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Aboubakar Kamara scored a goal while Josh Onomah provided an assist as Fulham got the better of Sheffield Wednesday in the third round of the EFL Cup at Craven Cottage.

Scott Parker’s men are back in the Premier League after a year’s absence and have started on a bad note with back-to-back defeats against Arsenal at home and away to fellow-promoted side Leeds United.

In between this was a 1-0 win at Ipswich Town in the previous round of the EFL Cup, Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic netting the only goal of the game.

There was however none of that on Wednesday night as Kamara gave them a ninth-minute lead having been assisted by French striker Anthony Knockaert.

Fulham got their second in the 32nd minute via Jamaica international Bobby Reid, Onomah delivering the ball to the 27-year-old. Reid had scored for the Cottagers in their 4-3 loss at Leeds United at the weekend, with 24-year old Cameroon international Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa providing the assist.

Kamara was on for 70 minutes with his goal being his only shot on target. He also had two touches, 14 accurate passes at 67% and two key passes.

Onomah’s assist was his only key pass in the game and he also produced 34 touches, 19 accurate passes at 76% and one successful dribble from a single attempt.

Both Kamara and Onomah had a hand in a combined 14 goals (seven goals, seven assists) last season with the Cottagers ultimately making it into the top-flight by getting the better of Brentford, 2-1 after extra time in the promotion-playoff final at Wembley.

Fulham will now face Everton – who saw off Fleetwood Town, in the fourth round of the EFL Cup. Before that, they will be hoping to bag their first Premier League win when they tackle Aston Villa at Craven Cottage next Monday.

Kai Havertz scored a hat-trick as Chelsea sealed their progression into the EFL Cup fourth round with a dominant 6-0 win over Barnsley.

Havertz had struggled in his first two Premier League appearances, but the former Bayer Leverkusen star got up and running in English football in style on Wednesday.

With Tammy Abraham opening the scoring, Havertz doubled Chelsea's lead before playing his part in Ross Barkley putting the hosts 3-0 up.

Havertz added to his tally with a superb finish soon after, subsequently rounding off his first senior hat-trick 10 minutes later – Olivier Giroud making it six for Chelsea late on.

Callum Hudson-Odoi squandered a great chance in the opening two minutes and Chelsea were fortunate not to be made to pay when Thiago Silva, making his debut, gifted possession to Patrick Schmidt, whose cross just evaded Cauley Woodrow.

Yet it was the hosts who struck first – Abraham slotting in after dispossessing Aapo Halme.

Mason Mount should have put Chelsea 2-0 up but Havertz made no mistake from the next opportunity, coolly dispatching beyond Bradley Collins from close range.

Willy Caballero kept Barnsley at bay three more times before the break, though hopes of a comeback were ended when Havertz forced Alex Mowatt into an error and Barkley drilled home.

Havertz had his second six minutes later, picking out the bottom-right corner with a wonderful strike.

His hat-trick goal came courtesy of a Collins howler – Barnsley's goalkeeper caught stranded on the edge of his box as Havertz nudged it past him and slammed into an empty net before being subbed off.

Barkley missed a glorious opportunity to add a sixth, but Giroud was on hand to pile further misery on Barnsley when he headed in debutant Ben Chilwell's cross late on.

What does it mean? Mourinho reunion next up?

Tottenham may receive a bye to the fourth round due to several Leyton Orient players testing positive for coronavirus, and Chelsea's reward for their victory would be a meeting with their former manager if that proves to be the case. Frank Lampard's side came out on top in both league clashes with Spurs last season.

Havertz arrives with a bang

Lampard has urged patience with Chelsea's new signing and Havertz repaid his manager's belief with an excellent display. Across Europe's top five leagues, only Robert Lewandowski (35), Lionel Messi (32) and Cristiano Ronaldo (31) have been involved in more goals in all competitions in 2020 than the 21-year-old, who has 18 goals and eight assists.

Barnsley no match for the big boys

Gerhard Struber set his side up to attack, but though the Tykes caused Chelsea problems at times, they have now lost 15 of their last 17 EFL Cup matches against top-flight opponents.

What's next?

Chelsea travel to West Brom in the Premier League on Saturday, while Barnsley are in action against Coventry City in the second tier.

Arsenal are into the EFL Cup fourth round after Christian Fuchs' own goal and a late effort from Eddie Nketiah handed them a 2-0 win at the King Power Stadium.

Mikel Arteta made seven changes to the side that beat West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday and his new-look XI struggled to lay a glove on the hosts during a tepid first half. 

They improved after the break, though, and opened the scoring shortly before the hour mark when Fuchs inadvertently put through his own net after Nicolas Pepe's shot had come back off the post.

Nketiah bundled home from close range in the 90th minute to seal the win and ensure Arsenal made it three wins from three at the start of the 2020-21 season.

Both goalkeepers were called into action inside the opening 10 minutes, Danny Ward tipping over Reiss Nelson's fizzing drive from distance and Bernd Leno denying Kelechi Iheanacho at the other end. 

The lively Nelson missed a glorious opportunity to open the scoring shortly after the half-hour mark, firing wide from 12 yards after finding space at a corner. 

Leicester almost went into the interval ahead but James Maddison's curled effort from 20 yards crashed back off Leno's left-hand post. 

After a sedate opening to the second period, Arsenal forged ahead in the 57th minute. Pepe's initial shot was pawed away by Ward, but the Ivorian's follow-up shot from an acute angle flew back off the post into Fuchs and over the line.

Wes Morgan denied Arsenal a second, heading Nketiah's looping effort off the line, while Ayoze Perez inexplicably headed wide 10 minutes from time in what was comfortably the Foxes' best chance of the game. 

Nketiah then added Arsenal's second late on, scuffing home from inside the six-yard box after substitute Hector Bellerin's mazy run, with Daniel Amartey somehow failing to clear the danger. 

What does it mean? Much-changed Arsenal cruise through

The Gunners barely had to get out of second gear to ease past Brendan Rodgers' insipid side. 

Arteta will be relieved his decision to shuffle his pack did not backfire, with his much-changed side ensuring the club have now progressed into the EFL Cup fourth round in 17 of the last 18 seasons. 

Nketiah ends mixed display on a high

The highly rated 21-year-old has now scored in consecutive games following his winner against West Ham at the weekend.

He was not at his best against Leicester - making the fewest passes and having the fewest touches of any Arsenal starter - but he showed a poacher's instinct with that late goal. 

Iheanacho struggles in rare start

The Nigerian international started just 16 games last season and he is unlikely to replace Jamie Vardy any time soon if he continues to put in displays as ineffectual as this. He had one shot on target and completed just 12 passes, comfortably the lowest of Leicester's starters. 

What's next?

Both sides are back in Premier League action next, with Leicester travelling to Manchester City on Sunday and Arsenal visiting champions Liverpool a day later.

Jose Mourinho will name a strong Tottenham team at Shkendija on Thursday, rather than calling on the players who were set to face Leyton Orient.

The compact nature of the new season has provided Spurs with a frantic fixture list, with three matches scheduled for this week.

However, Tuesday's Carabao Cup meeting with Orient was called off after the League Two club announced a number of positive coronavirus tests in their first team.

Mourinho had previously professed his frustration at the Carabao Cup schedule and also bemoaned a "world of contradictions" after West Ham played Hull City despite their own Covid-19 cases.

"In relation to the EFL Cup, my initial feeling was when people don't respect us, why should we respect the competition?" he said.

"But in the end, it is a competition where I have a history, Tottenham have a history. It is the last trophy that Tottenham won. It is another competition where we think we have the same rights as others to try to compete.

"In relation to testing and Covid and all this situation, there are so many contradictions that I don't want to go into, this world of contradictions.

"I see so many contradictions, the way different countries react to it, the way football authorities in different countries react to it. There are so many contradictions that, honestly, I just do what I'm told to do. I don't want to get into that."

That development gave Tottenham an unexpected night off on Tuesday ahead of the trip to North Macedonia for their Europa League third qualifying round match.

Mourinho will not simply send out the same side that had prepared for Orient, however, explaining the gap between Sunday's win at Southampton and this fixture was far more manageable for his big names.

Indeed, having required a late turnaround against nine men to beat Lokomotiv Plovdiv in the previous round, the coach is wary of taking Shkendija lightly.

"The team that was supposed to play last night is different than the team that plays tomorrow," Mourinho said.

"The main reason is we played Sunday against Southampton and one thing is Sunday-Tuesday, another thing is Sunday-Thursday.

"It is a normal situation for a football player of this level to play on Sunday and have three days rest and play again Thursday. That's normal.

"It's not normal to play Sunday and then Tuesday, so obviously the teams are going to be different. The main reason is the health and conditions to perform.

"Is the Europa League a competition that we want very, very much to go to the group phase? Yes, it is.

"I think from my experience, and even you without experience in this chair, as a journalist, you can perfectly feel it's much more difficult this knockout than the group phase of four teams and six matches.

"The six matches give us a little space for a mistake - for example, at [Manchester] United, we lost two matches in the group phase, we won four and we progressed - so we cannot take many risks with these matches.

"Even playing with a very strong team like we did in Bulgaria, we were 15 minutes away from a defeat and being knocked out."

Frank Lampard has praised summer signing Thiago Silva after a "perfect" Chelsea debut for the former Paris Saint-Germain star.

After sitting out the first two games of the Premier League season, Silva started and played the first 60 minutes of the Blues' 6-0 Carabao Cup victory over Barnsley.

The Brazilian is still working his way to full fitness, having been given time off after helping PSG reach the Champions League final just last month.

He featured into the second half on Wednesday before being replaced by Kurt Zouma, and his new manager was left impressed by everything he saw from the longtime defensive star.

"Yes, it is exciting for us because he has had just over a week training with us. It was a perfect 60 minutes for him tonight," Lampard said. 

"He will show the qualities he has. Of course, he will get fitter and better. He also gave us something for me on the night in the dressing room and on the pitch of a leader with authority in terms of his demands on others.

"He can’t speak the language but, at the minute. that’s not even a problem because his presence and the way he commands people around him is already showing that to me in training and in our game tonight.

"Yes, I am very very pleased with Thiago. It is what I expected of a player of his level but it is very refreshing to have him here at the club."

Silva moved to Chelsea on a free transfer this summer, having seen his eight-year stay in France come to an end with a 1-0 loss to Bayern in the Champions League final in Lisbon

Although his PSG career ended on a low with that defeat, Silva made 315 appearances for the club, helping lead them to seven Ligue 1 titles in those eight seasons.

In total, Silva won 23 trophies with PSG, with Lampard hoping that Silva's trophy-winning pedigree proves a major asset to a younger Chelsea squad.

Having already beaten Brighton before losing to Liverpool, the Blues are next set to take on West Brom in the club's third game of the Premier League campaign.

Burger King's decision to become the front-of-shirt sponsor for League Two side Stevenage in 2018 has paid off after their bold plan to go virtually viral succeeded beyond all expectations. 

Despite the club languishing at the bottom of the professional pyramid in England, Stevenage do make the cut in each edition of the video game FIFA. 

That's where Burger King saw their chance for some unlikely exposure as they got their logo on Stevenage's jersey to ensure it also appeared in the EA Sports game. 

From there, they created The Stevenage Challenge that encouraged gamers to play with the club, sign big-name players and share any success on social media. 

To date, it's safe to say the marketing ploy has worked a treat with over 25,000 goals scored by Stevenage posted online and the team quickly becoming the most used in FIFA's career mode.

The likes of Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah have all also been signed by players taking part in The Stevenage Challenge, meaning Burger King have somehow ended up on the virtual shirts worn by football's biggest stars. 

“You haven’t heard of Stevenage Football Club, right? Well, neither had we but we realised that even though they’re at the bottom of England’s fourth division, they were going to be appear in the same video game that all the expensive players were going to be in. And that’s when, almost two years ago, we decided to sponsor Stevenage," a Burger King spokesperson said on a video posted on Twitter.  

"Because if we put our logo on their real shirt we would definitely have our logo in the game. Introducing The Stevenage Challenge.

"Gamers around the world immediately started Stevenage. Signing the best players to our team and playing with them. For every goal they shared on Twitter we gave them rewards.

"The news took the gaming community by storm. Just like that our small team in real life turned into the biggest team online.”

According to Burger King, Stevenage's jerseys sold out for the first time in their history as a result of the ingenious marketing ploy. 

The club are lucky to still be in League Two after finishing 23rd out of 24 teams last season and only avoided relegation after Bury's expulsion from League One meant just bottom-side Macclesfield Town dropped down to the National League. 

Stevenage have begun the new season with one win and one draw from their first two league games and continue to have the Burger King logo on the front of their shirts. 

Atletico Madrid rejected a £78 million (€85m/$99m) offer from Manchester City for defender Jose Gimenez, the La Liga club's president Enrique Cerezo confirmed.

Gimenez, 25, has been linked with a move to City and AS reported earlier this month that Atletico had turned down a big-money offer from the Premier League club.

Cerezo confirmed the La Liga giants had received the offer from City, but wanted to keep the defender – who tested positive for coronavirus on Monday – at the Wanda Metropolitano.

"We did receive the offer," he told El Transistor. "But Gimenez is a magnificent player and we are interested in having magnificent players in the team."

Gimenez joined Atletico Madrid in 2013 from Uruguayan club Danubio and has gone on to become a first-team regular under Diego Simeone. 

South American football expert Tim Vickery recently expressed his belief that Gimenez could prove to be a shrewd albeit expensive buy for Pep Guardiola's side.

"Gimenez is one of the best young centre-backs around. He is a baby-faced assassin. Only 25, and he looks younger, but he has already played two World Cups and he is as hard as nails and he can play as well," Vickery told Sky Sports.

"He has perhaps never operated in a team that is as attack-minded as Man City. Both with Atletico Madrid and Uruguay he is with more reactive teams so this would be a challenge for him but there aren't many better young centre-backs around in the world.

"I think it would be a costly piece of business for Man City, but a very good one."

After finishing third in La Liga last season, Atletico – who have agreed a deal to sign Barcelona star Luis Suarez – begin their new campaign at home to Granada on Sunday.

While the season is set to begin behind closed doors amid the coronavirus pandemic, Cerezo is hopeful fans will be back sooner rather than later.

"We are hopeful that the public will be able to return to the stadiums before the end of the season," he said.

"It is a difficult issue to control, but I think with the controls we have and with the good behaviour of the world of football, we will be able to continue this campaign well."

Pep Lijnders believes the signing of Thiago Alcantara can fundamentally raise the level of Liverpool’s performances this season.

The Reds assistant says the Spanish international’s presence will provide “direct and indirect improvements” at Anfield, with other players encouraged to follow the former Bayern Munich man’s lead.

Thiago enjoyed an encouraging introduction to English football last weekend, emerging off the bench for the second half of Liverpool’s 2-0 win at Chelsea.

Although he conceded a penalty – saved by Alisson Becker – the 29-year-old managed to set a new Premier League record of passes completed in a single half; a sign of things to come, Reds fans will hope.

Discussing Thiago on Wednesday, at a press conference to preview Liverpool’s Carabao Cup tie at Lincoln, Lijnders stated that the team “deserves a player like him”, and explained how his way of playing will have a knock-on effect for those around him.

He said: “With signings you have direct improvements – you put them into the game and things happen - but indirect development is the most important of signings. 

“Because [Thiago] is so calm and he plays so many creative passes, all the other players start playing like that. This is the power of example, the power of models. He will not only improve our game but improve all the other players.”

Liverpool are yet to decide whether Thiago, or indeed fellow new signing Diogo Jota, will feature against Lincoln, the early leaders of League One.

Lijnders hinted on Wednesday that the Reds team will be stronger than many suspect, though we can expect to see the squad utilised, with the likes of Kostas Tsimikas, James Milner, Curtis Jones and Takumi Minamino all likely to feature.

Asked if Thiago would be spared the trip to Sincil Bank, Lijnders smiled.

“The German [League Cup] competition is like this as well,” he said. “A lot of times when you draw a third division club in Germany you play away, that's how they try to help, so he knows these kind of teams. 

“Thiago needs time to understand our game but we also need to understand and use the skills of Thiago. There will be different timings, different passes, different dictation of play.

“We have to stay unpredictable and Thiago gives us unpredictability from the spine of the pitch. We want hopefully 11 players who can play the last pass and for sure he is one of the players who can play this last pass.

“We always search to do the right thing for each game. We have so many different characteristics in our midfield [so] we can change when necessary and put the right midfield in in place to approach the game. 

“It is not just Thiago of course, but Curtis Jones who comes in and takes an important spot in midfield, who gives us risk between the lines, gives us young blood. He is a proper squad player at this moment in time.”

Discussing Jota, who cost Liverpool an initial £41million (€45m/$52m) when joining from Wolves last weekend, Lijnders allayed fears the Portugal international would find it difficult to get game-time given the presence of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino as Jurgen Klopp’s established forward line.

“You saw our schedule, right? He will win matches!” he said. “He is a player on the level of the front three technically, a pressing monster. 

“The adaptation will hopefully be quite quick, and with good players it is normally quite quick. He has to learn our game and the way we want to do things but when we see him play in the national team for Portugal we see them play 4-3-3, there are a lot of similarities between these two teams. He will play. He has been bought to create solutions for us.”

Alex Iwobi scored a goal and provided an assist as Everton continued their unbeaten start to the season with a 5-2 win over Fleetwood Town in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

Iwobi made his first appearance of the season in the victory over West Bromwich Albion at the weekend but made the starting XI this time.

Everton did not let their guards down on Wednesday with Richarlison giving them the lead in the 22nd minute, courtesy of Bernard's assist.

The Nigeria international turned provider for the Toffees second goal, playing a lovely backheel to Richarlison after a brilliant one-two with the Brazilian.

Fleetwood were not going to give up so easily and pulled one back through second-half substitute Mark Duffy two minutes after the restart.

Everton would go on to extend their lead not too long after thanks to Iwobi, Nigerian tapping home with consummate ease after being fed by Richarlison. It marked the first time the Arsenal academy graduate scored and assisted in the same match for the first time in his club career.

Fleetwood again cut the deficit, this time from Callum Camps in the 58th minute, but Everton were equally in the mood to get more goals and added a fourth through Bernard and substitute Moise Kean wrapping things up in added time with the fifth.

The victory will see Everton face West Ham United in the Carabao Cup fourth round at Goodison Park next week.

Iwobi had a brilliant evening, recording a total of five shots, four successful dribbles from seven attempts, 78 touches on the ball and 48 completed passes from 54 with accuracy at 89%

The Super Eagles star played 25 times in all competitions last season having joined from Arsenal, scoring two goals and providing one assist.

The 24-year-old will hope to make his first Premier League start this season when Everton battle Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

The Toffees kicked off their campaign first with a 1-0 Premier League win at Tottenham Hotspur followed by a 3-0 triumph over Salford City in the second round of the League Cup.

The next was an emphatic 5-2 win over newly-promoted West Bromwich Albion in the league on Saturday.

Barcelona have confirmed that Luis Suarez has joined Atletico Madrid after the two Spanish sides came to terms on a deal for the Uruguayan star.

Atleti will pay Barca €6 million (£5.5m/$7m) to acquire the striker, who departs Camp Nou after six seasons with the club.

Suarez had been heavily linked with Juventus in recent weeks as the Italian champions have been in the hunt for a striker, but the Bianconeri moved on to other targets after Suarez was forced to go through a lengthy process of acquiring Italian citizenship.

Instead, he'll head to Atleti after a stay with Barca that saw him claim 13 trophies while becoming the club's third-highest all-time goalscorer, only topped by Cesar and Leo Messi.

"FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have reached an agreement for the transfer of the player Luis Suarez. The Madrid club will pay FC Barcelona €6 million in variables," the Catalan club announced.

"FC Barcelona would like to publicly express their gratitude to Luis Suarez for his commitment and dedication and wishes him all the best for the future."

Suarez originally made the move to Barcelona in 2014, having emerged as a superstar during his time with Liverpool.

He went on to score 198 goals in 283 games for the Blaugrana, earning the Golden Shoe as Europe’s top scorer after scoring 59 total goals in 2015-16.

While at Barca, Suarez won four La Liga titles and a Champions League, as he famously scored against Juventus to secure that European title for Barca.

He'll now join Diego Simeone's Atletico outfit, giving the club an option up top following the departure of Alvaro Morata, who recently joined Juventus on an initial 12-month loan deal with an option to buy for €45m (£40m/$52m).

Suarez scored 21 goals in 36 games for Barca last season as he battled injury midway through Barca's campaign in what turned out to be his least-prolific season at the Camp Nou.

After arriving in August, new Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman told Suarez he would not be in his plans for the upcoming season, sealing the 33-year-old's fate at Camp Nou.

Now with Atletico, Suarez could be ready in time for this weekend's match against Granada with the club then set to visit Huesca next Wednesday.

Frank Lampard thinks that Wednesday was the first of many great nights for Kai Havertz in a Chelsea shirt, after the club's summer signing provided a standout performance in the Carabao Cup.

Chelsea cruised past Barnsley at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, with Havertz firing a hat-trick in the 6-0 win over Championship side.

Havertz was joined on the scoresheet by Tammy Abraham, Ross Barkley and Olivier Giroud as Chelsea ran rampant in a match that saw summer additions Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva make their debuts.

Following an opener from Abraham, Havertz fired three of Chelsea's next four goals with Barkley's 49th-minute finish sandwiched in between the first and second. 

Havertz's goals were his first in a Chelsea shirt, having struggled in his first two games after the club completed his £70 million ($91m) move from Bayer Leverkusen.

Lampard admitted that he nearly took Havertz off just before he completed his hat-trick, although the Chelsea boss admits he is glad he didn't.

"Perfect game for Kai today because he came here without hardly any training," Lampard told his post-match press conference. "We had to throw him in because we had injuries in attacking areas.

"Tonight was a great progression, for him to play this game. His work rate, he helps Ross Barkley score his goal, his tackle in midfield in a high area and he gets his three goals in good quality. There's only going to be more of that.

"I predicted it. I wanted to protect him at that point. The idea with Kai tonight was to give him a training session. To not disrespect the game, but for him personally, to see how we play, to work with his teammates, get on the pitch, see how we want to press, be part of that.

"When we have the ball, there's much more of an element of freedom for a player of his quality. He did everything we wanted from him tonight."

He added: "It was a great exercise for him, another game to see how we want to work off the ball, but also have freedom on the ball and combinations with Tammy [Abraham]. It's the first of many great nights for him."

Next up for Chelsea will be a trip to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday before the Blues return home to face Crystal Palace in their fourth Premier League match of the season. 

Mikel Arteta says his Arsenal side are evolving without Mesut Ozil.

The German playmaker has not played a singe minute for the Gunners since football returned after lockdown in June and hasn’t made any of Arteta’s squads for the opening three games of the new campaign.

Having started the season with two successive victories in the Premier League, Arsenal’s manager rang the changes for Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup success at Leicester City - yet Ozil once again was left out.

When quizzed on the 31-year-old’s absence following the 2-0 win, Arteta said: “The team is evolving, you can see the level they are achieving. This is where we are at the moment. We want to evolve more and play better and compete better.

“You can see that the players we are changing, we are using, it's very difficult every week not just for Mesut but for some other players as well to make the squad. Every week we try to pick the right players.

“It's difficult for others as well that aren't involved in the Premier League and didn't play tonight either. We have a squad of 26, 27 players at the moment and we can't give playing time to all of them.

“I understand and I respect your questions but I have to try to do my job as fair as possible. I try to select the players that are, in my opinion, in better condition.”

Another player who did not feature in the win against Leicester on Wednesday night was Lucas Torreira. Like Ozil, the Uruguay international has yet to play this season and is believed to be on the verge of leaving the club, with both Atletico Madrid and Torino interested in signing him.

There have been suggestions that a loan deal with Atletico is close to being agreed, one that would include an option to buy at the end of the season. Arteta was insistent, however, that Torreira was not left in London due to any ongoing transfer talks.

“I’m not making decisions because players might leave or stay,” said the Gunners boss. “It's just for the players that we see every day in the best possible condition to compete and win football matches.”

When asked whether Torreira was close to moving to Spain, Arteta added: “I cannot discuss any internal matters.”

Liverpool assistant manager Pep Ljinders has praised Fabinho for his positional sacrifice in the team's 2-0 win over Chelsea in the Premier League last weekend.

The Brazilian starred in an unfamilar centre-half role at Stamford Bridge and could be set to fill in again at the back during Carabao Cup third-round game against Lincoln City, with Joe Gomez and Joel Matip still injured.

Ljinders spoke highly of Fabinho's willingness to play anywhere to help the team and lauded the 26-year-old for his performance as the Reds kept their first clean sheet in eight games during the victory against the Blues.

"It shows his character that he is always ready to help the team. Playing at centre-back, he sacrificed himself," Ljinders said.

"If you saw the difference between the Leeds game and the Chelsea game, the last game is a big compliment to our last line. The way we defended with the last line, their behaviour and braveness how we always controlled the movements of Timo (Werner) going in behind and how we stopped counter-attacks.

"I always say avoiding goals takes 22 feet and two gloves. It's not just Fabinho stopping the counter-attacks, as a whole team we have to defend, but Fabinho was an easy choice to be man of the match! Jurgen [Klopp] likes players who can play in different positions.

"Do we want Joe Gomez and Joel Matip back? Yes please! But Fabinho can play a super game there as well, as long as we defend the last line as we did at Chelsea. Otherwise it would be much more difficult for him."

In the match against Chelsea, Fabinho made a game-high four interceptions and gained possession 12 times, while completing 86 of his 89 passes.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp felt the Brazil international was a strong contender for man-of-the-match with his performance.

"If Sadio wouldn't have scored two goals, I think Fab would be a proper contender for man of the match," the Liverpool manager told a news conference after the match. "I loved his performance, he played outstanding. He helped us a lot with the ball and in defending as well, so yes, a proper performance."

Chelsea midfielder Kai Havertz has said he is hungry to score even more after netting a hat-trick in the Carabao Cup against Barnsley.

The German star scored his first three goals for his new club in his third game, as Chelsea destroyed their Championship opponents 6-0 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. 

After Tammy Abraham opened the scoring in the 19th minute, Havertz found the net in the 28th minute before adding another two goals in the second half. Ross Barkley and Olivier Giroud also scored in the rout.

It was a stellar display from Havertz, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen in the off-season for an initial £62 million ($79m) fee.

The 21-year-old hadn't fully shown his potential in his first two Chelsea appearances, but that all changed against the Championship side at Stamford Bridge. 

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Havertz expressed his happiness at his performance but underlined his hunger to continue finding the back of the net with the Blues.

"I’m very happy to score three goals but of course it’s my beginning here at the club and I want to score more goals, more goals," the Germany international said. 

"This is my goal and I'll try to do my best and I'm very happy to score three goals today and I hope to continue like that."

Havertz linked up especially well with Tammy Abraham on the night, with the German serving as the No.10 behind Abraham at the striker position.

Abraham's dummy led to Havertz's first goal before the England striker assisted the 21-year-old's final two goals on the night. 

"I think he’s a very very good striker and I think our partnership on the pitch was very good," Havertz said of Abraham.

"It was our first game together but I like him very much as a striker. For me as a No.10, it’s very good to play with him."

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard admitted after the match that he nearly took Havertz off right before he completed his hat-trick.

"No, I didn't know," Havertz replied when asked if he was aware of his manager's plans. "Perfect!"

Alex Iwobi is hoping to give Everton manager ‘a migraine’ as he seeks regular playing time at the club this season.

The Nigeria international started his first game of the season on Wednesday as the Toffees cruised to a 5-2 win over Fleetwood Town in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

Iwobi played the entire of duration with a contribution of a goal and an assist to his name.

After the encounter at Highbury Stadium, the 24-year-old assessed Everton's overall performance as he targets more opportunities in Carlo Ancelotti's team this term.

"Our performance tonight showed the confidence and the quality we have," Iwobi told Sky Sports.

"We've got strength in depth and were able to rotate the team and get a performance today so it shows we have a good team for the season.

"It was good experience for me to get 90 minutes under my belt as I'm trying to get fit for all competitions so it was good for the manager to give me the opportunity today.

"Everyone wants to play so hopefully I can give the manager a migraine and get involved as much as I can."

Everton have a date with West Ham United in the fourth round of the competition next week and Iwobi disclosed the Toffees are aiming to win their first silverware since 1995.

"Fleetwood changed their formation second half and were more attacking, they're a good team as they showed by getting two goals against us but we were able to withstand that and we pleased to be going to the next round,” he added.

"We're targeting every competition every season, if you're in it you have to try and win it so hopefully we can beat West Ham as well."

Bayern Munich defender Javi Martinez's proposed return to Athletic Club is on the verge of collapsing. 

Martinez joined Bayern from Athletic in 2012 and after eight trophy-filled years in Bavaria, the 32-year-old is hoping for a return to the Basque club - but Goal and SPOX understand that the move is in serious jeopardy over the proposed termination of Martinez's Bayern contract, which has entered its final season

Athletic are counting on Bayern and Martinez reaching an agreement over the cancellation of his contract, which would allow the Spaniard to then join them on a free transfer. 

Bayern, though, are holding out for a fee of around €10 million (£9m/$12) and appear unwilling to negotiate a termination of Martinez's deal. 

Should Martinez not require a transfer fee, Athletic believe they have the required funds to invest in a salary that would successfully lure their former player back.

However, the Liga club won't be able to put together a competitive contract offer for Martinez should they also be required to invest in a transfer fee. 

Martinez also has interest from Real Sociedad, as well as clubs in Saudi Arabia and China that could offer him a much more lucrative deal than either Liga side. 

He missed Bayern's traditional Oktoberfest photo shoot on Tuesday, prompting speculation that he had secured a transfer away from the German champions. On Wednesday, however, Martinez was named in the squad for Bayern's UEFA Super Cup match against Sevilla on Thursday.

Bayern head coach Hansi Flick said on Wednesday that he wasn't completely certain of Martinez's situation, but was happy to have him as an option for the match in Budapest.

"I can't always quite understand things," Flick said. "I was also a bit surprised that Javi Martínez was already gone, even though he is still in our squad. I'm glad Javi is here."

Martinez has been a valuable option for Bayern since his arrival in 2012, filling in at centre-back and in central midfield, but the veteran has seen his role reduced lately and made just 10 starts in all competitions in 2019-20.

Last month, Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirmed that Martinez was looking to leave the club. 

Paris Saint-Germain star Angel Di Maria has been hit with a four-match suspension for spitting on Marseille defender Alvaro Gonzalez during a late-game melee earlier this month.

The incident came during a scuffle towards the end of PSG's 1-0 loss to Marseille, a heated match that saw five players sent off in the game's final moments.

Towards the end of the game, the two teams engaged in a scuffle, with Neymar among those to earn a red card for slapping Gonzalez during the coming together between the two rival sides.

The Brazilian, who was dismissed alongside team-mates Layvin Kurzawa and Leandro Paredes as well as Marseille duo Jordan Amavi and Dario Benedetto, later accused the Spanish defender of making racist remarks, which Gonzalez denied.

Neymar went on to say that his only regret was "not hitting that asshole in the face", with Gonzalez firing back by saying the winger must learn how to lose with grace.

Di Maria was also heavily involved in the incident, with Marseille boss Andre Villas-Boas claiming that the Argentine spat on one of his players during the late-game clash, and the Argentina international forward has now been hit with a four-game suspension after a review of the incident.

The suspension will begin on Tuesday, meaning Di Maria will be eligible for this weekend's visit to Reims in Ligue 1. After that, he will miss matches against Angers, Nimes, Dijon and Nantes before potentially returning against Rennes on November 8.

Di Maria has scored one goal in three games for PSG so far this season as the defending Ligue 1 champions have now claimed six points from their first four matches in the French season.

The Argentine made 41 appearances in all competitions for the club last season, scoring 13 goals while serving as a vital figure in PSG's run to the Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

He originally joined PSG in 2015 after a difficult one-year spell with Manchester United following a spectacular run with Real Madrid. Di Maria has made 224 appearances in total, scoring 83 goals as PSG have claimed four Ligue 1 titles during his time in France. 

Former Ghana and Bayern Munich star Samuel Osei Kuffour believes Asante Kotoko's decision to compete in the 2020-21 Caf Champions League is a step in the right direction.

The Porcupine Warriors have resolved to represent the West African country in the elite continental championship amid safety concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

There has also been worry about the club's long period of inactivity, the side having been out of action since March when a national ban on public gatherings, including sporting events, came into force.

“Kotoko should go to Africa. They should go and attempt because if we don’t go we won’t get the experience," Kumasi-born Kuffuor told Peace FM.

"Kotoko is on the same level as Ahly, [Tout Puissant] Mazembe and others and if we have people who can sponsor the club from the board, why shouldn’t we go.

“Kotoko should go and test our resolve against some of the teams. I think we should go and compete and use it as preparations [for the following season], just like the 1983 squad."

Kuffour also spoke about Kotoko's new eight-member management team unveiled in Kumasi on Tuesday.

The new leadership includes former GFA deputy general secretary Emmanuel Dasoberi (administrative and operations manager), Eric Twum (commercial manager), Thoma Sevordzi (finance manager), Dentaa Amoateng (diaspora and international relations), Akua Pokuaa Kwarteng (head of legal - domestic), Nilo Effori (head of legal - international) and David Obeng Nyarko (special assistant to the CEO).

"You can agree and disagree with people’s opinion but one thing I have realised is the insult. The insults are not good," Kuffuor added.

"The Kotoko board is made up of businessmen who have employed people so if you sit on the radio and insult them, I disagree.

"You can say whatever you want to say without the insults. I want to beg everyone to stop.

"These are respected people who are investing their time and resources into Kotoko, so we should encourage them instead of the insults.

"If you insult those running the clubs, it will discourage others from coming on board."

In 2015, Kuffuor came close to being named Kotoko CEO.