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Douglas Costa will join Bayern Munich on loan from Juventus before the transfer window closes, Goal can confirm. 

The 30-year-old is desperate to relaunch his career and views Bayern as the ideal place to do it after struggling with injuries in Italy. 

Costa originally joined the Bundesliga giants in 2015 from Shakhtar Donetsk before a loan stint in Turin two years later resulted in a permanent move to Serie A.

Despite initially impressing on loan for Juventus, the Brazilian has failed to fire regularly for the club over the past two years - netting just four times across two seasons. 

Injuries have held Costa back in recent times and with Andrea Pirlo's side well stocked when it comes to attackers, all parties have agreed he should spend the season on loan with Bayern.

Juventus were initially keen to sell the 30-year-old but will now hope Costa can drive his price up over the next year with strong performances in Germany. 

During the 2019-20 campaign, Costa managed 29 outings for Juve and impressed when he was available, scoring three goals in all competitions while laying on a further seven assists.

However, his season was blighted with injury issues, missing 21 fixtures in total, and it was only after the suspension of play because of the coronavirus pandemic that he was able to put together a lengthy series of appearances, and even then these typically came from the bench.

Similarly, he spent a good deal of time during the previous term out. He featured 18 times in Serie A during the 2018-19 campaign but missed four matches due to a suspension and another 16 because of injuries.

These were overwhelmingly muscular, with a hamstring problem keeping him out for two months only to be struck by a calf injury sustained after only 30 competitive minutes.

During his time in Turin, Costa has won three Scudetti, while he is also a two-time Bundesliga champion with Bayern. 

Hansi Flick's side will be bolstered by the arrival of the Brazilian, who were pushed all the way on Sunday as they claimed a late 4-3 win over Hertha Berlin with Robert Lewandowski scoring all four of Bayern's goals. 

Juventus have reached an agreement with Fiorentina and Federico Chiesa to bring the winger to Turin, Goal can confirm. 

The 22-year-old will join Andrea Pirlo's side on an initial two-year loan with an obligation to buy if certain conditions are met. 

Juventus will pay around €2 million for the first year of the loan deal, which will rise to €8m for the second season. Chiesa's stint in Turin would then have to be made permanent for a fee of around €40m ($47m) if certain conditions are met. 

Among a range of factors that would see Juve forced to buy Chiesa outright include the attacker playing at least 60 per cent of matches for at least 30 minutes and the player himself contributing a minimum of 10 goals and 10 assists. 

Chiesa is also expected to sign a contract extension with Fiorentina before sealing his move to Juventus with his wage demands on that front initially holding up the deal. 

A medical in Turin is scheduled to take place on Monday with an official announcement likely to come soon after. 

The 19-time Italy international scored 10 goals in Serie A last season and also struck in Fiorentina's 4-3 loss against Inter last month. 

Fiorentina chief executive officer Joe Barone confirmed in May that several English clubs were "knocking at the door" to sign their young star. 

“There are clubs knocking at the door for Chiesa, some of them who speak English…We’ll see. For the moment, we just need to finish the season and he is very concentrated on doing well for us, Barone told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Chiesa has overcome his physical problems and has returned to being what everyone has already seen." 

Chiesa joined Fiorentina as a junior in 2007 and has never played for another club. He incidentally made his senior debut against Juventus in 2016 but was replaced by then manager Paulo Sousa at half-time. 

Fiorentina have made a poor start to the new Serie A season and currently sit 13th with one win from their first three games. They next face Spezia following the international break and will likely do so without Chiesa in their squad. 

Selangor's 7-0 hammering of PDRM FA in their matchday 10 Malaysia Super League encounter last Saturday produced an unlikely man of the match.

Sean Selvaraj had mostly been playing bit parts since joining the Red Giants in 2018, especially under former head coach B. Satiananthan, who mostly fielded him as a late-game substitute. But after only one match under technical director and interim head coach Michael Feichtenbeiner, he was handed a start against the Cops on Saturday. 

The 24-year old forward repaid the German's trust in stunning fashion, scoring a brace before going on to assist three of their goals in the rout.

After the match, Feichtenbeiner revealed his assessment of the former Negeri Sembilan product, when asked about it by Goal.

"This (players not getting enough playing time) sometimes happens. Every coach has the type of players [that they prefer]. Sean has skills, which is very important for our tactics; transition football needs fast players who can work in defence. His running was very good today and so was his off-the-ball running because he gave his teammates a lot of options, and this is what our style of football needs.

"Today he performed well and he can grow a lot. If he takes his chances and score, that's perfect. He must work on and off the ball for the team and so far he has been taking his chances in training. If he was lazy, I'd never give him a chance. He's a player I'd like for the future," explained Feichtenbeiner.

Michael Feichtenbeiner. Photo from Getty

The man of the moment himself reiterated the need to take the chances that circumstances have presented him.

"I've shown that I'm very, very hungry. I haven't had many chances under Satiananthan, which is not is fault because he had to stick to his tactical strengths, while the new coach's preference is players who run. I'm really happy that I managed to use the chance today to help the team, not just through the goals but also the assists and good movements.

"Everyone at the team knew that Selangor are not where we should be, so we need to buck up in our last two games."

He also revealed to Goal that he has another year on his contract at the team.

"Well, I still have sometime left in my contract, but with the new coach that will come in and the fact that I enjoy being here, I see no reason for leaving next season," noted Sean.

Inter Allies attacker Victorien Adebayor has joined Danish outfit Koge, the Ghana Premier League club has announced.

The Niger international has signed a three-year deal with the second-tier outfit.

He was heavily linked to local giants Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak owing to his outstanding performances in the domestic top-flight.

"Victorien Adebayor joins HB Koge in Denmark," Allies announced on their official website on Sunday.

"We are excited to announce that our talismanic forward Victorien Adje Adebayor has joined HB Koge, which is part of Capelli Sport’s global network of clubs.

"The Nigerien star man joins the Danish First Divison side on a three-year deal after completing his medical.

"He left Ghana last night and arrived in Denmark today and is expected to immediately team up and integrate into the HB Koge team.

"Adebayor’s match displays and goal returns were one of the highlights during his stay in the Ghana Premier League."

Adebayor led the 2019-20 Ghana Premier League goalscorers' chart with 12 goals as at matchweek 15 when the championship was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

He netted 19 goals in 25 league games for the Eleven-Is-To-One over two seasons.

“We have high expectations for Victorien Adebayor," Koe director Per Rud said.

"When we pick up such a high-profile player, we also believe that he can become a crucial figure with us.

”Adebayor is an exceptional player who can cover all places in the offence. Both on the edges, centrally behind the front attacker and all the way in front.

”He has speed in his feet and some technical skills that allow him to put his direct opponent, and then he has a strong left leg."

Adebayor joined Allies in 2018 after impressing while on international duty with Niger at the 2017 Wafu Cup of Nations in Ghana.

In February, he became the club's record goalscorer in a single Premier League season after registering a double against Berekum Chelsea to take his term's tally to 10.

After scoring his 11th goal of the season later that month, the Eleven-Is-To-One issued a statement, declaring the player not-for-sale to any club in Ghana and “warning’ all other domestic clubs to stay away from the player following reports of overtures from Kotoko and Hearts.

Ode Fulutudilu made history with Aland United as her side won the Finnish Women's Cup title for the first time following a 2-1 final victory over TiPS at Myyrmaki Stadium on Sunday.

The South Africa international joined the Wiklof Holding Arena outfit in January months after leaving Spanish side Malaga in 2019 and has continued to impress, with 5 goals in 13 games.

Samuel Fagerholm's team reached their second successive final following a 4-3 semi-final win on penalties after a 2-2 draw over KUPS and aimed to avoid a back to back title final defeat.

Manager Fagerholm offered Banyana Banyana star a starting role following her impactful appearance in 3-1 victory over PK-35 Helsinki, scoring the second goal of the match for her club.

Aland started their quest for title on a high as Anni Miettunen delivered a perfect cross for Pille Raadik to head them in front in the 19th minute of the encounter.

This time, Fulutudilu provided a superb free kick for Miettunen to double the advantage for Aland in the 33rd minute.

TiPS, however were reduced to 10 from three minutes after the restart but pulled one back when Tiia Peltonen scored from a rebound after goalkeeper Anna Tamminen saved Jenna Topra's effort.

Despite TiPS's late fightback in the second half, Aland United held on to secure their first Cup title in front of 525 people in Dickursby.

The victory ends Aland's wait for domestic silverware since 2013 when they last won the Finnish Naisten Liiga title.

Following the Cup success, Aland will continue their quest for a domestic double for the first time in their history as they top the Finnish log with 34 points from 17 matches.

They would aim to maintain their momentum against PK-35 Vantaa in their next fixture on October 17.

Thembi Kgatlana and Charity Adule enjoyed a winning start, while Dorine Chioguoe endured a losing debut as Eibar defeated Real Betis 1-0 in Sunday's Spanish Primera Iberdrola encounter.

South Africa striker Kgatlana joined Eibar from Portuguese side SL Benfica this summer, while Equatorial Guinea defender Chioguoe teamed up with Betis from Spanish rivals Logrono in July.

Iker Dorronsoro handed Nigeria's Adule a starting place in their first top-flight game since 2009, while offering the Banyana Banyana star her first outing as a substitute for his newly-promoted side.

On their part, Betis coach Pier Cherubino, who is seeking to lead top-flight success, chose Chiogoue in his starting XI, while bringing on Cameroon striker Michaela Abam as a second half substitute.

Brazilian star Juliana's solitary effort on the brink of half time handed the Armadillos a dream start at Unbe Sports Complex.

Debutant Kgatlana earned her debut in the colours of Eibar after coming on for Adule in the 69th minute of the match.

For Chiogoue, she lasted the duration of the match, while Abam featured for the last 21 minutes after she replaced Eva Llamas but the African duo could not rescue their side for an opening defeat.

The result saw Eibar move to sixth on the log with no point after the first game, while Betis are 16th on the standings.

In their next fixtures, Eibar will continue their campaign at Levante while Betis host Santa Teresa, both on Sunday.

Ollie Watkins struck a first-half hat-trick and Jack Grealish starred as Aston Villa claimed an incredible 7-2 victory over Premier League champions Liverpool on Sunday. 

Liverpool were without first-choice goalkeeper Alisson due to a shoulder injury and paid the price for some shambolic defending at Villa Park, with John McGinn adding to Watkins' treble in a rampant opening period for Dean Smith's men. 

Mohamed Salah doubled his tally either side of deflected goals for debutant Ross Barkley and Grealish, who contributed three assists in a brilliant display. 

Grealish added another as Villa had unending joy in springing the offside trap against Liverpool's high line, with the Reds conceding seven for the first time since a 7-2 loss to Tottenham in April 1963. 

Adrian's hopes of keeping a clean sheet were dashed within four minutes when his wayward pass to Joe Gomez was seized upon by Grealish, who squared for Watkins to slot home. 

Liverpool did not get a penalty for McGinn's contentious challenge on Salah, while Emiliano Martinez saw a similar error to Adrian's go unpunished before Watkins latched onto another Grealish pass and fired into the top-right corner. 

Salah halved the deficit, yet Villa's two-goal cushion was restored two minutes later when McGinn's wickedly deflected volley found the bottom-left corner. 

Watkins completed his treble before the first half was out by turning home Trezeguet's cross and former Everton midfielder Barkley extended their lead 10 minutes after the restart, aided by a significant touch off Trent Alexander-Arnold. 

Salah swept in a cool finish in the 60th minute but any hopes of a late charge were quickly extinguished by a Grealish strike that hit Fabinho to wrongfoot Adrian. 

Adrian managed to stop Watkins netting a fourth before Grealish made the most of a baffling decision to try to catch him offside on the halfway line, scoring his second. 

Watkins rattled the crossbar in the 85th minute but Liverpool were already set to suffer one of the most remarkable defeats in Premier League history. 

 
What does it mean? A first for Klopp 

Villa were in searing form and became the first team to put at least four goals past Liverpool in the opening half of a Premier League game since Klopp took charge in October 2015. 

In fact, the only time the Reds have conceded four in the opening period of a game in any competition during the German's tenure came on the same ground, when they went down 5-0 to Villa in the EFL Cup quarter-finals. 

However, on that occasion it was a second-string line-up and Klopp was not even in the dugout, as the first-team squad were away at the Club World Cup. 

Glorious Grealish 

Watkins may have become the first player to score a Premier League hat-trick against Liverpool since Dimitar Berbatov in 2010, but he could not have done it without Grealish. The midfielder had multiple assists in the same top-flight game for the first time and created a total of five chances for his team-mates. 

Awful Adrian 

With Alisson to be assessed "week by week", Klopp will be desperate to have him back as soon as possible. In his 21 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool, Adrian has now committed five errors leading directly to goals. Alisson has the same amount in 92 such games. 

Key Opta facts

- Aston Villa have won each of their opening three league games to a season for the first time since the 1962-63 campaign.
- Liverpool are the first reigning English top-flight champions to ship seven goals in a league match since Arsenal against Sunderland in September 1953.
- Since the start of the 2019-20 season, Watkins has scored more league goals than any other player in England's top four tiers (29, including play-offs).
- Liverpool's tally of 11 goals conceded is their most after four games of a league season since 1937-38 (also 11).
- Grealish is only the second Villa player to assist three goals in a single Premier League game, after James Milner against Burnley in February 2010.
- Salah has now scored against 25 of the 26 sides he has appeared against in the Premier League for Liverpool (96 per cent).

What's next? 

Liverpool will hope to get back on track after the international break with a Merseyside derby against Everton, while Villa face Leicester City next. 

Pitso Mosimane's Al Ahly secured a narrow 1-0 in over Al Mokawloon in the Egyptian Premier League match on Sunday night.

The only goal of the encounter was netted by Amr Al Salaya a few minutes before the half-time break and it was enough to hand Mosimane a winning start in Egypt. 

Mosimane, who resigned as Mamelodi Sundowns head coach on Wednesday, was hoping to start his tenure at the Red Devils with a victory after replacing Rene Weiler on Thursday.

The accomplished tactician recalled club captain Mohamed El Shenawy to the starting line-up after he was rested by Weiler in the midweek clash against Tersana.

Weiler led Al Ahly to a 2-1 win over Tersana on Wednesday in what proved to be the Swiss coach's last match in charge of the Cairo giants and he has since been replaced by Mosimane.

Al Ahly were determined to record their 26th win of the season despite having already clinched a record-extending 42nd Egyptian Premier League title. 

The home side broke the deadlock five minutes before half-time after they were awarded a penalty which was converted by Amr Al Salaya.

It was Al Salaya's seventh goal of the season in the league and he has played 26 matches in the competition this term. 

The 31-year-old midfield maestro will be hoping to remain a regular under Mosimane with the Red Devils looking to complete quadruple.

Al Ahly have already won the league title and Super Cup under Weiler this season and the ambitious club is hungry for more success.

Mosimane has been tasked with winning the Caf Champions League title and Egyptian Cup to complete what would be a remarkable achievement by the North African giants.

The Red Devils are scheduled to face Morocco's Wydad Casablanca in the Champions League semi-finals and Abou Qir Fertilizers in the Egyptian Cup quarter-finals later this month.

Al Ahly's next match is against ENPPI SC in a domestic league match on Wednesday, October 07 and Mosimane's side has three games left in the competition. 

Juventus could be handed three points in controversial circumstances after they took to the field at Allianz Stadium to face Napoli on Sunday despite the absence of their opponents.

Napoli were blocked from making the journey to Turin by local health authorities after two players, Piotr Zielinski and Eljif Elmas, tested positive for Covid-19 along with a member of staff at the club.

The game was officially cancelled 45 minutes after kick-off by the referee, to bring the curtain down on a strange Serie A saga that will likely be highly contested by the visitors following the decision to forge ahead.

Gennaro Gattuso's side had professed a hope to be able to postpone the tie, much as Genoa were able to put their encounter with Torino on ice following a significant coronavirus outbreak of their own.

In spite of this however, the Bianconeri announced on Saturday that they would take to the field regardless of the lack of opposition, indicating that the match could therefore be forfeited by the visitors, with the hosts handed a 3-0 walkover as a result.

Juve president Andrea Agnelli weighed after the game was called, stating: "Napoli president [Aurelio] De Laurentiis sent me a message and I replied that [we], as always, abide by the rules.

"He wanted to postpone the match, but we have regulations that tell us how to proceed. Every industry has its rules and we need to respect them. I don’t think the ASL [local health authority] of Naples can intervene if the FIGC protocol, which refers back to the government’s circular, is not observed at some point. If the protocol changes, we will once again abide by it".

Andrea Pirlo made three changes to the side who drew 2-2 with Roma in their previous game, with Paulo Dybala, Arthur and Rodrigo Bentancur all drafted into the starting line-up for the non-encounter.

Serie A backed up Juventus' stand ahead of the game on Sunday, stating that there were no laws preventing Napoli from fulfilling the fixture in spite of their positive tests.

“The Council of the Lega Calcio did also approve a set of rules that can lead to the postponement of a game only with several cases of players testing positive for the virus," the league announced in a statement. "These conditions can’t be applied to the current Napoli case at the moment and there are no decisions of the local authorities that prevent the game from being played.”

Napoli have won both of their opening matches of the new season, compared to Juve who have taken only four points - but such an outcome could effectively see them leapfrog their rivals in their quest for further Serie A success once again.

The former have been one of Pirlo's side's closest rivals across the past decade, rarely finishing outside the top three and often providing stern opposition in domestic cup competition, having won last season's Coppa Italia in a penalty shootout against the Bianconeri.

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has now scored against 25 of the 26 clubs he has appeared against in the Premier League following his strike against Aston Villa on Sunday.

The fleet-footed forward was one of the standout performers for the Anfield outfit as they suffered a shock 7-2 defeat against Villa.

The Egypt international was afforded his fourth league appearance in the encounter and gave a good account of himself despite his side’s thrashing by Dean Smith’s men.  

The forward reduced the deficit for Jurgen Klopp’s men after Ollie Watkins had given Villa a 2-0 lead with his brace.

Salah reacted first after Guinea international Naby Keita’s shot was blocked, and he calmly tucked home his effort.

The 28-year-old has now scored against most of the sides he has faced in the English top-flight since teaming up with Liverpool.

Salah then got his second in the encounter at the hour mark after benefitting from a through ball from Roberto Firmino.

The forward featured for the duration of the game but his effort was not enough to help the Anfield outfit avoid the heavy defeat.

Salah has been a consistent performer for Liverpool since joining the side from AS Roma in the summer of 2017.

His efforts helped the Anfield outfit won the 2018 Champions League title and end their 30-year wait for the Premier League diadem last term.

The forward has won a number of individual accolades following his impressive displays for the Reds, including the two Premier League Golden Boot awards and African Footballer of the Year prize.

Salah will hope to inspire his side back to winning ways when they slug it out against Everton in their next league game on October 17.

The versatile forward has 67 appearances for the Egypt national team and played a significant role as the North Africans qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Salah will be expected to feature prominently for the Pharaohs in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Liverpool have been left with more than just red faces after their shock 7-2 rout at the hands of Aston Villa, as Jurgen Klopp's side notched up a clutch of unwanted records for both the club and the Premier League in the process.

A first-half Ollie Watkins hat-trick and a Jack Grealish brace after the break helped do the damage against the reigning champions at Villa Park as the visitors found themselves on the wrong end of a magnificent result for Dean Smith's side.

Though Mohamed Salah struck either side of the break, the Reds were unable to turn their vastly superior possession into an advantage, with their hosts mustering just 30 per cent of the ball throughout and registering less than half the number of passes.

On a day where old rivals Manchester United capitulated in just as extraordinary circumstances against Tottenham Hotspur , Liverpool were forced to watch as their aura of near-invincibility which served them so well last term was shattered by a rampant Villans team.

Perhaps the most ignominious stat to arise from defeat was that they became the first incumbent titleholder in the English top-flight to ship more than half-a-dozen goals at the back for almost 70 years, with Arsenal the last side to do so in September 1953, when they lost 7-1 to Sunderland - thereby making it the heaviest defeat by a current Premier League champion to date.

It also represented the first time that Liverpool had conceded seven goals in a game since April 1963, when Bill Shankly's side were drubbed by Spurs on their way to an eighth-place finish in the old First Division.

In terms of more recent history, the defeat also marked the worst result of Klopp's tenure at the helm - and arguably displaces the club's 6-1 loss to Stoke City in 2015 under Brendan Rodgers as their worst of the modern era.

Through the unusual quirk of fate across the M62 to boot, the result also means that Liverpool and United conceded six goals apiece for the first time on the same day in history - leaving both Klopp and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with much to think about.

Jose Mourinho has stated that he does not belive Tottenham's demolition of Manchester United will "destroy" Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his squad, but the former Red Devils boss did profess his sympathy for his successor after their 6-1 mauling.

Spurs ran rampant over a 10-man Red Devils side at Old Trafford in Sunday's Premier League clash, with doubles for Son Heung-min and Harry Kane helping to deal the damage on an often woeful performance from the hosts.

Despite an early Bruno Fernandes penalty handing them a second-minute lead, United capitulated at the back in dramatic fashion, with further goals from Tanguy Ndombele and Serge Aurier helping to cement a famous victory while Anthony Martial was sent off at the half-hour mark for an altercation with Erik Lamela.

United's abject defending in the first three games of this Premier League season has seen them concede 11 goals. The only other time they let in at least 10 over the same period at the start of a season was in 1930-31, when they were relegated.

The humbling nature of the defeat will cast further doubt over Solskjaer's credentials as the manager to restore United to the summit of English football, but Mourinho, the man he replaced in the dugout in 2018, insists he deserves credit for an obvious overall improvement in the team's fortunes.

"I have sympathy for Ole because of the result," he told reporters. "I don't remember that I lost by six but I lost by five, I lost by four. I know how we hurt.

"I know it's very, very important that the winning manager behaves in a way where he shows sympathy. Of course, I want to win, and of course, I want to win by seven, not by six. Don't get me wrong.

"But it's sympathy in our behaviour. Today was him, tomorrow is me. Of course, I feel sympathy for him. I can imagine that tonight he's not going to sleep very, very well. But this is the hard life of us.

"But when I look to his team, there was an evolution. It's not like he arrives here and the team doesn't improve. The team is improving, they have good players, he bought lots of young players. Very good players. If it's true that [Edinson] Cavani is coming, Cavani is one of the top strikers in the world. Manchester United is Manchester United. It's not a defeat that is going to destroy them. I can imagine they will react like Manchester United always react.

"So, I feel sympathy for the result, but apart from that no sympathy because he has an incredible job and it feels like the players like him, they are with him. They are going to react for sure."

Solskjaer was incensed by Lamela's behaviour, the Spurs winger having flung an arm at Martial and then dropped to the ground under minimal contact as the Frenchman retaliated.

Mourinho, though, suggested United were fortunate not to see further red cards, with Paul Pogba having put in one or two heavy challenges and Luke Shaw having scythed down Lucas Moura as he ran towards David de Gea's penalty area.

"I didn't watch [Lamela's reaction]," he said. "For sure, for sure, for sure, Manchester United could have ended the match with eight players. I can say because some of the reactions were not far from me and easy to see. But I agree with [referee] Anthony Taylor for not showing more red cards to them because it would be a disastrous situation for them.

"So, for example, that Luke Shaw red card...okay, that's a bit...the situation between Lamela, Pogba and Martial, I don't know. I don't know. What I know is that before that we were winning, we were dominating, we were ultra-confident. And that's the only thing that made the game easier. But the game was in our hands."

Barcelona had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Sevilla despite Philippe Coutinho quickly cancelling out Luuk de Jong's early opener in Sunday's LaLiga clash. 

The two sides entered the match with 100 per cent records from their opening two league matches this term, and there was little to separate them at Camp Nou. 

Sevilla opened the scoring inside eight minutes when De Jong thumped the ball past Neto - the first goal Barca have conceded this season - but Coutinho profited from Jesus Navas' error 105 seconds later to level things up. 

Ronald Koeman's men were put under a lot of pressure in the second half and survived a scare as Ronald Araujo hit his own crossbar, but in the end the contest finished level. 

Sevilla, now winless in 18 LaLiga trips to Barcelona, had gone ahead through De Jong's strike after Suso's left-sided cross was headed down into the forward's path. 

Coutinho responded instantly for Barca with a simple finish after Navas inadvertently set him up, having attempted to cut out Lionel Messi's pass to Jordi Alba. 

Antoine Griezmann prodded wide from a promising opportunity and Ansu Fati, beaten too easily in the build-up to the visitors' opener, tested Yassine Bounou from further out. 

After Diego Carlos nearly scored an own goal, Araujo - filling in for the suspended Clement Lenglet in defence - did likewise at the other end, diverting a low cross against the bar. 

Jules Kounde twice sent headers wide and Youssef En-Nesyri perhaps could have done better with a headed opportunity of his own, as Sevilla looked for the rarest of wins in this fixture.

The hosts also had a late chance, yet Trincao, brought on in place of Griezmann, was unable to get the better of Bounou when racing through on goal.

What does it mean? Winning runs come to an end 

Barcelona beat Villarreal and Celta Vigo without conceding in their first two matches of the Koeman era, though this was always going to be their toughest test yet. 

That proved to be the case, with an in-form Sevilla - unbeaten inside 90 minutes since February - holding their own in terms of possession and edging the shot count (13 to 12). 

Kounde involved at both ends 

It is easy to see why the Sevilla defender is so highly coveted by teams around Europe. 

He completed more passes (77) than any player on the pitch and did not concede a single foul. Perhaps more impressively, considering Messi was on the field, nobody bettered his three attempts. 

Navas gifts equaliser to Coutinho 

The versatile full-back claimed an assist in Sevilla's first two league games and he set up another goal here - albeit for the opposition. 

At full stretch in an attempt to intercept a searching Messi pass towards Alba, Jesus knocked the ball into Coutinho's path and the Barca playmaker had an easy finish. 

What's next? 

Barcelona travel to Getafe in their first LaLiga game back after the international break, while Sevilla are away to Granada. 

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has called for calm after seeing his side suffer a humiliating 7-2 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday. 

Jurgen Klopp's side were humbled away from home by Villa, who scored four goals in the first 45 minutes and wrapped up the win despite having just 30 per cent of possession across the match. 

This was the first time the Reds have conceded seven goals in any competitive game since 1963, while they are the first reigning English top-flight champions to ship so many goals in a league match since Arsenal did so against Sunderland in 1953.

While a monumentally bad result for Liverpool, Van Dijk was quick to pay respect to Dean Smith's side and called on his team to react appropriately to the defeat. 

"It's hard to lose the way we lost tonight. First and foremost well done to Aston Villa, we have to give them the credit they deserve," Van Dijk told Sky Sports post-match.

"It was one of those performances where we weren't 100 per cent at it from start to finish. The goals we conceded we should have done, but also the chances that we had, we should have done better. Overall we're all disappointed, we shouldn't have lost with the numbers that we did but it's about sticking together and making sure it doesn't happen again.

"You can't take the credit away from Aston Villa, but we should have been more clinical. In all aspects of the game we should have done much better. It's important not to get crazy but we've got to step it up and the performance level between the Arsenal league win and today was too big."

On the absence of Sadio Mane and Alisson, he added: "We prepared well and we played a good game against Arsenal in mid-week. Our preparation was good and we were ready for it before the game. Unfortunately in the game it didn't happen how we wanted it to."

Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins claimed a hat-trick against Liverpool and believes he should have had even more goals to his name. 

"I can’t believe it really. Getting one goal is good but three is unbelievable. I think 1-0 up gives us confidence, we grew into the game and punished them," he told BBC's Match of the Day.

"I came away with a hat-trick but think I could have got more. It is bitter sweet."

Ollie Watkins felt he should have scored more than a hat-trick in Aston Villa's scarcely believable 7-2 victory over Liverpool on Sunday.

Villa spent a club-record fee reported to be £28 million ($36m) to sign Watkins from Championship side Brentford in September and he opened his Premier League account with a first-half treble in a remarkable triumph over the reigning champions.

John McGinn was also on target as Dean Smith's team took a 4-1 lead into the break and there was no let-up after half-time, with Ross Barkley and Jack Grealish scoring either side of Mohamed Salah netting his second of the game.

Watkins was denied by Adrian and rattled the crossbar after Grealish doubled his tally as Liverpool's high line and persistent attempts to play an offside trap were punished.

It was the first time in 57 years that Liverpool have conceded seven goals in a game, with the last time England's reigning champions shipped that many occurring in 1953.

"Before the game I wouldn't have thought I'd score three goals, but after the first one I got a bit of confidence and grew into the game," Watkins, who became the 10th player to score a Premier League hat-trick against Liverpool and the first since Dimitar Berbartov in 2010, told Sky Sports.

"I got chances and I should've got more at the end. I don't know if I was offside for one, but I think one-on-one with the keeper I've got to be scoring that. You can always improve and I back myself to score that.

"We saw how high they play and the game plan was to try to get in behind them and you could see it worked. We fancied ourselves today but I'm not sure we thought the scoreline would be like that.

"It was more about blocking off passing lanes and just making sure they can't pass through us. We knew it'd be hard, but we all worked together and it showed tonight.

"A perfect hat-trick as well, the boys were saying at half-time, so I'll take that."

With his trio of goals, one scored with his left, one with his right and one with his head, Watkins took his tally of league goals since the start of last season to 29 – more than any other player in England's top four tiers.

Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Alisson Becker is likely to be missing for six weeks through injury, but says the Brazilian’s absence was not the reason for the Reds’ incredible 7-2 defeat at Aston Villa.

Alisson was ruled out of the game at Villa Park having damaged his shoulder in training on Saturday. And without their No.1, the reigning champions were taken apart by a confident, well-drilled Villa side.

Ollie Watkins scored a first-half hat-trick and Jack Grealish netted twice after the break to condemn Liverpool to their heaviest defeat since 1963. It is the first time any reigning English champion has conceded seven times in a game since Arsenal in 1953, though in truth the damage could have been even greater given the chances Villa squandered.

Klopp revealed afterwards that Alisson had “no chance” of featuring in Liverpool’s next game, a daunting-looking trip to Goodison to take on early-season pace-setters Everton in a fortnight’s time.

“It could have been worse, for sure, so we were slightly lucky,” Klopp told his post-match press conference. “But he has no chance to play against Everton.

“I don't want to put a timeframe but four weeks is possible, six weeks more likely."

Adrian, Alisson’s deputy, was culpable for Villa’s first goal, gifting the ball to Grealish who played in Watkins to score inside four minutes. The Spaniard, generally, produced a nervy performance, though he was by no means alone in that.

“The first goal was not good but I don’t think he had anything to do with the other goals,” Klopp said. “We didn’t help him tonight. 

“He is a really good goalie. Last year we played 11 games with him and won pretty much all. Tonight our goalie was not the problem. The reaction to the first goal was not his problem, it was our problem.

“It is not often I have seen games like this. I am old enough to know strange things can happen in football. You could see in moments that in challenges Aston Villa wanted it more and that is something I saw and I don’t like.”

Klopp gave credit to Villa, who have now won their opening three games of a top-flight campaign for the first time since 1962-63, but denied suggestions his side’s preparation had been hampered by the absence of Alisson, and positive COVID-19 tests for both Thiago Alcantara and Sadio Mane.

“That is for the supporters and journalists,” he said. “I don’t need one excuse. 

“Whatever team I had tonight, I would not expect to lose 7-2. Aston Villa did really, really well but we helped as well. A game like this, it should not happen, 100 per cent, but it was nothing to do with the players who missed, or the players who replaced them.” 

He added: “Nothing what I could say tonight could help that result so why should I be completely outraged? 

“Is it a one-off? I would like to think so but the proof of that will be in the next couple of weeks or months. 

“A game like that should not happen, 100 percent. I don’t think I lost that high. It is not a personal defeat but it is a massive one. It is important how we react. The only problem is we cannot react tomorrow. 

“These boys are very self-critical and they know everyone has his hand in this result. We have to deal with it and we will deal with it.”

Frank Lampard believes the in-demand Callum Hudson-Odoi needs to improve off the ball to reach the next level, particularly when it comes to implementing Chelsea's pressing system.

Hudson-Odoi made his first Premier League start since the UK lockdown due to coronavirus in the 4-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.

That lack of minutes in the league had prompted Bayern Munich to believe that they could convince Hudson-Odoi to move to the Bundesliga champions.

Chelsea have rejected Bayern's attempt to sign the 19-year-old on loan with a view to a £70 million ($89m) deal for the England international in 2021, with talks set to continue ahead of the transfer window closing on Monday.

With his future in doubt, Lampard was asked to compare Hudson-Odoi with Willian, who left to join Arsenal this summer, and assess his game with the spotlight firmly on the young winger.

"I am not sure I want to compare him to Willian, they both have some aspects but they are not as similar as you might think," Lampard said at Stamford Bridge.

"With Callum, his work off the ball is something I am trying to improve because at this level in the Premier League, you see how we worked last year, and Willian was the first trigger in us winning the ball back.

"He covered so much ground in high areas, at speed, off the ball. Wingers have to have that mindset these days. That's something I put on Callum and he has to improve on little bits and he did better, but he can still do more.

"I think Callum's natural ability is on the ball, taking people on the outside and that's what he can do, and those things will come out as Callum keeps developing. As he builds confidence, he needs to know that I am behind him in that sense because he can bring a lot. Then, we will see a lot more from Callum.

"We have to remember he had a very difficult injury to overcome at a very young age. It is not easy to do that when you are a player with pace, trickery and explosiveness of that nature.

"I think this season Callum can offer a lot for us in those terms because of his natural ability."

Frank Lampard is hoping that he can find a settled Chelsea defence after the partnership of Thiago Silva and Kurt Zouma impressed in the 4-0 win over Crystal Palace.

Silva, signed on a free transfer from PSG, worked well in a new-look backline that featured fellow new signings in goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and left-back Ben Chilwell, alongside Zouma and Cesar Azpilicueta.

It was the first clean sheet for Chelsea in the Premier League this season in five attempts and it comes after the Blues conceded 54 league goals last term.

Lampard says he is searching for a more settled defence than last season when the club conceded the highest number of goals since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003.

"I am really pleased with the clean sheet for everybody involved," Lampard said at Stamford Bridge. "Not just the goalkeeper and the back four but the whole team. We didn't give a really dangerous team away from home any chances to score which was great for the focus of the team.

"Yes, Thiago and Kurt looked very good, very composed. With Thiago, he has great experience and we saw that. It is still early days in terms of fitness, so let's see how that partnership works but I want to find some sort of stability in the back four, of course, you do.

"It needs some competition and those two showed how well they can do it but that needs to continue."

Roy Hodgson's Palace side are known to be dangerous on the counterattack and at set-pieces, and have produced high-profile upsets in recent times, including a win over Manchester United already this season.

Indeed, they competed well with Chelsea in a scoreless first half before their collapse in the second half. Lampard was heard shouting 'move it quicker' in a drab first half and he continues to send a message that his side are still learning to gel after seeing six new signings arrive this summer for a total spend of around £220 million ($275m).

"There's always a big eye on Chelsea as a club and, of course, we brought in players over the window and I understand everyone wants to see it straight away that we come together," he added.

"It is just not the way that football works. What you saw in the first half was control of the game but I felt in the final third, especially in the middle of the pitch, was a little bit slow. It allowed a team as well organised as Palace to just deal with us for most of the first half.

"In the second half, we found Ben Chilwell quicker; we found balls between the lines, we were prepared to go one-on-one with defenders. Those are the things that are going to grow, that's something that I have to drive.

"The players will get better with each other and learn the movements that I want them to make and I think we saw a little snippet of that in the second half but there's a lot of work to do on that.

"As much as I won't get too down as some seem to be after the West Brom and Tottenham games, I won't get too high either. There's a lot of work to be done but today, we saw some nice signs."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp declared his team "lost the plot" after conceding inside four minutes against Aston Villa in a 7-2 loss on Sunday in the Premier League. 

The Reds conceded four first-half goals with Ollie Watkins netting a hat-trick inside 45 minutes as Villa strolled to a third straight league win. 

Klopp's side dominated possession but struggled to make the most of their chances and were made to pay in defence by a ruthless Villa, who scored seven times from just 11 efforts on target.

While a monumentally heavy defeat for the reigning Premier League champions, the Liverpool manager concedes he saw such a result coming after conceding so early and continuing to make so many mistakes. 

Asked if he could believe result post-match, Klopp told BBC Sport: "Yes, I saw it. So it is easy to believe because I was here. First of all you have to say that Villa did very well. They were very physical, very smart and very direct, we were not.

"We had big chances which we did not use, but when you concede seven I’m not sure you can say it would have been 7-7. We made too many mistakes and massive ones obviously. It started with the first goal and around the goals we made massive mistakes.

"We lost balls in the wrong area and did not protect properly. It looked like we lost the plot after it went to 1-0. It is not an excuse. Normally you can be 1-0 down and do the stuff you want to do. We created but did not protect ourselves properly so each ball we lost was a massive counter attack.

"That is why we conceded and three goals were deflected. It’s unlucky but it is not a coincidence because it means it was not a proper block. There is nobody to blame apart from me and us.

"Aston Villa were so good. Watkins wow and of course when you give the ball to Jack [Grealish] in a one v one situation on the left he can go either way and create chances.

"Who wants to lose 7-2? Years ago we told ourselves we wanted to create history. That was history but obviously the wrong type."

The shock result sees Liverpool slip to fifth in the Premier League, while Aston Villa are now second despite playing one game less than every other side currently in the top half of the table.