Phil Jagielka robbed by gang at knifepoint

The 27-year-old, who has been sidelined since last season with a knee injury, was watching Everton's 4-0 League Cup third-round win at Hull City when he was forced to hand over jewellery and the keys to his Range Rover car by three men.

"Fortunately, nobody was hurt during the incident and the car was found abandoned a short distance away," a spokesman for Cheshire Police said of the robbery in Knutsford.

An Everton spokesman told the BBC: "Phil was shaken by the incident. This is perfectly understandable because he is a husband and father first and a footballer second."

Jagielka, who is married with two children, is the 11th Merseyside footballer to be burgled in recent years, with several Liverpool players also targeted – again, often during games.