Brighton and Hove Albion were taught a harsh lesson on their Europa League debut as Greek champions AEK Athens ran out 3-2 winners after a pulsating encounter at the Amex Stadium. Substitute Ezequiel Ponce struck the winner on the counter attack six minutes from the end of normal time as Roberto De Zerbi’s side failed to heed the signs after falling behind twice previously in the first half. Joao Pedro equalised from the penalty spot in the first period then again in the second, both times after VAR had intervened in Brighton’s favour. The hosts had the better of the play but they lacked the clinical edge of AEK, who scored with two excellent finishes from set-pieces. The first goal was a superb header from Djibril Sidibe, followed by a sliding finish from Mijat Gacinovic as Brighton were undone by nerves and their own naivety. The opening goal came after 11 minutes and was against the early run of the play. AEK’s first attack saw them win a corner on the left after a low cross was turned behind. As the ball was whipped in, no one had picked up the lurking Sidibe who with a late dash into the box caught Brighton out with a superb 15-yard diving header that whistled past Jason Steele. De Zerbi’s side had been badly caught out, and seconds later it could have been two. Levi Garcia, who would torment Brighton in the first period with pace and clever movement, raced beyond the defence and went through on goal, but Garcia’s tame finish was too close to Steele. Garcia wasted another glorious chance to double the lead from an almost identical position, this time slipping his effort just beyond the far post. Pedro nodded wide from a free header inside the six-yard box as Brighton finally put together an attack to concern the AEK defence, but within a minute he had made amends for his profligacy. When defender Ehsan Hajsafi dangled a leg as Pedro looked to cut inside to shoot the referee initially booked the striker for diving. But after a pitchside VAR review the booking was rescinded, Pedro stepped up and coolly rolled his penalty beyond Cican Stankovic to score Brighton’s first European goal. At that stage it appeared that they had had their reprieve for the way they had left themselves vulnerable to AEK’s threat, but five minutes before the break there was another fine delivery from a set-piece and another critical lapse in concentration. Brighton held a high line on the edge of their own box as a free-kick was whipped in from 40 yards out, but as blue shirts charged back towards their own goal none could prevent Gacinovic from sliding to get a foot on the ball to turn it beyond Steele. There was still time for Jan-Paul Van Hecke to deny Orbelin Pineda what would have been a deserved third for AEK on the stroke of half-time. There was relief then around the Amex when the referee was directed pitch-side for another VAR review after Pedro’s tumble inside the box under Damian Szymanski’s challenge had at first been waved on. As in the first half, the decision was overturned, and Pedro got to his feet to replicate his earlier composed finish to draw Brighton level again. De Zerbi was booked for remonstrating too forcefully on the touchline, before Pedro was handed the chance to seal his hat-trick and an opening night win when he spring the offside trap and went one-on-one with Stankovic. This time the goalkeeper got the better of their duel. Then came AEK’s final sting. A raking ball from the back was nodded out wide by Ponce to Niclas Eliasson, who returned the ball to his fellow substitute. Although Steele blocked Ponce’s shot, the rebound ricocheted off the Argentinian and into the net for the winner. Read More Abdallah Sima fires Rangers to victory in Europa League clash with Real Betis West Ham storm past minnows Backa Topola after early scare in Europa League Liverpool produce another comeback win to beat LASK in Europa League Rangers vs Real Betis LIVE: Latest Europa League updates LASK vs Liverpool LIVE: Latest Europa League updates Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool better prepared for Europa League now than in 2016

Connor Joe homered against his former team and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat San Francisco 2-1 to snap a five-game losing streak against the Giants

Both Celtic and Rangers enjoyed comfortable wins in a cinch Premiership fixture card hit by Storm Babet. The Hoops completed a Glasgow double over Edinburgh after three matches were called off for safety reasons. Here, the PA news agency looks at five things we learned from the reduced schedule. Happy honeymoon for Philippe Clement Rangers fans wanted to see something different under Belgian manager Philippe Clement and they certainly did in a 4-0 Ibrox win against Hibernian. Michael Beale had been criticised for the ponderous style of his Gers side but Clement’s version played at high tempo and got the ball forward quicker. The manager himself declared himself “happy” but not yet impressed. “Impressed is a big word,” he said. “I still saw a lot of details we can make better but I saw a team who stayed well in the structure and made the runs and the tempo we played at. It is like the honeymoon. Everything is new. They need to confirm this the next week, the next month.” Nick Montgomery felt Clement was too keen Hibernian manager Nick Montgomery felt Clement’s debut should have been largely watched from the stand after accusing the Rangers boss of stepping on the pitch and controlling the ball before it went out. Referencing a red card for Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes against Dundee in similar circumstances, Montgomery was surprised to see the Gers manager get away with it. He told BBC Scotland: “I think everyone can see the ball had not gone out. When that happens, you probably think it’s not going to be your day because at that point they have 12 men on the pitch. The worst thing about it was they got the throw-in. Away at Ibrox you don’t expect any favours, but that’s not within the laws of the game.” Celtic hitting top gear The Hoops restored their seven-point lead with a 4-1 win over Hearts at Tynecastle. Normally a tricky venue, the champions took the sting out the game inside four minutes when Matt O’Riley met Luis Palma’s lofted pass on the volley. Brendan Rodgers’ side dominated the bulk of the game to take their winning league run to six matches. If they come through another trip to Edinburgh next weekend when they face Hibs, there is a strong chance they will go on to extend their seven-point lead before hosting Rangers on December 30. Tynecastle tickets decision has mixed results Hearts more than halved Celtic’s usual allocation of tickets to 576 but the Tynecastle atmosphere was not at its usual level after O’Riley’s early opener. The crowd of 17,608 was the lowest league attendance at Tynecastle this season and some Celtic fans watching on television would no doubt have been frustrated at the sight of a virtually-empty section right next to the away support in the Roseburn Stand. Kyle Vassell shows his worth for Kilmarnock Kilmarnock captain Kyle Vassell’s double proved the difference in a 3-1 win over Livingston which ended a seven-game run without victory and lifted them into fifth place following a weather-hit fixture card. Vassell came into the league campaign still finding his fitness following a knee injury but he now has three goals in the Premiership. Read More Really good but not perfect – Shaun Wane wants more from England after Tonga win Such a good man – David Moyes hails Sir Bobby Charlton help as fans pay tribute Virgil van Dijk: Liverpool finally had some luck go our way against Everton Tom Johnstone second-half brace helps England edge out Tonga in series opener Danny Care hoping England’s World Cup efforts have won over disillusioned fans Manchester United fans head to Old Trafford to pay tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton

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A flow of recent data from the U.S. government has made one thing strikingly clear: A surge in consumer spending is fueling strong growth, demonstrating a resilience that has confounded economists, Federal Reserve officials and even the sour sentiments that Americans themselves have expressed in opinion polls

Heat wing Max Strus is entering free agency and an Eastern Conference foe is reportedly looking to lure him away from Miami.Coming into the NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers were rumored to be trying to trade the No. 7 pick to upgrade on the wings. Nothing, however, materialized from that on draft n...

Max Verstappen compared Formula One’s £500million Las Vegas Grand Prix to the fifth tier of English football – and suggested the sport’s new generation of fans are only interested in partying. Verstappen will start from second place for Saturday’s 50-lap race on the strip after Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari on pole position with a dazzling lap under the Las Vegas lights. F1 has sold the sport’s Sin City comeback after four decades away as the greatest show on Earth, but fans witnessed just eight minutes of practice on Thursday after a drain cover broke free and tore a hole into the underbelly of Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari. A delayed second practice – which concluded at 4am on Friday local time – took place in front of empty grandstands after angry spectators were turfed out to comply with local employment laws. An estimated crowd of 70,000 watched qualifying on Friday night while organisers had been expecting 100,000 attendees each day. Earlier this week, Verstappen criticised F1’s maiden street race on the strip as “99 per cent show, and one per cent sport”. And in the moments after qualifying, he took another swipe at the event. “Monaco is Champions League and this is National League,” he said. “I feel like the show is important, but I like emotion. When I was a little kid it was all about the emotion of the sport that I fell in love with and not the show. As a real racer the show shouldn’t matter. “An F1 car does not come alive on a street circuit. It is not that exciting. It is about proper race tracks. And when you go to Monza and Spa, these kinds of places have a lot of emotion and passion, and for me seeing the fans there is incredible. When I jump in the car, I am fired up. I love driving at these kind of places. “I understand fans need things to do around the track, but it is more important that they understand what we do as a sport. Most of them just come to have a party, drink, see a DJ, or a performance act. “I can do that all over the world. I can go to Ibiza and get completely s***-faced and have a good time. People come here, but they become a fan of what? They want to see maybe their favourite artist and have a few drinks with their mates, and then go out and have a crazy night. “But they don’t understand what we are doing, and they don’t understand what we are putting on the line to perform.” John Legend and Kylie Minogue were among a number of high-profile artists to perform in a dazzling 30-minute Superbowl-style show here on Wednesday, designed to kick-start the penultimate round of the season in style. Verstappen and his fellow drivers were introduced to the crowd via an elevating platform. Verstappen, who secured his third world title in Qatar last month, later said he felt like a “clown”. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he continued: “As a little kid I grew up wanting to become a world champion. More time should be invested into the actual sport, and what we are trying to achieve. “The sport should explain what the team has done throughout the season, and what they are working for. That’s way more important than having these random shows all over the place. I am not passionate about that. I like passion and emotion. “I love Vegas, but not to drive an F1 car. I love to go out, have a few drinks, throw everything on red and be crazy, but emotion and passion is not there compared to the old-school tracks.” Despite starting behind Leclerc when the lights go out at 10pm local time here on Saturday (6am Sunday GMT), Verstappen will be favourite to take his 18th win of the season. George Russell will line up from third but Lewis Hamilton will start only 10th. Hamilton, who finished half-a-second behind team-mate Russell, said: “I was lacking confidence and grip. I struggled. “Yesterday, the car felt better and I was more competitive and I made changes overnight and it didn’t feel great today. I have got a lot of work to do.” Read More Toto Wolff fuelled by ‘personal anger’ to help Lewis Hamilton win eighth title On this day in 2010: Sebastian Vettel becomes youngest ever F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton ‘counting down days’ to end of season after another poor race Max Verstappen thwarts Lando Norris’ bid for first F1 win with sprint victory F1 2023 season race schedule: When is the Las Vegas Grand Prix? Verstappen criticises Vegas GP: ‘Monaco is Champions League, this is National League’