The Los Angeles Lakers have added some experience to their roster ahead of the new season in the form of Dennis Schroder.

Schroder returns to L.A. after spending the 2020-21 season with the Lakers, before moving to the Boston Celtics and then the Houston Rockets.

The free agent point guard has signed a one-year deal worth a reported $2.64million.

Schroder – who was born in Germany – made 61 appearances in his first spell with the Lakers, averaging 15.4 points per game, as well as 5.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds.

Lakers' vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said the player will provide a "mentality of toughness".

"We are extremely pleased to welcome Dennis Schroder back to the Lakers," Pelinka said. "Not only do Dennis and Coach [Darvin] Ham share a player-coach history together, but they also reflect one another's mentality of toughness with an extremely competitive edge.

"Dennis will add both depth and an on-ball defensive presence to our core at the guard position. He is also a proven scorer and playmaker.

"We are really excited for Dennis to get to camp and get back to work in L.A. after his highly successful run with his national team this offseason."

Schroder played a total of 64 games for the Celtics and Rockets last season, averaging 13.5 PPG, 4.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds.

Erling Haaland struck again as Manchester City went top of the Premier League with a 3-0 victory over 10-man Wolves at Molineux.

First-half goals from Jack Grealish and Haaland put the visitors in control, while Phil Foden sealed the points midway through the second half. Haaland has now scored in his first four Premier League away games, setting a new record.

Wolves played just under an hour with a numerical disadvantage after Nathan Collins was shown a straight red card for a high challenge on Grealish.

Pep Guardiola's City side have now won each of the last five league meetings between these teams, netting 16 goals while conceding just three.

City scored five at Molineux in May and took just 55 seconds to break the deadlock this time, with Foden and Kevin De Bruyne combining during a swift counter before Grealish applied the finishing touch to the latter's cross.

Goncalo Guedes was denied from a tight angle at the other end before City doubled their lead in the 16th minute. Another quick break saw Bernardo Silva release Haaland, who drilled a low 20-yard shot beyond Jose Sa.

Wolves' task became even more difficult in the 33rd minute when Collins received his marching orders after clattering into Grealish.

The Premier League's lowest scorers this season with just three goals, the hosts had failed to net in the second half of their previous seven matches in the competition. True to form, they barely threatened after the break.

City took advantage by sealing the points in the 69th minute. Haaland and De Bruyne were involved in another sweeping counter by the visitors, with Foden flicking home the latter's perfectly timed centre.

Erling Haaland became the first player to score in each of his opening four Premier League away games after finding the net in Manchester City's match at Wolves.

The striker continued his blistering start to life in England, taking his goal tally in all competitions to 14 already as he doubled City's lead to 2-0 at Molineux on Saturday.

After Jack Grealish opened the scoring in just 55 seconds, Haaland struck in the 16th minute as he received Bernardo Silva's pass before drilling a 20-yard shot beyond Jose Sa's reach.

That was also the Norway international's 100th goal in 99 games across all competitions since leaving Salzburg for Borussia Dortmund in January 2020.

Despite an offseason of considerable change, the New Orleans Saints went into this season with plenty of supporters backing them for a return to prominence in the NFC.

The Saints saw head coach Sean Payton step away from the game and replaced by defensive coordinator Dennis Allen while they also lost key pieces on defense and on the offensive line.

Yet New Orleans had some tipping them not only to win the NFC South, but to go into the playoffs as the number one seed in the conference.

Such predictions did not raise eyebrows because of the quality of the Saints' roster – it remains one of the better all-round groups in the NFC – but because of the number of unknowns surrounding the Saints.

It is a mystery whether Allen will have what it takes to be a successful head coach and whether quarterback Jameis Winston, who saw a promising seven-game stretch ended by injury last year, can finally be a success at the highest level after years of failing to live up to his status as the top pick in the 2015 draft.

The Saints' 27-26 comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 was far from convincing, but it seemingly removed one key unknown from the equation as Michael Thomas enjoyed a superb return from injury.

One game, one in which the Saints needed a huge fourth-quarter comeback to avoid an upset, is not enough to definitively answer questions about coach or quarterback, though.

A much larger sample size will be needed to make an assessment of Allen, but Winston faces a litmus test of his credentials as the answer for the Saints when he goes against the team that drafted him, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in Week 2.

The Saints have won their last seven regular-season games against the Buccaneers, matching the longest winning streak by either team in this rivalry.

Winston was injured in a home win over the Bucs last year, and his ability to continue that run could provide a significant indication whether he is the man to help the Saints wrest the NFC South from Tom Brady's Buccaneers and put New Orleans on the path to one of the top seeds in the conference.

Accurate and aggressive

Winston displayed why the Saints were willing to keep the faith in him in the comeback against Atlanta, illustrating his upside as a downfield passer with six completions of 20 yards or more, which as of Friday were the fourth-most in the NFL.

He also displayed impressive accuracy, delivering a well-thrown, accurate ball on 87.1 per cent of his pass attempts, according to Stats Perform data.

The former Florida State star also averaged 9.65 air yards per attempt, with Ryan Tannehill (90.3 per cent and 9.42 air yards) the sole quarterback to average at least nine air yards and record a superior well-thrown rate than Winston.

Winston having success pushing the ball deep is nothing new. His 154 passing plays of 25 yards or more since he entered the league are the 13th-most in the league in that span. Last season, he averaged 9.14 air yards per attempt.

Yet his performance in Week 1 represented a stark improvement in terms of accuracy over what he produced in 2021. Indeed, Winston's well-thrown rate of 75.7 per cent last season was below the league average of 77.9.

Winston also excelled in delivering the ball accurately under duress, with six of his seven pass attempts when pressured considered to be well-thrown.

Whether he maintains that level of play in the face of the Tampa Bay pass rush will reveal a lot about his chances of steering the Saints to a division title.

Holding on too long?

Winston was sacked four times against the Falcons. While on the surface that may appear an indictment of the Saints' offensive line, the reality is that, for the most part, New Orleans did a very impressive job in pass protection.

The Saints ended Week 1 ranked fourth in Stats Perform's pass protection win rate. Two of their sacks were a result of individual brilliance from Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, while one was an effort sack from rookie Arnold Ebiketie and another came on a delayed blitz from the second level by Mykal Walker.

The theme across those plays where the Saints quarterback was brought down in the backfield was clear – Winston holding the ball for over three seconds.

On his seven attempts that came under pressure, Winston held the ball from snap to release for an average of 3.15 seconds.

Against a Tampa Bay defense that registered the seventh-most sacks for negative yardage (45) in the NFL last season and had no shortage of success against Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, Winston is unlikely to get away with hanging onto the ball for so long. 

Winston's length of time holding the ball is in part connected to his aggressiveness in targeting receivers on deep routes, and he and the Saints will need the offensive line, which lost the services of three-time Pro Bowler Terron Armstead in the offseason, to hold up to facilitate those downfield shots in Week 2.

However, if it does not, Winston will need to efficiently read the field and get the ball out quickly to prevent the Saints' offense from being sunk by a fearsome Tampa Bay defense. Fail to do so, and it may be difficult to take New Orleans seriously as legitimate contenders. Thankfully for Winston, he has weapons who can offer him the safety nets he needs to frustrate opposing pass rushes with the quick game.

Winning weaponry

Having played only seven games across the last two seasons, there were substantial doubts over Thomas' ability to return and perform at the level that saw him set the NFL record for receptions in a season (194) in 2019.

Thomas emphatically answered his doubters with a two-touchdown display, his second score coming on a stunning back shoulder catch that cut the Falcons' lead to two points late in the fourth quarter.

Among wide receivers with at least five targets in Week 1, Thomas was fourth with a big-play rate of 52.9 per cent.

Between Thomas, Jarvis Landry – who went for 114 yards on his Saints debut – and rookie Chris Olave, the first-round pick who caught three passes for 41 yards, the Saints have three receivers who can all create the separation to give Winston easy answers against pressure.

Running back Alvin Kamara had little influence as a pass-catcher in Week 1, but a receiving big-play rate of 21.3 per cent that was fifth among running backs (min. 100 carries) in 2021 is indicative of just how dangerous he can be when he is a featured part of the passing game.

There is no doubt Winston has the offensive talent around him to succeed and he proved what he can do when he harnesses that talent in Week 1, becoming the first Saints player to throw for 200 or more passing yards in the fourth-quarter since 2008 as they won a game after trailing by at least 16 points in the final period for the first time.

He also has the support of defense that last year recorded one of only three shutouts of a Brady team in his 317 regular-season and 47 postseason starts.

Sitting 11th in Efficiency Versus Expected (EVE), which measures yardage gained in expected passing situations against the predicted yardage in those same scenarios, Winston made an encouraging start to what he hopes will be his first full season as the Saints' starter.

But the fact he was required to produce a late comeback against one of the NFL's least-talented teams speaks to an inconsistent offensive performance.

Volatility defined Winston's career in Tampa, but New Orleans will be substantially easier to trust as contenders if he can maintain his level while facing the quarterback who embodies consistency more than any other and help the Saints continue their hoodoo over the Bucs.

Carlos Alcaraz fell to a defeat to fellow youngster Felix Auger-Aliassime in his first match as world number one.

Alcaraz triumphed at the US Open on Sunday, beating Casper Ruud to clinch his first grand slam title and, in the process, become the youngest world number one since the rankings were first published in 1973.

The 19-year-old is the second-youngest male player to win the title at Flushing Meadows in the Open Era, and only the third player since the majors welcomed professionals in 1968 to win the US Open title at his first or second main draw appearance after Arthur Ashe and Rod Laver (in the first two editions of the tournament).

Yet back on home soil in Spain on Friday, Alcaraz was unable to claim victory in his first match since becoming number one, as he went down 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-2 to Auger-Aliassime in the Davis Cup Finals.

Canada's Auger-Aliassime did not concede a break point as he dragged his country level in their tie with Spain in Valencia, teeing up a doubles decider after Roberto Bautista Agut defeated Vasek Pospisil 3-6 6-3 6-3.

Auger-Aliassime, 22, has won both of his career matches against Alcaraz, after defeating him in the US Open quarter-finals last year.

It's a bit early in the season to call Napoli's trip to Milan a "title clash" given we're only six games in, but for the Partenopei it is clearly an opportunity to make a statement.

Luciano Spalletti, a former Milan coach, has guided Napoli to 14 points from their first six matches, and they sit top of the fledgling table ahead of Atalanta and the Rossoneri on goal difference.

While Milan have already beaten bitter rivals Inter this term, Napoli haven't had the chance for such a signal of intent – at least, not in Serie A.

But neither Spalletti nor Stefano Pioli will be able to rely on their star men in San Siro on Sunday, adding to the unpredictability of a match that promises excitement.

Sorely missed

Rafael Leao and Victor Osimhen will miss this contest due to suspension and injury, respectively. Both absences are bitter blows to not only the teams, but fans tuning in.

Leao has been an especially key figure for Milan over the past year or so. Since the start of last season, he has played in 40 out of a possible 44 matches, with only Alexis Saelemaekers and Sandro Tonali (both 41) appearing more regularly.

Their win percentage with him stands at 70, while they average 2.3 points with Leao on the pitch. Of the four games he has missed, Milan have only won two.

Over the same period, Osimhen has missed 12 league games for Napoli. Their win rate increases from 58.3 per cent to 65.6 per cent when he plays, and their goals average goes up to 2.2 from 1.5 per game. Similarly, he's the only current Napoli player to score 10 or more Serie A goals (16) in that time.

The opportunity is there for others to step up in their absence.

At home on the road

As their position at the Serie A summit suggests, Napoli have enjoyed a fine start to the season, and their Champions League demolition of Liverpool made even more people sit up and take note.

Any successful team cannot just rely on a vociferous home support, however, and Napoli have made decent early strides in that regard, amassing seven points from their first three away Serie A games.

If they can avoid defeat on Sunday, they'll be unbeaten after the first four away games in an Italian top-flight season for the third campaign in succession, a feat no team has ever achieved before.

Granted, Milan's recent home form is decent, having won six on the trot in San Siro, which is their best run since 2013 (eight successive wins). But it was Napoli who ended that run, and the Partenopei are also hoping to rack up three consecutive away league victories over Milan for the first time in 43 years.

Party up front, business in the back

Yes, that's not quite how the saying goes, but this altered phrase is more applicable to Napoli. They have been exciting to watch going forward this term, with Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Andre-Franck Zambo Aguissa and Piotr Zielinski all catching the eye on the offensive.

But credit where it's due to Spalletti's side when they're not on the attack, as Napoli have been solid defensively.

Stretching back into last season, they have kept six clean sheets in their past nine Serie A games, including three in six this term.

Even when they have conceded, Napoli possess the necessary mentality – and ability – to fight back, with their six points gained from losing positions second only to Milan's seven in 2022-23.

Milan unbeaten, Napoli with everything to prove

Milan's title success last season was helped massively by their exceptionally strong end to the campaign.

They finished 2021-22 with six successive wins and went on an undefeated run that stretched back to January 17 when they suffered a shock 2-1 loss at home to Spezia.

Milan have since stretched that unbeaten streak to 22 league games, which is their longest such run since a 27-match undefeated run ended in January 2021.

That form highlights the task that Napoli face on Sunday, though by the same token, being the team to halt such a sequence would surely show Spalletti's team mean business.

Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic is "delighted" by Schalke's return to the Bundesliga – highlighting derby day as the most important in his team's season.

Having spent last season in the second tier, Schalke's return to the top flight means Saturday will see the first Revierderby at Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park for almost two years.

The last, in October 2020, had just 300 fans in attendance due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Saturday's clash will be the 99th Bundesliga derby between the teams, with Dortmund currently boasting three wins in a row including a 4-0 triumph in Terzic's first Revierderby that stands as his biggest league win with the club.

"We're absolutely delighted. We know what significance the derby carries for our fans and for the region. We're aware of the responsibility," Terzic said in Friday's press conference.

"The derby is the most important match. We know that we need to win the game. But we also want to win the game."

With four victories from six matches so far, Terzic is keen for another win before the international break, adding: "That would mean we've established ourselves towards the top."

Schalke sporting director Rouven Schroder is excited for Saturday's derby but concedes his side will be the underdogs – with only goalkeepers Ralf Fahrmann and Michael Langer having previous experience in a Revierderby. Neither is likely to play this weekend.

"Our overall performance will be decisive. We need to be confident and brave, and we're hoping to go home with a positive result," Schroder said.

"We've earned the chance to play the derby after working hard for a whole year. We can't wait for it now.

"We all know that Dortmund are a Champions League side and they've been on an incredible journey. It's therefore a derby where one side is perhaps a bit stronger than the other, but we'll gladly take on the challenge."

Roger Federer "set the tone" for a new breed of tennis high achievers and his retirement brings time for reflection, his long-time rival Novak Djokovic said on Friday.

At the age of 41, battling knee trouble, Federer has decided to call it a day and intends to have a send-off on court at next week's Laver Cup.

Djokovic will join him on Team Europe for the match against Team World in London, with Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray also due to be involved.

An emotional finale to Federer's career is assured, in the city where he won eight Wimbledon men's singles title, just one of many records he established in a 24-year professional career.

Djokovic wrote on Instagram: "Roger it's hard to see this day and put into words all that we've shared in this sport together. Over a decade of incredible moments and battles to think back on.

"Your career has set the tone for what it means to achieve excellence and lead with integrity and poise. It's an honour to know you on and off court, and for many more years to come."

Djokovic holds a 27-23 head-to-head winning record against Federer, although their careers did not run precisely side by side, with Federer six years the Serbian's senior.

By the time Djokovic began to make a major impact on tour, Federer had arguably already hit his peak. From Wimbledon 2005 to the US Open in 2007, Federer reached 10 consecutive slam finals, a record that has not been matched.

He went past Pete Sampras' record of 14 majors in 2009, and Djokovic and Nadal have followed in his wake.

His longevity since has set a high standard for those two chief rivals, who have both recently edged ahead of Federer on the all-time list of men's grand slam singles title winners.

Federer won his 20th singles slam at the 2018 Australian Open, going closest to a 21st when he lost a thriller to Djokovic in the 2019 Wimbledon final, squandering two match points. Djokovic has 21, while Nadal leads the way with 22 titles.

Swiss great Federer retires with the most grand slam men's singles main draw wins in the Open Era (369), and as the only man to win 100-plus matches at two different slams (105 in Wimbledon and 102 at the Australian Open).

Addressing Federer, and pointing to his family, Djokovic added: "I know that this new chapter will hold amazing things for you, Mirka, the kids, all your loved ones, and Roger fans still have a lot to look forward to.

"From our family to yours, we wish you much joy, health, and prosperity in the future. Looking forward to celebrating your achievements and seeing you in London."

Pep Guardiola said Manchester City did not have to "add many things" to Erling Haaland's game following his arrival from Borussia Dortmund, describing the in-form Norwegian as an "exceptional striker".

Haaland won the Premier League's Player of the Month award for August on Friday, having scored an incredible nine goals during his first calendar month in the competition.

The Norwegian has continued his goalscoring exploits in September, downing Sevilla with a Champions League double before haunting his former club Dortmund with a spectacular acrobatic finish as City beat the German side on Wednesday.

Having scored in City's last Premier League outing at Aston Villa, Haaland could become the first player in the competition's history to net on each of his first four away appearances when he lines up at Wolves on Saturday.

Asked whether 22-year-old Haaland is already the perfect forward, Guardiola said: "He's an exceptional striker, I said many times.

"But the age he is, I think his ambition is he wants to be better, and he will be better. He's a perfect person, a nice guy, this is the most important.

"With the quality he had before he came here, he has just continued to do what he has done. We didn't add many things."

Since losing both of their league meetings with Wolves in the 2019-20 season, City have won each of the teams' last four head-to-head fixtures by an aggregate score of 13-3.

Although Wolves have managed just one win from their first six games of this campaign, Guardiola is impressed by Bruno Lage's attempts to move them towards a more possession-based style of play, and expects a tough challenge.

"It's a completely different team than it was the previous seasons, they played five at the back with [Conor] Coady, now they decide to play with four," Guardiola said.

"I'm really impressed by the way they play, their position in the table is because football is unpredictable and sometimes you don't get what you deserve. They have a lot, a lot, of good things.

"They are one of the toughest opponents we've faced in the last seasons, and tomorrow will not be an exception. We had less recovery, so we have to be mentally prepared. Otherwise, it will be difficult.

"Give credit because what I've seen is completely different to previous seasons, [they would] sit back, just defend, have that transition with Adama [Traore], [Pedro] Neto.

"They still have that, but they added a completely different approach to the past. I respect Wolves a lot for what happened in the past but especially now for what they are trying to do."

City could be the first team to face Diego Costa since his return to the Premier League, with Lage revealing on Friday he hoped to have the former Chelsea striker available.

Asked about the potential presence of the fiery forward, Guardiola said: "Diego Costa has had an incredible career here and in Spain, we know his quality. We'll adapt in case he'll play."

Guardiola refused to be drawn on the debate surrounding a prospective Premier League all-star match, the idea that was suggested by Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly this week.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp declared fans would not want to see that particular addition, but Guardiola would not join him in criticising the idea.

"I don't have an opinion, not at all," Guardiola said. "If they give me the dates they will play, it should be nice. But I don't have an opinion."

What a first week of the NFL season that was.

So much drama, so many late twists, and it's almost time to do it all over again as Week 2 looms on the horizon.

Sunday sees Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looking to follow up their opening win against the Dallas Cowboys when they head to New Orleans, the Los Angeles Rams will aim to get on the board when they host the Atlanta Falcons, while Russell Wilson's first home game for the Denver Broncos sees them welcome the Houston Texans.

With all that and more, Stats Perform has used Opta data to preview the weekend's action in the NFL.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) @ New Orleans Saints (1-0)

The Saints have won their last seven regular-season games against the Buccaneers, matching the longest previous winning streak by either team in this rivalry, a run of seven consecutive wins by New Orleans from 2011 to 2014. Tampa Bay did beat the Saints in a Divisional Playoff game following the 2020 season.

Tampa Bay had one interception (by Antoine Winfield Junior) in their season-opening win at Dallas. The Bucs were 11-0 last season in games in which they intercepted at least one pass. The Green Bay Packers (also 11-0) were the only other NFL team to go unbeaten last season in games in which they recorded one or more interceptions.

New Orleans won their season opener in Atlanta, 27-26, after trailing 26-10 in the fourth quarter. It was the first time in franchise history that the Saints won a game in which they trailed by 16 or more points in the fourth quarter, and only the third time they won a game in which they were behind by 16 or more points in the second half.

Tom Brady and the Bucs lost their last game against the Saints, 9-0 (Week 15 last season). That is one of only three times that Brady's team has been shut out in his 317 regular-season and 47 postseason starts in the NFL. The other shutouts were in 2003 (Patriots at Buffalo, 31-0 in Week 1) and 2014 (Patriots at Miami, 21-0 in Week 14).

Atlanta Falcons (0-1) @ Los Angeles Rams (0-1)

Including their original stint in California and time in St. Louis, the Rams are 28-8-2 (.778) at home against their former NFC West rival, Atlanta Falcons. That is the best home record of any franchise against a single opponent (minimum of 30 games) in NFL history.

Cordarrelle Patterson rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown in Atlanta's season opener. At 31 years old, Patterson is the second-oldest player in team history to have 100+ rushing yards and a touchdown run in a game, behind only Warrick Dunn, who had two such games.

The Rams started the season with a 31-10 loss to the Bills, the largest home loss in a season opener ever by a defending Super Bowl champion. The team has not started a season at 0-2 since 2011 when they were in St. Louis and have not lost their first two games as the Los Angeles Rams since 1987.

Cooper Kupp tied a career high with 13 catches in the opener against Buffalo. Including playoffs, Kupp has at least five receptions in each of the Rams' last 22 games. Only Antonio Brown has a longer such streak of team games with five or more catches in the Super Bowl era (37).

Houston Texans (0-0-1) @ Denver Broncos (0-1)

The Texans opened their season with a 20-20 tie against the Indianapolis Colts, despite being outgained by 218 yards in the game. Prior to Houston on Sunday, the last team to tie a game while having 200+ yards less than their opponent was the Packers against the Broncos in 1987.

In his first game with the Texans, O.J. Howard scored touchdowns on each of his two receptions. Howard joins Jaelen Strong as the only players to ever have two TD catches in their team debut for Houston.

Denver committed 12 penalties in their 17-16 loss to the Seahawks on Monday. It was the most penalties the Broncos have ever committed in a season opener, surpassing the 11 penalties they had to kick off the 1970 season against the Bills.

Russell Wilson threw for 340 yards against the Seahawks in his Denver debut. It was the most passing yards by a Broncos QB on their debut with the team and Wilson's 12th career game with 340+ passing yards (his teams are 5-7 in those games).

Elsewhere...

The New England Patriots travel to the Pittsburgh Steelers after suffering a 20-7 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, and have not started a season with consecutive double-digit losses since losing three straight games by such a margin to begin the 1969 campaign.

Baltimore's Lamar Jackson threw for three touchdowns against the New York Jets after throwing three or more TDs just twice all of last season. Before they host the Dolphins, it is notable that, in his career, the Ravens are 13-1 when Jackson has three or more pass TDs, the second-best team record among active players behind Josh Allen at 14-1 (minimum 10 such games).

Starting with their 2013 NFC Championship game success over the 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks are 15-2 in their last 17 games against San Francisco, which includes season sweeps in 2020 and 2021. The 15 wins since January 2014 are tied with the Patriots (vs. Jets) for the most by an NFL team against a single opponent in that span (including playoffs).

The Arizona Cardinals will need to watch Davante Adams, who had 10 catches for 141 yards on 17 targets in his Las Vegas Raiders debut. That is the most targets for any player in their first career game with the Raiders in the past 30 seasons. The only other with player with 15+ targets in their Raiders debut over that span is Randy Moss in 2005 (15).

Mikel Arteta has won the Premier League's Manager of the Month award after leading the Gunners to the top of the table during a perfect August.

Arsenal won their first five games of a Premier League season for just the second time last month, having previously done so in 2004-05, as well as earning plaudits for their attractive possession-based game.

Arteta's side narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification last season, but bolstered by the arrivals of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, have set the pace at the beginning of the new campaign.

Although the Gunners lost 3-1 at Manchester United in their first outing of September, falling narrowly short of winning their opening six top-flight games for the first time since 1947-48, they continue to lead Manchester City and Tottenham by a single point at the summit.

Arteta saw off competition from four other nominees to land the award, including former mentor Pep Guardiola and Graham Potter, who led Brighton and Hove Albion to a strong start in August before leaving for Chelsea.

Arsenal fared less well in the Player of the Month voting, however, with Jesus and captain Martin Odegaard missing out to the indomitable Erling Haaland after he scored nine goals in five August appearances.

Arteta has now won the Premier League's monthly coaching prize on three separate occasions (also September 2021 and March 2022), drawing level with the likes of Antonio Conte and Brendan Rodgers.

Erling Haaland has been rewarded for a scintillating start to his Manchester City career by being named the Premier League's Player of the Month for August.

Since arriving in England from Borussia Dortmund, Haaland has scored nine goals in five outings during his first month in the Premier League.

That tally is the highest ever managed by a player in their first five appearances in the competition and included back-to-back hat-tricks in City's high-scoring wins over Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.

In August, Haaland averaged a goal every 44 minutes of league action, or every 12 touches of the ball, as well as converting from 41 per cent of his shots.

The Norwegian has also gone from strength to strength since the month ended, hitting a Champions League brace at Sevilla before returning to haunt Dortmund with a magnificent goal in City's comeback success on Wednesday.

Having also scored at Aston Villa in City's first outing of September, Haaland has netted in each of his first three away Premier League games.

Should he score against Wolves at Molineux on Saturday, he will become the first player to get on the scoresheet on their first four road trips in the competition.

Haaland saw off competition from seven other nominees to win the award, including former City striker Gabriel Jesus, who has impressed at Arsenal, and Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic, whose tally of six Premier League goals this season is second only to Haaland's 10.

Patrick Mahomes just about got the better of Justin Herbert on Thursday but expects the Los Angeles Chargers to continue to push his Kansas City Chiefs all the way.

Both the Chiefs and the Chargers are tipped for Super Bowl contention this year in a highly talented AFC West.

Kansas City have won the division six years in a row, but the scale of their task this season was made clear in this meeting with the Chargers, who forced Mahomes to rally from a 17-7 deficit to win 27-24.

Herbert admirably battled a rib injury as he attempted to take down Mahomes, yet the former MVP delivered yet another comeback.

This was the 20th game of Mahomes' career – regular season or playoffs – in which he had been down by 10 points, and he has now converted 11 of those into wins.

Past turnarounds include the Super Bowl LIV success against the San Francisco 49ers when the Chiefs scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, as well as Herbert's NFL debut, when the Chargers lost in overtime early in the 2020 season.

"I think every game [against Herbert] is going to be a lot like this one," Mahomes told Amazon Prime Video.

"In the games I've played against him in the past, we've gone to overtime twice and it's been an end-of-game situation.

"It's going to be games like this, and hopefully I can find a ways to win them and our team can find a ways to win them, like we did today."

Mahomes is the only NFL quarterback with a winning record in games where he has trailed by double-digit points (minimum 20 starts), with Tom Brady next-best at 39-61 (.390).

"I want to go out there and win; I don't care how it looks," Mahomes added. "Tonight was very ugly.

"I'm sure it's not going to have a great film session tomorrow, but we found a way to get a win at the end of the day, and that's all I care about."

After last weekend's postponements, round seven of the Premier League is finally upon us, but continental fixtures midweek could throw a spanner into team selection.

Now over a month into the season, things are beginning to take shape as managers make it clear who is in and out of favour, while struggling teams may feel the need for drastic changes in an effort to get back on course.

Whether they start every game, or they have worked their way into consideration, this is the time of the year when players can stake their claim as key contributors for the long season ahead.

This week's Opta data points out a couple of playmakers who have shined coming off the bench, as well as some safe prospects in the back half who are at the centre of their teams' plans, and could make the difference in your Fantasy Football plans.

Nick Pope (Newcastle United v Bournemouth)

Newcastle United goalkeeper Nick Pope is in fine form, boasting the most saves in the league this season with 28, while also owning the best save percentage (82.35 per cent) and being tied for the lead in clean sheets (three).

It is not just a small sample size, either. Since the beginning of the 2019-20 season, only Ederson (58) and Allison (45), widely considered the league's best two shot-stoppers, have kept more clean sheets than Pope's 38.

Also working in Pope's favour is the fact Bournemouth are one of six teams this season to average less than one goal per game, and have been held scoreless by Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Wolves.

Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest v Fulham)

Full-backs have always been a bit of a cheat code in fantasy football due to their ability to bank both clean sheets and a healthy dose of assists compared to centre-backs, and Nottingham Forest's Neco Williams is emerging as a quality creator of chances.

No Forest player has created more chances than the 21-year-old's nine – among defenders, only Trent Alexander-Arnold (13), Kieran Trippier (11) and Diogo Dalot (10) have crafted more. 

Williams has also played every minute of his side's six games so far. 

Bernardo Silva (Manchester City v Wolves)

Manchester City's Bernardo Silva is enjoying a rich run of form, with four goal involvements (two goals and two assists) from his past four matches.

City are the highest-scoring team in the Premier League this season with 20 in six games, and after coming off the bench in the first two fixtures of the season, Silva has now made four consecutive starts.

Silva's goal contributions have come from 1.33 expected goal involvements, with only team-mate Erling Haaland, Brentford's Ivan Toney and Liverpool's Roberto Firmino have outperformed their expected figure by more.

Richarlison (Tottenham v Leicester City)

After spending £60million this past transfer window to secure the 25-year-old from Everton, Tottenham awarded Richarlison with his first start in their last top-flight game against Fulham, and he came through with an assist and a disallowed goal.

It was his second assist from his past three games, after coming off the bench against Forest and teeing up Harry Kane.

Leicester City have been a team the Brazil forward, who scored his first two Spurs goals in a Champions League win over Marseille earlier in September, has feasted against during his time in the Premier League, with his five goals against the Foxes matching his best total against any team (also five against Southampton and Wolves).

Maurizio Sarri bemoaned familiar "emotional breakdowns" and Ciro Immobile declared the result as "humiliating" after Lazio were thrashed 5-1 at Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's 57th-minute strike proved a mere consolation as Lazio never recovered from going 3-0 down in 52 minutes after goals from Paulinho, Sory Kaba and Evander.

Gustav Isaksen and captain Erik Sviatchenko added further finishes following the Lazio midfielder's effort, condemning Sarri's side to a humbling defeat on their travels to the MCH Arena.

It marked just the fourth time Lazio have shipped five or more goals in a UEFA competition, leaving Sarri to question his methods as he lamented a reoccurrence of previous problems.

"I don't see great differences [from previous seasons]," Sarri told reporters. "These sudden emotional breakdowns are similar to those of previous years.

"It is difficult to understand the reasons: if it's me I have to take a step back, if it's the players it has to go away."

Lazio were met with jeers from their travelling supporters and Immobile acknowledged the boos were justified.

"The fans reacted with a clear head. They told us they were rightly p***** about what they saw. But to look forward, they told us not to give up and that nothing was lost," Immobile said.

"We thought we had taken a step more than last year, but we were wrong. Losing like this is really humiliating. I see it different from the defeats against Bologna and Verona.

"We played with little humility. In Europe, you pay for these things and we have paid enough for them – five goals are unacceptable."