Manchester City started their Premier League season off with a 3-1 win over Wolves at Molineux last night. Pep Guardiola's side led 2-0 at the interval but found themselves hanging on to a one goal advantage for the final 15 minutes after a sustained period of pressure led to Raul Jimenez' bullet header rattling the City net. Gabriel Jesus' deflected injury time effort though made sure of the three points and avoided any repeat of Wolves' comeback victory at the same venue last season. Earlier Ezri Konsa secured a winning start to the season for Aston Villa against Sheffield United, who missed a first half penalty and lost Ireland centre back John Egan to a red card after 12 minutes. In last night's Airtricity League premier division clash at Tallaght Stadium, league leaders Shamrock Rovers put six goals past Waterford to move eight points clear at the top of the table.
After his historic Tour de France final stage victory down the Champs-Élysées on Sunday securing the best sprinter's green jersey, Ian O'Riordan asks what's next for Sam Bennett after the toughest of Tours? The Irish rider is likely to miss the Giro and Vuelta, his next focus will be races in Belgium, home to his Deceuninck-Quick-Step team, and among those being considered is the Flèche Wallonne (September 30th), Liège-Bastogne-Liège (October 4th), Ghent-Wevelgem (October 11th) and the Tour of Flanders (October 18th). He will also be unable to defend his National Road due to travel restrictions around Covid-19. Two people were in custody on Monday after an investigation was opened into suspected doping by the Arkéa-Samsic team at this year's Tour de France.
In his column this morning, Gerry Thornley explains why talk of Anglo-French hegemony is over the top, following Leinster's Champions Cup quarter-final defeat to Saracens: "there's always a risk in jumping to conclusions based on one European campaign. It's only a snapshot in history. Pretty much every time an Irish side, and by extension a Pro14 team, fails to reach the knockout stages or the semi-finals we hear of an era of Anglo-French dominance. It's never materialised". The Ireland women's team will resume their Six Nations campaign on Sunday October 25th against Italy at Donnybrook, the dates for all the remaining rounds of fixtures have been confirmed.
Meanwhile Ulster GAA is anxiously awaiting the fallout of Sunday's breach of Covid-19 safety regulations at the Tyrone football final in Omagh. The scenes from Healy Park showed supporters with no social distancing or other precautions, swarming onto the pitch after Dungannon Thomas Clarkes victory over Trillick and the club's first senior title since 1956. On Monday, 83 owners took the opportunity to go to the races on the first day of an easing of coronavirus restrictions within the sport in Ireland, however Horse Racing Ireland is advising racehorse owners living in Dublin not to go racing while the city and county operates under Level 3 restrictions.
