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The oldest international rivalry was decided by the youngest player on the pitch. As Scotland and England marked 150 years since they first met, it was scarcely surprising the dominant figure was a man who has been alive for barely 20 of them. Jude Bellingham has made a habit of excelling on foreign soil of late, becoming the Bundesliga’s player of the year, making a superlative start to life in Spain with Real Madrid and now inflicting a first defeat of 2023 on Scotland. Bellingham played a part – two, really – in England’s first goal. He scored their second. He made their third for Harry Kane in wonderful fashion. A booking for a bust-up with Jack Hendry – it may be termed a bit of a stramash in these parts – was a sign of his competitive instincts. A traumatic night for Harry Maguire, the unwitting scorer of Scotland’s goal, was a triumphant one for Bellingham. Wearing the No.10 – it will be instructive if the shirt remains his or ever returns to Raheem Sterling – and operating as a 10, he scored just his second goal for England. A month after his Real debut, he already has five for his new club, but the chances are that Bellingham will become more prolific in his country’s colours. As, aided by Bellingham, England struck twice in four first-half minutes, it was a night of double disappointment for Scotland. Their qualification to Euro 2024 could have been sealed if Norway failed to beat Georgia but instead Erling Haaland and co prolonged their wait. For Steve Clarke, the flagship win of 2023 came against Spain; in the final reckoning, it may count for more, much as overcoming England would have boosted their morale and much as his selection, with the strongest available team, scarcely suggested this was a friendly. The crowd settled instead for spending the second half baiting the England substitute Maguire; his own goal could scarcely have been greeted with a louder cheer had it been scored by Hampden’s darling, John McGinn. Yet goals by England’s two Harrys cancelled each other out, Kane restoring the two-goal margin, just as Scotland’s skipper set up a goal for either side: Andy Robertson initially erred for Bellingham’s strike then made a redemptive contribution to Maguire’s own goal, the left wing-back materialising on the right wing to turn provider. It was the one strike that did not involve Bellingham, such was his ubiquity. After half an hour where England had plenty of possession but chances were rarities, a high-speed move that took them from one end of the pitch to the other, with both Kyle Walker and Bellingham twice involved. Walker’s pace facilitated it and, having scored a belated first England goal in his 77th cap, was aiming for a second with a low drive. It instead became an assist, Phil Foden deftly turning the ball in. It was a marked improvement on his first shot, skied from Marcus Rashford’s low cross. Then Bellingham slotted in after an error by Robertson, stabbing the ball straight to the Real Madrid man. It was nevertheless the product of a new-found predatory sense and a willingness to spend more time in the box. Arguably his finest contribution, however, came for England’s third goal. A slick passing move came to a fine culmination when Bellingham span away from two defenders with enviable ease and released Kane to score his 59th England goal. Gareth Southgate had made six changes but retained four major figures, in Kane, Bellingham, Walker and Declan Rice. The full-back, a player Southgate twice talked out of international retirement, showed his significance as a galloping force on England’s right. Rashford was a frequent outlet on the left, illustrating the importance of having at least one winger with the pace to run in behind defences; it is something James Maddison lacks and the Manchester United man may be winning their particular duel. It was, though, another occasion to forget for the luckless Maguire. Summoned at half-time to replace Marc Guehi, he diverted Robertson’s cross past Aaron Ramsdale, giving the goalkeeper no chance. His every touch was cheered by the Scotland fans and, a century and a half after the first meeting between these countries finished goalless, the home support enjoyed his misfortune when they scored. It was not the only sign of an intimidating atmosphere. God Save the King was drowned out by whistles and boos; Flower of Scotland was roared, choruses about Edward II’s distinctly unsuccessful 14th-century army being used to try and intimidate Southgate’s 21st-cenury troops. Without stretching the historical parallels too far, not every English general has been able to call on someone of Bellingham’s calibre. Scotland, a fast-improving, arguably overachieving, team will not be the last to rue his excellence. Read More Player ratings as Bellingham stars in England win over Scotland Scotland vs England LIVE: Result and reaction as Kane wraps up Three Lions win England want Newcastle duo amid call-up tug-of-war with Scotland Southgate hails Ferguson and confirms England interest in Newcastle starlet Gareth Southgate twice talked Kyle Walker out of international retirement Gareth Southgate felt England did not ‘quite click’ against Ukraine

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A few years ago, Declan Rice said he would have passed. Now, however, the £105m man assumed responsibility, shot and, via a deflection off Jonny Evans, gave Arsenal a 96th-minute lead against Manchester United. As Gabriel Jesus scored an even later goal, it was not technically the winner. But Rice was the scorer of the de facto decider in the sort of match that can define seasons and establish reputations. Perhaps particularly for central midfielders, given that it is a fixture that evokes memories of Patrick Vieira against Roy Keane. Vieira scored the winning penalty in an FA Cup final shootout against United; Keane scored a disproportionate number of his United goals – five, almost 10 percent – against Arsenal. Rice’s first in Arsenal colours came at United’s expense. The most expensive Englishman ever can appear something of a throwback player: called a defensive midfielder, but often an all-rounder, in the way the Frenchman and the Irishman were. His post-match interview was conducted next to Keane who, like Graeme Souness, a similarly dominant and brilliant midfielder and another whose punditry could focus more on personalities than tactics, subscribes to the great man theory of history: as a footballing great himself, he tends to argue that matches are determined by the determination of individuals, by a willingness to seize the moment, by winning a personal battle. It suits him to argue games are won by warriors, not formations involving inverted full-backs or box midfielders. Football has grown more complex, the tactical intricacies of managers such as Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola reducing the significance of going mano a mano with the opposition’s alpha male. And yet, in the age of the £100m midfielder, perhaps Rice has a responsibility to be more than just another cog in the wheel, to be the match-winner at least sometimes. If it is simplistic to demand a tangible impact that always equates with his price tag for a player whose contribution stretches far beyond goals and assists, he is nevertheless charged with improving Arsenal. Turning one point into three and winning a game against rivals is a way of doing that. And if philosophies and systems seemed to have reduced the reliance on the individual, there is evidence in the midfields of Arteta and Guardiola that football can still come down to big players producing big deeds at big moments. Ilkay Gundogan spent the first half of his Manchester City career as a neat passer. In the second half, he was transformed into the man for the big occasion, the scorer supreme who could use his footballing intelligence to find space and his technique to finish. It was, in part, why he became captain; by the time of his FA Cup final brace, he felt more Roy of the Rovers than Sergio Busquets. As the defensive midfielder, Rodri’s primary responsibilities were to engineer perpetual possession and to cut off counter-attacks. Yet as the Spaniard grew in stature, he has tended to deliver crucial contributions: most obviously the Champions League final winner and most recently the superb late decider at Sheffield United but a pre-Rice Arsenal can probably still remember and regret his injury-time winner at the Emirates Stadium on New Year’s Day in 2022: if the sense is that managers like Guardiola and Arteta want their midfielders to be elegantly robotic, executing a strategy with practised excellence, the importance of individual interventions is still apparent. Rice need only gaze across the Arsenal midfield to see. Martin Odegaard joined with certain similarities to Gundogan: obviously an assured passer, he has turned himself into an accomplished scorer as well as a regular skipper. The Norwegian’s two goals this season, a nerveless penalty at Crystal Palace and a swift equaliser against United, were signs of his substance, of a capacity to deliver when it matters. That Rice did likewise feels auspicious. He has cost the sort of sum that used to be reserved for attackers. Chelsea created the £100m midfielder and now have two of them, a £222m double act. That can seem the product of a shift in thinking, recognising the significance of dictating a game. But there is still the need to decide it. Enzo Fernandez has shown his incisive passing as he has become increasingly creative: that he only has two assists in their colours is in part a reflection of others’ poor finishing. But the Argentinian has a lone goal himself, and that was against AFC Wimbledon of League Two, while he missed a penalty at West Ham. Moises Caicedo’s Chelsea career has only spanned 205 minutes on the pitch and, while Fernandez has been used as a No 10 of late, the Ecuadorian’s deeper role means he is likely to score fewer goals than the World Cup winner or Rice. Nevertheless, at such a colossal cost, each was bought to make a difference. And when, deep into added time, it seemed Arsenal would drop two points, Rice did. Read More Arrest after Roy Keane allegedly headbutted at Emirates Stadium Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus hopes he has seen the last of knee niggles Declan Rice rises to the moment as Arsenal avoid disastrous slip-up

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The special counsel investigating Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results obtained a search warrant for the former president’s Twitter account in January, according to newly unsealed records. Twitter was prohibited from telling Mr Trump about the search, but the platform – now called “X” – was fined $350,000 for failing to meet the deadline to produce records under court order. The company ultimately produced the records three days after that deadline, according to the filing. Twitter and the office of US Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith spent several months debating whether to inform Mr Trump about the warrant, a dispute that surfaced with a Washington DC appeals court’s unsealing of a decision that upheld a lower court ruling to prohibit the platform from telling the former president about the case. A federal court agreed there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that disclosing the warrant would “seriously jeopardize the ongoing investigation” by giving him “an opportunity to destroy evidence, change patterns of behavior, [or] notify confederates,” according to the decision. A footnote adds that the court “found reason to believe” that Mr Trump could “flee from prosecution”. “The government later acknowledged, however, that it had ‘errantly included flight from prosecution as a predicate’ in its application,” the footnote adds. “The district court did not rely on risk of flight in its ultimate analysis.” Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty to three criminal conspiracy charges and a charge of obstruction for his attempts to overturn 2020 election results. This is a developing story Read More Trump 2020 election plan detailed in ‘fake elector’ memo as Chris Christie reacts to ‘fat pig’ attack - latest

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