Four-goal Tom Cannon fired Stoke City to a 6-1 win over Portsmouth on Wednesday, their first triumph under Narcis Pelach extending Pompey's own wait for a Championship victory.

Stoke entered this encounter at the bet365 Stadium just two points better off than their winless visitors and without reward for the bold decision to replace head coach Steven Schumacher with Pelach last month.

But an explosive display from on-loan Leicester City forward Cannon provided what could be a pivotal victory in the Potters' season.

Cannon scored only three times in all competitions for Leicester last term but bettered that tally inside the opening hour of his fourth start for Stoke.

Portsmouth were on level terms approaching half-time after Mark O'Mahony cancelled out Cannon's opener, but the Republic of Ireland international restored Stoke's lead before Sam Gallagher added a third in first-half stoppage time.

Cannon completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot three minutes after the restart and scored again another three minutes later, with Andrew Moran completing the rout shortly afterwards.

Portsmouth were promoted as League One champions last season but are the only team still without victory in the second tier and saw another struggling side move clear of them on Wednesday as Preston North End beat Watford 3-0.

Watford had been level on points with Sheffield United just outside the play-off places, but the Blades climbed to third with a 1-0 win over Swansea City, while rivals Sheffield Wednesday drew 0-0 with Bristol City.

David Lopez's name will forever be etched in Girona history after he scored their first Champions League goal, but there was little cause for celebration for the defender after self-inflicted wounds led to a 3-2 home defeat to Feyenoord.

Girona’s maiden Champions League campaign started with a 1-0 loss at Paris Saint-Germain two weeks ago, with goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga scoring a late own goal.

On Wednesday, two more own goals, as well as a missed penalty, saw them lose 3-2 to Feyenoord to remain without a point in Europe's premier club competition.

After just two games in the competition, Girona have already equalled the record for the most own goals conceded in a single Champions League campaign, matching Fenerbahce in 2007-08.

However, Michel's men had enough chances to take something from the game, a fact that was not lost on Lopez.

"It was a great game for the spectators in which we did everything possible to win. We created chances, we have to keep going, it's a shame," he told reporters.

"During the match we were receiving small blows that slowed us down. But I am left with the belief that we did not give up at any time."

Girona may be left with a feeling of what might have been, having enjoyed a 64% possession share and attempted 13 shots at goal. 

Next up in the Champions League, they have a home fixture against Slovan Bratislava, a chance to kick-start their European season.

"In the next match we have to keep the three points here no matter what. We have enough quality in the squad to be able to do it," Lopez said.

Atalanta claimed their first victory of this season's Champions League following a commanding 3-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk.

Ademola Lookman scored, while Berat Djimsiti and Raoul Bellanova were also on target for Gian Piero Gasperini's side, as they eased to three points at VELTINS-Arena.

La Dea broke through in the 21st minute following a short corner, from which Lookman's cross was neatly controlled and converted by Djimsiti.

Lookman, the hat-trick hero in last season's Europa League final, doubled the visitors' lead when he slotted home from Sead Kolasinac's square ball just before half-time.

The Nigeria international, who also hit the crossbar during the first period, was involved again as Atalanta put the contest beyond doubt within three minutes of the restart.

Indeed, Lookman played the ball out wide to Davide Zappacosta, whose cross was nodded in from close range by Bellanova.

Data Debrief: Lookman shines as Atalanta soar

Once again, Lookman produced the goods on a big European night for Atalanta.

The forward became only the second Atalanta player after Duvan Zapata to both score and assist in a single Champions League game.

He has now been directly involved in eight goals in his last seven games in major European competition (six goals, two assists), which is two more than he registered in his first 22 such matches.

By contrast, Shakhtar failed to register a single shot on target in a Champions League game for the first time since facing Roma in March 2018, and first time overall on home soil.

Girona fell to a second straight Champions League defeat on Wednesday, losing 3-2 to Feyenoord in a pulsating encounter featuring two saved penalties and two own goals.

David Lopez scored Girona's first-ever goal in Europe's premier club competition midway through the first half, reacting quickest when Feyenoord failed to clear a corner to power into the roof of the net.

However, their lead lasted just three minutes before Igor Paixao’s free-kick reached the six-yard box and went in off the chest of Girona defender Yangel Herrera.

Feyenoord then grabbed the lead as 19-year-old Antoni Milambo collected a pass from Paixao to finish, though the visitors missed a chance to go 3-1 up soon afterwards as Ayase Ueda saw a spot-kick pushed away by Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.

Midway through the second half, Timon Wellenreuther saved Bojan Miovski's penalty after fouling the Girona forward in the area, but the Spanish side did draw level when Donny van de Beek tapped home in the 73rd minute.

Girona's joy was short-lived, however, as Ladislav Krejci turned Hancko's low cross into his own net to re-establish Feyenoord's lead 11 minutes from time, and they held on to pick up their first three points of the campaign.

Data Debrief: Luckless Girona

After just two games in Europe's premier club competition, Girona have already equalled the record for the most own goals conceded in a single Champions League campaign.

Three of their four goals conceded in the competition have come from their own players, matching Fenerbahce in 2007-08, and they do, of course, still have six league-phase matches to play. 

They are the first team in Champions League history to put through their own net in each of their first two games in the competition.

South Africa cruised to a 139-run win over Ireland in the teams' first ODI in Abu Dhabi, with Lizaad Williams tearing through their opponents' batting order.

The Proteas approached Wednesday's contest reeling from a shock T20I defeat to Ireland on Sunday, with Ross Adair's maiden international century ensuring the two-match series ended 1-1.

There was not to be a repeat in the 50-over format, however, with Ireland's batting order collapsing after Ryan Rickelton (91) and Tristan Stubbs (79) guided an otherwise shaky South Africa to 271-9.

The Proteas started miserably by losing three wickets for 39 runs, Mark Adair taking two of them on his way to figures of 4-50.

But opener Rickelton stayed cool while the wickets tumbled around him, lasting 102 deliveries and allowing Stubbs to join in on the act with comfortably his best ODI score, dragging South Africa to a respectable total.

Ireland might have harboured hopes of a successful chase, but Paul Stirling's fourth-ball dismissal for just two runs set the tone, and a spate of four more wickets in the space of six overs dropped Ireland to 61-5.

Williams finished with figures of 4-32 from his 10 overs for the Proteas, who needed just 32 overs to finish off the tail and bring some much-needed positivity to their tour of the United Arab Emirates, which started with an ODI series loss to Afghanistan.

Data Debrief: Williams wins it 

Rickelton and Stubbs carried South Africa to a score they were capable of defending despite no other batter scoring more than Bjorn Fortuin's 28 – seven scored 13 runs or fewer.

But it was Williams who made sure of the victory, taking three of the first four wickets to leave Ireland in a tailspin, then going on to record the best figures of his young ODI career.

In none of his previous five ODIs had Williams managed more than two wickets, while his 32 runs conceded were also his fewest in the format.

Napoli boss Antonio Conte is excited to reunite with his former player Cesc Fabregas when they meet as rival coaches in Friday's Serie A match against Como.

Conte has led the Partenopei to the top of Serie A for the first time since they won the Scudetto in 2022-23, with a return of 13 points from six games putting them one clear of Juventus.

They have taken seven points from their last three, as have newly promoted Como, who travel to Naples sitting just inside the top half.

Conte worked with Como boss Fabregas at Chelsea, the Spaniard playing a key role in his midfield as the Blues won the Premier League in 2017 and the FA Cup in 2018.

"His journey is developing quickly; it's been great to see so far. He's proving that he's very prepared in every aspect," Conte said of Fabregas at a press conference on Wednesday.

"I always thought he could become a coach. He played in the middle of the pitch and always asked why certain things were done. I'm happy for him."

Another former Chelsea player, Romelu Lukaku, joined Conte in Naples in August and has scored two league goals and provided two assists for his new club. 

Conte said the striker is still working to hit peak physical condition, adding: "He's working hard and starting to handle the same workload as his team-mates. 

"However, he needs specific training because his body functions differently from many others. But now he's beginning to get into good shape.

"He's perfectly integrated into the team, and on the field, he's always someone who, no matter what, makes a difference."

Conte emphasised that Napoli were still growing as a team, despite many tipping them for a Scudetto push following their strong start.

"Like everyone, we're working to keep improving in all areas, tactically, in our decision-making, and in our overall game management," he said.

"It's only been three months, so there's room for improvement in every aspect, but I can see growth not just tactically, but also in terms of character, determination and hunger." 

Bukayo Saka believes this is Arsenal's year to end Manchester City's reign over the Premier League, ahead of winless Southampton visiting the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Arsenal and City are the only unbeaten teams in the Premier League after six matchdays, with both taking 14 points to trail Liverpool by a single point at the summit.

Mikel Arteta's team secured a thrilling 4-2 win over Leicester City last week before seeing off Paris Saint-Germain by a 2-0 scoreline in the Champions League on Tuesday.

With many tipping Arsenal to again challenge City, particularly after the champions lost midfielder Rodri to a serious knee injury, Saka believes the Gunners have a golden opportunity.

"I don't want to put too much pressure on us but I do think that this is the year," Saka told CBS Sports after the win over PSG.

"I think we've been close the last two years and we're getting closer but this hopefully will be the year."

Speaking to Amazon Prime, the 23-year-old later added: "Previous years, I've come runners-up a lot. It's just that spirit in me that I want to win this season and of course, I believe in myself a lot.

"With those two things, it helps. We believe in ourselves, we believe we're a top team. I did tell the boys we have to make a statement when teams are coming to the Emirates."

Southampton have taken just one point from six league games since winning promotion from the Championship, making this the joint-worst start to any league campaign in their history (also one point in the top flight in 1998-99).

They were beaten 3-1 by south coast rivals Bournemouth last time out on Monday, leading defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis to slam their performance levels.

"I think it's just about taking ownership as players, doing your bit and not going inside yourself, not playing a solo game," he said.

"It's just about sticking together... we cannot be 3-0 down with the quality and characters we've got in that group, we cannot be. That's obviously including myself."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Arsenal – Kai Havertz

One player who has particularly enjoyed turning out at the Emirates lately is Havertz, who netted against PSG on Tuesday and has also scored six goals in his last six league games on the ground. 

He has netted in four successive home Premier League games, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the last player to score in five straight for the Gunners, in September 2019.

Southampton – Aaron Ramsdale 

Former Gunners shot-stopper Ramsdale could become the ninth goalkeeper to face Arsenal in the Premier League after previously representing them in the competition.

Only one of the previous eight, Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez, has previously kept a clean sheet in his first such match, doing so in a 3-0 victory at the Emirates in November 2020.

MATCH PREDICTION – ARSENAL WIN

Southampton have actually caused Arsenal problems lately, going unbeaten through the teams' last three Premier League meetings (one win, two draws), with both of their matches in 2022-23 finishing level – including a 3-3 draw at the Emirates.

However, Saints have visited Arsenal 24 times in the Premier League without ever tasting victory, drawing eight times and losing 16. That is the most any team has visited another in the competition without winning.

Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 28 home league games against Southampton since a 1-0 defeat in November 1987. Only against Fulham (a current run of 31) have they had a longer unbeaten home run in their league history.

Across 2024-25 and their relegation season in 2022-23, Southampton are now winless in 19 Premier League matches, drawing five and losing 14. Only once in their top-flight history have they endured a longer such run, going 20 games without a victory between August and December 1969.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are unbeaten in their last 40 Premier League home games against promoted clubs, winning 35 and drawing five. Only Chelsea (43 between 2001 and 2015) and City (41 between 2007 and 2020) have had longer such runs in the competition's history.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Arsenal – 78.5%

Southampton – 8.7% 

Draw – 12.8% 

Pep Guardiola took off Erling Haaland against Slovan Bratislava to "take care" of Manchester City's superstar striker.

Haaland scored in the 58th minute to make it 3-0 to City in Slovakia on Tuesday.

He was taken off two minutes later, to be replaced by James McAtee, who went on to score his first City goal and round off a 4-0 Champions League rout.

With focus now switching back to the Premier League, and Saturday's clash with Fulham, Guardiola explained the substitution was made to protect the striker, who has already netted 10 goals in England's top flight this season.

Asked if Haaland had been frustrated to be taken off, Guardiola told City's media channels: "Erling is never disappointed with his manager.

"As a manager I am more secure and more happy when Erling is on the pitch.

"I will keep him on the pitch all the time but at 0-3 the game was almost over and with this amount of games we have to take care of him. 

"He had a big knock in the last game against Newcastle [United] so that's why, after the fantastic goal with the pass from Rico [Lewis], it was better [to take him off]."

There was a moment of drama during Fulham's 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest last week, after Raul Jimenez took a penalty off the club's designated taker Andreas Pereira. 

Jimenez went on to score the penalty, but Marco Silva was not happy.

He said: "It's clearly the fault of Raul. It is not going to happen again.

"Has Raul apologised? Yes. He had to because he knows the rules and how important discipline is in our squad."

City are unbeaten in their last 29 Premier League games (W23 D6), and if they avoid defeat in this match it will equal their longest run without defeat in their league history (30 games between April 2017 and January 2018).

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester City - Erling Haaland

Haaland has scored 60 goals in just 52 games in all competitions at the Etihad Stadium for Man City. He is already the fourth-highest goalscorer at the ground since it opened in 2003.

Fulham - Andreas Pereira

Only Everton's Dwight McNeil (21) has created more chances than Pereira in the Premier League this season (20).

Five of these chances have been for Rodrigo Muniz, who has had more shots on target without scoring so far than any other player in the Premier League this term (five).

MATCH PREDICTION: MAN CITY WIN

City have drawn their last two Premier League games despite opening the scoring in both (2-2 v Arsenal, 1-1 v Newcastle). The last time they failed to win three consecutive league games despite scoring first in each was in December/January in 2003-04 (D2 L1).

Since losing their opening Premier League game of the season 1-0 at Manchester United, Fulham are now unbeaten in their last five (W3 D2). They last had a longer run without defeat in the competition between August and October 2010 (seven).

Three of Fulham’s four Premier League wins against City have come at the Etihad Stadium (2006, 2008 and 2009). However, they are winless in their last 18 against them in the league (D3 L15), losing each of the last 13 in a row.

City have won each of their last 16 meetings with Fulham in all competitions, the longest winning run one English league side has had against another in history.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Man City - 72.6%

Fulham - 11.5%

Draw - 15.9%

Dwight McNeil is relishing playing in a central role in Everton's attack, as he aims to get Sean Dyche's team up the Premier League.

McNeil scored twice in the space of seven minutes, with his first being a wonderful strike from outside of the box, as Everton came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 on Saturday.

That marked the Toffees' first league win of the season, with Newcastle United next up at Goodison Park.

McNeil, who scored and assisted in Everton's 3-0 win in the corresponding fixture against Newcastle last season, has created 21 chances in the Premier League in 2024-25, more than any other player. Only Bukayo Saka (nine) and Cole Palmer (seven) have created more big chances than the 24-year-old's six, too.

His form has picked up since moving from the left flank into a role behind striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and McNeil is enjoying the positional switch.

McNeil told evertonfc.com: "Every time I've played centrally I've enjoyed it, because I feel like I'm always involved in the game.

"I've really enjoyed it. I know there is still a lot of work to be done – in and out of possession – for me to improve in that position, but I'm doing that in every game. For me, I've always found the best way I learn and improve is by actually playing and experiencing it for real.

"The stats, I don't really focus on them. For me, I think stats, at times, can overshadow what players actually do on the pitch. I find stats difficult because rule number one for me is to always just play well, and I know myself if I've done that or not. If I'm playing well and enjoying my football, all of that stuff comes with it. 

"My focus will always be on playing well, helping the team in any way I can and enjoying it, and, of course, getting on a winning run. That's the biggest thing for me – helping the team win games."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Everton - Ashley Young

Young has assisted a goal in each of his last two Premier League appearances, which is as many assists as he got in his previous 117 games combined.

At the age of 39, Young is the oldest player in Premier League history to assist a goal in consecutive games.

Newcastle United - Anthony Gordon

Former Everton winger Gordon has been involved in 13 goals in 23 Premier League appearances in 2024 for Newcastle (seven goals, six assists).

However, Gordon is yet to score or assist against his old club and has only scored one goal in his last 15 games at Goodison Park, which came against Crystal Palace in October 2022.

MATCH PREDICTION: NEWCASTLE WIN

Everton have lost just three of their last 20 Premier League home games against Newcastle (W12 D5), though two of those defeats have come across their last four such meetings (W2), including a 4-1 victory at Goodison Park in April 2023.

Newcastle have won five of their last eight Premier League meetings with Everton (D1 L2), as many as in their previous 24 against them (D6 L13). However, they failed to win either meeting with the Toffees last term (D1 L1).

Only Aston Villa and Manchester City (seven) have picked up more points from losing positions in the Premier League this season than Newcastle (five) – the Magpies have only lost two of their last seven games when conceding first (W2 D3), having lost 11 of their previous 13 games when going 1-0 down.

After losing their first four Premier League matches this season, Everton have picked up four points in their last two games (W1 D1). Dyche's side are looking for consecutive wins for the first time since April.

Newcastle have won 11 points in their six Premier League games this season (W3 D2 L1), their most at this stage of a top-flight season since 2011-12 (12) and Eddie Howe’s best start to a league season since 2010-11 in League One with Bournemouth (11 points).

Everton have won six of their last eight Premier League matches at Goodison Park (L2). Since the first game in this run on April 6, the Toffees have won more home points than any other Premier League side (18).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Everton - 30.9%

Newcastle - 43.9%

Draw - 25.2%

Steve Kerr believes the competition for places will allow the Golden State Warriors "a chance to reinvent ourselves" ahead of the new NBA season.

The Warriors are aiming to improve on a difficult 2023-24 season, during which they finished 10th in the Western Conference and missed out on the playoffs for only the third time in 12 years.

Kerr struggled to find his strongest combination and constantly rotated during the campaign, using 27 different starting line-ups.

Aside from Stephen Curry, who he sees as a guaranteed starter, the head coach does not think choosing his strongest team will be an easy task either.

However, Kerr is aiming to use the selection dilemma to his and his players' advantage.

"There is competition across the board," he told reporters. "It's not as simple as: 'Who is going to be the two?' It's got to be: 'Who is going to be the five? Who's the four?' We know that Steph is the one, but what's the combination?"

"The starting line-up is going to have to be dependent, not only on the first five fitting, but the second fitting as well. We've got a lot of work to do to figure out line-ups. All the guys can do is compete.

"This feels like a new beginning for us, whereas last year felt like an extension of who we already were. It gives us a chance to reinvent ourselves a little bit.

"It's easier when you know your starting five, and you know your first four guys off of the bench. [It is] way easier as a coach knowing that.

"But, we don't have that. So, let's turn that into a positive and turn it into competition. Let's establish our identity out of that competition."

Carlos Alcaraz described Jannik Sinner as "a beast" and the world's best player after downing the Italian in Wednesday's remarkable China Open final.

Alcaraz and Sinner battled it out for over three hours in the Beijing showpiece match, with Alcaraz eventually triumphing 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 7-6 (7-3).

The Spaniard took the decisive tie-break with a remarkable run of seven straight points, having lost a tie-break in the opening set to fall behind.

At the age of 21 years and 150 days, Alcaraz is the youngest player to defeat the world number one in an ATP event final after losing the opening set since Juan Martin del Potro (20 years, 356 days), who came back to beat Roger Federer at the US Open in 2009.

Speaking after his sixth career win over the Italian (four defeats), Alcaraz outlined his belief he had overcome the very best in the sport.

"He could have won in two, I could have won in two, he could have won in three. It was a really close match," said Alcaraz. 

"Jannik, once again, he showed that he's the best player in the world, at least for me. 

"The level that he's playing, it's unbelievable. It's a really high quality of tennis. His shots, physically, mentally... he's a beast."

Sinner breezed into a 3-0 lead in the third-set tie-break, only for Alcaraz to show extraordinary resilience to maintain his 100% record against Sinner this year, having previously beaten him at Indian Wells and Roland Garros.

"I never lost hope. Honestly I knew that every tie-break Jannik plays is almost on his side," Alcaraz said of the decider. 

"I thought that in the third set, I'm not going to lie down after two mini-breaks for him. I thought, 'okay, I have to give everything that I have just to try to give myself the opportunity to be close'.

"During the whole week I've been playing great tennis. Probably sometimes the luck went to my side a little bit in the matches."

Erik ten Hag insists Manchester United are "going to make a success of the season", despite their difficult start to the 2024-25 campaign.

United are 12th in the Premier League, having collected just seven points; their joint-fewest after the first six games in a single season (matching their total from 2013-14 and 2020-21).

Sunday's 3-0 defeat by Tottenham at Old Trafford provided their latest setback, while increasing the pressure on Ten Hag, whose side face Porto in the Europa League on Thursday before returning to Premier League action against Aston Villa three days later.

Against Spurs, United conceded in the first three minutes of both halves in a single Premier League game for only the second time, while allowing their third-highest xG (4.59) by an opponent since records began in 2009. 

Ange Postecoglou's side also created nine big chances, with a team only registering more in five previous games in Premier League history.

The Red Devils also have an xG against of 11.04, a tally only lower than Brentford and the three promoted sides, but Ten Hag is confident the tide will turn.

"We are going to make a success of the season," he told Sky Sports. 

"Nothing is easy, but this is nothing for me to panic about. We can sort [the problems] out, this team can sort this out."

The Dutchman also insists he is concerned by the latest speculation surrounding his future at Old Trafford, where he has ended both his previous campaigns with silverware.

"I'm not thinking about it, I'm not anxious," he added. "We created a togetherness in the summer with the ownership and the leadership.

"We made this agreement, and we were all behind it. We know the strategy [is to bring in] young players in a transition period.

"They also know in May in all my last six seasons, there were always trophies, and that is what we are aiming for."