The oldest "nuclear DNA" from a human has identified some early representatives of the Neanderthal lineage.

The well-preserved ancient remains from the "Pit of Bones" site in Spain have been known for more than three decades.
They are about 400,000 years old, but their relationships to Neanderthals and other ancient relatives has been hotly debated.
DNA analysis confirms that they lie on the evolutionary line to Neanderthals.
The results are published in the journal Nature.
Nuclear DNA accounts for most of the instructions to build an organism, and is located in the nuclei of our cells.
Leg bone gives up oldest human DNA
Cave girl's DNA gives up secrets
Analysis of DNA from specimens this old is very challenging. But owing to the careful way the bones were excavated, and advances in genetic sampling and sequencing technology, the team was able to reconstruct parts of the genomes from a tooth and a thigh bone found in the pit.
However, this was enough to reveal their evolutionary affinities.
Based on skeletal evidence, the 28 individuals buried in the 13m-deep cave shaft have been variously interpreted as belonging to a human species called Homo heidelbergensis or as proto-Neanderthals - that is, on their way to evolving the classic physical characteristics of the Neanderthals.
But in 2013, a team reported their analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) retrieved from remains at the archaeological site - known as Sima de los Huesos in Spanish. This type of genetic material is inherited only via the maternal line.
They concluded that the mtDNA was more closely related to that found in the enigmatic Denisovans, a population of ancient humans who inhabited Asia more than 50,000 years ago, than to that found in Neanderthals.
The Denisovan link was a surprise, especially given the Neanderthal-like characteristics of the bones.
But the latest genetic results reveal that the Pit of Bones people were indeed closely related to the Neanderthals.
"Sima de los Huesos is currently the only non-permafrost site that allows us to study DNA sequences from the Middle Pleistocene, the time period preceding 125,000 years ago," says Matthias Meyer of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.
Juan-Luis Arsuaga, from the Complutense University in Madrid, who led the excavations at Sima de los Huesos, said: "We have hoped for many years that advances in molecular analysis techniques would one day aid our investigation of this unique assembly of fossils"
"We have thus removed some of the specimens with clean instruments and left them embedded in clay to minimise alterations of the material that might take place after excavation."
Analysis of the mitochondrial DNA from one individual supported a relationship to Denisovans - consistent with the previous study.
This leads the scientists to speculate that mitochondrial DNA types seen in later, "classical" Neanderthals may have arrived in a migration from Africa, replacing those present in the Pit of Bones people.
Prof Chris Stringer, from London's Natural History Museum, who was not involved with the latest study, said the results shed new light on how our own species (Homo sapiens) and Neanderthals diverged from a common ancestor.
"There has been continuing debate about how deep in time the Neanderthal-sapiens split was, with estimates ranging from about 800,000 years to 300,000 years," he explained.
"I have recently favoured a split time of about 400,000, and have argued for many years that the widespread species H. heidelbergensis at about 500,000 was probably their last common ancestor."
He added: "When new genetic data are used to recalibrate divergence times, these now suggest older split times both between the Neanderthals and Denisovans (approximately 450,000 years) and their lineage and ours (approximately 650,000 years)."
Prof Stringer said research must now refocus on fossils from this key time interval to determine which ones might actually lie on the respective ancestral lineages of Neanderthals, Denisovans and modern humans.
Co-author Svante PÃ¤Ã¤bo of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology commented: "These results... are consistent with a rather early divergence of 550,000 to 750,000 years ago of the modern human lineage from archaic humans."
How the skeletons of 28 ancient people, along with the remains of prehistoric animals, ended up at the bottom of the pit is unknown. They might have fallen to their deaths through an opening, but some experts think they were deliberately buried.
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The NHS in England is "running on fumes", the leader of the British Medical Association is warning.

Dr Mark Porter hit out at the government at the start of the union's annual conference.
He accused ministers of putting patients at risk and "picking the pockets" of NHS staff because of the squeeze on wages.
But ministers rejected the criticisms, saying they were putting more money into the health service.
Dr Porter launched the attack as doctors gathered in Bournemouth.
He said: "We have a government trying to keep the health service running on nothing but fumes. A health service at breaking point.
"Run by ministers who wilfully ignore the pleas of the profession and the impact on patients.
"It doesn't have to be this way. It is the result of an explicit political choice."
Since 2010, the budget has been increasing by 1% a year on average, compared to 4% before then.
Mr Porter went on to point out that compared to other developed economies, less was being spent on the NHS than other health systems.
And he said this was having a direct impact on patients, pointing to the rise in the numbers of patients facing long waits for a bed following an emergency admission - up four-fold in five years - as proof.
"The government wants a world-class NHS with a third class settlement," he said.
It comes as the BMA unveiled the results of a poll of more than 1,000 adults on the state of the NHS.
It found:
The concerns were echoed in a poll of 422 doctors, in which  71% said it has become more difficult for patients trying to access NHS care over the past year.
But a Department of Health spokesman said: "This does a disservice to the achievements of NHS staff."
He said the NHS was seeing the "highest cancer survival rates ever", improving mental health services and better access to GPs.
He also added independent polling showed public satisfaction rates were also high in contrast to the BMA poll.


Manager Jaap Stam said his "risk-taking" triple substitution against Brentford paid off as Reading kept pressure on the Championship's top two.

Two goals in four minutes for the Royals turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 victory against the Bees on Tuesday.
Two of the three substitutes - winger Roy Beerens and forward Yann Kermorgant - combined for the winner.
"It was a great game to watch, but I think for both managers quite tense," Stam told BBC Radio Berkshire.
Reading extended their unbeaten run to six games and closed the gap on second-placed Brighton to five points with the victory.
Stam confessed his decision to bring on Beerens, Kermorgant and midfielder George Evans with 17 minutes to go proved the value and togetherness of his squad.
"Sometimes you need to take certain risks," the Dutchman said. "The players that came on earned it very well and that's what they need to do.
"Sometimes we make choices on who's going to be playing, looking at the opposition and the fitness of the players.
"The players are sometimes not too happy when they're not playing, but that's part of being a team and a process.
"If you want to achieve certain things, then you need to be a professional and do your job and that's what the players have done."


Lancashire clinched promotion back to Division One of the County Championship after they drew with Leicestershire on Saturday and Essex failed to beat Kent.

The Old Trafford outfit, who are unbeaten in the Championship all season, have secured an immediate return to the top tier with two games left to play. They need just 12 more points to be crowned champions.
Mark Chilton was the last Red Rose captain to achieve promotion back in 2005 and was also part of their Championship-winning side of 2011.
The 36-year-old assesses the key factors to Lancashire securing a return to the top flight.
Relegation came as a surprise for Lancashire in 2012, less than 12 months after they had been crowned outright champions for the first time in 77 years. The only goal for 2013 was promotion.
"The challenge for that season when you're in Division Two is that it almost feels like you're not playing for anything major. It's just a case of 'we've got to get ourselves back in that top division'.
"I remember 2005 being a bit of a stop-gap season and I'm pretty sure the lads will have felt like that this year.
"It hasn't surprised me that they've been so dominant. If you had spoken to me in April, I'd have confidently said they would have been going up, more than likely as champions.
"Clearly, in four-day cricket, they've really played very well this year. There's lots of good things happening at the club, with lots of good people involved, and over time, more often than not it will produce good results."
Six of Lancashire's eight home Championship fixtures in 2013 have been played at Old Trafford, compared with just two in 2012, following the completion of a multi-million pound redevelopment at the county's traditional home.
"I do think it's made a significant difference.
"Liverpool became a bit of a fortress for us in 2011 but having the home comforts of the new stadium, which is a fantastic facility and a lovely place to be, has probably really helped to settle the side.
"They've started to create the same feeling that we had at Liverpool in 2011, in that it becomes a difficult place to play.
"There would have been a lot of people holding their breath this summer. It was a big moment for the club because an awful lot of work had been done to get to that stage.
"To see the ground full for a Test match and a one-day international match [both against Australia] is what a lot of people have worked hard towards. They can sit back and take a great deal of satisfaction from a job well done."
With 122 Test appearances between them for South Africa and Australia respectively, Ashwell Prince and Simon Katich have brought some much-needed experience to Lancashire's batting line-up and are their top two run scorers in four-day cricket.
"Simon is probably  The times I've seen him, he's looked very fluent and has scored a great volume of runs.
"I got the chance to play with Ashwell and I know what a determined performer he is.
"You're always guaranteed runs with those two guys. You'll very rarely put them into a situation that they've not played out before, so they can play lots of different roles and also complement the other guys in the team."
The evergreen Glen Chapple and the rejuvenated Kyle Hogg have both taken more than 50 first-class wickets for Lancashire in 2013, their stand-out performance coming in June when they dismissed Essex for just 20.
"After starting with successive home draws, Lancashire's campaign burst into life with a dramatic win against Glamorgan at Colwyn Bay, bowling the home side out for 139.
"Two victories against Essex, the first coming after chasing down 253 to win on the final day at Old Trafford, and then bowling Essex out for just 20 at Chelmsford, were remarkable achievements and big highlights.
"Once they picked up their first win, they never really looked back. With a trio of bowlers claiming more than 50 wickets apiece and runs coming from throughout the team, Lancashire are worthy of promotion in 2013."
"I've known Glen a long time and he looks as fit as I've seen him for a long time. The important thing for him is to keep his body in a good shape so that he can go out and demonstrate those skills.
"If you ask the majority of opening batsmen their top three hardest opponents, he will be in most people's top three. He's very well respected and
"The partnership between Glen and Kyle was a real strength in 2011, and
"Similarly to finding a good opening partnership with the bat, exactly the same thing applies with the ball.
"Where they're very strong is that they don't give much to hit. They're always testing techniques early on, always asking questions and not leaking too many runs so they're putting sides under pressure straight away.
"They obviously enjoy bowling with each other and it's proved to be an effective partnership this year."
Gary Keedy had been Lancashire's front-line spinner for much of his 18 years with the county, but his pre-season departure to Surrey has allowed Simon Kerrigan to flourish in a season that ended with him being handed a Test debut by England.
"Simon has always been an exciting cricketer - an aggressive spin bowler who is always looking to take wickets.
"His  will have been up and down, but they will stand him in good stead.
"I really think he will go on to be a high-class international spinner. He's got all the attributes. When he's bowling well, he bowls people out and he wins games."
Lancashire have offered first-team chances to talented youngsters in recent seasons and 2013 has been no different, with opener Luis Reece, 23, making the most significant breakthrough.
"Luis was involved during my time and he forced his way in through the sheer volume of runs he was scoring in every form of cricket he was playing. It's very hard to ignore that.
"He's got his game organised and he's shown himself to be a consistent performer.
"I've done it myself - if you can bat a long time, see off the new ball and bat out that first session, you're setting a platform for the team to get big runs. He's done that brilliantly."


There are fears that a former floating nightclub moored off Teesside is at risk of sinking.

When the Tuxedo Royale ceased operating in 2006 ship dismantling company Able UK agreed to provide temporary storage while its future was considered.
However, owners Absolute Leisure went into administration in 2009 and since then the rusting vessel has remained at one of Able's docks in Middlesbrough.
It has been subjected to vandalism and is now listing badly.
Neil Etherington from Able UK said: "It is taking up a quay space for which we could find a much better use and the unpaid bills for its storage continue to rise.
"We are now in discussions with both the port authority and the appropriate regulators in an effort to deal both with the immediate concerns over the vessel and to find a solution to an issue which, of course, is none of our making."
Before moving to Middlesbrough, the Tuxedo Royale was berthed in Newcastle for six years, and was a famous feature in the city's night life.


Lucy Hatton says none of the athletes who changed allegiance on Tuesday will get "her spot" on Great Britain's team.

Kettering's Hatton, 20, won silver in February's European Indoor 60m hurdles, and over 100m has a qualifying time for the World Championships and Rio 2016.
But American-born and now Great Britain eligible Cindy Ofili has that mark too.
"I'm a British girl and I'll be on both teams. If you want to be GB we girls aren't going to roll over - bring it on," Hatton told BBC Radio Northampton.
"She's not taking my spot. Fair enough if she needs to come over because America's a bit too hard for her at the moment.
"But try and run in the wind, rain and cold because it's not as lovely as it seems."
British Athletics announced that five new athletes in total were now eligible to represent Britain.
The news was criticised by World Indoor 60m champion Richard Kilty, while former Olympic heptathlon bronze medallist Kelly Sotherton said she was "not sure about it".
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Ofili is the younger sister of British 100m hurdles record holder Tiffany Porter, who made the same nationality switch five years ago.
Porter and Serita Solomon, who was beaten into third place in the European Indoor championships by Hatton in March, have also met the standard for Beijing this year and the Olympics in 2016.
A maximum of three athletes can be selected, with the British Championships in Birmingham from 3-5 July acting as a trial for the Worlds.
Hatton is the sixth fastest Briton of all time with 12.84 seconds - Ofili, ran a personal best of 12.60 in June.
"It's such a shock. I only found out a couple of days ago, so it's still kind of red hot," Hatton explained.
"But when the British trials come round, it's two sisters and they're going to be focusing on beating each other.
"I know tactically that Tiffany can't handle pressure and Cindy's probably never run in England before so I'll welcome her to Birmingham."


Alun Wyn Jones says the British and Irish Lions will need to be better than the side that beat Australia in 2013 if they are to succeed in New Zealand.

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The Wales lock played in the 2009 series defeat by South Africa and 2-1 win over the Wallabies four years ago.
He was asked if the 2017 party is stronger than 2013, when he led the Lions in the decisive third Test because Sam Warburton was injured.
"I think I'd have to say yes, it has to be," said Jones.
"You look at what we're up against - two times world champions in the Tests and a host of quality Super Rugby franchises on the way so it's going to have to be."
In the face of rugby's ultimate test, Jones believes the Lions party have a responsibility beyond the current tour.
Before the last tour questions were raised about the place of the Lions in the professional game after successive series defeats by Australia, New Zealand and South Africa between 2001 and 2009.
"I came into the tour of 2013 and people were talking about dropping the Lions altogether because we hadn't won it for so long," said Jones, who is making his third Lions tour.
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"It's funny, at the fact we win one and people want to preserve it for as long as possible.
"So I think there's more of a responsibility to the Lions jersey than the tour itself.
"I think it's something that needs to be preserved.
"It's what makes rugby special and I'm sure there's a few southern hemisphere teams that would want it to maintain as well."
The Lions were last in New Zealand in 2005, when the team coached by Sir Clive Woodward suffered a 3-0 thrashing by a team inspired by fly-half Dan Carter.
Jones says the build-up to the 2017 trip began before he and his team-mates left Australia in 2013.
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"I think the hype for this started after we played that final Test in Australia so I think it's been a long four years for Lions supporters and 12 years for Kiwi supporters," he added.


Decisions on whether a footballer can return to the pitch after a head injury should be taken by an independent doctor, and not the player or coach.

An editorial in The Lancet Neurology says these decisions should not be made "by those with a vested interest".
FIFPro, the footballers' union, has called for an investigation into concussion protocols.
This follows incidents during the World Cup where footballers played on after appearing to be concussed.
"Because signs and symptoms of concussion can be delayed, removing an athlete when there is any suspicion of injury would seem to be the safest approach," the journal editors wrote.
They refer to a recent World Cup group match against England, when Uruguay's Alvaro Pereira returned to the pitch after appearing to be knocked unconscious by a blow to the head.
Pereira admitted to arguing with his team doctor, demanding that he should be allowed to continue playing.
The editors make the point that the decision on the player's "fitness to play" should not have been left in the hands of the Uruguayan team doctor and team officials.
Instead, "return-to-play decisions should be made on an individual basis", they said.
In the World Cup semi-final between Argentina and the Netherlands, Javier Mascherano stumbled about and then collapsed on the pitch after clashing heads with a Dutch player.
Despite appearing to suffer concussion, the Argentinean midfielder returned to the fray just minutes later.
Fifa has been criticised for failing to deal with the incidents safely, by ensuring that the players were immediately taken off the pitch and removed from the game.
While many sporting organisations now recognise the potential damage that mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause, the writers said more needs to be done to reduce how often these injuries occur.
Improving the assessment, monitoring and care of adults and children with sports-related concussion should also be a priority, it states.
Mr Antonio Belli, reader in neurotrauma at the University of Birmingham, said players don't understand how dangerous concussion can be.
"When players return to the pitch and continue playing, they are sending out the wrong message. There are lots of medical reasons not to continue."
The long-term consequences of mild traumatic brain injuries can include dementia and other neurological degenerative diseases.
Headaches and dizziness can appear in the short-term.
What is concussion?
Concussion is an abnormal brain function that results from an external blast, jolt or impact to the head. Even if the knock does not result in a skull fracture, the brain can still experience a violent rattling that leads to injury.
What happens?
Because the brain is a soft gelatinous material surrounded by a rigid bony skull, such traumatic injuries can cause changes in brain function, such as bleeding, neuron damage and swelling. Research shows that repetitive concussions increase the risk of sustained memory loss, worsened concentration or prolonged headaches.


Eating hot meals and keeping active are effective ways for the over-65s and those with health issues to cope with winter, say public health bodies.

NHS England and Public Health England have launched a campaign to help the vulnerable stay well and out of A&E.
Tips include setting a thermostat to no lower than 18C, wrapping up warm and consuming hot meals and drinks.
There were 43,900 excess winter deaths in England and Wales in 2014/15, the Office for National Statistics says.
The Stay Well This Winter campaign also urges those eligible for the flu vaccination to have the injection and encourages those suffering from a cough or cold to get early help from a pharmacist.
It says: "Food is a vital source of energy, which keeps your body warm. Try to make sure that you have hot meals and drinks regularly throughout the day and keep active in the home if you can."
There were 27% more deaths in winter in 2014/15 compared with the rest of the year, figures from the Office for National Statistics show.
The majority were among those aged 75 and above with around 36,300 excess winter deaths among that age group.
Research shows people with health conditions such as heart disease, lung problems and dementia are also more likely to die in winter.
Professor Keith Willett, medical director for acute care at NHS England, said many A&E visits over winter are due to problems "which could have been avoided" if medical advice had been sought earlier.
He added: "The NHS is here to help, but there are important things we can all do to take care of ourselves during the winter months.
"It is vital that the most vulnerable people take preventative steps to keep healthy and stay well."


One of the leading children's publishers is to drop gender branding from its books after almost 100 years.

Ladybird Books will stop publishing books labelled "for girls" or "for boys".
It follows a campaign to encourage publishers to stop designating books for certain genders.
Ladybird has previously published books such as Ladybird Favourite Fairy Tales for Girls and Ladybird Favourite Stories for Boys.
Famed for its classic Peter and Jane reading scheme, Ladybird said it did not want to be seen "to be limiting children in any way".
In a statement it said it was "committed" to avoiding gendered titles and will be removing such labelling in reprinted copies.
"Out of literally hundreds of titles currently in print, we actually only have six titles with this kind of titling," it said.
It is the seventh publisher to commit to the Let Books Be Books campaign which is urging "boys" and "girls" labels to be removed to enable children to choose freely what kind of story and activity books interest them.
Ladybird, which is part of the Penguin Random House Children's division, said it had been in discussions with the campaigners as part of its decision.
The campaign group, which believes gender titling is "limiting and restrictive", has gained more than 6,500 signatures on a petition to challenge publishers to remove their labelling.
It said titles like "The Beautiful Girls' Book of Colouring" or "Illustrated Classics for Boys" sends the message certain books are off-limits for girls or for boys, and promote limiting gender stereotypes.
"How can a story or a colouring page be only for a girl or only for a boy? A good book should be open to anyone, and children should feel free to choose books that interest them," its petition reads.
Other publishers who have said they will no longer publish books labelled for boys or girls include Usborne, Parragon, Chad Valley and Dorling Kindersley.
Launched in Leicestershire in the 19th Century, Ladybird has published millions of illustrated books in the UK, covering everything from history, science and fairytales to, more recently, e-books and popular brands such as Peppa Pig and Hello Kitty.


In its fight against the so-called Islamic State (IS) the RAF has carried out more than 1,000 air strikes and released more than 3,000 bombs and missiles since October 2014.

It says this is its "most challenging fight for decades" and yet has "no evidence" yet that it has caused any civilian casualties.
So far, the United States is the only coalition country to have acknowledged responsibility for civilian casualties, 484. But Airwars, a group monitoring reports of casualties from the ground, thinks that, with dozens more incidents still to be investigated, the real figure is much higher.
The fight against IS is now in its most difficult phase.
The reason is simple. The US-led coalition is trying to dislodge the extremists from their strongholds of Raqqa and Mosul - cities with tightly packed streets where they are hiding among the local population and using them as human shields. The risk of civilian casualties is extremely high.
I put it to Air Commodore Johnny Stringer, who is overseeing the UK's contribution, that avoiding civilian casualties is simply not possible. He acknowledges that assessment might change over time. "We are human and not perfect," he says, "but we are doing our damnedest" to get it right.
The US investigation into reported incidents of civilian casualties is being carried out by a small group of military personnel. The team of two was recently increased to six. Given the intensity of the battle on the ground they often have no access to the sites to speak to any eyewitnesses.
In contrast, Airwars, believes that at least 4,118 civilians have been killed. Before the offensive on Mosul began Airwars was investigating about 40 allegations of civilian casualties a month, but now it is up to 160.
For its part, the RAF says it is going out of its way to address worries about mistakes which might result in civilian casualties. The BBC has been told that in the second half of 2016 - when the offensive on Mosul began - the RAF either turned down, or asked for more intelligence about, half the targets it was given.
We asked Air Commodore Stringer specifically about Airwars' allegation of 80 civilian casualties caused by non-US allies in the coalition. He was adamant the US had not shown him anything to suggest UK was one of those countries.
For the first time we've been allowed to interview some of the RAF crews involved in the mission about the challenges they are facing.
At RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus they talked us through some of the air strikes they have been conducting, using the cockpit footage that records every bomb dropped and missile fired. We agree not to use their full names to protect their identities.
James, a wing commander, flies in a Tornado. He tells me civilian casualties are the biggest risk to the mission because "if we cause them there's pressure for us to stop".
He shows me the imagery of a recent air strike on an IS artillery position hidden in the doorway of a high-rise building in Mosul. The aircrew has been directed to the target by Iraqi troops via an operations room on the ground.
That office can receive a feed of the cockpit video from the jet, flying tens of thousands of feet above, to make sure they are all looking at the right building.
There is a heat haze as the Tornado fires a Brimstone missile. It can be directed either by a laser or GPS. The aircrew can alter the trajectory, the line of attack and the timing of the fuse to limit the impact and collateral damage.
Seconds after it is fired, the Brimstone hits the doorway where the weapon has been hidden. Once the dust clears the building is still standing relatively unscathed.
James tells me the Tornados are now carrying more Brimstone missiles because their small explosive causes less damage than the larger Paveway bomb.
"Dave", not his real name, operates a Reaper remotely-piloted aircraft. He shows me how they use the drone's infrared sensor to detect the heat spot of a recently fired mortar hidden in a residential area. The only other heat spot is a motorcyclist, who clears a nearby road before the Reaper fires its Hellfire missile.
I ask "Dave" whether he can guarantee there will be zero civilian casualties. Even infrared sensors can't see through walls. After a brief pause he admits its not possible to give that assurance. But, he says, they are doing everything in their power, including watching an area for hours, to protect civilian life.
Every member of the crew, he says, "wants to go home with a battle damage assessment that says no civilian casualties".
There have been suggestions the rules of engagement for coalition forces have been relaxed since the offensive on Mosul began.
Air Commodore Stringer insists there is still the same scrutiny and oversight for each target. But when aircrews need to act quickly in support of forces on the ground, they can decide to engage a target quickly. The process has been speeded up with decisions taken close to the battle.
There have also been reports that the UK has a "hit list" of British jihadis it is trying to kill in Iraq and Syria. Air Commodore Stringer insists there is no such list - but he adds that, by dint of their membership of IS they would, nevertheless, be legitimate targets.
The general election has thrown up questions about whether this kind of military intervention is fuelling the terrorist threat back home. Air Commodore Stringer says he struggles to make the connection.
"We have an opponent who just hates us and everything we stand for," he says. "We have to deal with that and defeat them militarily. And that is why we're here."
They are fighting a brutal enemy, who unlike them, has no worries about killing civilians.


Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri has told his players that he will buy pizza for the whole squad if they keep a clean sheet against Stoke on Saturday.

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Ranieri's side were 2-0 down with 20 minutes remaining before coming back to beat Aston Villa 3-2 last weekend.
Ranieri said: "Coming back from behind might be exciting, but it is not good.
"I told them, if you keep a clean sheet, I'll buy pizza for everybody. I think they're waiting for me to offer a hot dog too."
Leicester are unbeaten after five Premier League games - conceding seven goals - and find themselves second, four points behind leaders Manchester City.
Jamie Vardy, Jeff Schlupp and Marc Albrighton were named as the three fastest players in the division this week, leading Ranieri to compare them to fighter jets.
He said: "I say my team is like the RAF, it's fantastic  - whoosh whoosh! -  I love it."
Stoke, meanwhile, have yet to win this season and Ranieri has warned his side that they will have to work hard to continue their fine start.
"We have to be careful," he said.
"My players have been incredible but I have warned them they can't continue to give teams a start because one day you will get punished.
"There is a very good spirit. They are characters. But I'm very curious - I want to see what they are like when something goes wrong.
"Every man can go to the ground, but I want to see when they pick themselves up. That is my focus."


Prominent Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez has been sentenced to 13 years and nine months in prison.

He was found guilty of inciting violence during protests in 2014 in which 43 people - from both sides of the political divide - were killed.
The 44-year-old had been held in a military prison since February 2014.
While the court verdict was being awaited, fighting broke out between his supporters and pro-government activists outside the courthouse in Caracas.
Lopez's supporters said one of their number had suffered a heart-attack during the disturbances.
The court ruling was revealed by Lopez's Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) political party and later confirmed by his lawyers.
His defence team earlier said there had been serious irregularities in the trial, with the judge hearing 138 witnesses for the prosecution but only one of the 50 witnesses and pieces of evidence submitted by the defence.
His family says he has been in solitary confinement for most of his 19 months in prison and that his human rights have been violated.
Venezuela's maverick opposition leader
Several other opposition leaders have also been held in detention and their fate has divided opinion in Venezuela.
The US government and the United Nations have called for their release.
Reacting to the court verdict, US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson said she was "deeply concerned" by the conviction.
She also urged the Venezuelan government to "protect democracy" in the country.
For many poorer Venezuelans, Lopez is seen as a dangerous figure who incites violence and coups against the government and who is out of touch with the needs of most ordinary people.
His critics point to his involvement in 2002 in a failed coup attempt against late President Hugo Chavez.
But his supporters say he is a scapegoat for current President Nicolas Maduro during the country's economic crisis that has led to shortages of basic goods.


An RAF flight sergeant who broke a Tube passenger's back after he tried to jump on to an escalator handrail has been ordered to pay £4,000 to his victim.

The prank at London's Holborn station came after Frans Bekker, from Cardiff, was "goaded" by his table tennis team-mates, Westminster magistrates heard.
But the 50-year-old lost control and ploughed into three women, including Linda Soulsby who fractured a vertebra.
Bekker admitted endangering the safety of a person conveyed by railway.
He was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work as well as paying compensation.
The court heard Bekker was "tramautised by the impact" on his victim.
Ms Soulsby, who is in her late 60s, was forced to wear a brace for months and her injury caused "an approximate 15 percent loss of vertebral body height".
In her victim impact statement, she said: "This accident has changed my life. I'm not the person I was. I'm lucky to be walking. A child or a weaker person could have been killed. I have no anger or bitterness.
"It was a stupid moment of madness that went terribly wrong."
Imposing a 12-month community order, chairman of the bench Roger Smith told Bekker: "Whether there was a moment of madness or anything more than that, this lady has had her life completely turned up side down."


Tanzania's President Jakaya Kikwete has fired a senior government minister accused of wrongly taking $1m (Â£640,000) from a businessman.

Land and Housing Minister Anna Tibaijuka had not shown "due diligence" when she took the money, he said.
Ms Tibaijuka, a former UN official, denies any wrongdoing.
She is a high-profile casualty in a corruption scandal that has rocked Tanzania's government and energy firms, straining relations with donors.
On 17 December, Attorney-General Frederick Werema resigned after MPs accused him of authorising the fraudulent transfer of about $120m to an energy firm.
He denied the allegation, but said he was stepping down because the controversy had "disrupted the country's political atmosphere".
Mr Kikwete, in a televised address, said the government was still investigating allegations of impropriety against Energy and Minerals Minister Sospeter Muhongo and his permanent secretary Eliakim Maswi.
The president's office later said that Mr Maswi had been suspended, pending the outcome of the probe.
Ms Tibaijuka rejected parliament's call for her resignation, saying the $1m was a donation for a school where she serves as the main fundraiser.
She accepted it in good faith and presented it to the school, she said.
However, Mr  Kikwete said he had dismissed her because "one of the biggest questions raised is why this money was not paid directly to the school and was instead deposited in a personal bank account in her name," Reuters news agency quotes him as saying.
Ms Tibaijuka was the executive director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, before she became an MP and government minister in 2010.
Tanzania's parliament, which is dominated by the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, has been putting pressure on Mr Kikwete to sack top officials accused of siphoning government money in collusion with businessmen linked to the energy sector.
An investigation by a parliamentary watchdog committee found that about $120m had been taken from an escrow account, paid to an energy firm and then given to various government ministers.
A group of 12 donors - including Japan, the UK, the World Bank and the African Development Bank - decided in October to withhold about $490m until the government took action over the alleged corruption.
Mr Kikwete took office in 2005 with a promise to tackle corruption in government.


Chemicals were thrown in the face of a Swansea man on a stag weekend in Poland, his brother has said.

Andrew Davies, 36, was in a Krakow bar when he was attacked with the liquid, thought to be a cleaning product.
He was treated for third degree burns to his face, upper body and ankle and will require months of treatment after flying home on 7 May.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We have provided assistance to a British man who was hospitalised in Krakow."
Mr Davies' brother Steve claimed the group was attacked after a row over faeces left on the wall of a toilet.
The group had gone into the bar to use the toilet, but Steve Davies, 39, said they left after seeing the mess.
But he said they were blamed for it and had the chemical thrown over them they sat in a beer garden 10 minutes later.
"It was an industrial alkaline - some kind of cleaning product," said Steve Davies.
"One of the boys was burned on his ankle, another on his leg and another on his arm."
Since returning to Manselton, Swansea, father-of-two Mr Davies has received further treatment at the city's Morriston Hospital.
Steve Davies said he believed someone had been charged in connection with the incident and his brother would speak to a solicitor about any other action.


A woman who blackmailed an 85-year-old man by saying she would accuse him of rape has been jailed for 18 months.

Linda Thomas, 62, from Cardigan, forced the man to hand over £10,000 and asked for a second amount after falsely accusing him of sexual assault.
Police were called in after the man explained to bank staff what was happening when they became suspicious.
Swansea Crown Court heard he had become a recluse, fearing he would be branded a sexual predator in his community.
Thomas was jailed on Monday. A jury found her guilty during a trial last month.
The court was told she made the blackmail threat while doing laundry and other domestic chores for the man.
Judge Geraint Walters told her: "You took advantage of a vulnerable, elderly gentleman who had never shown you anything but kindness.
"You realised he was likely to agree to your request for fear of being labelled a sexual predator.
"But for the care that Lloyds Bank staff in Cardigan showed you would have got away with receiving £20,000 and what you did would have forever remained a secret."


Portsmouth boss Paul Cook is interested in talking to League One-bound Wigan Athletic about their vacant managerial role, reports BBC Radio Solent.

Cook led Pompey to the League Two title this season and has one year remaining on his contract at Fratton Park.
But it is understood that the 50-year-old, a former Wigan player, is on the Latics' managerial shortlist after their relegation from the Championship.
As yet, there has been no official approach from Wigan to Portsmouth.
Graham Barrow has been interim manager of Wigan since March when Warren Joyce left after four months in charge.
Kirkby-born Cook played for Wigan between 1984 and 1988 before a brief loan spell back at the club in the 2001-02 season.
After moving down a division by leaving Chesterfield to take over at fourth-tier Pompey in May 2015, Cook led the Hampshire side to a sixth-placed finish in his first season, only to be beaten by Plymouth in the play-off semi-finals.
This campaign, Cook's side achieved promotion with three games to spare, before winning the title on a dramatic final day.
Off the field, former Walt Disney chief executive Michael Eisner is also in exclusive negotiations over a potential takeover from the Pompey Supporters' Club, who have owned the club for four years.


A doctor's surgery is in a "desperate" position after its only permanent doctor went on sick leave with stress.

Doctors must be recruited to the Doncaster surgery, in a "last-ditch attempt" to keep it open, said Dr Dean Eggitt, who works there temporarily.
The Church View practice has 4,300 patients but only one permanent GP, Dr Shahzad Arif, who is off work, and said the situation was "unworkable".
It has been advertising posts for doctors since 2013 without success.
Dr Arif said: "To have one GP clinically responsible for every one of those patients is scary.
"I was bringing work home, I was working in the small hours of the night, on weekends. I wasn't getting on top of my workload."
Karen Curran, of NHS England, said the organisation had discussed contingency plans and was "doing what it can" to support the practice.
The staff were "doing a very difficult job" managing the practice and ensuring GP cover while Dr Arif recovers.
He is due to return to work later this month.
Analysis: Jamie Coulson, Look North Health Correspondent
The recruitment problems being faced by Dr Arif at the Church View practice are extreme but by no means unique.
Figures from Health Education England show that in 2014 a quarter (25.3%) of training posts at GP Practices in Yorkshire and the Humber were unfilled, while nationally the British Medical Association claim a third (34%) of GPs are considering retirement.
Doctors in Doncaster say they struggle to recruit from a limited pool of GPs who may be tempted to work overseas, or in parts of the country perceived as more attractive.
Ultimately, doctors say the short term difficulty, is finding a way of attracting enough of the available GPs to places like Doncaster, in what has become a sellers' market.
Dr Eggitt, secretary of Doncaster Local Medical Committee, is working at the practice alongside other locum doctors said the situation was "desperate".
"The team are doing an incredible job to keep the place alive," he said.
Church View was among three surgeries in Doncaster struggling to recruit doctors, he added.
It had seen two doctors retire.
Dr Eggit said the practice had also been warned over breaching its contract when it did not have a doctor on site during opening hours.
NHS England confirmed Church View Surgery had been in breach of contract once since April 2015.
Figures produced by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) in February showed some areas of the country would need at least a 50% increase in the number of GPs in the community over the next five years, because of a growing population and existing shortages of family doctors.
The RCGP said local surgeries dealt with 90% of all patient contacts in the NHS or 370 million patients per year.
There was a severe shortage of GPs, with large numbers of family doctors set to retire and not enough medical students going into general practice, it added.


West Ham and Ghana forward Andre Ayew has shown he is not a man to shrink in the face of adversity.

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In January the 26-year-old was forced to play out of position for then-club Swansea when Francisco Guidolin took over as coach from the sacked Garry Monk. But he responded brilliantly.
To vote for the BBC African Footballer of the Year follow this link
His positive attitude, consistently good performances and goals played a part in helping the Swans stave off relegation from the Premier League.
Ayew scored two crucial goals in a 3-1 win over Liverpool to help earn a result which finally confirmed Swansea's safety after a nerve-racking 2015-2016 campaign.
In total Ayew notched 12 goals in 35 appearances and his impact was recognised when he was named the newcomer of the year at the club's end-of-season awards.
His form was so impressive that, in August, the Hammers broke their transfer record to bring Ayew to east London at a cost of £20.5m.
Ayew was then seriously injured on his league debut, but after a two-month absence he returned to action at the end of October.
And it is "the hunger in Ayew's eyes", as seen by former Ghana international Yaw Preko when they first played together, that could drive Ayew on to show his worth this coming season.
In international football, Ayew continued to be Ghana's main man in 2016.
He was on the scoresheet and put in a man-of-the-match performance in the 2-0 win over Mauritius which booked the Black Stars a place at next year's Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.
Ayew has been used to dealing with the pressure and expectation that comes with being the son of Ghana legend Abedi Pele Ayew, who is widely rated as one of the finest African players of all time.
Ayew senior played 73 times and scored 33 goals for the Black Stars and helped them win the 1982 Nations Cup and finish runners-up in 1992.
He also won the 1993 European Champions League with Marseille, having lost in the final of the European Cup two years earlier.
Ahmed Brynes, a coach at Ghanaian side Nania FC where Ayew first began to follow in his father's footsteps, has made a fascinating prediction.
"When Ayew was only about 14, he was already performing magic and he was even saying 'I want to be better than my father'," Byrnes told BBC Sport.
"I told him, 'look, your father has just raised the bar too high for you'... but he replied 'I will overcome it' and I believe with time he's going to overcome it."
Abedi Pele Ayew was named BBC African Footballer of the Year in 1992. Ayew junior emulated that feat in 2011 - could this be the year he surpasses it?


A deal has been agreed to end a dispute over pay at whisky bottling plants in Dumbarton and Paisley.

Workers at the Chivas Brothers Kilmalid site in Dumbarton were due to take strike action earlier this month but it was suspended for more talks.
Chivas said agreement had now been reached and a pay deal was now in place until 2020.
BBC Scotland understands workers will receive a 1.9% increase in the first year, backdated to January.
The deal includes a guaranteed minimum increase in subsequent years and harmonisation of pay between the Dumbarton and Paisley sites.
Operations in Paisley are to be closed by 2019 with workers offered jobs in Dumbarton where the firm is investing Â£40m in a new facility.
A spokeswoman for Unite said: "Following talks and a mass meeting, both sides have come to an amicable agreement."
Laurent Lacassagne, chairman and chief executive at Chivas Brothers said: "The decision follows a period of open and transparent negotiation over these past few weeks.
"We're happy that by working together we have achieved a successful resolution and that we now have a joint agreement on pay that will take us through to 2020."


Hundreds of footballers missed the start of their season after a group of travellers set up camp on their pitch.

They were discovered at Hamlin Lane playing fields in Exeter on Friday morning, the day before various teams were set to kick off the season.
The six-pitch council-owned complex is managed by Stoke Hill AFC, but is used by nine other clubs who field a full range of junior and adult squads.
Exeter City Council said it is applying for an eviction order.
Police are also investigating claims locks were broken at the site, where a group of about 15 caravans were parked.
Stoke Hill chairman, Paul Howe, said he was sympathetic with the travellers' need for space, but up to 200 players had been disappointed.
He said: "I was recommended by the police not to hold any football matches, which was the start of the season for our youth teams and a number of adult teams, so everything had to be cancelled.
"They felt it was in our best interest to not antagonise them (the travellers) in any way."
Mr Howe said he was trying to secure alternative venues for next weekend.
"It's a problem every summer," he said.
"I do have some sympathy but at the same time they have disrupted what was the start of the season for a number of boys who were looking forward to playing football."
Exeter City Council leader Pete Edwards said: "We are moving as quickly as we can but there are certain hurdles that need to be cleared before we can gain a possession order from the courts."


A man and woman from Essex have been charged in connection with an acid attack on a 27-year-old man last year.

Darren Pidgeon, from Rayleigh, had a corrosive liquid sprayed in his face while driving in Thundersley.
Ashley Russell, 29, of Sunnedon, Basildon, and Christina Storey, 31, of Studland Ave, Wickford, have been charged with conspiracy to commit GBH.
The pair was remanded at Southend Magistrates' Court to appear at Basildon Crown Court in August.
Ms Storey has also been charged with committing an act with intent to pervert the course of justice.


Police are continuing to investigate a serious incident which saw a mother airlifted to hospital after being stabbed and her daughter arrested.

Emergency services were called to a disturbance at Gwyrddgoed Road, Pontardawe, at 17:45 BST on Tuesday.
The 63-year-old victim was taken to hospital where her condition is serious but stable.
Her daughter, 32, is in custody and anyone with information should call South Wales Police on 101.


Two UK journalists have spoken of their shock at being sentenced to 10 years in prison by an Egyptian court for "falsifying news".

Sue Turton and Dominic Kane said there had been a miscarriage of justice.
The pair were tried in absentia, and were not in Egypt for the trial.
Three of their al-Jazeera colleagues, including award-winning journalist Peter Greste, have been imprisoned in Egypt after also being found guilty during the same trial.
Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "completely appalled" by the verdicts, and Egypt's ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign Office.
Ms Turton said her sentence would mean she would be unable to travel to many places around the globe.
"But at least I am not incarcerated", she said, speaking to the BBC from Doha in Qatar, where al-Jazeera is based.
Dominic Kane also told BBC News that the accusations against himself and his colleagues were "flimsy, incoherent and inexplicable".
"The suggestion that we were somehow spreading propaganda is absolutely ludicrous," he said.
He also said that because both Ms Turton and himself had been found guilty 'in absentia', it meant they could not appeal against their sentences individually, as it would involve surrendering themselves to the Egyptian legal system.
He said only the UK government could now intervene on their behalf.
Meanwhile Greste - who used to work for the BBC - and reporter Mohamed Fahmy and producer Baher Mohamed were tried in Cairo and are currently in the city's Tora prison, which Mr Kane described as "inhospitable and downright appalling".
The journalists were found guilty of supporting the now banned Muslim Brotherhood and spreading false news. They denied the charges, but have been jailed for seven, seven and 10 years respectively.
They were arrested last December and accused of making reports that were sympathetic to former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Ms Turton said: "We really thought we could trust the Egyptian judicial system to be fair and expected the judge to come out and say he had found us not guilty, because he recognised these were politically motivated charges.
"We had really hoped that they would be released from prison and we would be welcoming them back to Doha with great relief."
She praised her colleagues as "great journalists" who "always tried to give a fair and balanced picture" of what was going on in Egypt.
"It's heartbreaking," she added.
The trial has caused an international outcry amid claims it was politicised.
Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was "appalled by the guilty verdicts" and said press freedom was the "cornerstone of a stable and prosperous society".
He added: "I am particularly concerned by unacceptable procedural shortcomings during the trial process, including that key prosecution evidence was not made available to the defence team."
His sentiments were echoed by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who said the UK government would continue to press the Egyptian authorities to "both urgently review this case and to demonstrate a much clearer and more consistent commitment to freedom of the press and freedom of expression."
James Harding, the BBC's director of news, described the verdicts as "preposterously unjust" and an "act of intimidation against all journalists".
He said the corporation had drafted a letter to Egypt President al-Sisi, outlining his concerns.


Illness and medical isolation, thefts of computer equipment and Zika-protective gear, gas and water leaks at their Rio accommodation…

The Australian Olympic team haven't exactly had an ideal build-up to the 2016 Games.
BBC Sport documents their tale of woe...
Australia's delegation refused to move into the Olympic Village on the official opening day a week ago, citing electrical problems, gas and water leaks among other issues in the building.
Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes responded to Australian criticism by saying the village is "more beautiful" than Sydney's for the 2000 Games and that he was about to put "a kangaroo jumping" outside to "make them feel at home".
Australian delegation leader Kitty Chiller took the comments in good spirit, presenting Mayor Paes with a cuddly toy at the ceremony when her team finally moved in on Wednesday, July 27.
Being evacuated from your team building at the Olympic Village in Rio due to a "small fire" is one thing... but imagine returning to your room to find that essential equipment had disappeared.
That was the situation faced by Team Australia on Friday, 29 July.
It has been alleged that Brazilian "firemen" stole Zika-protective shirts from Australia's residence during an evacuation, when a laptop was also taken.
"I saw three fire [fighters] ... walking out with our team shirts," said Australian chef de mission Kitty Chiller. "I didn't know if they were volunteers that had been given a shirt because they had helped us at that point in time.
"It doesn't seem to have been what happened."
In a separate incident, Paralympic sailor Liesl Tesch, 47, a gold medallist at London 2012, and team physiotherapist Sarah Ross were robbed at gunpoint near their team hotel on 21 June.
The incident happened in broad daylight, with the pair robbed of the bikes they were riding during a training session.
Four members of the 'Aussie Stingers', Australia's women's Olympic water polo team, were placed in medical isolation after suffering from gastroenteritis on their way to Rio.
The unnamed quartet - who make up almost a third of the water polo team - have been quarantined for 48 hours.
The team of 13 players landed in Brazil on Monday, following a delayed flight from Rome, where they had been training for the Games. They open their Olympic tournament against Russia on 9 August.
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Australia's total medal haul has fallen at every Summer Games since Sydney hosted the event in 2000.
A total of 35 medals - including just eight gold medals - at London 2012 was their lowest since Barcelona hosted the event in 1992.
It has not, however, stopped the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) targeting a top-five placing in the Rio medal table, but they will count some notable absentees from their team.
In June, Olympic 100m hurdles champion - and track and field captain - Sally Pearson announced she would not be able to defend her title due to a hamstring injury.
Elsewhere, the world's number one golfer Jason Day has withdrawn due to concerns over the Zika virus, while Nick Krygios pulled out of the tennis competition, citing a dispute over the AOC's "unfair and unjust treatment" of him.
On Monday, Australian tennis sisters Arina and Anastasia Rodionova were handed a late Olympic call-up for the women's doubles following a withdrawal.
It was not initially clear whose place the siblings had taken, but Dominika Cibulkova was forced out of competing with a calf injury. She had been due to compete in the doubles with Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
Anastasia, 34, will be competing at her second Games while Arina, 26, will be making her Olympic debut. Samantha Stosur and Daria Gavrilova will also be representing Australia in the doubles.
Dear Lucien Delfour of the Australian Canoe Slalom team,
Correct us if we're wrong...
...but we're not entirely sure you're doing it right.


Tales from the Launderette is a new personal project by Walthamstow-based photographer Katherine Green and on show as part of the E17 Art Trail in London.

The launderette was, at one time, a common sight on Britain's high streets, with more than 12,000 in operation during the 1980s, though today that number is down to 3,000 or so.
To some, they are a place to catch up with local news and gossip, acting almost as a community centre. For others, they are a simply a place to complete a weekly chore.
Green's pictures, taken in East London, capture the diversity of those who use the service, from first-timers whose own washing machines have broken down, to others who rely on it for their washing.
"Mostly people were extremely friendly, one lady thought I was 'a bit strange' but, in general, I was surprised how open people were to having their photo taken," says Green. "Many of the women mentioned they'd come out without make-up and I even saw one man in his pyjamas there. It's not a place you would dress up for."
Alongside the images, Green commissioned London-based music producer Hugo Slime to create a soundtrack mixing the noise of the machines with pieces of conversation in the launderette.
"The sounds of the launderette are so rhythmic and the snippets of conversation that you hear between the noise of the machines seemed ripe for making into an audio track," says Green.
"I often work with oral history and have short interviews alongside work, but in this instance I wanted to take that further and make a soundtrack that you listen to and immerse yourself in whilst you're in the laundry.
"The soundtrack creates an atmosphere and I think, encourages visitors to listen and soak up the atmosphere as well as look."
You can see more of Katherine Green's work on her website.


Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian has been sentenced to an unspecified prison term in Iran, the country's judiciary has said.

The sentence follows his conviction last month on charges that include espionage.
Officials did not give details about the sentence but said in a statement it included jail time.
Jason Rezaian, 39, has been detained in Iran for more than a year. The Post has dismissed the charges as absurd.
"In brief, it is a prison sentence," judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said in a statement on Iranian state TV.
He added that the verdict is "not finalised" - referring to an expected appeal.
Rezaian's lawyer, Leila Ahsan, told the Associated Press news agency she had not been informed of the verdict or the details of the sentence.
The foreign editor of the Washington Post, Douglas Jehl, said in a statement that Rezaian's "trial and sentence are a sham, and he should be released immediately". He added that the journalist had already spent 487 days in prison.
Rezaian, his wife, who is also a journalist, and two photojournalists were arrested in July 2014 in Iran. Rezaian was the only one of the group not to be released.
The Post's Tehran bureau chief since 2012, he was charged with espionage and distributing propaganda against the Islamic Republic.
He is a dual Iranian-American citizen and was tried in four hearings behind closed doors. He was convicted in October.
Earlier reports said Rezaian could face 10 to 20 years in prison.


Belfast remain seven points behind Elite League leaders Cardiff Devils after Steve Saviano's four goals helped the Giants beat Fife 7-2 on Saturday.

Two of Saviano's goals came in the first period with Mike Forney also on target as Sebastian Thinel replied for the Flyers.
Carlo Finucci's strike cut Belfast's lead before two more Saviano goals and a double from Jerome Leduc.
Cardiff, second-placed Sheffield and Belfast all have eight games left.
The leaders hammered Coventry Blaze 8-0 on Saturday night while Sheffield remain a point ahead of the Giants after defeating Nottingham Panthers 4-2.
While Belfast's title hopes now look a long shot, player-coach Derrick Walser is unlikely to give up on the chase just yet with his side still to face Cardiff twice and also having a contest with Sheffield.
All three title contenders are back in action on Sunday with the Giants facing Nottingham away (16:00 GMT), Cardiff taking on Edinburgh Capital away and Sheffield also on the road as they play Fife.


A Welsh woman's family has dismissed criticism that links to killer Christopher Halliwell were not investigated.

Glyn Razzell is serving a life sentence for murdering Linda Razzell, originally from Llanybydder in Carmarthenshire.
But former detective Steve Fulcher said Halliwell could be linked to six other murders - including Mrs Razzell's.
Her family said they have "no doubt" that estranged husband Razzell is guilty.
Halliwell was jailed on Friday for the 2003 murder of Becky Godden, having already been convicted of killing Sian O'Callaghan in 2011.
However, the ex-Wiltshire Police detective at the centre of the Halliwell investigation questioned why officers failed to follow up the taxi driver's connection to other killings, including mother-of-four Mrs Razzell.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Mrs Razzell, 41, had a "direct relationship" with Halliwell, of which the force was "particularly" aware.
"We know that Halliwell has killed women, has a propensity for killing women and had a direct relationship with Linda Razzell.
"Whether or not he's responsible for those murders isn't the issue. The issue is why was no investigation conducted into those issues.
"We have a clear multiple murderer and we have concerns about his association with particular women."
Mr Fulcher resigned from Wiltshire Police in 2014 after being found guilty of gross misconduct for failing to follow the proper procedures when arresting Halliwell in 2011.
During the investigation into the disappearance of Ms O'Callaghan, Halliwell offered to take police to "another one" and led Mr Fulcher to a field in Gloucestershire where Ms Godden's remains were found.
The evidence gathered by Mr Fulcher was ruled inadmissible as he had not cautioned Halliwell.
Mrs Razzell went missing in 2002 after setting off to work at Swindon College in Wiltshire - her body has never been found.
A spokesman for Mrs Razzell's family told BBC Wales: "We were 100% happy with the police investigation.
"There is no doubt in our minds who the murderer was. There is no validity in the detective's claim."
In 2005, Razzell, then aged 44, failed in an attempt to overturn his conviction for murder.
He claimed DNA evidence against him was unreliable, but Judge Kenneth Zucker QC said his conviction was "perfectly safe".
He was convicted after drops of her blood were found in the boot of a car which he had access to.
Wiltshire Police is not linking Halliwell to any other murders but are due to liaise with other police forces.
A force spokesman said: "It remains our commitment to keep an open mind and follow the evidence wherever that may take us, so if there are further victims of Halliwell, then our investigation will work tirelessly to bring justice for all those concerned.
"To assist us in this, we strongly discourage speculation as this will cause further distress to families and friends of people who are currently missing across the country, who will clearly be desperate to have news of their loved ones."


Three adverts for a Dorset farm's vodka, including a parody of the celebrated "Accrington Stanley" milk ad from the 80s, have been banned.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received two complaints about the commercials for Black Cow vodka.
One of the films was a parody of the Milk Marketing Board's 1989 milk advert featuring Carl Rice. Now aged 36, Rice reprises his role in the vodka skit.
But the ad was deemed socially irresponsible by watchdog chiefs.
In the original dairy promotion, two Liverpudlian boys who have been playing football race into a kitchen.
One teases his mate for drinking milk, but he retorts that Anfield legend Ian Rush reckoned people who didn't drink milk would "only be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley".
The ad popularised the catchphrase: "Accrington Stanley? Who are they?... Exactly!"
Ruling on the parody, the ASA said: "While we noted that this was a literal recreation of the original advert and that some viewers would recognise the element of satire, we considered that the large quantity of vodka depicted, and the replacement of the empty bottles with full ones, was nonetheless still likely to be understood as implying and encouraging excessive drinking."
Another advert to fall foul of the censors showed a man and woman walking through a meadow and glancing at each other, and then a depression in some long grass.
It was axed for linking alcohol to sexual activity.
And the ASA said the product's catchline: "So smooth you can drink it until the cows come home," implied people could drink more of it.
Black Cow said its product was "super premium" and not intended to be consumed in excess.
It added it had been surprised by the bans as it thought the adverts were "quite fun and witty", but accepted the ASA ruling.
Beaminster dairy farmer Jason Barber, who invented the drink, added: "We don't want to milk the point, but we were rather surprised to be chased by these complaints."


An 11-year-old boy from Hampshire who was reported missing after leaving school has been found, police have said.

Joshua Kemp, of Basingstoke, had not been seen since leaving Cranbourne School on Monday afternoon.
Hampshire Constabulary said Joshua's family had grown increasingly concerned as it got later.
Officers confirmed on Tuesday morning the boy had been found safe and well.


Up to 130 jobs are under threat at a south Wales college that faces making £5.7m in budget cuts.

Coleg Gwent said there would also be reductions to courses due to £29.9m further education funding cuts by the Welsh government.
Most part-time college and community courses will go from September but full-time courses are not affected.
The Welsh government said it was working closely with the college on any potential impact.
The college, which has campuses in Ebbw Vale, Newport, Crosskeys, Pontypool and Usk, said it was now in a 45-day consultation with staff and trade unions and was making a request for voluntary redundancies.
Principal Jim Bennett said: "I appreciate the pressures that the Welsh government is facing with their own funding being reduced from Westminster, but the real impact of these cuts on learners, jobs, communities and the people of Wales will be very serious."
Neath Port Talbot College Group has also held meetings with staff about the "major impact" a £4m budget cut will have on its courses.
A Welsh government spokesman added: "The UK government has cut the Welsh government's budget by £1.4bn in real terms since 2010. We have been clear about the financial challenges this has presented and the difficult decisions we've had to make.
"It is now more important than ever that we focus not just on the resources that are available but how we use them and what we achieve."


Catriona Matthew says "everyone's upping their game" as the major season begins on Thursday.

Matthew, who won the Women's British Open in 2009, features at the ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills Country Club, Rancho Mirage, California.
The Scot was impressed with the low scoring in the Kia Classic, which was won by Lee Mi-rim on 13 under par - eight shots ahead of Matthew.
"Women's golf is on the up, without a doubt," Matthew told BBC Sport.
"It's definitely picked up a lot in the last 10 years.
"There's been some great play, great scoring this year so far. Last week, the scoring usually is not particularly low in that golf course and the course was no different yet the scoring was super low.
"Everyone's upping their game and I'll need to keep working away."
Asked if she was relishing the challenge of keeping up, Matthew replied: "Yeah, absolutely."
Of Mission Hills, the Scot said: "It's in great shape but it's what you expect here.
"The fairways are good, the rough's thick. It's not ridiculous, once you get to mid-to-longer irons, it's a struggle. Obviously, key to try to keep it on the fairways because the greens are only going to get firmer. The greens are perfect.
"I'm very excited. I've always enjoyed this course, enjoyed the place here. Very windy yesterday and today and I think, so they say, it's going to be windy Thursday, Friday so that'll be a challenge.
"Everyone says you never get windy weather over here but I've played in enough wind over here.
"In this kind of wind, these courses are kind of different - not designed for playing in very windy weather so it makes it more challenging. You can't run the ball up on as many holes as you can, perhaps, at home [in Scotland]."
Catriona Matthew was speaking to Iain Carter


Chile has marked the centenary of one of the most spectacular railways in the world, a railroad that straddles the Andes and lies at the heart of the country's long-standing border dispute with Bolivia.

The Arica-La Paz railway was inaugurated on 13 May 1913, and runs from Chile's most northerly port, Arica, to Bolivia's commercial capital La Paz, 440km (273 miles) to the north-east.
Its construction was a remarkable feat of engineering.
The track rises from sea level to over 4,200 metres (13,800ft), making it one of the highest railway lines in the world.
At some points, the gradient is over 6%. It was the world's steepest train track at the time of its construction.
It winds through a landscape of desert and snow-capped volcanoes. It is split roughly half and half between the two countries, with 205km on the Chilean side of the border and 235 km in Bolivia.
The railway took seven years to build and employed thousands of workers in gruelling conditions. Many suffered from altitude sickness, sunstroke and extreme cold at night.
Over the years, sections of the railway have been washed away by the flash floods that regularly hit the Bolivian highlands.
It was closed completely in 2005 but has since been renovated, and the Chileans say their part of it is now fully operative again.
The railway was built by Chile to compensate Bolivia for its loss of land during the 1879-1883 War of the Pacific.
Chile won the war and annexed a swathe of Bolivian land roughly the size of Greece, leaving Bolivia landlocked.
The idea behind the railway was to give Bolivia access to the sea for its exports. It cost Chile Â£2.75m to build - around Â£195m ($300m) in today's money.
The Bolivians still demand sovereignty over at least a part of their former Pacific coastline, and last month took their case to the International Court in The Hague.
To this day, the railway remains controversial. The Bolivians claim the Chileans have failed to maintain their side of it.
In January, Bolivian President Evo Morales challenged his Chilean counterpart, Sebastian Pinera, to ride the train with him "to prove that it's working".
Mr Pinera accepted the challenge but the trip has yet to materialise and it is difficult to imagine it will, given the countries' poor relations.
Those relations have deteriorated further in recent months, culminating in the decision to go to The Hague.
The Bolivians have accused the Chileans of being "the bad boy of the region" and of being "unfriendly, provocative and aggressive" for refusing to consider their sovereignty demand.
Chile has responded by accusing Mr Morales of distorting the truth when discussing the history of the dispute.
Monday's ceremony in Arica was therefore an all-Chilean affair, with no representatives from Bolivia.
President Pinera took the train from Arica to the tiny Chilean desert village of Poconchile, a journey of around an hour.
There, he was greeted by dozens of schoolchildren waving Chilean flags.
He gave a speech at the station, describing the construction of the railway in the early 20th Century as "comparable only to the construction of the Panama Canal".
He said he regretted that Bolivian President Evo Morales could not be at the ceremony "but it gives me great satisfaction to show Chileans, Bolivians and the entire world that Chile has met its obligations under the 1904 treaty [with Bolivia]".
Chile would always have the door open to closer ties, he said, but would "defend the territory, sovereignty and sea that belongs to us".
The glory days of the Arica-La Paz railway are probably behind it. The passenger service closed in 1996 due to a lack of demand and there are now paved highways between Bolivia and northern Chile.
Trucks rather than trains carry most of the cargo traffic.
But symbolically, the railway is still important.
It is one of the few things that link Chile and Bolivia - two nations divided by a formidable mountain range, a fraught history and an equally troublesome present.


Plans to axe funding for school crossing patrols and charge households £40 for collecting garden waste have been proposed by Trafford Council.

The only Conservative-run borough in Greater Manchester said it has to save £42m between 2017 and 2020.
It has also proposed a 4% council tax rise and transferring part of its adult social care to external suppliers.
The authority also plans to attract more businesses to the area and spend £24m on upgrading leisure centres.
Council leader Sean Anstee said funds for lollipop men and women could come "from schools or community groups".
Some local residents criticised the plans.
Tracey Miller, who has two children, said: "The schools aren't going to be able to find the money for this and it's going to fall squarely on the shoulders of parents, which we shouldn't have to do because I pay my council tax for that kind of thing."
Laura Fenton, 38, added: "It's an essential service... the roads are extremely busy. Putting children and young people's lives at risk - that's going to cost them a lot more in the long run."
If approved, the council's three-year budget strategy will see the first rise in Trafford's general council tax - excluding police and fire service precepts - for six years.
"Our council tax will remain the lowest in the North West despite the increase that is being levied," Mr Anstee said.
Charges for using council-owned car parks could also rise under the proposals.
A council spokesman said the local authority had reduced spending by £113m since 2010.
But "continuing austerity measures, rising demand on services and the changes to government funding" meant it had to save £22m in 2017-18, he added.
The authority said outsourcing its remaining adult social care provision - which involves caring for vulnerable people at home after hospital treatment - will save £950,000 a year.
Plans for an annual £40 charge for garden waste collection would put Trafford in line with many councils across England.
Councillors will make their final decision in February after a public consultation.
Six years into austerity, the way local councils think about their budgets and spending is having to change.
Cutting services and being more efficient is no longer enough to make ends meet. Rising costs and shrinking budgets are an unsustainable combination.
The transfer of the last bit of adult social care provision will set alarm bells ringing for those who've railed against Greater Manchester's trailblazing deal, which saw the region take control of health and social care spending from central government in April.
Unions have argued that the only way to plug a £2 billion funding gap between now and 2020 is through more cuts and privatisation, a direction political leaders have always dismissed as speculation.
As a Conservative council working in partnership on this devolution project with the other nine Labour authorities, Trafford is the first to make that move, saying it will save nearly £1m annually.
While other councils consider the financial challenge they too face, it seems likely it won't be the last.


A Welsh MP is petitioning the European Parliament to take action over Brexit.

Ann Clwyd, Labour MP for Cynon Valley, wants MEPs to allow UK citizens to vote on any Brexit deal after negotiations are concluded.
She is also calling for protections to be put in place for UK citizens working in EU countries and EU citizens here.
The UK government said it wanted to protect the status of EU nationals already in the UK.
Under Article 227 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union any citizen can petition the European Parliament.
Ms Clwyd said: "If a majority of the European Parliament don't like it they can in effect veto negotiations. I think that's a very big power.
"When the true implications of withdrawal are known a lot of people will change their minds."
Ms Clwyd is also urging MEPs to invite Prime Minister Theresa May to address them.
She said: "The referendum was advisory and we should have looked at the advice, but still properly considered the implications of leaving the EU, which weren't clear to any of us - elected politicians didn't know."
"We here in the UK parliament are still finding out about it. We know, just in the last few days, we may have to pay an enormous bill if we exit the EU."
Leaving the EU would be detrimental to the Cynon Valley and the rest of Wales, she added.
A spokesman for the Department for Exiting the EU said: "The prime minister has been clear we want to protect the status of EU nationals already living in the UK.
"The only circumstances in which that wouldn't be possible is if British citizens' rights in the EU were not protected in return."


Teenage Canadian Brooke Henderson led from start to finish to win the LPGA Portland Classic for the second year in a row.

The world number two, 18, shot a final-round one-under-par 71 to win by four strokes from American Stacy Lewis, with Norway's Suzann Pettersen third.
Henderson, winner of June's Women's PGA Championship, finished on 14 under.
American Austin Ernst shared fourth with Colombia's Mariajo Uribe, who was in contention for much of the last day.
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A young man wearing a shabby, brown prisoner's outfit stands before three black-robed judges in a tiny, provincial courtroom, shaking nervously.

After sipping some water, he confirms his name: Abdullah Hussein. He is accused of fighting for so-called Islamic State (IS).
"The decision of the court has been taken according to articles 2 and 3 of the 2005 Counterterrorism Law," states the judge. "Death by hanging."
And then Hussein - who, like many suspects here, was picked up on the Mosul frontline - breaks down crying.
As IS is defeated on the battlefields of northern Iraq, some 3,000 suspected group members or collaborators are waiting to be prosecuted in Iraqi courts. Usually there are at least 50 hearings a day.
For security reasons, most are sent to two courthouses in this mainly Christian town, 30km (19 miles) south-east of Mosul, retaken by US-backed Iraqi forces in October.
Some human rights campaigners have criticised the system but top Iraqi judges insist it is playing a vital role in restoring law and order.
I was allowed to sit in on some of their trials.
The next defendant, Khalil Hamada, is 21 and more talkative.  He comes from a town held by IS for two years, and recalls seeking out its local recruiter.
"I went by myself, nobody forced me. A lot of us joined," he says.
"How did you join? What oath did you take?" the judge asks.
"I can't remember the sentences exactly," Mr Hamada replies. "But I swore loyalty to [IS chief] Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and the caliphate."
He goes on to recount how he did training with IS - in Sharia law, bodybuilding and using weapons.
But he tells the court he became "just a cook" - before admitting he was also one of six guards, "armed with Kalashnikovs" at an IS base.
He was paid about $150 dollars (Â£120) a month.
When the judge summarises his story, Mr Hamada nods, "Yes, it's true".  A woman prosecutor then speaks and - albeit briefly - a state-appointed defence lawyer.
Like Abdullah Hussein, Khalil Hamada gets the death penalty.
He is told he can appeal and that a higher court in Baghdad makes final rulings.
However, his look of resignation suggests he knows this is little more than a formality.
During fighting in Mosul, Human Rights Watch (HRW) found evidence that some Iraqi soldiers were executing suspected IS members instead of sending them to trial.
It said men and boys fleeing the city were ill-treated, tortured and killed. Iraq's prime minister has since admitted there were "clear violations".
Now HRW says it has "serious concerns" about the quality of defence in cases being heard at the Nineveh Criminal Court in Qaraqosh.
But Chief Judge Salam Nouri insists his court acts professionally and does an essential job.
"It sends a message to the people that the courts are the highest power and that the Iraqi government is back in control," he says.
"The judge remains neutral," says Justice Younis Jameeli, head of the Investigations Court, which has been temporarily set up in a large, family house.
He points out that IS targeted the judiciary in Mosul and says 15 of his colleagues were killed.
"Each of us lost family members and had homes destroyed but when a suspect appears before us, we treat him according to the law," he goes on.
When I ask Judge Jameeli about evidence, he has a glint in his eye. "You know IS are helping us convict them," he declares, reaching for a file in the stack on his desk.
Inside there is further proof that IS are not some disorderly militia; they meant to function as a state. It is a spreadsheet, printed off from a computer and recovered by Iraqi intelligence.
Each of the 196 rows neatly identifies an IS member - his full name and address, job and a photograph.
With real fears that jihadists will try to blend back into the Iraqi population, the hope is that prosecutions can stop IS re-emerging as an insurgent group and prevent reprisals.
Outside the court, I meet Muwafaq who has come from Mosul to make an inquiry. He tells me his neighbour, who joined IS, burnt down his home.  "I hope he gets to court before I see him," he says.
But others allege their loved ones were wrongly arrested.
One woman claims her husband, detained two months ago, has mental health problems.
A father says his son was "a regular guy selling vegetables from a cart" - not part of IS.
Talking to them, it is clear that judging exactly who was a collaborator is a tricky business; it is hard to tell whether some locals did what they had to just to survive or whether they bought into extremist IS ideology.
As court proceedings end for the day, armed guards march a column of prisoners out the gates, their heads down.
The streets of Qaraqosh, all around, are virtually deserted.
Three years ago tens of thousands of residents fled this mostly Christian town as IS advanced and very few have moved back.
Now Qaraqosh - with its desecrated churches - bears testimony to the barbarity of IS and just how hard it will be for ordinary Iraqis to rebuild their lives.


The Welsh Conservatives have launched their assembly election manifesto, promising "real change" with the creation of 50,000 jobs.

Speaking in Wrexham, Andrew RT Davies said: "We can't afford for Wales to be left behind under Labour.
"It must be our passion to energise people to come out and vote for the Welsh Conservatives on the 5th of May."
Mr Davies highlighted the health service in north Wales, saying it had been "badly neglected" by Labour.
Across Wales, one in seven people were on waiting lists, he said, adding: "That is not something that can be tolerated."
Details: What is in the Welsh Conservative manifesto?
The party pledges to protect the NHS budget, lower tax bills for 1.3 million households, and to spend an extra £150m to directly fund schools.
On Sunday, Mr Davies wrote in the Sunday Times that his party would cut the basic rate of income tax in Wales by 2p in the pound.
One party candidate claimed the NHS in Wales currently wastes £1bn a year.
The party's candidate for Wrexham, Andy Atkinson, told BBC Radio Wales' Good Evening Wales that if it were in government the party would fund guaranteed increases in investment for the NHS by clamping down on waste.
The current annual NHS budget across Wales is £7bn.
The manifesto includes promises to:
Plaid Cymru, UKIP, the Wales Green Party and the Welsh Liberal Democrats have already launched their manifestos.
Labour is due to launch its manifesto on Tuesday.


Special measures have been lifted at a south Wales council after "sufficient progress" was made in schools.

Torfaen council's education department was put under supervision in February 2013 by education watchdog Estyn.
This was due to a lack of progress following an inspection in 2011 where serious failings were highlighted and a rating of unsatisfactory was given.
Subsequent checks were made and the necessary steps were taken to allow measures to be lifted on Friday.
When it was subjected to those conditions in 2013, Torfaen became the sixth Welsh council to be placed in special measures.
It followed Anglesey, Blaenau Gwent, Pembrokeshire, Monmouthshire and Merthyr Tydfil.  Of these, only Merthyr Tydfil remains in special measures.
Education Minister Huw Lewis said: "I am heartened at the good progress we are seeing with local authorities being removed from special measures and I hope this will provide a springboard for further success in the future."
In a letter to Torfaen's chief executive Alison Ward, Clive Phillips, an assistant director at Estyn, said inspectors looked at seven recommendations made from inspections in 2011 and 2013.
These said the council needed to raise standards in secondary schools and do more for school leavers who do not go on to find jobs or training.
The authority also came in for criticism for standards at GCSE level.
A report said over half of schools were in the bottom quarter for performance in the core subjects of English or Welsh, maths and science.
No school was above average on the proportion of pupils achieving the equivalent of five GCSEs at grade A* to C.
After it was placed in special measures, the Welsh government ordered the creation of a recovery board to support and scrutinise the council as it sought to rectify the problems.
Mr Phillips's letter said the council, elected members and the recovery board had "worked well together" to improve these areas.
It added: "As a result, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales considers that the authority no longer requires special measures and is removing it from further follow-up activity."
Torfaen council's executive member for education David Yeowell said: "We are delighted with this news that reflects well on the combined efforts of colleagues both in our schools and the education service."


Telephone and broadband provider Talktalk saw profits more than halve following a hack attack on its systems last October.

Profits fell to £14m compared with £32m a year earlier.
That fall is partly due to the costs of last year's serious cyber attack,  which cost the company £42m.
Dido Harding, TalkTalk chief executive told the BBC: "We have significantly increased our spending on security. We take this extremely seriously."
Talktalk lost 101,000 subscribers in its third quarter after the attack, which resulted in the personal data of nearly 160,000 people being accessed.
The data haul netted email addresses, names and phone numbers. 21,000 unique bank account numbers and sort codes were accessed in the attack.
There have been six arrests in the UK connected with the hacking, all of them of individuals under 21 years old.
Ms Harding said: "I am actually very encouraged by the way the business has bounced back so strongly in the last quarter.
"The customer base has really stabilised and this is testimony to the fact that our customers really appreciated our open and honest approach and how we tried to look after them through the cyber attack."
She added that Talktalk's customer "churn" - the turnover of customers - has been the lowest in TalkTalk's history, suggesting customers are satisfied with the company's service.
TalkTalk says total revenues grew 2.4% to £1.83bn in the 12 months to 31 March.


The SDLP leader and South Belfast MP Alasdair McDonnell has said he will be giving up his assembly seat to concentrate on remaining as an MP at Westminster.

He retained his seat in South Belfast with 9,560 votes.
Mr McDonnell was first elected to the seat in 2005.
The South Belfast MP told the BBC's Sunday Politics Show he would talk to party colleagues and "set processes in train" to find a replacement.
"I will be talking to the party about the process of moving now that I have secured the Westminster seat for the third time and that's a major achievement," he said.
"South Belfast is still a unionist majority constituency."
The SDLP also held onto its Westminster seats in Foyle and South Down.
The DUP won the largest number of seats in the general election securing eight.
Sinn Féin won four seats, the UUP two and Lady Sylvia Hermon retained her seat in North Down as an independent.
In 2014, the Northern Ireland Office passed an act banning MPs from double-jobbing.
The section of the law banning double-jobbing comes into force "the first day after this act is passed on which the Northern Ireland Assembly is dissolved".
Barring an early election, the next Stormont dissolution should be in March 2016, ahead of assembly elections in May 2016.


Former captain Alan Shearer described England's Euro 2016 defeat at the hands of Iceland as the "worst performance" he has ever seen from the national team.

Manager Roy Hodgson announced his resignation after his side lost 2-1 at the last-16 stage in Nice on Monday.
Despite leading through Wayne Rooney's fourth-minute penalty, England lost to a nation ranked 34th in the world - and with a population of just 330,000.
Ex-striker Shearer, who won 63 caps, told BBC's Match of the Day that England were "tactically inept", while Rio Ferdinand, another former England skipper, said the display was "embarrassing".
They were particularly scathing of England's defending, notably Kyle Walker, for Iceland's first goal, scored by Ragnar Sigurdsson from a long throw-in.
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Alan Shearer: "That was the worst performance I've ever seen from an England team. Ever. It was tactically inept.
"We were out-fought, out-thought, out-battled and totally hopeless for 90 minutes. I said after the three group games that England weren't good enough.
"It looked to me like Roy was making it up as he was going along.
"How can he pick Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere? We had players in the squad who didn't deserve to be there. Manchester City's winger Raheem Sterling hasn't performed. We can go on and on. Then there was Tottenham striker Harry Kane on corners... the list is endless.
"Our players caved tonight. We've all played under pressure, they caved and the manager caved. He gave Manchester United teenage striker Marcus Rashford four minutes and he still did more than anyone else.
"We are blinded by the Premier League. We think it's the best in the world for talent. It's not. We are totally reliant on foreign players and managers for excitement. We are not as good as we think we are."
Rio Ferdinand: "That was embarrassing. If you get into a tournament and don't know your best team or formation, you run into trouble.
"One of the biggest problems of not knowing the best England team, aside from best players or shape, is there is no philosophy. Against Iceland, there was no finesse and no inventiveness.
"I was excited by this England team. Qualifying was so easy. I didn't expect us to win the tournament, but I expected, with the young players present, for there to be the vibrancy of previous matches. But that was gone.
"We've played a formation every game with two wide men and a frontman. How many actual wingers were on the plane?"
Former England winger Chris Waddle on BBC Radio 5 live: "They've not turned up. They go 1-0 up, but then concede a Sunday morning goal.
"We haven't got leaders, they're all pampered, they're all [listening to] headphones and you can't get anything out of them.
"I would never pay to watch Iceland, but they've got great camaraderie. England will now say we're building a team for Qatar, then we'll be building a team for Timbuktu."
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Shearer on the first Iceland goal, scored by Ragnar Sigurdsson from a long throw-in: "What is England assistant Gary Neville doing? He is one of the best defenders we have had.
"Surely they have worked on set-pieces all week? We knew what Iceland were going to do. For the second goal, there is no pressure on the ball at all. No marking, no organisation, no leader. That was embarrassing.
"Keeper Joe Hart should save it, but his defenders should do a lot more."
Ferdinand: "England would have seen Iceland on throw-ins. For the first goal, it was the second ball we should have moved towards in order to clean up.
"Kyle Walker is good going forward, but defensively there are questions. I tell you what was most alarming about the second goal - no communication. There was static defending, waiting for someone else to step up."
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Shearer: "It cannot be right that by the fourth game of the tournament you are still scrambling around looking for the best players and systems.
"Daniel Sturridge doesn't want to play on the right. He's a striker. We have got to pick players who are in form. We have done that for years and years."
Former England midfielder Jermaine Jenas:  "I thought that was Iceland's easiest game of the tournament. They seemed to want it a lot more.
"They were stronger in the tackle. They were fully committed and working for each other. They gave England no space, no time."
Ferdinand: "That was throwback football with two forwards up front, an old, rigid 4-4-2. People say you can't play a 4-4-2 any more, but these guys showed they can.
"The way Iceland manager Lars Lagerback spoke prior to the game, he knew his team would get chances."
Shearer: "Iceland were outstanding, every single one of them. They fought for their team."
Shearer: "I went to see the Football Association four or five years ago and said I want the England job. They looked at me and said: 'No, you haven't got the experience'.
"I said you have hired experienced managers, spent a fortune on them and I could not have done any worse.
"I would speak to the FA now, definitely. I'd offer my experience, tournament experience. Even if Under-21 manager Gareth Southgate gets it."
Ferdinand: "We've gone for ultimate experience, we've gone for foreign managers. We've now got to go for a young, dynamic manager who knows the young players coming through.
"There's not a person out there that would say no."