, La Gazzetta dello Sport)
Endrick, a 19-year-old striker from Real Madrid who has been on loan at Lyon, claims that Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti had advised him to leave the spanish club in order to play more first-team football. (Goal)
After suffering a muscle injury, West Ham‘s former star, striker Michail Antonio, saw a proposed deal with Leicester City go through. The 35-year-old, who has played for Jamaica internationally, was in negotiations for a short-term contract at the time of the car accident in December 2024. (Talksport)
