Unai Emery believes Arsenal was a "test" for Aston Villa to understand where they are in the season and how they can build on that going forward.

Second-half strikes from Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey earned the points for Arsenal in a 2-0 win at Villa Park on Saturday.

However, it could have been a much different story for Emery's men, as Ollie Watkins missed a glorious chance in either half, while Amadou Onana struck the bar.

While the Spaniard was left frustrated by the result, he was left optimistic by the performance in their first home game of the season.

"You have to accept Arsenal they are more experienced, more mature. They are strong," Emery told Sky Sports. "Today was a test for us to understand who we are.

"We competed, we faced them, we could have won, drawn or lost. I think it's going to give us a lot of information about the team, the squad and players and how we can close this week in the transfer window and finish this month playing Leicester.

"I think the way we played today will be a good way to understand how we can process our style, our competitive way.

"We created three very good chances, like them, but our chances were more clear. We competed like we could do; I have to be proud of the players. We have to keep building. Not the result but the way we did [play] this is what we want."

Watkins fired a close-range effort wide in the first half before being denied by a wonderful save by David Raya in the second when he tried to turn in the rebound of Onana's strike.

The England international is yet to score this season, having failed to manage a single shot in their opener against West Ham, but Emery maintains his confidence in the striker to get back to the form that saw him net 19 goals last season.

"The most important thing is to create chances, of course, he is not finishing them all, but I am very happy how he progressed from the first match at West Ham," the Spaniard added.

"His progress has been performing better and creating chances. Ollie Watkins, chances like that in the future, he will score."

Mikel Arteta believes that David Raya's save to deny Ollie Watkins changed the momentum during Arsenal's 2-0 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday. 

The Gunners maintained their winning start to the Premier League season through second-half strikes from substitute Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey at Villa Park. 

But the encounter could have taken on a different complexion had it not been for a crucial intervention from Arsenal's goalkeeper eight minutes after the interval. 

Amadou Onana saw his deflected effort come back off the crossbar and into the path of Watkins, who looked certain to get his tally up and running for the campaign. 

However, Raya produced a remarkable instinctive save to deny the Villa striker, who had spurned another golden opportunity in the opening 45 minutes. 

"We had to change momentum, we had a 10-minute gap when we didn't get the rhythm, and they were on top," Arteta told Sky Sports. 

"They had the big chance and David made an unbelievable save, and it was the magic moment of the game. 

"We conceded really little, and it's a big credit to the team as it is a difficult place to come, but when we needed him he was there, and he made a terrific save."

Arteta was also full of praise for Trossard, who emerged from the bench to net the game's opening goal just 110 seconds after being introduced. 

The Belgian produced a fine finish from the edge of the area after good work from Bukayo Saka, placing a low right-footed effort beyond the grasp of Emiliano Martinez.

It was Trossard's 14th goal for the club and his sixth as a substitute, while he also registered the most shots (three) of any Arsenal player in his 25-minute cameo.

"The competition is big, we have great players in each position, and they are going to have to accept that," Arteta said.

"We have a huge season in front of us, a long one, and you need players to impact.

"He did that last year when he started and when he was a sub, and he has given us a headache for next weekend."

Robert Lewandowski smashed home a rebound to earn Barcelona a 2-1 win against Athletic Bilbao in an absorbing LaLiga clash on Saturday.

A deflected strike by teenager Lamine Yamal in the 24th minute gave Barca the lead.

The visitors levelled in the 42nd minute when Oihan Sancet struck home from the penalty spot after defender Pau Cubarsi fouled Alex Berenguer inside the box.

Lewandowski, who had struck the woodwork in either half in his attempts to double Barcelona's tally, scored the winner in the 75th minute from a rebound by the goalkeeper, striking a first-time effort to give the hosts their second win in as many games.

Barcelona are level with Celta Vigo at the top of the LaLiga standings with six points. Athletic are 15th with one point from two matches.

Data Debrief: Young guns star

Just like in their opening match, it was Lewandowski who was the match-winner for Barcelona, with his 75th-minute goal on Saturday proving the difference.

However, it was Yamal who proved the standout performer for Barcelona. Among players born since 2005, only Mathys Tel (17 - 12 goals, five assists) has more goal involvements in the top five European leagues than him (12 - six goals, six assists, the same as Desire Doue, seven and five).

Meanwhile, Sancet became the third-youngest Athletic player to reach 25 goals in LaLiga in the 21st century at 24 years and 121 days, behind Fernando Llorente and Iker Muniain.

Jamaica’s young Reggae Boyz and French Guiana will contest the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Boys’ Under-14 Tier I final, following contrasting 3-1 and 4-3 semi-final victories over Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago at the Dwight Yorke Stadium on Friday.

Kelvin DJ Brown with a brace in the 52nd and 70+2, and one from Kyle Hussey (60th) got the job done for the young Reggae Boyz, who had to come from behind after Wilfredo Reyes Rivera (35th) sent Puerto Rico in front.

For the first time since the start of the tournament, which saw games played across 70 minutes, the young Reggae Boyz struggled to find rhythm as Puerto Rico enjoyed the better of play in the first half.

Trinidad and Tobago and French Guiana in action.

Puerto Rico displayed excellent combination plays in the middle of the park, leaving Jamaica’s Davion Clarke and Kenrick Brown to work extra hard. They eventually broke the deadlock when Wilfredo Reyes Rivera converted from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time to put Puerto Rico 1-0 up at the break.

Jamaica came out more spirited on the resumption and pulled level through Brown’s firm header, which gave Puerto Rico’s goalkeeper Martin Perez Colon no chance at a save.

Hussey then pushed the Jamaicans ahead when he fired home from deep inside the 18-yard box on the hour mark.

Brown then capped the win for the young Reggae Boyz when he again headed home in time added.

Barbados versus Turks and Caicos Islands.

The Jamaicans will take an unbeaten record into Sunday’s final against French Guiana, who edged host Trinidad and Tobago in a thrilling encounter.

Matheo Francois (9^th), Tyler Hartino (13^th), Enzo Cherica (19^th), and Guezo Atoukou (32^nd) were on target for French Guiana, who dominated proceedings in the first half.

However, Trinidad and Tobago showed grit and fight with Jeremai Nanton (11^th), Adasa Richardson (59^th), and Jahmiah Gibbes (70^th) getting on the scoresheet, but it wasn’t enough at the end.

Sunday’s final is scheduled for 6:30 pm at Dwight Yorke Stadium.

Bermuda versus Anguilla.

Meanwhile, Bermuda and Barbados will also contest the Tier II final on Sunday, after they registered 6-0 and 3-0 wins over Anguilla and the Turks and Caicos Islands, respectively.

Jeon Wolfe scored a hat-trick, and Z-Ani Jennings added a brace, while Chaz Edmead got the other for Bermuda in their lopsided encounter.

Barbados also showed class in their win courtesy of goals from Amari Small, Trey Baker, and Maleek Peters.

A second-half double from substitute Jamie Gittens earned Borussia Dortmund a 2-0 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt in their first Bundesliga game of the season.

Dortmund, who finished fifth last season, broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute on Saturday after struggling to find their rhythm against a feisty Frankfurt, who contained their opponents with high pressing.

England under-21 international Gittens scored with a superb strike from a tight angle that sailed into the top far corner after cutting inside the box from the right.

Frankfurt came close to a late equaliser but saw their hopes of salvaging a point dashed as Gittens scored his second after a quick counter-attack in stoppage time.

The result earned Nuri Sahin his first three points at the helm of the hosts.

Data Debrief: Dortmund worthy winners

Gittens only scored once in 25 Bundesliga appearances last season, but he is off to a flyer in 2024-25.

And while Dortmund were not at their best and the result was not sealed until the third minute of added time, it would be hard for Frankfurt to argue that the hosts were not worthy winners.

BVB had 70.2% of the possession and racked up 20 shots on goal, with Frankfurt only managing seven going the other way.

New signing Pascal Gross impressed for Dortmund, setting up the opening goal as one of six chances he created in the match. His total was at least double anyone else on the pitch managed.

Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey’s second-half goals ensured Arsenal continued their winning start to the Premier League season as they beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Villa Park.

In an entertaining contest that saw Ollie Watkins squander glorious chances in either half, Mikel Arteta’s side would hit the front in the 67th minute.

Substitute Trossard struck 110 seconds after his introduction with a fine finish from the edge of the area, with Partey’s powerful effort sealing the triumph 10 minutes later.

Martin Odegaard could have added further gloss to the Gunners’ impressive display but blazed over from inside the area after being picked out by Declan Rice.

Arsenal join Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion at the top of the early-season table with six points from their first two games, while Aston Villa are down in 12th. 

Data Debrief: A performance of potential champions?

Having struggled to find a way behind Villa's defence, the Gunners did not shy away from the intricate passing play that has brought them so much success in recent seasons, with that performance potentially crucial for their title aspirations this early in the season. 

Trossard once again proved how important his impact is valued by Arteta from the bench, with six of his 14 Arsenal goals in the Premier League coming as a substitute. 

The Belgian's 25-minute cameo saw him record the most shots (three) of any Arsenal player, producing an expected goals (xG) of 0.21 to the Gunners' 1.13 total. 

Promoted Parma pulled off a shock 2-1 home victory over AC Milan in Serie A on Saturday.

Defeat for Milan, their first against Parma in the top-flight since 2014, extended Paulo Fonseca's wait for his first win as coach of the Rossoneri.

Parma stunned Milan with an early opener through Dennis Man, who struck with his first touch after 84 seconds, having also netted on the opening weekend of the season.

Man is the first Parma player to score in the first two matchdays of a Serie A season since Alberto Paloschi in 2009-10.

Christian Pulisic equalised for Milan in the 66th minute after Rafael Leao fed a low pass into the path of the American winger, who finished from close range.

But, after being set up by fellow substitute Pontus Almqvist, it was Matteo Cancellieri who restored Parma's lead with 13 minutes left, and Parma held on to seal a famous victory.

Milan, who scored two last-gasp goals to secure a 2-2 draw in their season opener against Torino, remain on one point in the standings ahead of a key trip to play Lazio next week.

Data Debrief: Milan pay price for poor finishing

With Alvaro Morata out through injury, Milan lacked a cutting edge in this contest.

They managed 17 shots, but found the target with just five of them, scoring just once from an expected goals (xG) total of 2.01. Leao was among the main culprits, failing to trouble the goalkeeper from four attempts.

Parma managed the same amount of attempts on target as Milan (five) from just nine total shots, and Cancellieri has developed a reputation as a super sub.

Five of his six goals in Serie A have come as a substitute and four of those have come from the 70th minute of play onwards.

Crystal Palace "have to be in the present" after suffering a 2-0 defeat to West Ham at Selhurst Park, boss Oliver Glasner has said.

The Eagles routed the Hammers 5-2 at the same venue in April as part of six victories in a seven-match unbeaten run to finish the 2023-24 season.

However, goals from Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen consigned Palace to defeat on this occasion, leaving Glasner's men without a point through two games of the infant Premier League season.

A frustrated Glasner said Palace had to forget the strong end they had to last season.

"We can't dream of what we were doing three months ago," Glasner told Ed Aarons of the Guardian.

"It's now up to us to keep calm and not be too disappointed. We will sleep really badly tonight but tomorrow the sun will rise."

Palace sold defender Joachim Andersen to Fulham this week and also saw Michael Olise, a goalscorer against the Hammers in April, depart for Bayern Munich earlier in the transfer window.

And Glasner acknowledged his squad could do with a couple of extra bodies.

"We have lost seven and brought in three," he said

"Maybe we need one or two. But this is what we're talking about, to have a good balance in the team. Let's see what happens next week."

Speaking to the club’s in-house media, Glasner said there were still plenty of positives to take.

"I think we played okay. It's maybe not the top level, but it's okay, we created chances, we created situations," he said"

"We have to stay positive, we have to stay together, especially when the time is not so sunny."

Victorious manager Julen Lopetegui, meanwhile, was in a positive mood after his side claimed their first three points under his leadership.

"It feels good to win and we're happy to achieve these three points," he told in-house West Ham media.

While the Hammers had much of the play for the second half, Palace were not without their moments throughout the 90 minutes.

Ebere Eze stood out, with his best effort rattling the crossbar shortly before half-time, while Odsonne Edouard was also a danger.

"This stadium is always difficult to win in, against a very good team. They have good players, a good coach and good ideas," said Lopetegui.

"We have to defend well to give us the platform to win. We had to be together to overcome the bad moments.

"We did and were resilient. We worked so hard for the result."

Ange Postecoglou has told Yves Bissouma he has "still got work to do" to win back his full trust after marking his Tottenham return with a goal.

Bissouma was suspended by Spurs after filming himself inhaling nitrous oxide and missed Monday's 1-1 draw with Leicester City as a result.

However, he was recalled to the starting line-up for Saturday's visit of Everton and opened the scoring in a 4-1 win with a superb 20-yard strike.

Bissouma celebrated the goal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium by apologising to supporters and running over to embrace his manager in the dugout.

Asked about Bissouma after Saturday's match, Postecoglou told Sky Sports: "It's a good start. He's still got work to do. 

"I'm not doubting his footballing quality. We want to make him the best version of himself. That starts off the field as much as on it."

Bissouma fired a first-time shot past Jordan Pickford off the underside of the crossbar after being teed up by Dejan Kulusevski.

That was his first Spurs goal, two years after joining from Brighton, making him the 172nd different player to score in the Premier League for them.

Bissouma dictated play from midfield, with his 26 passes into the final third matched only by James Maddison among both sets of players.

And Maddison, who claimed an assist for Cristian Romero to put Spurs three goals up, hailed his team-mate after the comprehensive victory.

"We all know Yves' ability. He is a ridiculous player at times," Maddison told Sky Sports. "He has got a skill not many have. 

"The gaffer is a great man with good morals. [Bissouma] has to keep working hard. It's important we put into practice what the manager wants."

Maddison has now provided an assist in each of his last four Premier League games against Everton.

Son Heung-min was also on the scoresheet twice, meaning he has scored multiple goals in 20 different Premier League games for Tottenham.

Only Harry Kane has done so more often (47) for Spurs, with Son's double helping his side make it four points from their first two matches.

After beating Everton by four-or-more goals for the fourth time in the Premier League, Postecoglou insisted there is still more to come.

"The performance was good. It's really encouraging for us," he said. "There is more [to come]. We want to keep performing."

Asked if he will add to his squad before Friday's transfer deadline, Postecoglou added: "I think we have spent wisely. 

"The players we have brought in are going to be fantastic for this club. We will see [about more deals]. 

"There are still a couple of players we will look to move on. We'll stay alert."

Sean Dyche claimed Everton do not have the finances to make significant changes in the transfer market.

Everton were hammered 4-0 by Tottenham on Saturday, following on from a 3-0 defeat to Brighton last week.

Those defeats have left the Toffees rooted to the bottom of the early standings.

Everton have signed five players this summer, but with just a week remaining in the window, Dyche does not expect many more incomings.

"There aren’t any finances to change things, this is what we are," said Dyche when asked about potential signings.

Speaking to Everton's media channels, Dyche added: "It's a strange situation here. In my 19 months here, we build something, we have to go back down the hill to remind ourselves of the challenge and go back up again.

"Look at the last three seasons, we're trying to rebuild a team. I still expect more, I don't expect the first two games to go like this, that's fair and definitely my responsibility.

"The Everton fans don’t want excuses, I'm not prepared to make them, at the end of the day we've still got players here I feel can operate at this level.

"We're a good group of people, working hard so let's go and take it on and that’s got to change."

Everton are just the second side to lose their opening two Premier League games in three consecutive campaigns (excluding when a relegation was suffered in between), after Bournemouth between 2015-16 and 2017-18.

And after last week's capitulation at home to Brighton, Everton have lost their first two games in a top-flight season by 3+ goals for the first time in their history.

The Toffees' prospects in the market may change if they are able to sell players in the next week, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin among those linked with a move away. 

Calvert-Lewin is out of contract at the end of the season, and Dyche confirmed the club would likely have to listen to offers for the striker should they come in.

Neal Maupay, meanwhile, is reportedly of interest to Marseille.

Philippe Clement concedes Rabbi Matondo could still leave Rangers before deadline day despite a star turn in the 6-0 Scottish Premiership hammering of Ross County.

The Wales winger has attracted reported interest from Leeds United and Blackburn Rovers in recent weeks but a move has yet to materialise.

If he is to depart the Glasgow giants, he does so on a high having scored twice and assisted two more at Hampden Park – where the Gers have been playing home games while Ibrox undergoes redevelopment work.

Speaking about Matondo's future before the transfer window shuts on Friday, Gers boss Clement said in quotes reported by BBC Sport: "There are a lot of rumours [linking him away]. We cannot say no to everything, we'll see this week. 

"For the moment, Rabbi will be here with us next week. That's what I want also. But if someone comes with enough money, the club will always be open for talks."

Cyriel Dessers was also on target twice against Ross, while Tom Lawrence and Danilo registered as Rangers warmed up for next week's Old Firm derby against Celtic in fine fashion.

Dessers has often been a much-maligned figure at the club but Clement thinks the Nigeria international is currently playing the best football of his career.

In quotes reported by the club's official website, he said: "He deserves it, he is doing a very good job.

"This is the best Cyriel that I have seen in his career until now and he is somebody who is hungry to play for his shirt and someone who is also hungry to learn to become better.

"He is not 20 years old anymore but he stays hungry to learn all the details and you see in several details he is becoming better and better by doing it and by watching the videos and to talk about it."

The resounding victory saw Rangers move top of the Premiership having played three games, albeit Celtic and Aberdeen can leapfrog them as they play St Mirren and Kilmarnock respectively on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola has praised Manchester City's spirit to bounce back and overcome an Ipswich Town side he described as "special".

Sammie Szmodics gave the visitors a shock lead in Saturday's Premier League contest at the Etihad Stadium, but City recovered to win 4-1.

Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick - the first of those coming from the penalty spot - while Kevin De Bruyne was also on target for the home side.

Ipswich gave Liverpool a tough time of things on the opening weekend, albeit losing 2-0, while they also gave the reigning champions a scare.

"We played really good, but the opponents made an exceptional action and credit to them," Guardiola said at his post-match press conference.

"When I see how we started, [I could see] how much respect we have for them. 

"I said as they come from the Championship to the Premier League, it's because they have something special.

"I saw the game against Liverpool and how tough it was. At home in their own stadium, it was maybe more difficult than it was today."

Ipswich, who earned back-to-back promotions to come up form League One to the Premier League, conceded three times in four first-half minutes.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game," Ipswich forward Sammie Szmodics told Sky Sports. "We knew the crowd would be up. 

"We started the game well and individual mistakes at this level get punished. The three goals in four minutes killed us.

"It was a dream start but we have got to manage the game better. We have got to learn from it."

While Ipswich have lost back-to-back games to begin the season, City have six points from six having also defeated Chelsea 2-0 last weekend.

Guardiola introduced Ilkay Gundogan from the bench in the second half against Ipswich, a day on from the midfielder returning to the club.

And the Catalan coach reserved a special word for Gundogan - one of the heroes of City's treble-winning campaign two seasons ago.

"Thank you for this warm welcome to him," he told Sky Sports. "He is unbelievably happy. I had doubts [about bringing him off the bench].

"We know each other for many years and he knows exactly what he needs to do. I am very pleased he is back."

City return to action next Saturday with a trip to West Ham, while Ipswich host Fulham the same day in their next Premier League outing.

Sunderland defeated Burnley 1-0 at the Stadium of Light to stop their opponents' winning start to the 2024-25 Championship season and maintain their own perfect record.

Both teams had won two games from two heading into Saturday's contest - Burnley scoring a combined nine goals - which was settled by Romaine Mundle's drive after 26 minutes.

Dan Neil was sent off late on for a second booking, but Burnley could not find a response as they tasted a first loss under manager Scott Parker.

Elsewhere in the late Championship kick-offs, Watford also made it nine points from nine as they recovered to beat Derby County 2-1.

Vakoun Bayo's superb strike cancelled out Ebou Adams' second-minute opener at Vicarage Road, before captain Moussa Sissoko grabbed a winner in the second half.

West Brom and Blackburn Rovers also remain unbeaten through three matches after beating Stoke City and Oxford United 2-1 respectively.

Karlan Grant and Josh Maja scored either side of Lewis Koumas's equaliser at the Bet365 Stadium, with both West Brom goals assisted by Tom Fellows.

Substitute Arnor Sigurdsson was the late hero for Blackburn, meanwhile, after Joe Rankin-Costello had earlier cancelled out Mark Harris's sublime opener.

In the other games, Tommy Conway's 90th-minute penalty denied Portsmouth a first win of the season as Middlesbrough snatched a 2-2 draw at the Riverside.

Norwich City and Sheffield United played out a 1-1 draw, meanwhile, and Preston North End beat Luton Town 1-0 in manager Paul Heckingbottom's first game.

Mason Greenwood seems set to switch allegiance from England to play for Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz under new manager Steve McClaren, according to reports.

It has been widely reported that Olympique Marseille winger has started the process after the English Football Association was approached by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to formally request a transfer of Greenwood’s international registration.

The 22-year-old former Manchester United starlet, who made his England debut in a UEFA Nations League game at 18 years old, has not featured for the Three Lions since, as he has endured international exile since being charged with attempted rape and assault, which he denied. The charges were later dropped.

As per FIFA rules, Greenwood can change allegiances as he was under 21 years old when he competed for England in 2020.

The JFF’s initial attempt to get Greenwood to switch his international allegiance was unsuccessful, as the player declined with hopes of reviving his career with England.

However, this latest breakthrough was said to be aided by the recent appointment of McClaren as Reggae Boyz Head coach, as the former Manchester United assistant has persuaded Greenwood, who, according to The Sun, is eligible to play for Jamaica through his father, Andrew, to make the move.

Greenwood, who played one season for Spanish La Liga club Getafe last season on loan from Manchester United, later moved to Marseille, where he scored twice and contributed two assists in a 5-1 win over Brest last weekend.

McClaren’s first game as Reggae Boyz Head coach will be a Concacaf Nations League fixture against Cuba on September 6, followed by an away contest against Honduras. However, Greenwood’s transfer may not come through in time for him to play.

Emile Smith Rowe and Alex Iwobi grabbed the goals to secure a 2-1 win for Fulham over Leicester City at Craven Cottage.

Iwobi’s goal 20 minutes from time on Saturday saw Marco Silva’s team clinch their first victory of the 2024-25 Premier League season.

Another former Arsenal player – Smith Rowe, a summer signing from the Gunners – opened his Fulham account when he broke the deadlock in the 18th minute.

Wout Faes headed home an equaliser before half-time, but the hosts’ dominance ultimately paid off when Iwobi raced through to finish underneath Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.

Adama Traore and Iwobi had already been thwarted by the time the former set up Smith Rowe to fire firmly beyond Hermansen.

Faes scored the leveller against the run of play by rising highest to head past Bernd Leno at a corner.

But Fulham had their rewards when Antonee Robinson’s pass found Iwobi in behind the Leicester defence and he coolly squeezed the ball beyond Hermansen for the winner.

Data Debrief: Long wait over for Smith Rowe

Smith Rowe scored his first Premier League in 32 games, 857 days since netting against Chelsea in April 2022. 

Indeed, against no other team has he scored more goals (two) in the competition than against the Foxes.

Andreas Pereira created seven chances for his teammates against Leicester, no Fulham player has ever created more in a Premier League game on record (since 2003-04).

Faes has scored in two of his last three Premier League appearances, having failed to score in his first 30 in the competition beforehand.