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Samuel Chukwueze was in action as Villarreal were handed a 4-0 defeat by Barcelona in Sunday’s La Liga game.

The forward delivered impressive performances last time out, grabbing an assist to help the Yellow Submarine secure all three points against Eibar.

The Nigeria international was subsequently afforded his third start of the season by new manager Unai Emery against the 26 league champions but his efforts were not enough to help his side secure a decent result away from home.

Chukwueze made frantic moves to help the Yellow Submarine open the scoring, sending a fine cross into the box in the fourth minute but his effort was intercepted.

The winger was then tripped by Jordi Alba 11 minutes into the game as he aimed to manoeuvre his way past his marker and was deservedly awarded a free-kick but it was not well utilized.  

Ansu Fati then ignited the goal surge for Barcelona when he found the back of the net in the 15th minute of the match after he was set up by Alba.

The 17-year-old, who recently signed a contract extension with Barca, doubled his side’s lead four minutes later.

Lionel Messi made it three for Barca, converting from the penalty spot before Pau Torres turned the ball into his own net as Ronald Koeman's side went into the break with a comfortable lead.

Villarreal’s effort to reduce the deficit after the restart of the game proved abortive as they suffered their first defeat of the season at Camp Nou.

Chukwueze, who featured for 74 minutes before making way for Takefusa Kubo, had 41 touches, completed three dribbles and had a 67% successful pass rate.

The forward will hope to help Villarreal return to winning ways when they take on Deportivo Alaves in their next league game on September 30.

Chukwueze is a key member of the Nigeria national team and has 13 caps and two goals for the West African country.

The winger is part of the Super Eagles side that will square off against African champions Algeria and Tunisia in friendlies next month.

Frank Lampard has defended Thiago Silva after the defender was questioned on whether his inability to speak English represented a problem for Chelsea.

The 36-year-old signing from Paris Saint-Germain made his Premier League debut as captain in Chelsea’s 3-3 draw at West Brom on Saturday, but he made a mistake to allow Callum Robinson to net the second goal as the Baggies eventually went 3-0 up.

The Blues would produce a comeback to earn a 3-3 draw with Silva coming off late for Olivier Giroud as Lampard took an all-out attacking approach.

With captain Cesar Azpilicueta also coming on and taking the armband back off the Brazil international, Lampard was questioned whether Silva can lead without speaking English.

“I am not sure how relative it was today but he doesn’t speak the language very well,” the Cheslea manager said in a Zoom press conference. “It is something that we will work through because it is what it is.

“He hasn’t had any time. Thiago turns up here pretty fresh and he is in and around us. He will learn it quickly; I am sure some players do speak the languages that he speaks in the squad.

“He speaks French, being the main one, but we have lads here who speak Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish and Italian so that one is again, if the language is a slight barrier, we need time to work. That’s what we have in front of us.

“We have seen that leadership already and people are going to want to talk about the second goal and that’s fair play and that’s the nature of being the top player that he has been all his career, but at the same time, we saw how he is, his leadership and his qualities and we are going to see more of that.”

Despite the dramatic comeback, much of the focus after the match was on the poor first half that saw Chelsea's opponents run riot despite being one of the favourites for relegation this season.

Marcos Alonso took criticism from Lampard after the match, while as a whole, the Blues were poor defensively.

Recently, Lampard admitted that club legend Petr Cech is training with Chelsea’s goalkeepers to help resolve problems with under-fire Kepa Arrizabalaga. Lampard said he wouldn’t bring in a club legend to help the defence but wants to see simple errors stamped out at set plays.

“No,” he simply said when asked about another legend coming in before talking about errors as a whole. “I was relating pretty much to the set-piece goal because that’s something that’s not difficult.

"At times, there can be areas of the pitch that could look different or the shape of the team. But at set-pieces, we have meetings about who marks who, if you let someone roll off the back of you and be free to score a goal then that’s a clear mistake."

West Brom manager Slaven Bilic backed Lampard's assessment of Silva, saying the veteran defender will quickly adjust to the Premier League.

"Some need time players, yes, but for Thiago Silva no," Bilic said. "Thiago Silva captained Brazil, played for Milan and PSG. Now he is at Chelsea but he doesn’t need [time], he is a top player.

"Knowing Frank and he is a very serious guy, a top-quality manager, I don’t think Silva needs time. [The] Premier League is a global league, not an English league. I think players can make that kind of mistake in their 45th mistake.

"He made a mistake; he has made very few in his career. Maybe one in 100 games at PSG. It is nothing to do with age or his debut in the Premier League."

Mauro Icardi scored a goal in each half to earn Paris Saint-Germain a straightforward 2-0 Ligue 1 win over Reims at the Stade Auguste-Delaune on Sunday.

PSG started their latest title defence with back-to-back defeats but have now won three games in a row without conceding.

Icardi put the champions in front against out-of-form Reims with a clinical finish past Predrag Rajkovic inside nine minutes and added a second with a little over an hour played. 

Thomas Tuchel's side had further opportunities to extend their lead but in the end two goals were enough against a Reims side still without a win this term.

Kylian Mbappe was denied by Rajkovic after six minutes but he played a big part in PSG's opener by slipping the ball through for Icardi to control and fire into the far corner.

The visitors, beaten in their last two meetings with Reims, nearly added a second through Angel Di Maria's drive and Icardi's saved header in the space of two minutes.

Neymar also went close to doubling his side's tally with a mazy run that ended with the superstar forward firing a shot past the far post from inside the six-yard box.

Those wasted chances did not come back to haunt Tuchel's men, though, as Icardi converted Mbappe's squared pass to round off a fine team move with 62 minutes gone.

Mbappe should have added some gloss to the scoreline late on but was guilty of a horror miss, somehow firing wide with plenty of the unguarded goal to aim for, while substitute Pablo Sarabia also blazed over an effort from inside the box.

What does it mean? Three and easy for PSG

It is now three wins in a row for PSG without conceding, moving them up to seventh in the table and within four points of early pacesetters Rennes.

The champions may only have managed two goals from 21 attempts, but the victory is all that counts and Tuchel will be hoping to maintain this momentum.

Icardi leads from the front

Former Inter frontman Icardi spearheaded an attacking PSG line-up that also included Neymar, Mbappe, Di Maria and Julian Draxler.

He scored both goals to get off the mark for the season and also created four chances for his team-mates in an impressive all-round display.

Mbappe misses a sitter

The victory was never in doubt for dominant PSG, but they should have won by an even more convincing margin.Mbappe was teed up by Sarabia but contrived to miss from close range, although the France international did lay on both assists for Icardi and - that miss aside - can be pleased with his performance.

What's next?

Reims head to league leaders Rennes for their next outing in a week's time, while PSG host Angers on Friday.

Lionel Messi's desire to leave Barcelona showed no sign of impacting his on-pitch performance as he and Ansu Fati led the 4-0 dismantling of Villarreal on Sunday, marking a triumphant start to the Ronald Koeman era.

Barca have been engulfed by all manner of turmoil since losing 8-2 to Bayern Munich in their previous competitive match on August 14, with the unsuccessful attempt to force a transfer by club talisman Messi undoubtedly the major headline, but as they started their 2020-21 season they proved this is not a team to write off lightly.

Fati got the ball rolling with an impressive double in a five-minute period, before then winning the penalty that was scored by Messi, who subsequently saw a cross of his turned in by Villarreal defender Pau Torres.

Unai Emery's side tightened up in the second half, with Barca consequentially having a little less freedom in the final third, but Villarreal's slight improvement had no impact on what was an easy start for Koeman in LaLiga.

With Messi's future up in the air, Fati had seemingly been billed as the poster boy of this new era at Barca and fittingly he was their inspiration here, opening the scoring 15 minutes in with an emphatic first-time finish from Jordi Alba's cut-back.

The teenager was decisive again a few moments later, latching on to Philippe Coutinho's throughball and coolly slotting past the helpless Sergio Asenjo, who also had no answer to Messi's penalty, which was won by the omnipresent Fati as well.

Things got even worse for the visitors on the stroke of half-time, Torres poking Messi's cross beyond Asenjo as the unlikely spectre of Sergio Busquets lurked for a tap-in.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Barca's intensity did drop after the interval and Villarreal became a more compact unit following a couple of half-time changes.

Koeman took the opportunity to give Fati a bit of a rest with 20 minutes to go, with another talented teenager – Pedri – given the chance to come off the bench for his LaLiga debut after joining from Las Palmas.

Miralem Pjanic and Francisco Trincao were also given their debuts as substitutes, with the young Portuguese winger almost adding a fifth goal when stinging the palms of Asenjo, but Villarreal managed to avoid any further embarrassment.

What does it mean? A smooth landing for Koeman

The first five-and-a-bit weeks of Koeman's reign had been anything but straightforward, from watching the fallout of Barca's Champions League humiliation to partaking in the unceremonious dumping of Luis Suarez that – in part – contributed to Messi's disillusionment.

Even just this week Messi vocalised his disdain for the Barca hierarchy following their treatment of Suarez, who earlier enjoyed a goalscoring debut for Atletico Madrid.

But once out on the pitch, Barca's baggage vanished. While this certainly remains a flawed squad, Messi, Coutinho and Fati provided a devastating reminder that it is also a group with immense attacking ability.

Fati sinks Yellow Submarine

While Messi certainly did well with all eyes on him, Fati was the standout, even more so given his age.

In scoring twice, Fati became the youngest player from Europe's top five leagues to net 10 times in all competitions since 2019-20 began, but he also won the penalty and provided a couple of key passes before his 70th-minute withdrawal.

The Griezmann conundrum lingers on

It will be hoped that Koeman finds the secret to getting the best out of Antoine Griezmann this term.

Leading the attack in Suarez's place might help in the long run, but he was practically anonymous here, touching the ball just 30 times (seven fewer than goalkeeper Neto), having only one shot and failing to create a single chance in his 78 minutes on the pitch.

Key Opta Facts

- Aged 17 years and 332 days, Barcelona's Ansu Fati is the youngest player from the top five European leagues to score 10+ goals in all competitions since the start of last season.
- Lionel Messi has become the fourth player in LaLiga history to score in 17 consecutive seasons, after Agustin 'Piru' Gainza (19), Carlos Alonso, 'Santillana' (17) and Sergio Ramos (17).
- Between Barcelona and Spain, Fati has scored seven goals in his past nine starts in all competitions, scoring with his nine shots on target and winning two penalties in his last two starts.
- Barca have scored four goals in a first half of a game in all competitions for the first time since December 2019 against Real Mallorca in LaLiga, under Ernesto Valverde.
- Koeman has won 4-0 in his first LaLiga game as Barcelona boss, the best debut in the competition for the club since Gerardo Martino in 2013 (7-0 vs Levante).
- Philippe Coutinho has made his first assist for Barca in all competitions since January 2019 against Eibar, ending with his worst run without an assist for the club in all comps (29 games).
- Villarreal boss Unai Emery has lost each of his 13 away games at Camp Nou in all competitions, conceding 10 goals in his last two (1-6 with Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the last 16 in the 2016-17 Champions League and 0-4 on Sunday).

What's next?

Barca go to Celta Vigo on Thursday, while Villarreal will hope to bounce back at home to Deportivo Alaves a day earlier.

Micah Richards has slammed the Manchester City defence for their performance in their hammering by Leicester, accusing them of being “reactive, rather than proactive”.

City’s weaknesses at the back were ruthlessly exposed by the Foxes, who fought back from a goal down to claim a famous 5-2 victory.

Jamie Vardy was the star performer, hitting a hat-trick, with further goals from James Maddison and Youri Tielemans sealing the win.

It is the first time a team managed by Pep Guardiola has shipped five goals  and the first time City have conceded five goals at home in 17 years.

It is not, however, the first time the team’s defence has been questioned, with a shaky back line one of the reasons why City failed to mount a sustained defence of their title last season.

Richards certainly didn’t hold back in his criticism of their performance, particularly when they fell behind to Vardy’s second goal at the start of the second half.

"You can’t say they are not good enough,” the former City defender told Sky Sports. “[Kyle] Walker has been first choice for England for years, though in this system it’s probably a fair comment.

“[But] the problem is, £50 million for [Benjamin] Mendy, £50m for Walker, £50m for [John] Stones, £60m for [Joao] Cancelo, Now Ruben Dias, another talked-about £55m.

"If you’re going to pay £50m for defenders you have got to defend better than that.

"But, for me, Man City defenders are just reactive, rather than proactive.

“All of them are thinking about going forward rather than holding their position.”

Richards’ criticism of City went further still, with the 32-year-old also singling out midfielder Rodri for criticism.

“City have become a possession-based team," he added. "Everyone talks about Rodri and his pass completion, but the balls he plays are five yards in front, to the side. 

"As soon as Fernandinho went off the pitch, I knew that would happen without protection. 

“In the middle by himself, Rodri doesn't read danger like Fernandinho and they get exposed. 

“The defence was a shambles, conceding five goals here is embarrassing. Too weak.”

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Juventus secured a scarcely deserved 2-2 draw with Roma after Adrien Rabiot was sent off on Sunday.

The Serie A champions cruised to victory against Sampdoria in Andrea Pirlo's first game in charge last weekend but they looked badly off the pace at Stadio Olimpico against a Roma side full of verve, vigour and no little skill. 

Jordan Veretout opened the scoring early on from the penalty spot before adding a second in first-half stoppage time, just moments after Ronaldo had drawn Juve level with a spot-kick. 

Rabiot was dismissed for a second yellow card shortly after the hour mark but, as is so often the way, Ronaldo rose highest to power home a header seven minutes later and seal a point for the Bianconeri. 

Roma started brightly and should been in front after 12 minutes but Henrikh Mkhitaryan fired straight at Wojciech Szczesny after an exhilarating run from inside his own half. 

The hosts did forge ahead shortly after the half-hour mark when Veretout squeezed home from the penalty spot after Rabiot had blocked the Frenchman's powerful shot with his arm. 

That woke Juve from their slumber and they pulled level shortly before the interval, Ronaldo slotting into the bottom-right corner from 12 yards after Lorenzo Pellegrini had handled the Portugal superstar's pass inside the area. 

Veretout restored Roma's advantage two minutes later, however, taking advantage of generous Juve defending to collect Mkhitaryan's pass in acres of space and slot past Szczesny.

Edin Dzeko squandered a golden opportunity to add a third shortly before the hour mark, clipping the outside of the post from 10 yards with scarcely a Juve defender in sight. 

The visitors' task was made harder in the 62nd minute when Rabiot was given his marching orders after picking up a second yellow card for a foul on Mkhitaryan. 

Juve's numerical disadvantage was of little concern to Ronaldo, though, who towered above a posse of Roma defenders to seal a point from Danilo's cross in the 69th minute.

What does it mean? Lacklustre Juve escape with a point

Roma were comfortably the more dangerous side but a combination of wayward finishing and Juve being able to call upon the irrepressible Ronaldo meant Pirlo's men returned to Turin with a share of the spoils. The season is only two games old but Juve's rookie head coach knows his side will need to improve dramatically if they are to claim a 10th consecutive Serie A title.

Ronaldo the saviour… again 

He might be 35, but Ronaldo does not look like slowing down anytime soon. He had more shots than the rest of his team-mates combined and proved his athleticism is not diminished, powering above three Roma defenders to score his second. 

Morata endures a game to forget

Making his second debut for the club following his loan move from Atletico Madrid earlier in the week, Alvaro Morata was an insipid presence up front. He had just one shot on goal and completed only 10 passes before he was hauled off for Douglas Costa in the 58th minute. 

What's next?

Roma travel to Udinese on Saturday, while Juve host Napoli - fresh from their 6-0 thumping of Genoa on Sunday - a day later at the Allianz Stadium.

Club Brugge edged Cercle Brugge 2-1 in Sunday’s Belgian top-flight encounter staged at the Jan Breydel Stadium, with Krepin Diatta and Simon Deli’s goals making the difference.

The Blue-Black played the Bruges derby with the same staring line-up that swept aside Zulte Waregem 6-0 in their last outing and was keen to keep that momentum against Paul Clement’s men.

Diatta had the first chance of the game after 20 seconds, but the Senegal international shot awkwardly at goal with only goalkeeper Thomas Didillon to beat.

Another chance beckoned six minutes later as Diatta passed to Michael Krmencik, but the Czech Republic international missed the target.

In the 22nd minute, Diatta fired his team ahead after unleashing a low shot past goalkeeper Thomas Didillon after getting a pass from Krmencik

A few minutes later, a beautiful combination between Krmencik and the Senegal international resulted in another goal but it was ruled out for offside.

Belgium’s Mats Rits also tried his luck from a long range, but he could not frame his attempt.

The visitors commenced the second-half aggressively and it took them just one minute to level matters through Anthony Musaba, who had only Simon Mignolet to beat after receiving a short pass from Ruud Vormer.

That strike woke Philippe Clement’s team from their slumber and they almost reacted immediately, however, Hans Vanaken was unable to connect with Diatta’s cross.

At the other end, on-loan Chelsea player Ike Ugbo fell after clashing with Deli. Referee Lawrence Visser had pointed to the penalty mark, but VAR replays ruled otherwise.

Victory was guaranteed for Club Brugge in the 68th minute after Deli headed home a corner kick floated in by Vormer.

No goals were scored in the remainder of the game as the hosts secured maximum points in the local derby.

Diatta, Deli, Angola’s Odilon Kossounou and Cote d’Ivoire’s Odilon Kossounou played from start to finish. However, Nigeria’s Emmanuel Dennis was a 73rd minute replacement for Charles de Ketelaere.

For Cercle Brugge, the visitors were with Mali's Aldom Deuro, Congo's Guy Mbenza and Kenya's Johanna Omolo.

With this result, Club Brugge are now second in the Belgian Jupiler League log having accrued 15 points from seven games. They host Anderlecht in their next league outing on October 4.

Ajara Nchout provided an assist and netted four goals for Valerenga in a 7-0 win over Klepp in a Norwegian Toppserien fixture on Sunday.

The Cameroon international was handed her 12th league start in the encounter and she made the best of her presence, hitting a quadruple to help her side claim their ninth win of the season.

Besides the big win, the 27-year-old forward was able to end her goal drought, having gone eight games without finding the back of the net, with her last goal being a brace against Arna-Bjornar on August 1.

After returning from the break, Nchout aimed to help Valerenga build on their momentum when she handed her side the lead, slotting in a pass from Synne Jensen 18 minutes into the encounter.

Sigrid Heien Hansen doubled the lead for the Initilty Arena outfit two minutes later after being beautifully set up by Nchout, before Dejana Stefanovic headed in a third for the hosts from Andrine Tomter's cross on the hour mark.

On the brink of half-time, Ingibjorg Sigurdardottir rose high above her fellow contenders to head in a fourth of the match off Sherida Spitse's cross.

Four minutes after the restart, Nchout converted her easiest goal of the season so far, poking over the line an indirect assist from Rikke Marie Madsen for her brace and Valerenga's fourth of the match.

Sigurdardottir and Jensen combined brilliantly with a fine build-up for Nchout to hit her hat-trick in the 75th minute before she profited from a defensive blunder three minutes later to bag her fourth.

Nchout, who played from the start to the finish, has now scored eight goals in 13 appearances this season for Valerenga.

The result means Valerenga have accrued 31 points from 14 matches to hold a three-point lead at the top, ahead of closest rival and holders Lillestrom, who have a game in hand.

They will aim to maintain their title pursuit when they take on Rosenborg in their next league fixture on October 18.

Tottenham forward Son Heung-min is likely to be out for some time with a hamstring injury, according to Jose Mourinho.

Son, who twice hit the woodwork in the first half after Lucas Moura opened the scoring, was replaced by Steven Bergwijn for the second period, with the match finishing in controversial fashion when Callum Wilson equalised with a 97th-minute penalty after Eric Dier was punished for handball via a VAR check.

Head coach Mourinho, who walked down the tunnel after Wilson scored from the spot, later told reporters Son's injury is not insignificant.

They meet Chelsea in the Carabao Cup last-16 on Tuesday, just two days before hosting Maccabi Haifa in their Europa League play-off.

The north London club have already played five games in 15 days so far this season, and it would have been six had they not received a bye in the Carabao Cup after Leyton Orient were forced to postpone their third-round clash on Tuesday because of a Covid-19 outbreak among their squad.

"Tottenham is a big club. Our history in terms of trophies is not as big as other clubs and I realise that I'm coaching with a lot of passion and love.

Simy Nwankwo did not register a single shot in Sunday's Serie A encounter as AC Mian defeated Crotone 2-0.

The Super Eagles attacker played 90 minutes at the Stadio Ezio Scida but could not open his goal account for the 2020-21 season.

Ivory Coast midfielder Franc Kessie opened the scoring for AC Milan on the stroke of half-time with his effort from the penalty spot and Brahim Diaz sealed maximum points for the visitors five minutes after the restart.

Simy failed to contribute to the Pythagoreans' attack with no key passes, no shot on target and no dribbles made. In addition, he was the most dispossessed player in Giovanni Stroppa's team.

Aside from the 28-year-old’s disappointing performance, Crotone struggled to break Milan’s defence and did not register a single a shot on target

Kessie featured for the duration while his Algerian teammate Ismael Bennacer replaced Sandro Tonali in the 63rd minute for his second appearance of the season.

Sunday's result was Crotone second straight loss in Serie A after earning promotion from the second division.

They started their 2020-21 campaign with a 4-1 loss to Genoa last Sunday, and they now sit at the bottom of the table with no points after two matches.

Simy, who scored 20 goals in Serie B last season, will be looking to rediscover his goalscoring form when Crotone travel to Sassuolo for their next top-flight outing next Saturday.

The victory stretched Milan's unblemished start to the Serie A season, as they are yet to concede a goal in two wins. They are third in the Serie A table, level on six points with leaders Napoli and Hellas Verona.

Stefano Pioli's side host Spezia for their next league game on October 4 after Thursday's Uefa Europa League qualifying match against Rio Ave.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has confirmed that Barcelona were among several clubs to make an offer for him before he signed a contract extension with Arsenal.

The 31-year-old attacker committed to a new three-year contract with the Gunners earlier this month, putting an end to the speculation that had been growing as his previous deal entered its last 12 months.

Barcelona had been linked with a move for the Gabon international and Aubameyang has admitted they tried to lure him to Camp Nou, but Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta gave him enough reason to remain in north London.

“There were several offers, notably from Barca, but also other clubs," he said on Canal Football Club.

"My priority was to stay for two reasons: the first is the coach, Mikel Arteta, because we spoke a fair amount during the 'lockdown', as they say here, we were at home and spoke several times and he convinced me, notably in terms of the project.

"Of course, secondly, is the love that I receive from the fans and people at the club. Since I have been here I have been treated like one of their own, and as I am one of their own, I am going to stay here, it is as simple as that.”

Reports claim Arsenal are trying to sign Houssem Aouar and have had a €35 million (£32m/$41m) offer rejected by Lyon, who are said to value him at around €60m (£55m/$70m).

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has spoken out on Twitter, saying that the Gunners are not close to meeting his side's valuation.

Aubameyang has admitted that he wants to see his side bring the 22-year-old to the Premier League before the transfer window closes on October 5.

"He's a very good player," Aubameyang said of Aouar. "I hope we will be lucky to have these types of players at the club, I'm sure he can bring a lot to us. I hope he will come even though he's a Lyonnais."

Arsenal have won both of their Premier League games so far this season and will take on reigning champions Liverpool on Monday.

Aubameyang is hopeful that his side can reach the Reds' level and believes they can start with a win at Anfield.

"It would be great to compete with Liverpool. It's going to be a big test on Monday," he said. "We're ready, we're going without fear. Obviously we want to annoy them. It's a dream, and a goal for us."

Leicester’s 5-2 thrashing of Manchester City on Sunday marked the first time in Pep Guardiola's managerial career that one of his sides had conceded five goals.

Guardiola’s side were left stunned at Etihad Stadium as a Jamie Vardy-inspired Leicester ran riot.

The former England international hit a superb hat-trick, two of which came from the penalty spot, as Brendan Rodgers’ side secured a third successive victory to return to the top of the table.

Leicester went a goal down early on, with former Foxes forward Riyad Mahrez scoring a superb opener after just four minutes.

However, Manchester City’s vulnerability at the back was ruthlessly exposed by Leicester, who levelled through Vardy from the penalty spot before the break.

Vardy’s neat flick put Leicester ahead at the start of the second half, before his second penalty made it 3-1 and completed his hat-trick.

Nathan Ake pulled a goal back for City but further goals from James Maddison and Youri Tielemans, the latter also a penalty, sealed a stunning victory for the 2016 Premier League champions.

It was a truly chastening afternoon for Guardiola, who had witnessed a side he managed concede five goals for the first time in his career, in his 686th game as a manager.

It was just the second time Guardiola has lost his opening home game of a league season, having previously done so while in charge of Barcelona against Hercules in 2010-11.

It is also the first time Manchester City have conceded five goals in a home game for 438 matches, stretching back to a 5-1 defeat against Arsenal at Maine Road in February 2003.

It leaves the club languishing in the bottom half of the table, though they have only played two matches having started the season a week later than most of their rivals because of their European commitments over the summer.

Guardiola will now hope the club can bring in reinforcements before next week’s transfer deadline, particularly in defence, where they have often been accused of failing to properly replace Vincent Kompany, who left last year.

Benfica’s Ruben Dias is reportedly their prime target, though Atletico Madrid’s Jose Gimenez and Sevilla’s Jules Kounde are also said to be on their shortlist.

Nigeria international Victor Osimhen had an assist to show for his impressive display as Genoa suffered a 6-0 obliteration against Napoli on Sunday evening.

Getting his first start in a competitive game for the Blues since his record move from Lille, Osimhen caused the visitors a lot of problems as they were blown apart inside Stadio San Paolo.

The game’s first chance fell before the Nigeria international, but he fired his effort over the cross bar from inside the box after latching onto a short pass from Hirving Lozano.

Few seconds later, he collected a rebound and his promising attempt flew towards the bottom left corner, but goalkeeper Federico Marchetti did well to make an amazing save.

Gennaro Gattuso’s men took the lead in the 10th minute with Lozano scoring with a brilliant shot after being released by a lofted pass from Dries Mertens.

Two minutes later, the Super Eagle failed to register his name among the goalscorers when he shot wide after controlling a fine pass that came his way.

Osimhen’s ill-luck continued in the 29th minute as his header from a free-kick flew inches over the woodwork despite showing good awareness deep inside the visitors’ goal area.

Gattuso’s team approached the second-half aggressively and were rewarded just one minute into the second 45 minutes after Piotr Zielinski was fed with an accurate pass from the 21-year-old before sending a low shot past Marchetti.

Mertens made it three for the hosts after 57 minutes before Lozano completed his brace eight minutes later.

The Blues showed no signs of stopping the harvest of goals with Lorenzo Insigne’s replacement Eljif Elmas slotting home the fifth goal of the evening before Matteo Politano completed the damage 18 minutes from full-time.

In the closing stages, Osimhen was cautioned for dissent – but that could did not rob his performance of some shine.

For his performance against Rolando Maran’s men, the youngster - who was in action for the duration - recorded five total shots, won three aerial battles with a passing accuracy of 61.5%.

Kalidou Koulibaly starred for every minute while Algeria's Faouzi Ghoulam was introduced in the 73rd minute for Piotr Zielinski.

Napoli face Juventus in their next outing on October 4.

Yanga SC assistant coach Juma Mwambusi has said they will reach a point when they will be scoring as many as 10 goals per game

The 27-time champions have not scored more than one goal each of the four 2020/21 Tanzania Mainland League matches they have played.

The latest one was against Mtibwa Sugar where they won by a solitary goal.

"We are still in the process of building a team and we are close in achieving the target," Mwambusi told reporters after Sunday's victory over the Sugar Millers.

"These players and the technical bench had about 20 days together, and without proper pre-season, we could not get the results we wanted instantly. It is a process and we are close in achieving it.

"Soon we will be hitting teams for eight or 10 goals, we are in the process of achieving it."

The experienced tactician has also stated they are delighted by getting maximum points away against their hosts.

"It is not easy getting a win when you play Mtibwa away, it is an important win for us," Mwambusi added.

"The commitment from the players was good, we created many chances but we managed to use only one which is a plus to us."

In the match against the Sugar Belt charges, Angola midfielder Carlinhos started in the wing and the tactician has explained why.

"It was our game plan to ensure we played him there to help us create chances to score," he continued.

"Yes, he could have played in the middle, but remember the opponents are aware of the threat he possesses. They could have limited him from playing meaning he was going to be less effective for us, and it is for this reason that we sent him wide.

"We are happy the tactic worked, but again as I said, every day we are improving. We are in the process of making a team, not yet there but we are close."

After this weekend's matches, Azam are the only team that have not conceded and with a 100% winning record.

Simba SC are second with 10 points, same as the Jangwani Street-based charges who have an inferior goal difference.

Luis Suarez revealed he felt the need for "fresh air" before leaving Barcelona as he scored twice in a remarkable debut for Atletico Madrid.

Suarez came on in the 70th minute at Wanda Metropolitano with Atleti 3-0 up against Granada thanks to goals from Diego Costa, Angel Correa and Joao Felix, while Saul Niguez had missed a penalty.

A stunning cameo followed, with Suarez netting a brilliant double after providing an assist for his fellow substitute Marcos Llorente.

Suarez also won a penalty for Atletico, before a VAR check reversed that decision.

The 33-year-old was deemed surplus to requirements at Barcelona as the Catalan club look to rebuild under Ronald Koeman, but Suarez believes the time was right for him to move on.

"Very good, very happy for the debut, for the three points," he told Movistar. "When you make your debut and help the team with goals, you are always happy.

"It is a moment in which I needed fresh air, it is important to change and accept it.

"I come to a club that has given me a spectacular welcome, the atmosphere is very good from the beginning and that is reflected on the field."

Before Suarez stole the show, Joao Felix had put in an impressive display partnering Costa up front, having teed up Correa's goal prior to getting on the scoresheet himself.

"We're feeling good about ourselves. We've completed a great game, scoring many goals and creating lots of chances," the Portugal international told Atleti's club media.

"We have to continue like this. I'm feeling good. I'm happy and enjoying myself. Things are going well.

"This was just the first game, but we want to complete a very, very good season. We're working towards that. We started today and have to continue against Huesca."

Costa meanwhile was excited at the prospect of forming a hard-nosed partnership with Suarez, joking: "One of us bites and the other kicks.”

Atletico will face two games in the next six days as they continue their La Liga campaign: an away match against Huesca on Wednesday before a return home on Saturday against Villarreal.

AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda has explained what saved the club from going down in a difficult 2019/20 season.

Ingwe were forced to depend on fundraisers and well-wishers to honour their games after SportPesa walked away as their sponsor.

Shikanda had been elected into office just before the financial turmoil began and he says the lean office enabled them to make quick decisions that ended up helping the club.

“When I got into this office after I think 26 days, our sponsor walked away. I actually found a shell of a club and after recruiting players, my wage bill jumped to about KSh4.3M per month,” Shikanda told Bonga Futaa Online TV.

“We sat down and looked at ourselves in the eyes and asked the difficult questions; what can we do now?

“Should we throw in the towel because the demands were just too much? The leaner management helped us especially because the decision-making process was quicker and it was easy to agree. It really saved me.

“We did not have time for politics, we had to come with ways of helping AFC Leopards honour all matches and not give away walkovers.”

The former Gor Mahia and Ingwe player also criticised views held by the majority of Kenyans who are yet to see football as a professional occupation.

“The problem with our culture is it treats football as a hobby, not as a professional undertaking. I think many people see footballers as failures and ones who have nothing to do after failing in various fields,” he added.

“But for heaven sake, football is the biggest industry in the world.

“When you look at football as a hobby, as something where people who do not have anything to do reside and without a constructive goal then we are losing the plot.”

The chair also spoke about his long-term vision he would like to implement in order to help the club in the long run even after he exits office.

“AFC Leopards is a work in progress now and what I know is that the club does not have physical structures even way back during my playing time,” Shikanda explained.

“In a nutshell, what I need to do is to put in place structures so that we can have a professional football club. We cannot call ourselves a professional club, established in 1964, and we have nothing to show about football whatsoever.

“We do not have our own field to train, but at least now we have a physical office, although I need to set up a motion in place of having our own stadium. 

“Lack of structures made things hard for this club and when fans react, they think you are part of the problem.”

Unlike their KPL rivals, AFC Leopards have not made public any of the new signings although they have unveiled their 2020/21 home kit.