Aryna Sabalenka is taking inspiration from the next generation of tennis fans as she aims to win the US Open, after her third-round win over Lucia Bronzetti.
Sabalenka made light work of the Italian on Wednesday, winning 6-3 6-1 to seal her place in round three.
Last year's runner-up did not face a single break point and converted four of the eight she forced.
After her victory, Sabalenka welcomed a young girl from the crowd onto the court for a photo.
In her post-match interview, the Belarusian said: "That means a lot, it's something that keeps me going. To see the young generation being inspired by me - this is what it's all about. I'm a little bit in shock because this is such an inspiration for me."
There was no such luck for Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, who suffered a straight-sets loss to Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
Krejcikova has failed to progress beyond round two at the US Open since she reached the quarters in 2021.
Data Debrief: Hard court specialist Sabalenka
Sabalenka tussled with Iga Swiatek on the clay courts earlier this season, but the world number two is excellent on the hard surface too.
Among active players, Sabalenka (80.6%, 45-11) trails only Naomi Osaka (81%, 47-11) in terms of win percentage on hard courts at grand slam events.
League Two AFC Wimbledon shocked Premier League side Ipswich Town on penalties to reach the third round of the EFL Cup.
Conor Chaplin had equalised for Ipswich late in normal time to make it 2-2 but Dons goalkeeper Owen Goodman was the hero in the shootout, saving from Jack Taylor and Omari Hutchinson.
Wimbledon's reward will be a third-round tie at home to Newcastle United, who beat Nottingham Forest on penalties after drawing 1-1 at the City Ground.
Southampton booked their place in the third round after eventually coming through a 5-3 thriller away at Cardiff City.
Injury-time goals from James Bree and Cameron Archer got the job done for the Saints, who were pegged back three times by Cardiff earlier on.
There were wins for Wolves, who beat Burnley 2-0 at home, and Brentford, who won 1-0 away at Colchester.
West Ham defeated fellow Premier League side Bournemouth 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Jarrod Bowen and will now play holders Liverpool in the next round.
Last season's finalists Chelsea will host Barrow in the next round, while there are also home ties for both Manchester City and Manchester United, who will play Watford and Barnsley respectively.
Arsenal face League One Bolton at home, while their North London neighbours Tottenham Hotspur will travel to Coventry.
EFL Cup third-round draw in full:
Liverpool v West Ham
Manchester City v Watford
Arsenal v Bolton Wanderers
Manchester United v Barnsley
Wycombe Wanderers v Aston Villa
Coventry City v Tottenham
Walsall v Leicester City
Brentford v Leyton Orient
Blackpool v Sheffield Wednesday
Preston North End v Fulham
Everton v Southampton
Queens Park Rangers v Crystal Palace
Stoke City v Fleetwood Town
Brighton v Wolves
AFC Wimbledon v Newcastle United
Chelsea v Barrow
Atletico Madrid had 25 attempts at goal but could not find the breakthrough as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Espanyol in LaLiga on Wednesday.
Espanyol are the only team yet to score in LaLiga and they showed no signs of breaking their duck in a one-sided contest at Estadio Civitas Metropolitano.
Yet despite mustering 2.71 expected goals (xG), Atleti were unable to blow the door down.
New signings Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth came close to opening the scoring in the first half, while Rodrigo Riquelme had two goals chalked off for offside, the first after a lengthy VAR check and the second in added time.
Espanyol's rearguard held firm as goalkeeper Joan Garcia made seven saves to deny Diego Simeone's side all three points.
Data Debrief: Sorloth misfiring
Sorloth enjoyed a brilliant campaign with Villarreal last season, but the Norway international has so far struggled to replicate that form for Atletico.
In fact, he has now had his longest run of shots in LaLiga without finding the net (six), with four of those coming in this contest.
Newcastle United defeated Nottingham Forest 4-3 on penalties to book their place in the third round of the EFL Cup after a 1-1 draw at the City Ground.
Sean Longstaff struck the winning penalty after Taiwo Awoniyi blazed over for the home side.
Debutant Carlos Miguel had earlier saved from Joelinton to hand Forest the early advantage in the shootout but Ibrahim Sangare struck the crossbar to bring Newcastle back into the shootout.
Joe Willock’s goal, one of the earliest in the competition’s history, had handed Eddie Howe, who handed a start to Sandro Tonali following his return from a long ban, a dream start in normal time.
Forest improved markedly after the break and equalised through Jota Silva’s thumping effort.
The visitors looked the likelier to score towards the end of the tie, with Dan Burn going close from a corner and Harvey Barnes hitting the side netting with a thrashing effort.
Despite Forest holding the advantage in the shootout with Miguel's save, it was later squandered by poor misses from Sangare and especially Awoniyi, leaving Longstaff to knock home the winning penalty for the Magpies.
Data Debrief: Willock's goal tough to beat
Willock's goal 18 seconds into the match is, as would probably be expected, the quickest goal in the EFL Cup this season so far.
Newcastle got it done the hard way after their rapid start, though Howe will no doubt feel his team were the better side, seeing them have more shots (14 to 12) and accumulated over double the amount of expected goals (xG), with 1.92 to Forest's 0.91.
West Ham progressed to the third round of the EFL Cup after a contentious late goal from Jarrod Bowen helped them edge fellow Premier League side Bournemouth 1-0 at London Stadium.
As the game looked to be heading for a penalty shootout, Bowen emerged as West Ham's hero, deflecting in the winner with just two minutes left on the clock, though the ball appeared to strike his arm.
Julen Lopetegui's Hammers were on the backfoot for most of the first half, which ended with Bournemouth winger Dango Ouattara testing goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski with an acrobatic effort.
The visitors went close again as Marcus Tavernier brushed the woodwork with his free-kick eight minutes after the restart, but Bournemouth failed to find the back of the net despite creating plenty of chances and mustering an expected goals (xG) of 1.01 to West Ham's 0.8.
And ultimately, their profligacy was punished when Bowen turned in Mohamed Kudus' 88th-minute strike, and with no VAR, there was no reprieve for the Cherries.
West Ham will return to action when they host reigning champions Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday while the Cherries will be at Goodison Park on the same day to face Everton.
Data Debrief: Bowen blowing bubbles
Bowen has now scored in each of his last three games in the EFL Cup, and even though he did not know much about this goal, he was West Ham's greatest attacking threat, having five attempts in total, and getting three of them on target.
The Hammers have now found the net in each of their last six EFL Cup matches, which is the club's longest such run in the competition.
Xabi Alonso wants Bayer Leverkusen to click through the gears after they edged out Jena in the DFB-Pokal.
Jonas Hofmann's header was enough to send holders Leverkusen into the next round with a 1-0 win on Wednesday.
Alonso's side only allowed their lower-league opponents to have six shots, but worryingly for the Bundesliga champions, those did accumulate to 1.04 expected goals (xG).
Indeed, Hamza Muqaj missed a golden opportunity for the hosts worth 0.75 xG in second-half stoppage time.
With RB Leipzig next up in the league, Alonso knows his team have to sharpen up.
"[We faced] a good opponent and it wasn't easy," said Alonso.
"We have to work on a few things, but we are in the next round and that's what counts. Now we go straight into preparing for the next league game."
Leverkusen did bolster their defensive options, though with the signing of Nordi Mukiele.
The versatile defender has joined on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, and could be in line to make his debut against his former club Leipzig on Saturday.
Odilon Kossounou, meanwhile, has left Leverkusen to sign for Atalanta, who beat Alonso's team in last season's Europa League final, on loan.
Jonas Hofmann's header sent holders Bayer Leverkusen through in the DFB-Pokal.
Leverkusen kick-started their Bundesliga campaign with a last-gasp win over Borussia Monchengladbach on Friday, and though matters were more comfortable against lower-league Jena on Wednesday, Xabi Alonso's team had to settle for a 1-0 win.
Hofmann got the decisive goal in the 52nd minute, heading home from Alex Grimaldo's delivery.
Leverkusen finished with 16 shots and an expected goals (xG) of 1.31, though Jena did muster 1.04 xG from just six attempts, with Hamza Muqaj squandering their best chance of the game.
Data Debrief: Heads up
Hofmann has had a fantastic career, plying his trade for Leverkusen, Gladbach and Borussia Dortmund.
Yet incredibly, his goal on Wednesday was the first ever to come from his head. It was his only attempt of the night, with the attacking midfielder managing just three touches in Jena's area.
Claudio Bravo has announced his retirement from professional football.
The 41-year-old goalkeeper began his career at Colo-Colo, before going on to feature for Real Sociedad, Barcelona, Manchester City and Real Betis.
The Chilean represented his national side 150 times after making his debut in 2004, winning two Copa America crowns, in 2015 and 2016.
“It is the moment to close a very important cycle in my life,” Bravo said on his social media accounts.
“I think I have made the right decision, a decision I thought long about.”
After beginning his career in Chile, Bravo moved to La Real in 2006, where he spent eight seasons, helping the club get promoted back to LaLiga in 2010.
He moved to Barcelona in the summer of 2014, and was their number one during successive victorious La Liga campaigns in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
Bravo moved to Manchester City in 2016, but a poor start led to him being dropped by manager Pep Guardiola for Willy Caballero later that season, though he still picked up a Premier League medal and two EFL Cup wins before leaving after his contract expired in 2020.
He returned to Spain with Betis for the latter part of his career, winning the Copa del Rey in 2022, and represented Chile at this year's Copa America.
Northern Ireland captain Jonny Evans has announced his immediate retirement from international football.
Evans, 36, made his international debut in September 2006 against Spain and went on to make 107 appearances.
This is a record bettered only by Steve Davis, Pat Jennings and Aaron Hughes for Northern Ireland.
The Manchester United defender said: "Putting on the green shirt 107 times and representing the people of Northern Ireland has been my biggest honour."
Evans featured for Northern Ireland in all four of their matches at Euro 2016, their first major tournament in 30 years.
He said: "Without doubt the highlight of my international career has been the Euros in France 2016, reaching a major tournament and representing our wee country was a dream come true."
Evans' retirement comes seven months after record cap holder Davis called time on his professional career, with manager Michael O'Neill set to name his squad for next month’s Nations League games against Luxembourg and Bulgaria on Thursday.
Jamaica’s Shanque Williams will be the lone Caribbean representative in the women’s 400m semi-finals at the World Under-20 Championships, while Guyana’s Malachi Austin headlines four semi-finalists in the men’s event following contrasting performances in the morning session in Lima, Peru, on Wednesday.
It was an overall tough session for Caribbean representatives to start day two of the five-day championships, as only three men and three women progressed to the 400m hurdles semis, while only Jamaica’s Jade-Ann Dawkins progressed to the triple jump final.
Williams was the only athlete to progress to the semi-finals. She placed third in the sixth and final heat in 54.22s.
Prior to that, Cuba’s Camila Rodriguez (55.24s) and T’anna Liburd (55.91s) of St Kitts and Nevis were fifth and seventh in heat one, as both missed out.
Guyana’s Narissa McPherson also found the going tough in heat two, where she placed fifth in 54.67s. The same is true for Jamaica’s Abrina Wright (54.63s), who was sixth in heat three.
Another Guyanese, Tianna Springer (54.49s) and Tyhra Charles (55.87s) of St Vincent and the Grenadines, placed fourth and eighth, respectively, in heat five, as they also missed out.
On the men’s side of action, Puerto Rico’s Jarell Cruz (47.68s) progressed from heat two, where he placed third, while Jaylen Bennett (47.88s) of St Kitts and Nevis and Jamaica’s Jabari Matheson (49.34s) were fourth and fifth and missed out.
Another Jamaican, Kemario Bygrave, booked a spot in the semi-finals as he placed third in heat three in 47.39s.
Grenada’s Joshem Sylvester (48.49s) was sixth in heat four and missed out, along with Trinidad and Tobago’s Kyrell Thomas (48.02s), who placed sixth in heat six.
However, Guyana’s Austin (46.92s) and Trinidad and Tobago’s Jaden Clement (47.63s) both progressed from heat five, where they placed second and third, respectively.
The semi-finals are scheduled for 5:45pm Jamaica time on Wednesday.
Earlier, only three Caribbean athletes progressed to the women’s 400m hurdles semi-finals following contrasting performances in their respective heats.
Michelle Smith of the US Virgin Islands led all qualifiers as she topped heat two in a brisk 57.85s to book her spot in the next round, while Kei-Mahri Hanna (1:04.84) of the Bahamas finished down the track.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Jenna-Marie Thomas (1:01.91) also missed out after she placed seventh in heat three, so too did Jamaica’s Deschanique Douglas (1:05.43), who placed ninth in heat five.
Jamaica’s Kelly-Ann Carr (1:00.61) and Haiti’s Gloria Guerrier (1:00.65) both progressed from heat four after they placed second and third, respectively, behind Australia’s Alesha Bennetts (59.04s).
Interestingly, the Caribbean will also have only three representatives in the men’s semi-finals, led by Jamaica’s Daniel Wright, who topped heat two in 51.42s to advance. Trinidad and Tobago’s Dorian Charles (53.65s) placed fifth in the same heat and missed out.
Cheyne West, another Trinidad and Tobago representative, placed fourth in heat five in a new personal best 52.18s, which was good to advance as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers.
The next non-automatic qualifying spot was secured by Jamaican Trevoy Smith, who clocked 52.15s for fourth in heat six.
Meanwhile, Taysha Stubbs, the Caribbean’s lone representative in the women’s javelin failed to progress. She placed 11th in qualifying Group A with a best mark of 44.28m.
In the women’s triple jump, Jamaica’s Jade-Ann Dawkins will be the lone Caribbean representative in the final, as she placed fourth in qualifying Group B with a mark of 12.82m.
Her compatriot, Jaeda Robinson (12.53m) and Cuba’s Ariday Giron (12.21m), both missed out on the final after finishing 13th and 15th in qualifying Group A.
The Kansas City Chiefs are primed and ready to go as they aim to secure a three-peat, so says defensive tackle Mike Pennel.
Kansas City, inspired by star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, have won the last two editions of the Super Bowl.
Yet no team in NFL history has ever gone on to win the championship three times in a row.
Indeed, none of the eight teams that have won back-to-back Lombardi trophies has then gone on to reach the Super Bowl the following year.
But Pennel is counting nothing out.
He told Stats Perform: "I think the intent is still the same.
"We've got a lot of veteran competitors. the three-peat is spoken about, but that's something that's within our grasp if we stay focused and they're drilling that in us every day.
"So everybody's taking a very business-like approach to it. Nobody's lives are gonna be handed to them. So everybody's ready to go. You know, they're just chopping at the bit to get to [the start of the season]."
And coach Andy Reid is playing a huge role in that extra level of motivation.
"Coach Reid has always had that philosophy," Pennel added.
"His main thing is letting our personality show who we are, and getting the most optimal player out there. It's just letting us be who we are.
"So I have to fall back on the coaching there because he literally preaches that any time we go on the field, you know, let your personality show out there, have fun. And he genuinely means that.
"I don't have the exact recipe to success, but I know we play good coaches. I've never heard anyone say anything bad about Coach Reid.
"He loves his past players, and I think he really just coaches us like his own sons and treats us as that in there, and treats us with the same respect as a man as well.
"So, you know, it's easy to respect the guy and work for the guy and know that he has the philosophy to put you in the best position possible to succeed."
Reid, 66, is a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs, who he has coached since 2013.
And Pennel does not see Reid calling it a day anytime soon.
Pennel added: "He's been consistent. He's been the same since I've met him, and I know as competitive he is as well, it's just, you know, when he decides it's his time.
"I know that there's been no talks of that or discussions of that in the near future, but whenever he decides to, I think that's what it's going to be about.
"Then he'll always have the opportunity to do it."
The Chiefs open their 2024 season against the Baltimore Ravens on September 5.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says the secret to the success of Spanish coaches is their development when it comes to the tactical side of the game.
Guardiola, who has led City to four successive Premier League titles, will go up against compatriot Julen Lopetegui when his team travel to West Ham on Saturday.
It has been a summer of success for Spain on the international stage, with La Roja winning Euro 2024 before their Under-23s won gold at the Paris Olympics.
Mikel Arteta, Unai Emery and Andoni Iraola form the rest of the Spanish contingent of managers in the Premier League, and Guardiola shared what he believes is the reason for coaches from his nation enjoying such success.
"The secret is [Spanish coaches] work really well from early ages on tactics, on methodologies, to understand the game," he told Man City's official media channels.
"So in a team sport, you need to acknowledge why things happen. Spanish coaches work really well to understand the game.
"Today, all the managers and coaches are really well prepared. That’s why the football is getting better and better."
Guardiola added that competition is what drives him on.
"I think the competition itself ignites something in all of us. Why should it stop? I think when it stops, you should retire," he said.
"When the competition comes, we say okay, let’s try it again. That mentality is always there.
"Managers always drink knowledge from the staff, from the players – it’s not always me to the other people. It's a back and forth, not in just one direction.
"Just to have nice people around you is the most important thing, to have the good vibes in the team. If not it’s always conflict – conflict is the enemy that can beat you. The rest has to be a healthy, nice environment."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
West Ham - Michail Antonio
Antonio has been involved in 99 Premier League goals for West Ham (67 goals, 32 assists), and could be the first player to reach 100 for the club.
Five of these have been against Man City (three goals, two assists), with the Jamaican only having a hand in more against four clubs (Crystal Palace, Tottenham, Liverpool and Watford).
Manchester City - Erling Haaland
Haaland has scored 16 goals in 10 Premier League appearances in August, averaging a goal every 52 minutes, the best minutes-per-goal ratio by a player in a particular month in Premier League history (min. 500 minutes played).
MATCH PREDICTION: MANCHESTER CITY WIN
City have lost none of their 16 Premier League meetings with West Ham under Guardiola (W14 D2). It is the joint-most a manager has faced a specific opponent without ever losing in the competition's history (Alex Ferguson vs Charlton also 16).
The champions are unbeaten in 21 Premier League games so far in 2024 (W18 D3), their longest unbeaten run from the start of a calendar year in league history. Overall, they are unbeaten in 25 Premier League games, winning the last 11 in a row.
City have scored more away goals against West Ham than they have against any other opponent in the Premier League (42). Meanwhile, their 25 goals at the London Stadium is the most an away team has scored at a specific venue in the Premier League since its opening in 2016-17.
West Ham are winless in their last 17 Premier League meetings with City (D3 L14) since a 2-1 away win in September 2015. Indeed, City have lost just one of their last 14 away league games against the Hammers (W8 D5), and are unbeaten in their last nine visits since a 2-1 loss at Upton Park in October 2014.
The Hammers have conceded at least once in each of their last 10 Premier League home games, last having a longer run without a clean sheet between April and December 2009 (12).
Only Liverpool and Nottingham Forest (37 each) have had more shots than West Ham (32) in the opening two Premier League games this season. However, only three sides (Everton, Southampton, Ipswich Town) have had fewer attempts on target than the Hammers (six).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
West Ham - 16.4%
Man City - 64%
Draw - 19.6%
Unai Emery admitted Aston Villa will do everything in their power to reach the top six this season as they prepare to face Leicester City on Saturday.
Emery watched on as his side suffered their first defeat of the Premier League season, losing 2-0 to Arsenal at Villa Park despite creating the better chances.
Last season's top scorer, Ollie Watkins, endured a difficult spell in front of goal, squandering two golden opportunities either side of the half-time interval.
But the Villains' head coach was confident his players will improve but acknowledged the difficulty of replicating last season's fourth-place finish in the division.
"I accept the result today because we are doing our way and trying to improve our things and develop as well. It is the second day in the Premier League," Emery said.
"There's still work to do. We will improve and use those matches we played against West Ham and today to understand our way. We will try to be in the top 10, the top six.
"I am happy and if we were scoring goals then maybe we would be winning. With Arsenal, we feel we are close to getting a performance. The players will stay calm and have two days rest and then get ready for the match against Leicester."
Leicester were involved in EFL Cup action in midweek, producing a dominant 4-0 triumph over League Two side Tranmere Rovers at the King Power Stadium.
The Foxes bounced back from their 2-1 defeat to Fulham in the Premier League, with new signing Jordan Ayew among the scorers on Tuesday.
Ayew was one of two new faces on show, with midfielder Oliver Skipp, who arrived from Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month, also handed his Leicester debut.
Steve Cooper expressed his delight at the attitude shown by his players during the contest, and is keen for them to carry that into their meeting with Villa on Saturday.
“The most important thing is to win and play well. We had real dominance from start to finish," Cooper said.
"Jordan (Ayew) made it happen with his goal, which is obviously a wonderful strike and good for him to get off the mark on his debut, but we needed more moments in the final third, whether it was one vs. one or combination work.
"The expectation is to play well. That starts with the right attitude, and I think we showed that mentality in the game tonight, which should be non-negotiable.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Leicester – Jamie Vardy
Jamie Vardy has been involved in 98 Premier League goals at the King Power Stadium (71 goals and 27 assists), scoring their equaliser on the opening day against Spurs.
The veteran striker is looking to become the 14th player to have 100+ goal involvements at a single venue, while since 2014-15, only Mohamed Salah at Anfield (128) and Kevin De Bruyne at the Etihad (111) have more goals and assists at a venue than Vardy at the King Power.
Aston Villa – Ollie Watkins
After enduring an uncharacteristically difficult day in front of goal against Arsenal, Watkins will be hopeful of halting his goal drought against the Foxes.
Watkins has now gone seven Premier League appearances without a goal for Villa, his longest barren run since an eight-game run between August and October 2022, just prior to Emery’s arrival.
MATCH PREDICTION: ASTON VILLA WIN
Villa are expected to bounce back in the East Midlands derby, winning 48.5% of Opta's data-led simulations, with Leicester prevailing in just 27.4% of those instances.
The Foxes, however, have lost just seven of their 28 Premier League meetings with Saturday's opponents (W11 D10), their lowest loss rate against any side they’ve faced 20+ times in the competition (25%).
But keeping goals out has proved to be a problem. Since a run of five clean sheets in six Premier League games prior to the 2022 World Cup break, Leicester have kept just one clean sheet in their last 25 matches in the top flight.
Cooper has also failed to win either of his first two league games in charge of Leicester (D1 L1); the last Foxes manager to win none of his opening three was Paulo Sousa in August 2010.
But since Emery's arrival at Villa Park, he has enjoyed playing away from the West Midlands. Only Man City (23) and Arsenal (20) have won more away games than Villa (15).
Villa are also looking to win their opening two away matches in a Premier League season for a fourth time, previously doing so in 2009-10, 2014-15 and 2020-21. But they will be hopeful of doing so with a clean sheet, having gone seven top flight games without a shutout.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Leicester – 27.4%
Draw – 24%
Aston Villa – 48.5%
Mikel Arteta is confident his Arsenal team can carry the efficiency shown in their win over Aston Villa into their meeting with Brighton on Saturday.
The Gunners maintained their winning start to the Premier League season with a 2-0 win at Villa Park but had to weather a storm in the East Midlands.
Arsenal managed nine shots in the contest to Villa's 11, but Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey's strikes ensured they exacted revenge on Unai Emery's side.
Despite their unusual lack of threat in front of goal, Arteta insisted that his players' efficiency in front of goal has added another string to their bow for the new campaign.
"Last year, I think we generated more, obviously because of the context of the game when they scored first," Arteta said.
"Today they did something a little bit different to what we expected, especially in the first phase of the build-up in the way they behave.
"But this is what we have to do, you know, against any formation, any opponent, any behaviour that we find to be a threat in many areas, and that's a big compliment for the team.”
Meanwhile, Brighton were involved in EFL Cup action on Tuesday night, cruising into the next round with a comfortable 4-0 win over Crawley Town.
Simon Adingra, Jeremy Sarmiento, Adam Webster and Mark O’Mahony were on the scoresheet to ensure their winning start rolled on under new boss Fabian Hurzeler.
The Seagulls are one of four teams who have won their first two Premier League games of the season, with Hurzeler only the fourth manager to do so for Brighton.
And the 31-year-old believes their midweek run-out against Crawley provided some challenges that will help his side improve ahead of their trip to the Emirates.
"You have to win tough games like this which we did," Hurzeler said.
"I experienced a lot of cup games in Germany, and I know how difficult it is to play against a team that comes from a lower league.
"I think they had nothing to lose, they had a lot to win. So, in the end, we are happy about the result but we will try to keep improving and try to play better than today.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Arsenal – Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka has continued where he left off from last campaign and has now been involved in 17 goals in his last 19 Premier League outings for the Gunners (12 goals and five assists).
Saka notched assists against Wolves and Aston Villa, and could become the second player after Thierry Henry in 2004-05 to assist a goal in the first three games of a top flight season for Arsenal.
Brighton – Danny Welbeck
Danny Welbeck has already notched a goal against one of his former employers this season, and will be looking to strike against Arsenal upon his return to North London.
Welbeck is looking to score in three consecutive Premier League appearances for the first time since January 2014, while the last player to score in each of Brighton’s first three league games in a single campaign was Nicky Forster in 2008-09.
MATCH PREDICTION: ARSENAL WIN
Despite Brighton's impressive start to the season, Arsenal are considered the overriding favourites, winning 69.8% of Opta's data-led simulations, with the Seagulls given a 12.3% chance of emerging victorious at the Emirates.
The Gunners have won three of their last four Premier League games against Brighton (L1), as many as they had in their first 10 against them beforehand (D3 L4).
Arteta's side have also triumphed in their last eight league games since a 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa in April, last winning nine in a row between January and March 2004.
Victory for Arsenal would see them win their opening three Premier League games in a season for a second time under Arteta (also 2022-23), which would be as many times as they did so prior to his arrival as manager (in 2003-04 and 2004-05 under Arsene Wenger).
Brighton have won three of their seven Premier League away games against Arsenal (D1 L3). They’re one of just three teams to have won more or as many visits to the Emirates as they’ve lost in the competition, along with Manchester City (W7 L6) and Swansea City (W3 L3).
For the third time in the last four seasons, Brighton have won their opening two Premier League matches. The Seagulls haven’t won their opening three league games in a season since 2011-12 in the Championship.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Arsenal – 69.8%
Draw – 17%
Brighton – 13.2%
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