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Cleveland Guardians All-Star third baseman José Ramírez had his MLB suspension for fighting with Chicago’s Tim Anderson reduced from three games to two

Just outside Goodison Park, there is evidence of the impact a goalscorer can make. Almost a century after his 60-goal season, more than four decades after his death, Dixie Dean’s statue is a sign he remains an iconic figure in these parts. It is safe to assume it will not be joined, at Goodison or Bramley-Moore Dock, of a sculpture of Neal Maupay. A year into his Everton career, Maupay is only 382 Everton goals behind Dean, who got 383; at his current rate of progress, he could go past him early in the 2400s. And if it is automatically unfair to bracket anyone else with Everton’s record scorer, there is a stark contrast. Everton have never been less prolific than they were last season, when their total of 34 league goals was barely more than half the 60 Dean managed on his own in 1927-28. They began the new campaign with an exhibition of how not to finish, with a demoralising home defeat to Fulham and with indications that, unless they discover a clinical touch, another season of grim struggle beckons. Maupay is the face of a problem, but not all of it. He was not the sole culprit; Abdoulaye Doucoure waltzed through the Fulham defence but Bernd Leno saved his scuffed shot while Nathan Patterson struck the bar. Yet his job description entails scoring goals and his drought has now lasted 29 games. When Bobby Decordova-Reid took his lone opportunity, he showed the perils of Everton’s profligacy. For them, it was a tale of three strikers, two missing the match and one missing chances. The £12.5 million Youssef Chermiti was deemed not ready after only signing this week; so, for different reasons, was the oft-injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin, ruled not match fit. Without either, Everton scarcely felt equipped for the start of the season but this was not the first striking void at Goodison Park in recent years. Enter Maupay, whose presence on the teamsheet may have disheartened Evertonians before a ball was kicked, whose movement was excellent, whose persistence was admirable and whose finishing was unconvincing. He ranks as one of the most damaging parts of Frank Lampard’s legacy, a signing the former manager advocated when others at Everton wanted Ben Brereton Diaz. He ended last season with one goal from 32 shots and an expected goals tally of 5.43. But this is a time for fresh starts. New season, new Maupay? Not exactly. He could have scored after barely 30 seconds but shot wide. He twice spurned one-on-ones with Bernd Leno, the first from five yards, the second from about 12. Abdoulaye Doucoure cushioned a header into his path, Amadou Onana placed a pass, but Leno saved each effort. He had four efforts and got no goals. There were rousing cheers when he was replaced, though they were for the debutant Arnaut Danjuma; a winger could have been a preferable option as a makeshift striker. But Sean Dyche’s options are limited. His side played with verve, Alex Iwobi and Doucoure allying running power with craft. But his starting 11 contained five players who may call themselves central midfielders and the closest thing to a career winger was a 38-year-old at left-back, in Ashley Young. They offered effort in abundance and encountered a defiant goalkeeper who made nine saves. The otherwise excellent Leno unpunished from his only error, a foul given when he spilled a cross and Michael Keane found the unguarded net. Yet the stark reality is that Everton began with a home defeat to a side who may end up in the bottom half themselves and a manager, in Marco Silva, who they sacked in 2018. It is no slight on Dyche to say they have reasons to repent that decision. If Fulham’s win was a triumph of strength in depth, it also owed something to Silva’s intervention. He secured a second win of 2023 at Goodison when three substitutes combined. Aleksandar Mitrovic released Andreas Pereira to cross for Decordova-Reid to finish. If it had the feel of a smash-and-grab raid, it had been threatened. In a Maupay-esque return, Raul Jimenez failed to score a Premier League goal in his last season at Wolves. He nearly marked his Fulham debut with one, volleying against the base of the post from a Decordova-Reid cross. Fulham, though, have the confidence of a team who can score. To Dyche’s credit, he conjured goals from Doucoure and Dwight McNeil in the run-in last season. But if it was obvious a team who only got four from their out-and-out centre-forwards needed far more this season, it was an utterly unpromising start. And for a club whose motto is Nil Satis Nisi Optimum, its first word is the most worrying. Everton got Nil. Again. Read More Everton’s summer of stasis leaves Sean Dyche with a salvage job on his hands Football rumours: Everton considering bid for Harry Maguire

Mikel Arteta explains his decision not to substitute Jurrien Timber before his injury in Arsenal's win over Nottingham Forest.

As if selling at the trade deadline wasn't a sign enough that the New York Mets were punting on the season, then their lineup for Game 1 of their doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves was proof of it.The New York Mets entered the season with the largest payroll in all of baseball, after s...

Olympic champion Tom Pidcock won the world championship cross country mountain bike marathon on Saturday as a crash ended Mathieu van der Poel's...

Shimron Hetmyer struck a lively 61 as West Indies recovered from a shaky start to set India a target of 179 to win the fourth match of their T20 series on Saturday...

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said Saturday it was a huge disappointment that winger Ousmane Dembele decided to leave and...

Russian officials say multiple missiles were shot down over the crucial bridge connecting the annexed Crimea to the mainland on Saturday, the latest in a series of apparent Ukrainian attacks in the region.

Arsenal began their Premier League title challenge by beating Nottingham Forest 2-1 on Saturday as Brighton shrugged off the absence of Moises Caicedo...

NFL great Tom Brady watched on as Birmingham grabbed a late win against Leeds after Lukas Jutkiewicz converted from the spot at St Andrew's. The game had been heading for a draw, before Jutkiewicz’s penalty in the first minute of stoppage time. Before the game, Brady made an appearance at The Roost, a pub near St. Andrew's stadium, before Blues’ game against Leeds in the second-tier Championship on Saturday. A few hours earlier, Brady posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Any plans before kick off guys? See you at St. Andrew’s.” He later went to the stadium, where he was pictured meeting mascots and signing jerseys. The seven-time Super Bowl champion has partnered with the club’s holding company, U.S.-based Knighthead Capital Management, and become chairman of a new advisory board. Birmingham said Brady will “apply his extensive leadership experience and expertise across several components of the club.” That includes working alongside the sports science department to advise on health, nutrition and recovery programs. Brady won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and another with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. He retired in February, after Tampa’s loss in the playoffs. AP contributed to this report Read More Tom Brady watches on as Birmingham beat Leeds with last-gasp penalty Soccer for sale: What are American sport stars buying British football playing at? Brady proud to join Blues and Housby celebrates – Thursday’s sporting social

Joao Pedro and Simon Adingra claimed debut goals as Brighton set aside Moises Caicedo’s ongoing transfer saga to thrash Premier League debutants Luton 4-1. Club record signing Pedro doubled Albion’s lead following Solly March’s first-half opener by converting a 71st-minute penalty after being brought down by Hatters captain Tom Lockyer. Carlton Morris slotted home from the spot at the other end following Lewis Dunk’s handball to set up a tense finale but Adingra capitalised on a dreadful error from Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu before fellow substitute Evan Ferguson sealed the Seagulls’ emphatic victory. Build up to the contest was dominated by news of Albion accepting a British record transfer fee of around £111million from Liverpool for star midfielder Caicedo amid reports he would prefer to join Chelsea. The 21-year-old Ecuador international was absent from the Amex Stadium as his current club launched their first campaign to feature European football in commanding fashion. Luton, back in the top flight for the first time since being relegated from the old First Division in 1992, were second best on the south coast and could have lost by more as Danny Welbeck, Pascal Gross and Ferguson each struck the woodwork. With Caicedo seemingly heading for the exit, Brighton handed debuts to Mahmoud Dahoud, James Milner and Pedro. Brazilian forward Pedro, whose every touch was booed by the travelling fans following his £30million transfer from Luton’s bitter rivals Watford, should have opened the scoring inside five minutes but he skewed wastefully wide of the gaping goal. The clubs were facing each other for the first time since the southern final of the Football League Trophy in 2009, with their only previous top-flight meetings coming during the 1982-83 campaign. Luton did the double over Albion by an aggregate score of 9-2 back then but remained on the back foot, albeit the hosts appeared susceptible to counter attacks. Albion eventually turned their dominance of the ball into a lead nine minutes before the break. Kaoru Mitoma was afforded time and space on the left and his inviting, inswinging cross gave the unmarked March a simple headed finish from six yards out. Albion’s advantage was almost instantly wiped out as Hatters forward Morris thumped a header too close to home goalkeeper Jason Steele from Ryan Giles’ corner before Welbeck hit the base of the right post at the other end. Despite their limited possession, Luton, who were a non-league club as recently as 2014, were far from overawed in the first half and went into the break with reason for encouragement. Gross fired against the outside of the left upright from a wide free-kick early in the second period as Roberto De Zerbi’s men attempted to add to their slender lead. Brighton were in need of a cushion and it arrived 19 minutes from time when Pedro tumbled under Lockyer’s challenge before, as he had done twice in pre-season, firing into the right corner from 12 yards. Albion looked set to ease to victory on the back of last season’s club-record sixth-placed finish which secured a Europa League place. Yet Morris’ successful 81st-minute penalty after a cross from substitute Jacob Brown struck the elbow of Dunk briefly brought back the tension. However, Ivory Coast winger Adingra, who was loaned to Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise last season, thumped home just four minutes later after Mpanzu inexplicably failed to clear. Striker Ferguson then rattled the right post with a fine curling effort. The Republic of Ireland international would not be denied a place on the scoresheet and duly slid home Pervis Estupinan’s low cross deep into added time. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Everton pay price for missed chances as Fulham snatch win at Goodison Park Rangers get up and running in Premiership with convincing win over Livingston Tom Brady watches on as Birmingham beat Leeds with last-gasp penalty

Everton paid the price for a string of missed chances as their goalscoring issues were exploited by Fulham in a 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park. A new season brought new hope for recent relegation strugglers Everton but for all the improvements Sean Dyche has made over the summer, it appears he he has not yet solved their problems in front of goal. Substitute Bobby De Cordova-Reid struck the only goal of the game to get Marco Silva’s side off to a winning start. Everton, the Premier League’s lowest scorers last season, were again without striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Despite generating twice as many shots as the visitors, Dyche’s side were undone by one square pass across their six-yard area when Andreas Pereira beat Nathan Patterson to an Aleksandar Mitrovic’s through-ball for a 73rd-minute tap-in by Decordova-Reid. It burst the bubble of optimism which had been generated by an energetic and relatively creative opening 73 minutes of the season and will have infuriated Dyche as much as it delighted former Toffees boss Silva. Michael Keane’s first-half goal was disallowed as the centre-back turned the ball into an empty net and celebrated almost apologetically before referee Stuart Atwell, having initially not blown, ruled there had been an infringement in the collision between goalkeeper Bernd Leno and James Tarkowski. Both teams started without their recognised first-choice strikers: Calvert-Lewin was omitted due to his lack of minutes in pre-season while Mitrovic was left on the bench after ongoing interest from Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal. But it was the home team who suffered the most as they generated 19 shots to their opponents’ nine from just 41 per cent possession but failed to capitalise with Calvert-Lewin’s deputy Neal Maupay most culpable. The £15million signing from Brighton last summer has a return of one goal in his 29 previous appearances but the reason for that conversion rate was evident after just 32 seconds when he clipped a shot wide of the far post with only goalkeeper Leno to beat after being put through by James Garner’s cushioned header. It did not get any better for the Frenchman, whose heavy touch from Abdoulaye Doucoure’s square pass denied him another shooting opportunity before Leno blocked his close-range scuff from a Doucoure knockdown and then he fired straight at the German when played in by Amadou Onana. Doucoure, playing just behind the striker, was not without fault either as he should have scored inside five minutes when clean through but shot straight at the goalkeeper when he could also have squared to Maupay. Everton were fortunate the visitors were even more toothless in attack themselves, although Willian, 35, gave 21-year-old right-back Nathan Patterson, who made just 21 appearances in a debut season affected by injury, an uncomfortable 45 minutes before he was replaced by De Cordova-Reid at half-time. But Willian was also lucky to escape with a booking for an over the top challenge on Garner. By contrast, on the other side of the defence Ashley Young, Everton’s second-oldest debutant at the age of 38 years and 34 days, was coping easily with Harry Wilson – 12 years his junior. The 57th-minute of introduction of Mitrovic and Pereira, seconds after debutant Raul Jimenez had struck the post with his last touch before being replaced, threatened a new element of danger for Everton. However, it was the hosts who should have scored when Leno parried Alex Iwobi’s shot to Patterson who lashed his shot against the crossbar. Loan signing Arnaut Danjuma assumed the central striking role from Maupay but, before he had even touched the ball, De Cordova-Reid had scored the goal which secured Fulham’s third successive win at Goodison Park. The return of Calvert-Lewin and a debut for new signing Youssef Chermiti, the £15million Sporting Lisbon striker watching from the directors’ box, cannot come soon enough. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Joao Pedro and Simon Adingra hit debut goals as Brighton stroll past Luton Rangers get up and running in Premiership with convincing win over Livingston Tom Brady watches on as Birmingham beat Leeds with last-gasp penalty