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Lassina Traore and Zakaria Labyad were among the goals as Ajax demolished FC Emmen 5-0 away on Saturday to consolidate their grip on top spot in the Eredivisie.

The Dutch giants, who were denied the title last season after the campaign was wrapped up early due to coronavirus, have moved onto 27 points after 10 matches following their eye-catching triumph.

They’re five points clear of second-placed Vitesse Arnhem, who host Fortuna Sittard on Sunday in their game in hand.

Morocco international Labyad added the visitors’ second after Davy Klaassen had opened the scoring in the 20th minute during a one-sided contest.

Traore then added a third seven minutes before he was withdrawn at half time, and then Jurgen Ekkelenkamp and Quincy Promes added further goals during the second half to round off a convincing victory in which Ajax firmly flexed their offensive muscles.

As well as scoring, Traore provided the decisive assist for Klaassen to open the scoring, further demonstrating his rounded skillset.

The 19-year-old already has seven goals and four assists in 10 Eredivisie outings so far this term, and has also weighed in with one goal and one assist in four Champions League appearances.

It’s an encouraging return from the Burkina Faso starlet, who only made three league starts last season as he took his first steps in the senior game.

Against Emmen, flanked by Antony and Dusan Tadic, he served a further reminder as to why he deserves to be considered among the game’s most exciting talents and could be the ideal candidate to lead the line long-term for Erik ten Hag’s title hopefuls.

Noussair Mazraoui and Andre Onana also featured for Ajax as they extended their winning run in all competitions to six matches.

Traore was withdrawn at the break, alongside Tadic, as the Dutch giants rested players and rotated their attacking options ahead of next week’s Champions League meeting with a patched-up Liverpool side.

The Eredivisie heavyweights are currently second in UCL Group D having taken seven points from four matches so far. They’re level with third-placed Atalanta, who defeated the Reds last week, and the Italians will be expected to leapfrop Ajax into top spot when they host pointless FC Midtjylland on Tuesday.

Swansea City boss Steve Cooper believes Andre Ayew's good form is a return on investment for his speculated £80,000 weekly wage.

The Ghana captain is enjoying a purple patch of form, having registered six goals in 12 Championship outings for the club so far this term.

He was heavily linked to a host of clubs during the summer transfer window but his high wages reportedly proved a stumbling block.

"I’ve always felt that [he's worth his wages]," said Cooper, according to Dai Sport, responding when asked whether he felt the 30-year-old, who returned from a short injury lay-off with a crucial equaliser in midweek's 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday, is proving his worth.

“I’ve said it many times, he’s an outstanding player and professional and a good person, too.

"He’s motivated to do well, but he had a setback getting injured on international duty.

"The Championship is full of really good players and Andre is up there with the best of them. He has been fantastic for us.”

Ayew sustained a hamstring injury while on international duty with Ghana earlier this month, forcing him out of the matchday 12 fixture against Rotherham United.

He made a comeback as a second-half substitute in the win over Sheffield but was quick to downplay his match fitness despite a bright showing on his return.

"Marc [Guehi] and Andre are ongoing issues that we are having to manage. I know Andre contributed the other night, but it’s still something we have to be careful of going into the weekend and beyond that," Cooper added.

“We’re in decent shape really in terms of player availability.”

Ayew is expected to see some game time in Sunday's away clash with Nottingham Forest.

"I haven't done too much in the past 10 days. We knew I wasn't 100 per cent ready to start," Ayew said after the last game, as reported by his club's official website.

“If he could have left me out, the gaffer would have done that to prepare me for Sunday, but that's football; you need to be ready.

“As the game was going on, I was preparing to come on. It was important to warm up well and not feel any pain in my hamstring, especially as it's an injury I've had for the first time in my career.

“I had to take care of it, the physio's been doing a great job on me - hours of work trying to get me back as soon as possible.

“I was a bit doubtful for Wednesday night but after this, I'm quite happy with how it felt.

“It wasn't the best, but it'll be better over the next few days and hopefully I'll be 100 percent on Sunday."

The Ghana forward is Swansea's top scorer so far this season.

Juventus head coach Andrea Pirlo has defended his decision to rest Cristiano Ronaldo after his side were held to a 1-1 draw at Benevento on Saturday.

Alvaro Morata gave the visitors the lead in the 21st minute, but the home side pegged the champions back in first-half stoppage time through Gaetano Letizia.

Juve were unable to find a winner in the second half and therefore remain in fifth place in the Serie A table, and could go six points behind table-topping AC Milan should the Rossoneri win against Fiorentina on Sunday.

After the draw, Pirlo's decision to rest Ronaldo was brought back up for debate with the manager opting to leave the 35-year-old out for the trip to face Pippo Inzaghi's men.

When asked about the Portuguese, Pirlo said his star forward had a minor injury midweek but played in Juve's win over Ferencvaros anyway.

“He had a slight problem midweek and wanted to play in the Champions League anyway," Pirlo told Sky Italia. "After international duty, it was natural he’d need some rest. Ronaldo is an added value, but we must try to play our game even in his absence.

“It happens when you have a lot of players on international duty and also play the Champions League. We’re hardly the only club in this situation.”

The Bianconeri have been reliant on the goalscoring of Ronaldo and Morata this season, but will have to cope without the Spaniard for next weekend's derby against Torino after he was sent off in stoppage time on Saturday.

Pirlo admitted that his side lost their composure at the end of the game, which could prove costly next weekend.

“We controlled the first half, had the chances to kill off the game, but still haven’t worked out how to read the various moments of the match," Pirlo said.

“We had a corner and took it quickly on the stroke of half-time, but we should’ve controlled the situation and held out until the break. It’s not the first time we have conceded just before the break.

“At the end, we got a bit chaotic and lost our cool, we didn’t manage to turn the chances into goals.”

Manchester United have been warned that continuous rotation in midfield could cause them “problems”, with Donny van de Beek already sparking talk of interest from Juventus.

The Netherlands international only moved to Old Trafford over the summer, with a £40 million ($53m) deal done with Ajax.

He was expected to make a positive impact in English football , with his creativity having been showcased for club and country during his time in Holland.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does, however, boast an abundance of options in the United engine room.

With the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Scott McTominay, Fred and Juan Mata competing for limited spaces, someone is always going to be left disappointed.

Van de Beek has slipped into that category more often than he would have liked, with just 86 minutes of Premier League football seen across six substitute appearances.

He was given an opportunity to impress from the off in a Champions League clash with Istanbul Basaksehir  on Tuesday, and caught the eye in a 4-1 win alongside Portuguese talisman Fernandes.

Solskjaer has, however, tended to favour two holding options in domestic action, which means his pack could be shuffled again for a trip to Southampton on Sunday.

That could mean Van de Beek misses out once more, which in turn will fuel rumours of a hasty departure for the Dutchman when another transfer window swings open.

Meulensteen, who once worked for United as Sir Alex Ferguson’s right-hand man, believes Solskjaer needs to start fielding a settled side, telling talkSPORT of Van de Beek: “You could see again what a good player he is [against Basaksehir].

“I think he gave one ball away the whole of the game – one pass.

“He has played in that deeper position at Ajax and later on he went a bit more forward.

“He’s got a good eye for the little clever passes in behind and making those box runs.

“If you keep constantly changing teams with two midfielders and two sitting players, you don’t really get the flow of players playing with each other and that might be one of the problems.”

Senegal striker Mbaye Diagne scored a fine hat-trick as Galatasaray smashed Caykur Rizespor 4-0 in Super Lig action on Saturday.

The forward opened his account for the season on Monday as Gala were held 1-1 by 10-man Kayserispor, having previously gone eight matches without scoring across the Turkish top flight and the Europa League.

The floodgates have certainly opened now, as the attacker bagged three in the space of 35 minutes of playing time on Saturday to send the Istanbul heavyweights on their way to a significant victory.

After a low-key first half in which Rizespor succeeded in frustrating the visitors, Diagne opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the first minute of first-half stoppage time after Emre Akba was fouled in the box.

He then added another seven minutes after the break after being played in by Akba to give Gala control of the contest, before extending their advantage 11 minutes from time from close range when he duped the goalkeeper with a feint before finishing emphatically.

By this point, Rizespor were down to ten men following the sending off of Fernando Boldrin, and Taylan Antalyali added a fourth in the 86th minute to round off a convincing triumph.

It was an eye-catching performance from Diagne, spearheading Fatih Terim’s 4-1-4-1 formation, as he hit the target with all five of his attempted shots, and created four goalscoring opportunities for his teammates.

He was supported effectively from midfield by Algeria’s Sofiane Feghouli, although Nigeria’s Oghenekaro Etebo was an unused substitute.

Having previously gone seven Super Lig games without scoring so far this term, Diagne now has four goals in nine league outings this term, taking him joint eighth in the Super Lig scoring charts.

The challenge now will be to kick on and match the 20-goal season he enjoyed with Kasimpasa in the 2018-19 campaign.

The victory means that Gala have now won four of their last five matches, and while they’re level on points with league leaders Alanyaspor, the unlikely pace-setters have played two games fewer and remain unbeaten.

Next up for Diagne, Etebo and Galatasaray, they host midtable Hatayspor on Saturday.

Mamelodi Sundowns’ comfortable 3-0 win over Stellenbosch FC at Loftus Stadium on Saturday night has only served to strengthen the defending league champion's credentials.

In fact, according to former Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana midfielder Siyabonga Nkosi, the Tshwane team is looking even stronger than last season.

And this is after head coach Pitso Mosimane left for Egyptian giants Al Ahly and want-away forward Gaston Sirino got sidelined with an injury.

The Brazilians were not even close to their best against Stellenbosch on Saturday evening, yet cruised to a comfortable win thanks to goals from Peter Shalulile, Kermit Erasmus and Themba Zwane.

Erasmus also provided the two assists for the other goals while Zwane now has five league goals this term. Erasmus meanwhile has two league goals and Shalulile three, clearly, the two newly-signed players are already making a sizable impact.
 
The win left Masandawana top of the table, two points clear of Swallows FC.

“It's a familiar place for them,” Nkosi said in the SuperSport studio after the game.

“The good thing is they have the experience of how to maintain it. And they look like a team that is gradually improving. There’s just some excitement whenever you are watching them,” he continued.

“They are pleasing to the eye and also I think from last season, I think they have gone up a level in terms of the danger they possess. With the signings of Shalulile as well as Erasmus. So they are more dangerous now and they are going to cause a lot of problems for many teams.”

Nkosi believes the new men are also helping inspire some of the club’s longer-serving players to greater heights.

“It even elevates Mshishi’s [Zwane] game as well, [Lebohang] Maboe’s game, [Andile] Jali’s game. I think we are still going to see a lot from them,” he elaborated.

Sundowns are next in action away to Maritzburg United on Saturday, December 5.

Mamelodi Sundowns looked in cruise control as they ran out to an easy 3-0 league win over Stellenbosch FC at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday evening.

The goals came from Peter Shalulile and Kermit Erasmus in the first half before Themba Zwane converted what was his fifth league goal of the season after the interval.

Sundowns did not play especially well in the opening stanza but took advantage of two moments of lapses of concentration from the Cape defence to take a 2-0 lead into the break.

The first goal came in the seventh minute when Erasmus was given space on the right to pick out a cross and he teed it up for Shalulile, who ghosted in between two defenders to score with a superbly-taken header.

The match was then paused for a minute after 16 minutes to allow the players to pay tribute to Anele Ngcongca, the former Sundowns defender who was tragically killed in a car accident at the start of the week. Sixteen being the number of the jersey he wore.

It didn’t take much longer for the next goal to come – in the 25th minute Shalulile returned the favour as he picked up on a loose ball and played in Erasmus, who controlled the ball 14-yards out before finishing with a clinical low shot into the far corner.

Although Stellenbosch tried to come back into the game in the last 15 minutes of the half, they never posed any real threat and the Brazilians could perhaps have added a third if Themba Zwane had made better contact on a cross from Erasmus.

Without really breaking a sweat after the restart, the Tshwane giants further added to their tally on the hour mark when Lyle Lakay won the ball, and gave it to Lebohang Maboe, who in turn fed Erasmus, who squared for Zwane to finish from close range.

There was a rare chance for Stellenbosch in the 71st minute when substitute Stanley Dimgba picked the ball up near the half way line and nearly ran right through the Sundowns defence, but he was denied by a fine last-gasp challenge by Tebogo Langerman, who was on for Lakay.

By this stage of the game the Sundowns technical bench had been able to make several changes, bringing on fringe players such as Lesedi Kapinga and Haashim Domingo for a run-out, while taking off key men Zwane and Erasmus to give them a break.

Domingo and Kapinga were to combine superbly in the 77th minute but the former was unable to score as the visitor’s keeper Lee Langeveldt pulled off an excellent save. Langeveldt was at it again moments later to deny Rivaldo Coetzee.

From then on it was a matter of seeing out the game for Sundowns and damage control for Stellies, as Downs won 3-0 to move two points clear of Swallows FC at the top of the standings.

On-loan Liverpool winger Sheyi Ojo scored and weighed in with an assist as Cardiff City thumped Luton Town 4-0 in the Championship on Saturday.

The Bluebirds were already 3-0 up when the wideman found the net in the 82nd minute following goals from Sean Morrison, Mark Harris and Kieffer Moore during thoroughly one-sided affair in which the hosts took a two-goal lead after nine minutes.

Ojo had also contributed the assist for Harris’s ninth-minute goal—the forward’s first for the club—when he sent a fine cross from the left flank for the Wales U-21 international to dispatch with aplomb.

The Anglo-Nigerian wideman then added the fourth late on, when he slammed home into the far corner after Marlon Pack’s corner was cleared into his path.

Ojo impressed on the left flank—with Harry Wilson also excelling on the opposite wing—as Cardiff delivered a dazzling offensive display to ease the pressure on Neil Harris, who was in dire need of a positive result following a three-game winless streak.

The victory takes Cardiff up to 14th on 17 points, seven clear of the dropzone, having played 14 matches.

Luton, who are now without a win in four, remain up in 12th, although they will be desperate to arrest their poor form imminently, with league leaders Norwich City next up for them.

Ojo can look back on his best performance of a season in which he’s now scored three and contributed two assists for the Welsh heavyweights.

The 23-year-old former England U-21 international—who remains eligible for Nigeria—is currently on his sixth loan spell away from Liverpool, having made eight Premier League appearances for the club since arriving as a youngster nine years ago.

He’s represented the likes of Wigan Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Fulham and even French club Stade de Reims on a temporary basis, but has enjoyed his best form in the Championship.

Last term, he spent the season on loan with Steven Gerrard’s Rangers, but received criticism from the former Reds legend for his lack of consistent contribution.

Next up, Cardiff host Huddersfield Town on Tuesday evening, before travelling away to Watford next Saturday.

Riyad Mahrez has aired his delight at helping Manchester City to shake off the “frustration” that had been building during their recent struggle for goals, with Burnley swept aside 5-0 on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola’s side have been surprisingly short on firepower in their 2020-21 Premier League campaign.

Despite boasting an array of attacking talent within their ranks, the Blues have been finding end product hard to come by.

That has led to a slow start to domestic duties – the slowest of Guardiola’s distinguished coaching career to date – but a spark was found in style against Burnley.

Mahrez stole the headlines in a five-star showing from City, with the Algeria international winger helping himself to a hat-trick – the first of his spell at the Etihad Stadium.

He told BBC Sport of getting back into the groove: “We are happy to score a lot of goals and create a lot of chances. We get three points and we keep going.

“When you play well and you don't score in games you have a bit of frustration but we have to keep working. We did keep working in training and in games to get the confidence back.

“It's always good to score goals so I am very happy but the most important thing was to win and create chances.”

Mahrez broke the deadlock for City against the Clarets inside six minutes, as he swept home a trademark left-footed finish.

Another followed in the 22nd minute, before a match ball was claimed in the second half as he headed in a Phil Foden cross.

Asked for his pick of the treble, Mahrez said: “Probably the last one [is my favourite goal] because I don't score too many with my head.”

City will be back in European action on Tuesday when they head to Portugal, before then playing host to Fulham next weekend.

“We have to take it game by game,” Mahrez said on the Blues’ ambition.

“We have a difficult game in Porto for the first place in the Champions League group so we will try to win as always.”

Benjamin Mendy is another City star who will be hoping to figure prominently in those fixtures, with the French defender netting his first goal for the club as Guardiola’s men swept past Burnley.

“We feel very good,” he said.

“All the players and the team are so happy. We know we create a lot of chances and they didn't go in the goal, but today the strikers and midfielders did the job which is why we scored a lot.

“I feel like in some games it is more difficult because the opponent does not try to play with the ball and stay at the back. We work a lot on tactics and we were stronger.”

While being pleased for City as a collective, Mendy is also delighted to have got off the mark on a personal note after enduring his fair share of injury problems since moving to England.

He added: “It was not easy because sometimes I was coming back then something happened.

“Now I am feeling more fit so I am ready to give everything for Manchester City and do my job for the team.”

Dominic Solanke struck a second-half equaliser to cancel out Freddie Ladapo’s double as Bournemouth came back from 2-1 down to salvage a point at Rotherham United.

Junior Stanislas’s 20th-minute penalty had given the Cherries the lead, but goals from Ladapo in the 37th and 50th minutes gave Rotherham the lead early in the second half.

However, ex-Liverpool frontman Solanke netted the equaliser in the 63rd-minute as Bournemouth secured a 2-2 draw that keeps them second in the Championship, one point behind leaders Norwich City.

Despite dropping two points, Rotherham move up to 13 points and remain three above the relegation zone.

Ladapo had been a doubt for the fixture after sustaining a hip injury, but was risked from the start for the Millers and repaid manager Paul Warne’s faith in some style.

There was no place, however, for his fellow Nigerian Chiedozie Ogbene, with the winger still sidelined with injury, although Michael Ihiekwe and Matthew Olosunde did feature for the hosts.

Ladapo, leading the line alongside Michael Smith in Warne’s 3-5-2 formation, built on his recent goalscoring performance at Loftus Road against Queens Park Rangers with a strong showing.

For his first, he met a Joe Mattock cross from the left to slot home past Asmir Begovic from six yards, and could have had another soon afterwards when he was played in by Ihiekwe, only for Adam Smith to deny the forward.

His second was a beauty, as he demonstrated his prowess with his left foot to clip the ball over Begovic from a narrow angle.

Solanke, however, had the last laugh, as he headed home beyond Jamal Blackman from Diego Rico’s cross to ensure the spoils were shared.

The ex-Chelsea attacker could have had a second during the contest’s latter stages—and probably should have secured the victory—when he was played in by Stanislas and found himself one on one with the keeper.

However, Blackman came out on top in this exchange to deny the 23-year-old his sixth goal of the season.

After struggling to make his mark for Bournemouth in the Premier League since signing from Liverpool—Solanke netted just three goals across two seasons with the south-coast club—he already has five in 14 outings in the second tier so far this term, and appears to be thriving in the Championship.

Toni Lato's unfortunate own goal 11 minutes from time gave Atletico Madrid a hard-fought 1-0 win at Valencia on Saturday. 

Atleti dominated throughout yet struggled to create opportunities in the second half after Jaume Domenech had stood tall in the Valencia goal prior to the break. 

After following up last week's victory over Barcelona - the first in LaLiga during Diego Simeone's tenure - with a goalless Champions League draw against Lokomotiv Moscow, the visitors looked set to suffer further frustration. 

However, substitute Yannick Carrasco's low cross bounced off Lato's knee and into the net to finally beat Domenech and take Atleti level on points with Real Sociedad at the summit.

The highlights of the first half were superb stretching saves at either end, Valencia captain Domenech punching the air in delight after getting down to his right to expertly repel Thomas Lemar's deflected 13th-minute drive.

Jan Oblak - making his 200th LaLiga appearance - had to be alert to touch Uros Racic's awkward half-volley - seemingly a mishit cross - onto the post, before Domenech was again tested by Lemar, parrying a precise effort away from the same corner as his earlier attempt.

Atleti dominated after the restart, hogging more than 70 per cent of the possession until late in proceedings while facing only a single shot, though they scarcely threatened and needed a lucky bounce to snatch the points.

Carrasco advanced down Atleti's left and sent in a low ball that evaded Domenech, as well as two tussling players from either side, catching Lato unaware as the ball skipped up off his leg and in. 

What does it mean? Still the same Atletico

Victory over Barca seemed to represent a new dawn for Atleti, yet some things may never change. Simeone's side have long been stingy at one end - they have conceded just twice this term - but often underwhelm in attack.

Really, the away team should not have needed to rely on an own goal having played 33 per cent of the match in Valencia's third, albeit only the result matters as Atleti pile the pressure on La Real. 

Defeat harsh on Domenech 

It had appeared the personal battle between Domenech and Lemar would decide the match and, as so often this season, the goalkeeper excelled.

He has made a league-leading 40 saves - including 17 from long-range shots - and got the better of a man who desperately needs his luck to change. Unfortunately for Valencia, however, he could not save from his own team-mate. 

Lemar's lean spell continues 

Signed in 2018, Lemar's Atletico career is still yet to take off. He had three goals and three assists in his first LaLiga season but failed to contribute to a single goal last term - and it is the same story so far in 2020-21.

Lemar at least threatened on Saturday. Coming into the match, he had taken just one shot and created only two chances in six league games.

The France international had four attempts and created three chances in this fixture alone, but he still could not get his season up and running and was replaced with 25 minutes remaining.

What's next?

Midweek brings a return to Champions League action as Atletico host Bayern. Valencia do not play again until a week on Monday - at Eibar. 

In-form Diogo Jota has moved “well ahead” of Takumi Minamino in the pecking order at Liverpool, says Ray Houghton, with the Portuguese matching a Robbie Fowler scoring record on his latest outing.

The summer signing from Wolves has made an immediate impact at Anfield, with an instant return being offered on the Reds’ £45 million ($58m) show of faith.

Jota already has a Champions League hat-trick to his name, with nine goals in total recorded through just 14 appearances.

The most recent of those came in a 1-1 draw at Brighton, with the 23-year-old opening the scoring at the Amex Stadium before late drama pegged Jurgen Klopp’s side back.

Jota now has five Premier League goals for Liverpool to his name, with that mark hit through his first eight league appearances for the Reds.

Fowler is the only player to have matched that return for the Reds, with considerable value being found in one attacking addition while January arrival Minamino still waits on a spark.

“Jota’s gone well ahead of him now,” Liverpool legend Houghton told talkSPORT.

“Jota’s little one-two with Salah, the movement and the finish, it was exquisite. The way he goes past defenders is incredible.”

Minamino has figured in 18 of Liverpool’s last 25 games, but he rarely sees more than 45 minutes for the Reds and is yet to make the impact expected of him on Merseyside.

He is a different kind of player to Jota, with his game more about hard work and creativity than end product, but fierce competition for places is not going to make life any easier for him.

Houghton added: “With Minamino, when you come into a team you’ve got to hit the ground running, so for an attacking player like him that means either creating goals or scoring goals.

“If you haven’t done either, then that’s where the manager says, 'I’ve got other players who can do that and are probably more effective'. That’s why his time has been limited in a Liverpool shirt.

“Having watched him prior to coming here, I thought he was better playing a little bit higher up the field, whereas at the moment he’s been employed in a deeper role, he’s playing in a midfield three.”

Riyad Mahrez scored a hat-trick as Manchester City thrashed Burnley 5-0 on Saturday in a timely response to criticism of their early-season form.

The Algeria international struck twice in the first half to surpass 100 goal involvements in the Premier League and put City in total control.

Burnley had brief respite when a third City effort was disallowed, but Benjamin Mendy's clever finish – his first goal in English football – effectively ended the contest before half-time.

Ferran Torres also got his first league goal for City before substitute Phil Foden crossed for Mahrez to complete his treble and cap a supremely comfortable outing at the Etihad Stadium.

Mahrez opened the scoring just six minutes in, slotting home from Kevin De Bruyne's pass after a slick City move that started from a loose James Tarkowski pass.

It was 2-0 16 minutes later, Mahrez skipping into space and firing a shot in off the left-hand post after Burnley's defence switched off from a City throw-in.

Goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell, making his Premier League debut, saw the ball bounce in off the same upright only for the assistant referee's flag to spare Burnley's blushes, with Gabriel Jesus having headed the ball off the offside Torres.

The reprieve did not last long, De Bruyne given time to clip a cross to Mendy, who turned a controlled finish beyond Peacock-Farrell for his first club goal since a Coupe de France match between Monaco and Marseille in March 2017.

It was 4-0 with 66 minutes gone, Torres side-footing home after Jesus' clever lay-off from a Kyle Walker delivery, and Foden needed just 93 seconds on the pitch before his cross was nodded home by the unmarked Mahrez.

Peacock-Farrell turned the ball into his own net but was spared by another offside call, with De Bruyne crashing a shot off the post in injury time as City made it seven wins in a row against the Clarets by an aggregate scoreline of 28-1.

What does it mean? City close gap to champions

The win moves City into eighth in the table, six points behind Liverpool, who drew with Brighton and Hove Albion and have played a game more. It also ended a run of six consecutive league games in which City have failed to score more than once, something that will no doubt leave Guardiola feeling encouraged.

Burnley are 17th, with five points from nine matches, and have now lost four games in a row at City 5-0. In English football league history, only Notts County have beaten a specific opponent by five or more goals in four successive home games, doing so against Port Vale from October 1893 to February 1907.

Mahrez magnificent

Mahrez is the sixth African player to reach 100 goals and assists combined in the Premier League (62 scored, 41 assisted) and he did so in some style here.

He led Charlie Taylor and Ben Mee a merry dance as he became City's first African hat-trick hero since Yaya Toure against Fulham in 2014.

Tarkowski makes it too easy

On a day of zero positives for Burnley, the performance of the usually reliable Tarkowski, who has openly declared he does not plan on signing a new deal at Turf Moor, was particularly unfortunate.

His poor pass led to City's first goal, his careless clearance resulted in the fourth, and he seemed unable to organise the back line.

Key Opta Facts

– City have won their last seven meetings with Burnley in all competitions by an aggregate score of 28-1.
– Burnley have suffered six league defeats this season, losing more of their opening nine games of a top-flight campaign only once before, in 1888-89 (seven).
– Mahrez has scored seven goals in his last four league appearances against Burnley, netting more goals against the Clarets (eight) in the competition than against any other side.
– Since his Premier League debut in August 2013, City playmaker De Bruyne has provided 71 assists in the competition, eight more than any other player.
– City's Torres netted his first Premier League goal for City with his 14th shot in the competition (seven appearances).
– Peacock-Farrell became just the third goalkeeper to concede five goals on their Premier League debut, after John Sheffield in 1994 and Matt Murray in 2003.

What's next?

City head to Porto on Tuesday, having already qualified for the Champions League last 16, before hosting Fulham in a week's time. Burnley are at home to Everton next.

Kakamega Hombeoyz defeated Football Kenya Federation Premier League debutants Vihiga United 1-0 in a Saturday encounter at Mumias Sports Complex.

David Odhiambo’s goal was enough to separate the two sides as Kakamega Homeboyz picked the opening victory while Vihiga United, who earned a top-flight slot by seeing off Kisumu All-Stars in a two-legged play-off, suffered the first setback.

Vihiga United were reduced to 10 men when referee Lucas Odhiambo showed a red card to Henry Juma for a second bookable offence in the 66th minute. Juma was at fault for a dangerous challenge on Kakamega Homeboyz’s Sylvester Owino.

As the second half started, Nicholas Muyoti made a change when he replaced Stephen Wakanya with the former Nzoia Sugar star Stephen Etyang. On the other hand, Sammy Okoth withdrew Patrick Okullo and introduced Wycliffe Nthata.

The former Thika United coach believed Kakamega Homeboyz would have had a huge win had the goal-scoring opportunities been used effectively.

“We could have won by a bigger margin had we utilised the many scoring chances that came on our way,” Muyoti said after the match as per Nation Sports .

“We played well especially in the first half but the players made several mistakes in the second half,” Vihiga United’s Okoth said.

Meanwhile, Bandari picked a 1-0 win against Sofapaka at Mbaraki Stadium in another Saturday tie.

Harambee Stars’ winger Abdalla Hassan scored the only goal of the encounter in the 20th minute. The forward took advantage of a loose ball from Willis Obayi and moved to beat Kevin Omondi, who was making his debut for Sofapaka, for the goal.

Two minutes after the goal, the teams had to go for a water break to cool down under a hot sun at the coast.

John Baraza made a tactical change in the 40th minute when he replaced Jedinak Nana with Sammy Imbuye in midfield. In the 45th minute, another change for Sofapaka was done with Mohamed Kilume making way for Kepha Aswani.

Michael Karamor thought he had scored his first FKF Premier League goal in the 59th minute but the referee ruled his effort out for offside.

Aswani came close to restoring parity in Mombasa but his effort went slightly out in the 83rd minute. The five minutes that were added were not enough for Batoto ba Mungu to rescue at least a point against the Dockers.

Ronald Koeman says Lionel Messi is feeling well rested ahead of Barcelona’s home date with Osasuna, but Sergino Dest is a doubt after picking up a slight knock.

The Blaugrana opted to leave their talismanic captain out of a midweek Champions League clash with Dynamo Kiev.

They eased through that contest without the need for any Messi magic, with a 4-0 win taking them through to the last 16.

The six-time Ballon d’Or winner will, however, come back into Koeman’s thoughts for Sunday's La Liga contest on home soil, with Barca in need of a domestic spark.

“I think he's had a good rest, like [Frenkie] De Jong,” Koeman told reporters when quizzed on his skipper

“They'd played everything with Barcelona and their national team.

“They couldn't go on like that and that's why we left them at home. I hope they're fresh and have energy against Osasuna.”

While Messi will have a prominent role to play on Sunday, it remains to be seen whether Dest will be able to complete another 90 minutes.

The highly-rated United States international has made a positive impact at right-back for Barca on the back of his summer switch from Ajax, but the 20-year-old is nursing a muscle complaint.

He has been included in Koeman’s 21-man squad, but no unnecessary risks will be taken on him.

“It isn't serious because Dest trained [on Saturday] but he came back really tired back after the match against Kiev and he had some [muscle] problems,” Koeman added.

“We will not take any big risks with him because in his position we have a lot of players injured. If he's OK, he will start; if we have doubts, he will not start.”

As Koeman prepares for more competitive action, he has reached 100 days in charge of Barcelona.

He is reluctant to rank his efforts so far, with plenty of hard work to come.

The Dutchman said: “I'm not giving myself any grades.

“I've come to be the coach of this great club. It's a delicate time. We have to work hard and change things when we have to.

“I've had a more relaxed 100 days as the coach of other clubs, that's for sure, but I'm happy.

“Covid has limited us as well. We have seven games before the end of the year and the time to react in the league is now.

“We have to reduce the gap between the teams at the top. If we're in a game where there is intensity and rhythm, we're very good. Sometimes our level drops and we get distracted without the ball. We need to play with more intensity.

“It's not easy to know what is behind the differences between the Champions League and La Liga. It could be that [in La Liga] our opponents play more defensively and, in Europe, they're more open.

“But at the end of the season, we'll be able to say what's happened. The team really hasn't deserved to drop as many points. We have more confidence in the Champions League.”

Barca will take to the field against Osasuna sat in the bottom half of the Liga table, with just 11 points through eight games.

Bayern Munich returned to winning ways in the Bundesliga as goals from Kingsley Coman, Robert Lewandowski and Douglas Costa sealed a 3-1 victory over Stuttgart on Saturday.

The champions were held to a 1-1 draw by Werder Bremen last weekend and although normal service was resumed at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, they did not have it all their own way against Pellegrino Matarazzo's side. 

Stuttgart could easily have added to Tanguy Coulibaly's opener midway through the first half but Hansi Flick's men powered back to claim maximum points through fine strikes from Coman and Lewandowski before the break and a late third from Douglas.

The result means Bayern have won 26 of their last 29 top-flight games and helped them open a two-point lead at the Bundesliga summit after Borussia Dortmund dropped points at home to Cologne.

Bayern, who hit the post through Lewandowksi after three minutes, fell behind in the 20th minute when Manuel Neuer failed to cut out Silas Wamangituka's low cross, allowing Coulibaly to slot home his first ever professional goal.

Philipp Forster twice came close to extending the hosts' lead soon after, clipping narrowly past the post from close range and then firing straight at Neuer after being played clean through.

Those misses came back to haunt Stuttgart, with Bayern drawing level seven minutes before the interval when Coman tucked into the bottom-left corner after a flowing counter-attacking move.

Forster then had an effort ruled out after Coulibaly had fouled Neuer before Lewandowski put Bayern ahead in first-half stoppage time, the Poland international drilling past Gregor Kobel from just outside the penalty area.

The game slowed down dramatically after the restart, with the next sight of goal not coming until the 72nd minute when Orel Mangala's attempt was deflected narrowly wide.

Waldemar Anton and Mateo Klimowicz then went close for Stuttgart but Douglas ensured a 19th win in 20 games for Bayern over their hosts three minutes from time, clipping into the bottom corner from 15 yards for his first goal since returning to the club on loan from Juventus.

What does it mean? Bayern aided by hosts' wayward finishing

Bayern were not at their devastating best but they still had enough quality to hold off the threat of Stuttgart. The hosts will feel they should have got something out of the game given they had 15 shots on goal. Their problem? Only four of them were on target.

Flick, meanwhile, will be pleased his side are capable of running out 3-1 winners in a game they never really got going in. It does not bode well for the rest of the Bundesliga.

Coman shines for champions

France international Coman pulled his side level with a sumptuous strike and was a constant menace throughout. His assist for Lewandowski's goal was one of four key passes – the most of any player on the pitch – while he completed 88.9 per cent of his passes, which was the joint-second highest of any Bayern starter.

Forster misses prove costly

Forster squandered two golden opportunities to extend Stuttgart's lead in the first half, while he also failed to make a single key pass and lost possession 14 times before he was substituted inside the final 15 minutes.

What's next?

Flick will likely rest some of his star names for Tuesday's Champions League visit to Atletico Madrid after they sealed their progress to the last 16 as Group A winners against Salzburg in midweek. They then host RB Leipzig on Saturday in the Bundesliga, with Stuttgart travelling to Werder Bremen a day later.