Arne Slot is confident Mohamed Salah will "always score goals" if he is in the Liverpool team, after the Egyptian's star turn against Bologna.

Having teed up Alexis Mac Allister's opener at Anfield, Salah scored Liverpool's second to seal a 2-0 win in the Champions League on Wednesday.

In the process, Salah became the first Liverpool player to score in five consecutive home games in the European Cup/Champions League.

He is only the third player to score in five consecutive Champions League home games for a Premier League side, after Thierry Henry with Arsenal (seven) and Ruud van Nistelrooy with Manchester United (six).

"Before [last week's EFL Cup win over West Ham], Mo played three games without scoring a goal," said Slot.

"So it is in football, it can happen that sometimes in three games, you score one or you don't score.

"But these players, like Mo, they will always score their goals if you just keep playing them."

Salah's contract expires at the end of this season and he has said this will be his last season at Anfield.

"Mo has done really well today, and I'm happy with the way he does at the moment, and I'm not looking forward to next season," Slot added.

The 46-year-old Dutchman, who replaced Jurgen Klopp, has become Liverpool's first head coach to win eight of their first nine games across all competitions.

His team have won their opening two in the Champions League to sit fifth in the 36-team table. They also top the Premier League.

Slot said: "I don't draw many conclusions from that, but it's nice. So many incredible managers have worked here, doing so many special things.

"The only thing is I hope it is not the only thing people remember me for in two or three years or however long I am here. If all they say is, 'that's the manager who won eight out of nine!'

"I'm hoping to do more special things than just win eight out of my first nine games.

"It also says how I have been left this club – the work rate the players put in, how the staff are helping me get these results."

Aston Villa made a "statement" with their "unreal" victory over European heavyweights Bayern Munich, according to Emiliano Martinez.

Villa won 1-0 on Wednesday to make it two victories from two games in the Champions League, as they claimed their second triumph over Bayern from as many meetings, with their previous success against them having come by the same scoreline in the 1982 European Cup final.

The German giants dominated possession and accrued 1.42 expected goals (xG) to Villa's 0.4, but the only stat that mattered at Villa Park was the scoreline.

Substitute Jhon Duran was the hero as he scooped a brilliant finish over Manuel Neuer from outside the box in the 79th minute, with Martinez subsequently pulling off a string of fine stops to deny Bayern an equaliser.

"It's unreal. It's a night that we will remember for a long time. It's a statement," said Villa's World Cup-winning goalkeeper.

"[The noise] was hurting my ears. This is a club that's moving forward. I love playing here. I love the fans."

Duran, who reportedly came close to leaving Villa in the summer, has started the season brilliantly, and now has a Champions League goal to go with his four in the Premier League.

"He's an excellent substitute," Martinez said of the Colombian, whose five goals have all come from the bench.

"The first time he touched the ball, he chipped Neuer – one of the most beautiful goals in history."

Unai Emery, meanwhile, said Duran's goal was a pre-planned tactic.

"In the analysis we did, we were speaking a lot about the usual position of Neuer, which is high," Emery said of Villa's pre-match conversations.

"He [Duran] had in his mind this possibility about Neuer.

"He is young, he has huge potential. As a player, I have to let him play, put him on the field, because his talent is there, his capacity to help us.

"We are working with him. Most important is his attitude. He's available to play 90, 60, 30 minutes. He's been focusing each minute he's playing.

"It's fantastic for him and the team."

Emery also had warm words for Martinez, adding: "Martinez did an amazing job, amazing saves."

Andy Ibáñez hit a tiebreaking three-run double in Detroit's four-run eighth inning, and the Tigers finished a sweep of the Houston Astros with a 5-2 victory in Game 2 of their AL Wild Card Series on Wednesday.

Parker Meadows homered as Detroit ended Houston's run of seven consecutive appearances in the AL Championship Series. It was a sweet moment for Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, who led Houston to a championship in 2017 and was fired in the aftermath of the Astros' sign-stealing scandal.

Next up for the wild-card Tigers is a trip to Cleveland to take on the AL Central champions in a best-of-five AL Division Series. Game 1 is on Saturday.

Kerry Carpenter sparked Detroit's eighth-inning rally with a one-out single off Ryan Pressly, who converted his first 14 postseason save opportunities. Carpenter advanced to third on a single by Matt Vierling and scored on a wild pitch, tying it at 2.

Pressly departed after Colt Keith reached on a two-out walk, and closer Josh Hader walked Spencer Torkelson to load the bases.

Hinch then sent Ibáñez up to hit for Zach McKinstry, and Ibáñez lined a 1-2 sinker into the corner in left for a 5-2 lead.

Hader, who signed a $95 million, five-year contract with Houston in January, allowed three hits and walked two in 1 1/3 innings.

Detroit used seven different pitchers a day after ace Tarik Skubal won the series opener. Sean Guenther pitched 1 2/3 innings for the win in Game 2, and Will Vest handled the ninth for the save.

Just making it to the playoffs seemed improbable before Detroit went 31-13 down the stretch in the regular season.

Padres finish off Braves

Kyle Higashioka ignited a five-run second inning with a solo home run and the San Diego Padres held on for a 5-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves to complete a sweep of their NL Wild Card Series.

Manny Machado added a two-run double with the bases loaded, and Jackson Merrill followed with a two-run triple as the sellout crowd of 47,705 - the largest in Petco Park history - roared.

The Padres head up Interstate 5 to face Shohei Ohtani and the NL West rival and top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers in a National League Division Series starting Saturday night. San Diego eliminated the 111-win Dodgers in a 2022 NLDS.

Jorge Soler hit a solo homer in the fifth and Michael Harris II had a two-run shot in the eighth, but Robert Suarez pitched a perfect ninth to seal the one-run victory.

Both starting pitchers exited early.

Atlanta left-hander Max Fried was done after two innings after he was hit on his left hip by a comebacker from Fernando Tatis Jr. two batters into the game. He stayed in and got out of a bases-loaded jam. He then allowed five runs on six straight hits with two outs in the second. 

Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove departed in the fourth with right elbow tightness. He had two stints on the injured list this season with right elbow inflammation.

Royals complete sweep of punchless Orioles

Bobby Witt Jr. beat out an infield single to drive in the go-ahead run and send the Kansas City Royals into an AL Division Series with a 2-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles for a two-game sweep of their Wild Card Series.

With two outs and runners at the corners in the sixth inning, Witt hit a grounder to the edge of the dirt behind second base, where Jordan Westburg made a diving stop and threw to first. Witt was already there after zooming 90 feet in 4.14 seconds, allowing Kyle Isbel to score from third.

It was the second consecutive game in which the AL batting champion provided the decisive hit. Witt's RBI single Tuesday in Game 1 plated the only run in a 1-0 victory.

Kansas City, which endured two seven-game losing streaks over the final month of the season, advances to face the AL East champion New York Yankees. Game 1 is Saturday in the Bronx.

Baltimore got its only run of the series on Cedric Mullins’ fifth-inning home run off starter Seth Lugo.

Five Kansas City relievers allowed one hit over 5 2/3 scoreless innings, with Lucas Erceg working a perfect ninth for his second save of the series.

The Orioles went 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position in the series and struck out 22 times.

They have lost 10 straight postseason games for the longest active streak in baseball. Only three teams in MLB history have lost more postseason games in a row than the 2014-2024 Orioles.

Brewers rally to force Game 3

Jackson Chourio tied it in the eighth with his second homer of the night and Garrett Mitchell delivered a two-run shot later in the inning to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 5-3 victory over the New York Mets that evened their NL Wild Card Series.

The teams will play a decisive Game 3 on Thursday night. The Brewers will attempt to become the first team to rally to win a best-of-three Wild Card Series after losing the opener since MLB went to this expanded playoff format in 2022.

Milwaukee trailed 3-2 when Chourio led off the eighth by homering off Phil Maton, making his fourth appearance on the mound in five days. The 20-year-old rookie also opened the bottom of the first with a drive to right, becoming the youngest player to hit a leadoff homer in the postseason.

After Blake Perkins singled and William Contreras hit into a double play, Willy Adames kept the eighth inning alive with a single. Mitchell then sent a first-pitch curveball just over the wall in right-center to send the American Family Field crowd into a frenzy.

Joe Ross pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win and Devin Williams retired the side in order in the ninth to earn the save.

Gary O'Neil believes one victory is all it will take to provide lift-off for Wolves' season, as the Premier League's bottom side prepare to visit Brentford on Saturday.

Wolves have taken just one point from their first six matches of the season, having last failed to win any of their first seven games of a top-flight campaign when they finished bottom in 2003-04.

They fell to a 2-1 defeat to leaders Liverpool at Molineux last week and have also faced Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Aston Villa in a daunting start to 2024-25.

O'Neil believes their performances have warranted better results and insists his team retain the backing of supporters, saying: "The lads always show that they're not a group that can't bounce back. 

"When we lost to Arsenal, we went full throttle against Chelsea. Then we went full throttle against Newcastle and we suffered a late defeat. We go to Aston Villa, and we go again.

"We're ready to go again and that will always be the case. Everyone in this football club is doing absolutely everything they can, myself included. I'm really disappointed for the lads because they deserve something to show for their efforts at this moment.

"We just need to find a way to get that first win on the board, then we'll be able to push off."

Brentford, meanwhile, sit 12th in the table with seven points, after drawing 1-1 with West Ham last time out. 

Goalkeeper Mark Flekken has made a solid start to 2024-25 after initially struggling to adapt to the Premier League when first joining the Bees last year.

Speaking to the club's official website about his upturn, the former Freiburg man said it was his goal to become a player coach Thomas Frank could always depend on.

"I want to put in the same performances that I did during the second half of last season, but over the full year," Flekken said.

"I'm not the person that seeks out to be decisive in a game; if the boys keep everything away from me, that's better. I want to save those one, two, three shots on target where the team needs me. That is my goal, to be that person they can rely on."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brentford – Bryan Mbeumo 

Mbeumo's goal against West Ham last time out was his 48th Premier League goal involvement (27 goals, 21 assists), the outright most of any Brentford player. 

The Cameroonian is looking to score in three consecutive league games for the first time since December 2019 (a run of four in the Championship).

Wolves – Matheus Cunha

So much of Wolves' attacking play goes through Cunha, and the Brazilian will have a pivotal role to play if they are to get up and running here. 

He has had more shots (16), created more chances (nine), had more touches in the opposition box (25) and played more passes into the box (30) than any other Wolves player in the Premier League this season.

MATCH PREDICTION – BRENTFORD WIN

Brentford won 2-0 at Wolves in February, with the Bees last winning consecutive league games against them in the 2015-16 Championship campaign.

But Wolves have a strong record in West London, going unbeaten through their last five away league games against Brentford (three wins, two draws), winning two of their three visits in the Premier League including a 4-1 triumph last December.

O'Neil's men have also won three of their last four Premier League away games against London sides, as many as they had in their previous 21 such visits (four draws, 14 losses), though they did lose on their only visit to the capital so far this season (0-2 at Arsenal).

Wolves have, however, conceded 16 goals from just 9.8 expected goals against (xGA) in the Premier League this season, the worst such difference so far this term (-6.2). Brentford will hope their porous showings continue on Saturday.

The Bees should be wary if they do hit the front though, having dropped a league-high 38 Premier League points from winning positions since the start of last season, including eight already in 2024-25.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Brentford – 47.4%

Wolves – 27.9%

Draw – 24.8%

Bruno Genesio revelled in "a great night for everyone", as "incredible" Lille stunned Champions League holders Real Madrid 1-0 at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

Jonathan David's first-half penalty - after Eduardo Camavinga handled from Edon Zhegrova's free-kick - ended Madrid's 14-match unbeaten streak in this competition, while condemning them to a first reverse overall in 36 games.

Genesio also had Lucas Chevalier to thank after the Lille goalkeeper made a string of superb saves to keep Carlo Ancelotti's side at bay, including a wonderful instinctive stop to thwart Antonio Rudiger right at the death.

Indeed, Madrid simply had no answer to their stubborn hosts, despite the introduction of a fit-again Kylian Mbappe during the second half.

And Genesio saluted his players for their efforts in delivering a memorable result.

"What this team did is incredible," he said. "We try to put things in place, but you need the players to believe in the plan for this kind of upset to happen.

"You have to do everything perfectly, you need a keeper who makes the decisive saves, a striker who scores, and a bit of luck.

"We played a very good first half, we played together. It's a great night for everyone.

"We saw that Real like to cut inside, so we put intensity in that sector - even if we had to abandon possession sometimes.

"Then, it was all about pressing when it mattered. Everything worked perfectly, it was an ideal scenario - even if we suffered a lot in the last 25 to 30 minutes, but Lucas made the saves we needed."

Thiago Motta hailed Juventus' team spirit after they shrugged off two injuries and Michele Di Gregorio's red card to secure a thrilling 3-2 Champions League win over RB Leipzig.

Juventus, who are yet to concede a goal in Serie A this season, twice had to fight back from a goal down before securing the win with a late goal from Francisco Conceicao.

They endured a nightmare start as captain Bremer and winger Nicolas Gonzalez were both withdrawn after suffering injuries. 

They then went down to 10 men when Di Gregorio was dismissed for handling outside his area, but Dusan Vlahovic's brace had them level before Conceicao showed great feet to tuck home an 82nd-minute winner. 

"It was a good match, even in the first half where we made some mistakes in the details," said Motta. 

"In the second half, we did better, even playing with 10 men. It was a great performance and a great win.

"Courage from the boys, they were determined to push forward and hurt the opponents.

"Even with a man down, we had that feeling, so why step back? We kept pushing, and we did it well right until the last minute."

Two-goal hero Vlahovic echoed those sentiments, saying: "I'm really happy, especially for the team. We are becoming a real unit.

"We fought together, kept pressing even when we were down to 10 men, and in the end, we deserved to win. It was a great match, and fortunately, we came out on top."

Monaco came from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw at Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League at a rain-sodden Stadion Maksimir, with Denis Zakaria equalising with an 89th-minute penalty.

Petar Sucic put Dinamo ahead in first-half stoppage time with a delightful chipped finish, later doubling their lead in 66th minute when Martin Baturina rifled home from outside the area.

Having been crushed 9-2 at Bayern Munich in their opening game, it looked like the Croatian side would bounce back in style, with Monaco struggling to get going on a sodden pitch.

However, Mohammed Salisu headed in from a corner with 16 minutes left to provoke a Monaco onslaught, and Maxime Bernauer fouled Folarin Balogun to concede an 89th-minute spot-kick.

Zakaria converted to put Monaco on four points after they beat Barcelona in their first match, with Dinamo defender Nenad Bjelica subsequently sent off when he picked up a second booking for dissent.

Data Debrief: Monaco show fighting spirit

Monaco looked set for a demoralising defeat in Croatia when they went 2-0 down, struggling to get their slick passing style to work on a pitch that was close to waterlogged.

However, they showed great resilience to fight back in the latter stages, avoiding defeat from two or more goals down in a Champions League match for the first time since May 2004, when they earned a 2-2 draw versus Chelsea en route to making the final.

Christos Tzolis scored the only goal as Club Brugge edged out Sturm Graz 1-0 for their first win in this season's Champions League.

The Greece international delivered the decisive blow in the 23rd minute at 28 Black Arena on Wednesday.

Both sides were seeking their first point in the competition, having recorded defeats on matchday one against Borussia Dortmund and Brest respectively.

Brugge broke through midway through the first half, as Tzolis controlled before firing in off the post from the edge of the penalty area.

The visitors went close to doubling their lead after the break, but Sturm Graz goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen came to the hosts' rescue with a series of fine saves.

Urged on by the home fans, Christian Ilzer's side went in search of an equaliser, but it did not arrive as Brugge held out for the points.

Data Debrief: Third time unlucky for Sturm Graz

Sturm Graz have now suffered four successive Champions League defeats for the third time in their history.

Meanwhile, the Austrian side have now lost their last four European matches against Belgian opposition without scoring.

By contrast, Brugge maintained their perfect record of three straight wins against Austrian opponents, while they have now kept four clean sheets in five Champions League away games - as many as in their previous 22.

Tzolis' strike came from one of three shots on target, becoming the first Brugge player to register that amount in a single Champions League game since Hans Vanaken did so against Paris Saint-Germain in September 2021.

Benfica put on a brilliant display in a 4-0 Champions League demolition of Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, taking them to two wins from as many games in the competition.

Bruno Lage's side ran riot in Lisbon as Kerem Akturkoglu, Angel Di Maria, Alexander Bah and Orkun Kokcu all got on the scoresheet against a shell-shocked Atleti team.

A mistake by Atletico's defence led to Akturkoglu taking in Fredrik Aursnes' pass unmarked in the area to slot home a 13th-minute opener, while Vangelis Pavildis missed a huge chance to double Benfica's advantage in first-half stoppage time.

However, Conor Gallagher's 50th-minute foul on Pavildis granted the hosts another chance to go 2-0 up from the spot, and Argentina great Di Maria made no mistake against Jan Oblak from 12 yards.

Di Maria was then denied by Oblak from a tight angle as Benfica continued to press for more goals, and they were out of sight in the 75th minute as Bah headed Jan-Niklas Beste's corner home.

The rout was complete eight minutes from time as Reinildo fouled substitute Zewki Amdouni to grant Benfica another penalty, which Kokcu blasted into the top-left corner.

Benfica are flying high in third in the competition's new league phase, behind Borussia Dortmund and Brest only on goal difference, while Atleti are a lowly 23rd on three points.

Data Debrief: Atleti's road struggles continue

Diego Simeone will be furious with Atleti's defending after they conceded four goals in a Champions League game for the first time in four years, since a 4-0 loss at Bayern Munich in October 2020.

It was Benfica's joint-biggest margin of victory in a home Champions League game (alongside a 5-1 thrashing of Club Brugge in March 2023), and Atleti's heaviest-ever defeat to Portuguese opposition in the competition.

On their travels, Atleti have now won just one of their last 10 Champions League matches (two draws, seven losses). With their next continental road trip taking them to Paris Saint-Germain on matchday four, that record simply must improve.

Ten-man Juventus twice came from behind to stun RB Leipzig 3-2 on Wednesday as Francisco Conceicao's 83rd-minute strike contined the Serie A giants' winning start to their Champions League campaign.

Juve were reduced to 10 just before the hour mark when goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio was sent off for a handball outside the box, having already lost captain Bremer and Nicolas Gonzalez to injury.

Benjamin Sesko, whose opener was cancelled out by Dusan Vlahovic prior to the red card, quickly restored Leipzig's lead from the penalty spot with his third European goal of the season.

But Vlahovic came to Juve's rescue again three minutes later, curling a left-footed effort into the top corner to level the game at 2-2.

And the unlikely turnaround was complete as Conceicao's fine finish gave the Bianconeri all three points in Germany.

While Juve have six points from six, wasteful Leipzig are still waiting to get off the mark, having been similarly frustrated late on against Atletico Madrid on matchday one.

Data Debrief: Joy for Juve's 10 men

It is not a record they will be proud of, but Juventus have had more goalkeepers sent off in the Champions League than any other club, with Di Gregorio the fourth.

But finally the Bianconeri managed to overcome that setback to earn a positive result. Previous examples had seen Angelo Peruzzi dismissed in a draw with Galatasaray and Edwin van der Sar sent off in a defeat to Panathinaikos, while Gianluigi Buffon's red card against Real Madrid came moments before Cristiano Ronaldo netted a decisive penalty in a two-legged quarter-final, despite Juve winning 3-1 on the night.

Buffon's moment of madness came in April 2018, and this was Juve's first Champions League win with 10 men since September of the same year against Valencia.

Jonathan David's first-half penalty saw Lille stun Champions League holders Real Madrid on Wednesday, handing Los Blancos their first loss in any competition since January.

Fifteen-time European champions Madrid had not tasted defeat since going down to Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey 36 games ago, while they were also unbeaten in their last 14 Champions League outings.

But Los Blancos were flat from the off in France and had a couple of warnings before David converted from the spot in first-half stoppage time, after Eduardo Camavina handled from Edon Zhegrova's free-kick.

Andriy Lunin, standing in for the injured Thibaut Courtois, had earlier clawed David's attempt onto the post, while Endrick called Lucas Chevalier into action at the other end after becoming the youngest player to start for Madrid in the Champions League, at the age of 18 years and 78 days.

Zhegrova went close to a second Lille goal after the break, before Carlo Ancelotti introduced the fit-again Kylian Mbappe from the bench in a bid to find a leveller.

However, Los Blancos were unable to salvage a point with Dani Carvajal heading wide and Chevalier making an instinctive save to deny Antonio Rudiger at the death.

The result sees Lille move level with Madrid in the competition's new-look league phase, on three points apiece after two matches.

Data Debrief: Lille halt imperious Madrid

Madrid entered Wednesday's game unbeaten in their last 14 Champions League outings, but they were kept out by a resolute Lille rearguard – though they also had Chevalier to thank as Los Blancos failed to score from chances worth 2.09 expected goals (xG).

This is Madrid's first Champions League loss since they were crushed 4-0 by Manchester City in the 2022-23 semi-finals, and their first in the group stages since October 2022 versus RB Leipzig (2-3).

Ancelotti's men started with a home victory against Stuttgart on matchday one, but they are now winless in three straight European away games, drawing two and losing one.

That is their longest such run since November 2016, when they endured a run of four without victory on their travels (three draws, one defeat). 

Liverpool made it two wins from two in this season's Champions League following a 2-0 victory over Bologna at Anfield.

Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah were on target for Arne Slot's side, who maintained their perfect start to the league phase, having also beaten AC Milan 3-1 on matchday one.

The Reds broke through after just 11 minutes when Mac Allister timed his run perfectly to steer Salah's teasing cross beyond Bologna goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski.

Liverpool thought they had doubled their lead six minutes later when Darwin Nunez fired home, only to be denied by the offside flag, while the woodwork thwarted Dan Ndoye at the other end.

The visitors looked to hit back after the break and went close in the 56th minute as Riccardo Orsolini forced a strong save from Alisson Becker, who was celebrating his 32nd birthday.

However, the hosts gave themselves breathing space - and eventually the three points - with a quarter of an hour remaining, when Salah brilliantly curled into Skorupski's far corner of the net.

Data Debrief: Salah makes more history as Reds continue to enjoy home comforts

In wrapping up the victory, Salah became the first Liverpool player to score in five successive home Champions League games.

The Egyptian is also only the third player to achieve the feat for a Premier League side, following in the footsteps of Thierry Henry with Arsenal (seven) and Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy (six).

Also assisting Mac Allister's opener, Salah has now been directly involved in 14 goals (eight goals, six assists) in his last 11 home European appearances, as many as in his 20 previous such games.

It helped Liverpool record their 11th straight group/league win at Anfield in major European competition, while they have now scored at least twice in each of their last 10 such games. 

A brilliant late Jhon Duran goal gave Aston Villa another famous 1-0 win against Bayern Munich in their first Champions League home match on Wednesday.

The scoreline was a repeat of Villa's 1982 European Cup final victory over Bayern in a throwback to the most glorious day in the Premier League side's history.

Bayern dominated possession at Villa Park but squandered their chances and were undone by Duran's latest spectacular strike in the 79th minute as he spotted Manuel Neuer off his line and scooped the ball over the goalkeeper to send the home fans into delirium.

That was Duran's sixth goal of the season and fifth as a substitute as he continues his remarkable knack of netting vital goals from the bench.

Yet it still might not have been enough for a second win from two league-phase matches for Villa had stand-in captain Emiliano Martinez not also been in inspired form.

The Argentina goalkeeper earlier saved superbly from Michael Olise and then made stunning stoppage-time stops from Serge Gnabry and Harry Kane to keep Bayern at bay and clinch a memorable victory.

Data Debrief: Martinez and Duran defy odds as Kane kept quiet

There were fine performances all over the pitch from Villa players, but it was the men at either end who made the difference with data-defying displays.

Villa mustered only 0.4 expected goals to Bayern's 1.42, yet Duran incredibly netted with an effort worth just 0.018 xG.

At the other end, Martinez had to be at his best to deny Gnabry from what Opta's xG model considered comfortably the biggest chance of the match. Kane did not have a shot until the 95th minute, having failed to muster a single attempt against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, but belatedly brought the best from Martinez, too.