Liverpool still have "a lot to prove" despite maintaining their strong start to the Premier League season, so says new boss Arne Slot.

Goals from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah in Sunday's 2-0 win over Brentford continued the Dutchman's perfect record as Reds head coach following their opening-day win over Ipswich Town last week.

Slot's side are yet to concede a goal this term, scoring four in return, as he became the first Liverpool boss since April 1991 to win his first two league matches in charge.

Yet Slot knows it is early days as he aims to walk in the shoes of the legendary Jurgen Klopp.

He told BBC Sport: "The fans loved to see the team playing really well but they also loved to see the team working very hard.

"I liked what I saw so if I like it then mostly the fans like it.

"Again we won against Ipswich, won against Brentford. Two good teams but I am not expecting them to be in the top six in the upcoming year so still a lot to prove for us in the upcoming weeks and months."

Liverpool were frustrated in their attempts to extend their lead against the Bees by visiting goalkeeper Mark Flekken, who made six saves, but Slot was quick to point out the defensive solidity shown by his team, who limited Brentford to just 0.36 expected goals (xG).

"Most importantly, we did not concede much," the former Feyenoord coach said.

"The only big chance we conceded was a set piece and that is always so difficult when you play Brentford. They can threaten in many ways but one is certainly set pieces, and we controlled that quite well apart from that one moment."

Slot also praised many of his players for returning from their holidays in fine physical condition, and he thinks that has been one of the main factors in Liverpool achieving two wins out of two so far.

"The players came back after three weeks of holiday and in most cases two weeks before the start of the games but they came back really strong physically", he said.

"Compliment to the players for how they came back and, like I have said, we haven't changed much compared to the former regime, so it is not so difficult for them to start playing again. That was a very positive thing."

Slot's biggest test as Liverpool coach comes next week, with the Reds heading to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.

Virgil van Dijk insists there is "no reason" for him to start looking elsewhere from Liverpool, despite his contract at Anfield now running into its final year.

The Reds made it two wins from two under new head coach Arne Slot as Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah were on target in a 2-0 victory over Brentford.

Van Dijk made his 100th Premier League appearance for Liverpool at Anfield, and celebrated the milestone with a second clean sheet in as many matches.

The skipper has less than a year remaining on his existing contract with the club he joined from Southampton in January 2018.

Nevertheless, he maintains he is very relaxed about the situation, while instead focusing on evolving under his new boss.

"I am very calm," he told Sky Sports. "The thing is, I want to play the best season I can. I want to be important and stay important to the club. Then, we will see.

"Everything happens for a reason, but for now, there have been no changes in my situation. I am very calm about it and there is no reason for me to start thinking about something else. I have a whole season left to play.

"We have to - I won't say forget about the Jurgen period - but that is in the past, and we had an amazing time, and now it is a time for the new boss to hopefully be successful.

"Obviously, [I have] that extra responsibility because I know the players inside and out. But I am here for him [Slot].

"I told him that from day one, and I will help them and the backroom staff. I want to be successful, and we are in the same boat. There is extra responsibility there."

Alexis Mac Allister is pleased with the development of Liverpool so far under new coach Arne Slot, but knows there is still work to do.

Mac Allister helped Liverpool to their second straight win to start the 2024-25 Premier League season, as the Reds swatted Brentford aside 2-0 at Anfield.

Slot became the first Liverpool boss to win his opening two league matches since April 1991 in the process.

And Mac Allister, who was integral to much of Liverpool's play, believes Liverpool are swiftly adapting to their new coach's approach.

He told Sky Sports: "We played a fantastic game.

"The team gave everything from the first minute which you could see and it was a good game. In possession and without the ball it was good so we are really pleased."

Liverpool were in dominant form for much of Sunday's encounter, mustering 19 shots for an accumulative 2.65 expected goals to Brentford's 0.36 xG.

But Mac Allister knows there is still more to come from the Reds, who are one of four teams to have won their opening two matches.

"We know there is still room for improvement," Mac Allister said.

"In the transition sometimes we need to be patient but instead we are quite direct but we are in that transition [towards that style]. Everyone is working hard to get into Arne's ideas."

Slot's biggest test so far as Liverpool coach arrives next Sunday in the form of Manchester United at Old Trafford, and Mac Allister is aware of the enormity of the fixture for both players and supporters.

"We know against Man Utd it is a derby, it is very important for the club and for us. We will prepare during the week and do our best to win that game," he added.

Luke Williams feels Swansea City "squandered the chance" to take all three points in the South Wales derby, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Cardiff City.

The Swans took a 10th-minute lead through academy graduate Liam Cullen, who volleyed home from close range after Ethan Horvath parried Ronald's initial effort.

However, they were pegged back 11 minutes from time when substitutes Ollie Tanner and Callum Robinson combined, with the latter ensuring a share of the spoils.

Tempers flared late on at the Swansea.com Stadium, with Cardiff boss Erol Bulut sent off for refusing to hand the ball back and his involvement in confrontations with Jay Fulton and Kyle Naughton.

Swansea had won five of the six previous league meetings between the sides on home soil, and Williams was left frustrated after his side failed to convert their general control of proceedings into a second goal.

"I think it was a very cagey game," he told Sky Sports. "The first half, we were probably the better team and deserved our lead at half-time, but the second half was a lot more even.

"I think if we'd scored the second goal, we would have taken the game away from them, but at 1-0, there is always that jeopardy.

"We squandered the chance today. It is frustrating as it is a huge game, and we know what it means. But we didn't get that second goal and then, as a coach, you probably fear the worst and really, we got what we deserved.

"On the whole, we defended well, but we didn't for one action, and the ball ended up in the back of the net. We switched off for one moment and got punished."

Meanwhile, Cardiff finally got off the mark in a season that began with back-to-back defeats against Sunderland and Burnley, in which they conceded seven goals without reply.

"We knew it would be a passionate game," Bluebirds assistant Omer Riza said. "We've worked really hard today and have ended up with a draw and, overall, we are happy.

"Going 1-0 down early meant today was always difficult, but we stuck to our guns. In the second half, we had more intent, pressed better, and we always felt our subs would be important today.

On red card, he added: "There was a challenge that frustrated Erol, he was pulled onto the pitch by one of their players and the red card is a bit harsh."

Endrick scored his first Real Madrid goal as Carlo Ancelotti's side claimed their first win of the LaLiga season after beating Real Valladolid 3-0.

Federico Valverde and Brahim Diaz were also on target for Los Blancos, who struck three times in the second half despite a generally lacklustre display at Santiago Bernabeu.

After a goalless first half, Madrid broke the deadlock within five minutes of the restart, as Valverde thumping a vicious 25-yard free-kick through the Valladolid wall and beyond goalkeeper Karl Hein.

The reigning LaLiga champions had to wait until the 88th minute to establish breathing space with substitute Diaz latching onto Eder Militao's long ball and slotting home.

Endrick, who also climbed off the bench, added gloss to the scoreline deep when he rounded off a swift counter in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

The teenage dream comes true for Endrick

Entering the contest as an 86th-minute substitute, Endrick took just 10 minutes to announce himself to Santiago Bernabeu with his new side's third goal.

At 18 years and 35 days old, the Brazil international became the youngest Madrid player to score on his LaLiga debut in the 21st century, and the first foreign player to achieve the feat overall.

His effort was provided by Diaz, who scored and assisted in a single match in any competition across Europe's top five leagues as a substitute for the first time in his career (207 appearances).

Los Blancos have now won each of their last six league meetings with Valladolid without conceding, while their opponents have lost on four successive trips to the Spanish capital for the first time since a run of six in November 2012.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot made himself at home at Anfield as goals from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah secured a 2-0 victory over Brentford.

After winning by the same scoreline away at Ipswich Town last week, Slot saw his team dominate much of Sunday’s encounter to keep up their perfect record to start the 2024-25 Premier League season.

Slot waited just 13 minutes for his first home game to spark into life – Diogo Jota leading a rapid counter-attack from a Brentford corner before laying it off to Diaz, who lashed in beyond Mark Flekken to mark his 100th Reds appearance in style.

 Flekken and Nathan Collins combined to keep Liverpool at bay in the second half, while Brentford – who were again without Ivan Toney – went close through Kristoffer Ajer at the other end.

However, Liverpool’s dominance finally told when Diaz turned provider for the Reds’ second, which was expertly guided home by Salah with 20 minutes remaining.

Cody Gakpo’s deflected effort struck the crossbar late on, as the Reds joined Manchester City, Brighton and Arsenal on two wins from as many matches.

Data Debrief: 

Jota has contributed to goals in his last 3 games in the Premier League (2 goals, 1 assist).

Slot is the first Liverpool manager to win his first two league matches in charge since Graeme Souness in April 1991. 

Stretching back to last season, Liverpool have now scored in each of their last six league games, scoring 15 goals during that run.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot made himself at home at Anfield as goals from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah secured a 2-0 victory over Brentford.

After winning by the same scoreline away at Ipswich Town last week, Slot saw his team dominate much of Sunday’s encounter to keep up their perfect record to start the 2024-25 Premier League season.

Slot waited just 13 minutes for his first home game to spark into life – Diogo Jota leading a rapid counter-attack from a Brentford corner before laying it off to Diaz, who lashed in beyond Mark Flekken to mark his 100th Reds appearance in style.

Flekken and Nathan Collins combined to keep Liverpool at bay in the second half, while Brentford – who were again without Ivan Toney – went close through Kristoffer Ajer at the other end.

However, Liverpool’s dominance finally told when Diaz turned provider for the Reds’ second, which was expertly guided home by Salah with 20 minutes remaining.

Cody Gakpo’s deflected effort struck the crossbar late on, as the Reds joined Manchester City, Brighton and Arsenal on two wins from as many matches.

Data Debrief: Slot makes himself at home

Slot is the first Liverpool manager to win his first two league matches in charge since Graeme Souness in April 1991. 

Stretching back to last season, Liverpool have now scored in each of their last six league games, scoring 15 goals during that run.

Noni Madueke believes his link-up with Cole Palmer is perfectly balanced after he set him up for a hat-trick in their 6-2 thrashing of Wolves.

Enzo Maresca earned his first Premier League win thanks to Madueke's 14-minute hat-trick, after Matheus Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen had cancelled out Nicolas Jackson and Palmer's goals in the first half. New signing Joao Felix then rounded off a superb display for the Blues with 10 minutes remaining.

It is the fifth time that a player has assisted each goal for a team-mate's hat-trick in the Premier League, and Madueke was pleased with how well they complimented each other on Sunday.

"It is unbelievable. He is cold, and I am fire, so it mixes well," Madueke told PLP.

"He has the ability to always play a pass at the right time. I like to get the ball in space, beat people and make things happen, so luckily today it worked.

"The first [goal] was a bit lucky. Second one was all Cole Palmer; two brilliant passes, with the weight of pass I just had to step onto the ball and score.

"I'm made up for the hat-trick, but more made up we won the game."

Madueke was the subject of ire from the home fans after posting a now-deleted Instagram post with a less-than-complimentary opinion about the city of Wolverhampton.

"I just want to apologise to everyone that I might have offended," he added. "It is just a human mistake, an accident.

"It wasn't meant to be out on my socials like that. I'm sure Wolverhampton is a nice town, and I'm sorry."

Maresca is the first manager in Premier League history to see his team score six goals in his first away game in the competition. Despite being pleased by the emphatic nature of the win, Maresca admitted there were still improvements to be made.

"The performance was good. I think the first half was not a complete performance, we started well in the first 10 to 15 minutes, we scored a goal and had two or three more chances," he told Sky Sports.

"Then we lost a few easy balls. When you want to build from behind you cannot allow yourself to lose easy balls, otherwise you concede set pieces and counter-attacks. You need to be more accurate. Overall, the performance was good."

Meanwhile, Wolves sit at the bottom of the early standings having failed to win their first two games, stretching their losing run to five matches in the Premier League.

After a bright first-half performance that twice saw Wolves come from behind to level the score, Gary O'Neil was left frustrated with the easy nature of Chelsea's goals in the second half.

"We gave Chelsea a lot of help, so there is an awful lot I need to fix," O'Neil told BBC Sport.

"They were unacceptable [mistakes] from us. I am all for positivity and when the lads do well, they know they have done well, but from all of us as a group, to concede those three goals as we do is unacceptable."

Eddie Howe was "very grateful" to see a late Bournemouth winner disallowed against Newcastle United, acknowledging he could not initially see any issue with Dango Ouattara's goal.

A controversial encounter on Sunday ended in a 1-1 draw after a stoppage-time effort from Ouattara was overturned following a VAR review.

The officials decided the ball had struck Ouattara's arm, rather than his head, from a right-wing corner, although referee David Coote did not visit the pitchside monitor to assess the incident.

The decision gave Newcastle a reprieve, having rescued a point through Anthony Gordon's equaliser after Marcus Tavernier netted the opening goal in the first half.

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola felt it was "so obvious" the ball had come off Ouattara's shoulder, and Howe appreciated it was "a contentious decision", even if he welcomed it.

"I thought the game was lost because I initially hadn't seen anything wrong with the goal," the Newcastle coach told BBC's Match of the Day.

"We have had it both ways. We have had it for us and against us, and we are very grateful for that moment because we have battled hard.

"What we had at that stage of the game was a valuable point. But I understand that it is a contentious decision."

Iraola added: "It was so obvious. I think everyone who watches the game would agree.

"I think the shoulder; it never touches his skin. We have very short sleeves.

"They say it is factual; show me the facts. I have just seen the video, and the fact is it doesn't touch the arm, it is the shoulder, a clear goal and three points for us.

"It is something that is not even controversial. It is definitely not something for VAR to intervene.

"I have nothing against the referee; he gave the goal, they did not give him the chance to see it again. [It was] someone in the VAR, who supposedly is not going to intervene too much, they say, because they trust the referee.

"It doesn't matter that I complain now; it is two points less."

Thomas Muller is now the outright record-holder for Bundesliga appearances for Bayern Munich.

Muller came off the bench on Sunday to help Bayern come from behind to beat Wolfsburg in Vincent Kompany's first league game in charge.

It marked Muller's 474th Bundesliga match for the club, seeing him overtake Sepp Maier as Bayern's record appearance-maker in the competition.

The 34-year-old made an immediate impact after his introduction, helping to force Jakub Kaminski to turn into his own goal to restore parity.

Muller, who also played a role in the winner on Sunday when he put in Harry Kane, who in turn teed up Serge Gnabry, has now won 340 Bundesliga matches, which is more than any other player in the competition since he made his Bayern debut.

In that same period, Muller has scored 149 league goals, which ranks third in Germany's top tier, while providing a competition-leading 169 assists and creating 927 goalscoring opportunities.

Caribbean athletes delivered standout performances at the Silesia Diamond League meeting in Poland on Sunday, with victories and record-breaking feats highlighting a successful day for the region.

Jamaican hurdler Ackera Nugent bounced back from the disappointment of not finishing in the final of the 100m hurdles at the 2024 Paris Olympics, capturing victory in the event with a meet record time of 12.29 seconds. Nugent, who came close to matching her personal best and national record of 12.28, showcased her return to top form, having already signaled her intent in the preliminary heats with an impressive 12.30. The USA’s Grace Stark finished second in 12.37, narrowly edging out another Jamaican, Danielle Williams, who clocked 12.38 for third place. Olympic champion Masai Russell of the USA was fourth in 12.40.

Tia Clayton added to Jamaica’s success with a wind-aided 10.83 to win the 100m in a thrilling blanket finish. She finished just ahead of Ivory Coast’s Marie Jose Ta Lou-Smith, who was credited with the same time, while the USA’s Tamari Davis was a close third in 10.84.

Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic continued her winning ways, dominating the 400m with a meet record time of 48.66 seconds. Paulino’s masterclass performance saw her comfortably ahead of Olympic silver medalist Salwa Eid Naser, who finished second in 49.23. Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek claimed third in 49.95. Barbados' Sada Williams, who has had a strong season, finished eighth in 50.82.

Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts claimed victory in the triple jump, leaping out to 14.50m. Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez was second with 14.42m, while Italy’s Dariya Derkach took third with 14.02m. Ricketts' win added to the Caribbean’s tally on a day that saw multiple triumphs for the region.

Romaine Beckford of Jamaica set a lifetime best in the high jump with a clearance of 2.29m, securing second place behind Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi, who won the event with a jump of 2.31m.

In the men’s 110m hurdles, Jamaican Rasheed Broadbell narrowly missed out on victory, finishing second to American Olympic champion Grant Holloway. Holloway clocked 13.04 to Broadbell’s season-best 13.05. Broadbell, however, expressed concern after the race, revealing he might have suffered a groin injury during the event. “I got close but I started to feel my groin,” Broadbell said. “No, it’s not good.” The USA’s Daniel Roberts was third in 13.24, with Jamaica’s Orlando Bennett finishing fifth in 13.35.

Jamaica’s Shian Salmon, Janieve Russell, and Andrennette Knight delivered strong performances in the women’s 400m hurdles, finishing fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively. The event was won by Dutch star Femke Bol, who set a meet record of 52.13.

In the men’s 100m, Olympic bronze medalist Fred Kerley of the USA won in a meet record 9.87, just ahead of Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala (9.88) and Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake, who equaled his lifetime best of 9.89 for third place.

Jamaican sprinter Kishane Thompson was a notable absentee in the 200m, where Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana set a meet record of 19.82. Alexander Ogando of the Dominican Republic finished second in a national record and personal best of 19.86.

In a meet filled with exceptional performances, Norway’s Jakob Ingerbrigsten set the only world record of the day, running an astonishing 7:17.55 to win the 3000m. 

Mondo Duplantis continued his world-record streak by establishing yet another mark in the pole vault. The remarkable Swede cleared 6.26m to win an other competitive event.

The Silesia Diamond League meeting was a memorable event for Caribbean athletes, who not only claimed victories but also set records, proving once again the region’s strength and talent on the global athletics stage.

 

Lando Norris ended Max Verstappen's run of victories at the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday, winning from pole despite being immediately passed by the Formula One champion.

Verstappen had won his home race in each of the past three seasons since it returned to the calendar, but he qualified behind Norris on Saturday.

The Dutchman, racing for the 200th time in F1, still could have claimed another triumph, tearing away from Norris almost immediately as the pole-sitter endured another tricky start.

However, Verstappen was soon complaining about a lack of grip and could do little to stop Norris responding.

The Briton stuck with his rival throughout the opening laps and then eased past into the lead at the first corner.

Once back in front, Norris assumed full control, disappearing off into the distance to win by 22.8 seconds as Verstappen was forced to settle for the second step on the podium.

The Red Bull superstar is now five races without a win, allowing Norris to close the gap in the drivers' championship to 70 points.

McLaren are also applying pressure in the constructors' championship, 30 points behind Red Bull now despite Oscar Piastri being beaten to third by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc following a lengthy battle.

Data Debrief: Dutch pole trend continues

Verstappen may have got in front early on, but he clearly was not confident he had the fastest car this weekend, having qualified behind Norris.

With the McLaren man instead winning, it means five of the past six Dutch Grands Prix have been won by the driver starting on pole, including Verstappen in each of his three prior triumphs.

Attention for Verstappen now turns to Italy and ending his five-race winless run, his longest such sequence since 11 in a row in the 2020 season.

Top 10

1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
6. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
7. George Russell (Mercedes)
8. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
10. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Drivers

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 295
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 225
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 192

Constructors

1. Red Bull - 434
2. McLaren - 404
3. Ferrari - 370

A late goal by Serge Gnabry secured Bayern Munich a hard-fought 3-2 victory at Wolfsburg on Sunday, giving Vincent Kompany a winning start in the Bundesliga.

Wolfsburg started brightly, but the visitors made the better chances in the first half, taking the lead after fine work by Sacha Boey down the right to set up Jamal Musiala for an easy tap-in.

However, Bayern were punished for a slow start after the break, as Boey brought down Tiago Tomas in the box, and Lovro Majer made no mistake from the spot.

Wolfsburg created all kinds of trouble for the visitors' defence and Majer gave them the lead in the 55th minute, having also struck the post shortly before.

Thomas Muller became Bayern's all-time record appearance-maker in the Bundesliga seconds before Jakub Kaminski's own goal levelled the scores in the 65th minute. 

But Gnabry struck with eight minutes left on the clock to secure all three points for the Bavarians.

Data Debrief: History maker

While the plaudits from the game will go to the goalscorers, Muller cemented himself in the Bayern history books with the most appearances - Sunday was his 474th Bundesliga match for the club, overtaking Sepp Maier.

Bayern have now scored in each of their last 32 Bundesliga games against Wolfsburg (93 goals in total). It's the longest-scoring run against any particular side in their history.

The visitors are now unbeaten in their season-opener in each of the last 13 seasons (won 11, drawn two), a new record for a team in Bundesliga history. 

 

Noni Madueke plundered a second-half hat-trick as Enzo Maresca claimed his first Premier League win as Chelsea boss in emphatic fashion, with the Blues dispatching Wolves 6-2.

It was all square at the break, with Matheus Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen cancelling out Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer's goals in a thrilling first half at Molineux.

Madueke put the game beyond Wolves' reach, though, netting a 14-minute hat-trick from a trio of Palmer assists before new signing Joao Felix added further gloss for the visitors.

Cunha and Mario Lemina had a goal each ruled out for the hosts, but Gary O'Neil's team were cut open at the back and ultimately soundly beaten.

Chelsea's victory takes them into the top half as one of seven teams on three points, while Wolves are 19th after two defeats.

Data Debrief: Blues find their groove

Maresca got his first Premier League win in style, and he is the first manager in the competition's history to see his team score six goals in his first away game.

Madueke, who helped to seal Maresca's first win on Thursday, has now scored more goals in Wolverhampton (three) than he has at Stamford Bridge (two in 18 games). 

It is also just the fifth time that a player has assisted a team-mate's hat-trick in the Premier League, with Palmer finishing the day with three assists and one goal.

As for Wolves, they accumulated a higher expected goals tally (1.92) than Chelsea (1.56), but could not prevent themselves from being on the wrong end of a thrashing.

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