Manchester City go into the new Women’s Super League season having made what could be the acquisition of the summer, and they haven’t even had to spend a penny to get their player. 

Vivianne Miedema appeared 172 times in all competitions for Arsenal, netting a staggering 125 goals and providing 50 assists.

The Netherlands international set the WSL alight in her seven years with the Gunners and holds the all-time record for the most goals in the competition, with 80.

Since joining from Bayern Munich in 2017 there has been no stopping her and, as she begins her new chapter with City, she will have the opportunity to form what could be one of the greatest partnerships the WSL has witnessed.

The Citizens thought last season might have been their year to finally clinch their first WSL title since 2016, only to lose it on the final day on goal difference as Chelsea provided Emma Hayes with a triumphant send-off. 

Gareth Taylor has a potentially devastating attacking lineup on his hands as City look to go one better in 2024-25.

With record breakers Khadija “Bunny” Shaw and Miedema paired together, he may have found the piece of the puzzle they have been missing. 

A record-breaking rise 

Shaw has also been a WSL revelation since joining Man City in 2021, surpassing all expectations with her meteoric rise to becoming the club’s all-time leading scorer with 72 goals. 

Shaw has scored a remarkable 50 goals in just 57 WSL appearances, netting once every 81 minutes on average. The Jamaica star is a ruthless finisher, outperforming her expected goals (xG) figures by almost 15 goals during her time in the WSL while already tallying 242 shots (4.2 per match), 104 on target (1.8 per game).

Shaw’s 20.66% shot conversion rate is better than Bethany England (19.79%) and some way clear of Miedema (17.7%), although Chelsea star Sam Kerr (21.48%) boasts a better rate.

She has put away 32 of the 63 big chances that have fallen her way, so her goal tally could arguably have been even more impressive.

Clinching the Golden Boot last season, she scored 21 goals in just 18 WSL appearances. Consequently, the Jamaica international was named PFA Player of the Year and Football Writers' Player of the Year for 2024-25.

 

But the personal accolades will only mean so much if City cannot deliver that long-awaited league title.

Shaw outperformed her figure of 12.3 xG by 8.7 last season – she had the second-highest xG in the WSL, behind only Alessia Russo (12.4). The City attacker also had the second-most shots (78), again only trailing Russo (79), but she led the league for shots on target (37).

Shaw led the WSL for big chances, with 25, putting away 11, while only Lauren Hemp and Caitlin Foord had more touches in the opposition box (159 and 160 respectively compared to Shaw’s 153).

Most impressively of all, Shaw averaged a goal every 66 minutes in the WSL, and if she can hit it off with Miedema in the coming months, opposing defences will have every reason to fear City.

Simply the best 

Miedema endured a season of rehabilitation in 2023-24 after sustaining a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury, which caused her to miss the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

She is one of several huge names in the women's game to be struck by what can only be described as an epidemic of ACL injuries at the top level.

While we do not have many numbers to look at from last year, the figures that Miedema put up en route to becoming the WSL's greatest-ever striker tell their own story.

The Netherlands international has scored 80 goals in 106 games in the competition, massively outperforming her 59.63 xG and scoring every 102 minutes on average. 

 

Since Opta began collecting such data, she has had the most shots on record in the WSL with 452, and 198 of those have hit the target, which is another WSL record. 

We know how deadly she can be, and only three players – England, Ellen White and Nikita Parris – have had more big chances fall their way in the WSL than Miedema (80), though only England (48) has converted more than the former Arsenal forward (44).

When breaking down how Miedema reached her record tally, only former Arsenal team-mate Jordan Nobbs (49) has scored more right-footed goals in the WSL than Miedema (48). City's new recruit has scored 25 goals with her left foot, fewer than only Caroline Weir (26) and Lauren Hemp (32). The other seven goals came from Miedema’s head.

Miedema prides herself on her ability to be in the right place at the right time, and she has scored 70 goals from inside the box, a WSL record, three clear of England (67).

Her accuracy in front of goal has been a crucial factor in Arsenal becoming a consistent threat in the WSL, claiming the title with Miedema leading the line in 2018-19. She scored 22 goals in 20 appearances in that year, outperforming her 14.6 xG, while her 20.37% shot conversion rate showcased the ruthless nature of her finishing.

She has only bettered that conversion rate once since then, scoring 16 goals in 2019-20 while registering a 28.57% conversion rate. Miedema was deadly when big chances came her way in 2018-19 and 2019-20, scoring 25 of 36 such opportunities across those two seasons.

Attack, attack, attack

One of the reasons Miedema has been so dangerous is her ability to play in multiple positions across the front four. It is not just goals Miedema brings – she is also a creative force, having laid on 35 assists in the WSL, which ranks behind only Beth Mead (45) and Katie McCabe (36).

City’s attack could not quite get them over the line last season. Winger Chloe Kelly created the second-most chances in the WSL (51), behind only Manchester United’s Katie Zelem (57), providing five assists.

Hemp created 13 big chances last term, a league-high figure, as well as providing a competition-leading eight assists. Hemp was second, behind team-mate Shaw, for overall goal contributions in the competition in 2023-24, with 19 (11 goals, eight assists).

With Khiara Keating starring in goal behind a league-leading defence that conceded just 15 times, it was in attack that City still seemed to lack something last season – scoring 10 goals fewer than Chelsea en route to their painful goal difference title loss.

So what was the missing link for City? Shaw’s injury at the back end of the season saw them lose their most clinical finisher and Chelsea found a way back in.  

Addressing City's fans in an introductory press conference, Miedema said: “I have spoken with Gareth over the last couple of months and I got a good feeling from him.

“If you look at my career I actually started as a left winger, then moved to nine and recently played a lot in the 10.

“I am versatile, I like complementing those around me and assisting. It’s not all about scoring goals. I think we need to find the right combination and go from there."

Although a brilliant goalscorer in her own right, Miedema's link-up play could help to push her team-mates onto a new level, perhaps even allowing Shaw to surpass her goalscoring exploits.

 

Shaw has clearly been the main threat over the last three seasons but Miedema's arrival should take the weight off her shoulders and let her play with even more freedom.

What better way for Miedema and her new side to start their campaign than with a WSL opener away to her former club Arsenal on September 22? That contest will give an early indication of the team most likely to challenge Chelsea for their crown, with debate already swirling over whether Jonas Eidevall may regret letting Miedema go.

What is certain is City have given themselves the best chance of getting the goals they need to challenge for the title. Having Shaw and Miedema link up should excite not only City supporters but all WSL fans, with the duo having the potential to form the league's best partnership yet.

Cristiano Ronaldo believes Manchester United "cannot rebuild without knowledge" as he urged Erik ten Hag to take advice from assistant coach - and former Red Devils striker - Ruud van Nistelrooy.

United opened the Premier League season with a 1-0 win over Fulham, but then suffered back-to-back defeats against Brighton and Hove Albion and Liverpool.

It is the second time under Ten Hag the Red Devils have lost as many as two of their first three league games in a season (also 2022-23); as many times as in their previous 29 campaigns combined.

United have also scored three goals fewer than their xG suggests they should have so far this term (two goals, 5.2 xG), the biggest such difference for any team in the Premier League.

Ten Hag was recently joined in the dugout by compatriot Van Nistelrooy, who scored 150 in 219 appearances at Old Trafford between 2001 and 2006.

And Ronaldo - the scorer of 145 in 346 games across his two spells - thinks the Red Devils will benefit from the wisdom of people with prior experience and knowledge of the club.

"[As the] Man United manager; you cannot say that you're not going to fight to win the Premier League or Champions League," he told former team-mate Rio Ferdinand on FiveUK.

"You've to say: 'maybe we've not got the potential, but we're going to try'. You have to try!

"If Ten Hag listens to Ruud van Nistelrooy, maybe he can help. He knows the club and the club should listen to the guys who were there [like] Rio, Roy Keane, [Paul] Scholes, Gary Neville, Alex Ferguson. You cannot rebuild a club without knowledge."

United return to action this weekend away at pointless Southampton, against whom they are unbeaten in their last 12 Premier League visits since a 1-0 defeat in August 2003.

The Red Devils have also lost just one of their last 30 Premier League matches against promoted sides, winning 15 of their last 17 such games.

Vincent Kompany lauded the influence of Thomas Muller after the Bayern Munich forward capped his record-breaking outing with a goal against Freiburg.

Muller made his 710th appearance across all competitions for Bayern, coming off the bench to overtake the record for the most outings for the club, set by goalkeeper Sepp Maier, who retired in 1979.

The Germany veteran marked the milestone in style, scoring to seal a 2-0 victory for Bayern after Harry Kane was also on target with a penalty on Sunday.

Muller made his Bayern debut back in 2008 when Kompany appeared in his final club appearance in Germany, before the Belgian boss left Hamburg to join Manchester City.

Their careers have now met once again, with Kompany moving to the touchline, and the Bayern head coach is delighted to have reunited with Muller in a bizarre twist of fate.

"Outstanding. I witnessed his first game. I was there with Hamburg on this pitch. 710 games later, it's unbelievable," Kompany said.

"He gave 100% in 710 games, but not only in the games, but also in training. That's what makes Thomas so special.

"There are a few more games that he can still play and we are definitely pleased that he's got a few more in his locker and the fact that he can keep going like this, it's so important for us."

Muller has now found the net in a joint-record 16 successive German top-flight seasons, matching Holger Fach, Mats Hummels, Bernd Nickel, Olaf Thon and Michael Zorc.

His 150th Bundesliga goal on Sunday, sweeping home from Serge Gnabry's cross, marked the perfect end to a special day for the 34-year-old.

As for Bayern overall, Kompany said his side's performance dipped after the break, but luckily he has players like Muller he can call upon when the need arises.

"Very positive first half, and then in the second half we were just one step later than Freiburg on second balls, and we lost a little bit of the momentum," he said.

"But then I have to say that we're very fortunate to have very good players that can come on and make the difference, and Thomas Muller came on, Kingsley Coman too, and the players from the bench were very important for us to win this game.

"Positives and things to learn and we also got to celebrate a fantastic moment for Thomas Muller and that was important as well for us today."

Kylian Mbappe's second-half brace powered Real Madrid to a hard-fought 2-0 win over Real Betis in Sunday's LaLiga clash.

Madrid controlled possession but struggled against a well-organised Betis defence until they finally managed to break the deadlock in the 67th minute.

Mbappe struck his first goal in LaLiga with a close-range effort from a brilliant back-heel pass by midfielder Federico Valverde, and the forward would soon add to his account shortly after.

The France captain secured all three points eight minutes later from the penalty spot after Vinicius Junior was fouled inside the box by goalkeeper Rui Silva.

Madrid moved to second in the standings with eight points, four behind leaders Barcelona, while Betis are 17th on two.

Data Debrief: Mbappe's wait proves worthwhile

The expectations remain high on Mbappe following his headline move from Paris Saint-Germain to the Spanish capital this season, with the France forward failing to score in his first three league games.

Heading into this fixture, Mbappe had attempted the most shots this season (17) across Europe's top five leagues, and had the worst difference between expected goals (1.8 xG) and goals scored (none).

Yet the World Cup-winning forward quietened his doubters here, firing nine shots across a one-man attempt to break down Betis.

That paid dividends, however, with his two clinical finishes securing a much-needed victory, and moving Madrid to 26 home games in LaLiga unbeaten (W22 D4), their best run in 11 years (34 between January 2012 and September 2013).

Away from Mbappe, at the back, Madrid have also not conceded in their last five LaLiga games at home for the first time in the competition since October 1996.

Mbappe, coupled with Carlo Ancelotti's well-drilled defence, could be the difference for back-to-back LaLiga crowns by the end of the campaign.

Paris Saint-Germain continued the perfect start to their Ligue 1 title defence with a third successive victory, winning 3-1 away to Lille on Sunday.

Vitinha opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Bradley Barcola added another goal just three minutes later in the first half at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

Barcola's fourth strike of the Ligue 1 season had PSG in control at 2-0 heading into the second period, though Edon Zhegrova reduced the arrears with 12 minutes remaining.

Randal Kolo Muani made sure of all three points, however, with the substitute climbing high to head home from Desire Doue's cross in stoppage time.

Luis Enrique's reigning champions remain top of the table on nine points, two ahead of a four-team chasing pack, while Lille are sixth with six.

Data Debrief: Brilliant Barcola frustrates Lille again

Zhegrova's late finish forced PSG into a nervier ending than expected, considering the visitors dominated almost 60% of the possession and accumulated 2.3 expected goals to Lille's 1.24.

Yet it was a familiar face who proved the thorn in the hosts' side once more, with Barcola netting in the first half for his fourth Ligue 1 goal involvement against Lille (two goals, two assists).

Only against Montpellier (six) has the France winger managed more goal involvements in his top-flight career, and Barcola will expect further domestic achievements this campaign having stepped up to replace Kylian Mbappe on the left.

Barcola's exploits, alongside the youthful midfield of Joao Neves, Vitinha and Warren Zaire-Emery, will be pivotal for Luis Enrique's side, too, this season – where they continue to succeed on the road.

PSG have now won their last seven Ligue 1 away matches, including the back end of last term, last managing more in the competition between January and April 2017 (eight).

Manchester United may soon lose patience with manager Erik ten Hag after another humbling by Liverpool, Red Devils' great Gary Neville said on Sunday.

Former defender Neville believes the Dutchman may only have until Christmas at Old Trafford to turn around what has been another disappointing start to the Premier League season.

United were crushed 3-0 at home to Liverpool as Mohamed Salah scored one and assisted both goals of Luis Diaz's first-half brace on the red side of Manchester.

Ten Hag is the only United manager to lose three Premier League home games by three or more goals in the space of a year, also suffering 3-0 defeats to Manchester City in October and Bournemouth in December last year.

"It's going to be a challenging week or so for Ten Hag just to get around the fact that there will be some pressure building," Neville said on Sky Sports.

"But I think he will get until Christmas. There's no doubt about that. There's no doubt that INEOS and Dan Ashworth the chief executive, who has got a sense of calm about him – the [former Manchester] City chief executive [Omar Berrada] and Dave Brailsford and those people, are not just going to do something stupid.

"Within three or four months, they have made the decision to keep him. They will get four or five months. What they can't be is mid-table come Christmas, but he is going to get a few months, there's no doubt about that."

Fellow pundit Jamie Carragher rebuffed, responding "I would be surprised if he is still in charge at the end of the season", and if results continue this way, United's hand may be forced with Ten Hag.

The former Ajax boss is also the only United manager to lose two of the three opening matches in a Premier League season on two separate occasions.

"It was a sobering day for Erik ten Hag, his players and for the new ownership sat in the stand en masse, looking at it and thinking whether they're on the right path," Neville continued.

"He's been influenced to change his team and his staff in the summer as he's brought two new coaches in. That isn't always ideal as there is new messaging coming in. There's a lot of change at the club so there was going to be a bit of pain along the way in interfering with the Glazer ownership.

"We're seeing that today and it's not going to change quickly. It's a sobering day but one that requires some calm."

Casemiro was removed at half-time, having played a woeful pass in the build-up to Diaz's opener amid a torrid first half.

Despite his early exit, the Brazil midfielder lost possession 14 times, with Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui only doing so more often for United (16 each) and both playing the full game.

"Manchester United fans don't often boo," Neville added on the jeers for Ten Hag, Casemiro and under-fire Marcus Rashford. "They don't often boo the manager, they don't often boo substitutions, they don't often boo players individually. And there's been a couple of times today [where they have].

"They will boo, generally, a performance at half-time when the players are going off if they're losing 2-0. But ordinarily, they don't take out individuals and a couple of times today they have. Casemiro in the first half and then obviously referring to Rashford with that boo."

Manchester United may soon lose patience with manager Erik ten Hag after another humbling by Liverpool, Red Devils' great Gary Neville said on Sunday.

Former defender Neville believes the Dutchman may only have until Christmas at Old Trafford to turn around what has been another disappointing start to the Premier League season.

United were crushed 3-0 at home to Liverpool as Mohamed Salah scored one and assisted both goals of Luis Diaz's first-half brace on the red side of Manchester.

Ten Hag is the only United manager to lose three Premier League home games by three or more goals in the space of a year, also suffering 3-0 defeats to Manchester City in October and Bournemouth in December last year.

"It's going to be a challenging week or so for Ten Hag just to get around the fact that there will be some pressure building," Neville said on Sky Sports.

"But I think he will get until Christmas. There's no doubt about that. There's no doubt that INEOS and Dan Ashworth the chief executive, who has got a sense of calm about him – the [former Manchester] City chief executive [Omar Berrada] and Dave Brailsford and those people, are not just going to do something stupid.

"Within three or four months, they have made the decision to keep him. They will get four or five months. What they can't be is mid-table come Christmas, but he is going to get a few months, there's no doubt about that."

Fellow pundit Jamie Carragher rebuffed, responding "I would be surprised if he is still in charge at the end of the season", and if results continue this way, United's hand may be forced with Ten Hag.

The former Ajax boss is also the only United manager to lose two of the three opening matches in a Premier League season on two separate occasions.

"It was a sobering day for Erik ten Hag, his players and for the new ownership sat in the stand en masse, looking at it and thinking whether they're on the right path," Neville continued.

"He's been influenced to change his team and his staff in the summer as he's brought two new coaches in. That isn't always ideal as there is new messaging coming in. There's a lot of change at the club so there was going to be a bit of pain along the way in interfering with the Glazer ownership.

"We're seeing that today and it's not going to change quickly. It's a sobering day but one that requires some calm."

Casemiro was removed at half-time, having played a woeful pass in the build-up to Diaz's opener amid a torrid first half.

Despite his early exit, the Brazil midfielder lost possession 14 times, with Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui only doing so more often for United (16 each) and both playing the full game.

"Manchester United fans don't often boo," Neville added on the jeers for Ten Hag, Casemiro and under-fire Marcus Rashford. "They don't often boo the manager, they don't often boo substitutions, they don't often boo players individually. And there's been a couple of times today [where they have].

"They will boo, generally, a performance at half-time when the players are going off if they're losing 2-0. But ordinarily, they don't take out individuals and a couple of times today they have. Casemiro in the first half and then obviously referring to Rashford with that boo."

Girona eased to a comfortable 2-0 away victory against Sevilla thanks to goals from Ivan Martin and Abel Ruiz in Sunday's LaLiga clash.

Last season's surprise package Girona dominated proceedings from early on against a tame Sevilla, who are winless in four games to start the season.

Martin opened the scoring in the 41st minute with a tap-in from Miguel Gutierrez's cross into the six-yard box.

Ruiz secured the win 17 minutes from time, sweeping home from the penalty spot following a handball by Sevilla forward Isaac Romero.

Victory moved Girona to fourth in the league table on seven points, five behind leaders Barcelona, who they face next.

Sevilla, meanwhile, were left second from bottom on two points, with pressure growing on Garcia Pimienta after a woeful start to the campaign.

Data Debrief: Gutierrez delivers again for Girona

Girona have now won their last three LaLiga trips to Sevilla, achieving a trio of away victories in the top flight for the first time against any opponent.

Michel's side have also triumphed in their last six meetings with Sevilla in the league overall, another best for Girona against any Spanish club in the competition.

Sunday's success would not have been possible without the impressive Gutierrez, however, as the left-back once again delivered for Martin's first-half opener.

With four goals and 11 assists, Gutierrez has the most direct goal involvements (15) of any LaLiga defender since the 2022-23 season, with Oscar de Marcos his closest rival (14 – 2 and 12).

His threat down the left-hand side helped Girona accumulate an expected goals (xG) figure of 2.11, with Sevilla (1) well behind in that department after further disappointment.

Thomas Muller marked his record-breaking 710th Bayern Munich appearance with a goal as they beat Freiburg 2-0 at the Allianz Arena.

Harry Kane was also on target from the penalty spot for the hosts, who made it two Bundesliga wins from two under Vincent Kompany.

Bayern broke through in the 38th minute after Max Rosenfelder was penalised for handball following a VAR review.

Kane stepped up and made no mistake as he calmly sent Freiburg goalkeeper Florian Muller the wrong way from 12 yards.

Thomas Muller climbed off the bench to seal the victory 12 minutes from time, controlling Serge Gnabry's cross before firing into the roof of the net.

Freiburg had the opportunity to grab a consolation in stoppage time after Joao Palhinha handled Ritsu Doan's shot, but Lucas Holer blazed over from the penalty spot.

Data Debrief: Muller marks historic day with landmark goal

The day belonged to Muller, who surpassed Sepp Maier to become Bayern's record appearance maker outright with 710. Fittingly, he marked the occasion with his 150th Bundesliga goal.

The 34-year-old has not found the net in a joint-record 16 successive German top-flight seasons, matching Holger Fach, Mats Hummels, Bernd Nickel, Olaf Thon and Michael Zorc.

Earlier on, Kane maintained his perfect record from the penalty spot in Bundesliga with six consecutive successful kicks.

The England captain has scored against all 17 opponents he has faced in Bundesliga, with only Miroslav Klose facing more opponents and netting against all of them (28).

Eberechi Eze's stunning goal gave Crystal Palace their first point of the Premier League season, as they held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.

The England international's 20-yard strike cancelled out Nicolas Jackson’s first-half effort and ensured the spoils were shared in an entertaining London derby.

Chelsea controlled large periods of the first half and broke through in the 25th minute. A swift counter saw Noni Madueke burst away from Will Hughes and feed Cole Palmer, who delivered a low ball across the face of goal for Jackson to tap into an empty net.

Dean Henderson, who produced a superb reflex save to deny Madueke earlier on, then kept out Palmer's free-kick just after the restart.

His intervention proved crucial as Palace equalised in the 53rd minute as the ball broke kindly for Eze, who brilliantly curled beyond the helpless dive of Robert Sanchez.

Both sides had chances to score the game's third goal later on with Jackson and Daichi Kamada denied but, in the end, had to settle for a point apiece.

Data Debrief: Eze matches Foden as Palmer claims another assist

As has become customary in recent times, Palmer was heavily involved when Chelsea broke the deadlock as he put the ball on a plate for Jackson.

It was the England international's 15th Premier League assist since the start of last season, the most by any player in Europe's big five leagues during that time.  

However, his efforts would prove academic with Eze securing a point in superb fashion. It was the Palace midfielder's fifth Premier League goal from outside the box in 2024, with only Manchester City's Phil Foden matching that tally.

Bayer Leverkusen suffered their first defeat in 36 Bundesliga matches, as Leipzig came from behind to stun Xabi Alonso's side 3-2 at BayArena.

Lois Openda struck twice for Marco Rose's, who recovered from 2-0 down to make it two wins from two and move to the summit of the table.

It looked like business as usual for the reigning Bundesliga champions when they scored twice in the last seven minutes of the first half through Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo.

However, Leipzig replied deep into first-half stoppage time with Kevin Kampl reducing the deficit.

Openda then brought the visitors level in the 57th minute, before a stunning long-range strike completed the turnaround 10 minutes from time, condemning Leverkusen to their first league defeat in 15 months. 

Data Debrief: Leverkusen's long streak comes to a shuddering halt

Leipzig became the first side to beat Leverkusen in a Bundesliga match since Bochum achieved the feat a staggering 462 days earlier.  

The visitors have begun a Bundesliga season with two wins from two for only the second time, also doing so in 2019-20.

They are also now unbeaten in 13 league matches, their longest such streak since Rose took charge.

As for Leverkusen, their invincible streak is officially history, as is their 29-game unbeaten run on home soil.

Seamus Coleman acknowledged Everton "really let ourselves down" and must "look at ourselves in the mirror" following their spectacular late collapse against Bournemouth.

Sean Dyche's side, who were seeking their first points of the season, led 2-0 in the 87th minute at Goodison Park through goals from Michael Keane and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

However, the hosts were undone by three crosses in the latter stages, with Antoine Semenyo pulling a goal back and Lewis Cook levelling, before Luis Sinisterra completed a sensational turnaround in the sixth minute of stoppage time. 

Boos rung around Goodison Park as the Toffees remained pointless and rooted to the foot of the Premier League table, and Coleman echoed the supporters' frustrations.

"We really let ourselves down in front of our fans," the skipper said. "We cannot take our foot off the gas at this level. Unfortunately, we did that.

"We cannot be conceding the goals that we did. We have to look at ourselves in the mirror."

Meanwhile, Dyche bemoaned the lack of responsibility amongst his players, as they became the first side in Premier League history to lose a game after leading by two or more goals in the 87th minute.

"We did so much right until they scored their first goal," the Everton head coach said. "The game should have been out of sight. We conceded one and then threw it away. I can't put my finger on it right now.

"They kept raining it forward and got their reward in the end. They were playing it forward and crossing it into the box, and we didn't deal with it. Simple stuff, but we threw it away. It is the third game we have thrown away this season.

"Everyone was looking at someone else to deal with things and that is when there is trouble. You could see the body language change. You have to see games through, and we have enough experience to do that, but today we didn't."

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola added: "It was the worst game we played this season. Everton deserved to win today, but the players kept pushing.

"I always have hope because this team has spirit. We have done it before and had some good comebacks. The spark of the first goal made us believe we could do it again."

Wolves earned their first point of the Premier League season following a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest.

Chris Wood's towering header was cancelled out by Jean-Ricner Bellegarde's stunning strike as the spoils were shared at the City Ground.

The hosts took the lead in the 10th minute as Wood rose to nod home from Elliot Anderson's corner.

However, the visitors were level just two minutes later in spectacular fashion, with Bellegarde firing a stunning long-range volley into the roof of the net.

Gary O'Neil's side had Sam Johnstone to thank after the break, with the debutant producing a strong hand to deny Wood his second goal of the game.

Matheus Cunha curled a shot just wide while the offside flag denied Wood later on, with Forest unable to snatch victory but extending their unbeaten start to the campaign.

Data Debrief: Wolves end losing streak while Wood matches Collymore

After opening the season with two defeats and eight goals conceded, Wolves stopped the rot with a welcome point against their Midlands rivals, while ending a five-game Premier League losing streak in the process.

Meanwhile, Forest remain unbeaten in their opening three games of a top-flight season for the first time since 1995-96.

Heading his side into the lead, Wood became only the second Forest player to score in both their first two home matches in a Premier League season since Stan Collymore 30 years previously. 

Luis Sinisterra's last-gasp strike completed a remarkable turnaround for Bournemouth, who recovered from 2-0 down to stun Everton 3-2 at Goodison Park.

The hosts were two goals to the good until the 87th minute, when a spectacular collapse saw what appeared to be a routine victory snatched from under their noses, while leaving them rooted to the foot of the Premier League table.

With both sides seeking their first victory of the season, Everton took control of the contest with two goals inside the first 12 minutes of the second half.

Michael Keane drilled the Toffees ahead five minutes after the restart, before Dominic Calvert-Lewin rounded off a neat team move to double the lead and put his side on course for their first points of the campaign.

However, Bournemouth pulled a goal back through Antoine Semenyo three minutes from time, while Lewis Cook nodded in Sinisterra's cross to level in the 92nd minute. 

Sinisterra then remarkably sealed all three points in the sixth minute of stoppage time, as he ghosted in at the far post to head in from Justin Kluivert's centre. 

Data Debrief: Toffees make unwanted history after late collapse

Everton had not won a Premier League game in the month of August since beating Brighton in 2021, but they appeared well on course to finally end that drought.

However, the Toffees could not see out their healthy advantage and became the first side in Premier League history to lose a game having been two or more goals ahead in the 87th minute.

Furthermore, Sean Dyche's losing streak in August continues, with Everton now having failed to win all six such top-flight matches under his guidance.

Brighton moved top of the Premier League after holding 10-man Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium.

Kai Havertz's first-half strike was cancelled out by Joao Pedro, while the hosts played most of the second half with a player less following Declan Rice's red card for two bookable offences.

The Gunners broke the deadlock seven minutes before half-time when Bukayo Saka outmuscled Lewis Dunk before teeing up Havertz, who lifted the ball into the empty net over the outrushing Bart Verbruggen.

However, Mikel Arteta's side were reduced to 10 men within four minutes of the restart, with Rice shown a second yellow card after he was deemed to have prevented the taking of a Brighton free-kick.

The Seagulls were level just nine minutes later when David Raya parried Yankuba Minteh's initial strike straight to Joao Pedro, who made no mistake from close range.

Fabian Hurzeler's side looked more likely to grab the game's decisive third goal as they dominated possession later on but, in the end, were forced to settle for a share of the spoils.

Data Debrief: Saka matches Henry as Gunners' winning streak stalls

Arteta's side will count themselves fortunate to have taken a point from this contest, given they enjoyed just under 25% of the second-half possession at the Emirates - albeit a man light after the first red card of Rice's 245-match Premier League career.

The Gunners started well as they sought a ninth straight league win, and were deserving of their lead through Havertz's fourth goal in as many appearances against Brighton - and his seventh in nine home games.

His effort came after clever play from Saka, whose assist was his third in as many matches this term. The only Arsenal player to previously provide an assist in each of their opening three games of a Premier League season was a certain Thierry Henry in 2004-05.

Page 4 of 776
© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.