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Kieran McKenna has delivered his verdict on Celtic following recent reports that the Scottish giants could look to land the Ipswich Town manager to replace Brendan Rodgers.

It’s been quite the week at Celtic Park. Chaos unfolded on Monday when Brendan Rodgers made the decision to resign and since then, the Hoops have travelled back in time – appointing Martin O’Neill on an interim basis.

The veteran manager has instantly got the Scottish champions back to winning ways, overseeing a 4-0 victory over Falkirk on Wednesday evening before telling reporters: “I’m really pleased to win in the manner we did, and we played some delightful stuff. Could have scored a couple more, too.

“My anxiety has calmed somewhat. When you get a few goals in front you can perhaps enjoy the last 10 or 15 minutes, and it kind of brought me back. I’ve not seen Celtic often, not live, to make criticism of this side. A restoration of confidence was great.”

Leaving O’Neill to turn things around on the pitch, Parkhead chiefs have commenced their search for a new manager and already faced their first blow thanks to Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian has reportedly chosen to take a break from football after getting the sack at Nottingham Forest just 39 days into the job. This shuts down any rumours that he could be making a sensational return to Scotland in the coming weeks.

Forced to search elsewhere, Celtic could yet turn towards Wales boss Craig Bellamy or Club Brugge’s Nicky Hayen, who has refused to rule a move out.

Meanwhile, another option is McKenna. The Ipswich Town boss has quite the reputation and has reportedly made Celtic’s shortlist as a result. Whether he decides to call it quits at Portman Road is another question, however.

Kieran McKenna delivers fresh Celtic verdict

Asked about the vacant job in his latest press conference, McKenna revealed where he ranks Celtic as a club whilst also speaking about his verdict on the position in Scotland.

Despite holding them in high regard, it looks as though Celtic will have a tough task on their hands if they want to lure McKenna away from Ipswich.

The former Manchester United coach has done an excellent job in Suffolk, taking Ipswich to as high as the Premier League following back-to-back promotions before suffering relegation last season.

Former Irish League star Thomas Stewart is one of many ex-players and pundits to have praised McKenna, previously telling reporters: “He’s well-educated, an intelligent man and I always felt that when we had conversations when we were younger.

As good as Kenny: Celtic star who won 10 duels is already undroppable

This Celtic star who was as good as Johnny Kenny is now undroppable for Martin O’Neill.

By
Dan Emery

Oct 30, 2025

“I think we were the only two from the U16 Victory Shield team that got left out and went on to play for the U21 team. I’ve full respect for him and he’s doing an amazing job.”

For now, though, Celtic may be forced to miss out on their managerial target.

Celtic to contact Craig Bellamy

Liverpool have had their fair share of special European nights over the years, with the famous comeback win against Barcelona back in 2019 in the Champions League – which saw the Reds overturn a 4-0 deficit – still sticking out as the Premier League giants at their thrilling best.

The entertainment levels weren’t through the roof in a similar fashion mid-week when Arne Slot’s men got the better of Barca’s arch rivals Real Madrid by a single goal, but the impressive all-round display would have definitely pleased the Anfield masses watching on.

Indeed, away from Alexis Mac Allister grabbing the winner, faces such as Florian Wirtz and Mohamed Salah also stood out, when they have otherwise failed to get going this season, with the heavily scapegoated German covering a staggering 11.37km in total.

To make the win even sweeter on Europe’s grandest stage, Liverpool managed to get one over on ex-star Trent Alexander-Arnold, who would only come on for the final few exchanges for Los Blancos.

Yet, despite a chorus of boos greeting his every touch, it’s clear – when analysing Liverpool’s wobbles this season – that they have desperately missed the creativity of their former homegrown product from the right-back spot.

Why Liverpool have missed Alexander-Arnold

Of course, all of the animosity directed towards the former number 66 comes from a place of pain that he deserted his hometown club for a shot in La Liga.

Being able to replace the creativity Alexander-Arnold possessed in spades at Anfield instantly was also going to be an extremely tough ask, with his ability to burst forward and cut open a defence for Liverpool, dubbing him a “dream for strikers” by Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Alexander-Arnold would become a modern-day icon at Liverpool, with a mighty 23 goals and 92 assists falling into his lap on Merseyside.

Liverpool had their work cut out for them in the summer to try and find an attacking full-back of the same calibre as the Englishman; therefore, with the Anfield giants presumably thinking they’d hit the jackpot with the capture of Milos Kerkez.

Unfortunately, the former AFC Bournemouth star – who amassed five Premier League assists last season – has no assists next to his name for Liverpool in league action, leading to him being branded as “out of his depth” by journalist Tim Spiers.

Thankfully, Conor Bradley showed the Liverpool masses why he could be in with a shout to be a long-term fix for Trent deserting the building.

He was phenomenal against the Spanish giants, dealing with the effervescent Vinicius Junior with an energetic display, seeing him win eight duels against Xabi Alonso’s visitors.

But, there was another standout performer on Wednesday night, who could be a surprise shout to be Slot’s next Trent-style figure.

Liverpool's new Trent is in midfield

Liverpool haven’t just experienced a crisis in the full-back areas this season, with the aforementioned Mac Allister struggling in the midfield areas in patches this campaign, too.

He does look to have exited his slump now, with the winning goal against the visitors from Madrid. Dominik Szoboszlai, on the other hand, has only gone from strength to strength this season, even as meltdowns have occurred around him.

The Hungarian would live up to his reputation for being a dead-ball specialist – which saw him hammer home a glorious free-kick against Arsenal earlier this season – against Alexander-Arnold’s new employers, with Mac Allister ultimately thankful for the 25-year-old’s incisive eye for an assist.

The two-time Premier League title winner would, time after time, also come up trumps when taking his very own corner kicks and corners at Anfield, with Szoboszlai now taking on this role expertly, as seen in him already picking up three Champions League assists for the campaign.

Szoboszlai’s numbers vs Real Madrid

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

1

Touches

54

Shots

5

Accurate passes

30/39 (77%)

Key passes

3

Accurate crosses

3/3

Ball recoveries

6

Stats by Sofascore

Back in the bread and butter of the Premier League, Szoboszlai is in a league of his own in terms of progressive carries and crosses attempted.

Two standout characteristics of Alexander-Arnold’s expansive game in England, the Hungarian has registered 26 carries and 25 crosses already in 2025/26. That’s more than any midfielder in England’s top-flight this season.

Slot has even chucked the “unbelievable” number 8 – as he has glowingly labelled him – into the right-back spot on occasion this season, with their similarities almost becoming eerie at this point.

However, as was evidenced on Wednesday night, the 25-year-old can still be an influential figure – like the number 66 – from a number ten position.

More wins will no doubt be collected this season, off the back of Szoboszlai’s “genius” alone, as his former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp also labelled him.

Related Arne Slot has just unlocked Liverpool's new Coutinho vs Real Madrid

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Nov 5, 2025

After being considered "hour-to-hour" by coach John Schneider on Tuesday (via MLB reporter Keegan Matheson), the Blue Jays revealed outfielder George Springer's status for Game 4 just under two hours before the first pitch vs. the Dodgers.

Springer was not included in Toronto's initial lineup vs. Los Angeles. The Blue Jays star left Monday night's marathon 18-inning game in the seventh inning, hours before the game actually ended.

It was determined Springer left with right side discomfort, per MLB, and that he would be undergoing an MRI to learn the severity of the injury. Springer left the field after fouling off a pitch from Dodgers reliever Justin Wrobleski in the top of the seventh inning and did not return.

Springer normally leads off for the Blue Jays, so in his absence, Nathan Lukes will take the leadoff spot for Toronto in an important Game 4. The Dodgers now hold a 2–1 lead over the Blue Jays after the 6–5 win on Monday night. The Blue Jays will need to win on Tuesday night to even out the series and avoid being on the brink of losing.

Through the postseason thus far, Springer has registered 14 hits, 13 runs and four home runs, including a three-run homer that helped the Blue Jays win the ALCS over the Mariners in Game 7. He's averaged .246/.323/.561 through 14 postseason games.

Zohran Mamdani may have won New York City’s mayoral election on Nov. 4, but it was not for a lack of trying on the part of … his city’s athletes?

After every mayoral election, New York publishes the recipients of write-in votes—often a motley crew of celebrities and politicans past and present. This election’s field was no exception.

Here, per Spencer Gustafson of WPIX-TV and Gary Phillips of the , are the athletes who received at least one write-in vote to become mayor of New York in Jan. 2026. The list includes the living and the dead, as well as representatives of three different sports.

The list can be grouped with relative neatness into four brackets—the modern baseball figures (Alonso, Judge, Manfred, etc.), the faces of the Knicks’ 2020s renaissance (Brunson, Hart, Thibodeau, etc.), the football rookies (Dart, Skattebo, etc.), and the past greats (Anthony, Gehrig, etc.).

Mariners fans still grimacing at Judge’s MVP win over catcher Cal Raleigh must now ask themselves: would they trust the Big Dumper to run Seattle?

تُوّج فريق أهلي طرابلس بقيادة المدير الفني المصري حسام البدري، بلقب كأس ليبيا بعد الفوز على نظيره الأهلي بنغازي بثلاثة أهداف دون مقابل، في المباراة النهائية التي أُقيمت مساء اليوم الخميس على استاد القاهرة.

وكان من المقرر إقامة المواجهة مساء الأربعاء، قبل أن يتم تأجيلها بسبب أزمة تقنية تتعلق بكاميرات البث التابعة للقناة الناقلة. 

طالع.. رئيس البنك الأهلي يكشف لـ”بطولات” حقيقة بيع ياو أنور إلى أهلي طرابلس الليبي

في الدقيقة 67 افتتح عزو المريمي أهداف اللقاء برأسية بعد ارتداد الكرة من القائم بينما في الدقيقة 89 سجل البديل عمران سالم الهدف الثاني بعد استقبال عرضية متقنة من الجهة اليسرى.

وفي الدقيقة 95 تمكن الأنجولي كريستوفر مابولولو من تسجيل هدف احتسبه الحكم بعد العودة إلى تقنية الفيديو.

وتمكن حسام البدري من قيادة فريقه لتحقيق الثنائية هذا الموسم بعد الفوز سابقًا بلقب الدوري الليبي الممتاز.

يذكر أن أهلي بنغازي يقوده فنيا المدرب المصري طارق مصطفى، وطارق يحيى مديرا رياضيا. 

It wasn’t easy, but Chelsea managed to get over the line against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday night.

Enzo Maresca’s side managed to get themselves ahead of the Old Gold just five minutes into the game, and looked completely out of sight by half-time.

However, the West Londoners found themselves in a real scrap halfway through the second 45, and were it not for a wonder goal from Jamie Gittens, they might not still be in the League Cup.

However, while there were a few players who let themselves down in the second period, the biggest disappointment for the Blues was Liam Delap, and if he’s not careful, the Englishman could see himself replaced next season.

Delap's diabolical night

After spending the last two months out with a hamstring injury, Delap finally made his return to first-team action against Wolves.

Chalkboard

The former Ipswich Town star came on for Estevao in the 61st minute, and it would be fair to say he more than made his mark, just not in the way he would have wanted.

In the 79th minute, he received a yellow card for pushing a Wolves player and arguing with the referee, which at the time was a foolish thing to do.

However, just seven minutes later, the Englishman did something even stupider and elbowed Emmanuel Agbadou in the head, which unsurprisingly saw him receive a second yellow and get sent off.

It was a true horror show from the striker, as he wasn’t even able to have a single shot before being sent off.

Speaking after the match, Maresca didn’t hold back, describing the incident as “embarrassing” and “very stupid.”

Such a response might sound harsh, but given the state of the game and the nature of the cards, it is hard to disagree with the Italian.

Delap will surely be desperate to make amends when he returns, although he might have to do more than that, as come next season, Maresca will have another forward in the squad who could be a significant upgrade on the Englishman.

Chelsea's future Delap upgrade

With Nicolas Jackson at Bayern Munich and Joao Pedro playing better behind a striker, there aren’t too many options for replacing Delap this season.

However, that will not be the case next year, as Strasbourg star Emanuel Emegha will be making his way to Chelsea in the summer.

The Dutchman might not be a particularly well-known name in England at the moment, but he’s been playing well in France for a couple of years now and looks like he could make a real impact at Stamford Bridge.

For example, in his first season with the Ligue 1 outfit, the 22-year-old managed to rack up a tally of nine goals and two assists in 31 appearances, totalling 2226 minutes.

However, last season he did even better, ending the campaign with an impressive haul of 14 goals and three assists in 29 appearances, totalling just 2408 minutes.

In comparison, Delap managed to score 12 goals and provide two assists in 40 appearances, totalling 2670 minutes, for the Tractor Boys.

Unfortunately, the “simply phenomenal” centre-forward, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is currently injured. However, before his injury, he looked set for his best season to date, scoring four goals and providing two assists in just six appearances, totalling 384 minutes.

Appearances

66

Starts

56

Minutes

5018′

Goals

27

Assists

7

Goal Involvements per Match

0.51

Minutes per Goal Involvement

147.58′

Ultimately, not only does Emegha have a better record than Delap, but he has also never received a red card; therefore, he could be a real upgrade for Chelsea next year.

Not Estevao: Chelsea star looks like Palmer 2.0 after Wolves "masterclass"

The exciting ace made all the difference for Maresca and Chelsea vs Wolves.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 30, 2025

Leeds United picked up a crucial win on Wednesday night, as they beat Chelsea 3-1 to go outside of the relegation zone. With 14 points to their name in as many games, it has certainly been a struggle for Daniel Farke’s side this season.

However, they are in good form. Of course, they beat the Blues this week at Elland Road, and last Saturday were unlucky to drop points away to Manchester City.

Only a goal in the 92nd minute from Phil Foden could sink Farke’s team, who were close to the ideal week in their relegation fight.

Indeed, there have been some standout players over the past few days for the West Yorkshire side.

Leeds’ best players in their last two games

It is hard to pinpoint just a couple of players who have excelled for Farke’s side against two of the Premier League’s title challengers, with the whole squad impressing. However, one player who shone was defender Jayden Bogle.

Against City, he played as a right-back, and won 100% of his tackles and three ground duels coming up against Jeremy Doku. On Wednesday, he had more of an advanced role and made great use of it.

Operating as a wing-back on the right flank, Bogle assisted Ao Tanaka, who made it 2-0 to Leeds on the stroke of half-time.

Another standout from the impressive performances this week was summer signing Lukas Nmecha. The German striker has been in good form this term and added to his goal tally at the Etihad Stadium last weekend. He’s now bagged four times in the top flight this season.

Whilst he didn’t find the back of the net against the Blues, Nmecha still made a real nuisance of himself for the Chelsea backline.

The German was not the only Leeds attacker who stood out in the last week.

From "Bang average" to undroppable

The Whites are not short of attacking options after a busy summer. They already had the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Joel Piroe and Wilfried Gnoto, three of the players at Farke’s disposal, who all played a big role in their promotion.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Nmecha was brought in to add to that depth, as was Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The former Everton star made the move to West Yorkshire upon the expiry of his contract on Merseyside. It was a tough start to life at Leeds, though.

The 28-year-old did not exactly set the world alight with his start in a Leeds shirt. He’d only managed one goal in his first ten Premier League games, and that was away to bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It meant the England international had to face some criticism for the lack of form in front of goal.

Earlier in the campaign, defender-turned-pundit Michael Dawson said on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday he was looking “bang average”, following the defeat to Fulham.

However, that form has recently taken a huge upturn. In what have arguably been his side’s two toughest games so far this season, Calvert-Lewin got himself on the scoresheet against both City and Chelsea.

It wasn’t just his goals that made these performances impressive, but the manner in which he played. He was a handful off the ball, winning 15 duels on Wednesday night, and six at the weekend.

He won three fouls in each game, too, making an impact despite having minimal touches.

Touches

15

35

Shots

1

3

Duels won

6

15

Fouls won

3 (1 penalty)

3

Goals

1

1

His performances were enough to earn him a pair of 9/10 ratings from journalist Graham Smyth. Against the Citizens, he praised Calvert-Lewin for the fact that he ‘gave Leeds much more presence’ and said he ‘brought others into play’ superbly against the West Londoners.

With two goals in as many games and some good centre-forward performances outside of that, it is easy to see why Calvert-Lewin could be considered undroppable for Leeds. After a tough start, it seems like he has finally begun to show his best form.

It does seem unlikely that Farke will omit the striker from his starting XI ahead of the game against Liverpool on Saturday. Instead, he will be hoping he provide further troubles for Virgil van Dijk and the rest of the Reds’ defenders.

If Calvert-Lewin can replicate such a performance again, it will go a long way to helping Leeds achieve their goal of Premier League survival.

Best signing since Raphinha: Leeds star is one of "the best" players in PL

Leeds look to have struck gold with one of Farke’s summer signings.

ByJoe Nuttall Dec 4, 2025

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Endrick jogará apenas mais uma partida pelo Palmeiras antes de se transferir ao Real Madrid. A despedida da joia será nesta quinta-feira (30), contra o San Lorenzo, no Allianz Parque, pela sexta e última rodada da fase de grupos da Copa Libertadores.

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Líder! Aposte R$ 100 e receba R$ 154 caso o Verdão vença o San Lorenzo pela Libertadores

Apesar de se apresentar à Seleção Brasileira apenas no dia 3 de junho, segunda-feira, para a disputada da Copa América, Endrick não estará à disposição de Abel Ferreira para o duelo contra o Criciúma, no sábado (2).

Isso porque o atacante recebeu o terceiro cartão amarelo contra o Athletico, o último antes da paralisação do Brasileirão em razão da enchentes no Rio Grande do Sul, e cumpre suspensão automática.

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Em sua despedida do Palmeiras, Endrick busca encerrar um jejum incômodo. O jogador não marca desde o dia 9 de maio, quando balançou as redes na vitória por 5 a 0 diante do Liverpool, do Uruguai, pela Libertadores.

➡️ Tudo sobre o Verdão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Palmeiras

Na atual temporada, o camisa participou de 21 partidas pela equipe paulista, sendo 20 delas como titular, marcou quatro gols e distribuiu duas assistências. Maior venda da história do Palmeiras, Endrick se apresenta ao Real Madrid após completar 18 anos, o que irá ocorrer durante a Copa América.

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RELEMBRE VALORES DA NEGOCIAÇÃO

Em dezembro de 2022, o Real Madrid acertou a compra de Endrick por 60 milhões de euros (R$ 337 milhões, na cotação da época), valor da multa rescisória do jogador.

Deste montante, 35 milhões de euros são fixos, com pagamento parcelado, e 25 milhões em bônus por metas. Além disso, a equipe espanhola concordou em bancar as taxas envolvidas na negociação: 12 milhões de euros. A somatória dos impostos com a multa rescisória (60 + 12) resulta nos 72 milhões de euros finais da transação.

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Juan Soto would like to see Pete Alonso back in a Mets uniform next season.

Speaking with reporters at the MLB Awards in Las Vegas, Soto addressed the fact that Alonso is hitting free agency this offseason after opting out of a one-year, $24 million contract option with the Mets.

“I hope nothing but the best and I’m excited to see where he’s going to end up,” Soto said [via the Mike Puma]. “He’s one of the best power hitters in this generation. I really enjoyed my moment with him in a Mets uniform and I hope we can have more times to come.

“We can have fun together.”

Soto and Alonso did indeed have fun in the lineup in their first season together in New York. Soto shook off a slow start to the 2025 campaign and finished the year batting .263/.396/.525 with 43 homers, 105 RBIs and a career-high 38 stolen bases.

Alonso played all 162 games for a second straight year and batted .272/.347/.524 with a career-high 41 doubles and 38 home runs. He ranked in the top five percent of all MLB hitters in average exit velocity, barrel percentage and hard-hit percentage.

Alonso was also a free agent last offseason. When he didn’t find the long-term contract he was looking for on the open market, he signed a two-year, $54 million contract to return to the Mets with the aim to perform well, opt out of ‘25 and hit free agency again. One year later, MLB Trade Rumors predicts he’ll sign a four-year contract worth $110 million this offseason.

RELATED: Pete Alonso Destinations: Best Landing Spots for Mets Star in Free Agency

The Mets and their $342 million payroll missed out on a playoff berth by one game this past season thanks in large part to an eight-game losing streak in September. Soto is looking to right that wrong in 2026, and he’s hoping Alonso will be back in the heart of the Mets’ order along with him.

Middlesex fell 42 short as Hampshire progress to face Yorkshire in the semi-finals

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 28-Aug-2025Ali Orr’s second century of the tournament guided Hampshire into the Metro Bank One Day Cup semi-finals as they saw off Middlesex in their play-off at Radlett.The left-hander struck 108, batting through most of the innings to underpin Hampshire’s recovery from 95 for 5 as they set their opponents a target of 230 with paceman Henry Brookes taking four for 53.Liam Dawson then stifled Middlesex’s reply with his spell of 4 for 33, supported by fellow left-arm spinner Andrew Neal (1 for 30) as the Seaxes were bowled out for 187 in 45.3 overs.Sam Robson top-scored with 48 and Toby Roland-Jones’ late unbeaten cameo of 39 prolonged the contest, but it was not enough to deny Hampshire a semi-final date on Sunday, when they will face Yorkshire at Scarborough.Middlesex made three changes to the side that had clinched a tense win at Lancashire to secure their knockout place, including returns for Roland-Jones and Ryan Higgins who both sent down tidy opening spells.Despite that, Orr and Nick Gubbins built a steady partnership of 45 until Brookes struck with his second delivery, tempting the Hampshire captain into a mistimed pull that sailed straight to midwicket.Fletcha Middleton was next to depart, caught behind nudging at a Brookes outswinger and the seamer soon grabbed his – and Middlesex’s – third wicket when Ben Brown was pinned leg before.Orr batted fluently, timing his shots on both sides of the wicket and steering Brookes to the point boundary to pass 50 for the second time in as many innings, but Middlesex continued to make inroads.Dawson, drafted in for his first appearance of the tournament, fell lbw to Sebastian Morgan, while Zafar Gohar’s miserly stint of one for 29 brought him the wicket of Ben Mayes, caught miscuing a reverse sweep.However, James Fuller’s spirited 42 provided the perfect foil for Orr, with the pair adding 96 from 18 overs before Higgins had the all-rounder caught in the deep.Having advanced to three figures in style by hooking Brookes for six, Orr eventually holed out to long on off Higgins, his departure effectively ending Hampshire’s hopes of clambering above 250.Middlesex rejigged their batting order, promoting Nathan Fernandes to open in the wake of his match-winning 92 at Old Trafford and the left-hander continued in similar vein with two sweetly-struck straight drives to the rope off Kyle Abbott.Although Josh de Caires fell to Fuller’s diving catch around the corner, the batting side still looked reasonably comfortable at 66 for 1 before they were decisively pegged back by the Hampshire spinners.Fernandes’ innings of 42 came to an end when he was pinned leg before by Neal and Dawson then removed Ben Geddes in the same manner before having Higgins taken low at slip.Along with seamer Eddie Jack, the spin duo smothered their opponents’ scoring rate in the middle overs and it fell to Robson to dig in, take advantage of rare stray deliveries and attempt to take the game deep.Joe Cracknell launched a brief counter-attack, clubbing a six and two fours from one Fuller over to reach 22 from as many balls, but the bowler took his revenge by dismissing both Cracknell and Gohar in the space of three deliveries.Brown’s neat stumping to remove Robson brought Hampshire a third wicket with the score unchanged and that appeared to signal the end of Middlesex’s challenge, but Roland-Jones went on the offensive, battering Abbott for a trio of off-side boundaries.He added 45 for the ninth wicket with Morgan, but Hampshire were not be denied and Dawson sealed victory by bowling last man Brookes in the 46th over.