Arne Slot described Liverpool's second-half performance as a "joy to watch" after his new side started their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 win over Ipswich Town.

Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah were on target after the break as Liverpool claimed a deserved victory in Slot's first competitive match at the helm.

The Reds needed an hour to make the breakthrough as the Tractor Boys put up a spirited performance in the first half, but they were utterly dominant once Jota finished a flowing move with a neat side-footed finish for 1-0.

Liverpool racked up 15 shots worth 2.61 expected goals (xG) in the second period and limited Ipswich to just three attempts, none of which hit the target.

Slot's team had been out-shot by four to three in the first 45 minutes and struggled to get a foothold as Ipswich won 58.5% of duels contested, leaving the former Feyenoord boss to praise his team's ability to change things at the interval.

Asked how he judged Liverpool's display by TNT Sports, Slot said: "It depends which half you're asking about! The first half was not action-packed because they were right on top of us.

"They were very aggressive, we couldn't find a rhythm or find those balls in behind, but the second half was a joy to watch.

"The first thing I said is we can't speak about tactics if we lose every duel. It was not that Jarell [Quansah] lost every duel, but we needed [Ibrahima] Konate to win those long balls in the air. That gave us control.

"I don't think they could keep up with our tempo in the second half. Gaps opened up and you saw that we can play some quite good football."

Much has been made of Liverpool's failure to add a new midfielder this off-season, with Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi rejecting the chance to move to Anfield.

Slot, however, was impressed by the performances of starting trio Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, saying: "I don't think our problem in the first half was the midfield. 

"I was pleased with them and a lot has been said about signings, but I saw two or three come off the bench and they are good enough to play in our team.

"We have many good players, but like I said, if we can find another one, we will not hesitate to do so."

Despite some expecting a season of transition after almost nine years under Jurgen Klopp, Slot knows Liverpool must look to be in title contention this campaign.

"I'm not looking so far forward to the end of the season. I think in every game we have to do everything in terms of defence but also with the ball," Slot said.

"You saw last season how close the games were. If Son [Heung-min] scored [against Manchester City] we could've had another champion, but he didn't and City were champions. We have to make sure we are up there with those teams."

Mohamed Salah acknowledged life under Arne Slot "is quite different" after Liverpool opened their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 win at newly promoted Ipswich Town.

Salah marked his 350th appearance for the Reds by assisting Diogo Jota's opener before netting himself as they began life after Jurgen Klopp with victory at Portman Road.

Slot became the first individual Liverpool boss to win his first Premier League game in charge - and their first in the top flight since Graeme Souness in April 1991.

While Salah admitted the players were still finding their feet under the Dutchman, he urged his team-mates to embrace the process.

"Jurgen was in the team for eight years, he gave everything. Now, it's a new manager and new system. 

"It's quite different for all of us, we need to adapt. We don't need to put more pressure on him, we just need to play football and enjoy our games."

Salah's contribution to the cause made Premier League history, with the Liverpool forward now the outright leader for goals (nine) and direct goal involvements (14) on matchday one.

"Hopefully, I keep going like this for the whole season!" added Salah, who took his Liverpool goal involvement tally for all competition to 300. 

"I always help to try to help the team all the time, I'm always happy to score goals or assist.

"It was quite tough today; the weather was really warm, it's a tough team. When they play home especially, it's quite tough. The crowd is always up. We knew that before the game, we're experienced, so we expected a tough game."

"I'm glad we won today, I'm always happy to make a difference."

Napoli must have realistic expectations for the 2024-25 Serie A season during a period of reconstruction, so says Antonio Conte.

Conte took over in June, after Napoli went through three different coaches last season when, after winning the Scudetto under Luciano Spalletti in 2023, they followed that up by failing to qualify for European competition.

Former Italy boss Conte, who won four Serie A titles with Juventus and Inter, along with a Premier League title at Chelsea, wants patience from the club and the fans going into the new season.

"Our mantra is to give 200%, we have to go beyond our limits, all of us, because it is a critical moment for Napoli, the president spoke of reconstruction," Conte told reporters ahead of Napoli's opening game against Verona on Sunday.

"I have made my assessments and I agree with him perfectly; there is a need for a total reconstruction, from the ground up.

"A squad that puts 10-12 players on the market, means that there is a reconstruction underway and like any reconstruction we need patience and humility."

When Conte took charge at Juventus in 2011, they had finished seventh the previous season and he immediately led them to three consecutive league titles, but he does not expect such a quick turnaround at Napoli.

"I expected a better situation, positive surprises, which is why when I spoke at the beginning I said, even after such a negative year we must not throw everything away but let's understand if there are also positive things," Conte said.

"I expected positive surprises, but I had a hard time finding any. But you arrive and there are nine-10 exits.

"We are not saying that we are at year zero but at the year very close to zero. It doesn't scare me but it's better to be clear, when there is reality and clarity you know where to go and what problems to face."

Conte declined to speak about Victor Osimhen, who is expected to be left out of the squad for Verona, with the Nigerian forward likely to leave the club during this transfer window, and he warned it would take time to get Napoli back to the top.

"I don't know how long it will take for Napoli to become competitive again, whether it takes six months, 12, two years, I couldn't say."

Luton Town survived more than an hour with 10 men as they drew 0-0 with newly promoted Portsmouth to claim their first points of the campaign on Saturday. 

Thomas Kaminski was given his marching orders in the 31st minute following two missed-timed challenges on Paddy Lane and Connor Ogilvie in quick succession. 

But Pompey failed to make their man advantage count, with only six of their 15 attempts on target as well as having 66.5% possession. 

Rob Edwards' side did have their opportunities, however, missing four big chances, with the best of those falling to Elijah Adebayo, registering an xG of 0.51 from his three shots. 

Meanwhile, at the Hawthorns, Leeds United remain winless in their first two Championship games as they were held to a goalless draw away to West Brom.  

Daniel Farke's side suffered an early exit in the Carabao Cup to Middlesbrough earlier this week, and struggled once again in front of goal at the Hawthorns. 

Leeds registered just one shot on target from the eight they attempted in the West Midlands, with that effort coming from Ethan Ampadu 10 minutes into the second half. 

The Baggies opened their season with a 3-1 win over QPR, with Josh Maja netting a hat-trick, but he proved ineffective this time around, registering an expected goals (xG) of just 0.03 from his one shot on target. 

Meanwhile, at Pride Park, Kayden Jackson scored the only goal of the early kick-offs as Derby beat Middlesbrough 1-0 for their first win of the campaign. 

Jackson, who arrived from Ipswich in the transfer window, pounced on a mistake by Isaiah Jones before rounding Seny Dieng to give the Rams a 14th minute lead. 

But Michael Carrick's side's wastefulness in front of goal proved to be their downfall, underperforming their xG by 1.73 with only four of their 20 shots on target. 

Middlesbrough have now only scored once in their last four away league games against Derby, with the goal coming in a 2-1 loss back in 2021 under Neil Warnock.

Arne Slot got off to a winning start at Liverpool as the Reds kick-started their 2024-25 Premier League campaign with a 2-0 defeat of Ipswich Town.

Ipswich impressed in flashes in their first Premier League match since 2002, but Liverpool ultimately had too much as the Slot era began with a comfortable triumph at Portman Road.

Their goals came in quick succession – Diogo Jota opening the scoring on the hour with a composed close-range finish.

Having supplied the assist for Liverpool’s opener, Mohamed Salah got in on the act himself in the 65th minute, and Slot’s side showed no sign of slipping up from there.

Jota had squandered a golden chance just before putting Liverpool ahead, though the Reds were arguably second-best for much of the first half.

Ipswich could not make the most of their openings, however, and Kieran McKenna's team were ultimately punished as the Tractor Boys lost on their long-awaited return to the big time.

Data Debrief: Another record tumbles for Mo

That is now nine opening-day goals for Salah in the Premier League, a new competition record.

Salah's effort also brought up his 300th direct goal involvement for the Reds in what was his 350th Liverpool appearance in all competitions.

Goncalo Ramos will undergo surgery after sustaining an ankle ligament injury during Paris Saint-Germain's victory over Le Havre, the club has confirmed.

The PSG striker limped off in the 20th minute of their 4-1 win at the Stade Oceane following a late tackle from behind. 

Ramos, who scored 11 times for Luis Enrique's side last season, provided an assist for Lee Kang-In in the third minute of PSG's opening match of the new Ligue 1 campaign, prior to his premature withdrawal.

The reigning champions confirmed on Saturday the Portugal international suffered a "serious ligament sprain in his left ankle", which will sideline him for around three months.

Ramos' absence deals a further blow to Luis Enrique, who is already looking to fill the void left by Kylian Mbappe following his blockbuster move to Real Madrid.

Carlo Ancelotti has said Real Madrid are considering allowing players to take short breaks during the season with concerns about the congested fixture schedule. 

Ancelotti, who led Los Blancos to a record sixth Super Cup triumph against Atalanta on Wednesday, now turns his attention to the new LaLiga season. 

Madrid travel to the Visit Mallorca Estadi to face Mallorca in their opening league encounter as they begin their title defence with Kylian Mbappe in their ranks. 

However, Ancelotti revealed that the club are considering extended breaks away from action during the season due to the pressures of domestic and club football.

"The players need rest, they need holidays and we are thinking about giving individual holidays to the players during the season," Ancelotti said.

"We are thinking about giving in-season breaks, give a week off for a player so he can go and stay with his family, especially international players, who have very little rest because they usually don't get even a day's holiday in international breaks.

"We are assessing it with the medical staff and the physical preparation."

Following their La Liga and Champions League double last season, Ancelotti faces the possibility of winning seven titles during the 2024-25 campaign. 

Los Blancos will compete in LaLiga, the Champions League, Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, plus the FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the new Club World Cup in the United States. 

Madrid have strengthened with the arrivals of Mbappe and Endrick, but Ancelotti believes the club need to make sacrifices to preserve the health and fitness of their players.

The Italian said he and his staff are already looking ahead to the 2025-26 season, with the 2026 World Cup putting extra demands on international players. 

"At the moment we still don't even know the date (of the Club World Cup), same with the Intercontinental. We are bidding for seven titles but we still don't know when or how," Ancelotti said.

"The 2025-26 season might start earlier because of the World Cup, so we have to plan accordingly starting this season.

"For example, when Vinicius Jr comes back after playing with Brazil, instead of playing in LaLiga, he rests for three or four days, he goes on holiday and then he comes back.

"That's the only way. Normally those players train, even if they don't play. But we're going to take that away, let them do what they want on those days. That's what we're going to do."

Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed the arrival of Rennes midfielder Desire Doue for a reported €50m transfer fee. 

Doue, who won silver at the Paris Olympics with France, has signed a five-year contract with the 12-time Ligue 1 champions. 

The 19-year-old made 43 appearances in all competitions for Julien Stephan's side last season, scoring four goals and adding six assists. 

Doue will provide the Parisians with another attacking threat from midfield, with the 31 chances he created last year a total only bettered by Benjamin Bourigeaud (69) in the Rennes squad. 

He also completed the most dribbles (64) for the French side, while also outperforming his expected goals (xG) total by 1.62 in Ligue 1. 

The teenager becomes PSG's fourth arrival at the Parc des Princes in the transfer window after the signings of Joao Neves, William Pacho and Matvey Safonov. 

“I'm delighted to be joining Paris Saint-Germain. I'm really excited, and also happy and proud," Doue told the PSG website.

"It's a dream come true. I can't wait to discover the Parc des Princes in a PSG jersey and to play in front of these fans. 

Ben Chilwell has been told it would be best to leave Chelsea by head coach Enzo Maresca ahead of their Premier League opener against Manchester City on Sunday. 

Chilwell, who has made 106 appearances for the Blues since his reported £45m move from Leicester in 2020, has struggled with injuries in recent years. 

The 27-year-old featured 21 times in all competitions last season, missing 26 games with a hamstring injury which was then followed by a knee issue. 

His subsequent misfortune with injuries has seen him drop down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge, with Marc Cucurella impressing with Spain at Euro 2024. 

Chilwell played 64 minutes in Chelsea's six pre-season games, failing to feature in their final three fixtures before the new campaign against Real Madrid, Manchester City and Inter. 

“Chilly [Chilwell] is with us but he has not been training for the last few days because he has been ill,” Maresca said.

“The reason he did not play versus Inter was because, with Chilly it is quite clear, even though I love the way he is, the problem is, he is struggling a bit to find the right position.

“This morning we had 22 players training and if you ask all of them they will say they want to play against City on Sunday. But that is impossible.

"When you train every day and do not get any minutes it is not good for them or for me.

“I need to make a decision and probably it is better to leave and go and get minutes. The transfer window is open so we’ll see what happens.”

Chelsea kickstart their campaign against reigning champions City on Sunday in what will be Maresca's first competitive game in charge of the club. 

The Blues have continued to add during the transfer window, with Wolves' Pedro Neto the latest of nine new arrivals at Stamford Bridge. 

Maresca now has over 40 players in his squad despite the loan departure of Lesley Ugochukwu and the permanent sale of Diego Moreira earlier this week. 

“We spent 20 days in America with 28 or 29 players, so it was quite good to manage the squad,” Maresca added.

“Now we have guys who are not part of the squad and are training apart.

“At the moment, it is not difficult, but if I start to think I have 43 players, it’s not good.”

Nottingham Forest welcomed their seventh addition of the transfer window with the arrival of Paraguay international Ramon Sosa from Talleres. 

Sosa, who grabbed a goal and an assist at this year's Copa America for Los Guaranies, has signed a five-year deal at the City Ground for a reported £11m transfer fee. 

The 24-year-old scored six goals and added seven assists in all competitions for Talleres last season. 

Sosa began his career in his native country where he won the Copa Paraguay with Olimpia in 2021 before moving to Argentinian side Gimnasia. 

He contributed 13 goal contributions (six goals and seven assists) in his debut season with the club, which led to a move to Talleres. 

Sosa registered 17 goals and 13 assists in 56 appearances for the Albiazul, impressing at the Copa America despite playing only 133 minutes of football at the tournament. 

"Ramon has been coveted by many clubs but was so clear in his desire to join Nottingham Forest," said Ross Wilson, Forest's chief football officer.

"We could all feel his energy, emotion, pride and excitement to be here from the first minute he arrived.

"He can't wait to get started and we are delighted that he is here with us."

The signing follows Forest's recent deals to bring in Jota Silva, Elliot Anderson, Nikola Milenkovic, Eric da Silva Moreira, and Carlos Miguel.

Lesley Ugochukwu has completed a season-long loan move to Southampton from Chelsea.

Ugochukwu, who made 15 appearances in all competitions for the Blues last season, was not registered in time for the Saints' Premier League opener against Newcastle. 

The 20-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge last year in a reported £23.2m deal from Rennes but missed 20 Premier League games as he struggled with a hamstring issue.

He was welcomed to St. Mary's on the same day Cameron Archer sealed a £15m permanent switch from Aston Villa, with the pair adding to Russell Martin's ranks. 

The duo join 12 new faces on the South Coast, with the likes of Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Flynn Downes, Ben Brereton Diaz and Ronnie Edwards all signing in the window. 

“It was a very easy decision, Ugochukwu said. "They just came back to Premier League.

"When I heard Southampton, when I spoke to the gaffer as well, I said, 'I have to come here.'

“I’m just here to work hard and give everything for the fans and for myself as well.”

Head coach Russell Martin added: “Lesley is a brilliant athlete who has all the ingredients to be a really top player in the future, and we want to help him achieve that.

"He combines his size and power with real composure in possession.

“He’s another young player we’ve brought in who has sampled the Premier League already, which is important, and someone we feel can help us in the midfield area with the physicality that he brings to the game.”

Luis Enrique believes Goncalo Ramos' injury is "serious" after the forward limped off early on in Paris Saint-Germain's opening day win over Le Harve. 

Ramos, who scored 11 goals for PSG last season, was forced to withdraw from the action at the Stade Oceane in the 20th minute following a late tackle from behind. 

The Portugal international provided the assist for Lee Kang-In's strike inside three minutes, with only Angel Di Maria starting a game, delivering an assist and being subbed off earlier than Ramos in a Ligue 1 fixture. 

His withdrawal serves as a significant blow for Enrique, who is looking to replace the 27 league goals scored by Kylian Mbappe last season after his move to Real Madrid. 

"I’m not a doctor but I think it looks pretty serious. I don’t know how many weeks he will be out injured but it’s serious," Enrique said. 

Despite the convincing scoreline, the defending champions took advantage of a late collapse from their opponents, scoring three times in the final six minutes after Gautier Lloris had levelled the encounter three minutes into the second half. 

Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Randal Kolo Muani struck late, with new signing Joao Neves becoming only the second player to deliver two assists for his debut with PSG in the same game in all competitions in the 21st century. 

But Enrique acknowledged that his side relaxed after Kang-In's opener, saying the encounter "wasn't easy at all" in Normandy. 

"It wasn't easy at all. Maybe we started too calmly. We scored a goal very quickly and that relaxed us a bit too much, and we suffered a bit," Enrique said.  

"I think in the second half we had more chances, more clear-cut chances and we were able to kill off the match. But it was difficult.

"We're clearly a team that's trying to play to its strengths. It's true that it was in the last part of the match that we performed best.

"We had some important players in the team and it's always difficult to play away from home. It's complicated and today we did it again."

Dominic Solanke is a “top pro” who is exactly what Tottenham expected when they paid big money to sign him from Bournemouth, so says Ange Postecoglou.

Spurs splurged a club-record fee – reportedly up to £65million – on Solanke, who scored 19 Premier League goals for the Cherries last season.

Solanke could be in line to make his Tottenham debut on Monday, when Spurs open their Premier League campaign away at newly promoted Leicester City.

And Postecoglou spoke highly of his new addition.

"Thankfully, it's what we expected,” said the Australian.

“He's a top pro and a good guy – he's settled into the dressing room really well.

“Football-wise you can see he has all the attributes we need. We've still got a couple of training sessions to go but he's doing well.”

While Postecoglou confirmed Spurs will have a full squad to choose from, bar the suspended Yves Bissouma, at the King Power Stadium, hosts Leicester are not as fortunate.

Steve Cooper, who is preparing for his first league match in charge of the Foxes, confirmed Patson Daka was set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering an injury against Lens in pre-season, with the striker set for a long spell out.

“Patson [Daka] obviously is not great news,” Cooper said. “He suffered quite a serious ankle injury last week in the game in Lens and he is going to be out for a good few months.

“He’s having an operation. That’s really unfortunate for him because he was looking good in pre-season.”

Jamie Vardy is also absent.

Cooper, whose last Premier League game was a 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham in December last year with Nottingham Forest, added: “Vards, similarly, he’s been injured since the second week of pre-season now, when we were on one of our pre-season camps.

"He’s closer to returning but it will be a little while, although he’s itching to get back. But it’s not great at that end of the pitch.

“He’s right at the latter stages of rehab now and just making sure he can fight past those final stages before he returns. With experience and age a little bit, he really understands his body and he knows what it takes.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Leicester City – Stephy Mavididi

Mavididi scored 12 league goals for Leicester in their push for promotion last term, a tally bettered only by Vardy (18). The winger created 72 chances, providing six assists. Only Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who has since joined Chelsea, crafted more goalscoring opportunities (109) for the Foxes.

Tottenham – Son Heung-min

Son has been involved in 13 goals in 14 Premier League appearances against Leicester (nine goals, four assists), only having a hand in more against Southampton (15). Indeed, the South Korean has scored five and assisted once in his last three against the Foxes.

MATCH PREDICTION: TOTTENHAM WIN

Leicester have lost half of their Premier League games played on Mondays (21/42) – only in Friday games do the Foxes have a higher loss rate in the competition (61.5% – 8/13).

Tottenham’s last four Premier League wins of 2023-24 came against each of the sides to finish in the bottom four (Forest, Luton Town, Burnley, Sheffield United). They won all six of their league games against promoted sides last term, accounting for 30% of their overall victories (6/20).

This is the seventh time Tottenham are starting their Premier League campaign against a promoted side; they have won five of the previous six, losing the other 1-0 against Sunderland in 2007-08.

However, Leicester are unbeaten on the last nine occasions they have begun their league campaign with a home game (W6 D3).

Expect goals in this one. Of all Premier League fixtures to have been played at least 30 times, Leicester against Tottenham has the highest goals-per-game average (3.8 – 128 goals in 34 games). There have been 28 goals scored in the last five meetings between the sides alone (5.6 per game).

Spurs have only failed to score in one of their 17 Premier League away games against Leicester, a 3-0 loss at Filbert Street in September 1997.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Leicester City – 26.5%

Tottenham – 49.9%

Draw – 23.6%

Mark Robins has praised the "scintillating" football Coventry City played as they snatched a late 3-2 win over Oxford United in the Championship on Friday.

Haji Wright gave the Sky Blues the lead after 15 minutes, and Milan van Ewijk restored their lead after Ciaron Brown had pulled Oxford level.

Mark Harris then helped the U's come from behind a second time as he turned in from close range, but Wright had the final say, rounding the goalkeeper in the 96th minute to slot home the winner.

It was Coventry's first league win of the campaign, and a deserved one, as they dominated throughout, registering 26 shots on goal, 10 of which were on target. 

After a disappointing opening-day defeat to Stoke City, Robins was particularly impressed with how they took the fight to Oxford.

"It was a really tough game, Oxford play a really good brand of football," said Robins.

"We got on the front foot from the start of the game, and we followed through.

"We had some really good possession and created some great openings.

"Some of the football we played was scintillating."

Vincent Kompany was impressed with Bayern Munich's energy while Thomas Muller revelled in a "fun" victory over Ulm in the DFB-Pokal.

Kompany's first competitive match in charge of Bayern ended in a resounding 4-0 win on Friday.

Muller's first-half brace got the ball rolling for Bayern, with Kingsley Coman and Harry Kane coming off the bench to add some gloss to the scoreline as Ulm rarely showed a threat going the other way.

Bayern had 16 shots and accumulated 3.28 expected goals (xG) in a dominant performance that impressed their new coach.

"I'm happy. We started well and were 2-0 up early on," said Kompany, as reported by Bayern's website.

"I'm also very happy that we kept a clean sheet. Games like this aren't always easy.

"It wasn't always perfect, but we played with discipline, and 4-0 is good, now we're moving on. The important thing is that we show the right energy. That's the basis, it has to be there."

Muller's goals came inside the first 14 minutes. In his 708th competitive Bayern game, it is the earliest he has ever scored a double.

He said: "We wanted to implement a lot of what we have worked on in the last few weeks. It's fun, I feel good, I'm in good shape physically, I did my job, had a few good moves, I'm happy about that.

"If you look at how we work against the ball and the way we tackle, you can see a difference to what didn't do us so much good last year. I thought it was a good performance, even if there is still room for improvement with the ball."