Arne Slot hailed Liverpool's recovery powers as the Reds marked their manager's birthday with a battling Champions League victory over AC Milan.

Liverpool's return to the competition after a one-year absence got off to a terrible start as Christian Pulisic fired home just three minutes into Tuesday's clash at San Siro.

Ibrahima Konate swiftly restored parity with a header from Trent Alexander-Arnold's free-kick before Virgil van Dijk marked his 50th appearance in the Champions League with a first-half finish.

Dominik Szoboszlai made sure of the opening-game win after the break as Milan capitulated to a 3-1 defeat in front of their disappointed home supporters.

Victory ensured Slot celebrated his 46th birthday in style, overseeing three points in his first European game in charge of his new club.

"A great way to spend my birthday," the Dutchman said on Amazon Prime.

"We have more than 11 players and the ones that came in did well. You wouldn't have said this after five minutes, but after we did well."

Liverpool were rocked by an early-season Premier League blow on Saturday, falling down 1-0 to Nottingham Forest at Anfield in a shock result.

Former Feyenoord boss Slot was delighted with the reaction as Liverpool made it five wins in their last six away games in Italy in the Champions League.

"Losing Saturday was a blow and to be 1-0 down early here, you are wondering how we react," Slot added.

"But if you can play so good it is – I won't say a disgrace – unbelievable you lose to Forest at home if you can play like this [at Milan]."

Van Dijk became just the third Dutch player to score on his 50th appearance in the competition, after Ruud van Nistelrooy and Roy Makaay (both in 2005).

The Liverpool captain lauded his side's ability to bounce back in what was billed as a battle between two European heavyweights, having shared memorable Champions League finals in 2005 and 2007.

"Obviously I am very pleased with the win and I am pleased with the way we bounced back after a difficult start," Van Dijk told Sky Italy.

"When there is a set-piece we try to be important. The delivery was outstanding in my opinion. I am very pleased that we won and we limited them to only two big chances.

"We have been very successful over the years and I am always grateful for that. Things have moved on, the new manager is here and he has principles that are different.

"We are working on things and there are still things to improve."

Erik ten Hag was not getting carried away after another positive Manchester United result on a "perfect night" in the EFL Cup.

United were reeling after a 3-0 humbling at home to rivals Liverpool prior to the international break, but they bounced back by beating Southampton by the same scoreline on Saturday.

And Ten Hag's side then swept aside Barnsley on Tuesday for the biggest win of his United tenure, with Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Christian Eriksen each scoring twice in a 7-0 triumph.

It appears United's fortunes have changed, but their manager will not rush to make judgement.

"I was not devastated after Liverpool; I'm not now celebrating," Ten Hag told the media afterwards.

"We are on a journey, and we will see where we are in May, because then we have to be good and we have to be at our best. In the meantime, we have to progress the team."

Of the Barnsley match, though, he said: "For me and for the team, it's the perfect night.

"We did everything we planned to do; we win, next round, scored lots of great goals, entertained the fans, we worked on our game model. So, yeah, we are happy."

Rashford's goals were an obvious highlight, adding to his first of the campaign against Southampton as the United forward suddenly looks to have regained his confidence.

"Confidence is a big part of it," Ten Hag added. "It's not everything – there are also other parts – but confidence is a big part.

"Rashford is a big guy, he's scored so many goals. In the list of United goalscorers, he's at the top of it. So, he's a big guy, but you're as good as your last game, and every time you have to prove it.

"I have seen the biggest guys, the biggest football players when they are not performing, when the strikers are not scoring, and they drop in confidence. It doesn't matter who."

Viktor Gyokeres and Zeno Debast fired Sporting CP to a 2-0 Champions League win over Lille on Tuesday, after Angel Gomes' sending-off reduced the French side to 10 men.

Sporting created a number of good chances in the first half but were kept at bay by Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, until Gyokeres latched onto a delightful pass from Pedro Goncalves to open the scoring in the 38th minute.

Two minutes later, Lille were reduced to 10 men when England international Gomes was shown a second yellow card for tripping Gyokeres, having earlier been booked for a push on Francisco Trincao.

In the second half, Debast unleashed a superb long-range effort into the top-right corner to seal victory for the home side.

The Portuguese club are sixth in the early Champions League standings and face PSV in their next European game on October 1.

Data Debrief: Gomes joins unwanted club

Gomes made a fine impact after being called up by interim England coach Lee Carsley for Nations League wins over the Republic of Ireland and Finland earlier this month.

However, he was brought back down to earth as his red card proved costly on Tuesday, becoming just the fourth Englishman to be sent off while representing a non-English club in the Champions League.

Mark Hateley for Rangers, Paul Gascoigne twice for the same club, Matt Derbyshire for Olympiakos and Fikayo Tomori for Milan are the others to do so.

Girona captain Cristhian Stuani deserves more than anyone to be in the team for the side's first-ever Champions League game on Wednesday against Paris Saint-Germain, head coach Michel said.

Michel promised the 37-year-old striker that he would give him the captain's armband when they play in the Champions League after he grabbed an injury-time winner against Real Betis in March.

Girona, who had never qualified for Europe's top club competition in their 94-year history, finally secured a place in the Champions League by finishing third in the LaLiga standings last season.

"Stuani deserves to be in the starting eleven. He has been wearing this shirt for many years. He deserves it more than anyone," Sanchez told reporters on Tuesday.

"The reality is that last year we did things spectacularly. We have arrived at a place that we deserve. We are excited, motivated.

"It's a dream and you have to enjoy it. The growth of this club is demonstrated by moments like this. We have to give our version and enjoy ourselves."

Stuani will be aged 37 years and 342 days on the day of this game and would be the second-oldest outfield debutant in Champions League history, behind Anastasios Mitropoulos (40 years, 109 days) who made a brief substitute appearance for Olympiakos against Rosenborg in December 1997.

Uruguay international Stuani said it would be a dream come true to play in the competition with the club he joined in 2017.

"It is a pride and an honour to be part of all this. It's very special. Not only because of what it means for Girona to play in the Champions League," Stuani said.

"I'm lucky and it's a privilege to be able to enjoy a game like this. It's a dream day and I'm going to achieve it with the club of my life."

The last Spanish side to debut in the competition was Malaga back in the 2012-13 campaign, while each of the last three debuting Spanish sides have gone on to make the knockout stages (Villarreal in 2005-06, Sevilla in 2007-08 and Malaga in 2012-13).

However, only one of the last 28 teams travelling away to PSG for the first time in the Champions League have come away with a victory (D8 L19), with Manchester United winning 3-1 in March 2019.

Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic should control his emotions when he does not score, Bianconeri head coach Thiago Motta said after they beat PSV 3-1 in their Champions League opener.

Kenan Yildiz and Weston McKennie put Juve 2-0 up at the break and Vlahovic set up Nico Gonzalez for the third strike, but the striker failed to find the net himself on Tuesday.

Vlahovic was visibly upset when he missed two chances towards the end of the game as the 24-year-old remained goalless in a third consecutive game across all competitions.

"Dusan always shows up in ideal conditions to train and play. I am happy with his work," Motta told Sky Sport.

"He didn't score and it's true that the striker always wants to score, it is also right that he has this ambition, but he must manage the emotional side.

"It happens to a striker not to score but he must think that on the pitch there are other things to do and that the goal will come. We also have other strikers, the important thing is that he participates in the team game."

Vlahovic attempted four shots but only found the target with one of those, despite accumulating an individual expected goals (xG) tally of 0.71, just shy of scorers Gonzalez (0.73) and McKennie (0.86).

This victory may never have been in doubt, though, considering Juventus have never lost their opening game of a Champions League campaign played at home, now winning seven and drawing three.

Motta, who was appointed in June after the club parted ways with Massimiliano Allegri, was still pleased with the win but believes his team can get better after his debut as a coach in Europe.

"Today I liked the concreteness," he said. "We can improve in many other things to make things difficult for our opponents.

"The goal we conceded is the thing that worries me the least. We can do better in terms of quality. We are going on the right path.

"We started the competition well with a win and now we shall continue like this."

Juve, who remain unbeaten in all competitions so far this season, next face Napoli and Genoa in Serie A before they travel to RB Leipzig in the Champions League on October 2.

Everton's miserable start to the new season continued as they were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Southampton, who experienced spot-kick joy after their penalty pain against Manchester United.

Sean Dyche's Toffees have lost their past two Premier League matches despite leading 2-0 in each, and they let slip another lead on Tuesday.

Abdoulaye Doucoure's opener was cancelled out by Saints' Taylor Harwood-Bellis, with a 1-1 draw taking the third-round tie to penalties at Goodison Park.

Southampton, like Everton, are pointless in the league after Cameron Archer's spot-kick miss in their latest defeat at home to United on Saturday proved costly.

But this time Saints succeeded from 12 yards, advancing after a 6-5 shoot-out win, with Ashley Young the only man to fail from the spot when Alex McCarthy saved the final kick.

That was one of three shoot-outs among Tuesday's cup matches, with Preston North End remarkably winning a marathon contest against Fulham.

Following another 1-1 draw, Preston were 16-15 victors on penalties as Timothy Castagne blazed the decisive effort over the crossbar after 17 attempts apiece.

Stoke City and Fleetwood Town also drew 1-1, before the Potters triumphed.

Elsewhere, Eberechi Eze netted the winner against former club Queens Park Rangers, with Eddie Nketiah also on target for the first time for Crystal Palace in a 2-1 victory.

Brentford came from behind to beat Leyton Orient 3-1, while Sheffield United defeated former boss Steve Bruce and Blackpool 1-0.

Liverpool celebrated their return to the Champions League with a 3-1 victory over AC Milan at San Siro on Tuesday, overcoming a shaky start for a comfortable triumph.

The Reds got off to an awful start when Christian Pulisic finished Milan's deadly counter-attack in the third minute, aided by Liverpool's disorganised defending on their return to the competition after a year's absence.

Arne Slot's side turned things around, however, as Ibrahima Konate equalised in the 23rd minute when he leapt high above a crowd of defenders to head in Trent Alexander-Arnold's free kick.

Virgil van Dijk put Liverpool ahead after nodding home Kostas Tsimikas' corner prior to the break before Dominik Szoboszlai sealed victory in the 67th minute, slotting into the far corner from Cody Gakpo's cross after Milan gave up possession.

Slot's first Champions League game at the helm of Liverpool ended in deserved victory, and it was a terrific response from his team after their shock 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday.

Data Debrief: Defensive delight for Reds

With Konate and Van Dijk both on target, Liverpool had two defenders score in the same Champions League game for the first time.

It marked a fitting way for Van Dijk to celebrate a landmark appearance, becoming just the third Dutch player to score on his 50th outing in the competition, after Ruud van Nistelrooy and Roy Makaay (both in 2005).

Alexander-Arnold's assist for Liverpool's equaliser was also his 80th for the Reds. Since his debut in October 2016, only Kevin De Bruyne (146) and team-mate Mohamed Salah (90) have provided more in all competitions among Premier League players.

Those defensive performances at the other end of the pitch helped Liverpool to a fifth win in their last six away games against Italian sides in all competitions (L1), having won just three of their first 14 such visits (D3 L8).

Liverpool celebrated their return to the Champions League with a 3-1 victory over AC Milan at San Siro on Tuesday, overcoming a shaky start for a comfortable triumph.

The Reds got off to an awful start when Christian Pulisic finished Milan's deadly counter-attack in the third minute, aided by Liverpool's disorganised defending on their return to the competition after a year's absence.

Arne Slot's side turned things around, however, as Ibrahima Konate equalised in the 23rd minute when he leapt high above a crowd of defenders to head in Trent Alexander-Arnold's free kick.

Virgil van Dijk put Liverpool ahead after nodding home Kostas Tsimikas' corner prior to the break before Dominik Szoboszlai sealed victory in the 67th minute, slotting into the far corner from Cody Gakpo's cross after Milan gave up possession.

Slot's first Champions League game at the helm of Liverpool ended in deserved victory, and it was a terrific response from his team after their shock 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday.

Data Debrief: Defensive delight for Reds

With Konate and Van Dijk both on target, Liverpool had two defenders score in the same Champions League game for the first time.

It marked a fitting way for Van Dijk to celebrate a landmark appearance, becoming just the third Dutch player to score on his 50th outing in the competition, after Ruud van Nistelrooy and Roy Makaay (both in 2005).

Alexander-Arnold's assist for Liverpool's equaliser was also his 80th for the Reds. Since his debut in October 2016, only Kevin De Bruyne (146) and team-mate Mohamed Salah (90) have provided more in all competitions among Premier League players.

Those defensive performances at the other end of the pitch helped Liverpool to a fifth win in their last six away games against Italian sides in all competitions (L1), having won just three of their first 14 such visits (D3 L8).

Harry Kane produced a remarkable four-goal haul to make English history as Bayern Munich demolished visitors Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 in their record-breaking Champions League opener.

Kane, who scored a hat-trick in their Bundesliga win over Holstein Kiel on Saturday, converted a 19th-minute penalty before goals from Raphael Guerreiro and Michael Olise in the first half on Tuesday.

Bruno Petkovic and Takuya Ogiwara led a fightback early in the second half, with Dinamo hoping to find a way back, but Bayern responded through goals from Kane and Olise.

Kane netted his third and fourth with penalties shortly after, helping him onto 33 strikes in the competition and comfortably past Wayne Rooney's 30-goal record among English players in the Champions League.

Leroy Sane added another in the 85th before fellow substitute Leon Goretzka headed in the hosts' record-breaking ninth finish, the most by one team in a single match since the Champions League was introduced.

Data Debrief: Penalty perfection for Kane

Deadly finisher Kane accumulated 3.76 expected goals (xG) of Bayern's total 6.27 tally for the match, with the 31-year-old finding the target with six of his eight attempts in what proved to be a total domination.

Kane is the first player to score a hat-trick of penalties in a European Cup/Champions League match, and the first Englishman to score four in a match in the competition since Alan Smith for Arsenal against FK Austria Wien in 1991.

There was history elsewhere, however, as Thomas Muller appeared in his 152nd Champions League match for Bayern, breaking Xavi's record for the most matches with one club in the competition (151 for Barcelona).

Vincent Kompany will be looking forward to the rest of this European term, too, after Bayern started a 21st straight campaign in the competition with victory, with their last such defeat coming against Deportivo de La Coruna back in 2002-03.

The Miami Dolphins will place quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve, multiple media outlets reported Tuesday.

The move ensures that Tagovailoa will be out at least until Week 8, with Skylar Thompson slated to start Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.

On Monday, the Dolphins signed Tyler Huntley from the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad, giving them a possible alternative to Thompson in the coming weeks.

Tagovailoa’s latest concussion came during Thursday’s 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Tagovailoa scrambled for a first down in the second half before colliding with Bills safety Damar Hamlin.

The impact left Tagovailoa dazed on the ground as he appeared to undergo a fencing response – the stiffening of limbs after a traumatic brain injury – before he was helped off the field.

Tagovailoa had two previously diagnosed concussions in the 2022 season, including one which required him to be carried off the field on a stretcher.

The 2023 Pro Bowler’s third head injury sparked an outpouring of concern from the football world, with some calling for Tagovailoa to retire.

Miami’s players and coaches were visibly shaken up by Tagovailoa’s most recent concussion, but last year’s passing yards leader has yet to speak publicly since the injury.  

NFL Network reported Sunday that Tagovailoa has no plans to retire.

“As far as Tua's career is concerned, I think it's an utmost priority of mine for Tua to speak onto his career,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel told reporters this week.

“I think as far as I'm concerned, I'm just worried about the human being and where that's at day to day. I'll let Tua be the champion of his own career and speak on that.”

While there is no firm timeline for Tagovailoa’s return, his placement on IR ensures that the earliest he could be back is Oct. 27 against the Arizona Cardinals.

While Miami’s (1-1) play-off hopes took a sizeable hit with Tagovailoa’s injury, the upcoming schedule appears manageable with games against the Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.

Marcus Rashford was on target again with a double as Manchester United demolished third-tier Barnsley 7-0 at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup third round.

Rashford had scored his first goal since mid-March in Saturday's Premier League victory at Southampton, after which Erik ten Hag predicted more would follow.

And the United manager was quickly proven right as Rashford grabbed the first and fifth goals on Tuesday, helping to fire the Red Devils into the last 16 of the EFL Cup.

Rashford, who netted in United's final victory over Newcastle United in this competition two seasons ago, appeared full of confidence after 16 minutes as he brought down Alejandro Garnacho's crossfield pass, skipped past Marc Roberts and blasted into the top corner.

The exiled England international was not alone among United's under-fire forwards in enjoying a productive game in front of goal either, with Antony getting his first of the season by winning and converting a penalty.

It was three on the stroke of half-time as Garnacho prodded in after Rashford was tackled in the area, and the excellent Argentina winger scored again shortly after the restart.

Rashford raced onto another Garnacho pass and finished coolly just before the hour mark, before Christian Eriksen added a late brace of his own.

Data Debrief: He shoots, he scores

It was hard to foresee Rashford's three-goal week prior to the Southampton match – primarily because the United number 10 was not shooting, let alone scoring.

Rashford appeared in United's first three Premier League matches of the season without even attempting a shot, but Barnsley's goal was subjected to target practice on Tuesday as his confidence returned.

Those two Rashford goals came from six attempts, including five from inside the box as he thrived in a central striking role after so often toiling on the left wing.

Harry Kane stretched to further record-breaking ground by surpassing Wayne Rooney for the most goals by an English player in Champions League history.

Bayern Munich forward Kane opened the scoring against Dinamo Zagreb with a penalty at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday.

That moved the England captain level with former Manchester United star Rooney on 30 Champions League strikes, the joint-most by any player from their country.

Kane later eased past Rooney's mark in the second half, powering home his 31st strike in the competition to take the outright English record.

Kane netted eight times in UEFA's top club competition last season, his most in a single edition, and has got off to a blistering start in the revamped 2024-25 format.

His second finish of the game helped Bayern to a 4-2 lead before Michael Olise's second goal extended the hosts' advantage further shortly after.