Eddie Howe has saluted unsung hero Jacob Murphy after watching him inspire Newcastle to Premier League victory over Crystal Palace.

Murphy, a £12million signing from Norwich in July 2017, has been a peripheral character for much of his time at St James’ Park to date and was sent out on loan to West Brom and Sheffield Wednesday before Howe’s appointment as head coach in November 2021.

However, it was the 28-year-old that the manager turned to for the club’s first Champions League fixture in 20 years at AC Milan last month, and he was asked to fill the injured Harvey Barnes’ boots against Palace, responding with the opening goal and setting up two of the three which followed in a 4-0 win.

 Asked about the contribution of a man whose future at one point looked to lie away from St James’ Park, Howe said: “He’s someone who is the ultimate professional. He’s reliable, plays multiple positions and has never let me down.

 “For me, it’s all about consistency. What you’re looking for from the players’ perspective is that they turn up every day and give their best.

“Now, you’re going to have some good days and you’re going to have some bad days. I always say that the key response is how you handle the bad days.

“Before I came here, Jacob had some difficult moments, but you have to keep coming back.

“You have to be really resilient, you have to keep turning up, and I believe that if you do the right things off the pitch, then eventually you’ll show the right things on the pitch.

“For me, he’s just been that model of consistency in his approach and attitude.

“It’s great to see someone who puts that work in rewarded with an opportunity, and then it’s all about taking that opportunity. He’s done that, and it’s great to see.”

Murphy’s fourth-minute opener, a lob towards Callum Wilson which looped over keeper Sam Johnstone and crept inside the far post, set the Magpies on their way, but it was two goals inside three minutes at the end of the first half which put them out of sight as Anthony Gordon, from Murphy’s cross, and Sean Longstaff found the back of the net.

Callum Wilson completed the scoring 24 minutes from time with the former Canaries winger again supplying the assist to send Newcastle, who used midfielder Sandro Tonali as a second-half substitute as he awaits the outcome of a betting investigation, into Wednesday night’s Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund on Tyneside confident they can build upon their 4-1 demolition of Paris St Germain.

Howe said: “After the PSG win, we want to continue our momentum and see where it takes us.”

Opposite number Roy Hodgson left the north-east in sombre mood after a day to forget.

Hodgson said: “We were unfortunate with the first goal, of course, that didn’t help, that freak goal.

“If we’d have scored it, I’d have be delighted, but it’s a tough goal to have against you after a few minutes because that’s not one that really has come about because you’ve got it totally wrong defensively.”

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag says Harry Maguire is “playing like we want him to” after a man-of-the-match performance in the 2-1 win at Sheffield United.

Maguire started his second successive Premier League game and stood out against his former club at Bramall Lane as the Red Devils marked the death of Sir Bobby Charlton with three points.

The England centre-half’s career at Old Trafford appeared to be over after he was stripped of the captaincy and allowed to explore the possibility of signing for West Ham in the summer, but he was always committed to regaining Ten Hag’s favour.

He looks to be doing that now, with the Dutchman impressed by his Bramall Lane performance.

“I have to say Harry is playing like we want him to play,” he said.

“Very proactive out of possession, dominating his opponent, stepping in when necessary, reading the game, good covering but also in possession very proactive, stepping in, delivering good passes, switching, yes, I am happy with his performance.”

The Red Devils hardly put in a fitting performance to remember Charlton by but they got the job done against a team who are yet to win this season.

They went ahead against the run of play when Scott McTominay scored his third goal in two games but Oli McBurnie’s penalty quickly levelled for the Blades before the break.

Ten Hag’s men improved after the interval and won it in the 77th minute through Diogo Dalot’s curling effort.

A long season is on the cards for the Blades, who have taken just one point from their opening nine games of the season.

They have been hit hard by injuries, losing captain John Egan and vice-captain Chris Basham to serious knocks, and they suffered more bad news on that front.

Anel Ahmedhodzic missed out with a hamstring injury, while McBurnie limped off with a groin problem.

On Ahmedhodzic, boss Paul Heckingbottom said: “It’s his hamstring. He jumped for a header in training and hurt his hamstring. He’s had a scan. It will be weeks.”

“Oli’s groin started impacting him. It was sore at half-time and we tried taping it up but you could see it was impacting him running.

“We had to bring him off because he was hindered by that but also to protect him as well.”

Ange Postecoglou has talked up the professionalism of Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg ahead of his anticipated first Premier League start of the season.

Hojbjerg is expected to be drafted into the Spurs line-up for the visit of Fulham on Monday due to Yves Bissouma’s one-match ban for his red card at Luton.

Denmark international Hojbjerg was heavily linked with a move away from Tottenham this summer and Fulham registered an interest in the 28-year-old on transfer deadline day, but no switch to the London club or Atletico Madrid materialised.

While Hojbjerg has only started once this season in the Carabao Cup, he has been introduced in seven of Spurs’ eight league fixtures and become a key figure off the bench for his new head coach.

“I don’t think there was any time during the transfer window where I thought Pierre would move,” Postecoglou insisted.

“The discussions I had with him were that he was here and wanted to contribute, he wanted to be part of what we were building.

“It is obvious someone that has played regularly would have wanted to play more but ultimately our performances have been strong and he has had to bide his time.

“He has also been very important in a lot of the games that we’ve won late or had to shore up late. He has been one of the people who has helped us and it is not like he hasn’t contributed at all. He’s been a really important part for us.

“We wouldn’t be in this position if we were just reliant on our starting XI.

“It is something we impress on all of the guys that as disappointed as you are at not starting, it doesn’t mean you are not playing. You are still playing at some point and what you do with those minutes will help us be successful and push your own cause.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (@hojbjerg23)

“With Pierre, he is a professional and very determined to win a spot in the team. He presents himself well every day and over a 38-game season all of these guys will get an opportunity at some point. What they do with that is up to them.

“In the meantime, what is important is if they want to keep getting opportunities, they have to train well and when they do play, whether they start or not, they contribute to the team.”

Hojbjerg continues to be linked with a move away from Tottenham, but could earn further opportunities in the coming months.

Spurs will lose Pape Sarr of Senegal and Mali international Bissouma at the start of 2024 for the Africa Cup of Nations, which runs between January 13 and February 11.

That is a problem for Postecoglou to worry about in the future, but his immediate concern is facing Marco Silva’s Fulham without Bissouma, one of Tottenham’s players of the season.

He added: “(I’m) realistic enough to know you’re not going to run with the same XI and every week you wrestle with what the best sort of line up is going to be for you; fitness, form, the way they’re training, the opposition.

“With Bissouma missing out this game, we had to adjust without him at Luton which I thought we did awfully well with 10-men.

“We’ve got some options. Certainly Pierre is a ready-made replacement.

“He’s been training really hard, he’s obviously probably wanted to be playing more because he’s pretty much been a constant for the last two to three years, but when he has come on for us he’s done really well.

“For me he’s the logical one to come in but we’ve got some sessions left.”

Erik ten Hag admitted Manchester United’s first-half performance in their 2-1 win at Sheffield United was not a fitting way to remember Sir Bobby Charlton.

United are mourning one of their greatest ever players following Charlton’s death aged 86 on Saturday morning and goals from Scott McTominay and Diogo Dalot ensured they remembered him with victory.

But Ten Hag’s side could not be much further away from the one that Charlton famously led to European Cup glory in 1968 as they were lacklustre against a team who have picked up just one point this season.

Defender Dalot was the unlikely hero as he saved their blushes with a 20-yard curler 13 minutes from time after Oli McBurnie’s first-half penalty had cancelled out McTominay’s opener.

Ten Hag said: “We are happy we did that, we have to pay attention and do it in a good way and first half I think it wasn’t the standard for Sir Bobby Charlton and the second half was a bit better.

“But of course the news arrived and we are very sad and our thoughts are with his family and especially his wife Lady Norma, his children and his grandchildren.

“I heard some players got some inspiration from it and they wanted a win to mark it. It was an extra motivation, absolutely.

“But the first half was not a good game. We can talk long or we can talk short, it was a poor game from our side and you see it often after internationals, especially us with so many changes, the routines are not there. In the first half we allowed them to make it their game.

“We were too direct, no good organisation, second half we made some changes and you saw we got better, we were more composed and kept the ball.

“We controlled the game and created the chances and then finally we deserved the win and it was a beautiful goal.”

Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom began his playing career at Old Trafford as a teenager and remembers Charlton fondly.

“He was there the day I signed as a 14-year-old,” he said. “He is a man that represented everything that United wanted to be, certainly in terms of developing youth players and getting youth players into the first team.

“It is not only Manchester United that will miss him, English football and I think he was a football icon across the world as well, so there will be a lot of people remembering him, stories they have heard, games they have seen.”

The Blades may feel they deserved something out of the game, especially on the back of a lively first-half performance, but they slipped to an eighth defeat from nine games and a long winter looks on the cards.

But Heckingbottom took the positives.

“In most games we have shown more than enough that we can compete,” he added. “Lots of things that please me in that.

“We have suffered horrendously with injuries in the last 10 days, captain, vice-captain and a couple of other players. We are not going to sulk about it, it is an opportunity for others.

“We looked more of a threat tonight. There are lots of things tonight that we have to build on. It was close. What we had today was more of an all-round threat.”

Manchester United paid tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton with a 2-1 Premier League victory at Sheffield United.

United are mourning one of their greatest ever players following Charlton’s death aged 86 on Saturday morning and goals from Scott McTominay and Diogo Dalot ensured they remembered him with victory.

But Erik ten Hag’s side could not be much further away from the one that Charlton famously led to European Cup glory in 1968 as they were lacklustre against a team who have picked up just one point this season.

Defender Dalot was the unlikely hero as he saved their blushes with a 20-yard curler 13 minutes from time after Oli McBurnie’s first-half penalty had cancelled out McTominay’s opener.

It was not a vintage performance, certainly not one fitting of Charlton, but United did at least register back-to-back league victories for the first time this season and Ten Hag will hope this can be a springboard.

The Blades may feel they deserved something out of the game, especially on the back of a lively first-half performance, but they slipped to an eighth defeat from nine games and a long winter looks on the cards.

United captain Bruno Fernandes laid a wreath on the centre circle before kick-off and there was a minute’s applause for the World Cup winner, while the away end gave a rousing rendition of ‘There’s only one Bobby Charlton’.

As emotional as it was for United, they still had a job to do and they had to weather an early storm from the hosts.

The Blades started well and should have led inside the opening three minutes as Gus Hamer’s shot deflected into the path of McBurnie, but with time and space 14 yards out he shot straight at Andre Onana, who gratefully clung on.

The visitors were up against it and Ten Hag used an injury break to gather his players and bark instructions.

It did not immediately make much difference as Onana, much maligned for handling errors this season, produced a strong arm to keep out Cameron Archer’s 20-yard drive.

For all their bluster, the Blades had come away from a strong opening 25 minutes without reward and they were punished as the visitors went ahead against the run of the play in the 28th minute.

McTominay, who rescued his side with two injury-time goals against Brentford before the international break, received the ball from Fernandes and his scuffed effort found its way into the bottom corner.

Things quickly turned sour for for McTominay, though, as just five minutes later he gave away a penalty when he handled James McAtee’s cross.

The incident survived a VAR check and McBurnie stepped up and stroked the spot-kick home for his first goal of the season.

McBurnie almost turned provider in the 41st minute when he slipped in Archer, but Onana bravely stopped with his face.

For all the home pressure, it was Ten Hag’s men who nearly took a lead into the half-time break as they had two late chances.

First Fernandes clipped the crossbar with a dipping free-kick before Rasmus Hojlund was denied by a fine save from Wes Foderingham, who rushed out and deflected the ball wide.

The Blades were on the front foot after the restart and Onana made another impressive stop, palming away Rhian Brewster’s effort after being wrong-footed.

United finally upped their game and created a raft of chances to go back in front.

Foderingham saved from Hojlund when the Dane should have scored, Marcus Rashford rolled wide at the far post and Sofyan Amrabat thundered a fierce 20-yard effort against the crossbar.

The breakthrough eventually came in the 77th minute when Dalot was afforded too much time on the edge of the area and he curled a shot into the top corner, though Foderingham got a hand to it and should have kept it out.

That proved enough as United remembered Charlton with victory which will not live long in the memory.

Mikel Arteta praised a “phenomenal” response from Arsenal after they fought back from two goals down in the final 13 minutes to earn a 2-2 draw at Chelsea and move level on points at the top of the Premier League.

Chelsea looked to be sending Arsenal to a first league defeat of the season when Mykhailo Mudryk’s cross-shot put them into a 2-0 lead minutes after half-time, the Ukrainian’s effort drifting over goalkeeper David Raya who was unable to recover from a poor starting position as the ball dropped into the goal.

That added to the lead given to them by a first-half penalty from Cole Palmer, increasingly influential in Pochettino’s revitalised attack following his move from Manchester City, who slotted home after William Saliba was adjudged to have handled from Mudryk’s header.

It was a commanding and deserved advantage for the hosts, who were seeking a third straight league win, but as so often during Chelsea’s turbulent last 18 months it was an individual error that turned the game and cost them points.

Goalkeeper Roert Sanchez rolled the ball straight to the feet of Declan Rice who cut the arrears from 30 yards, before Leandro Trossard got a lunging right leg to Bukayo Saka’s cross six minutes from time to salvage an unlikely draw.

And afterwards Arteta praised his team’s powers of recovery as they extended their unbeaten start to the league season to nine matches to go level at the top with Manchester City.

“I think what went wrong was the start of the game,” said the manager. “We didn’t play with enough purpose and clarity. We were just moving the ball without the intention to threaten them. That’s a really dangerous thing to do against teams like Chelsea.

“Then we didn’t win enough duels, and in tight areas when we had them, they escaped from that and they attacked open spaces, and they are really dangerous things to do.

“When we changed that and we changed the level after 20, 25 minutes, especially in the second half then it’s a different game. We became a much better team, even though we conceded the second goal and it’s a disappointment.

“The way the team reacted to the second goal is phenomenal from the players on the pitch and the players on the bench thinking ‘how the hell am I going to change this game?’ I loved that.

“I really liked as well going into the dressing room and it’s really quiet, after drawing 2-2 with Chelsea and coming back from 2-0 down, because I know that they wanted more. That’s the positive.”

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino reflected on perhaps Chelsea’s best performance since he took over in the summer, and refused to lay the blame at the feet of Sanchez for allowing Arsenal back into the match.

“Too many games that we’re watching every week, always mistakes,” he said. “Football is about mistakes. If you want to score, you want the opponent to make a mistake. Ninety per cent of goals are because the opponent made a mistake. Football is about mistakes.

“The only thing we can criticise a little bit is to read better the situation, the tempo and the timing. After 77 minutes, we’re trying to take some risks. OK, we can because it’s our philosophy. But maybe (we need) better decisions. So we can criticise a bit, but also this is football.

“It’s not to blame someone. It’s only that in this type of situation you need to read better, but that will arrive with time. Teams need to manage and drive games. You need to read the game, when to be calm, when to play, when to take risks.”

Arsenal stung Chelsea with a stunning late fightback as they came from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Mikel Arteta’s side looked to be heading to a first defeat of the season when Mykhailo Mudryk’s cross-shot looped over David Raya minutes after the interval, adding to the lead given to them by Cole Palmer’s first-half penalty.

The visitors were far from their free-flowing best and Mauricio Pochettino’s side, inspired by the increasingly influential Palmer on the right of a front three, were for three-quarters of the game good value for what would have been a third straight league win.

But the pendulum swung when Robert Sanchez’s careless pass presented the ball to Declan Rice who cut the arrears, before Leandro Trossard stunned the home fans into silence with a close-range finish in the closing minutes to earn Arsenal a draw and move them level on points at the top of the Premier League.

For the first time under Pochettino, Chelsea started without a recognised striker, Raheem Sterling instead lining up centrally, flanked by in-form pair Palmer and Mudryk.

They took the lead after 14 minutes. Sterling crossed from the right into the six-yard box, and as William Saliba leapt with an arm raised, Mudryk’s header cannoned off it from close range. It took several minutes for referee Chris Kavanagh to be called to the pitchside monitor, but once checked there was little delay in awarding a penalty.

Palmer dispatched coolly past David Raya for his second Chelsea goal.

Arsenal had started sluggishly and it took until the 20-minute mark for their first opening, Martin Odegaard threading the ball into the left channel for Rice to stride onto, but his awkward right-footed effort clipped towards Sanchez’s far corner zipped wide of the post.

Palmer has been one of the catalysts of Chelsea’s sudden ascent to attacking potency under Pochettino, pulling strings whether collecting the ball deep or taking up a more advanced role. His impact was critical in consecutive wins against Brighton, Fulham and Burnley during which the team scored seven goals off the back of three scoreless matches, and here again he was the difference.

He had the chance to double the lead when Conor Gallagher, captain again with Reece James fit only for a late cameo, took the initiative and drove through the heart of Arsenal’s midfield, slipping the ball in to Palmer who found room in between Saliba and Gabriel to get off a low drive which flashed inches wide of Raya’s far post.

Chelsea might have pulled further clear in the closing minutes of the half, Sterling with a familiar burst down the right, slipping the ball to Malo Gusto who showed the finishing instincts of a full-back and ballooned over.

The second half began with a moment to forget for Arsenal goalkeeper Raya. Ben White gave the ball away to Gallagher inside the Chelsea half, and carrying the ball up the left flank he fed the overlapping Mudryk.

There seemed to be little on as the Ukrainian assessed options inside the box. Raya was positioned ready for a cross, but in doing so he left too much room behind him into which Mudryk’s ball drifted, sailing clean over the keeper, who flapped helplessly as it landed in the net.

Raya’s afternoon was going from bad to worse. Minutes after conceding, he was almost culpable for Chelsea’s third when he rolled the ball recklessly to the feet of Palmer who narrowly failed to nip around the goalkeeper and bury Arsenal.

Then, with Arteta’s side looking beaten, fortune turned in their favour. Rice hauled them back into it with 14 minutes to play and it was another goalkeeping error, this time from Sanchez.

Chelsea’s summer signing has repeatedly been culpable in recent games of conceding possession with poor distribution. Here, under little pressure, he passed the ball straight to the feet of Rice, who with quickness of thought thumped it first time from 30 yards beyond the stranded keeper.

Then the final sting for Pochettino.

Bukayo Saka was given time on the edge of the box to shift the ball from right foot to left, and with vision and precision, he picked out the run of Trossard who stole in behind Chelsea with a lunging right leg to divert it past Sanchez.

Gary O’Neil maintained Wolves’ 2-1 victory over Bournemouth was no personal revenge tour after his side staged a comeback to take all three points at the Vitality Stadium from the club that sacked him in June.

The Cherries remain winless in nine Premier League contests this season but got off to a bright start on Saturday after Dominic Solanke fired them to a 1-0 half-time lead.

It all began to unravel after Matheus Cunha netted a quick equaliser after the restart and the hosts were left to defend for the majority of the second period with 10 men after Lewis Cook was shown red.

The hosts looked to have clung on for a point until Sasa Kalajdzic fired in a late winner.

O’Neil said: “It’s just a really big win for us to win on the road, second time this year.

“The fixtures have been very tough for us, I think we’ve had the toughest run of fixtures.

“We’re right up there at the top with the hardest runs, so to have gotten 11 points so far is really good, to win away from home against a good side that will cause teams problems is really good.

“But it’s not about me or returning to AFC Bournemouth, just a really good win for a group that are making progress and working extremely hard.

“Honestly, I feel no different to when we beat Manchester City, when we beat Everton. It feels exactly the same.

“I have huge respect for everybody at AFC Bournemouth, they gave me an opportunity to manage a Premier League football team.

“Thankfully I managed to go six unbeaten straight away, which got me on a decent run. But there’s nothing in it for me. It’s not that at all.”

Solanke’s strike lifted the spirits of supporters sorely in need of a boost, but the mood soured after Cook’s needless red card, issued following a VAR review that showed him headbutting Hwang Hee-chan to force his team into playing short-handed from the 54th minute.

To their credit the hosts held on until late, when Cherries keeper Neto’s loose short pass to Philip Billing was intercepted, ultimately allowing Hwang to set up Kalajdzic.

Despite the worrying run of results, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola brushed aside speculation he might be running out of rope in the role he’s occupied since O’Neil’s exit.

Asked if he was concerned about his position, the Spaniard replied: “I’m not. Nobody should be concerned about Andoni Iraola, I’m concerned about AFC Bournemouth winning games.

“It’s like this and it has to be like this.

“I haven’t talked (to the board), but it’s not a matter of me or my situation. It’s a matter of how can we solve this the best way?”

Eddie Howe had admitted the hardest part is yet to come for Sandro Tonali after watching him play a cameo role in Newcastle’s 4-0 Premier League victory over Crystal Palace.

The 23-year-old Italy international, who could face a lengthy ban if he is found to have breached betting rules by an ongoing investigation in Italy, was applauded warmly by the Toon Army before, during and after Saturday’s game at St James’ Park.

Tonali and his club do not yet know when he will discover his fate, but head coach Howe is convinced the support he has received to date will help him whatever comes his way.

A post shared by Newcastle United FC (@nufc)

Howe said: “Let’s wait and see, but yes, I think the hardest part is ahead regardless of what happens.

“Immediately, you get a lot of attention and people are talking about the situation. He’s had the love of the supporters today, but that’s difficult to maintain over a long period of time. Who knows what’s ahead?

“I just think it’s great for him to know he’s got the support, not just of the senior management at the football club and the manager, but also the support of the supporters and they’re the most important people.”

Tonali was introduced as a 69th-minute replacement for Bruno Guimaraes with the Magpies already four goals to the good in what could conceivably be his final game for several months if he is found to have broken the rules and is suspended.

Whether he is able to be involved in Wednesday night’s Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund on Tyneside remains to be seen, but whichever team Howe sends out will kick off brimming with confidence after a comprehensive win over the Eagles.

Jacob Murphy set the ball rolling with a fourth-minute lob which owed a great deal to good fortune – Palace boss Roy Hodgson described it as a “freak” goal – and further strikes from Anthony Gordon and Sean Longstaff before the break and Callum Wilson after it wrapped up the points with the minimum of fuss.

Howe said: “It was a really important game today. It can’t be underestimated how tough those games are because you don’t have a full squad, we’re having to manage players who have travelled a long way and had a big mental load for their countries.

“So I’m really pleased with the players’ response to that because these are very tough games.

“Crystal Palace don’t concede many goals. We knew the first goal today was going to be really, really important and thankfully we got it quite early.”

Hodgson’s emotions were understandably different after his best-laid plans were ripped apart before the break.

He said: “We came here thinking and believing that we could give Newcastle a good game and maybe even make life a little bit difficult for them, but we fell woefully short in that department.

“The first half was really nowhere near what we’ve been able to do up to now and what I thought we would still do despite the fact that this is a tough ask against such a good team because they are a hard team to defend against.

“But it didn’t work out and at half-time, we were just looking really at salvaging something from the game and not going away totally and utterly dejected because we’d conceded even more goals than the four we conceded.

“There’s nothing really positive to say from our point of view.”

Pep Guardiola paid tribute to Brighton after his Manchester City side held on for a slender 2-1 win over the Seagulls in the Premier League on Saturday.

The champions looked be cruising to victory as Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland struck inside the opening 19 minutes at the Etihad Stadium but the visitors responded after the break.

Substitute Ansu Fati set up a nervy finish when he pulled a goal back in the 73rd minute and City were left clinging on when Manuel Akanji was sent off for a second bookable offence in stoppage time.

The victory stopped the rot after for City after successive league defeats prior to the international break.

“Against Brighton it’s impossible to control the game for 90, 95 minutes – no team in the world can do that,” said City manager Guardiola. “I’m surprised that we did it for 55, 60 minutes.

“We played an exceptional first half. We had more chances, we were aggressive in the link with the strikers.

“In the second half they closed the space. They are really good and when they have the ball it is almost impossible to take it. We suffered for 10, 15, 20, 25 minutes and then there was a period at the end of the game as well.

“After two defeats the performance was important but I give credit to Roberto (De Zerbi). When you see their games, his team is exceptional. They have a lot of injuries and that’s why I have pride in the team for the victory.”

To compound their defeat, Brighton saw their lengthy casualty list added to as Danny Welbeck and Solly March were forced off with muscular and knee problems respectively.

Manager De Zerbi admitted his side’s extra workload this season due to their involvement in the Europa League was taking its toll.

He said: “This is the worst thing today. We can lose Solly March for a long time and Welbeck I don’t know.

“We are playing a different sport this season. We are losing too many players. I think we are not ready to compete in this competition and we are adapting.”

De Zerbi felt his team gave a good account of themselves after a difficult start.

The Italian said: “We can speak of two parts of the game. The first part – there wasn’t the chance to play, because when City play like they do in first half it is not just very tough for Brighton but for everyone.

“But second half we played better, with more energy, courage and personality. We kept order on the pitch, especially without the ball and we had two or three chances to score again. That improvement is important.”

Luton boss Rob Edwards hailed “magic” super-sub Elijah Adebayo after the striker’s stoppage-time equaliser clinched a 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest.

Forest led 2-0 in the 83rd minute through Chris Wood’s second-half double, but Chiedozie Ogbene gave the Hatters a late lifeline and Adebayo’s superb effort snatched them a point.

The 25-year-old took Tom Lockyer’s long ball into the box on his chest and buried a low shot in the second minute of added time as Luton, promoted via the play-offs in May, registered just their fifth point from nine matches.

Edwards said: “It was a great goal. He’s got those moments. He came on against Burnley and got his goal and he’s done it again today.

“He’s got these little moments of magic in him. The assist he got at Sheffield United, the assist at Wembley. He’s had big moments for us Eli since we’ve been here.

“He was frustrated not to start the game as I would expect, but that’s what you’ve got to do when you come on. That’s what I want. He gives me a difficult decision to make next week.”

Forest were worthy of their 2-0 lead after Wood struck in the 48th and 76th minute, but Luton refused to surrender.

Ogbene lashed home in the 83rd minute after Forest had failed to clear a free-kick and Adebayo, a second-half replacement for Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, had the final word.

Edwards added: “I’m really proud of the players. The spirit, the fight and determination.

“We finish the game strongly. We will never give up, we will always keep fighting.

“We’re where we expected to be. Nobody expects us to be top four. We’re where we expected to be, in the fight we expected to be in. We’re comfortable with it.”

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper could not hide his frustration after his side’s winless run was extended to five matches.

“It’s disappointment in the end,” Cooper said. “We dominated the game and we’re disappointed we weren’t leading by one or two goals at half-time.

“We obviously got the early goal in the second half and then made it 2-0 and it all changes on a set-piece, which we defended terribly really.

“Of all Luton’s threats off set-plays, it was the worst delivery of the day and ends up in the back of our net and that’s where the momentum changes.

“It’s a real pity because of the way we had played for however long it was before their first goal went in because it was a comfortable game for us.”

Thomas Frank admitted his five-year anniversary celebration meal will taste a lot better after Brentford’s 3-0 Premier League win over 10-man Burnley.

The Bees had not won at home all season but goals from Yoane Wissa, Bryan Mbeumo and Saman Ghoddos left Frank toasting half a decade in charge in style.

“It was very good performance, a completely well-deserved win,” said Frank.

“The first half was maybe our best performance this season. We should have probably been 3-0 up – that’s the only negative.

“That’s us at home, having attack after attack, high intensity. A very strong performance. In the second half, Burnley got a little bit into the game but 2-0 killed them off.”

Frank, who took charge of the Bees in October 2018, added: “I’m just privileged and happy to have been here almost seven years and five years as head coach.

“It’s definitely better to celebrate with a win. I will be having a good glass of red and a bit of tapas, I think.”

There was another VAR issue for fourth official Darren England to deal with after Neal Maupay had an early header ruled out.

Nathan Collins was clearly onside when he hooked Mbeumo’s free-kick back across goal, while his central-defensive partner Kristoffer Ajer was standing beyond him in an offside position.

But it was Collins who was given offside by VAR Stuart Attwell according to the big screen in the ground, leaving England – only just returning to Premier League duty after he oversaw the VAR fiasco at Tottenham against Liverpool last month – to face the wrath of Frank.

In fact it was subsequently explained by the PGMOL that Ajer had been given offside, as he was obstructing Lyle Foster.

Frank, who was later booked for another rant at England after a foul on Mbeumo, said: “I still think the goal is very borderline.

“But when I have a go at the fourth official, I am always disappointed in myself.”

For Burnley another week in the bottom three beckons, which will come as little surprise if Luca Koleosho’s late miss-of-the-season contender – he somehow sliced wide of an open goal from five yards out – is anything to go by.

Their miserable afternoon was complete when Connor Roberts was sent off late on for bringing down Wissa.

“Simple. Overall, not good enough,” was Clarets boss Vincent Kompany’s verdict.

“In the first half, losing 1-0 was flattering to us. In the second half, I thought we came out and looked like we should have done in the first half.

“We played really well for that spell, but moments we don’t take – and they did take – put the game past us. But you can’t have 45 minutes like that in the Premier League.”

Thomas Frank celebrated five years in charge at Brentford with a much-needed 3-0 Premier League win over 10-man Burnley.

But there was another VAR issue for Darren England to deal with after Neal Maupay had an early header ruled out.

Goals from Yoane Wissa, Bryan Mbeumo and Saman Ghoddos secured a first home victory of the season for the Bees.

But earlier Brentford striker Maupay saw a first-half goal disallowed after he headed in a cross from Nathan Collins.

Collins was clearly onside when Mbeumo swung in the initial free-kick, while his central-defensive partner Kristoffer Ajer was standing beyond him in an offside position.

But it was Collins who was given offside by VAR Stuart Attwell according to the big screen in the ground, leaving fourth official England – only just returning to Premier League duty after he oversaw the VAR fiasco at Tottenham against Liverpool last month – to face the wrath of Frank.

In fact it was later explained by the PGMOL that Ajer had been given offside, as he was obstructing Lyle Foster.

Luckily there will be no calls to replay this one from Frank, whose side were full value for the win and would have been 4-0 up at half-time were it not for VAR and Clarets goalkeeper James Trafford.

Christian Norgaard saw a shot blocked on the line by Charlie Taylor and Mbeumo’s effort was held by Trafford before Brentford’s pressure told after 25 minutes when Sander Berge lost possession.

Maupay fed the ball out to Mbeumo, whose precise pass across goal was gleefully tapped in at the far post by Wissa.

Maupay’s quest for a goal – he has not scored in the Premier League in more than a year – continued when he found himself one-on-one with Trafford, who got a slight hand to the Frenchman’s shot.

The Brentford fans behind the goal were willing the ball to roll in, but Dara O’Shea got back to hook it off the line.

Trafford then produced a stunning save to deny Wissa from point-blank range before tipping Maupay’s drive over the crossbar.

Brentford have thrown away 11 points from winning positions this season, but there were to be no such jitters this time as they grabbed a second on the hour mark.

Frank Onyeka fed Ajer, who in turn gave Maupay the ball to lay back for Mbeumo, who finished superbly into the top corner from the edge of the area.

For Burnley another week in the bottom three beckons, which will come as little surprise if Luca Koleosho’s late miss-of-the-season contender – he somehow sliced wide of an open goal from five yards out – is anything to go by.

Their miserable afternoon was complete when Connor Roberts was sent off late on for bringing down Wissa before Ghaddos put the gloss on Brentford’s win with a long-range volley.

Sasa Kalajdzic fired a late winner as Wolves completed a 2-1 comeback over 10-man Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium.

Dominic Solanke gave the home support hope of a first win of the season when he handed his side the lead in the first half on ex-Cherries boss Gary O’Neil’s first trip back to his former side.

It was all square two minutes after the break thanks to Matheus Cunha before the afternoon further unraveled for the hosts when Lewis Cook was sent off for a headbutt on Hwang Hee-chan .

Bournemouth had their chances and managed to keep things level until deep into the second period, but the late drama left the Cherries mired in an abysmal start to their campaign.

While O’Neil insisted his first trip back to Bournemouth was strictly business, one could forgive any deja vu he might have experienced standing in the opposite dugout, now managing the team he faced as a first-time Premier League manager last season.

This time it was a Cherries player, not a manager, who marked his Premier League debut with Andoni Iraola handing now-fit summer signing Alex Scott a start.

Both keepers were tested early, the hosts working the ball to David Brooks, who forced Jose Sa into a simple save with a rolling effort from the right.

A flurry of activity at the other end of the pitch soon saw Pedro Neto – making his 100th Premier League appearance – smash an effort off the crossbar, Cunha denied by Cherries keeper Neto, and Hwang – in the hunt for his seventh goal in nine games – nod wide.

With the unrelenting back-and-forth nature of the period still sustained it felt like a goal was imminent, and it soon came via another well-linked sequence beginning with Brooks finding Philip Billing.

The Denmark international slipped the ball to Solanke, who opened the scoring with a backheeled finish from six yards out, the 1-0 advantage standing at the break despite both sides threatening.

Wolves were level less than two minutes after the restart when Cunha fired past a diving Neto and soon it all began to unravel for the hosts, who were down to 10 men after Cook went in for a headbutt on Hwang and was shown a straight red after a VAR review.

The mood in the stadium, bursting with hope after Solanke’s opener, quickly soured as the officials broke up the ensuing fracas, though spirits somewhat lifted when substitute Ryan Christie was able to break loose and force Sa into a low save.

The hosts were given a boost when Neto squandered a late chance by firing his effort over the crossbar.

The Cherries sparked back to life after Dango Ouattara battled to win the ball deep inside Wolves’ half and had chances through Joe Rothwell and Billing, but after deftly defending deep into the second half, saw a potential point slip away when Hwang played through Kalajdzic, who side-footed in the winner.

Manchester City hit back from successive defeats to secure a 2-1 victory over Brighton at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola’s side had slipped off the top of the Premier League table after defeats to Wolves and Arsenal before the international break but found form again to brush aside the high-flying Seagulls.

Julian Alvarez fired the hosts ahead after just seven minutes ahead with a composed finish from Jeremy Doku’s cutback before Erling Haaland made it two with a left-footed strike from 18 yards.

A goal from Barcelona loanee Ansu Fati for the visitors set up a nervous finish, but the hosts held on for their seventh Premier League win of the season despite Manuel Akanji’s late red card.

Mohamed Salah became the first Liverpool player since Peter Beardsley 32 years ago to score in Anfield’s opening four league matches with both goals in a 2-0 victory over 10-man Everton in the 243rd Merseyside derby.

Ashley Young was sent off for a second bookable offence shortly before half-time to make the Toffees’ task of ending their woeful record across Stanley Park even more difficult.

Salah converted a 75th-minute penalty after a Michael Keane handball and then rounded off a counter-attack in added time to briefly lift the Reds to the top of the table before City’s victory over Brighton.

Newcastle ran riot to win 4-0 against Crystal Palace at St James’ Park.

The Magpies stretched their unbeaten run to five matches, with Jacob Murphy giving the hosts the ideal start after just four minutes as his looped effort found the far corner from Kieran Trippier’s cross.

Eddie Howe’s side put the game to bed with two goals within three minutes before the break as Anthony Gordon and Sean Longstaff fired in, and Callum Wilson added a fourth in the 66th minute as he latched on to Murphy’s pass.

Luton showed their battling qualities as they recovered from 2-0 down to grab a 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

The hosts led through a Chris Wood brace, but the Hatters hit back, with Chiedozie Ogbene giving them hope before Elijah Adebayo blasted in an equaliser.

There was further late drama as Wood thought he had scored what would have been his hat-trick goal, but it was disallowed for offside.

Brentford proved too good for Burnley as they beat the Clarets 3-0 in west London.

Yoane Wissa’s third league goal of the season gave Brentford the lead after 25 minutes and Bryan Mbeumo added the Bees’ second with a sublime curling effort from the edge of the box.

Connor Roberts’ dismissal in the 78th minute made it an uphill task for Burnley to get back into the game and a stunning strike from Saman Ghoddos in the 87th minute put the result beyond doubt.

A well-taken goal by Sasa Kalajdzic helped Wolves beat Bournemouth 2-1 and ensure a happy return for their manager Gary O’Neil to the Vitality Stadium.

O’Neil was dismissed in the summer, with Andoni Iraola brought in to replace him, and his new club fell behind to a Dominic Solanke goal in the 17th minute.

However, Wolves hit back as Matheus Cunha fired in an equaliser early in the second period and the Cherries then had Lewis Cook sent off for an apparent headbutt on Hwang Hee-chan.

The game appeared to be heading towards a draw before Austria international Kalajdzic’s calm finish from Hwang’s pass with two minutes of regular time remaining.