Fulham's social media admins were able to have some fun at Jurgen Klopp's expense on Sunday, as they took a cheeky swipe at the Liverpool manager's post-match comments.

Klopp lamented Liverpool's display in their Premier League opener at Craven Cottage, with the early kick-off on Saturday finishing 2-2.

He told BT Sport: "The best thing about the game is the result, that we got a point from a really bad game for my side. Now the question is how can that happen."

However, Klopp – who has a previous track record of using pitch or weather conditions to excuse a slightly below-par display – couldn't help but mention that "the pitch was dry".

A throwaway comment it may have been, and in the wider context it was clear Klopp was far more frustrated with his team than the pitch, but that did not stop the comments going viral on social media.

On Sunday, Fulham took the opportunity to crack a joke, tweeting a photo from prior to kick-off on Saturday at Craven Cottage, showing sprinklers watering the pitch with the accompanying caption: "The Craven Cottage turf looking absolutely lush yesterday."

Fulham's jibe might well be used against them when they travel to Anfield later in the season - ask Brighton and Hove Albion how social media posts can be reversed for likes and  retweets - but they at least took the chance to get one over on Liverpool's manager.

Manchester United's all-time leading scorer Wayne Rooney has advised the club to allow Cristiano Ronaldo to leave before the transfer deadline.

Portugal international Ronaldo is widely reported to be pushing for an exit from Old Trafford due to his desire to continue playing in the Champions League, though suitors have not emerged for his services.

Ronaldo missed the club's pre-season tour of Australia and the Far East due to personal reasons, with his pre-season action limited to just 45 minutes in a friendly against Rayo Vallecano last week.

In the build-up to United's Premier League opener against Brighton and Hove Albion, a lot of the talk has focused on Ronaldo's future and Rooney believes the right move would be for the club to approve an exit.

"I think United should let Cristiano Ronaldo go," he wrote in the Times.

"It's not that Ronaldo can't play in a Ten Hag team. He can play in any team. Ronny will always score you goals.

"But my personal view is that United aren't ready to challenge for the title now, so the aim has to be to build a team that can win the league in the next three to four years, and you have to plan for that.

"If the reports are true that Cristiano wants to leave the club, then United should allow him to go and get a number nine in who is going to be there for the next three or four years and really help them build a team that can be successful. Ten Hag has to be given time to do it."

New United manager Erik ten Hag insisted he is "really happy" to have Ronaldo in his squad, making it clear his preference would be for the experienced forward to remain.

"I am really happy he is here. We have a top striker. We stick to the plan," he said in a news conference.

Paris Saint-Germain head coach Christophe Galtier has backed Lionel Messi to shake off last term's challenges and have a "great season" after opening the Ligue 1 campaign with a double.

Messi capped off PSG's 5-0 win at Clermont on Saturday with two late goals, including a spectacular over-head strike. Neymar, Achraf Hakimi and Marquinhos all scored in the first half.

The Argentine's double comes after he only managed 11 goals in all competitions in his first season in the French capital following his move from Barcelona, while he struggled to find cohesion alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe last term too.

"He had a bit of a difficult season last season, he had to fit in," Galtier told reporters.

"There was a radical change but in every season before that he has at least 30 goals.

"He went through a complete pre-season. When he has his bearing both in terms of his family life but also in terms of his club, the team and his fellow players, there is no reason why Leo should not have a great season."

Galtier, who took over at PSG from Mauricio Pochettino last month, was glowing in his praise of Messi having spoken at length during their pre-season tour of Japan.

"I spoke with Leo during our time in Japan and I also talked with my attacking players to make sure that he could perform well all the time," he said.

"Leo has a very sharp tactical sense, very clear. He has vision. He quickly sees where he has to go.

"The way he defends, the way he positions himself to play with others. He can get into the zone. He likes to play with the players he has around him.

"From there, when Leo smiles obviously, the team smiles too."

PSG are in action next weekend in the league at home to Montpellier.

Max Scherzer delivered 11 strikeouts across seven innings to cap a perfect day for the New York Mets who swept their divisional double-header with the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.

The Mets got past the Braves 8-5 in the matinee game, followed by a 6-2 victory in the evening led by Scherzer's impressive outing.

The wins were critical in the National League (NL) East where the Mets improved to a 69-39 record ahead of the reigning world champions at 64-45.

Scherzer was at his vintage best for the Mets, amid tension given the Braves had recently closed in on Mets in the race for first place ahead of the five-game series.

"This is what you play the game for," Scherzer said. "You play to face the best, especially deep in the season. You grind it out here in the NL East."

Scherzer's 11 KS means he sits fourth on the all-time MLB list for most 10 or more strikeout games by a pitcher with 109, behind Nolan Ryan (215), Randy Johnson (212) and Roger Clemens (110).

Yankees shut out as Montgomery stars

Jordan Montgomery came back to haunt his former employers only days after being traded as the St Louis Cardinals defeated the New York Yankees 1-0.

Montgomery pitched five scoreless innings for the Cardinals who triumphed courtesy of Paul Goldschmidt's first-inning run driven in by Nolan Arenado.

The Cards new left-handed pitcher, who was involved in the trade deal for Harrison Bader, only managed one strikeout but only allowed two hits and a walk.

Dodgers edge divisional rivals

Max Muncy's fifth-inning go-ahead three-run blast helped the Los Angeles Dodgers topple the San Diego Padres 8-3 in their National League (NL) West battle.

The Dodgers were trailing 3-2 at the time, but Muncy's intervention turned the tide. The Dodgers extend their lead in the NL West with a 74-33 record compared to the Padres who are 61-49.

The home run was Muncy's 11th for the season. Will Smith also had a solo home run, to finish with three hits with two runs and three RBIs.

World number one Daniil Medvedev strolled to victory for his first title of the year at the Los Cabos Open with a 7-5 6-0 demolition of reigning champion Cameron Norrie on Saturday.

The Russian, returning to hard-court tennis in Mexico this week ahead of his US Open title defence, pulled away after an injury timeout late in the first set to comfortably triumph against the 12th-ranked Briton.

Medvedev won every game after the timeout, taken for treatment on a hand issue, after scores were locked at 5-5, with both players having broken serve in the first set.

The third-seeded defending champion had no answers in a lopsided second set which only lasted 26 minutes.

This year's Australian Open runner-up, playing in his fourth final of the season, sent down 5-0 aces and converted six of 10 break points for the match to secure his 14th career title. He was exceptional on serve, with a 67 per cent first-serve win percentage.

The triumph capped an excellent week for Medvedev, who did not drop a set across five wins.

"Every match was very good, but the final match is always special," Medvedev said on court after the match. "It's always a high-level match and I'm really happy I managed to show some good levels and play some good shots."

Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios will take on unseeded Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka in the Washington Open final on Sunday after maintaining his unblemished record at this year's event with a 7-6 6-3 victory over Mikael Ymer on Saturday.

Kyrgios, who won in Washington DC in 2019, had played twice on Friday following rain delays on Thursday but found his passage through with 10 aces including one on match point to secure victory in one hour and 34 minutes.

"I didn’t play anywhere near my best tennis today," Kyrgios said. "I served pretty solid, but from the back of the court I didn’t play well at all. I'm just happy to be in the final once again."

Kyrgios is yet to drop serve throughout this year's tournament and has knocked off seeds Francis Tiafoe, Reilly Opelka and Tommy Paul along the way.

The Australian will take on Nishioka who stunned top seed Andrey Rublev 6-3 6-4 in one hour and 20 minutes to secure a spot in his third career final, beating a top 10 opponent for the third time in his career.

Rublev blasted 21-8 winners but also hit 31-14 unforced errors, with the Japanese's consistency proving enough for victory.

Shelby Rogers continued her dream run at the Silicon Valley Classic with victory over ninth seed Veronika Kudermetova securing a spot in the final against last year's runner-up Daria Kasatkina who toppled Paula Badosa.

Unseeded 29-year-old American Rogers has knocked off top seed Maria Sakkari along with Amanda Anisimova and 2019 US Open winner Bianca Andreescu on her way to the decider.

Rogers is also yet to drop a set, maintaining that run against the higher-ranked Kudermetova for a 6-3 6-4 victory in one hour and 20 minutes.

The triumph marks Rogers' biggest final in her career and her first on tour in six years.

Rogers, who trailed 2-0 in the second set, broke Kudermetova's serve with her second match point to clinch victory.

Second seed Badosa was bundled out by Kasatkina 6-2 6-4 in 46 minutes in the other semi-final on Saturday.

Badosa did not appear 100 per cent physically throughout the match and Kasatkina capitalised to secure back-to-back finals in San Jose.

The Spaniard had three break points in the decisive game before Kasatkina converted her first match point.

Kaia Kanepi and Liudmila Samsonova both powered their way into the Citi Open final with comfortable victories on Saturday.

Sixth seed Kanepi ruthlessly swept aside Australian Daria Saville 6-3 6-1 in one hour and 13 minutes, moving her closer to her fifth career title. The 37-year-old Estonian blasted 18 winners for the match.

World number 60 Samsonova proved too good for China's Wang Xiyu, winning 6-1 6-1 in one hour and seven minutes. Samsonova's big hitting was a key feature behind her win with four aces and 17 winners.

Brandon Wu holed out an eagle to grab a share of the lead with Im Sung-jae moments before play was halted and ultimately suspended on Saturday at the Wyndham Championships due to inclement weather.

Only 12 of 86 players completed their third rounds on Saturday, with Im and Wu both managing just 11 holes before play was called off amid rain and lightning in Greensboro, North Carolina.

There are 10 players within two strokes of the lead including five chasing their first wins on the PGA Tour.

The lead duo are tied at 12-under, with the South Korean moving into joint top spot on the leaderboard after four birdies across his 11 holes.

American 25-year-old Wu landed a birdie on the 10th hole and followed that up with an eagle on the 11th to draw level with Im just before the horn blew to suspend play. After a lengthy delay, play was called off for the day with light fading.

Wu had shared the lead at the halfway point with Kim Joo-hyung and Ryan Moore but the latter slipped two shots back after two bogeys from his completed 10 holes on Saturday.

John Huh, who held the lead after a first-round nine-under-par 61, steadied to be equal second at 11-under-par through 11 holes alongside Kim who completed 10 holes.

Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat was the only player sitting near the top who finished their third round on Saturday, to be 10-under-par, with none of the rest of the top 10 getting through more than 11 holes.

Irishman Shane Lowry only got through 13 holes having been forced to charter a private jet to make his tee time after leaving the course on Friday presuming he had missed the cut. Lowry is 11 shots off the pace.

The third round will resume at 7.30am local time on Sunday.

Raphael Varane will be able to show his best this season, says Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, who adds that the Frenchman's fitness will be "a huge boost".

The veteran centre-back arrived at Old Trafford last term to partner Harry Maguire, but a run of injuries saw him muster just 22 league games in all, robbing United of some much-needed stability at the back.

While England international Maguire often shouldered much of the ire, supporters were also left frustrated by Varane's fitness issues, and wondered what role he would play this term under new management, particularly with the arrival of Lisandro Martinez.

But Ten Hag believes having the World Cup winner at full fitness will only aid his squad, adding that he constructed a specialised pre-season training plan in order to help bolster the 29-year-old's prospects.

"[I'm] 100% convinced [we'll see his best]," the Dutchman stated ahead of his side's Premier League opener against Brighton and Hove Albion.

"During pre-season, we built a careful and individual training plan. In the last three weeks, he has been involved in every session on the pitch, I am really happy about that.

"You see him growing, his fitness levels and also his performance levels. I am happy about that as, at the moment, Rapha will be fit and it is a huge boost for both the squad and the team."

Elsewhere, Ten Hag addressed his desire to balance both a commitment to victory and an appreciation for attractive football, after United struggled for both results and flair last term under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.

"A Dutchman, they always want to play attractive football," he said. "That's why I am here and I like it. You want to win, but you also want to win in a certain way, being proactive, brave and with adventure.

"That is also what belongs to the culture of Man Utd, we want to bring it in but, at the end of the day, if you cannot win in a good way or an entertaining way, you still have to win.

"That is the mentality and the attitude that we have to bring in. Of course, there will be games where you will not play well but you still have to win."

Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi tried to look on the bright side after his team were beaten 4-2 by Villarreal in their final pre-season outing before the new Serie A campaign.

The contest in Pescara on Saturday saw Romelu Lukaku find the net for the second time since returning to the Nerazzurri on loan from Chelsea, while Danilo D'Ambrosio also scored.

However, goals for the Yellow Submarine from Alfonso Pedraza (two), Francis Coquelin and Nicolas Jackson gave Unai Emery's side an impressive win over the Italian giants.

Speaking after the game, Inzaghi simply said: "These tests help to grow, and there are things to review, but we played against a team that last year reached the Champions League semi-final."

Since beating FC Lugano 4-1 in their first pre-season outing, Inter have not won any of their four subsequent friendlies, drawing with Monaco and Lyon and losing to Lens and Villarreal.

Dutch centre-back Stefan de Vrij was more direct in his words, saying post-game: "Too many goals conceded. We have to keep working, because that's not enough."

Inter begin their Serie A campaign away to Lecce on August 13, as they look to reclaim the Scudetto after losing out to local rivals Milan last season.

Paris Saint-Germain head coach Christophe Galtier confirmed Kylian Mbappe's absence from their Ligue 1 opener was precautionary, with the star striker set to return next week.

The France international sat out the first game of PSG's title defence just under a week on from missing their Trophee des Champions triumph over Nantes.

Mbappe's absence was not particularly felt on Saturday, as a Lionel Messi double and a superb four-goal-involvement performance from Neymar helped PSG to a 5-0 rout of Clermont Foot.

But speaking to Canal+ afterwards, Galtier has assuaged fears the 23-year-old could be a long-term absentee, acknowledging he could have risked him had it been a high-stakes game.

Asked if Mbappe could be back next weekend, Galtier said: "Yes, I think so. He had a little problem, [and] we didn't want to take any risks.

"Obviously, if we had been playing a difficult game or a Champions League game, Kylian might have participated.

"We preferred to delay his return and he will be with us obviously, I think, against Montpellier."

PSG will play their first home game of the season against Montpellier next Saturday, with the club hoping to make it three competitive wins on the bounce under their new boss.

The Premier League kicked off on Friday as Arsenal beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, but the first Saturday of the season always feels like the real curtain raiser.

An unusually early August Saturday saw some surprise results, with Liverpool forced to come from behind twice to rescue a draw at Fulham, while another promoted team secured all three points as Bournemouth beat Aston Villa 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium.

The third new arrival in the top flight, Nottingham Forest, were beaten 2-0 at Newcastle United, while Tottenham had to respond to an early setback before eventually running out 4-1 winners against Southampton.

Leeds United also recovered to snatch a 2-1 victory over Wolves despite going 1-0 down inside six minutes, and the late kick-off saw Chelsea edge a 1-0 win at Everton to ruin Blues legend Frank Lampard's opening day.

Here, Stats Perform uses Opta stats to bring you some of the more interesting numbers from the day's action.

Fulham 2-2 Liverpool: Salah's usual opening day goal not enough for Klopp's Reds

It can go either way when you are scheduled to face a promoted team. You either get nervous opponents, or confident ones.

Liverpool got the latter on Saturday as an excellent Fulham performance could easily have led to Marco Silva's men beating last year's Premier League and Champions League runners-up.

Two goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic gave the Cottagers hope of an upset, though substitute Darwin Nunez equalised the first on his debut, before Mohamed Salah cancelled out the Serbian's second, a cool penalty.

Mitrovic became the first player to score two goals for a promoted side on the opening day of a Premier League season since Steve Mounie for Huddersfield Town against Crystal Palace in August 2017.

Salah usually finds the net on the opening day and now has eight goals on matchday one of an English campaign, the joint-most with Alan Shearer, Lampard and Wayne Rooney.

Nunez and Salah provided assists for one another in a promising start to their life together in Jurgen Klopp's forward line, and the Uruguayan became just the third player in Premier League history to both score and assist off the bench on his debut after Sergio Aguero (Man City v Swansea, August 2011) and Alvaro Morata (Chelsea v Burnley, August 2017).

Bournemouth 2-0 Aston Villa: Promising start for Parker as Villans' woes continue into new season

In the battle of former England midfielders in the dugout on the south coast, it was Scott Parker who came out on top against Steven Gerrard.

Jefferson Lerma was the surprise scorer of an early opener, with his goal after one minute and 56 seconds the earliest scored on the opening day by a promoted team in Premier League history.

Kieffer Moore rose to head in the second late on to seal the win, and the Wales international has now scored in each of his past four league games for Bournemouth (five goals in total), as many as he managed in his previous 25 (one appearance for Bournemouth, 24 for previous club Cardiff City).

It was a far from ideal start to the campaign for Gerrard's Villa, who have now lost three of their four opening-day Premier League matches since returning to the top-flight in 2019 (W1), having won three in a row between 2013-14 and 2015-16.

After ending last season poorly, Villa have won just two of their past 12 Premier League games (D3 L7), despite winning three in a row prior to that.

Tottenham 4-1 Southampton: Kulusevski dazzles as Conte's side come back in style

With Antonio Conte in charge and some interesting signings through the door, it is difficult to recall a season where there has been more optimism at Spurs.

That may have been dampened briefly when James Ward-Prowse volleyed Southampton in front, but it did not take long for the hosts to fire back, with goals from Ryan Sessegnon, Eric Dier, a Mohammed Salisu own goal and the impressive Dejan Kulusevski sealing a big opening-day win.

It was Spurs' biggest win on matchday one of a league season since August 1986, when they beat Aston Villa 3-0.

Kulusevski both scored and assisted in a Premier League game for the third time since signing for the north London club in January, with the Swede having been directly involved in 15 goals (six goals, nine assists) in his past 17 league matches.

It was a landmark day for Sessegnon, who scored his first Premier League goal for Spurs (22nd appearance), 1,319 days after his last goal in the competition, which came for Fulham against Wolves in December 2018.

For the Saints, they have lost all four of their opening games of a Premier League season under Ralph Hasenhuttl – the worst 100 per cent losing record for a manager in the competition.

Everton 0-1 Chelsea: Jorginho penalty enough for Tuchel as Mendy records another clean sheet

'The Narrative' will always be a threat whenever Lampard comes up against Chelsea, where he made such a name for himself as a player.

But a tight game at Goodison Park was ultimately settled in the visitors' favour by a penalty at the end of the first half, when Ben Chilwell was fouled in the box by Abdoulaye Doucoure, and Jorginho calmly slotted his spot-kick into the corner of the net.

Both teams went into the game with impressive opening-day records, and Chelsea have now won their first match of a Premier League season for the 20th time, with no side winning more such games in the competition (Manchester United also 20).

Everton came into the match with the longest unbeaten run on matchday one, having previously not lost since a 1-0 defeat to Queens Park Rangers in 2011.

Jorginho's effort was the 139th penalty scored in Premier League history for Chelsea, now the outright most of any team (above Liverpool on 138).

Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy more than played his part in keeping Everton out, and he has now kept a clean sheet in 47 per cent of his Premier League starts (31/66) – only Manchester City's Ederson (50 per cent) has a higher clean sheet ratio among goalkeepers to have started at least 50 games.