West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui was unwilling to defend his side’s form after they were beaten 3-0 by Chelsea in the early Premier League game on Saturday.
That home defeat was the third in a row for West Ham in the league, with their new manager finding himself under pressure after just five matches.
“There is no excuse,” Lopetegui said, when talking to BBC Match of the Day after the match.
"In all of them [the defeats] we can be more consistent. We have to be honest and know that we need to improve, this group of players will improve.
"The only thing we have to say to the fans is thank you. We have to give them things and the only thing you can give is your best."
On the performance itself against Chelsea, Lopetegui was similarly downbeat after West Ham went two goals down within 18 minutes.
“It's a bad day for sure,” said the Hammers manager. "We lost one match where we had big expectations to compete much better.
"It has been soft goals we have suffered. Before the first goal we have a clear chance with [Mohammed] Kudus, but after we have to be more consistent and we cannot accept this action.
"To compete in the Premier League you have to be more consistent. We had more of the ball than them, but the only stat that is important is they had more goals.
“We have to be honest and look at each other to know that we have to change things and to improve things to compete in the Premier League."
West Ham went in at half-time two goals down, but any hopes of a comeback were extinguished almost immediately in the second period.
Cole Palmer scored his second league goal of the season just 68 seconds after the teams got back under way.
"The third goal was key and at half-time, we were thinking one goal would be key for us to believe,” said Lopetegui. "It is true we suffered early on in the second half."
West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen was in a similar mood to his manager when interviewed after the match by TNT Sports.
"We were never in the game, which is an awful thing to say,” he said. "The goals that they scored were easy on our part - two gifts.
"You have to be switched on in every moment. On the pitch it felt quite easy to play through [us], a disappointing day all round.
"Of course, as a player and captain you have to lead and rally everyone together. We gave them too much respect in the end.”
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was full of praise for striker Nicolas Jackson following his brace in their 3-0 victory away to West Ham on Saturday.
The Senegalese’s double came inside the opening 18 minutes of the match, making it Chelsea’s earliest-ever brace scored in a London derby in the Premier League.
“We are 100% happy with Nicolas,” said Maresca, speaking to BBC Sport after full-time.
“Since I arrived here, he’s been very good on the ball in terms of goals and assists… but he also did a fantastic job off the ball.
“We are very happy.”
On the victory itself, which lifted Chelsea to second in the Premier League table prior to the remainder of Saturday’s matches, Maresca said there was still more to come from his players.
“It has been a good game, a good result and the clean sheet was very important. But as I have said many times, we have many things to improve,” he said.
“We can attack better, we can defend better, but overall we are [going] in the right direction.
“I think we can attack better, we can defend better, but especially we can manage the moments better.
“Sometimes, we can do more passes and keep the ball, but it’s a process and we are learning.
“The points are important, but in this moment, the most important thing and the main focus for me is the way we progress.”
Man of the moment Jackson echoed his manager’s sentiments after the match, saying he is concentrating on working hard after reaching four league goals for 2024-25.
"[I am] trying to play for the team every game. I scored two and I am happy - we won which is most important,” he said to TNT Sports.
"We controlled the game early. Always the keepers go one side and it was a good finish [for his opening goal].
"[There has been] plenty of talk and I have been injured for two months, I came back fresh and I hope to get more. I am trying to work hard and do more than last year."
Cole Palmer scored Chelsea’s third goal just over a minute into the second half, but he was quick to draw attention to Jackson’s contribution.
“Everybody knows he is a top player, he needs to keep going,” said Palmer.
“The Chelsea fans and players rate him highly - we know what he is capable of.
"There will always be noise, we try to block it out and listen to the manager. We have a good manager and it can only help us to get better."
Sunderland edged past local rivals Sunderland 1-0 at the Stadium of Light on Saturday to return to winning ways in the Championship.
The Black Cats' four-game winning run to begin the season was ended by Plymouth Argyle last weekend, but they responded well on home soil.
Local lad Chris Rigg, aged just 17, earned Sunderland Wear-Tees bragging rights with an outrageous backheel after 24 minutes.
Middlesbrough had chances but lacked a cutting edge as Sunderland made it three clean sheets from three home league games this season.
The win lifted Regis Le Bris' men back into top spot in the early Championship standings ahead of West Brom facing Plymouth later in the day.
Elsewhere in the early kick-offs, Johannes Thorup earned his first home league win as Norwich City manager in a 4-1 victory over Watford.
The Canaries' only other win this season came on their travels at Coventry City last month, but they were good value for their latest triumph.
Callum Doyle's long-range opener was cancelled out by Ryan Andrews' strike, before Borja Sainz restored the hosts' lead just before half-time.
Marcelino Nunez added a third nine minutes into the second period and Ben Chrisene made certain of the three points late on.
QPR drew 1-1 with London rivals Millwall at Loftus Road, meanwhile, with both sides remaining in the bottom half of the table with one win apiece.
Duncan Watmore rounded off a nice team move to put Millwall ahead after 34 minutes, but Michael Frey poked home a leveller four minutes later and neither side could find a winner.
Hansi Flick insists Barcelona will use "no excuses" when his injury-hit side head to Villarreal for Sunday's LaLiga clash.
Midfielder Fermin Lopez suffered a muscular problem in his right thigh while training on Tuesday, becoming the latest addition to Barca's growing list of injured absentees.
New signing Dani Olmo is sidelined for at least a month with a hamstring injury, alongside fellow midfielders Gavi, Frenkie de Jong and Marc Bernal, and defensive pair Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen.
Though struggling with limited selection options due to the fitness issues plaguing the visitors' squad, Flick is adamant the LaLiga leaders can adapt to find a workaround.
"When we started the season, I said there would be no excuses," Flick said. "We're going to be able to manage the game, although we'll be careful with some players carrying a lot of load.
"Tomorrow we'll manage this, although I'm sure that those who come on will be at 100%. The medical team is helping us and we are taking special care with [Pau] Cubarsi, who has been recovering."
Barcelona have made a perfect start to the LaLiga season under the German, with five straight wins putting them top of the standings, four points ahead of defending champions Real Madrid.
The only blemish on the Blaugrana's record came in Thursday's 2-1 defeat against Monaco, with Eric Garcia dismissed just 10 minutes into the Champions League opener.
"We have a great team, and we have shown it," Flick added. "Every season it's the same, there are weeks when you lose several players, but as a coach, it's something you have to accept.
"Now we have to focus on those who are available to prepare them for the next game."
Flick will at least be able to call upon returning forward Ansu Fati, who has scored four goals in six games against Villarreal in LaLiga, his most against one opponent in the competition.
Fati, along with Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski, will hope to cover the midfield void with their attacking prowess that has propelled Barcelona to success this term.
Indeed, Barcelona are the top-scoring team in Europe's top five leagues this season with 17 goals, a tally that they will aim to add to on Sunday.
Chelsea continued their impressive start to life under Enzo Maresca with a 3-0 win over local rivals West Ham at the London Stadium, as Nicolas Jackson scored twice.
Jackson needed just 18 minutes to breach a porous West Ham defence twice, breaking in behind to produce two composed finishes and leave the hosts with a mountain to climb.
Julen Lopetegui's team briefly improved before half-time but their hopes of a comeback were dashed by Cole Palmer's strike almost immediately after the interval.
While Chelsea are now unbeaten in four league games and sit second in the early-season standings, West Ham remain 14th with four points ahead of Saturday's other fixtures.
Jackson caught West Ham cold with the opener inside four minutes, slotting his finish through Alphonse Areola's legs after being played in by Jadon Sancho, who was making his first Chelsea start after assisting Christopher Nkunku's winner at Bournemouth.
He had his second 14 minutes later, finishing with the outside of his boot after receiving a pinpoint throughball from Moises Caicedo, then he turned provider as the Blues killed the contest early in the second half.
Just 68 seconds after the restart, Jackson scampered over halfway with the home defence retreating, then teed up Palmer to crash his finish into the far corner and cap an enjoyable outing for Maresca's side.
Data Debrief: Two sides to Jackson's game
Jackson was criticised for his wastefulness in his debut season at Stamford Bridge, underperforming his expected goals (xG) figures by a significant margin with 14 Premier League goals from 18.64 xG.
He looks a player reborn under Maresca, though, taking his two early chances with great composure to move to four Premier League goals for the campaign – only Erling Haaland (nine) has more.
He also showed his unselfish side by teeing up Palmer for a crashing finish shortly after the second half began, earning his second assist of the season.
Since the start of last season, Jackson and Palmer have combined for 10 Premier League goals – at least two more than any other duo. Their partnership will continue to be key in this new Chelsea era.
Saint-Etienne defender Leo Petrot branded his side's 8-0 defeat to Nice as a "disgrace" as their struggles continued in Ligue 1 on Friday.
Dylan Batubinsika's own-goal in the fourth minute was an unfortunate sign of things to come for Olivier Dall’Oglio's side.
Youssoufa Moukoko's braced followed by strikes from Tanguy Ndombele, Mohamed-Ali Cho and Evann Guessand gave the hosts a comfortable half-time advantage.
Nice increased their lead after the interval through Sofiane Diop, with Pablo Rosario's penalty four minutes from time rounding off a convincing triumph.
It was the third time Saint-Etienne had conceded eight goals in a Ligue 1 game after an 8-0 loss to Lille (1946) and a 9-0 defeat to Bordeaux (1951).
Saint-Etienne have now conceded 15 goals after five league games this season, their highest tally ever at this stage of a top-flight campaign.
"There's no analysis. It's a disgrace what we did," Petrot told DAZN after the defeat.
"We should be ashamed of ourselves, for our supporters and for all the work we put in,"
"To concede eight goals, to be non-existent in our state of mind and in duels. I don't know what to say."
Petrot said Saint-Etienne would try to put this result behind them as soon as possible ahead of taking on Nantes next week.
"We've got 10 days to work really hard. We'll be looking ahead to the next game very quickly," Petrot concluded.
Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant both hit centuries as India took control against Bangladesh on day three of the first Test in Chennai.
Ravichandran Ashwin then claimed three wickets to stem the visitors' chase, leaving them 357 runs adrift at 158-4.
India resumed at 81-3 at the start of day three, and Gill and Pant led their charge on the way to setting a target of 515.
Gill notched up an impressive unbeaten 119, while Pant scored 109 from 128 balls before the hosts declared at 287-4.
The visitors made a steady start, but Jasprit Bumrah's claiming of Zakir Hasan (33) for the opening wicket stalled their momentum.
Ashwin then took centre stage as he dismissed Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim before bad light brought play to a premature conclusion.
Data Debrief: India close in on personal best
Pant marked his Test cricket comeback in fitting fashion, hitting 13 fours and four sixes on the way to his sixth Test century. Meanwhile, Gill notched up his fifth Test ton during their 167-run unbroken fourth wicket.
India have now hit 85 sixes in 2024, leaving them just five short of breaking the record for most sixes by a team in a calendar year.
Erik ten Hag believes that Marcus Rashford is returning to his best form after taking control of his "lifestyle".
Rashford struggled for form last season, netting just seven goals in the Premier League as Manchester United limped to an eighth-place finish – their worst result in the competition's history.
He was also dropped for United's FA Cup fourth-round tie against Newport County in January as a disciplinary measure after going to Belfast without permission.
That followed a stellar campaign in Ten Hag's first season in charge, in which he scored 30 goals in all competitions in 2022-23.
However, Ten Hag believes that Rashford has made necessary changes, and expects more positive results to come from it.
"I think he is on the way back," said Ten Hag.
"He always knew, and every player knows, when your lifestyle is not right, you can't perform. You don't get the right levels when you don't have a good and disciplined life away from [United's training ground] Carrington.
"He needed some help, by backing him, for instance. But he has to do it himself, at the end of the day.
"He has to set his life right, his training attitude right, he has to set his match attitude right. When he sets his professionalism, he will perform because he's a class player."
Rashford made a slow start to the campaign, failing to have a shot in United's first three Premier League games, but netted his first goal of the season against Southampton in a 3-0 win last weekend.
In midweek, he then netted a brace and registered an assist as the Red Devils thrashed Barnsley 7-0 in the EFL Cup third round.
"Every player in the Premier League, in this club, knows you need resilience," Ten Hag added.
"Not any football career has only ups, it also has downs. You have to deal with that. Rashford is experienced, he knows this.
"He knows when there are setbacks, how to fight back and set his career and performance. He took control of that, he's on the way back. He started the season very well, now he has to continue and progress.
"It's very good when your strikers start to score early in the season, they need that belief. Now we have a couple of players who have been scoring, and it's good for the team."
World number one Iga Swiatek has withdrawn from the upcoming China Open due to personal reasons.
Swiatek won her sixth WTA 1000 title on her tournament debut in Beijing last year, only dropping one set in the competition and beating Liudmila Samsonova in the final.
She fell to Jessica Pegula at the quarter-final stage of the US Open last time out, and she will surrender her China Open crown after being forced to back out of the competition.
"Due to personal matters, I'm forced to withdraw from the China Open in Beijing," Swiatek announced on Friday.
"I'm very sorry as I had an amazing time playing and winning this tournament last year and was really looking forward to being back there.
"I know that the fans will experience great tennis there and I'm sorry I won’t be a part of it this time."
The women's singles tournament in China begins next Friday, with the final to be held on October 6.
Xabi Alonso saluted "big influence" Victor Boniface, insisting the Bayer Leverkusen forward is improving every week ahead of their clash with Wolfsburg.
Boniface opened his account for the season with two goals and an assist in last weekend's 4-1 victory over Hoffenheim.
The 23-year-old netted 14 times last term as Leverkusen roared to the first Bundesliga title in their history, while remaining unbeaten in all 34 matches.
And Alonso feels the striker's continued growth is evident.
"We see a development with Boni from week to week," he told reporters at his pre-match press conference. "He's very important for us and has a big influence on our play.
"His influence off the pitch is also positive. He brings fun to the dressing room and is a good character. We have to help him to play well."
Leverkusen are full of momentum after opening their Champions League campaign with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Feyenoord in midweek, with all four goals coming in the first half.
And Alonso wants to see more of the same from his players when Wolfsburg visit BayArena.
"We don't have much time to prepare for Wolfsburg, but that's nothing new for us," he added. "We have to make the best use of the time we have.
"It's important that we do the things that we did against Feyenoord and bring them onto the pitch on Sunday as well. We expect everyone to be available. We have a deep squad, everyone's ready."
Sergio Perez expressed his concerns about Red Bull's potential at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend after citing a lack of balance during Friday's practice sessions.
Lando Norris set the pace, finishing 0.058 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with the Perez's team-mate Max Verstappen 1.294secs off the pace in 15th.
Perez managed a eighth place finish, just behind the Mercedes of George Russell and the RB of Daniel Ricciardo.
The Mexican will be hopeful of a better outcome in this weekend's race after crashing out on the penultimate lap in Baku last week after an incident with Carlos Sainz.
There is no driver in this season who has not finished a Grand Prix on more occasions than Perez (three level with Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda).
He has now gone 11 races without finishing in four seasons for Red Bull, his highest number of retirements with a team, surpassing the 10 in five years for Force India.
Reviewing the two practice sessions, and whether any progress was made between FP1 and FP2, Perez said: “I think we improved a little bit, but still we are lacking quite a lot of balance.
"It’s quite difficult out there to put a lap together, [so] it’s not looking great at the moment."
Perez went on to comment that the level of Red Bull’s struggles “took us by surprise” despite the problems they faced at the Marina Bay street circuit last season.
“Definitely we’ve got some work to do overnight because we are quite far [behind],” said the Mexican, who was 0.871s down on pace-setting McLaren rival Norris.
“We are nearly a second off the pace, so we need quite a big change to be able to come through. We’ll see what we’re able to do.”
Borussia Dortmund head coach Nuri Sahin believes a player strike may be close and should be taken seriously, amid their increased workload this season.
Along with their Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal commitments, Sahin's Dortmund are one of several sides involved in the expanded Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup competitions.
Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri said earlier this week that players could be close to a strike due to the increase in commitments at club and international level.
And Sahin concurs that they may not be far away.
"When players are already talking about strikes, you know it's [close to happening]," he told reporters during his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's trip to Stuttgart.
"Coaches like Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have also been complaining about it for years. But nothing has changed. If the organisations or people don't worry about it, then we have to worry about it."
Dortmund have enjoyed an unbeaten start to the season, winning two and drawing one of their opening three Bundesliga matches, while opening their Champions League campaign with a commanding 3-0 win over Club Brugge.
Next up is a showdown with Stuttgart, who won all three of their meetings last term.
"We are travelling to Stuttgart with the aim of winning the game," Sahin added. "We'll be measured against that. We want to show a different face there than last season."
Girona head coach Michel has tasked his players to "turn the page" following their 1-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on their Champions League debut.
Girona frustrated their Parisian hosts, restricting Luis Enrique's side to just five shots on target from the 26 they attempted.
However, Blanquivermells hearts were broken in the 90th minute after Nuno Mendes' harmless delivery slipped through the hands of Paulo Gazzaniga.
But the Catalan club's focus now returns to league action, having started the season with seven points from their opening five fixtures.
Michel's side travel to the Estadio de Mestalla to face bottom-placed Valencia, a team they have enjoyed relative success against in recent years.
Girona have won four of their eight meetings with Valencia in LaLiga (L4); only against Sevilla (six) have they achieved more wins in the top-flight (four also against Rayo Vallecano, Las Palmas and Celta Vigo).
And Michel insisted that despite their late defeat in midweek, his players are ready to return to winning ways.
“The team is back to thinking only about LaLiga,” Michel told reporters.
“In situations of maximum physical and emotional exhaustion, perhaps there are still players who are still recovering. But our squad is very prepared.
"We need to be at our best, and we need the team switched on.
"After the historic game against PSG, people who have been playing for more years can turn the page quicker.
"Now, my job is to detect which players are in a better state of mind. We have shown that we are a small team with pride.
"That's why I need the people to be on board, to give the maximum help to their teammates."
Valencia have endured a difficult start to the campaign, picking up one point from their first five games.
This weekend's hosts have now failed to win in their last 12 games in LaLiga. Their last joint longest winless streak was from November 2015 to February 2016.
Michel also boasts an impressive record against Valencia, winning three of his six league games against them (D1 L2).
Only against Sevilla (five) has the Girona head coach recorded more wins as a top-flight coach (three, also against Alaves, Celta Vigo and Osasuna).
Despite Valencia's slow start to the season, Michel was under no illusion that this Sunday's trip would be anything but easy.
“Valencia will be a demanding game. They have only taken one point, but they are a team with very good players. At home, they are very dangerous," Michel said.
New Zealand maintained their grip on the Bledisloe Cup with a 31-28 victory over Australia, but only after withstanding a spirited fightback from the Wallabies.
The All Blacks scored four first-half tries at the Accor Stadium, as they bounced back from their narrow defeat by South Africa last time out.
New Zealand came flying out of the blocks and were 21-0 to the good inside the opening 16 minutes, with Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane and Caleb Clarke all crossing.
Fraser McReight got Australia on the scoreboard, while Matt Faessler also went over, but Ardie Savea's converted try kept New Zealand in control at half-time at 28-14.
Damian McKenzie kicked the visitors further in front early in the second half, but Scott Robertson's side were made to cling on towards the end.
With Clarke and Anton Lienert-Brown sin-binned inside the final quarter of an hour, the Wallabies launched a late rally.
Hunter Paisami reduced the deficit, and the hosts closed the gap to a single score when Tom Wright went over in the final minute, but it proved too little too late for Joe Schmidt's side.
Data Debrief: Slipper out on his own as Savea surpasses McCaw
It was an historic day for Slipper, with the veteran prop becoming Australia's most-capped player when he ran on for his 140th Test early in the second half.
Ultimately, it proved a bittersweet day as he was forced off with a head injury just 21 minutes later, but he now stands alone on the Wallabies' all-time list.
However, the match belonged to New Zealand, who retained the Bledisloe Cup as they have done every year since 2003.
Savea created his own piece of history when he scored his 28th international try, surpassing the great Richie McCaw as the most by any All Blacks forward.
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