Former Chelsea winger Eden Hazard has announced his retirement at the age of 32.

Hazard won two Premier League titles at Stamford Bridge before moving to Real Madrid in 2019.

But the Belgian struggled with injuries and made just 76 appearances in four seasons at Real before leaving in the summer.

“You must listen to yourself and say stop at the right time,” he wrote on Instagram.

“After 16 years and more than 700 matches played, I have decided to end my career as a professional footballer.

“I was able to realise my dream, I have played and had fun on many pitches around the world.

“During my career I was lucky to meet great managers, coaches and team-mates – thank you to everyone for these great times, I will miss you all.

“I also want to thank the clubs I have played for: LOSC, Chelsea and Real Madrid; and thank the RBFA for my Belgian selection.

“A special thank you to my family, my friends, my advisers and the people who have been close to me in good times and bad.

“Finally, a huge thank you to you, my fans, who have followed me for all these years and for your encouragement everywhere I have played.

“Now is the time to enjoy my loved ones and have new experiences.
See you off the field soon my friends.”

Hazard scored 110 goals in 352 appearances for Chelsea after joining from Lille in 2012.

What the papers say

Jadon Sancho could leave Manchester United in January, the Daily Mail reports, with the Red Devils said to be willing to subsidise his wages to offload the 23-year-old forward. Sancho, who is reportedly paid £300,000 a week at United, remains out of the first-team picture at Old Trafford following his stand-off with boss Erik ten Hag.

The Times says Tottenham defender Eric Dier could move back to his former club Sporting Lisbon in January, or when his contract runs out next summer. The 29-year-old is yet to feature for Tottenham this season after playing 33 games for the club last term. The England international joined the club in 2014 from Portuguese outfit Sporting.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Vinicius Junior: The 23-year-old Real Madrid superstar is yet to sign a new contract with the club, with his current deal running out next summer, Spanish outlet Sport says.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka: Football Insider reports that Manchester United have commenced talks with their 25-year-old right-back to sort out a new contract.

The UK and Ireland’s bid to host Euro 2028 is set to be officially approved later today.

Turkey’s withdrawal to focus on a joint bid with Italy to host Euro 2032 leaves the five-nation bid unopposed to host the tournament in five years’ time, with former Wales forward Gareth Bale adding a sprinkling of stardust to the presentation that will be made to UEFA’s executive committee alongside six youth ambassadors.

It emerged on Monday that England had requested to go through qualification for Euro 2028.

UEFA has reserved two ‘safety net’ host-nation berths should any of the five UK and Ireland bidders not qualify on merit, but the Football Association is understood to have already told UEFA that England are keen to go through qualification.

The FA is keen to keep the team competitive on the run-up to the finals, with Germany having struggled in friendly action in the build-up to Euro 2024. There are also concerns over the level of opposition they would be able to secure if they were limited to friendlies.

If more than two of the five hosts do not make it, only the two with the best record will secure host places. So there are no guarantees all five will be involved in the finals.

Ten stadia were included in the UK-Ireland’s bid submission in April. Six of the venues are in England, with one each from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

The six in England are Wembley, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Etihad Stadium, St James’ Park, Villa Park and Everton’s new home at Bramley-Moore Dock.

A redeveloped Casement Park in Belfast, the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Hampden Park in Glasgow and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff are the other stadia included in the submission.

Even with Turkey in the running, the five-nation bid was the overwhelming favourite to be selected.

Senior UEFA sources have indicated the importance of another Euro in a major football market, following on from next year’s tournament in Germany, as European football’s governing body seeks to further replenish its reserves after the financial shock of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The five nations released a joint statement last week following Turkey’s withdrawal, stating they had a “compelling” and “ground-breaking” proposal for UEFA to consider, which would deliver “lasting legacies” across the whole of Ireland and the UK.

Bid leaders estimate that the 2028 tournament is projected to generate around three billion euros (£2.6 billion) of economic benefit for the five host nations.

Burton boss Dino Maamria is remaining level-headed after his side recorded back-to-back victories with a 2-1 win over Cambridge.

Albion extended their unbeaten run to five games in Sky Bet League One thanks to first-half goals from Josh Walker and Deji Oshilaja.

“We are a level-headed group. I always said when we had that tough start to the season, I kept belief in the group,” said Maamria.

“We deal with the highs and the lows the same way and we have to stay focused and doing the fundamentals which is working hard, playing on the front foot.”

Watford loanee Kwadwo Baah was man of the match with a hand in both goals after switching to play as a right winger, a tweak that Maamria prepared pre-match.

“There are always one or two tweaks,” Maaria said. “We realised that KB could cause problems on the right hand side tonight and we thought Muzzy would do well against their right-back and both of them, the front three really did well in that first half.”

Cambridge hit back in the second half with Fejiri Okenabirhie halving the deficit to set up a tense finish but Maamria always felt his side were in control.

He added: “Second half was always going to be difficult, 2-0 is a difficult scoreline and overall we were comfortable. They had their fair share of possession in the second half but didn’t really test us.

“To win games you have to score when you are on top and then show some resilience and I thought we did that well tonight.”

Cambridge boss Mark Bonner was frustrated with his side’s first-half performance and his team are now winless in five in the league after a good start.

“You can’t come here and not see out the early pressure that they inevitably have,” said Bonner.

“They are very good at it. We didn’t stop crosses well enough and we didn’t defend the box well at all or with enough aggression to see out those situations.

“Both goals are preventable and then it is a mountain to climb from there. We have put ourselves in that position two weeks running now and that makes it a really difficult situation for us.”

Bonner was disappointed that his side could not do more with the long spells of possession that they had and knows United need to start games better.

He added: “First half we had a lot of the ball but didn’t penetrate or create and then we come out second half and I am almost angry that we did all that.

“That all needs to be there from the start. It is ridiculous isn’t it.”

Nicolas Raskin believes Rangers are “good enough” to recover from a nightmare start to the season to win the league.

Interim boss Steven Davis guided the Ibrox side to a 3-0 win at St Mirren on Sunday as they went into the international break seven points behind cinch Premiership leaders Celtic.

The former Gers midfielder, who was continuing his rehab from a knee injury at the Govan club after his contract expired in the summer, took over last weekend after Michael Beale departed following the 3-1 home defeat to Aberdeen.

Davis’ first game in charge was an embarrassing 2-1 Europa League defeat by Aris Limassol in Cyprus on Thursday night  – Rangers had already lost their Champions League play-off to PSV Eindhoven – and in Paisley some Rangers fans unveiled banners early in the game which read ‘heartless, passionless, leaderless; not fit to wear our colours’.

A double from skipper James Tavernier, the first from the spot in the 29th minute after Saints’ Ryan Strain was sent off for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity, and an Abdallah Sima strike in between gave the Gers much needed respite.

Noting that players such as Todd Cantwell, Danilo, Rabbi Matondo, Kieran Dowell and Tom Lawrence are working their way back to fitness, Raskin, who along with striker Kemar Roofe has only recently returned to action following a knock, was positive when asked if the Light Blues were good enough to win the title.

The 22-year-old midfielder said: “Are we good enough? Of course we’re good enough.

“We’ve got like six or seven players out injured, so it’s been a hard time.

“But now people are going to come back soon hopefully. We have to look forward and work hard. We’re still early in the season and we have to do our job on the park.

“We all know that we’re coming from a hard time. The last two games before Sunday were difficult for the team.

“We’ve got a lot of injuries too so it was important to turn this situation around before the international break.

“I think we played well. We tried to play as a team, to go forward and make some runs in behind St Mirren.

“Now we just have to work well and build on Sunday’s performance over the next few games because we have some important fixtures coming up.

“We have to stick together and work hard as that’s the only way to go forward and to achieve something good.”

Asked about the banner, and if the Rangers players were up for the fight, Raskin, signed from Standard Liege in January, said: “I don’t think it was down to a lack of effort.

“In football sometimes you try to do things, but sometimes it just doesn’t work for this or that reason.

“We haven’t got to the level we want to be at as a team, but we’ve also had some moments go against us.

“We have to look forward, focus on the next game and try to find the confidence by working hard together.

“Then it’s about going game after game, trying to give our best. Then it will come. I’m sure it will come because we have quality.”

Raskin was signed by Beale and described his departure last weekend as a “bit sad for everybody”.

Former Genk, Club Brugge and Monaco boss Philippe Clement has been linked with the manager’s job at Ibrox, with an appointment set to be made during the international break.

Raskin said: “I don’t know him personally, but he did very well with the two teams he had in Belgium.

“And he also did incredibly well at Monaco.

“I think he’d bring some clarity and an attacking style, so I think he’d be good.”

“Unbelievable” was the word used by Charlton Athletic midfielder Karoy Anderson to describe his maiden Reggae Boyz call-up for the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League fixtures against Grenada and Haiti.

The 19-year-old London-born midfielder, in an interview with JFF Live on YouTube, described the experience of finding out he’d been called up to the squad.

“It’s something I can’t really describe honestly. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and now that I’m here, it’s unbelievable,” Anderson said.

“At first, I couldn’t really believe it because I knew I was in the provisional squad but when I got the news I was just shocked. I was staring for a long time trying to take it all in and I told my mom and she started crying,” he added.

Anderson qualifies to play for the Reggae Boyz through his mother who was born in Clarendon and his grandmother who was born in Trelawny.

“I’m very busy,” was Anderson’s response to what fans can expect from his play style.

“I get around a lot and I like going forward and defending so I just try to do everything,” he said.

Anderson’s club teammate Michael Hector will also make a return to the Reggae Boyz set up after a two-year absence and he says the defender has been instrumental to his development as a player.

“It’s good because when I made the step up I knew he played for Jamaica and that was something that I looked to do so, being able to play with him, also with his experience in club football, is good. He’s a good person to look up to as well,” Anderson said.

Finally, the midfielder had nothing but good things to say about his experience with the squad, so far, as well as their chances in the upcoming games.

“Everyone’s nice. It’s a good energy around so I’m looking forward to getting involved with the games,” he said.

“When you look at the squad we have, we know we’ve got enough quality to win these games so I just want to come in and add to that and see what areas I can help in,” Anderson added.

Jamaica will first take on Grenada on Thursday before facing Haiti on Sunday.

They currently lead their CONCACAF Nations League A group with four points.

Roberto De Zerbi praised Jurgen Klopp after the Liverpool manager intervened to try and calm him as he protested against a refereeing decision during the Reds’ 2-2 draw with Brighton at the Amex Stadium.

The Italian was shown a yellow card by referee Anthony Taylor for remonstrating with the fourth official when his team were denied a penalty for a possible handball against Virgil van Dijk.

The ball struck the defender on the leg and bounced up onto his arm, with the manager insistent his side should have been given a spot-kick as they sought a way back from 2-1 down.

Klopp went into Brighton’s technical area to try and sooth the situation, putting his arms around De Zerbi in what he described as “using his age” to try and assuage the situation.

De Zerbi, who saw his side come back to draw for the second time in three days after Thursday’s Europa League meeting with Marseille, said that whilst he felt his team were hard done by over the decision, he believed the foul by Trent Alexander-Arnold on Solly March from which Brighton later equalised through Lewis Dunk should not have been a free-kick.

“I love Klopp,” he said. “He can do what he wants because I have a big respect and I consider him one of the best coaches in the world. I like his behaviour, and when he says something, 99 per cent I agree with him.

“In that situation, I think there was a clear penalty and I told the referee, I think in a good way, what I thought in the moment.

“I think there was a penalty, but there wasn’t a foul when we scored the second goal. I’m honest, and I told Jurgen my opinion.”

Brighton are sixth going into the international break having won five of their first eight Premier League games.

De Zerbi has made an average of seven changes between matches this season as he seeks to navigate the demands made by a first season in Europe for the club.

Despite recording a fourth winless game in a row in all competitions the manager praised his players’ character, particularly in the context of bouncing back from the 6-1 defeat against Aston Villa to register two comeback draws.

“The most important thing for me has been the reaction after Villa Park,” he said. “We started the game in Marseille, one of the best stadiums in Europe, and we started losing 2-0. After that moment, there was only one team on the pitch – Brighton.

“To do it, you have to show character, to show the right attitude, the right behaviour and passion. The most important thing in my idea of football is passion, is the character.

“After that we can speak about tactical disposition, the quality of the players, recruitment. But without that part of football, in my opinion, you can’t play or work in football.”

Johan Lange has been appointed as Tottenham’s new technical director.

Lange has performed a similar role at Premier League rivals Aston Villa since the summer of 2020, but will begin work at Spurs from November 1.

The arrival of ex-Sevilla director of football Monchi at Villa Park in June changed the position of Lange, who will replace Fabio Paratici as Tottenham’s key figure in recruitment.

Spurs’ chief football officer Scott Munn said: “Johan has demonstrated an excellent track record of scouting and signing many talented and successful youth and senior players.

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“He is a welcome addition as we strengthen our football operations.”

Spurs have been searching for Paratici’s replacement since his resignation in April from his role as the club’s managing director of football.

Paratici was hit with a two-and-a-half-year ban from working in Italy in January as part of sanctions dished out after his former club Juventus were found guilty of false accounting, with his suspension extended worldwide by FIFA in March.

After leaving his Tottenham role following a failed appeal, it was confirmed that the Italian could work in football on a consultancy basis, which the PA news agency understands he has continued to do at Spurs in recent months.

The arrival of Lange on November 1 is the latest restructure by the club after Munn officially joined from the City Group last month, while Leonardo Gabbanini, previously chief scout, departed days later.

Lange will be responsible for Spurs’ recruitment and talent identification across both their senior and academy teams.

Tottenham have also shifted towards using analytics and data more during the past 12 months and Lange, who was previously assistant at Wolves, will play a key role in trying to improve the club’s work in that area.

The Dane began his coaching career at Copenhagen in 2008 before moving to England in 2012 to work with then Wolves boss Stale Solbakken.

He returned to Copenhagen in 2014 and took on the role of technical director, with Lange credited with overseeing a successful period at the Superliga outfit.

A move to Villa followed and Lange has been involved in the transfers of Emi Martinez, Matty Cash and Ollie Watkins during the past three years.

It has helped take Villa from relegation candidates to a Europa Conference League side under the management of Unai Emery.

Lange saw his role at the midlands club switch to global director of football development and international academies this summer.

“The club can confirm Johan is leaving his role and departs with the best wishes and gratitude of everyone here for his commitment and service during his time,” a Villa statement read.

Matthew Kitson will become Villa’s new director of global development, working alongside academy boss Mark Harrison and Monchi at Villa Park.

Bukayo Saka will miss England’s upcoming internationals with Australia and Italy, the Football Association has confirmed.

The Arsenal attacker was called up to Gareth Southgate’s squad on Thursday, despite concerns over his fitness after being substituted in recent matches at Bournemouth and Lens.

Saka subsequently sat out Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday with a hamstring issue and club boss Mikel Arteta said afterwards the 22-year-old would have to pull out of the England squad.

Saka met up with England’s medical staff at St George’s Park on Monday and it has now been confirmed he will return to Arsenal for further treatment.

“The forward reported to St George’s Park on Monday alongside the rest of the Three Lions’ squad,” an FA statement read.

“Having missed Arsenal’s Premier League win against Manchester City on Sunday through injury, Saka was assessed by the England medical team and it was decided the player would continue his rehabilitation at his club.

“No replacements are planned with Gareth Southgate having a squad of 25 players to work with.”

Southgate’s side host Australia in a friendly at Wembley on Friday night before they take on Italy in London next Tuesday.

Ben Davies has taken over the Wales captaincy hoping his club Tottenham’s rise to the top of the Premier League can benefit the Dragons’ Euro 2024 ambitions.

Davies replaces the injured Aaron Ramsey as skipper for Wednesday’s friendly with Gibraltar and the vital European Championship qualifier against Croatia in Cardiff on Sunday.

The long-serving Tottenham full-back has been used by new Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou as a substitute so far this season but the 30-year-old says he has arrived for international duty in good spirits.

Davies said: “Players want to be in winning teams and right now I’m lucky enough that I’m in a squad where we are picking up good results and doing well.

“It’s about bringing that intensity and enthusiasm and the stuff that is working into the training camp this week.

“The Gibraltar game is important to us as a group that we get minutes together on the field.

“Hopefully we pick up another good result that gives us confidence going into the big game against Croatia.”

Cardiff midfielder Ramsey misses out this week with a knee tendon injury and is also set to be sidelined for the final Euro qualifiers against Armenia and Turkey next month.

It is a big setback for a Wales side who are also without Davies’ Tottenham team-mate Brennan Johnson through injury and in need of a positive result against Croatia to keep automatic hopes of qualification for next summer’s final in Germany alive.

“Aaron’s a great player and to be without him is definitely a blow,” said Davies.

“It gives the boys who have come in his absence before another chance to show what they can do and we’re excited for the games.

“We believe in the younger players we’ve got, the players coming through and those that have come through in the last few years.

“You can call it a transitional period, but I believe we’ve got players ready to go right now.”

On the captaincy, Davies – who has done the job previously, most recently in the goalless friendly with South Korea last month – added: “It’s something I’m incredibly proud to do.

“I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve done it before but it’s nice going into the games knowing the situation we’re in. I’m ready for it.

”I’ve been seen as one of the leaders in the group for a while now, so it doesn’t feel too different.

“I’ll just be myself, stick to the values I’ve got, and hopefully get the boys going for the games.”

The first meeting between Wales and Gibraltar at senior men’s level marks the return of the Dragons to Wrexham’s SToK Cae Ras.

The ground staged Wales’ first home game in 1877 and is often referred to as the spiritual home of Welsh football.

But Wales have only played there once since 2008 – a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago in March 2019.

Davies said: “It is something that has actually been playing on the boys’ minds for a while.

“We are very appreciative as a group of the efforts of the North Walian fans to come to Cardiff to watch games, especially in midweek and the late ones. We know it is a tough, long journey at times.

“But we are incredibly grateful to get the chance to come up north and play at Wrexham and in front of our loyal fans. We can’t wait to play in front of them.”

Scotland assistant coach John Carver admits getting another win over Spain would be all the sweeter given the “disrespectful” comments some of their opponents made in the wake of their Hampden defeat.

Carver was “agitated” by criticism from the likes of Manchester City midfielder Rodri after Scotland beat Spain 2-0 in March.

But the former Newcastle interim manager believes his players will not be distracted by the issue ahead of Thursday’s return fixture in Seville, in which Scotland can qualify for Euro 2024.

Spain captain Rodri claimed the way Scotland played was “rubbish” as he accused them of wasting time, provoking his team-mates and falling over, while debutant David Garcia argued the Hampden grass was too long.

Carver said: “I have got to be honest, I didn’t like it. I felt it was disrespectful. But it was their prerogative to say whatever they wanted to say. Whether they used that as an excuse, I don’t know.

“As far I was concerned, it agitated me and I’m sure it would have got to some of the players.

“But there’s a long time gone since then and it’s about being professional and having a clear head going into this game. So I don’t think it will be a distraction.

“Any win is sweet and you celebrate it for sure, but after what they said it would be nice to win.”

Spain have scored 16 goals in their subsequent three qualifiers and will be out to surpass Scotland’s 2-0 win to give themselves the best chance of topping the group.

Carver added: “I think they will be out to prove a point. A lot has changed since then, they had just brought in a new manager, they had changed quite a bit of the team.

“They are now more settled and have had a couple of great results and scored some goals.

“It’s a different type of game. They will have one eye on what happened at Hampden when we beat them, but they are professionals like we are and their minds will be on this game.”

Scotland have won all five of their Euro 2024 qualifiers and a point on Thursday would be enough to seal a place in next summer’s finals in Germany, while victory would secure top spot in the group.

Even defeat could lead to qualification if Norway fail to beat Cyprus at the same time, or fail to beat Spain three days later in Oslo.

Carver is just focused on getting as many points as possible rather than thinking about qualification.

“It would be great, but to be honest I am not even thinking about that,” he said. “We are in a great position, we still have three games left in this group. I want to get as many points as we can and keep this run going.

“You can say a point would be good enough, but I want to get nine points and, if not nine points, then seven points.

“That’s the attitude we have got to have because you know what it’s like going into tournaments – if you eventually get there you want to go into it with confidence.”

Carver confirmed manager Steve Clarke was still considering whether to switch to a back four following Kieran Tierney’s hamstring injury.

“We have had many, many hours of discussions on the telephone and continued that on Sunday,” he said. “It’s something we are definitely thinking about, but I am not going to give too much away.”

Scotland have lost Ryan Jack after the midfielder missed Rangers’ last two matches with injury, with nobody called up in his place.

Barcelona’s Jules Kounde faces an indefinite lay-off after his knee injury was diagnosed as medial collateral ligament damage, the club has said.

The France defender will miss his nation’s forthcoming fixtures against the Netherlands and Scotland and is the latest Barca player to be ruled out through injury.

The 24-year-old was forced out of Barca’s 2-2 LaLiga draw at Granada on Sunday night.

The Catalan club said on their official website: “Tests this Monday morning have revealed that Jules Kounde has sprained the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, and the French defender will be unable to play until the injury heals.

“This also means he will miss out on playing for his country during the international break.”

Kounde has featured in all 11 of Barca’s matches this season, starting in every game bar one, and made his 50th appearance for the club in all competitions in last week’s Champions League win in Porto.

Barca boss Xavi is already without injured players Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski.

Pep Guardiola lost back-to-back Premier League games for only the third time as Manchester City went down 1-0 to Arsenal on Sunday.

It has happened only six times in all competitions for City under Guardiola and here, the PA news agency looks at the Spaniard’s overall managerial record.

No points from six

Gabriel Martinelli’s winner for Arsenal followed Hwang Hee-chan’s for Wolves against City last weekend.

It was the first time City had taken no points from a pair of league games since losing to Crystal Palace and Leicester across Christmas 2018.

Luka Milivojevic’s penalty proved decisive for Palace before Kevin De Bruyne cut the final margin to 3-2, and Leicester then overcame Bernardo Silva’s Boxing Day opener to win 2-1 through Marc Albrighton and Ricardo Pereira.

The Foxes were also the team to inflict City’s second successive loss in December 2016, Jamie Vardy with a hat-trick as Claudio Ranieri’s side won 4-2. Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho were suspended after late red cards as City lost their previous game 3-1 to Chelsea.

Long run at an end

Before this weekend, City were out on their own in terms of time without back-to-back Premier League defeats.

Ten teams had suffered that fate this season – Burnley, Sheffield United and Bournemouth most recently, plus West Ham, Brentford, Luton, Manchester United, Wolves, Newcastle and Everton.

Eight more of the 20 current top-flight sides – Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Crystal Palace – lost back-to-back games earlier in 2023.

The one other exception, Brighton, last did so in October of last year – almost four years more recently than City, whose run since Boxing Day 2018 stood at 178 games.

City host Brighton in their next game after the international break.

Three in a row

Albion will be the team looking to inflict a first hat-trick of Premier League defeats on Guardiola, whose team are alone in losing no more than two in a row since his arrival in 2016.

Arsenal and Spurs are closest with their longest run being three defeats. Fulham had the longest losing run overall, nine games, with eight for Sheffield United and Palace.

Guardiola has twice lost three in a row across all competitions with City, first in April 2018 when a 3-2 league defeat to a Paul Pogba-inspired Manchester United was sandwiched between losses in both legs of the Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool.

The other sequence spanned three competitions and two seasons – the 2021 Champions League final against Chelsea followed by the Community Shield against Leicester and the 2021-22 Premier League opener at Tottenham.

The recent Wolves loss came on the back of a Carabao Cup exit against Newcastle, while the December 2018 Premier League defeats were uninterrupted by any other competition.

The other pairs came in early 2020, to Manchester United in the League Cup and Tottenham in the league, and January of this year when Southampton knocked them out of the Carabao Cup – and denied them a shot at a quadruple – before the Red Devils beat them in the league.

Long-term pattern for Pep

Guardiola’s Barcelona side lost back-to-back LaLiga games only twice in four seasons, both in 2009 – first to Espanyol and Atletico Madrid, then Mallorca and Osasuna.

They also lost Champions League and league games consecutively twice, to Wisla Krakow and Numancia in his second and third games in charge in 2008 and to Chelsea and Real Madrid in April 2012.

With Bayern Munich in May 2015, he suffered consecutive defeats to Bayer Leverkusen and Augsburg domestically and Barca in the Champions League. They won the return leg of that tie but Freiburg then made it three straight league defeats.

His only other consecutive Bundesliga losses came in April 2014 against Augsburg and Borussia Dortmund.

Gabriel Martinelli says Arsenal’s inherent belief will only be boosted by beating champions Manchester City as Mikel Arteta’s men look to go one step further than last season.

The Gunners captured the imagination during a strong 2022-23 campaign, only to ultimately finish second as Pep Guardiola’s side scooped a third straight title in a storming end to the season.

Arsenal’s inability to take a point off them was key in them finishing second and Sunday saw them finally beat City in the league for the first time since 2015, building on their Community Shield shoot-out triumph against the treble winners.

The half-time introduction of Martinelli after three weeks out with a hamstring injury proved inspired, adding extra impetus to the attack before eventually hitting a late winner that deflected in off Nathan Ake to seal a 1-0 victory.

“We know how hard it is to play against them,” the Brazil international said. “It was a great performance from the team and a great win.

“Of course (it gives us more belief we can win this season’s title). We are Arsenal and we are always believing about the title.

“To win against a big side like them is great and we just need to carry on.

“A special day for me. I tried my best, really hard, to be back with the team and it was a great moment for me.

“It’s always good to win against the big teams and we did it today. I’m so happy.”

Arsenal remain unbeaten eight league matches into the season and are level in terms of points and goal difference with leaders Tottenham, with their bitter rivals only ahead on goals scored.

“When you play for Arsenal you have to always believe and this is what we do,” Martinelli said as they look to bring the Premier League title back to north London for the first time since 2004.

“We play for Arsenal and we always believe we can win the titles.

“It’s another year. We’re going to try to improve things and try to do better than last year.

“Yeah, I think (there is more depth). We have a great team and it’s important to have a lot of options.”

Sunday’s victory win was made all the more impressive by the fact Arsenal’s star man Bukayo Saka was missing, with a muscle injury ending his run of 87 successive Premier League appearances.

“We know our potential,” Martinelli said. “We know his potential and how important he is for us.

“Today we did our best, tried to win the game for our fans, for us and for B as well.”

Arsenal return to action at Chelsea after the international break, while wounded City look to get their title defence back on track at home to Brighton.

Guardiola’s men have lost three of their last four matches in all competitions, including back-to-back Premier League matches for the first time since December 2018.

City midfielder Bernardo Silva said: “It’s a setback but it’s still the beginning. We’re far away from the end of the season.

“It was not the result we wanted. Against a tough opponent it is never easy to play.

“We felt the game was tough for both teams. Both are tough and organised and tense. We had a few chances in the beginning.

“In the end it was a deflection. In my opinion we gave them too much time to think at that moment. We have to be more intense in the pressing.

“It is what it is. It’s part of football and we move onto the next one.”

City struggled to lay a glove on an Arsenal side that they had beaten in 12 consecutive Premier League meetings before Sunday.

Guardiola’s men mustered a mere four shots at the Emirates Stadium, but Silva is not getting carried away with the loss or the recent drop off.

“Some of these results we were not expecting and we didn’t want them to happen,” he told club media.

“Last season we won the treble but there was a point that nothing was going our way.

“How you overcome these moments is what defines the team and we will keep fighting for all the games. We’re going for it again.”

Birmingham have sacked head coach John Eustace despite a bright start to the season, increasing rumours of former England captain Wayne Rooney taking charge at the club.

Eustace led Birmingham to safety last season, while a come-from-behind 3-1 derby win over West Brom on Friday left Blues sixth in the Sky Bet Championship after 11 fixtures heading into the international break.

While Birmingham recognised in a statement Eustace had “helped to stabilise and strengthen the club” in his 15 months at the helm, they have decided to part company with the ex-Republic of Ireland assistant.

“It is essential that the board of directors and the football management are fully aligned on the importance of implementing a winning mentality and a culture of ambition across the entire football club,” the statement on Birmingham’s official website said.

“With this in mind, Birmingham City has parted company with head coach John Eustace.

“A new first-team manager will be announced in the coming days who will be responsible for creating an identity and clear ‘no fear’ playing style that all Birmingham City teams will adopt and embrace.”

Eustace succeeded Lee Bowyer in July 2022 and helped Birmingham finish nine points above the drop zone in the second tier amid off-field issues surrounding the ownership of the club.

Despite just three defeats so far this season, it was reported over the weekend Eustace’s position was under threat as the club’s new American owners sought a big-name appointment.

Former Manchester United striker Rooney would seemingly fit the bill after he announced on Sunday he would be leaving DC United following their failure to qualify for the Major League Soccer play-offs.

“It’s just the right time,” he said in quotes reported by the Washington Post.

“I have really enjoyed my time here. But I just feel it’s the right time to go back to England. What lies ahead, I don’t know.”