..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Mainz: Aubameyang fires BVB to win

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's brace proved enough to secure a 2-1 victory for Borussia Dortmund in their Bundesliga season opener against Mainz.

The 27-year-old scored 25 league goals for Thomas Tuchel's side last term and opened his account for the new campaign by heading home a cross from Andre Schurrle after17 minutes.

Schurrle was the most impressive of the four recent signings who started for the hosts, but Dortmund's victory was not an altogether convincing one.

Mainz, who finished sixth last season, more than matched Dortmund for long periods of the game and had it not been for a glaring miss from Christian Clemens early in the second half, may well have pulled level before Aubameyang added his second from the penalty spot with a minute left.

There was still time for Yoshinori Muto to convert a powerful close-range header. Ultimately, however, Martin Schmidt's men failed to improve upon a miserable record of just one win in their previous 12 meetings with last season's Bundesliga runners-up, who duly preserved an unbeaten home league run dating back to April 2015.

And with Mario Gotze expected to return from his adductor problem in the very near future, Dortmund again look likely to emerge as the main threat to Bayern Munich's title defence.

Despite the warm conditions at Signal Iduna Park, the opening exchanges were played out at a lively tempo with both sides looking dangerous going forward.

Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki was called into action as early as the first minute to keep out an effort from Mainz's top scorer last season, Yunus Malli, while at the other end, Aubameyang's close-range effort was tipped spectacularly over by Jonas Lossl.Lossl was left helpless after 17 minutes, however, as Aubameyang put the hosts in front.

Schurrle provided the pinpoint cross from the left and the Gabon striker took advantage of some slack marking from Jean-Philippe Gbamin to nod home at the far post.

Perhaps helped by the subsequent drinks break midway through the half, Mainz regrouped effectively and created two decent chances in as many minutes, with Burki getting down well to keep out a shot from Fabian Frei before Clemens fired over from just inside the box.

The impressive Schurrle duly responded for Dortmund with a low, angled drive that was well saved by Lossl, but despite finishing the half on the front foot, the home side were unable to add to their lead before the break.

Clemens' glaring miss was the first action of the second half, the on-loan Schalke man failing to find the target when played in by Frei, before Karim Onisiwo also went close for the visitors moments later.

As they had in the first half, however, Dortmund were quick to respond with Schurrle and fellow new recruits Sebastian Rode and Marc Bartra all kept at bay by Lossl.It was 2-0 when Dortmund were gifted a second in the 89th minute.

Onisiwo tugged Schurrle back as the former Chelsea star surged into the box and, from the resulting spot-kick, Aubameyang calmly sent Losl the wrong way.
Muto did pull one back in stoppage time, heading home a fine cross from fellow substitute Pablo de Blasis, but it was too little, too late for Mainz.

 

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Chelsea 3-0 Burnley: Hazard sparkles as Blues maintain perfect start

Eden Hazard was the star of the show as Chelsea earned a dominant 3-0 Premier League victory over Burnley at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

After opening the scoring with just nine minutes played by surging down the left on the counter-attack and curling home from 20 yards, the mercurial Hazard was the central attacking figure in a tactically astute display from Chelsea.

Burnley shocked Liverpool last weekend by finishing clinically on the break in a 2-0 win at Turf Moor, and in a bid to avoid suffering a similar fate Antonio Conte's side sat deep and were happy to allow the visitors to hold the ball in the first half.

Having seen his team run close by League One side Bristol Rovers in a 3-2 EFL Cup triumph on Tuesday, Conte urged his team to kill games off, and he will surely see what followed Hazard's strike as a step in the right direction.

Willian - who missed the last two matches with a calf problem - fired home the second before half-time, while Hazard, already denied another by a goal-line clearance from Ben Mee, was frustrated twice by Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton after the restart.

The Belgian's efforts came as part of a more actively attacking display from Chelsea, which finally paid dividends when substitute duo Pedro and Victor Moses combined for the latter to score the third after 89 minutes - his first league goal for the club since November 2012.

Chelsea took just nine minutes to get off the mark when a sloppy pass from Andre Gray, charged with misconduct by the Football Association in midweek after homophobic posts from his Twitter account from 2012 were circulated, was pounced upon and Hazard stormed forward before cutting onto his right foot and guiding an effort into the bottom-right corner.

He could have had a second five minutes later but his shot from the left-hand side of the box was cleared off the line by Mee, while Gary Cahill had a volley from the edge of the box deflected narrowly wide from the ensuing corner.

Chelsea refused to press when Burnley had possession, instead picking their moments to attempt a counter-attack, and a reaction save from Heaton stopped Diego Costa turning home Hazard's cutback.

The second goal finally came when Costa found Willian on the right-hand side of the box and the Brazilian drilled a fine finish into the far corner four minutes before half-time.Chelsea raised their intensity in the second half and Willian floated a corner to Hazard, whose volley from 20 yards out forced an excellent save from Heaton down to his left, with John Terry blazing the loose ball over from six yards.

Another important intervention from Mee stopped Costa converting after Heaton denied Hazard again just after the hour-mark, and the Belgian received a rapturous ovation from the home faithful when he was replaced by Pedro in the 81st minute.The Spaniard had enough time to make his mark, leading another Chelsea counter-attack down the left and picking out Moses to convert at the back post.

As Chelsea surged, Heaton had to deny Cesar Azpilicueta in the 93rd minute, and Conte - who has his first clean sheet at the helm - now takes his 100 per cent record to Swansea City after the international break, while Burnley will be back in the comforts of home against Hull City.

 

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Leicester City 2-1 Swansea City: Vardy back on form in Foxes first win

Jamie Vardy and Wes Morgan struck as champions Leicester City defeated Swansea City 2-1 to record their first victory of the new Premier League season on Saturday.

England international Vardy powerfully opened the scoring in the first half and Morgan doubled the hosts' advantage shortly after the break with a close-range volley.

Riyad Mahrez then had a penalty saved by Lukasz Fabianski, but Swansea rarely looked like preventing Claudio Ranieri's 100th Premier League win as a manager, even though Leroy Fer's late header briefly gave them hope.

Leicester's first win in three games gets their title defence up and running, while Francesco Guidolin's men have now suffered consecutive defeats since their win over Burnley on the opening day.The Foxes face a tough trip to Liverpool after the international break, while Swansea are at home to Chelsea.

A quiet start to the match saw few clear opportunities created, other than Mahrez firing over from an excellent free-kick opportunity on the edge of the area and Gylfi Sigurdsson twice testing Kasper Schmeichel at the other end.

Leicester got their breakthrough in the 32nd minute when a neat passing sequence inside their own half resulted in Danny Drinkwater's impressive pass catching out Swansea's high defensive line and Vardy racing clear to blast a right-footed finish in off the near post.

Sigurdsson curled another effort just over at the other end as the visitors attempted to respond, while Leicester striker Shinji Okazaki forced Fabianski into action with a fierce strike just before the interval.A dramatic four-minute period early in the second half saw Leicester score a second goal and then miss a spot-kick.

The 52nd-minute goal was a scrappy one, with a corner from the right bouncing off Robert Huth and landing at the feet of fellow centre-back Morgan six yards out. The captain made no mistake, instinctively smashing a volley past Fabianksi.

It looked like Leicester would extend their lead further when Jordi Amat fouled Okazaki as he charged into the box for a clear penalty.Mahrez stepped up, but Fabianski got down impressively to deny him, before standing firm to also keep out Okazaki on the rebound.

Leicester lost goalkeeper Schmeichel to injury shortly after that spell, with Ron-Robert Zieler handed an unexpected debut as he came on to replace him.Zieler was kept largely unoccupied until he was beaten 10 minutes before the end, with Fer's superb header from eight yards finding the bottom corner after Modou Barrow's cross.

But Swansea had failed to win on their previous 12 visits to Leicester and they could not fashion a chance to grab a late equaliser as the home side held on to extend that streak, with substitute Ahmed Musa spurning an excellent chance to add a third at the death.

 

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Watford 1-3 Arsenal: First-half Gunners goal bombardment crushes Hornets

Alexis Sanchez had a hand in all three goals as Arsenal picked up their first Premier League win of the season with a 3-1 victory away to Watford.

Santi Cazorla scored a penalty after just nine minutes following Nordin Amrabat's clumsy foul on Sanchez, and the Chilean doubled his side's lead five minutes before the break with a scuffed finish at the far post.

There was nothing fortuitous about Arsenal's third, however, as Sanchez curled a delightful cross onto the head of Mesut Ozil, who headed home to mark his first start of the season in style.

Watford were given hope of a comeback early in the second half thanks to debutant Roberto Pereyra's goal, and Petr Cech pulled off a strong double save to keep out efforts from Jose Holebas and Odion Ighalo.

Ighalo hooked an overhead kick narrowly over the crossbar but it was all too little, too late for Watford, who have now lost seven out of seven Premier League matches against Arsene Wenger's side.Watford gifted Arsenal the opener with just nine minutes played and were perhaps fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men in the process.

Amrabat caught the back of Sanchez's head with an elbow as he looked to meet Ozil's cross, and Cazorla fired straight down the middle of Heurelho Gomes' goal from the resulting penalty.

Arsenal assumed total control against a deflated Watford and almost doubled their lead on 23 minutes, with Gomes blocking Theo Walcott's far-post effort with his shins.

Watford began to gain a foothold but struggled to worry Cech in the Arsenal goal, and only a good low stop from Gomes denied Sanchez a second after a fine one-two with Ozil.

But Arsenal's number seven was not to be denied again five minutes before the break. Walcott crossed from the right and, after Sebastian Prodl inexplicably chose not to clear, Sanchez arrived at the far post to turn the ball over the line despite the Watford defender's best efforts.

With Watford reeling, the Gunners added a third on the stroke of half-time. Sanchez was granted time to pause in possession on the left and curl a cross towards the penalty spot, where Ozil arrived to head past Gomes.

In search of a lifeline, Walter Mazzarri handed debuts to Pereyra and Daryl Janmaat off the bench, and the former Juventus man needed just 12 minutes to make his mark.Arsenal failed to clear their lines and, as the ball bounced off Laurent Koscielny, Pereyra pounced to shoot low left-footed past Cech's right hand from close range.

Watford sensed a comeback was possible and Cech made a terrific double save to deny Holebas and Ighalo, after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had wasted an Arsenal counter-attack that saw them bore down on goal with a three-on-one advantage.

Ighalo's overhead kick flashed over the crossbar after some more uneasy Arsenal defending, but the Gunners held out to move onto four points from their first three games.

 

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Milner: Liverpool didn't do enough after leading

James Milner and Dejan Lovren felt Liverpool let an opportunity for three points slip away in the 1-1 Premier League draw against Tottenham at White Hart Lane.

Milner, playing once again in the unfamiliar position of left-back, opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 43rd minute to reward a fine first-half showing from Jurgen Klopp's side.

The Reds were unable to assert themselves to the same extent after the interval as Danny Rose hit an equaliser 18 minutes from time, leaving Liverpool with four points from the opening three games of the season before their delayed return to Anfield.

"I think ultimately we're disappointed," Milner told Sky Sports. "We played well in the first half. In the second half we didn't do enough. It's probably a fair result."Once we scored the goal we didn't really get in their faces but it's a tough place to come."

Man-of-the-match Lovren said: "It's a disappointment that we didn't take the three points but it was a good performance from everyone. We had the ball a lot. At the end it's a good point."If you look at our goalline chance in the first half – if we go 2-0 up it's a different game."

With Alberto Moreno appearing set to remain out of favour, Milner is happy to put his famed versatility forward for the Liverpool cause.

"You've got to learn quickly," he said of his new position. "Fortunately I have played in the Premier League long enough to have enough experience."I'm a Liverpool player and I'll do whatever I can for the team."Milner added: "I have played in enough positions throughout my career, I just have to adapt to position.

"It seems a long time since we played at Anfield, it has been a tough start. "We have four points and probably should have had more but the performances are not far off the level we need. As long as we keep performing I am sure more results will come."

 

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Southampton 1-1 Sunderland: Rodriguez grabs late draw after Defoe penalty

Jordan Pickford's mistake cost Sunderland two points as he let a Jay Rodriguez shot through his fingers to allow Southampton to come from behind to draw 1-1 at St Mary's on Saturday.

Jermain Defoe had given Sunderland the lead from the penalty spot with 10 minutes left after being fouled by Jose Fonte, but the visitors were in front for just five minutes before substitute Rodriguez - this week linked with a loan move away - struck his first Premier League goal since March 2014.

Pickford had made several saves to keep his side in the game and there appeared to be little danger when Rodriguez let fly, only for the shot to somehow slip through the young goalkeeper's hands.

Matt Targett almost hit a dramatic winner for Southampton, but his free-kick went just wide of the post, with both teams still waiting for their first league win of the new season as a result of the draw.Southampton started the better side and Dusan Tadic fired over the angle after 10 minutes.

The hosts' pressure continued as Charlie Austin, handed a start up front in place of Shane Long, ran on to a Tadic pass and forced a good save from Jordan Pickford.

Austin was looking lively and the striker let fly again after 17 minutes, only to be denied by Pickford, who had come into the Sunderland side for the injured Vito Mannone.

Sunderland had their first clear sight of goal after 25 minutes and Lamine Kone should have scored, but his back-post header from a Patrick van Aanholt cross flew narrowly wide.

In the same incident, Sunderland could have had a penalty when Fabio Borini appeared to be pushed over in the box by Fonte, but referee Lee Mason was unmoved.

Jack Rodwell missed the target with a glancing header from Adnan Januzaj's centre, then Cedric Soares tested Pickford with a long-range drive after 37 minutes.The second half was also a close affair, with Papy Djilobodji's acrobatic effort drifting wide, although he was offside anyway.

Fraser Forster comfortably saved a low Fabio Borini free-kick after 62 minutes as the visitors briefly threatened, but the chances of an opening goal for either side appeared to be remote.Pickford continued to catch the eye by keeping out efforts from Nathan Redmond and substitute Long, the latter save particularly impressive, and the goalkeeper's heroics proved vital as Sunderland edged ahead.

There appeared little danger when a ball came into the Southampton box, but Fonte hauled Defoe down and the striker smashed home from 12 yards.It should have been a winner for Sunderland, but Southampton got level when Rodriguez's drive was fumbled into the net by Pickford.

Targett's set-piece almost completed a remarkable turnaround for Southampton, before Oriol Romeu's goalbound effort was blocked, but Sunderland held on for a point.

 

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Everton 1-0 Stoke City: Given misfortune hands hosts victory

Everton continued their unbeaten start to life under Ronald Koeman with a 1-0 Premier League win over Stoke City at Goodison Park.

Koeman's men were in the ascendancy for long periods and worthy of the points, even if the decisive goal arrived in controversial and fortuitous circumstances.Referee Michael Oliver felt Phil Bardsley's contact with Ashley Williams on a dash towards a near-post corner was enough to merit a penalty, presenting Leighton Baines with a golden opportunity to put Everton ahead.

The left-back has produced better attempts from 12 yards and veteran Stoke goalkeeper Shay Given sprung to his left to tip the ball against the base of his left post, only for it to cannon back into his head and in.

As he did after last weekend's 4-1 home loss to Manchester City, Stoke boss Mark Hughes is likely to lament the official's decision, but this was another uninspired showing from his team, who have a solitary point against their name having won just two of their final 10 matches last season Everton, who handed full Premier League debuts to recent arrivals Williams and Yannick Bolasie, started on the front foot as Kevin Mirallas shimmied in from the right to call Given into action with an early drive.

Ryan Shawcross allowed Romelu Lukaku to dart in behind him on to Williams' long ball, but the Stoke captain atoned for his lapse by clearing the resulting shot off the line.

Stoke required a more acrobatic clearance in the 24th minute to deny Williams, with Peter Crouch's long limbs coming in handy to hook a goal-bound header to safety.

Ross Barkley and Mirallas combined to create that chance from a short corner and the duo linked up once more for the Belgium international to engineer space before pivoting to blast a shot that Given pushed over.

Mason Holgate flashed a delivery across the six-yard box five minutes before the break, just beyond the on-rushing Barkley as Everton again missed out on the goal their endeavours deserved.

Lukaku, making a first Premier League start of the season after going 12 matches without scoring for Everton, almost ended his lengthy drought in the 49th minute – combining with Holgate before being denied by a brilliant Shawcross block.But double misfortune then struck for the visitors, when Bardsley and Williams came together at the resulting corner and the luckless Given failed to keep out Baines' spot-kick.

Goalkeeper and crossbar proved a more favourable combination for the home faithful in the 58th minute when Marko Arnautovic bundled into space in the Everton box, but Maarten Stekelenburg got enough of a touch for the ball to ricochet to safety.Given parried to thwart Barkley and Stoke's designs on an equaliser were leaving them increasingly exposed on the break.

England midfielder Barkey – who will have impressed watching national-team boss Sam Allardyce – then drove against the 40-year-old's legs, while an errant pass from Arnautovic when substitute Jonathan Walters had the goal at his mercy meant Stoke's best chance of an equaliser went begging.

 

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Wenger: Arsenal have bought Mustafi and Perez

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed the signing of Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Perez, subject to the finalisation of paperwork.The Gunners, having defeated Watford 3-1 in the Premier League on Saturday, will soon be reinforced by the arrival of German defender Mustafi from Valencia and Spanish forward Perez, who will join from Deportivo La Coruna.

And Wenger, who has been repeatedly pressed on Arsenal's previously minimal transfer activity through the off-season and early in the 2016-17 campaign, took the unusual step of commenting publicly on the expected arrivals ahead of the deals being formally confirmed.

"We have bought two players, Mustafi and Perez," he said following the comfortable victory at Vicarage Road. "Now we can integrate them into the squad."We have to finish the paperwork. It looks as though it will be announced at the beginning of the week.

"We had to work very hard to get signings done. We have not got any plans for anyone else now."Wenger also expressed his satisfaction at seeing creative midfielder Mesut Ozil, so often Arsenal's chief provider, get on the scoresheet himself."We don't just want Mesut to give assists - we want him to score too, so I'm very happy," he said.

 

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Lazio 0-1 Juventus: Khedira fires Allegri's men to victory

Sami Khedira's second goal in as many games secured Juventus a 1-0 Serie A triumph at Lazio on Saturday despite new signing Gonzalo Higuain starting on the bench once again.

Despite netting the winning goal in Juve's 2-1 defeat of Fiorentina last time out, the Argentina star was still was not fit enough to start, but that ultimately mattered little, as Khedira scored just a few moments after the striker's 65th-minute introduction.
There was nothing to separate the two sides during a tepid first half in Rome, with the respective defences on top and clear-cut chances rare.

But the second period started with an instant improvement as Juve took the game to their hosts, with Mario Mandzukic, Paulo Dybala and Khedira all going close in a frenetic four-minute spell.The German was not to be denied twice, though, as he fired across Federico Marchetti 24 minutes from time to put victory in the visitors' sights.

Juve then proceeded to tighten their hold on the match and, while Lazio pressed for a late equaliser, the champions had little trouble keeping them at bay to make it two wins from two.

After only stealing victory late on against Fiorentina last time out, Juve looked intent on putting Lazio under pressure significantly earlier at Stadio Olimpico and went close to breaking the deadlock 10 minutes in.

Alex Sandro charged down Dusan Basta's clearance and the ball dropped kindly for Dybala, whose header forced Marchetti to scramble across his goalline and desperately push it away.

The hosts grew into the match, though, and caused some panic of their own in the Juve defence, as Felipe Anderson's right-wing delivery flashed across the goal and forced Dani Alves into an acrobatic clearance before Ciro Immobile could nod in with 24 minutes gone.

That proved to be an isolated moment of worry for Juve, whereas Marchetti was again forced to clamber 10 minutes later, just about stopping Kwadwo Asamoah's deflected volley from creeping under the crossbar.

Proceedings became more frantic after the break and Juve went close twice in quick succession early on – Mandzukic blasting at Marchetti from 18 yards, before Dybala fired just wide of the right-hand post from the rebound.Higuain was eventually brought on in the 65th minute and Juve had the lead a minute later.

The goal came from a more unlikely source, though, as Khedira latched on to Dybala's pass into the right side of the area and the German found the bottom-far corner with a smart finish.

Lazio's efforts failed to produce any clear opportunities and, when Marco Parolo's long-range effort was comfortably gobbled up by Gianluigi Buffon five minutes from the end, the hosts' chances of a late comeback were effectively ended.

 

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'A goalscorer never forgets' - Ranieri thrilled as Vardy returns to form

Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri says he knew Jamie Vardy would return to form ahead of his strike in the 2-1 victory over Swansea City.

The Premier League champions won for the first time in 2016-17 at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, with Vardy's first-half strike getting them on the way.
Leicester captain Wes Morgan made it two after the break before Riyad Mahrez had a penalty saved by Lukasz Fabianski, with Leroy Fer's late header proving only to be a consolation.

Vardy had failed to score in the defeat to Hull City and draw with Arsenal, but Ranieri was always confident in the England international prior to his powerful finish from Danny Drinkwater's long pass.Ranieri said: "It's good for Vardy to score again. The goalscorer always scores goals.

"Some seasons a little more and some seasons a little less, but the goalscorer never forgets the way. "The points were important and the performance impressed me a lot as well. The first half was outstanding for us and we have to score more goals.

"In the second half we missed a penalty and the opponent got some confidence. It was a tough match and the weather was unbelievable – it was like water polo!"Ranieri was frustrated by Leicester's penalty miss and revealed he would speak to Mahrez and Vardy, both of whom he sees as the club's penalty taker.

He said of Mahrez: "I'm very disappointed [he missed]. They are the penalty takers - him and Vardy. He wanted to take and that's fine. "I will speak with both of the lads. I don't know [if we will change]."Vardy believes the victory was coming after Leicester's solid performance in the 0-0 draw against Arsenal.

"We were disappointed with the first game of the season but got a decent draw last week and played well," the striker told BBC Sport."We just wanted to keep improving. To go two goals up and then hang on at the end, we got what we deserved.

"The ball was struggling to move in the puddles but that's English weather for you. We are just delighted to get the three points."

 

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Hull City 0-1 Manchester United: Rashford strikes at the death to maintain Mourinho's winning run

Marcus Rashford announced himself in the Jose Mourinho era at Manchester United with an injury-time winner to sink gallant Hull City 1-0 at the KCOM Stadium.

Rashford did not play a minute in United's opening two Premier League wins this season and was dropped down to England’s Under-21s this week ahead of Sam Allardyce naming the first senior squad of his tenure.

But, with his side looking set for an evening of rain-sodden frustration in the face of a phenomenal Hull resistance, Mourinho turned to the livewire 18-year-old, who converted a Wayne Rooney cross from close quarters moments after David Meyler threatened victory by blazing over for the hosts.

United join early pacesetters Chelsea on nine points at the summit of the fledgling top-flight standings, three points ahead of Hull, whose vice-chairman Ehab Allam confirmed the club's takeover has reached the due diligence stage in his programme notes Former Old Trafford number two Mike Phelan has overseen tremendous on-field achievements so far with meagre resources and will hope the conclusion to that protracted process can help him bring in reinforcements before next week's transfer deadline.Goalkeeper Eldin Jakipovic and captain Curtis Davies were among the heroes in a gruelling finale for City that would end in heartbreak.

Impressive early season form, along with Hull's still remarkable lack of alternatives, saw both teams start the match unchanged and the hosts had to clear early danger when Zlatan Ibrahimovic ingeniously brought down an Antonio Valencia cross that appeared to be sailing beyond him.

Ibrahimovic sent a 10th-minute header drifting narrowly over as he again made himself an imposing presence in the Hull area, but Phelan's side played with increasingly familiar poise.

Robert Snodgrass fired a free-kick narrowly wide, with United goalkeeper David de Gea a spectator after Marouane Fellaini had been booked for a clumsy foul on Adama Diomande.

Snodgrass took a painful whack for his troubles when Luke Shaw bravely stopped him from converting a superb cross by Andrew Robertson – the Hull left-back who was alert to block Valencia from close quarters at the other end.

There was nothing Robertson could do as Juan Mata deftly shimmied around him in the 37th minute, drawing a sharp save from Jakupovic before Davies got in the way of Wayne Rooney's follow-up on the goalline.

A sprawling Jukupovic was relieved to see Ibrahimovic backheel into the side-netting after touching a Mata free-kick around him and the deadlock remained intact at the interval.Snodgrass, whose last Premier League campaign was decimated by a serious knee injury, remained in discomfort and he slumped to the turf within a minute of the restart, making way for Shaun Maloney.

Both teams exchanged pleasing passages of possession that lacked penetration early in the half but United started to push Hull back more consistently around the hour, Ibrahimovic’s snap shot fizzing wide from the edge of the box.

Rooney volleyed just wide when a Valencia cross was partially cleared but, on an increasingly rare Hull attack in the 75th minute, Tom Huddlestone saw a drive skid past the post when a deflection off Eric Bailly left De Gea wrong-footed.

Rashford injected the type of verve from the bench that was beyond Hull and a piercing run into the box drew Jakupovic's finest save of the match.But Jakupovic was finally beaten when Rashford tapped home from a squared Rooney pass in stoppage time.

 

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Real Madrid 2-1 Celta: Morata & Kroos on target as Blancos grab victory

Toni Kroos made the difference for Real Madrid just 10 minutes from the end to end Celta's hopes of a share of the points, as the hosts prevailed 2-1 at Santiago Bernabeu.

A quiet game burst into life in the final 30 minutes, with Alvaro Morata giving Madrid the lead, only for an excellent strike from Fabian Orellana to set up a tense finish.But Madrid were not to be denied, with Kroos striking from outside the area with just nine minutes left to delight the Santiago Bernabeu.

Following the win, Zinedine ZIdane's men have six points from their first two games, with title rivals Barcelona facing a testing trip to play Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

Madrid have now won 14 league matches in a row and will have the chance to match their record of 15 – set in 1961 – when they play Osasuna after the international break.

The home side won last season's fixture 7-1 in March, but goals were not flowing as freely without injured attacking duo Cristiano Ronaldo – who scored four in that game - and Karim Benzema.Indeed, it was Celta who could have taken the lead midway through the first half when Theo Bongonda sliced wide from a decent opening.

Zidane's men upped the pressure as the opening period progressed, with Luka Modric - who had earlier tested Sergio Alvarez – so unlucky not to score after surging forward and seeing a stunning, curling strike bounce away off the crossbar.

Modric forced Alvarez into a good diving save with his third effort, before Gareth Bale headed a good chance wide from Kroos' corner.Bale was first to threaten in the second half as his dipping free-kick clipped the top of the bar.

The breakthrough arrived on the hour mark when Alvarez's poor clearance gave Modric the chance to run into the box and send a pass into the area. The goalkeeper thought he had atoned for his error by saving from Marco Asensio, but Morata was there to smash home the rebound with his left foot.Morata came so close to a second on the counterattack moments later, seeing his deft shot hit the foot of the post after Kroos had superbly launched the move.

The failure to convert that chance then proved costly after 67 minutes as John Guidetti found Orellana 20 yards out and he picked his spot with curling shot into the far corner.

Substitute James Rodriguez and Marcelo both had penalty appeals denied as Madrid searched for a late winner, while Alvarez got down to keep out Bale's header.Just as it looked like Madrid were going to have to settle for a surprise draw, the winner arrived.

Lucas Vazquez, who had come off the bench, made ground down the right and cut back for Kroos and the Germany international guided a controlled low strike in off the post from 20 yards to keep the streak alive.

 

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'I work for moments like this' - Rashford delighted with winner despite cameo role

Marcus Rashford says he works for moments like his late goal in Manchester United's 1-0 win over Hull City, and is not concerned by the limited game time he has had this season.

Rashford had not featured for United since the Community Shield win over Leicester City and was dropped down to the England Under-21 squad this week, having been part of the senior side at Euro 2016.

But the 18-year-old produced a lively cameo at the KCOM Stadium and became the first teenager to score a Premier League goal under Mourinho's management, preserving United's 100 per cent start to the season in the process.

"It's part of playing the game," Rashford told television reporters regarding being on the end of tough selection calls.

"I'm just getting on with it, working hard in training and just working for moments like this."That such hard work now takes place alongside the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic is only a positive according to the youngster.

"It's amazing being around them every day and learning a lot from them, so I hope it continues," he added.United full-back Luke Shaw involved himself in the waves of attacks towards the end of the contest and he conceded he felt the victory had got away.

"To be honest, towards the end I thought it wasn't going to be our day," he said. "I didn't think we were going to get the goal."But we didn't stop. We kept pushing and luckily Marcus was in the right position at the right time and got us the win.

"I don't think in the last three games we have played our best. We're still gelling as a team and improving in training to get to know how each other play.
"The signs are really positive and we can only build on this."

 

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No hiding, Arsenal ready to fight for the title - Cech

Petr Cech insists Arsenal will not hide from the responsibility of mounting a Premier League title challenge after beating Watford 3-1 away from home on Saturday.

The Gunners opened the new league campaign with a disappointing 4-3 loss at home to Liverpool, before holding last term's surprise champions Leicester City to a 0-0 draw at King Power Stadium.

Arsenal were comfortable winners at Vicarage Road, where a Santi Cazorla penalty, together with goals from Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, sealed a first victory of 2016-17 for Arsene Wenger's men.

And goalkeeper Cech knows Arsenal fans will accept nothing less than a meaningful tilt at English football's biggest prize, after they struggled to keep pace with Leicester in the second half of last season.

"There are 35 more games to play and we will fight to win every game and be in the mix in the last game," he was quoted as saying by the BBC."We want to win the title, there is no hiding... that and we will do our best."

Cech's performance drew glowing praise from beaten Watford manager Walter Mazzarri, but the shot-stopper was disappointed not to keep a clean sheet, having allowed Roberto Pereyra to claim a consolation goal during an improved showing from the hosts after the break."The first half we did well, scored three goals and could have scored more," he said.

"The second half they were 3-0 down and as a good Premier League side pushed for something and it was tougher."Everybody has to do their bit to help the team get three points."I am not happy because we conceded but a win is a win. We needed to respond after the first two games and got the vital three points."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho worried over Fellaini back injury

Jose Mourinho fears Marouane Fellaini has suffered a "bad" back injury, but maintains the Manchester United midfielder will still join up with the Belgium squad during next week's international break.

Fellaini completed the entire match as substitute Marcus Rashford gave United a stoppage-time 1-0 win at Hull City to maintain their 100 per cent start to the Premier League season under Mourinho.

But an apparent setback for the 28-year-old midfielder took some of the shine off a hard-fought triumph, with boss Mourinho praising the performance of a player who has rarely enjoyed a high standing with United's supporters.

"I saw the way Fellaini and the two central defenders controlled everything long, high and short," Mourinho told a post-match news conference."But I can't play Fellaini for some time. He has a muscle injury in his back. He will fly [with Belgium] but it is bad."

Mourinho was happy to see his team battle to a gruelling win on the back of far more straightforward encounters versus Bournemouth and Southampton, and revealed he was forced to put the breaks on a hungry squad earlier this week.

"I was telling them at half-time that on Wednesday on the training ground they were most intense than on the pitch in the first half today," he explained."I had to stop the session. We have a long way to go, we have a lot to improve. We will have ups and downs."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Napoli 4-2 AC Milan: Milik & Callejon give Sarri's men the win

Arkadiusz Milik marked his full Napoli debut with a double before Jose Callejon's two late goals claimed a 4-2 Serie A victory over nine-man AC Milan.

The former Ajax striker – signed to replace Gonzalo Higuain – opened his Napoli account just 18 minutes into his first start for the club, before adding another with a thumping header just after the half-hour.

With Milan having picked up just two points from their last five trips to Napoli, their prospects seemed bleak, but a whirlwind five minutes early in the second half saw excellent strikes from M'Baye Niang and Suso haul Vincenzo Montella's side level, while Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri was sent to the stands for protesting to the officials.

However, Napoli overcame their manager's absence, and found themselves back in front when Callejon tapped home from close-range following superb work from Dries Mertens.

And any hopes of another Milan comeback were ended when Juraj Kucka and Niang received their marching orders, before Callejon added a fourth in stoppage time.

Milan manager Montella got his tenure off to a winning start against Torino on the opening day, and his side went close to taking an early lead here – Chelsea target Alessio Romagnoli having a goal disallowed for offside after Ignazio Abate had somehow fired wide from close range.

Milan were made to pay for that miss when Dries Mertens, restored to the Napoli line-up following his double from the bench against Pescara last time out, curled a superb strike against the post.The ball rebounded straight into the path of Milik, who duly gave Napoli the lead despite scuffing his finish into the ground.

Mertens continued to look sharp, and the Belgium winger twice went close to extending Napoli's lead – only to be denied by two fantastic saves from Gianluigi Donnarumma.However, Milan's goalkeeper could do nothing to prevent Milik doubling his tally in the 33rd minute, the Poland striker losing his marker to head home from Callejon's corner.

Milan came out on the front foot after the restart, and they found a way back into proceedings in the 51st minute, Niang lashing a low but powerful finish past Pepe Reina.

Napoli were adamant that there had been a foul in the build-up, and matters were made worse when, tired of Sarri's protestations, the referee sent the hosts' manager to the stands.The goal sparked Milan into life and, just moments later, Suso completed the comeback with a blistering strike from the edge of the area.

But Milan's hard work was undone in the 74th minute. Mertens was again the instigator as Donnarumma parried his effort into the path of Callejon, who made no mistake from close-range.Milan's task was soon made harder when Kucka picked up two yellow cards in quick succession for a foul on Mertens before kicking the ball away in frustration.

Niang was also sent off for a second bookable offence, for attempting to halt Reina distributing the ball quickly, with Callejon then doubling his tally - despite Romagnoli using his hand in an attempt to prevent the ball going over the line - late on to wrap up the points.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Leganes 0-0 Atletico Madrid: Simeone’s men still searching for first win

Atletico Madrid's stuttering start to the 2016-17 La Liga season continued with a 0-0 draw at promoted Leganes on Saturday in spite of Antoine Griezmann's return.

The visitors only had to make a short trip south to Leganes but again they were a world away from their usual standard, following up last week's Alaves stalemate with a similarly underwhelming result.

Once again, Diego Simeone's men had difficulty finding a way through a dogged defence, with the hosts' goalkeeper Jon Ander Serantes only troubled once by Griezmann in the first period, with the Frenchman largely unimpressive on his return from suspension.

Toothless Atletico often looked riled by Leganes' strong tackling and that bite played a significant role in limiting the visitors' more creative players, with Koke particularly quiet.Atletico continued to throw men forward towards the end but ultimately Leganes had little trouble holding out for a point in their first ever top-flight Madrid derby.

The opening exchanges at Butarque bore a strong resemblance to Atletico's last league outing at home to Alaves, as they saw a lot of the ball but struggled to break down a compact defence.

Even with the return of Griezmann in attack, Atletico lacked craft in their build-up play, resulting in the match regularly becoming messy and bogged down in midfield.

The visitors were eventually presented with an opening in the 25th minute, though it was borne more out of determination than creativity.

Kevin Gameiro linked with Koke inside the area and the midfielder bundled his way between two defenders before teeing up the Frenchman, only for the striker to miscue his effort which ultimately went out for a throw-in.

But craft was key to their next opportunity, as Gabi's floated pass into the left side of the area was perfectly weighted for Griezmann, who saw his stinging left-footed volley brilliantly saved by Serantes.Atletico failed to produce much of an improvement after the break and Simeone responded in the 58th minute by replacing the ineffective Gameiro with Fernando Torres.

Diego Godin saw a well-worked 62nd-minute goal disallowed after straying well offside, as the away side continued to be kept at bay by the disciplined hosts.Atletico's frustrations seemed to be summed up by Jan Oblak's apparent kick out at Miguel Angel Guerrero 13 minutes from time, but the goalkeeper was not punished by the referee.

Torres should have eased the tension for Atletico in stoppage time, though. The striker got in behind his marker and met Filipe Luis' sumptuous left-wing cross, but he could only direct his header straight into the hands of the grateful Serantes as Leganes just about held on for a commendable point.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho promises more chances for matchwinner Rashford

Jose Mourinho insists Marcus Rashford has a big part to play for his Manchester United after the teenage striker secured a 1-0 stoppage-time win at Hull City.Rashford was dropped down to the England Under-21 squad this week having failed to play a minute in United's opening two Premier League wins.

But the 18-year-old came off the bench to dispatch Wayne Rooney's low cross at a sodden KCOM Stadium and snatch a victory that looked to have evaded United.

Mourinho has a reputation for being an uneasy nurturer of young talent – Rashford is the first teenager to score in a Premier League game under his management – but the former Chelsea boss spoke glowingly of his matchwinner.

"Marcus Rashford has a lot of chances waiting for him," he told BT Sport."When the team was chasing the ball against Leicester in the Community Shield and tonight, he made a difference for us.

"He gives new problems to the opposition so I am really happy with him and the team. Even defensively, we controlled their counter-attack."

Mourinho praised his team's determination on the back of cruising to comfortable victories over Bournemouth and Southampton and made his targets clear having witnessed a conclusion that was once the hallmark of Old Trafford title-winners."We deserved [to win] and in a more comfortable way," he said. "It is a great feeling when you win the points in the last minute.

"The boys were very strong and the second half was like going to fight against a wall. We had an amazing mentality. We were very strong and tried to create problems for the opposition. We tried and tried and got it.

"I tell the boys every day we have to go into every match to win. We must not be happy with less than a win. We know we will draw or lose matches but the mentality has to be go to win. Today they showed that."He added: "We want to be champions, we don't want to start well, we want to finish well."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Zidane wants James to stay at Real Madrid

Zinedine Zidane singled out James Rodriguez for praise after Real Madrid battled to a 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo.Madrid's 14th consecutive LaLiga win came courtesy of Toni Kroos' strike nine minutes from time after Fabian Orellana had levelled Alvaro Morata's opener.

James has been heavily linked with an exit after being left out of Zidane's starting XI for all three of the club's games to start the new season, following a 2015-16 campaign that saw him restricted to only 17 league starts.

But Zidane liked what he saw from the Colombia international after he came off the substitutes' bench with 21 minutes remaining on Saturday when the match was still level at 1-1.

"I have seen good things from James and, as you say, yes he will be staying,"Zidane told reporters after the playmaker's cameo saw him have a penalty appeal turned down and force a late save from Sergio Alvarez.

"It is not easy when you enter a game and you have to make a difference. He and Lucas [Vazquez] improved the team. He took his chance and the substitutions added something extra for us.

"We can do better, but I wanted us to believe until the end as that is what matters and we accomplished it to get the three points."It is true that in some of the matches we have not played as we wanted but I am very pleased with how we have started the season - two wins in the league and one in the [UEFA] Super Cup.

"There are no easy games, Celta were good going forward and both teams struggled with the heat, so I was pleased with the players' attitude."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Stones glad he did not end up at Chelsea

Manchester City defender John Stones feels it was a blessing in disguise that he did not join Chelsea a year ago and instead plays for "best manager in the world" Pep Guardiola.

Chelsea, then managed by Jose Mourinho, made a strong push to sign the England international prior to the 2015-16 season, but did not produce a bid that tempted Everton to sell.Instead, Stones remained at Goodison Park for that campaign before joining City this month for a reported fee that could eventually rise to £50million.

Stones, 22, has always been in a hurry to reach the top level and compete to win trophies, but feels his move to Chelsea not materialising should now be seen as a positive as it means he gets to work under Guardiola.

"I suppose what happened turned out to be a blessing in disguise," the centre-back told reporters."I stated last year what I wanted to do. It didn't happen and so I just got on with it, kept going, set out to win games and improve as a player.

"For me personally, I am now working with the best manager in the world. I'm over the moon to be at City and learning from a manager like Pep Guardiola."I came here because I want to be a winner. I'm like every other player – I just want to win some silverware.

"It is difficult when there is a lot of speculation and a lot of things happening in your personal life. It didn't unsettle just me, it affected my family as well."You cannot afford to waste any time as a player. When the game goes you cannot get it back, so it was a great learning curve for me last year and I feel I have come out of it stronger and a better person and player.

"Hindsight is a great thing, but it has all worked out perfectly for me in the end."
Stones has already been impressed by the methods of former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola.

He added: "I really enjoy the training and learning new things from him. He is an ultimate professional, very detailed. He wants us to be on the same page going into every game. He gets a lot of points across to us."It is good because it keeps me thinking, gets me realising the situations we are in against different teams so I can make that decision while I am out there and make it quicker.

"I just wanted to hit the ground running and show what I can do. I didn't have to change anything. The gaffer knew how I played and it was just fine-tuning a few things and getting on the same page."Obviously I am going to make some mistakes, but it is about how I look to correct those."