Mookie Betts just can't get right, even when fans try to boost him.
For months, Betts has been mired in the worst slump of his career, one in which the numbers he's posting are inexplicable. The Los Angeles Dodgers star can't find his way out of it.
On Monday night, as he stepped into the box for his first at-bat against the St. Louis Cardinals, Dodgers fans gave the eight-time All-Star a sustained ovation in an attempt to give him a boost.
It didn't work.
Betts went 0-for-4 as the Cardinals beat the Dodgers 3-2. The 32-year-old flew out twice, grounded out, and struck out looking as part of the feeble offensive showing from the Dodgers.
The hitless night dropped Betts's batting average to .231, and his on-base percentage fell to .302, he's slugging .355, and his OPS is a woeful .657. All of those numbers are career lows.
We're 103 games into the season, and Betts hasn't looked anything like himself. An ovation from fans didn't help him. We'll see if he can figure it out himself.
Mike Trout is back to doing Mike Trout things and MLB is better for it.
The three-time MVP, who missed almost all of May with a left knee injury, had three hits in four at-bats Monday against the Boston Red Sox, leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 7-6 victory on the road.
His first hit of the night was an absolute bomb of a home run. With two runners on in the top of the first inning, Trout smashed a 454-foot home run to left center that came very close to leaving the entire stadium.
Admitting when one is wrong is not easy, especially for some MLB umpires.
And to his credit, that's exactly what home-plate umpire Laz Diaz did during the New York Mets' 5-1 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.
In the bottom of the ninth inning with no outs, Red Sox phenom Kristian Campbell was at the plate facing Mets reliever Edwin Diaz. With the count 1-and-1, Campbell took a slider at the knees on the outer half of the plate. For all intents and purposes, it looked to be a ball.
But Diaz called it a strike, leading Campbell to literally jump into the air in frustration at the call. Moments later, broadcast mics picked up Diaz immediately owning up to the mistake while speaking directly to Campbell.
"That's on me, Kristian," Diaz said. "Hey, that's on me."
Campbell went on to draw a walk and then the Red Sox were set down 1-2-3 to end the game.
In terms of accuracy metric, Diaz grades out as MLB's fourth-worst caller of balls and strikes in 2025, and he has routinely ranked on the lower end of the precision spectrum over the last few big league seasons. In short, he's no Mark Ripperger.
Being wrong is one thing. Being wrong and continuing to insist one was right is utter foolishness. But being wrong and having the gumption to admit it, especially when an entire broadcast of viewers can hear you, is a respect-earning move by Diaz.
After the October international break, Arne Slot conceded that there could be no more excuses as far as Alexander Isak was concerned. "Fitness-wise, he is close to the level he should be," the Dutch coach acknowledged ahead of Liverpool's meeting with Manchester United at Anfield, "and we can judge him in a fair way from now on." Just three weeks later, though, Slot was back pleading for patience with the most expensive player in British football history.
"I know that I said that his pre-season had ended, and that it was time for us to see where he is, but I have to go back on those words," the Reds boss told reporters on November 7. "Because if you are only doing rehab for three weeks, that doesn't bring you back to the level you were at."
Isak should be there now, though. And he really needs to be, too, because nearly three months after his arrival at Anfield, the Sweden striker is still looking like a player that Liverpool didn't necessarily need to sign – and certainly not for £125 million ($163m).
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The striking striker
Isak leaving Newcastle for Liverpool was the story of the summer, a transfer that was as acrimonious as it was protracted. Everyone had an opinion on it – but not everyone had "the whole picture", according to the Swede.
"I can't control everything that is said or written," Isak said of the bitter backlash to his successful strike. "There is a lot to discuss, and it can be discussed for a long time. But it has been educational, and I'm happy with the final result. I'm proud to be a Liverpool player. I don't want to go into details or talk about that situation too much. It is a closed chapter, but I have never had any problems."
Unfortunately for Isak, Liverpool and indeed Sweden, he's had plenty of problems since forcing through his move to Merseyside.
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Fitness issues
During his first interview with his new club, Isak admitted that he wasn't entirely sure when he would be physically capable of making his Liverpool debut. "I've had a tricky summer," he said – which was obviously putting it mildly.
Because of his refusal to even participate in Newcastle's pre-season friendlies, let alone their opening three Premier League fixtures (one of which was against the reigning champions), Isak joined Liverpool without having played a single second of football for more than three months. Their shared "ambition" was for the forward to feature in the first Premier League game after the September international break, against Burnley, but even though he saw 18 minutes of action in Sweden's World Cup qualifier in Kosovo, Slot decided against risking Isak at Turf Moor.
"We got him from Newcastle in a state where you could say his pre-season was only going to start then," the Dutchman told reporters after Liverpool's 1-0 win on September 14. "He needs proper minutes of training before he has a certain base, let alone for him to play twice in three days. So, that's what we do, we try to prepare players for the beginning of the season once a week, and then we try to do more and more and more before we go into the rhythm of two games a week, so that they are ready for that schedule."
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Surprisingly positive debut
Despite adopting a wisely cautious approach with Isak, Slot threw him straight into the starting line-up for Liverpool's Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid four days later and even the manager was taken aback by how well it went.
"I wasn't surprised by his quality, as we know all about that, but I was positively surprised by how fit Alexander was during his 60 minutes," Slot told . "But that maybe tells you that it might be different to sign a 20-year-old from a different league than a 25-year-old used to playing in the Premier League.
"Although he only trained for two weeks, he has so many games under his belt [at the highest level]. One of the things you need if you want to compete for the Premier League and the cups is mentality, fitness and quality and, today, we saw all of that."
However, if Slot thought that Isak was going to get back up to speed quicker than expected, he would be sorely mistaken.
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'Unprofessional' and 'naive'
Isak may have opened his Liverpool account with a characteristically neat finish in the Carabao Cup win over Southampton on September 23, but that remains his only goal of the season so far, and that's in spite of the fact that he started three consecutive Premier League games between September 27 and October 19 – all of which were lost.
The 26-year-old may have registered an assist in the 2-1 defeat at Chelsea on October 4, but it was an attempt to control the ball for himself rather than an intentional lay-off for goal-scorer Cody Gakpo. The sad fact of the matter was that in complete contrast to fellow forward Hugo Ekitike, who had hit the ground running after his summer switch from Eintracht Frankfurt, Isak still looked miles off the pace of the Premier League. Unsurprisingly, sympathy was in short supply – and not just on Tyneside.
"It was unprofessional and naive not just to down tools, but to sacrifice his match fitness for whoever he was going to play for," former Liverpool attacker Don Hutchison told . "I think he’s been managed and advised really badly by his agent all summer, but it comes down to the player, ultimately. He’s under contract with Newcastle, he owes them fitness and professionalism.
"Bigger picture, if you end up at Liverpool, you have to [be ready to] hit the ground running. Now he's playing catch-up and it's because of how he behaved."
كشفت تقارير صحفية عن رد فعل أنطوان سيمينيو لاعب بورنموث، تجاه أنباء ارتباطه بانتقال محتمل إلى ليفربول، واهتمام مانشستر يونايتد بضمه.
ويقدّم سيمينيو أداءً رائعًا هذا الموسم، مع بورنموث، حيث سجل ستة أهداف في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز مع فريقه.
وزادت التكهنات حول مستقبل سيمينيو، وقد أفادت تقارير أن مانشستر يونايتد ومانشستر سيتي وتوتنهام وليفربول مهتمون بالتعاقد معه.
وأفادت صحيفة “ميرور” البريطانية، نقلاً عن شبكة “سكاي سبورتس” في تقرير لها، أن سيمينيو يشعر “بالإحباط” من التلميحات حول رغبته في الرحيل عن بورنموث.
اقرأ أيضًا | ليفربول يحسم موقفه من رحيل سوبوسلاي إلى ريال مدريد
ويوضح التقرير أن سيمينيو سعيد في صفوف بورنموث، والتقارير التي تشير لرحيله المحتمل عن الفريق، تجعله يشعر بالإحباط.
وسبق وسُئل سيمينيو عن مستقبله، وأجاب: “لا أفكر في الأمر كثيرًا، أحاول أن أكون حاضرًا قدر الإمكان، ترى الأخبار طوال الوقت، وأنا أيضًا أراها، لست غافلًا عنها، لكنني أحاول الحفاظ على تركيزي”.
وارتبط سيمينيو في الصيف الماضي بانتقال محتمل إلى مانشستر يونايتد لتعزيز هجوم الفريق، وتحرك توتنهام أيضًا للتعاقد معه، لكنه بقى في صفوف بورنموث.
KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal batted through the morning unscathed in Manchester to provide supporting evidence to Shubman Gill’s belief that this was “a good toss to lose”.Ben Stokes asked India to bat first after winning his fourth consecutive toss of the series, citing the gloomy overhead conditions, but his seamers failed to make inroads. Jaiswal rode his luck early on, with Chris Woakes repeatedly beating him on the outside edge, but there were no genuine chances in the first two hours of the match.Rahul continued his impressive form, going past 400 runs in the series and becoming the fifth Indian batter to score 1,000 Test runs in England. He played the ball as late as possible and was happy to play senior partner: after Jofra Archer dismissed Jaiswal in both innings at Lord’s, Rahul soaked up 25 balls in Archer’s initial five-over spell.
Jaiswal – who had to replace a broken bat early in the session – largely played within himself, prompting Alastair Cook to suggest on the BBC’s Test Match Special that he must have been reminded of his responsibilities by India coach Gautam Gambhir between Tests. But he did hit the only six of the morning shortly before lunch, throwing his hands at a back-cut when Stokes dropped short and wide.No team has ever chosen to bowl first at Old Trafford and gone on to win a Test match, and Stokes’ belief that his team can defy that trend will be tested after a wicketless first session. The morning started with the stands half-empty and long queues outside, which Lancashire said were prompted by strict bag searches.
It’s hard to think of another point in recent memory when Arsenal have had such a strong squad.
Rival sides might have spent hundreds of millions of pounds on individual superstars, but Mikel Arteta and Co have built a group with few if any real weaknesses.
With that said, even though there are talented players in every position, it is still quite easy to proclaim Bukayo Saka the pick of the bunch and the Gunners’ most important star.
Moreover, should they get up to speed, one of Arteta’s summer signings could help the Hale Ender reach the level of Thierry Henry as a creator.
Thierry Henry's creative genius
When most people think of Henry, the first thing that usually comes to mind is his incredible goalscoring ability.
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After all, during his time with Arsenal, the Frenchman racked up an astounding haul of 228 goals in 377 games, and if that wasn’t enough, he also chalked up a tally of 51 goals in 123 senior caps for France across his career.
However, what is sometimes overlooked by non-Arsenal fans is just how creative a player he could be, for the simple fact that assists and chances created are generally less memorable than a goal.
Henry’s Arsenal record
Appearances
377
Minutes
30532′
Goals
228
Assists
104
Goal Involvements per Match
1.13
Minutes per Goal Involvement
91.96′
All Stats via Transfermarkt
Yet, during his time with the Gunners, the Les Ulis-born legend managed to rack up an impressive tally of 104 assists, which works out to one every 3.62 games, and if that wasn’t enough, he also managed 20 goals and 20 assists in the 02/03 league season.
But what made the Frenchman such a creative force? Well, playing with a host of world-class attackers and under the management of Arsène Wenger certainly helps, but it was more than that.
It was in part down to the same reason he could so wonderfully place a shot into the corner of the net, but also his general attitude to trying risky things.
For example, he said that, “I know it sounds stupid, don’t be scared to make mistakes. That stops a lot of players.”
In all, Henry was an extraordinary creator as well as a world-class goalscorer, and while Saka might not ever quite reach his level when it comes to the former, a recent signing could help him do that for the latter.
The Arsenal player who could help Saka reach Henry levels
While Eberechi Eze and Martin Zubimendi could help Saka get closer to Henry’s goalscoring levels through the chances they end up creating, it’s Viktor Gyokeres who could help the Englishman reach his creative level.
Now, it has to be said, that with the current goalscoring form of the Swede, such an idea may seem absurd. After all, he’s been so hit or miss that Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville described him as a “misfit”.
However, it’s important to remember the league season is just eight games old, he’s already put the ball in the back of the net three times and his form over the last two years was nothing short of world-class.
For example, during his two seasons with Sporting CP, the 27-year-old “monster” as he was desribed by journalist Alex Turk, scored a staggering 97 goals and provided 28 assists in 102 appearances, totalling 8417 minutes.
That works out to an average of 1.22 goal involvements every single game, or one every 67.33 minutes, so while he won’t get those numbers in England, he hasn’t just lost the ability to get shots off and find space in the penalty area.
In fact, this was something fans finally saw in the game against Fulham, as while he failed to score, there was a moment in the first half that his smart movement gave him the chance to, and who did the pass come from? Saka, of course.
The second reason the former Coventry City star could help the 24-year-old’s creative numbers explode this season is down to this movement, his physicality and the fact he, as Mattinson says, plays with “real venom.”
This bulldozing approach to centre-forward play is already freeing up more space for Saka to operate in, and once again fans saw the fruits of this at Craven Cottage.
Saka’s game vs Fulham
Minutes
99′
Expected Assists
0.55
Total Shots
2
Key Passes
7
Dribbles (Successful)
7 (6)
Big Chances Created
1
Touches
86
Fouls Won
5
Ball Recoveries
9
Ground Duels (Won)
20 (13)
All Stats via Sofascore
In his 99 minutes of action, he amassed an expected assists figure of 0.55, took two shots, took 86 touches, completed six of seven dribbles, created one big chance, played seven key passes – yes, seven – and was named the man of the match.
Ultimately, while he is firing yet, Gyokeres’ innate finishing ability and the fact he drags opposition defenders away from Saka so often could help the Hale Ender reach Henry-esque creative numbers by the end of the season.
Hale End's "Saka regen" left for £0, now he's outscoring Arsenal's starboy
Arsenal had a Bukayo Saka regen in Hale End that Edu allowed to leave.
Sunderland’s season might well have hit a bump in the road at Old Trafford on Saturday, but the Premier League newcomers won’t feel completely derailed by the 2-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United.
After all, the Black Cats are still sitting in an encouraging ninth position in the early standings, with an expectation that they can bounce back immediately from the defeat at the Theatre of Dreams when Vitor Pereira’s winless Wolverhampton Wanderers next come to Wearside.
Regis Le Bris should very much be commended for this top start to the season, as well, with the Frenchman actually up for the honour of September’s Manager of the Month accolade.
He is joined by Granit Xhaka and Robin Roefs in being recognised for their efforts over the last month with the Mackems pair up for Player of the Month.
In an alternate reality, the current make-up of the Black Cats team could look disjointed and messy after a hectic off-season that saw signings aplenty join the building, but also saw Jobe Bellingham disappointingly up and leave for the glamour of Borussia Dortmund.
Fortunately, even without him, they’ve been right as rain in 2025/26 to date.
How Jobe Bellingham is faring at Dortmund
Amazingly, despite garnering much hype at the Stadium of Light, the ex-Sunderland boy wonder never pulled on the famous red and white stripes of the Black Cats in the Premier League.
Instead, the 20-year-old’s final chapter on Wearside fell in the Championship as Le Bris and Co. sealed promotion, with journalist Josh Bunting even hailing the England U21 international as “sensational” when strutting his stuff at the promotion chasers.
While he did begin his footballing education at Birmingham City, it’s fair to say Bellingham very much honed his craft at Sunderland, with the standout number seven managing to mature at a rapid pace, after being handed the first-team reins initially by Tony Mowbray.
A bumper tally of 11 goals and four assists from 90 Sunderland clashes would eventually alert the Bundesliga giants of Dortmund to his services, with the Black and Yellow forking out a substantial £27.8m to land the exciting midfielder.
It hasn’t all gone to plan for Bellingham on German soil so far, though, with just two Bundesliga starts coming his way this season.
In fact, his spell in Germany has been a little controversial thus far with his father, Mark, reportedly unhappy with his son’s playing time, directing anger at manager Niko Kovac.
However, it still goes without saying that the 20-year-old was a stunning success story on Sunderland’s end, with the youngster once just a wide-eyed teenager but now a Champions League figure for Kovac’s side.
So, where could the next Bellingham come from?
Sunderland's biggest talent since Bellingham
Just one glance at those who have previously donned the number ten shirt at Sunderland gives you a quick indication as to why it’s a cherished number.
Kevin Phillips wore that exact number when he bagged 30 goals for the Black Cats during one single top-flight season, while Jordan Henderson also briefly pulled it on, too, before the might of Liverpool came knocking.
While it is, of course, early days into his Sunderland development, Timur Tuterov might well be in line to also pull on that much-talked-about number very soon.
It’s a bold call, indeed, but the Ukrainian is displaying a Phillips-like potency for the U21s this season, as one of his efforts – which saw Tuterov score a fine solo effort – seeing him nominated for Sunderland’s goal of the month competition for September.
Indeed, from just four Premier League 2 contests so far this campaign, the Ukraine U21 international has managed to bag a blistering five strikes in just four games, with back-to-back braces falling into his lap against West Ham and Burnley.
It’s rather evident to see why academy manager Robin Nicholls once described him as “an exciting prospect.”
Tuterov’s numbers for Sunderland
Position
Games
Goals + Assists
LW
12
5 + 2
CF
5
1 + 1
RW
3
1 + 0
LM
2
1 + 0
AM
1
2 + 0
RM
1
0
Sourced by Transfermarkt
Should he continue scoring goals at that rate of knots, then Tuterov could also be the biggest talent Sunderland has managed to produce since turning Bellingham into a Dortmund superstar, with the 20-year-old also an adaptable presence, much like the Englishman.
With Le Bris also well-known for getting plenty out of youngsters at his disposal, with Chris Rigg turned into a first-team starter last season, it does feel as if Tuterov could be the next shouted-about name ready to leave an impression on the senior ranks.
Patience will have to be exercised here, but Sunderland’s glittering track record does seem to suggest that Tuterov could be the next gem ready to pull on the number 10 jersey, living up to Bellingham’s insane hype in the process.
Forget Isidor: "Awesome" Sunderland man could be a £30m star in the making
New signing impresses at Sunderland, ensuring he could be the next big-money departure from the Stadium of Light…
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane has “no complaints” with the bowlers and said that his faltering batting unit was the reason behind their fifth defeat in eight games. KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo went a step further and said the defending champions have “lost confidence.”After KKR elected to bowl, Gujarat Titans (GT) notched up 198 for 3. In reply, KKR were blown away, succumbing to a 39-run loss after finishing on 159 for 8.”I thought 199 was chasable, I thought we came back into the game really well with the ball,” Rahane told the host broadcaster after the game. “When you are chasing 199, you expect a good opening start with the batters, that’s what we are struggling [with] throughout this tournament. We bowled really well, we faltered with the batting, but we need to learn as quickly as possible and then keep going.”Related
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Bravo echoed those words in the press conference when responding to a question about Andre Russell’s returns (55 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 119.56) in IPL 2025. “We as a team didn’t bat properly. That’s just the reality. Russell isn’t the only one struggling right now. We need to keep the players mentally focused but IPL is that kind of tournament that when you don’t start well, batsmen go into a period where they’ve lost confidence. That’s what’s happening at the moment.””When Russell walks in to bat every time, the run rate is at 14-15. The work needs to be done at the top so that he has a chance to finish the game like he’s accustomed to at KKR. He’s been out to legspinners a few times but that’s not a concern. We just need to bat better so he can finish games.”1:43
Finch: Venkatesh Iyer’s lack of intent was mesmerising
KKR’s issues start right at the top. In eight games, none of their three opening partnerships have clicked regularly. Monday’s new pair in Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Sunil Narine also lasted only five balls. Their openers have the worst batting average this season (19.00) and Rahane said that was one area they’ve been lagging behind in.”When you are chasing a big target, you expect a good start with your opening batters; that’s what we are looking to get better as a batting unit,” he said. “No complaints with our bowlers, I thought bowlers are doing a really good job. Game by game, they are improving a lot.”We know these conditions really well, [but] we need to bat properly, we need to bat well in the middle overs, that’s what we are struggling [with] as a batting unit.”Barring Rahane’s 36-ball 50, none of the KKR batters really stood up. Angkrish Raghuvanshi, their only other in-form batter, came in at No. 9 as an impact player, with Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Russell and Moeen Ali all pushed up ahead of him. Raghuvanshi dazzled with a few good shots but the game was all but done by then. Bravo said the batting order changes were a result of KKR chasing a left-right combination to tackle Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore.”We tried to create a left-right combination, we are a team that is blessed with quality left- and right-handers in our top order. So we tried to use that to the best of our ability, especially against a team of quality spinners. Unfortunately, Angkrish had to keep slipping down the order,” Bravo said. “When you’re chasing 200, you’re trying to maximise as much as possible and try to get in the guys who have the ability to really hit the ball in the middle.”But again, our batters are low on confidence. Normally, runs bring confidence, form brings confidence and now it’s time to be honest. The batters don’t have confidence at the moment, but the guys are preparing and practising. They are not sitting back and missing practice. We cannot fault their effort, it’s just not working out at the moment.”Rahane backed his team to come good in the next few games. “This format is always about being brave, whatever has happened in the past, you cannot think too much about it. You need to learn from your mistakes,” he said.”If you think about getting out, you will get out as a batsman. If you think about getting runs, scoring or hitting a boundary or a six, I think it’s always about that. I am sure our batters are thinking about it, it’s just a matter of time, I feel.”
Wrexham will have to wait to register their first win at the Stok Rae Cas this season after Birmingham City winger Patrick Roberts' 46th minute strike cancelled out George Dobson's 13th minute opener. The two teams had to settle for a draw in a game where the visitors dominated possession, which means that the Red Dragons have failed to win each of their last three Championship games.
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The game began with a cautious and disjointed tempo, as both teams struggled to find rhythm and to break into the opposing half. It took until the 10th minute for the first shot of the match, a strike from Birmingham's Patrick Roberts, though it was swiftly blocked.
Wrexham, however, grew into the game, and their efforts paid off in the 13th minute. Parkinson's side won a corner after Ben Sheaf's curling effort was parried away by the young James Beadle. From the subsequent corner, Max Cleworth rose highest to connect with the delivery, and then George Dobson provided the finish with his head from inside the six-yard box on his 50th appearance for Wrexham to fire his team into the lead.
Their lead could have been doubled shortly after. The excellent Beadle, though, made a crucial save in the 19th minute after Marc Leonard's misplaced pass around the Birmingham box was poached by an on-rushing Lewis O'Brien, who went low.
Not much action followed, as both teams struggled to penetrate the opponents' defence. However, Birmingham had a golden chance to head into the break with an equaliser. The energetic Issa Kabore, on loan from Manchester City, lost his balance in the box, leaving Demarai Gray with an open sight of goal in the 44th minute from close range. But he shot it over the bar.
Chris Davies' troops started the second half with a bang and left the hosts completely shell-shocked, as a poor clearance from Dobson deflected off Gray and fell into the path of Jay Stansfield, whose through ball perfectly found Roberts. The right winger didn't fluff his chance, slotting it past former Arsenal goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo to put the visitors level on terms less than 30 seconds after the restart.
Birmingham continued to dominate possession as Wrexham fizzled out and struggled to win duels and second balls. Substitutions from Davies saw his side gain even greater hold of the game. Substitute Kyogo Furuhashi thought he had won the game for the Blues when he found the back of the net in the 84th minute, only for the assistant referee to put up his flag and signal for offside.
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Dobson put in an incredible shift from midfield, and Parkinson has the 27-year-old to thank for managing to come away with a point. The Harold Wood-born midfielder was always in the right place at the right, whether it be sweeping away danger on counter attacks, or scoring a goal. The Red Dragons managed four shots on target, of which Dobson had two. A monstrous performance that probably deserved a win.
THE BIG LOSER
Having scored three goals and delivered two assists, O'Brien had been responsible for most of the threat Wrexham created in the Championship so far. However, he cut a frustrating figure on Friday evening and was largely anonymous, failing to link with striker Kieffer Moore. The result perhaps could have been different had the Englishman involved himself more.
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WHAT COMES NEXT?
Parkinson and Co. will next face a tricky away trip to Stoke City on October 18, who find themselves in the top four. Although Wrexham are on a four-game unbeaten streak, they will quickly need to start converting the draws to wins if they are serious about making a push for promotion to the Premier League.