Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti would love to see Cristiano Ronaldo move to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

He doubts it will happen before the transfer deadline on Thursday, but Spalletti made it clear he believes Ronaldo could make a big impact on his team.

Ronaldo is no stranger to Serie A after spending three seasons at Juventus, and Napoli have been linked with a move for the 37-year-old in recent days.

He continues to be linked with an exit after starting just once this season under new Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, having joined the Red Devils when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was boss 12 months ago.

Dutchman Ten Hag said on Saturday, after Ronaldo played as a substitute in the 1-0 win at Southampton: "We want him to stay."

There is time for movement, however, before the exit door closes, with Ronaldo reportedly keen to play Champions League football in the new season, which is something United cannot offer.

Talk of a swap deal involving Napoli's Victor Osimhen was brushed aside by Osimhen's agent this week, with Roberto Calenda writing on Twitter: "No negotiations in progress, no exchanges."

Now Spalletti has offered his personal view on Ronaldo, saying on Saturday: "Anyone would like to coach him, but as Osimhen's agent said there is no negotiation. [Napoli owner Aurelio] De Laurentiis also confirmed this."

With the window closing, Spalletti added: "I see it as difficult."

Ronaldo has had little to say about his future. He has been tipped for moves to the likes of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Sporting CP and Atletico Madrid in recent weeks, but nothing has materialised. Last season, he was United's 24-goal leading scorer across all competitions.

Spalletti is one of the first significant figures to openly enthuse about the prospect of signing the veteran former Real Madrid forward during this twilight phase of his rightly lauded career.

He sees no problem with integrating Ronaldo, should he ever become available to Napoli.

"We are talking about someone who has won more championships, scored more goals, has the quality to be anywhere on the pitch," said Spalletti, quoted by Corriere dello Sport, ahead of his team's match at Fiorentina on Sunday.

"He is someone who resolves things on his own. The problem would not exist in one way or another."

Mikel Arteta applauded Arsenal's grit as they proved their ability to win ugly against Fulham, but he is not getting carried away about title talk.

Arsenal preserved their perfect start to the Premier League season with a 2-1 win over the Cottagers at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

It was arguably the least fluent Arsenal have looked this season but they managed to get the job done, with Gabriel Magalhaes getting the winner to make amends for the error that initially gifted Aleksandar Mitrovic the opening goal.

Captain Martin Odegaard had levelled for the Gunners prior to Gabriel's 85th-minute goal, which ensured Arsenal began the season with four successive wins for the first time since 2004.

Arsenal have routinely been criticised for a perceived lack of character over the years, but Saturday's success suggested the current team may have more about them.

"Big boost, winning like this is really nice," Arteta said.

"We made a mistake and they punished us but then how we reacted against adversity, the connection with the supporters, the way we went about it, the team believed.

"They wanted to win the match, they went for it and we managed to do it."

Regardless of results in the remaining matchday four fixtures, Arsenal will head into the midweek games at the top of the table and with the last remaining 100 per cent record in the division.

The Gunners have garnered much acclaim for their start to the campaign, with Arteta's side playing attractive – and effective – football prior to the Fulham win.

Arteta is not getting sucked into any talk of a title challenge, though.

"No, it's the start of the season," he said when asked if they are already in a title race.

"This is a long marathon. Be humble, and hungry."

Arsenal face Aston Villa next on Wednesday before a trip to Old Trafford four days later.

Liverpool equalled the Premier League record for the biggest win after putting Bournemouth to the sword with a 9-0 victory at Anfield – becoming only the fourth side to score nine goals in a game in the competition after Manchester United, Leicester City and Tottenham.

Striker Roberto Firmino opened his account for the season with a brace to hit a landmark 100 goals for Liverpool, while elsewhere in England's north west Manchester City won a Premier League game after being 2-0 behind at the break for the first time, beating Crystal Palace 3-2.

Manchester United secured a second win in a week with a 1-0 win against Southampton, ending a run of seven-consecutive away defeats in the Premier League, and 10-man Chelsea beat Leicester City 2-1 – which saw back-to-back dismissals for the Blues, the first time since under Jose Mourinho in 2014.

Elsewhere, Brighton maintained their fine start to the season with a 1-0 win against Leeds United, Brentford held Everton to a 1-1 draw and Arsenal came from behind to beat Fulham 2-1.

Stats Perform has taken a dive into Opta's data pool to present a number-led review on the best of the day's Premier League action.

Liverpool 9-0 Bournemouth: Reds run riot to equal Premier League record

Jurgen Klopp's men saw plenty of records fall their way as they picked up a first Premier League victory of the season at the fourth time of asking, equalling a club record for their biggest margin of league victory – when beating Crystal Palace 9-0 in 1989 and Rotherham Town 10-1 in 1896.

A first-half blitz saw the Reds score five in the first half of a Premier League game for the first time, while it was the first occasion they had scored five in the first half of a top-flight match since October 1927 against Portsmouth.

Firmino was undoubtedly the star of the show, becoming the first Liverpool player to be directly involved in four goals in the first half of a single Premier League match (one goal, three assists), and a second goal after the break saw the Brazilian become just the third Liverpool player to have a hand in five goals in a single Premier League match after Mohamed Salah against Watford in March 2018 and Luis Suarez versus Norwich in December 2013.

It was also a day for the next generation, with goals from Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho, both 19, seeing Liverpool have two different teenagers score in the same Premier League game for the first time in their history.

For Bournemouth, the loss hands Scott Parker's side an unwanted record having conceded 16 goals in the first four games in the Premier League, more than any other side, while their aggregate score against Liverpool in the past seven Premier League matches stands at 28-1 against.

Manchester City 4-2 Crystal Palace: Haaland hits hat-trick as champions break tradition

Falling 2-0 down in the first half, it appeared City were set for another surprising home defeat to Crystal Palace, but a valiant response after the break saw Pep Guardiola's side break tradition – coming back from a two-goal deficit at the break to win a Premier League match for the first time ever, having drawn two and lost 51 of the previous 53 occasions.

Performances will be concerning, however, with City falling two goals behind in four of their past six Premier League matches, as many as in their previous 84 matches combined.

Both goals came after 21 minutes, marking the earliest City have been two behind at home in the Premier League since December 2010 against Everton (2-0 down after 19 minutes).

City have been formidable when falling behind, though, and a quick start for Haaland to life at City will be extremely encouraging, netting his fourth hat-trick in Europe's big five leagues and becoming just the fourth player to score six-or-more goals in their first four Premier League appearances after Diego Costa, Sergio Aguero and Mick Quinn.

Palace can at least be encouraged by the performance of Eberechi Eze, who is just the third player to provide an assist in three consecutive away appearances for the Eagles after John Salako in 1992 and Christian Benteke in 2018.

Arsenal 2-1 Fulham: Gunners grind out result to maintain 100 per cent record

For only the third time in Premier League history, Arsenal have won each of their opening four matches in a season. The Gunners have not managed that feat since 2004-05, when they went on to finish runners-up, and in 2003-04, when they won the title.

Mikel Arteta's side showed they were made of sterner stuff, conceding first in the second half and going on to win for the first time since Boxing Day 2013 against West Ham. It marked the manager's 100th league match in style, with Arteta picking up 100 points in his second 50 games (W32 D4 L14) after accruing 75 in his first 50 (W21 D12 L17).

Gabriel's winning goal was his eighth strike in the Premier League since the start of 2020-21, more than any other central defender, while Martin Odegaard scored his third in three matches, as many as he netted in his previous 24.

For Fulham, a poor record in London derbies was maintained as the Cottagers have won just one of their past 26 in the Premier League, drawing five and losing 20, though Aleksandar Mitrovic netted his 100th goal for the club in all competitions – only Mohamed Salah (133), Harry Kane (121) and Ivan Toney (106) have scored more in England's top four tiers in that time.

Gabriel Magalhaes made amends for a terrible mistake by scoring a late winner as Arsenal maintained their 100 per cent Premier League record with a 2-1 victory over Fulham.

Aleksandar Mitrovic capitalised on Gabriel's error to give the Cottagers the lead with his 100th goal for the club against the run of play, as Saturday's London derby burst into life in the second half at Emirates Stadium.

Martin Odegaard equalised with a deflected strike and Gabriel scrambled the ball home in the 85th minute after former Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno flapped at a corner.

Victory for the Gunners in Mikel Arteta's 100th Premier League game in charge made it four out of four in the top flight this season and put them back at the top of the table.

Arsenal zipped the ball around with swagger in a promising start and Granit Xhaka burst into the penalty area to volley off target after Gabriel Jesus set him up.

Leno produced a fine save to deny Bukayo Saka an opening goal when the winger found himself through one-on-one, in a first half where Arteta's side dominated but lacked a cutting edge.

Leno was called into action again early in the second half, palming away Odegaard's drive and smothering a shot from the lively Jesus.

It was Fulham who took the lead 11 minutes into the second half courtesy of a gift from Gabriel, who was made to pay for dallying on the ball when Mitrovic robbed him and slotted beyond Aaron Ramsdale.

Arsenal were level eight minutes later, though, when the excellent Odegaard's left-footed shot from just inside the area deflected in off Tosin Adarabioyo.

Mitrovic almost restored Fulham's lead with a powerful header that tested Ramsdale's reactions and Ben White's block thwarted Bobby De Cordova-Reid following up.

Eddie Nketiah flashed a shot wide of the far post and fired straight at Leno as Arsenal piled on pressure, but Gabriel pounced to prod in from close range when the Fulham keeper made a mess of trying to deal with a corner from the left.

Nathaniel Chalobah could have snatched a point, but Ramsdale denied him to ensure Arsenal have maximum points in a promising start to the campaign.

Scott Parker was not surprised by Bournemouth's remarkable 9-0 defeat at Liverpool and warned the club they need to "get competitive" to avoid a repeat.

Liverpool, who were winless heading into Saturday's game at Anfield, tied the Premier League record with a hugely one-sided scoreline – the joint-worst loss Bournemouth have suffered in their league history.

Luis Diaz and Roberto Firmino both scored twice, while Harvey Elliott, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Fabio Carvalho also netted, along with a Chris Mepham own goal.

Bournemouth have now lost three consecutive games to Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool, conceding 16 goals without reply. No side have previously shipped as many at this stage of a Premier League season.

Parker was critical of his players against Arsenal but sided with them after this latest rout, repeating his pre-season belief that the squad was short of the required quality following promotion from the Championship.

"I think the bottom line is we were in the arena with massive quality," he explained to Sky Sports. "At this present moment in time, we're probably not equipped to handle where it currently is really.

"So, I'm hugely disappointed, one, because of the result, of course.

"I'm disappointed for the travelling fans, and I'm also bitterly disappointed for the players as well really. It doesn't surprise me, and I probably sensed this.

"Yeah, this is probably where it is at this present moment in time, in terms of the players and everyone needs a little bit of help.

"Today just proved too big a challenge. The levels were far too big, and the quality was there for everyone to see, really.

"A clinical team, and we couldn't bear that, at times the intensity of the stadium as well.

"We've got a decision to make, really – I think that's where it is as a football club. We've got a decision to make. We need to get competitive in this division, really, because there will be days like this."

Pep Guardiola put Manchester City's Premier League rivals on notice as he nonchalantly shrugged off the significance of Erling Haaland's hat-trick against Crystal Palace as "nothing special".

City beat Palace 4-2 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday as they came from two goals behind for the fourth time in six Premier League matches.

A John Stones own goal and Joachim Andersen's header had Palace in a commanding position by the 21st minute, but the excellent Bernardo Silva instigated the comeback by pulling one back just after half-time.

Haaland then took over, scoring twice with poacher's finishes before wrapping up his hat-trick with a clinical strike after holding off his marker.

It was his fourth hat-trick in one of Europe's big five leagues and made him just the fourth player to score six or more goals in his first four Premier League appearances.

Initially, Guardiola was hardly giddy with excitement about the hat-trick as he essentially suggested such a display of goalscoring is par for the course with the Norwegian, but he later expanded on his early impressions of City's new star striker.

Guardiola told Sky Sports: "What he has done today he has done all his career. It's nothing special."

He then added in his post-match press conference: "I would say thanks to me for my brilliant ideas, but I'd say Erling has done this since he was born.

"Always he has done this in his life, at Salzburg, BVB [Borussia Dortmund], always scored goals. These teams who defend deep... he has an incredible sense of goal. The three goals, especially the last one, the first one as well, good goals.

"He came for that [scoring important goals], what he has done all his life, the numbers of this guy is beyond [comprehension].

"The most important thing is he settled perfectly, an incredibly humble guy. He chats more with guys from the academy players, and it means a lot.

"What I like about Erling is we are still knowing each other, still need more time. I saw his body language at 2-0 down how he encouraged his mates. I had the feeling maybe he was not involved in the game, but always he was there.

"He didn't run from the game, always he is there. As a striker, that is incredible, he didn't touch the ball but had a feeling the ball was there and was always involved.

"Football is here [the head]. The third goal, it's the same pass from [Ilkay] Gundogan at West Ham, we spoke to put the ball to his feet between the central defenders.

"It was quite similar to West Ham how he used his body. He didn't shoot, he put it soft where the keeper cannot save. Look at the numbers, strikers are numbers. You see how many games in his career; how many goals [he's scored] is astonishing."

Haaland's hat-trick came from 1.4 expected goals, highlighting just how clinical the former Borussia Dortmund star was on the day.

But more importantly, his exploits turned a losing position into a winning one, and that is essentially why Guardiola wanted to sign him.

"Definitely for this type of game," Guardiola told BBC Sport of his reasons for signing the striker. "We have not done anything special for him that he didn't do before.

"It is important for him to get goals. He has the sense to score goals. The third one, to have the quality to be strong then put the ball in the net... the space depends on the movement of the opponents.

"You have to be patient and have more runners. It gives him more space."

Crisis, what crisis?

After a winless three-game start to the season, Liverpool responded in style against Bournemouth at Anfield by equalling the record for the biggest win in Premier League history.

It saw them join Manchester United, Leicester City and Tottenham as the only clubs to have scored nine in a match in the competition.

The win also marked the first time Liverpool had hit the nine-goal tally since a 9-0 victory against Crystal Palace in December 1989 in the old First Division.

Here, we look back at times when one-sided encounters in England's top flight have spun wildly out of control.

Liverpool 9-0 Bournemouth - August 27, 2022

Roberto Firmino was star of the show as a thrilling performance saw the Brazilian secure a hat-trick of assists in the first half, setting up Luis Diaz, Harvey Elliott and Trent Alexander-Arnold before adding his own name to the scoresheet. Virgil van Dijk made it 5-0 before the break and the woes for Cherries boss Scott Parker continued, Chris Mepham putting the ball into his own net just a minute into the second half. Firmino got a second after the hour mark and the hosts did not rest on their laurels, Fabio Carvalho and Diaz on the scoresheet in the final 10 minutes.

Manchester United 9-0 Southampton - February 2, 2021

After Alexandre Jankewitz was dismissed for a shocking studs-up lunge on Scott McTominay, Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl perhaps should have checked the date and feared the worst. February 2 is Groundhog Day and Southampton had been here before. Aaron Wan-Bissaka got United off and running in the 18th minute, with Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani more familiar sights on the scoresheet either side of a Jan Bednarek own goal. Anthony Martial came on at half-time, but even after he scored in the 69th minute and McTominay did shortly afterwards, the game could have meandered towards a conclusion. Instead, the roof fell in on Southampton as they crumpled entirely under late strikes from Martial and Dan James after a Bruno Fernandes penalty and a red card for Bednarek.

Southampton 0-9 Leicester City – October 25, 2019

Ryan Bertrand – one of seven Southampton players to feature in both 9-0s – was the Jankewitz of the piece as he was sent off for a challenge in the build-up to Ben Chilwell's 10th-minute opener. Youri Tielemans was granted ample room to double the lead, then Ayoze Perez began romping towards a hat-trick that he completed a minute before Jamie Vardy's headed second made it 7-0 in the 58th minute. A James Maddison free-kick and a Vardy penalty took this defeat into uncharted territory for a home side in the Premier League.

Manchester United 9-0 Ipswich Town – March 4, 1995

For nearly a quarter of a century, Alex Ferguson's United were out there on their own. Andy Cole scored five after Roy Keane began this rout in the 15th minute. Mark Hughes hit a quickfire second-half double and Paul Ince also got in on the act. Peter Schmeichel watched it all unfold from the other end, just as his son Kasper did in goal for Leicester at St Mary's all those years later.

Tottenham 9-1 Wigan Athletic – November 22, 2009

Wigan had a slither of hope when Paul Scharner pulled a goal back to make it 3-1 before the hour at White Hart Lane. Ultimately, the only significance of that strike was to keep them off the top of this list. Jermain Defoe did his best Cole impression, rattling in five goals from the 51st minute onwards, while Aaron Lennon, David Bentley and Nico Kranjcar piled on the pain. Remarkably, Peter Crouch's ninth-minute header was the only goal of the 10 scored before half-time.

That same season, Wigan lost 8-0 at Chelsea, who beat Aston Villa by the same margin at Stamford Bridge two and a half years later. Newcastle United claimed the Premier League's first 8-0 win at the expense of Sheffield Wednesday in 1999, with Alan Shearer scoring five.

Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel hailed Raheem Sterling for his match-winning display against Leicester City that made sure the Blues bounced back after defeat to Leeds United last time out.

Tuchel, in the stands due to a touchline ban, saw his side endure a difficult first half at Stamford Bridge, in which Conor Gallagher was sent off after 27 minutes for two bookable offences.

But Chelsea responded following half-time, and Sterling's first goal for the club came shortly after the restart with the aid of a deflection off Daniel Amartey.

Sterling soon turned in Reece James' low cross for his second, and goal proved decisive as Tuchel's men clung on despite a Harvey Barnes riposte.

"It was necessary because we need him to score," Tuchel said after Chelsea's 2-1 win. "It's what he does, and he will score.

"I could feel he was not happy because he wants to score more and have more chances.

"We played today in a more aggressive shape, but then we were one man down, so we needed him to step up, which he did. The goals were crucial today because they gave us the belief."

Tuchel was critical of Gallagher, sent off in only his fourth Premier League outing for Chelsea, but pointed out others were also to blame for the challenge on Barnes that saw him dismissed.

"Today he is responsible for what he did, and he knows it was a huge mistake," Tuchel said. "We spoke briefly after the game, and things like this happen.

"It's not purely his fault alone because it was a set-piece for us and it's sloppy how we take set-pieces at the moment.

"We lack belief and precision, so it’s not good enough. We give chances away, we are sloppy in the coverage and bad in decision-making, so we have to stop and improve immediately.

"We are on it with the team, so I don't know why it happened again. It's a very bad decision for Conor, so of course he's upset, because it almost kills a whole football match."

Jurgen Klopp insisted Liverpool did not intend to humiliate Bournemouth in their record-equalling 9-0 Premier League win while calling for his team to rediscover the consistency that has turned them into perennial title challengers.

Klopp's men came into Saturday's game at Anfield under pressure having started the season with draws against Fulham and Crystal Palace before losing to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

But they returned to form in incredible fashion at home, tying a record win first set by United against Ipswich Town back in 1995.

Luis Diaz and Roberto Firmino both scored twice, the latter involved in five goals, while Harvey Elliott, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Fabio Carvalho also found the net for Liverpool, who received a helping boot from Chris Mepham when he scored an own goal under a minute into the second half.

It was a remarkable response to the questions raised about Liverpool after a defeat at Old Trafford in which they were uninspiring going forward and wretched at the back.

And Klopp could understandably not have been more delighted with his team's resilience.

"We wanted to show a reaction. Be ourselves. Getting to be the best version of ourselves. We play a specific way," Klopp said in quotes reported by BBC Sport.

"We scored wonderful goals. The game settled and we kept scoring. It was about keeping going. Not to humiliate Bournemouth, we couldn't respect them more. It's about putting the opponent under pressure.

"I could bring on the kids, they deserve it so much. Harvey is a special player, wonderful goal. Everything was perfect pretty much."

Next up for Liverpool is the visit of a Newcastle United side who entered the weekend unbeaten, and Klopp is anticipating a more testing contest after coming up against non-existent resistance fromt the Cherries.

"Wednesday [against Newcastle] will be different," Klopp added. "Today the mix of great weather and fantastic football, we don't have that often at Liverpool so we should cherish it.

"At least we don't have to answer the question anymore [about not winning]. A really good day for us. We won't get carried away.

"If we want to be successful in this league, we have to show consistency. That's what we have to do now. That used to be our strength. We'll watch Newcastle tomorrow [Sunday, against Wolves] and see what we can do against them."

Raheem Sterling's first two Chelsea goals proved decisive as the 10-man Blues edged out Leicester City 2-1 on Saturday.

The former Manchester City forward opened his account at Stamford Bridge with a second-half brace to get Chelsea back to winning ways in the Premier League.

Thomas Tuchel – who served a touchline ban and watched this game from the stands – had seen his side beaten 3-0 at Leeds United last week, and they looked to be in for another tough day when Conor Gallagher was sent off.

However, Leicester's latest poor display saw them slump to a third defeat in four league games, only replying through Harvey Barnes after Sterling had struck twice.

Chelsea made a promising start but had their penalty award overturned following a VAR review as Kai Havertz had strayed offside before Youri Tielemans bundled over Loftus-Cheek, who was earlier denied by Danny Ward.

The hosts were reduced to 10 men just before the half-hour mark as Gallagher earned two yellow cards in little over six minutes, the second for a foul on Barnes.

Leicester thought they had snatched the lead when Daniel Amartey prodded in, but the goal was disallowed after Barnes fouled Edouard Mendy, while Reece James rattled the post at the other end.

It was Chelsea who were in front within two minutes of the second half as Sterling's 20-yard effort looped over Ward via a deflection off Amartey.

Sterling was denied by the post soon after, but he did double his tally in the 63rd minute, touching in James' low cross from the right.

Leicester responded three minutes later as Barnes fired past Mendy at his near post, yet they then missed a flurry of chances to equalise, with Ayoze Perez going closest as he hit the underside of the crossbar.

Liverpool equalled the Premier League's record win as they crushed sorry Bournemouth 9-0 at Anfield to claim their first victory of the season.

Jurgen Klopp's side had gone into the game facing pointed questions about a team depleted by injuries following a 2-1 loss to Manchester United on Monday.

But those questions were answered in remarkable fashion against Scott Parker's side as they scored twice in the opening six minutes and five times in the first half.

Luis Diaz opened the scoring with a fine header before Harvey Elliott found the net for the first time in the Premier League. Trent Alexander-Arnold answered critics of his performance at Old Trafford with a spectacular strike before Roberto Firmino capped a three-assist first half with a goal and Virgil van Dijk headed in the fifth.

Chris Mepham's own goal continued the rout after the restart, while Firmino and Diaz each doubled their tallies either side of a Fabio Carvalho goal to make Premier League history.

Diaz found the top-right corner with a powerful header back across goal from Firmino's cross, and Elliott produced both placement and power to bend into the bottom-left corner from the edge of the area.

Mohamed Salah twice saw gilt-edged chances go begging, turning wide at the end of an intricate move involving Diaz, Firmino and Elliott before his close-range volley was turned over by Mark Travers.

Yet Travers was helpless to deny Alexander-Arnold as he rifled a scorching long-range strike into the top-left corner and he was soon picking the ball out of his net once more when the excellent Firmino volleyed in after Salah's pass was deflected into his path.

There was yet more first-half pain for Bournemouth, which came courtesy of Van Dijk, whose towering header from Andrew Robertson's corner made it 5-0.

Bournemouth's day was encapsulated under 60 seconds into the second half when Mepham turned into his own net under pressure from Diaz, who was in an offside position.

Firmino prodded in after Travers spilled Robertson's cross, with Carvalho then getting in the on the act with a volley and Diaz tying the record through a header from a near-post corner.

Erling Haaland's scored a hat-trick as Manchester City once again fought back from two down, beating Crystal Palace 4-2 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola's men found themselves trailing by two goals for the fourth time in six Premier League matches, but they stormed back to defeat Palace.

Eberechi Eze had a role in both goals as Palace raced into a 2-0 lead thanks to John Stones' own goal and Joachim Andersen's bullet header, leaving a blunt City side stunned at the interval.

But the excellent Bernardo Silva began the comeback by halving the deficit just after half-time before Haaland took over, completing the turnaround with a pair of poacher's finishes and a third clinical strike for the champions.

City had an uphill task early on, as Eze's free-kick delivery deflected off Kyle Walker and found its way in off Stones.

The hosts' response was hardly emphatic, and they found themselves two down by the 21st minute for the first time in the league since December 2010.

Another Eze set-piece – this time a corner – teed up a powerful header into the bottom-left corner from Andersen, who easily evaded Walker.

Silva looked City's biggest threat and was unsurprisingly the one to pull a goal back in the 53rd minute, cutting in from the right and seeing a low strike flicked past Guaita by Jeffrey Schlupp.

City levelled just past the hour as Haaland beat his marker to head Phil Foden's cross in from close range, before then putting them in front with a tap-in 20 minutes from time.

He slotted past Guaita to complete his hat-trick and cap a fine second-half City display after brilliantly holding off his marker.

Erik ten Hag plans to keep Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United after their valuable win at Southampton, as he revealed his club are "alert" to the possibility of incomings.

Bruno Fernandes scored a terrific goal to guide United to a 1-0 win at St Mary's on Saturday, doubling their Premier League points tally for the season and handing Ten Hag his first back-to-back victories at the helm.

As well as claiming their first consecutive league wins since February, when they beat Brighton and Hove Albion and Leeds United, the Red Devils ended a seven-match away losing run. 

While United offered a glimpse of their potential under Ten Hag with a professional display on the south coast, movement is expected at Old Trafford before the transfer window closes on Thursday.

Ronaldo continues to be linked with an exit after starting just once this season, while Eredivisie duo Antony and Cody Gakpo have been touted as attacking targets.

While Ten Hag is still eyeing further additions, he insists Ronaldo remains in his thoughts, telling BT Sport: "We plan with him, we stick to the plan.

"If a good player is available, we will strike, because we want to strengthen the squad always. We will be alert until the last second of the window."

United have improved dramatically since they were comprehensively outplayed by Brighton and Brentford in Ten Hag's first two games in charge, and the Dutchman was satisfied with their latest performance.

"I think they learned some lessons from Brentford, it's quite clear. We were compact on their long balls, so that was quite good," he added.

"Of course, we are really happy with this result and also the goal we made. We also made two or three more really good chances, but you hope that you keep more control in the last 30 minutes of the game.

"Don't forget that before half-time we already had the biggest chance of the game, and it was three in one play! I was satisfied and at the start of the game, with better decisions and switches of play, we could have created more.

"But it's the start of the season. It's tough. You have to get into the season, and you have to fight and battle and we did that, then you get rewarded."

Fernandes was the star of the show on Saturday, scoring his 37th Premier League goal for United as he donned the captain's armband – only Mohamed Salah (54), Harry Kane (49) and Son Heung-min (45) have outscored the Portugal midfielder in the Premier League since his 2020 debut.

And Ten Hag said his well-worked strike typifies the style of football he wants to implement at Old Trafford. 

"It was a fantastic finish and I'm really happy for him, his first goal of the season, which is really good," Ten Hag said.

"But I think it was the best part from us, straight after half-time. That is what we demand, you get movement around, and straight after half-time we created three really good chances.

"That is how I see football, how I want us to play.

"There is still room for improvement, to control more, break more or keep better positions in some stages of the game. We are not that long in our way, like every team, but there we can improve."

Bruno Fernandes praised Manchester United for picking up where they left off in their win over Liverpool after firing them to a 1-0 victory at Southampton.

Fernandes produced a classy side-footed finish when he met Diogo Dalot's cross after 55 minutes at St Mary's, guiding United to back-to-back wins for the first time since Erik ten Hag took charge.

Since Fernandes made his United debut in February 2020, only Mohamed Salah (54), Harry Kane (49) and Son Heung-Min (45) have scored more Premier League goals than the Portuguese livewire (37).

The creative midfielder has assumed a crucial role in United's improvement this week, taking on the captain's armband for each of their last two games with Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo both starting on the bench.

Fernandes hailed United's attitude after the win on the south coast, telling BT Sport: "We knew that playing against Southampton away is not easy. We have experienced that already in the last three years.

"We did a great game, sometimes you have to suffer. This is the Premier League, every game is tough. Well done to us.

"Massive three points for us. Now we have to carry on.

"It's important because one win doesn't make the league, two wins don't make the league. We have to carry on this sacrifice in the last two games for the rest of the season. This is what this club demands.

"After Liverpool everyone could feel it, we set the standard so we have to carry on now and if we can, improve it."

Asked about his goal, a cultured finish from a bouncing ball just inside the penalty area, Fernandes was keen to highlight the selfless contributions of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho.

"It was a great ball, even great play from behind. Everything was perfect," he said with a smile.

"I think it was Marcus or Jadon who made the run on the goal and created the space to make it. We did it well, so well done to everyone not just me."

As well as doubling their points tally for the new campaign, United ended a dire run of form on their travels, clinching their first away Premier League win in eight attempts, having last won at Leeds United in February.

Fernandes, who starred as United went an entire Premier League season unbeaten on the road in 2020-21, is simply focused on keeping the Red Devils' improved run going.

"Obviously I think we did two or three seasons ago not losing from home," he added. "But we want to win every game. That's what it's about to play for Manchester United."

Pep Guardiola's influence on Mikel Arteta is clear to see at Arsenal this season, former Gunners midfielder Paul Davis has told Stats Perform.

Arsenal are the only Premier League side to have made a perfect start to the 2022-23 campaign with three wins from their opening three matches.

It is the first time the north London club have achieved that in 18 years and has left fans excited about an unlikely title tilt – or a top-four finish at the very least.

Arteta previously spent three years working under Guardiola on the Manchester City coaching staff, which Davis believes has made the Spaniard a better manager.

"If you're not going to become a better coach when working with someone like Pep, you shouldn't be there," said Davis, who spent 15 years at Arsenal prior to departing in 1995.

"He's obviously learned so much and he's now using a lot of that with Arsenal. You can now see that in games."

While supporters are now firmly behind Arteta, it was a different story 12 months ago after Arsenal lost their first three matches without scoring.

"Arsenal are in a good place now and everybody's happy," Davis added. "But all the fans last year were saying we've got to let him go. They're not saying the same thing now.

"Last season they were going through a bad time. When people were telling me he's got to go, I was saying 'Hold on, he doesn't have to go yet – give him some time'.

"It doesn't surprise me that he's been given time, and now you can see the development of the team and the players."

Arsenal's fast start comes on the back of a busy close season in which they signed Fabio Vieira, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, the latter two joining from Man City.

Jesus has been involved in five goals in his first three Premier League appearances, which is the most of any Arsenal player in their first three games in the competition.

And Davis, speaking exclusively on the release of his new book, Arsenal And After, can see comparisons between Jesus and another Arsenal favourite from the past.

"What's surprised me about him is the hunger he's shown – it's like he really wants to be here," added Davis, who works as a senior coach developer at the Football Association.

"Someone mentioned the other day that Jesus reminds them of Ian Wright, which I can see now but couldn't at the time. 

"Ian had that enthusiasm of wanting to score goals, and he scores goals similar to the ones we've seen from Jesus. They have a similar type of game in wanting to get in behind.

"If he can carry on scoring goals like Ian, Arsenal fans will be happy and I'll be happy. He's made a great start and I can't see why it won't continue."