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Olivier Giroud says he is “playing with serenity” after he continued his fine goalscoring form in Chelsea’s 3-1 win against Leeds.

The France striker now has six goals in his last four appearances for the Blues after his 27th-minute strike cancelled out Patrick Bamford’s early opener for Leeds at Stamford Bridge.

It was his first Premier League start of the season having retained his place in the side after scoring all four goals in the midweek Champions League win at Sevilla.

Stretching back into the last campaign, Giroud has now scored in his last six Premier League starts for Chelsea, the first player to do so since October 2001 and at 34 years and 66 days, is the oldest player to achieve such a feat in Premier League history.

Having also netted a last minute winner in the 2-1 victory at Rennes the previous week, Giroud admits he is full of confidence right now.

"I feel good and confident. I play with serenity,” he told Sky Sports. “I had the opportunity to score again today and help the team.

“I am happy for the squad and the staff. We work hard in training. We have faith in our gameplan and get better and better. The confidence is here and we want to keep that."

Second half goals from Kurt Zouma and Christian Pulisic sealed the win for Frank Lampard’s side and was enough to send them top of the table, though they were made to work hard against a Leeds side who have won plenty of plaudits since returning to the top flight this season.

Giroud was certainly impressed by Marcelo Bielsa’s side, though he was delighted to get the win for the 2,000 Chelsea fans, who were watching live inside Stamford Bridge for the first time since March following a relaxation of UK government coronavirus restrictions.

"We really wanted to win for [the fans] and carry on the good momentum,” he added. “Honestly, we were not surprised to face this team because we knew their qualities.

"We conceded early and wanted to bounce back straight away. [Leeds] were one of the best teams I have faced since a few months. Physically they run everywhere. It was so hard. It's a great feeling to win tonight and they drew against Man City and lost just to Liverpool. They really impress me. They are a good team.”

Barcelona's 2-1 loss against Cadiz on Saturday has sealed their worst start to a La Liga season since 1987-88. 

Ronald Koeman's side currently have just 14 points after 10 games of the new league campaign with the club last accruing less than that at this stage 32 years ago, when they picked up 13. 

Cadiz, who have now beaten both Real Madrid and Barcelona this season after being promoted, were gifted the three points on Saturday after a defensive error allowed Alvaro Negredo to score a simple winner in the 63rd minute. 

Barcelona had equalised via an own goal just six minutes prior, having first fallen behind in the eighth minute after Alvaro Gimenez opened the scoring for Cadiz. 

The result leaves Koeman's side stuck in seventh in the La Liga table - 12 points shy of league leaders Atletico Madrid who remain the only club yet to lose this season. 

Having seen Barca win their past three matches in convincing fashion, Koeman conceded their loss against Cadiz was a significant step backwards. 

"We can't concede a second goal like that. It's a lack of concentration. It's hard to explain what happened because we had a good week," Koeman said post-match.

"I think the first-half wasn't good. We lost a lot of balls. There was a little improvement in the second half.

"It's a giant step backwards to be able to compete for La Liga. I'm very disappointed. They [Atletico Madrid] are many points away. If we do not improve the attitude away from home, there is nothing else to say." 

Midfielder Sergio Busquets added: "This year we had individual mistakes that have cost us a lot of points. Today it happened to us again.

"Recent games have greatly penalised individual errors. It is not an attitude problem. In the Champions League, the team looks like another one. I can't tell you why, if I knew, we'd try to correct it."

Barcelona director Guillermo Amor stressed the club won't let the Cadiz defeat deter them with silverware still a focus moving forward.

"The objectives remain the same. What happened today, we will encounter it more times during the year," he said. 

Frank Lampard was happy to see Christian Pulisic score for Chelsea in the 3-1 win against Leeds on Saturday after a difficult start to the season for the winger.

Pulisic came off the bench to replace the injured Hakim Ziyech in the first-half of the Premier League encounter at Stamford Bridge and went on to net his side's third goal of the game.

The 22-year-old made just his fifth league appearance of the season, having faced spells on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury and further fitness issues.

Lampard expects the United States international to get stronger as the campaign goes on after scoring his first top-flight goal of 2020-21.

“Really pleased today. It’s been a difficult period for him with the injury and he gets frustrated because he wants to play," Lampard said at his post-match press conference.

"Having played 65 minutes in Seville I knew this game would have a huge amount of energy for the players and thought it was wise to start him on the bench.

"My plan was probably to give him 30 minutes, but to play the period of the game he played, with the intensity of the game and get his goal. He has an incredible gift, it sounds simple, but arriving in the six-yard box as a wide man, because that is where the goals are.

"So I was delighted that he got his goal and he is only going to get stronger now."

Chelsea are top of the table after their latest victory and a point ahead of Tottenham and Liverpool, who both play on Sunday.

Lampard hopes his side can maintain their consistency and protect their place as one of the title contenders.

"There’s certainly nothing wrong with the fans thinking that [we can win the title]. Great to have them back, their input was huge, the noise huge," he said. "You can see how excited they are at the end that we are top of the league.

"My job and our job is to know that it’s a long season and the next question is how consistent can we be with this form, how much we can improve, because I believe there is a lot more we can do and there will be a lot of challenges ahead.

"Enjoy the evening. I will have that small glass of wine, maybe a large one, but at the same time we need to make sure we stay grounded.

"But there were a lot of good things. To play against Leeds in the form they are in and the type of team they are and dominate in terms of chances was a real great performance from us."

Thomas Muller was not thinking about the possibility of a Germany recall after helping Bayern Munich retain their place at the top of the Bundesliga.

Scrutiny of Joachim Low's decision to drop Muller, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels from his Germany squad last year has been under intense scrutiny following their 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Spain in November.

Low became only the third Germany manager to concede six goals in a match after Otto Nerz and Sepp Herberger, with his team now having won just three of their past eight fixtures.

Muller has enjoyed a resurgence since being cast aside by Low, supplying a Bundesliga record 21 assists as Hansi Flick's side took the title as part of a treble in 2019-20.

The 31-year-old scored twice during Bayern's entertaining 3-3 draw with RB Leipzig at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, salvaging a point that stopped Julian Nagelsmann's side displacing them at the summit.

Asked about a return the national team, Muller told Sky: "That's a topic that is very far away for me. I'm trying to help the team I'm on the field with.You can talk about it as much as you like. I'll stick with it and then we'll see what happens.

"The DFB decided [to keep Low on as coach], so all Germans have to stand behind this decision and do everything to ensure we get things going again. And with Joachim Low, we are going to get things going again."

After Christopher Nkunku's opener, Muller added to Jamal Musiala's equaliser to put Bayern in control against Leipzig.

However, Justin Kluivert and Emil Forsberg turned the match around again, with Muller's second in the 75th minute only enough for a point.

The Bayern forward was pleased to have scored a brace, but with only Angelino (31) surrendering possession on more occasions than him (24), he acknowledged it was not a flawless display.

"I lost too many balls today. Of course I'm happy and satisfied – you don't always score two goals," said Muller. "We know that we can come back from behind. In the end we have to live with the draw."

All three Bayern goals were set up by Kingsley Coman, earning the winger special praise from Hansi Flick.

"There are few others in his position who have his quality," said Flick.

"We have to be satisfied [with the result]. It was important that we didn't lose. It was a wild game. We generally have to improve as a team. I don't criticise individual players."

David Okereke was Club Brugge’s hero in their 1-0 triumph over Sint-Truiden in Saturday’s Belgian topflight encounter.

Having replaced compatriot Emmanuel Dennis in 53rd minute, the 23-year-old made his presence felt four minutes later by scoring the fixture’s only goal.

With Club Brugge travelling to Rome for Tuesday’s Champions League outing versus AS Roma, manager Philippe Clement rested some of his key players. Clinton Mata’s place was taken by Ignace Van der Brempt, while Eduard Sobol replaced Uruguayan star Federico Ricca in the starting XI.

The hosts started the game brightly and had the first chance at goal when Sobol found his way into the visitors’ goal area but he could not beat goalkeeper Daniel Schmidt.

Few minutes later, on loan Ajax forward Noa Lang failed to connect to a cross from Hans Vanaken, while Simon Mignolet was forced to make a brilliant save off Duckens Nazon’s corner kick.

Clement’s men swarmed Sint-Truiden’s half, yet, their efforts yielded no goal as the Canaries maintained an impressive defensive approach.

Before the half-time break, Mignolet produced a stunning save to clear away Pol Garcia’s well-taken free-kick.

At the beginning of the second half, another chance appeared for the home team, but Lang blasted his effort wide. In dire need of goals, Okereke came on for Dennis in the 53rd minute and he justified his inclusion with a fine strike.

The Nigerian was played by Lang and he made no mistakes slotting the ball past goalkeeper Schmidt. Club Brugge came close to scoring more goals but were halted by Schmidt’s impressive goalkeeping.

With no goals scored in the remaining minutes, Stef Van Winckel’s men crumbled to their eighth defeat of the 2020-21 Belgian First Division A campaign.

Cote d'Ivoire's Odilon Kossounou was in action from start to finish, while Angola’s Mata was brought in as a replacement for Der Brempt with ten minutes left to play.

For the visitors, Angola international Jonathan Buatu saw every minute of action as Guinea’s Mory Konate came off for Christopher Durkin with 20 minutes left to play. Ghana’s Samuel Asamoah was substituted for Alexander Filippov with 14 minutes left to play.

After facing Lazio, Club Brugge continue their march towards a 17th league title with a visit to Royal Antwerp while Sint-Truiden welcome Sporting Charleroi to Stayen.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Chelsea are the current favourites to win the Premier League this season.

The Blues are first in the English top-flight after they beat Leeds 3-1 on Saturday and have a one-point lead over reigning champions Liverpool and Tottenham, who play on Sunday.

Klopp believes the London side are the biggest threat to his side's title defence but was quick to stress the Reds remain focused on themselves.

"If I watch games then I see that Tottenham are obviously doing pretty well, that Chelsea for me in the moment look like the favourites," he told reporters. 

"They have the bigger squad, great players, they're playing well. Now they are full on and have unbelievable opportunities to change [the team] between the games and from one game to the other. That's it.

"Pressure is there but it's about yourself. The pressure is there to win the game and we want to win against Wolves [on Sunday]. We play only Wolves this weekend and nobody else, so all the others can play against each other or not and then they will collect points.

"It's always like this. It's much too early to think about who is ahead of who or whatever. It's just the situation.

"I said it before, this season is not about setting a target and going for it, it's about getting through it with the best possible football you can play – and that's what we try to do.

"That differs from weekend to midweek sometimes because of some circumstances, but it's still the target for us all the time. Be fully focused on the next game, the next opponent, especially not that early about other results."

Diogo Jota has been in incredible form since joining the Reds from Wolves in September, scoring nine times in 15 appearances for the Anfield outfit.

Klopp has been impressed by the 24-year-old's form and is happy with the way he has blended with fellow stars Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

"He's doing exceptionally well at the moment, absolutely," he said. "But to keep that standard we have to work really hard, we have to keep him in a good shape, score goals because the other boys do that usually. That's clear.

"For us, the most important thing was that we don't have to bite our nails pretty much in each game and hope they somehow come through and we can bring them in the next game again – especially not in this season.

"That's not a real lateral situation because it's only one player and, how I said, it's the only line – the front three line – where we have more players than we can line up in one game, I would say.

"All other positions are pretty much, who can walk will play or will be a kid. Both is fine. But there's nothing bad in that situation. Who they are, they wouldn't be where they are if they couldn't deal with a situation like that.

"They are completely fine with Diogo and Diogo is fine with them. They are overly happy that he had that brilliant start, as I am obviously. But now that's already gone and we have to carry on."

Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta says he has learned from Jose Mourinho after watching his Tottenham counterpart in the team's documentary series. 

Spurs were the focus of an Amazon series which followed them throughout the 2019-20 campaign and was released this year.

Arteta confirmed that he has watched the show and gained some insight from the successful coach ahead of their clash on Sunday.

"Very interesting. It is great to see the inside of other football clubs, other ideas, other coaches, other organisations," he told reporters at a press conference ahead of the north London derby.

"I like to see that - I do that with other sports as well because there are a lot of things you can take, and as well a manager like Mourinho that has been in many different countries, in all of them he has been successful so there is a why to that.

"There are some important moments in that documentary when you can pick some relevant things of why he is getting the success that he is getting."

The former Gunners midfielder has been impressed by the former Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid coach's ruthlessness and the way he deals with tough periods.

"Normally I like two things. First of all, the head coach, the manager, whoever it is, what he needs to create is a level of engagement with the players and the club and fans, and a level of belief that what his ideas are they get a big buy in to him. If you don't get that, you won't last long," Arteta added. 

"Mourinho has something really special, that whatever he wants to get into the football club, he manages to do it and he believes that in a way that players at the end they execute what he wants to do. And whoever doesn't do it is not part of that. When I talk about being ruthless it is not only on the pitch but as well with some decisions that you have to make.

"And the second one I would say is how you navigate some difficult moments. All these managers have had difficult moments. I have been part of a coaching staff with difficult moments. The important point is how you react in difficult moments and how the club fans react in difficult moments."

Kylian Mbappe felt liberated after he ended his wait to move onto a century of goals for Paris Saint-Germain.

France prodigy Mbappe reached 99 goals across all competitions for PSG when he scored a double against his former club Monaco in a 3-2 defeat on November 20.

He failed to find the net in three appearances – against RB Leipzig, Bordeaux and Manchester United – before adding gloss to a 3-1 win over Montpellier in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

With Moise Kean having thumped PSG into the lead in the 77th minute, Mbappe came on to score with his only attempt and wrap up the points for Thomas Tuchel's side in stoppage time.

"I knew my statistics, yes. It had been a few matches that I wanted to score the 100th," he told Canal+.

"This one wasn't the hardest. It's a liberation, especially at a big club like this and all the great players who have been here. When I signed here, I never thought I'd score 100 goals so quickly. It was a long-term objective.

"Thank you to my team-mates and to the club for giving me confidence, whether in good times or bad. Thank you to everyone who works there.

"I think I can score even more, offer more assists. It will come with time. I'm feeling better and better and going through matches will allow me to be even better physically."

Mbappe is joint fourth, alongside Dominique Rocheteau, in the list of PSG's leading goalscorers, behind Pauleta (109), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (156) and Edinson Cavani (200).

"Score 200 goals with PSG? Who knows," said Mbappe, who has often been linked with a move to La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. "I never would have thought of 100 goals! You just have to think about the next game.

"It's been three and a half years, and I've been through a lot here. It's great to have the support of the people."

The 21-year-old has netted 74 of his 100 PSG goals in France's top flight, with a further 13 strikes coming in the Champions League, though he has not scored in Europe in nine matches.

His remaining 13 goals have come in France's domestic cup competitions and the Trophee des Champions, while he has only scored from outside the box in Ligue 1 on three occasions

Struggling Maritzburg United put up a character-filled display to come from a goal down and claim a 1-1 draw against Mamelodi Sundowns at the Harry Gwala Stadium on Saturday night.

The Tshwane side had gone ahead in the 31st minute through Themba Zwane, but the Team of Choice fought back to equalise in the 60th minute through Kwanda Mngonyama as the KwaZulu-Natal side registered a point - their first of the season in their sixth league game, under new coach Ernst Middendorp.

Maritzburg had a strong first half, despite finding themselves a goal down at the break, and it was the home team who had the first real chance of the night in the 15th minute when Thabiso Kutumela's header was well saved by opposition keeper Denis Onyango.

Sundowns then sprung into gear and three minutes later they were close to scoring when Zwane cut the ball back for Peter Shalulile, taking out goalkeeper Sebastian Mwange in the process, but Shalulile was denied by defender Nazeer Allie, who brilliantly cleared off the line.

The action continued at both ends as Mwange made a good reflex save from a stinging drive by Shalulile before Kutumela had another shot saved after some nice interplay involving Mngonyama and Judas Moseamedi.

Sundowns were to go in front in the 31st minute when some slick interplay ended with former Maritzburg midfielder Lebohang Maboe crossing low for Zwane to score from close range, his sixth league goal of the new season.

There was a good opportunity for the hosts to draw level six minutes later when Kutumela cut onto his right foot and flashed a curling effort narrowly wide.

After the half time break, Sundowns wasted a great chance to double their lead when Mwange palmed a stinging shot from Erasmus into the path of Shalulile, only for the Namibian to balloon the ball over an open goal.

Mwange was forced off the field a few minutes later after injuring himself while landing from an aerial challenge, being replaced by Jethren Barr.

It was at the other end of the park though where the next action came, and it resulted in an equaliser on the hour mark for Maritzburg as Mngonyama brilliantly headed in from a Dan Morgan corner.

After some more positive play from the home side, it was instead Masandawana who had the next clear opportunity on goal when Hlompho Kekana let rip with a long-range scorcher, which Barr did well to beat away.

With 12 minutes to play, there was a bit of drama on the sidelines when referee Victor Gomes showed a red card to Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi, who will now miss the next two matches.

The game remained tight before the next chance arrived, in the 86th minute and there could have been a home winner as Kutumela went clean through on goal, but a heavy touch allowed Onyango to come off his line and make the block.

That was the last real opening as the game ended deadlocked at 1-1, a fair reflection of an absorbing encounter.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer singled out the mentality of his Manchester United side as they pulled off another comeback victory in the Premier League on Saturday.

Goals from Paul Pogba, Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford ensured United came away from the London Stadium with all three points but again they had to fight back from a losing position having fallen behind in the first-half to a Tomas Soucek goal.

It is the fifth consecutive Premier League away game where Solskjaer’s side have had to mount a comeback this season and the United manager was pleased with the mindset of his players.

“We have done this too many times coming back from 1-0 down for it to be a coincidence,” Solskjaer said.

"To have this character and the mentality is one of the biggest things that I take from these away games. They always believe in themselves, we trust ourselves, there’s no shouting and screaming, we believe in our teammates and believe in ourselves.”

While the result and performance in the last 20 minutes were impressive, United were dreadful in the first half and were lucky to only have a one-goal deficit at the break.

Bruno Fernandes, who had been rested with a foot knock, and Marcus Rashford were brought off the bench for the second half and had a transformative effect on the side.

“I think this season is going to be such a long and hard one and when players have got niggly injuries, he [Fernandes] has been kicked so many times these last few weeks and he had a sore foot so I didn’t want to use him from the start,” Solskjaer explained.

"We’ve got a big game on Tuesday we have a good squad with loads of quality and talent out there so we decided to go with the starting XI that we did.

"You have to look at what you can do better, first half we weren’t really at the races, loads of the possession but we couldn’t control the game and couldn’t create anything because there were not enough runs in behind, we didn’t create enough spaces, we didn’t make the right movements but we did that in the second half. We tweaked a few things tactically." 

Chelsea's Hakim Ziyech was substituted early against Leeds after sustaining an injury.

The Morocco international limped off 30 minutes into the Premier League encounter at Stamford Bridge and was replaced by Christian Pulisic.

The 27-year-old went down after passing to Reece James in the build-up to the Blues' equalising goal, with the defender overlapping on the right side to receive the ball from Ziyech and crossing in to Olivier Giroud to fire home.

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard confirmed after the match, which Chelsea won 3-1, that Ziyech suffered a hamstring injury with a full assessment to come.

"Hamstring, he felt it go, so we'll find out to what degree over the next few days," Lampard told Sky Sports post-match. 

He has been a key player for Frank Lampard's team since his arrival from Ajax in the summer transfer window.

The attacking midfielder and winger has one goal and three assists in the Premier League this season as well as a goal in the Champions League.

He has been tipped by former Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas to turn the team into one worthy of winning the Premier League.

“He's a very good player. He has this vision that you need in a top team like Chelsea, who want to win and be champions," Fabregas said.

“You could see that they were lacking ideas last season and maybe at the beginning of this season, but with Ziyech, you can see that he has this last pass.

“It's not only that he sees it, it's that he makes it right, at the right time. That's the decision-making that we talk about nowadays."

Chelsea went behind just four minutes into the home clash when Kalvin Phillips played it through for Patrick Bamford, who then rounded goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and knocked into the net.

Lampard's team were third in the table heading into the match, just two points behind the top two teams Tottenham and Liverpool.

The Blues approached the game off the back of a 4-0 trouncing of Sevilla in the Champions League in midweek. Giroud netted all four of his side's goals as they dominated in Spain and sealed the top spot in their group with one game remaining.

After the Leeds game, the London side will be back in European action on Tuesday with a home clash against Krasnodar.

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Edinson Cavani and Anthony Martial both picked up muscle injuries during Saturday’s 3-1 win at West Ham.

Cavani, who scored twice as a substitute against Southampton last weekend, retained his place in the side after starting against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, but did not come out for the second-half at London Stadium. Martial did make it onto the pitch for the second period but was replaced by Juan Mata after 62 minutes.

Bruno Fernandes was also introduced for the second-half having been surprisingly named on the bench by Solskjaer, who said the Portuguese needed a rest because of the rough treatment he had received from opponents in recent weeks.

All three substitutes made an impact, with Fernandes teeing up Paul Pogba for the equaliser and Mata, after Mason Greenwood put the visitors in front, setting up Rashford to seal the game late on.

When asked for the reason behind his substitutions, Solskjaer told Sky Sports: “Injuries. It is unfortunate. Sometimes you get muscle injuries. Edi had to come off with an injury, hopefully it’s not too bad. Anthony had to come as as well. Bruno is part of this team and 45 minutes was enough.”

The result means Man Utd have won their first five away league games of a season, collecting all 15 points from losing positions.

Solskjaer says that shows the resilience and character in his side, though he acknowledges there is also room for improvement.

"Football is up and down. First half we struggled to keep up with their counter attack and set plays. We gave the ball away too often. Poor first half, second half of course the goal changes the mood,” he added.

"We played against a team that had drawn with Manchester City and beaten Leicester and Wolves. They are a good team and make it difficult for you. I am very, very pleased with the performance. Last week we were 2-0 down at Southampton and this was a step forward, we were only one down.

"Of course you are very, very happy with the away form. I think the home form is decent, we are becoming more and more consistent and we are coping better with games like this. When you are 1-0, 2-0 down the boys still believe and that character is important.

"At the end of the season you don't care about the performance. At the moment we know there are things we need to improve on, some simple passes in the first half but the second half that quality came back and all three goals were exceptional."

Ghanaian side Ashanti Gold are out of the 2020-21 Caf Confederation Cup following a 2-1 away defeat to Salitas of Burkina Faso in the preliminary round of the competition.

David Abagna was on target for The Miners in the second leg fixture at Stade du 4 Aout in Ouagadougou but two earlier goals by Olivier Boissy for the hosts were just enough to send Milovan Cirkovic's outfit out of the championship.

The Obuasi-based side is eliminated 2-1 on aggregate, the first leg fixture having ended in a 0-0 draw.

Salitas will face Al Amal Atbara of Sudan in the next round.

Ashold coach Cirkovic chose Bailo Mohammed over veteran goalkeeper Robert Dabuo in his starting XI.

In-form attacker Hans Kwofie, who has netted three goals in two games in the Ghana Premier League (GPL) so far, joined the likes of Yaw Annor and Mark Agyekum in the attack.

Kwofie went close to goal early in the game but it was Salitas who ultimately broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute through Boissy.

In the 33rd minute, Agyekum was presented with a good chance to fetch the equaliser for his side but he wasted the opportunity from close range.

Boissy then made it 2-0 for the hosts in the 45th minute but the strike was far from being the last major action of the half as Abagna scored for AshGold two minutes into injury time to halve the deficit.

Five minutes after the break, AshGold, for a moment, thought they had found a valuable equaliser when Agyekum put the ball in the back of the net but Nigerian referee Abubakar Abdullahi ruled out the goal on account of offside.

Abagna attempted another effort to draw his side back into the game but his strike was coolly handled by Salitas goalkeeper Sanon Babin.

In the end, it was not to be for The Miners as they failed to register a much-needed equaliser which would have been just enough to secure qualification to the next round of the championship on the away goals rule.

It is a step-back for the side who reached the first round of the competition last season where they were eliminated by RS Berkane of Morocco. 

Andrea Pirlo insists Juventus' never-say-die spirit was to thank for their late 2-1 comeback win over Torino in Saturday's Derby della Mole clash.

Juve trailed to Nicolas Nkoulou's ninth-minute strike at the Allianz Stadium and would have been two down had Simone Zaza beat Wojciech Szczesny from a one-on-one.

But the hosts rallied late on and scored two headed goals from Juan Cuadrado crosses – Leonardo Bonucci netting an 89th-minute winner after Weston McKennie had equalised 12 minutes earlier.

It marked the first time Juve have won a league game in which they have trailed in since November 2019 and Pirlo praised the attitude shown by his players to dig deep and pick up a vital derby victory.

"When you lose every challenge, it becomes difficult to control the game," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"We were too static and never filled the box when we did manage to find some width to put a cross in. It's difficult against a five-man defence.

"We remembered after the break that the Juventus DNA is to put in heart and sacrifice. Once you can pin them back into their half, it becomes easier to get the breakthrough."

Paulo Dybala tamely curled into Salvatore Sirigu's hands from Juve's only on-target attempt of a below-part first half but the champions got three shots on target in the second period.

Pirlo brought on Aaron Ramsey and Alex Sandro with his side trailing by a goal and believes the substitutions played a part in the turnaround.

"Not everyone can always give 100 per cent, but those who came on provided determination, dynamism and attacking spirit, which is what won us the game," he said.

"When opposition teams clam up and are very organised, you have to keep moving the ball to create the spaces and stretch them out. 

"We didn't do that in the first half, we did after the break. If we lack heart, we don't move it as quickly either, and it all comes together. 

"Sometimes, it's not simple to find a breakthrough just by creating clean passing moves, you have to fight."

Juve were on the verge of a sixth draw in their opening 10 games for the first time since 1965-66 before skipper Bonucci's last-gasp winner in Turin.

And given the nature of his side's victory, with both goals coming from floated crosses into the box, Pirlo was asked if was a case of substance over style.

"If that's true, our DNA must remain at the centre of the whole team," he said. "At times, games do get messy, we concede after a few minutes and our opponents defend well.

"When you can't style your way through, you have to find other ways. We do have to move the ball more quickly, as otherwise we give the opposition more time to get back."

Juve are now up to third in the table, three points behind a Milan side who have a game in hand, and Pirlo's relief at full-time was clear to see.

"It's more exhausting as a player, very different as a coach, but the feeling of victory is the same," he said.

Torino's return of six points after 10 matches is their lowest Serie A tally since 2002-03 when they went down.

Head coach Marco Giampaolo, who took over in August, acknowledges his side need to improve after throwing away the lead in their last three league games.

"We lost this game due to details," he said. "Considering our current form, we played the way we had to play, and there were details that made the difference, both in attack and defence.

"Evidently, we still have more work to do. It's about how we track back, how we defend, how we cover the spaces, where our positioning is. We had done it all so well, but a few errors and we get punished."

Peter Olawale has dismissed the suggestion Nigeria should be worried of what is awaiting them when they face Cote d’Ivoire on Sunday afternoon at the Charles De Gaulle Stadium, insisting it is Small Elephants who should be wary of the Flying Eagles.

Ladan Bosso’s boys begin their Wafu U20 Zone B campaign against the Ivorians in Benin Republic with the regional tournament serving as qualifiers for the 2021 Africa U20 Cup of Nations billed for Mauritania.

Nigeria’s preparations for the championship have been ideal, given the fact that they played several warm-up games before announcing their final squad.

According to the Hapoel Ra’anana teenage sensation, the Flying Eagles’ level of preparation would give them an edge over the unfamiliar foes.

“We are in Benin Republic to win the Wafu Cup,” Olawale told Goal.

“Cote d’Ivoire are a big force when it comes to African football but at this level, it’s a different ball game and we are focused on coming out victorious when we face them on Sunday.

“Without sounding boastful, we are blessed with a solid team and an intelligent coach and I feel these factors will make our opponents scared of us and not the other way around.

"We won’t go out to stop their uniqueness but will try as much as possible to help each other out in every part of the pitch.

“We hope to limit their quality, acknowledging their strengths but also their weaknesses and by God’s grace, we will emerge victorious after 90 minutes.”

Wafu U20 was initially billed to take place in November with Togo as hosts, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

For the 18-year-old, delaying the competition is a blessing in disguise for Bosso’s team as that has enabled the Flying Eagles to get familiar with one another.

“Postponing the Wafu Cup was a big blessing for us because that helped us bond very well,” he continued.

“It also gave us the opportunity to play more friendly games that helped us find the right balance and a shared idea of play."

After Sunday’s game against Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria U20 will slug it out with archrivals Ghana on Tuesday.

Inter closed the gap on Serie A leaders Milan as Achraf Hakimi scored twice to help Antonio Conte's team to a 3-1 victory over Bologna.

With Milan not playing until Sunday, Inter took the chance to move to within two points of their city rivals as they claimed a third straight league win.

Romelu Lukaku got the ball rolling with his 12th goal of the season in all competitions, before Marcelo Brozovic's sublime pass played in Hakimi for a second.

Emanuel Vignato's 67th-minute goal threatened to make things tense for Inter, but Hakimi's second – a fine finish at the culmination of a fantastic run infield – wrapped things up.

Inter's early dominance told 16 minutes in when, having initially missed his attempted volley from Ivan Perisic's cross, Lukaku reacted sharply to curl a finish into the top-left corner, with covering defender Danilo only able to help it in.

Lukaku should have doubled Inter's tally just after the half-hour, but a heavy touch allowed Lukasz Skorupski to make a brave stop.

Inter did get their second on the stroke of half-time, however – Hakimi cruising in behind Bologna's defence and coolly side-footing in his second Serie A goal after latching onto Brozovic's inch-perfect pass.

Another chance went begging for Lukaku after the restart, the Belgian just failing to sweep home after Alessandro Bastoni had flicked on Brozovic's cross.

Lukaku turned provider when he teed up Alexis Sanchez, but Skorupski once more stood firm in a one-on-one.

Bologna's goalkeeper rushed out to deny Lukaku again on the hour and Sinisa Mihajlovic's side – looking to win consecutive Serie A games against Inter for the first time since 1999 – made it count when Vignato lashed in from close range.

Yet the contest was all but settled three minutes later as Hakimi cut in on his left foot and drilled in a low finish that Skorupski failed to get enough on.