Manchester United victory quest foiled, joy for Verstappen, Nageeye wins in New York
Norris refuses to praise rival Verstappen, Manchester United still stuck in rut, Zverev’s Paris joy, AFC Wimbledon strike blow for good guys
The lack of genuine beef between modern-day sportspeople does not sit easily with a lot of fans. We see opposition footballers cosying up in tunnels before games and joshing around after full-time. The top-bracket of tennis players trade savage blows on the court but are unfailingly respectful towards each other off it.
Heavens, even Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk were rather nice to each other when they recently appeared in public together to begin promoting the pair’s rematch next month.
It is always refreshing, then, when a leading sportsperson fails to conform to the script. Joe Marler was it at last week and whatever the rights or wrongs of the Englishman’s take on New Zealand’s haka, it did not half whet the appetite for England’s meeting with the All Blacks on Saturday. The Kiwis’ narrow 24-22 victory would have tasted all the sweeter in light of Marler calling their pre-match ritual “ridiculous”, too.
And whatever they are putting in the water in England, it is bringing out the natives’ chippy sides. It was the turn of Lando Norris to get narked overnight when the 24-year-old conclusively refused to add his voice to the praise being heaped on Max Verstappen for a stonkingly impressive drive at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Norris’s sixth-place performance and subsequent snarky comments were among the things you missed while you were sleeping.
Predictable Premier League?
Fickle Tottenham Hotspur delivered an exhilarating second-half display to overturn a half-time deficit and thump Aston Villa 4-1, before Manchester United were unable to cling on to a late lead in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
