Brentford made light of Ivan Toney's absence to start their 2024-25 Premier League campaign with a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace, as Yoane Wissa netted a second-half winner.

Bees talisman Toney was left out of the hosts’ squad for Sunday’s game at Gtech Community Stadium, with Thomas Frank confirming before kick-off that decision was made due to transfer interest in the striker.

But his absence was not felt as Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark, cutting onto his favoured left foot to stroke into the bottom-left corner.

However, Palace – who saw strikes from Eberechi Eze and Odsonne Edouard disallowed in either half – came on strong in the second period and levelled through Ethan Pinnock’s own goal.

The Eagles were caught out as the game became stretched, though, with Wissa converting from close range 14 minutes from time to seal the points for Brentford, moving them up to fifth in the early standings.

Data Debrief: Mbeumo and Wissa fill Toney-shaped hole

Frank's pre-match admission that Toney could leave in the final weeks of the transfer window will surely concern Brentford's supporters, with the England international's 36 Premier League goals for the Bees being a club-record tally.

However, the next two players in the club's Premier League scoring charts, Wissa (27) and Mbeumo (23), appeared to relish the freedom of playing in a fluid front three and stepped up in Toney's absence.

Wissa recorded a goal and an assist for the third straight Premier League game after doing do against Bournemouth and Newcastle United to end the 2023-24 season. He is the first player to achieve that feat since Riyad Mahrez did so for Manchester City in December 2021.

Mbeumo, meanwhile, maintained his knack of troubling Brentford's London rivals. Since the start of 2021-22, only Bukayo Saka (12 goals, 14 assists) has bettered Mbeumo's 17 goal involvements (11 goals, six assists) in Premier League London derbies. 

Thiago Motta is confident Juventus will be competitive at the start of the Serie A season despite having more work to do in the transfer market. 

It has been a period of change at the Allianz Stadium, with Motta replacing Massimiliano Allegri as head coach after four years without a league title for the Turin giants, which followed a run of nine straight Scudetto triumphs.

The Bianconeri have brought in midfielders Douglas Luiz and Khephren Thuram but are yet to strengthen their attack despite links with Teun Koopmeiners and Nicolas Gonzalez.

Their struggles in the transfer market could mean the likes of Weston McKennie, who looked to be on his way out at the end of 2023-24, could return to the fold for their Serie A opener against Cesc Fabregas' Como on Monday.

Motta, however, has faith in the players available to him, saying at Sunday's pre-match press conference: "First of all, McKennie is a useful and functional player for our needs.

"Tomorrow we have 19 players to face the game, only 11 can play. I have the possibility to make five substitutions, no more.

"We are in good shape, had good preparation, good training this week, with intensity, everything we want to see, and ready to face tomorrow's game."

Juventus are also likely to offload Italy forward Federico Chiesa, among others, and though former Bologna coach Motta knows there is plenty of work to be done, he is focused purely on starting his reign with a win.

"We are working hard to build a competitive squad together and today we are focused on playing a great game against Como. We will see the rest later," Motta said.

"The most important thing is that, even if you don't like to talk too much about the game, we are focused on playing well, doing our job well and getting the result we want against Como.

"All the players who come tomorrow deserve to be there, whether they play from the start or come in during the game, they do so on merit.

"Nothing is taken for granted, we have to deserve it and we have to focus on ourselves and on tomorrow's game.

"We are facing a team that has made it here from Serie B, they have won many games to get to this point, they have a lot of enthusiasm."

Sunderland made it two wins from two in the new Championship season following a 4-0 rout of Sheffield Wednesday at the Stadium of Light.

Eliezer Mayenda struck twice while Dennis Cirkin and Luke O'Nien were also on target for the Black Cats, who moved up to second in the table behind early leaders Burnley.

Sunderland failed to win any of their final seven home league games at the end of last season, but Regis Le Bris' side came flying out of the blocks and were 2-0 up inside the opening quarter of an hour.

Cirkin broke the deadlock in the 11th minute when he nodded Patrick Roberts' free-kick home, before Mayenda pounced on Josh Windass' loose pass to double the advantage four minutes later.

It was 3-0 in the 24th minute when O'Nien was quickest to react to Chris Rigg's deflected shot, diverting the ball beyond Wednesday goalkeeper James Beadle.

Any faint hopes of an Owls comeback were ended as the hosts sealed the victory within two minutes of the restart, with Jack Clarke squaring the ball for Mayenda to tuck into an empty net.

Data Debrief: Sunday stroll for Sunderland as Black Cats scratch 50-year itch

Sunderland's struggles towards the end of last season are well and truly behind them, as they continued their positive start to this term.

The Black Cats have won their opening two games of a campaign in the second tier for the first time since achieving the feat under Bob Stokoe half a century ago.

Their fast start saw them score three goals in the opening 24 minutes of a Championship game for the first time since going 3-0 up against Gillingham after just 20 minutes in September 2004.

Wednesday, meanwhile, are the first team in England's top four tiers to start a league season with a victory by a margin of four goals or more (4-0 vs Plymouth) then lose their second game by four or more goals since Blackpool in 2010-11 (4-0 vs Wigan, 0-6 vs Arsenal).

Ivan Toney has been left out of Brentford's Premier League opener against Crystal Palace due to ongoing transfer speculation surrounding the striker, Bees boss Thomas Frank confirmed.

The England forward is linked with a move away from the Brentford Community Stadium, with Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea all reportedly interested, as are Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli.

Frank initially stated Toney, who missed the first half of last season through suspension, would be available for Brentford's first game of this campaign during his pre-match press conference.

However, the Dane believes the Bees have demonstrated their ability to cope without his services.

"There's a lot of things going on with Ivan, there's some transfer interest. Because of all that, we decided not to involve him in the squad," Frank told Sky Sports.

It's the classic one - I couldn't give too much the day before. He's been a fantastic player for us, but we showed last year, especially, that we can deal without him."

When asked if Toney had played his final game in a Brentford shirt, the head coach added: "Who knows? There's interest, but there's nothing close."

Meanwhile, Marc Guehi was named in Palace's starting line-up, despite the defender being the subject of several bids from Newcastle United.

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone believes new signing Julian Alvarez shares the club's DNA and will be an immediate hit in LaLiga.

Atletico completed a deal worth up to €95million (£81.5m) for Alvarez earlier this week, bringing an end to his trophy-laden two-year spell with Manchester City.

The Argentina international, who scored 19 goals across all competitions in his final campaign with City, could make his Atleti debut on Monday, when they begin their LaLiga campaign with a trip to Villarreal.

Despite Alvarez not having much time to train with his team-mates, Simeone believes he has adapted quickly and could make a flying start to his time at the Civitas Metropolitano. 

"Julian is a player we are all looking forward to seeing and who will help us to be better. It was all very sudden, so quick," Simeone said at Sunday's pre-match press conference. 

"He just arrived a little while ago, has been training for four days but has been adapting fast.

"But I see him with a lot of enthusiasm, knowing where he is coming from and understanding where he is heading towards. His characteristics fit the Atleti DNA."

Atletico have also completed deals for Spain's Euro 2024-winning defender Robin Le Normand and Alexander Sorloth, who was one goal away from a share of LaLiga's Golden Boot last season.

However, Simeone has played down talk of Los Colchoneros rivalling Real Madrid – who completed a long-awaited move for Kylian Mbappe this off-season – and Barcelona for the title.

"Real Madrid start as the best team and will have to prove it with the wonderful players they have, while all the rest of us will be behind them," Simeone said.

"We haven't finalised the squad yet, we need to focus on tomorrow's game and see game by game how the team progresses.

"Barcelona continue to have a very good team, Real continue to grow with players who are phenomenal but it's clear that we have to think about ourselves." 

Mikel Arteta compared Bukayo Saka to Lionel Messi after the winger registered a goal and an assist in Arsenal's victory over Wolves on matchday one of the Premier League season.

Saka saw an inswinging cross headed home by Kai Havertz for Arsenal's first goal of 2024-25, then wrongfooted Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa with a clever second-half finish to cap the Gunners' 2-0 win.

The England international created a game-high five chances and attempted five shots, a tally only matched by Havertz among all players on the pitch.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Arteta said the difficulties Saka posed to defences were reminiscent of eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi.

"With good players, it's like that, with Messi I know he's going to come here and put the ball there, but he does it all the time. You can't stop him," Arteta said.

"That's the quality of the player. You have to really understand where they are, what they need, to give them some space and let them breathe."

Arteta also hailed Saka and fellow England international Declan Rice for the attitude they have shown since the Three Lions' Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain last month.

"They went through a lot and those kids have played a lot of football in the last two years," Arteta added. 

"But when you see that willingness, that energy to say, 'I'm really, really happy to be back' and you see that is genuine, it's a good sign. 

"That's their mentality. Straight after the final, they said, 'I'm going to be ready for the first game'."

Joao Palhinha says he wants "to write my own story" at Bayern Munich, as the midfielder targets silverware with his new employers.

The Portugal midfielder joined Bayern from Fulham last month in a deal reportedly worth an initial €50million (£42m), signing a four-year contract at the Allianz Arena.

Palhinha came close to signing with the Bundesliga giants last September, only for the Cottagers to pull the plug on a deadline-day transfer when they failed to sign a replacement.

The 29-year-old made the move having impressed during his two-year stint in the Premier League, completing the most tackles during the 2023-24 season with 152 (5.07 per 90 minutes).

He also averaged 8.38 ball recoveries, 5.44 completed long balls, 2.23 interceptions and 2.09 blocks per 90 minutes in the English top flight last term.

Palhinha made his competitive bow for Vincent Kompany's side in their commanding 4-0 victory over Ulm in the DFB-Pokal first round on Friday, with their Bundesliga campaign commencing against Wolfsburg next Sunday.

And following a trophyless 2023-24 campaign that culminated in Thomas Tuchel's departure, he hopes he can play his part in getting Bayern back in the winners' circle this term.

"When you represent a big club like Bayern, you've reached the very highest level," he said. "I've realised my dream, but I know I will feel completely fulfilled when I have success here.

"I want to write my own story here, and win trophies. I know last season was tough for the club and for the fans, and we need to give everything this season to try to win something.

"I expect a big challenge. I know that it's a tough league with many quality players. It's not easy here, but I'm looking forward to playing for Bayern and getting some wins under the belt. This is really important for us. Let's see how the season goes.

"I think people remember the players that win trophies, and write their name in the club's history. It's what matters. Players at big clubs that don't win things aren't remembered as much.

"We all want to win everything here. The staff, everyone. We need to fight with all the energy we have to win titles this season. That's really important for us."

On Kompany, Palhinha added: "He really understands football. He wants us to play his way, and we're learning a lot from him," the midfielder added. 

"He's a top coach, and I'm proud to be playing for him. He will improve me as a player, and I'll give everything to help him and the team be successful."

Hansi Flick expects Ilkay Gundogan to remain with Barcelona this season, despite speculation linking the midfielder with a move away from Camp Nou.

The Germany midfielder, who arrived from Manchester City in 2023, has less than 12 months remaining on his contract with the Blaugrana.

Spanish media reports suggested Gundogan may depart the club following the arrival of Dani Olmo, with Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce rumoured to be interested in acquiring his services.

The 33-year-old missed Barca's 2-1 victory over Valencia on Saturday, having suffered a head injury in their Joan Gamper Trophy defeat to Monaco earlier in the week.

Nevertheless, Flick is hopeful his compatriot's future will be at Barca.

"[He] hurt his eyebrow on Monday and that's why he stayed at home," Flick told reporters following the Valencia win.

"I appreciate what kind of player he is and what he is like as a person. I've talked to him a lot, but it's something between me and him.

"We have a good relationship. I know him well. I have the feeling that he will stay."

Mikel Merino has been left out of Real Sociedad's squad for their LaLiga opener against Rayo Vallecano, amid speculation linking him with a move to Arsenal.

Sociedad and Arsenal are reportedly in negotiations over a move for the Spain midfielder, who was part of the side that won Euro 2024 last month.

Merino has made 242 appearances for La Real since joining from Newcastle United in 2018, helping the club win the 2019-20 Copa del Rey.

And it appears he is nearing a return to the Premier League, with Sociedad head coach Imanol Alguacil confirming his absence from the 24-man matchday squad for the visit of Vallecano on Sunday.

"We worked with the idea that we would count on him, but I decided to leave him out of the squad," Alguacil told reporters at his pre-match press conference.

"He told me that he was ready to help. He wanted to be on the pitch. We are the ones who are here. There are open talks with other clubs and this decision is the best for them, for the club and for me.

"I don't know if I'm optimistic about him. I know more or less what he wants, but we don't know how those talks will end. At the moment, he's with us. [On Sunday] he'll be out of the game."

Robert Lewandowski saluted the character demonstrated by Barcelona's young side, after they came from behind to beat Valencia 2-1 in their opening match of the LaLiga season.

A depleted Barca trailed at the Mestalla to Hugo Duro's 44th-minute header, but Lewandowski struck either side of half-time to complete the turnaround in Hansi Flick's first competitive match in charge.

With the Blaugrana missing several key players including Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Ronald Araujo and Ilkay Gundogan, Flick handed a senior debut to 20-year-old Marc Casado, who joined 17-year-olds Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and Marc Bernal in the starting line-up.

Nevertheless, the visitors recovered from their slow start, and Lewandowski was thrilled by the youngsters' exploits. 

"It was very important to start with a win in such a difficult stadium and with the problems we faced," he told Movistar Plus.

"We didn't play well for the first 20 to 25 minutes. In the first half, we had problems getting close to their box, but then we started playing much better, and we did it with three or four very young players.

"If you can win like this with such young players, it is something special and they have shown big potential. No signs of the lack of experience, they played very well with possession and without the ball.

"We could have won by a larger margin, but it's great to start the season with a win." 

Simone Inzaghi was left "disappointed" after Inter failed to protect their late lead at Genoa, who snatched a last-gasp 2-2 draw on matchday one of the Serie A season.

The Nerazzurri were on course to make a winning start to their Scudetto defence at Luigi Ferraris, where a Marcus Thuram brace cancelled out Alessandro Vogliacco's earlier effort.

However, they were denied all three points in the fifth minute of stoppage time, when Junior Messias slotted home the rebound after Yann Sommer saved his initial penalty to ensure a share of the spoils.

Inzaghi acknowledged the trip to Genoa provided a tough start to the campaign for his players, most of whom were involved in the European Championship and Copa America during the close season.

But the Inter head coach insisted that was no excuse for them not seeing out the victory, and said his side would struggle to defend their Serie A crown if they produce similar performances.

"A team like ours, leading in the 84th minute, shouldn't concede any more goals, especially in that way," he told DAZN. "Football owes you nothing. Today, we had to give a bit more.

"Conceding two goals like that makes it difficult to win matches. Credit to Genoa, but it's a draw that doesn't leave us much satisfaction given what we created. If you take the lead, you have to be better at managing it.

"Yes, winning is difficult, winning it again even more so. The boys know it, they are mature enough and that's why I'm disappointed."

Paulo Fonseca acknowledges "there is a lot that needs to be improved" at AC Milan, following their 2-2 draw with Torino on the opening day of the Serie A season.

The Portuguese looked like he would suffer defeat in his first match in charge of the Rossoneri, who trailed 2-0 in the 89th minute at San Siro after a Malick Thiaw own goal and Duvan Zapata header.

However, Alvaro Morata gave the hosts hope when he deflected in Tijjani Reijnders' long-range effort, before Noah Okafor's last-gasp volley ensured a share of the spoils.

And though Milan's blushes were spared, Fonseca feels their overall performance demonstrated the need for vast improvement.

"I did not expect before the game that we would be perfect at this stage, but I must say our first 45 minutes was not good," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"We know what these games are like, we must continue working, because there is a lot that needs to be improved.

"I think it is a collective issue, it's not just about the defenders. In the first half, we weren't pressing high and that made it easier for Torino to attack us.

"The second half was different. We were more aggressive, won the ball back earlier and had enough opportunities to win the match."

Morata, who scored on his competitive debut for Milan, concurred with Fonseca that his new employers' start of the season was not good enough, though the Spain skipper also focused on the positives.

"It is not a great debut because we didn't win, and we wanted to send a message," he said. 

"I think we still sent a message, because the team was practically dead, and we still turned it around. If there had been another five minutes to play, we would've won it."

Robert Lewandowski scored twice as Hansi Flick's depleted Barcelona side came from behind to beat Valencia 2-1 in their opening game of the season in LaLiga.

Barca were without several key players including Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Ronald Araujo and Ilkay Gundogan for their first competitive game under Flick, and they were put under intense pressure in the first half at the Mestalla.

Valencia produced an energetic display and hit the front after 44 minutes as Hugo Duro headed Diego Lopez's delivery past Marc-Andre ter Stegen from close range.

Duro almost doubled Los Che's lead when he saw an effort cleared off the line in first-half stoppage time, and Barca immediately went up the other end to level.

Lewandowski tapped home a cross from Euro 2024 breakout star Lamine Yamal five minutes into first-half stoppage time, then doubled up shortly after the break.

Raphinha was felled inside the area by Cristhian Mosquera, allowing Lewandowski to blast an unstoppable penalty into the top corner for what proved to be the winner.

Data Debrief: Flick off to flying start

Flick looked likely to endure a difficult start to his Barca reign when Valencia penned his team back in the first half, but Lewandowski netted twice in four minutes either side of half-time to flip the encounter on its head.

Flick is the third German to coach Barca in LaLiga after Hennes Weisweiler and Udo Lattek, and all three won their first match at the helm.

Alvaro Morata and Noah Okafor scored in the dying stages for Milan as they salvaged a 2-2 draw in their Serie A opener against Torino on Saturday.

The visitors were moments away from a memorable victory at San Siro thanks to a Malick Thiaw own goal and a header from Duvan Zapata, only for Milan to fight back with goals in the 89th and 95th minutes. 

The visitors took the lead on the half-hour mark when Raoul Bellanova's header hit the post and Thiaw’s attempted clearance ended in an own goal.

Torino then doubled their advantage in the 68th minute with Zapata heading in Valentino Lazaro's cross from close range.

With the clock about to tick into stoppage time, Morata gave Paulo Fonseca's side hope by deflecting Tijjani Reijnders' long-range shot into the net.

Milan then launched a frantic final push for a leveller and Okafor smashed in a volley deep into stoppage time to spare their blushes.

Data Debrief: Stuttering start for Rossoneri

While Fonseca avoided a humiliating defeat in his first competitive game in charge of Milan, some lax defending ensured his reign would not start with a victory.

This is the first time Milan have started a Serie A campaign with a draw since 2011-12, when they drew 2-2 with Lazio under Massimiliano Allegri. 

They went on to finish second to Juventus that season, but improvements will be required if they are to push for a 20th Scudetto in 2024-25.

Ten-man Bayer Leverkusen beat Stuttgart 4-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw in 90 minutes to win the DFL-Supercup on Saturday.

Lukas Hradecky denied Frans Kratzig from 12 yards in the shoot-out then Silas fired his kick over the crossbar as Leverkusen won their third trophy under Xabi Alonso, following a last-gasp equaliser from Patrik Schick.

Domestic double winners Leverkusen, who only lost once in all competitions last season, needed just 11 minutes to take the lead with Edmond Tapsoba heading towards goal at the far post and Victor Boniface prodding the ball over the line.

Stuttgart struck back four minutes later, though, thanks to Enzo Millot's strike in the first German curtain-raiser not to feature Bayern Munich for 13 years.

Leverkusen were reduced to 10 men when Martin Terrier was dismissed for a studs-up challenge in the 37th minute and Stuttgart quickly took control from there.

Stuttgart then hit the woodwork three times and went in front in the 63rd minute when substitute Deniz Undav connected with a Kratzig cutback mere seconds after coming on.

But Leverkusen's never-say-die attitude, which brought them many late goals last season en route to an undefeated Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal run, was evident again as Schick latched onto an Alejandro Grimaldo throughball to level two minutes from time.

They kept their cool from the spot and scored all four penalties as Stuttgart's Silas blasted over the crossbar to seal Leverkusen's victory, after Hradecky saved from Kratzig. 

Data Debrief: Lethal Leverkusen make light of numerical disadvantage

Leverkusen were made to play around an hour with 10 men following Terrier's sending-off and had to spend long periods sitting back, only managing a 34.3% possession share.

However, they continued to threaten on the counterattack, with their 12 shots totalling 2.49 expected goals (xG) to Stuttgart's 1.37. They were then perfect from the spot, starting their second full campaign under Alonso as they intend to finish it, with silverware.