Toni Kroos insists Real Madrid want to secure qualification for the Champions League knockout stages "as soon as possible" following victory over Shakhtar Donetsk.

The holders maintained their 100 per cent start in Group F with first-half goals from Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior sealing a 2-1 win at Santiago Bernabeu.

Despite converting just two of their 36 shots on goal, Madrid moved five points clear at the group summit after winning their opening three games in the competition for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign.

Los Blancos could book their place in the last 16 with victory over Shakhtar in the return fixture in Warsaw next week, which would be the ideal scenario for Kroos.

"The idea is to finish the group as soon as possible," the midfielder told Movistar+. "We have nine points out of nine, we have played three very good games, and we want another victory in Warsaw. 

"There are days when the ball does not want to enter, it has been a game to win 7-1 or something. But in the end, it is three points, and it has been a deserved victory.

"In the end, it's hard to believe we won only 2-1, but there are days like that. The ball will go in over the next few games."

Head coach Carlo Ancelotti warned his players against complacency after they were pegged back against the run of play by Oleksandr Zubkov's spectacular strike.

But the Italian was thrilled at seeing his side creating so many chances; Madrid only registering more shots on goal in a single Champions League match against Roma in March 2016.

"[I am] satisfied because I think we played very well; the front three combined very well in front, pressing more," Ancelotti added. "We have had many opportunities, but we have not succeeded. The important thing was to have opportunities.

"We have lowered the intensity [at 2-0 up]; we thought we were comfortable. I gave a call for attention at half-time because the game was not over.

"It's pretty normal that it can happen. We were playing very well, it seemed easy, but these were the dangerous matches. You get ahead of yourself. 

"I think it's important to leave this group behind next week, so we can focus on the league."

Graham Potter believes Reece James has all the attributes to become a Chelsea "legend" after his starring role in a 3-0 Champions League win over Milan on Wednesday.

James teed up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for Chelsea's second following Wesley Fofana's opener, before the England international added a third with a fierce close-range strike.

At the age of 22 years and 301 days, he became the youngest Chelsea player to both score and assist a goal in the same Champions League game.

Potter was thrilled with the wing-back's contribution and is confident he has what it takes to go down as one of the club's greats. 

"I think Reece is just a fantastic player and he's a young player," Potter said in a press conference. "He's developing all the time; he will get better and better as we go.

"I've really enjoyed working with him; he's got a lot to offer. He's fantastic, he can play in any game in the world, he's just tremendous.

"He's so important for us. My job is to try and help him reach his potential and his potential is he could be a Chelsea legend. That's the level that he has, the potential that he has.

"But for that to happen he has to be part of a successful team and that's what we're working towards."

Fofana's first-half strike was his first for the club following the defender's big-money move from Leicester City, but his match ended just 14 minutes later when he hobbled off after hurting his knee in a clash with Milan forward Rafael Leao, who has been touted as a target for the Blues.

Potter was unsure of the severity of the injury and confirmed the 21-year-old will undergo a scan on Thursday.

"We don't know yet [how serious the injury is], we will do a scan tomorrow," he added. "Fingers crossed.

"I wouldn't want to speculate on it now but we're concerned and hope for the best.

"He's not had much luck but he's a young guy, a strong guy. We'll support him but not too much to report."

Chelsea host Wolves, who sacked Bruno Lage on Sunday, in the Premier League before travelling to San Siro next week for the reverse fixture with Milan.

Sevilla have fired head coach Julen Lopetegui, with a comprehensive 4-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League proving to be his final game in charge.

Lopetegui led Sevilla to just one win in their first seven games of the season in LaLiga, and widespread reports had suggested he would be relieved of his duties after Wednesday's match.

The former Spain and Real Madrid coach's final game with Sevilla proved to be an unhappy one, as goals from Raphael Guerreiro, Jude Bellingham, Karim Adeyemi and Julian Brandt saw Dortmund dominate.

Speaking to Movistar after the defeat, Lopetegui revealed: "Right now I'm still coach of Sevilla but... I've already said goodbye to the team.

"I don't get a negative feeling right now. The first thing I feel is gratitude to a club like Sevilla, the fans, the people of the city and my players, who have given me three wonderful seasons. 

"I arrived with doubts and it was possible to turn it around with many successful seasons."

A statement released by Sevilla less than 30 minutes after full-time then formally confirmed his departure, saying.

"Sevilla have dismissed Julen Lopetegui as coach of the first team after the clash [with] Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday," the statement read.

"Lopetegui closes a successful stage with three magnificent campaigns in which the objectives were more than achieved, and a fourth season in which the results have not been on track, with Sevilla [taking] five points out of a possible 21 in LaLiga."

Jorge Sampaoli – who coached Sevilla in the 2016-17 season – is reportedly being targeted to replace him, while Lopetegui has been linked with the vacant position at Wolves.

Dortmund's rampant performance owed much to the display of Bellingham, who became the first English teenager to start a Champions League match as captain.

Bellingham marked the occasion with a fine solo goal, becoming just the second teenager to score in the first three games of a Champions League campaign.

The only other player to achieve that feat is Bellingham's former BVB team-mate Erling Haaland, who did so with Salzburg in the 2019-20 season.

Bellingham's tally of three Champions League goals this season is already a joint-high among English teenagers for a single campaign, along with Manchester United's Wayne Rooney, back in 2004-05.

It is safe to say 2021-22 was a season to forget for the Los Angeles Lakers.

A record of 33-49 meant failure to even reach the play-in tournament, unthinkable at the start of the campaign.

The Lakers finished 11th in the Western Conference, and only managed a measly three wins from 13 against Pacific Division opponents.

They actually won five of their first eight games, but by the end of the season they had reached peak crisis-mode.

Heading into their final 10 games, the Lakers knew they needed to win several to get into the playoffs, before proceeding to lose eight in a row, with two consolation victories saving a minimal amount of face.

It was quite the failure, and yet LeBron James did not seem to think twice about signing a new two-year, $97.1million contract extension that includes a player option for 2024-25.

Before the new season gets underway, Stats Perform has taken a look at the Lakers' prospects to try and determine if there is cause for optimism, or if James could be left to carry the load on his own once again.

Can LeBron get Lakers out of a jam?

The man has four NBA championships, four Finals MVPs, four NBA MVPs, 17 All-Star selections and three All-Star MVPs to his name, but this could be his biggest challenge to date.

Basketball is clearly a team sport, but as James knows all too well, it's not unusual for one player to play so well that he can carry a team to success almost single-handedly.

That did not happen last season, despite his best efforts, which goes to show just how poorly the rest of the team performed.

James scored 1,695 points in just 56 games at an average of 30.3 points per game, his best regular season return since 2005-06, and only Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers averaged more (30.6).

He also reached a notable landmark in March, becoming the first player in NBA history to record 10,000 assists and 10,000 rebounds in a career.

Of course, one of the issues was that he only managed to play 56 games, and as James turns 38 in December, is he likely to be more involved this year?

Even if he is, his impressive numbers last season achieved little in terms of the team's outcome, so will he get more help this time round? Perhaps, if the new coach can make an impact.

Can Ham sandwich Westbrook into his team?

The dismissal of Frank Vogel was about the most predictable thing that happened at the end of last season.

Just as you thought the Lakers were pulling out of danger, the wheels would fall off again, which was a recurring theme throughout the campaign, with Vogel unable to maintain any consistency.

His replacement, Darvin Ham, comes highly rated and with a quiet confidence he can step up having impressed as assistant at the Milwaukee Bucks.

One of his first jobs will be to form a unit out of his key players, in particular finding a way to get James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook on the court together as often as possible.

While not perfect, the Lakers did win 11 of their 21 games last season when all three featured, but had losing records when only two, one or none of them played, including defeat all five games where only Westbrook played of the three.

Westbrook actually recorded his worst scoring season since 2009-10, failing to average over 20 points per game for the first time since then (18.5).

His rebound and assist numbers were also well down on those he produced at the Washington Wizards in 2020-21, with average rebounds falling from 11.5 to 7.4, and assists from 11.7 to 7.1.

He was, at least, available though, making 78 appearances, while James played 56 times, and Davis just 40.

AD's lack of availability could potentially the biggest issue, as he also only managed 36 outings in 2020-21, meaning he has played less basketball in the last two years than Westbrook did last season.

However, he is – for the time being – fit now, and after the Lakers' opening preseason encounter with the Sacramento Kings on Monday, Ham said of the trio: "They allowed themselves to help one another… we have a three-series that involves all three of them, a half-court play call, and I think they're gonna thrive."

There have been persistent rumours the Lakers will trade Westbrook, but Ham is seemingly working towards life with the 33-year-old, also saying on Monday: "I have a plan for him. That plan included him when they gave me the job."

Keeping them fit is one thing, albeit mostly out of Ham's hands, but if he can find a way of getting the most out of them when they are available to him, and can coax the Wizards form out of Westbrook, that could be the support James so badly needs.

A new face and a familiar one

The consensus was that the Lakers needed fresh blood, rather than relying on older players to rediscover their magic.

So naturally, they brought in 34-year-old Patrick Beverley and re-signed nine-year NBA veteran Dennis Schroder.

In fairness, there does appear to be method in the two acquisitions. Beverley was crucial for the Minnesota Timberwolves as they returned to the playoffs last season, averaging 9.2 points in his 54 games, as well as 4.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 34.3 per cent of his three-pointers.

Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka also pointed to his "toughness" and "competitive spirit", possibly suggesting Beverley has been signed as much to inspire his team-mates as much as what he can do with the ball in hand.

Schroder was an interesting pick-up given the German shooting guard's struggles in the playoff exit to the Phoenix Suns in 2020-21, before leaving for the Boston Celtics.

Overall though, he had a good record of 15.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 61 games that season, and rumours are that James played a key role in getting him back to LA.

Just make the playoffs and go from there

There are definitely things to work with for Ham, but it is also far from a simple job.

While he was pleased with the showing from his main men against the Kings, he will have been alarmed to see the drop-off once he made changes in the second half.

Leading by five points at half-time, the Lakers went on to lose by 30 at the Crypto.com Arena.

They tip off with the hardest possible job of stopping Stephen Curry and the defending champion Golden State Warriors on October 18, but an NBA season is a marathon and not a sprint.

The Lakers do not need to be perfect, but Ham has the regular season to find the right formula and as a minimum, reach the playoffs.

Then just see where James can take them in the situation he has so often thrived in, assuming he gets more help this time.

Jack Grealish is staggered by the scoring prowess of Manchester City team-mate Erling Haaland after the Norwegian added two more goals to his rapidly rising season total.

Haaland's first-half brace started City on their way to a 5-0 thrashing of Copenhagen in the Champions League at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, with a Davit Khocholava own goal, a Riyad Mahrez penalty and a tap-in from Julian Alvarez completing the rout.

It takes the former Borussia Dortmund striker to 19 goals from 12 games in all competitions for City this season, and Grealish lavished praise on the "humble" 22-year-old.

"It's unbelievable," Grealish said of Haaland in a post-match interview with BT Sport. "I've never witnessed anything like it in my life.

"He's just always there, he's always finishing it and it's a pleasure to play with him at the minute.

"When I was walking back after one of the goals… their keeper said something to me. I was like 'What?', and he was just like 'He's not human'... I was like 'Bro I know, you're telling me'.

"He's unbelievable, a pleasure to play with, he's so humble and great around the place and I'm not just bigging him up, that's the God's honest truth.

"Hopefully he can carry on this form and fire us to glory."

Haaland has scored 28 goals in 22 appearances in the Champions League, a goals per game record of 1.27; there are 98 teams with a worse goals per game record than him in the competition, while he is the third player to score in each of his first three appearances for an English club in the competition, after Marouane Chamakh for Arsenal and Ferran Torres for City.

Grealish had a frustrating night himself in front of goal, unable to find the net despite taking more shots than any other player (six), but he was repeatedly denied by former Liverpool academy goalkeeper Kamil Grabara.

He was a constant thorn in Copenhagen's side otherwise, and produced a run and pass for Mahrez in the build-up to Alvarez's goal.

"I'm loving it at the moment," Grealish said. "The last three or four games I've loved it, I feel back to myself, playing with that sort of freedom and playing with confidence.

"It would help if I got myself on the scoresheet, I was desperate tonight. It's all about enjoying it and winning, and that's what I’m doing at the moment."

It was not only Grealish who was denied by Grabara, who made 12 saves, the joint-most on record by any goalkeeper on their first start in the Champions League, along with Ruslan Nesheret for Dynamo Kyiv against Barcelona in November 2020 (from 2003-04 onwards).

"You know when the luck's not with you," the England international added, before asking the interviewer if the third goal was an own goal. When it was confirmed it was, Grealish joked: "So I didn't get the assist for that either."

The 27-year-old continued: "I started a lot of games recently so obviously I'm thankful to the manager for that.

"I'm enjoying it, playing football with a smile on my face, really settling in now and playing with confidence."

Pep Guardiola has denied claims Erling Haaland has a release clause in his Manchester City contract that would allow him to join Real Madrid on favourable terms.

Haaland has been outstanding since joining City from Borussia Dortmund at the start of the season, netting twice against Copenhagen on Wednesday to take his tally to an astonishing 19 in 12 games.

But before that game, Fernando Sanz – a former Madrid player and later the president of Malaga – had suggested Haaland's deal had an "exit clause" with "very beneficial conditions" for Los Blancos.

Haaland joined City after they activated a clause in his Dortmund contract, but Guardiola insisted after the Copenhagen game there was no truth in the claim.

"It's not true," he told reporters. "He has not got a release clause for Real Madrid or any other team. It's not true. That's all I can say.

"Absolutely not [it is not annoying]. There are rumours and people talk, and you cannot control it. We always have to worry about what we can control.

"The important thing is he can adapt really well, I have the feeling he is happy here. We tried with him and all of them, the people who stayed here, and made them happy. This is the most important thing.

"At the end, what's going to happen in the future? Who knows it? Nobody knows it.

"What's important is he's happy and settled perfectly and incredibly loved by everyone. This is the most important thing."

Haaland was substituted at half-time in the 5-0 win at Copenhagen, missing the chance to score another hat-trick after three in his past three home Premier League games.

Guardiola said the change was not planned, as he explained: "He played a lot of minutes three days ago, the game was under control, and Cole Palmer [his replacement] is an excellent player, a top-class player.

"If the game was tight, Erling would continue to play. But it was better to rest and to think of Southampton, a team we were not able to beat last season. Hopefully this season we can do it."

Guardiola added: "Erling Haaland, what does he want? The same as us; to win the game. He made the hat-tricks to win the games."

Of the performance, in which an own goal, a Riyad Mahrez penalty and Julian Alvarez's close-range finish added to Haaland's double, Guardiola said: "Today we see the reason why these years were really, really successful at this club.

"After Man United, 6-3, a lot of compliments, a lot of nice things, we were able to be humble enough to respect the opponent like every team we play. This is the secret of this team."

Copenhagen coach Jacob Neestrup said his team "have to improve" but accepted: "There was not anything we could do to City.

"There were of course things we could always do better, but we just need to accept we were playing against the best team in the world right now. They are several levels above us."

Iga Swiatek is through to the quarter-finals of the Ostrava Open after Ajla Tomljanovic retired hurt in their second-round match on Wednesday.

The world number one had won the first set 7-5, but her Australian opponent was forced to concede at 2-2 in the second.

Swiatek is now the female player with the most wins in a single year (58) in the last five seasons. Former world number one Ash Barty recorded 57 victories in 2019.

The second seed in Ostrava is out after Paula Badosa was beaten 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 by Petra Kvitova in front of a delighted Czech crowd, while Elena Rybakina is also through to the last eight after coming from behind to win against Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 7-5.

Wednesday's two other matches saw more success for Czech participants as Karolina Muchova beat seventh seed Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-4 6-4, while Barbora Krejcikova defeated Shelby Rogers 6-2 6-2.

There was less Czech joy at the Jasmin Open in Tunisia, where Katerina Siniakova was beaten 7-5 6-2 by Claire Liu.

Elsewhere, number three seed Alize Cornet eased past Harriet Dart 6-3 6-4, Elise Mertens came from behind to beat Despina Papamichail and Diane Parry went through against French compatriot Lucrezia Stefanini after the latter retired hurt in the second set.

Tom Brady did not take part in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' practice on Wednesday as the 45-year-old quarterback deals with nagging injuries to his right shoulder and finger.

Brady acknowledged he played through some shoulder soreness during the Buccaneers' 41-31 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday when speaking on his weekly radio show on SiriusXM. The seven-time Super Bowl champion appeared to be in a bit of discomfort after taking a hit on a second-quarter sack that resulted in a fumble the Chiefs recovered.

"My shoulder's doing OK," Brady said on Monday’s Let's Go! broadcast. "You know, just some bumps and bruises, and I kind of took a hit there on it. Got some treatment [Monday].

"This week will be very similar to a lot of the other ones, just getting on the mend, getting back to practice and trying to improve and be ready to go for next week."

Brady was listed on last week's injury report with the finger issue, which is considered minor and did not prevent him from practising in full. The three-time NFL MVP threw for a season-high 385 yards and three touchdowns while completing 39 of 52 passes against Kansas City.

NFL.com reported in September that the Buccaneers were planning on having Brady take Wednesday practices off throughout the season in an effort to reduce wear and tear on his body during his 23rd NFL campaign.

Brady is still expected to make his 323rd career regular-season start when the Buccaneers host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Adrien Rabiot's brace helped Juventus to a much-needed 3-1 win over Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League on Wednesday, boosting their hopes of progressing from Group H.

The Bianconeri approached the match requiring a victory after successive European losses against Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica, and they hit the front through Rabiot's powerful first-half finish.

Angel Di Maria starred with a hat-trick of assists, including a sublime pass to allow Dusan Vlahovic to double Juventus' lead shortly after the break.

Juventus came under pressure after Dean David raced through to reduce the arrears, but Rabiot's late header made the points safe and eased the pressure on Massimiliano Allegri.

Vlahovic twice went close as Juventus started strongly, seeing a well-placed strike turned away by Matt Cohen before dragging a poor effort wide from Filip Kostic's cut-back.

Maccabi posed a threat on the break throughout the first half, leading to jeers from a nervous home crowd, but the Bianconeri made the breakthrough when Rabiot darted onto Di Maria's pass to blast into the roof of the net 10 minutes before the break.

Di Maria was again involved when Juventus extended their lead five minutes after half-time, picking out Vlahovic with a sublime outside-of-the-foot pass before the Serb slotted into the bottom-right corner.

Omer Atzili struck the foot of the post as Maccabi refused to go down without a fight, before Vlahovic was denied a double by the offside flag after converting from yet another Di Maria pass.

David ensured a tense finish when he rounded Wojciech Szczesny to give Maccabi hope with 15 minutes remaining, but Rabiot had the final say, securing Juventus' win by nodding Di Maria's corner home eight minutes later.

What does it mean? Juventus stay alive in Group H

Juventus approached Wednesday's match having lost three successive Champions League games. Had the Bianconeri fallen to a fourth consecutive defeat for the first time in the competition's history, their hopes of progression – and Allegri himself – may not have recovered.

But the Bianconeri – led by their outstanding midfield duo Rabiot and Di Maria – shook off any first-half nerves to move within four points of PSG and Benfica.

Di Maria equals Messi with creative masterclass

Di Maria was limited to one substitute appearance in Juventus' first two European matches of the campaign after struggling with an injury, and the Bianconeri may be left to rue his early absence if they fail to escape Group H.

Since the start of the 2007-08 campaign – when Di Maria made his first Champions League appearance, no player has bettered his tally of 35 assists in the competition.

Only his legendary compatriot Lionel Messi has teed up as many Champions League goals during that spell.

Rabiot ends long wait

Rabiot looked every inch the natural goalscorer as his brace led Juventus to a vital win, but the France international had endured a long goal drought prior to Wednesday's double.

The 27-year-old's first-half effort ended his 50-game run without a goal in all competitions, and represented his first strike since he found the net against Bologna in May 2021.

What's next?

Juventus will face a huge test of their Serie A credentials when they travel to Champions Milan on Saturday, while Maccabi Haifa go to Maccabi Bnei Raina on the same day.

Lionel Messi set another Champions League record but it was not enough for Paris Saint-Germain to beat Benfica, who clinched a 1-1 draw.

Neymar and Kylian Mbappe cleverly combined in the 22nd minute to allow Messi to curl home and become the first player to score against 40 teams in the Champions League.

However, Danilo Pereira awkwardly sent Enzo Fernandez' cross into his own net to restore parity at Estadio da Luz.

Though PSG had the better second-half chances, boss Christophe Galtier missed the chance to become the third coach in club history to win his first three Champions League games, though his side remain top of Group H on goals scored.

Gianluigi Donnarumma was the busier of the two goalkeepers early on, making important stops to deny Goncalo Ramos and David Neres as Benfica shaded the early exchanges.

Yet it was PSG who took the lead, their fearsome attacking trident combing before Messi combined curled a delightful finish into the left-hand corner to make it 1-0, becoming the first player to score against 40 different teams in the Champions League in the process.

However, Benfica were level just before half-time, as Fernandez's teasing cross was skewed into his own net by Pereira.

PSG hit the woodwork just after the interval, Neymar skimming an overhead kick off the top of the crossbar after Odisseas Vlachodimos parried Achraf Hakimi's shot.

Benfica's goalkeeper denied Neymar and Hakimi again, but saved his best stop for last when he prevented Kylian Mbappe's long-range effort finding the top corner.

Erling Haaland "will have a break", Pep Guardiola assured the media after his Manchester derby heroics. Just not yet, it seems.

Concerns around the amount of football Haaland has played since signing for Manchester City are understandable.

Heading into this week's Champions League matches, team-mate Joao Cancelo was the sole outfield player in the Premier League to play more minutes than Haaland across all competitions this season.

Cancelo and Haaland are two of three players – the other being goalkeeper Ederson – to start every City match. Named in the line-up once more against Copenhagen on Wednesday, Haaland made his 12th start in City colours; his 12th of last season, playing at Borussia Dortmund, did not come until December.

Indeed, Haaland had already sustained a thigh injury this time a year ago, and only returned briefly before another lay-off with a hip problem.

Guardiola is well aware of those issues, though, describing City as "lucky" to have "incredible physios".

"Last season, he could not play many games," the City manager said after the 6-3 win over Manchester United. "He was injured all the time."

He added: "Dortmund couldn't do it [keep Haaland fit], and we can do it. That is fantastic for us. That is why I thank them [the medical staff]."

And if there is no immediate risk of injury, of course Guardiola wants to keep sending his superstar striker out to put opponents to the sword.

After two goals in the 5-0 defeat of Copenhagen, Haaland has 19 in those 12 matches. Riyad Mahrez (24) was the only City player to score more in all competitions in the entirety of last season.

City already possessed the best team in England, blessed with a vast array of supreme talents, but Haaland is now the undoubted star of the show.

Ahead of kick-off on Wednesday, his goals in the warm-up were cheered louder than any other player's, as was his name as the line-ups were announced.

It was with some inevitability then that Haaland's first touch following kick-off was the opener, steered past Kamil Grabara, who wisely didn't bother to move.

"Who else?" asked the Etihad Stadium's public announcer, as if the role of confirming the goalscorer was even needed.

Haaland spoke last month of his "dream" to score five goals from just five touches – an ambition that does not tally with Guardiola's outlook on the game, as he replied on Sunday: "I don't like that. I want him involved. He can touch the ball many more times."

But Haaland remained as efficient as ever, his second touch a pass to the outstanding Jack Grealish, who in turn found Bernardo Silva for a shot that struck the post.

That was one of only three passes Haaland made in the first half, yet he was involved in everything, attempting four shots.

Perhaps the loudest roar of the night from the Copenhagen fans followed a tackle that robbed Haaland of the ball on halfway. It provided only momentary cheer, though, as the City number nine tapped in a simple second soon enough.

The only way the overmatched visitors could prevent Haaland scoring yet another hat-trick was by themselves prodding beyond Grabara – Davit Khocholava turning in an own goal for the third with Haaland waiting right behind him.

If Guardiola had no sympathy for Copenhagen when he removed Haaland at the break – assuming his words had not cursed the forward with an injury – perhaps he was thinking of poor Julian Alvarez.

The Argentina international's second City start had been overshadowed by Haaland just as his first had, when Alvarez scored two against Nottingham Forest but his team-mate netted three.

There were glimpses of a partnership forming as Haaland's pressing led to a chance from which Alvarez could not get a shot away, but in 235 minutes on the pitch together across seven matches, they have traded just four passes and are yet to combine for a goal – Haaland creating a single chance for Alvarez.

Alvarez is much more like the type of forward City fans have been used to watching under Guardiola – diminutive and busy, but not as clinical as Haaland. Admittedly, few, if any, are.

A second-half penalty was dispatched by Mahrez, with Alvarez watching on when Haaland surely would have snatched the ball for his hat-trick, while the former River Plate man later became the second City player to hit the post from a Grealish pass.

Finally, after another wonderful Grealish run and then a cutback from Mahrez, Alvarez converted the fifth when he simply could not miss in front of an open goal – reward at the end of a slightly frustrating night, if such a thing exists in a 5-0 victory.

Regardless, unless Haaland's injury woes are gone for good, Alvarez will get further chances in the coming months.

But for now, fear for Southampton, who face Haaland on Saturday coming off a 45-minute rest – his longest of the season.

Real Madrid made it three wins from three in the Champions League after seeing off Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 at Santiago Bernabeu.

Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior were on target in the first half as the reigning champions maintained their perfect start in Group F.

Having converted only two of 35 shots on goal – thanks mainly to an inspired performance by Shakhtar goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin – Madrid were hanging on after Oleksandr Zubkov halved the deficit before the break.

Nevertheless, Carlo Ancelotti's side moved five points clear of their Ukrainian opponents at the Group F summit.

The hosts broke the deadlock in the 13th minute when the ball ricocheted kindly for Rodrygo, whose 20-yard drive was too hot for Trubin to handle.

Rodrygo turned provider as Vinicius doubled the lead 15 minutes later, exchanging passes with Karim Benzema before sliding the ball through for his compatriot, who clinically swept home.

Madrid threatened a third goal with Trubin denying Benzema, Federico Valverde and Vinicius, who also had an effort cleared off the line, before the visitors pulled one back against the run of play as Zubkov emphatically volleyed in Bohdan Mykhaylichenko's pinpoint cross.

Mykhaylo Mudryk squandered a glorious opportunity to drag Shakhtar level eight minutes after the restart.

Following a swift counter, the winger was stifled out by Ferland Mendy and Andriy Lunin after opting to cut inside rather than shoot.

Madrid looked to restore their two-goal advantage with Rodrygo and Vinicius drawing smart reflexes out of Trubin, while Marco Asensio's deflected effort hit the post, but they ultimately did not require a third goal to see out a victory that keeps them perfect at the top of the Group.

Chelsea won their first game in Champions League Group E as goals from Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Reece James sealed a resounding 3-0 victory over Milan on Wednesday.

Graham Potter's side had picked up just one point from their opening two games against Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb, but victory at Stamford Bridge against the Serie A champions has revived their bid to reach the knockout stages.

Fofana scored his first goal for the club since joining from Leicester City in September after 24 minutes, slotting home after a goalmouth scramble.

Aubameyang and James, who set up the former's strike, made sure of the three points in the second half as Chelsea made it back-to-back wins following the weekend triumph over Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

Ciprian Tatarusanu kept out Mason Mount's whipped effort from outside the penalty area after four minutes, while the Milan goalkeeper pawed over Thiago Silva's header midway through the first half.

Tatarusanu denied Silva again soon after, yet the rebound made its way into the path of Fofana, who stroked home to put the Blues ahead.

Mount saw an effort ruled out for offside as Chelsea continued to dominate, although only a smart stop from Kepa Arrizabalaga prevented Rade Krunic from pulling Milan level on the stroke of half-time.

Former Rossoneri youth player Aubameyang doubled the Blues' advantage 11 minutes after the restart with a close-range finish from James' sublime cross. 

James wrapped up the scoring five minutes later, the England international slamming into the roof of Tatarusanu's net after being played in by Raheem Sterling. 

What does it mean? Chelsea breathe life into Champions League campaign

Failure to secure three points here would have severely damaged Chelsea's hopes of reaching the last 16, yet a superb display – and result – saw them leapfrog Milan into second in the group, just a point behind Salzburg.

Milan, who had only one shot on target, were well off the pace and have now won just one of their 21 away European matches in England.

James shines

James was at the heart of everything good about Chelsea and at the age of 22 years and 301 days, he became the youngest Chelsea player to both score and assist a goal in the same Champions League game.

Fofana's joy turns to disappointment

It was a game of mixed emotions for Fofana. The 21-year-old opened his account for his new club with a close-range finish, but his participation ended just 14 minutes later when he hobbled off after appearing to hurt his knee in a clash with Rafael Leao.

What's next?

Both sides are in domestic action on Saturday ahead of next week's return fixture, with Chelsea at home to Wolves and Milan welcome Juventus to San Siro.