Borussia Dortmund will be without Karim Adeyemi and Julien Duranville for several weeks after they were injured in Tuesday's 7-1 Champions League victory over Celtic, coach Nuri Sahin has revealed.

The Ruhr valley club earned their biggest-ever European win in midweek, crushing the Scottish champions with Germany international Adeyemi scoring a hat-trick before being taken off with a muscle injury and replaced by 18-year-old Belgium international Duranville.

Duranville later sustained an injury of his own and both players will be absent until late November, missing Saturday's trip to Union Berlin as well as seven further games.

"We will be without Karim and Julien for some time. They are expected to be back after the international break in mid-November," Sahin said at Friday's pre-match press conference.

He added Giovanni Reyna, sidelined since last month, will also delay his comeback after suffering a setback in his recovery.

Dortmund, who are currently fifth in the Bundesliga on 10 points, three behind leaders Bayern, are seeking their first pair of back-to-back league wins under Sahin at Union.

BVB have struggled for consistency so far, suffering a 5-1 defeat at Stuttgart two weeks ago then bouncing back with a 4-2 win over Bochum and cruising past Celtic in Europe.

"When something is supposed to grow together you need time," Sahin said. "Every day in this development is important. I am not looking for excuses.

"I know well how to rank the Celtic game. It is not that we are hugging each other saying 'we are the coolest' because we won 7-1.

"We are expected to deliver such performances every three days and if we win on Saturday then the world may look a bit cooler." 

Kevin De Bruyne has asked to skip Belgium's remaining Nations League fixtures for 2024 in order to manage his workload, coach Domenico Tedesco has revealed.

On Friday, Tedesco named his 23-man squad for the Red Devils' upcoming games against Italy and France in Group A2, with De Bruyne the headline omission. 

De Bruyne played both of Belgium's games in the September international break, as they beat Israel 3-1 before losing 2-0 to France in Lyon.

After that latter match, he made headlines by questioning the mentality and fighting spirit of Tedesco's team, but he has reaffirmed his commitment to continuing on the international stage until at least the 2026 World Cup.

With Manchester City facing a gruelling schedule this term after qualifying for the first 32-team Club World Cup, the midfielder has taken steps to protect his fitness.

"I had a long phone conversation with Kevin. He has an injury, but he is very motivated to continue with the Red Devils and to play the World Cup in 2026," Tedesco said when announcing his latest squad.

"He has asked to skip this camp and also November, to take care of his body. The schedule has become even busier due to the Club World Cup. 

"That is why he is not there now and in November. But when it really counts – the World Cup – he will be there."

Tedesco was also asked if De Bruyne's comments last month had led to any negative repercussions in the squad, but he insisted the controversy surrounding them was unwarranted. 

"Kevin is a big player, but also a big personality," he added. "We talked after what happened in the last match. Of course he was emotional, he always wants to win. But he never mentioned names in the media. We just have to deal with it.

"In the media it has become a big item, just because it was Kevin who said it. But in the dressing room it is not a big topic."

Romelu Lukaku is the other big-name absentee from Belgium's latest squad, with the Red Devils' all-time leading scorer failing to win a recall after being dropped last month, despite recording four Serie A goal involvements for Napoli in a positive start to the season.

Belgium squad: Koen Casteels (Al Qadsiah), Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest), Maarten Vandevoordt (RB Leipzig), Sebastiaan Bornauw (Wolfsburg), Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Zeno Debast (Sporting Lisbon), Maxim De Cuyper (Club Brugge), Koni De Winter (Genoa), Wout Faes (Leicester City), Matte Smets (Genk), Arthur Theate (Eintracht Frankfurt), Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta), Arne Engels (Augsburg), Orel Mangala (Lyon), Amadou Onana (Aston Villa), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Johan Bakayoko (PSV), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Malick Fofana (Lyon), Dodi Lukebakio (Sevilla), Lois Openda (RB Leipzig) Cyril Ngonge (Napoli), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal).

Interim England boss Lee Carsley says he will not "copy and paste" his squads, with players to be rewarded for strong club form with Three Lions call-ups.

Carsley oversaw 2-0 Nations League victories over the Republic of Ireland and Finland last month, having taken the reins on a temporary basis after Gareth Southgate's resignation.

The former under-21 boss announced his latest 25-man squad for upcoming matches against Greece and Finland on Thursday, making four changes from last month's party.

Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke won his first call-up in seven years, with Eberechi Eze, Harry Maguire, Tino Livramento and Jarrod Bowen all left out.

Predecessor Southgate was often criticised for sticking with a trusted core of players during his eight-year spell with the Three Lions, but Carsley says nobody is guaranteed a place under him.

"In the back of my mind, I wanted to make sure it feels fresh," Carsley said.

"When you get that email or WhatsApp to say that you've been called up, it's an achievement because it shouldn't be something that is taken for granted.

"I thought it was important that it was not just a copy and paste. I want them to feel like they have earned their place in the squad."

Tottenham midfielder James Maddison and Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford – both of whom were left out of Southgate's Euro 2024 squad – were among the players to be overlooked. 

Carsley said he had been left with several tough decisions to make but had prioritised those in form in order to build rhythm before the 2026 World Cup qualifiers start next year.

"The players I've left out, I could make a case for them being in, but ultimately I have to make those decisions," Carsley said.

"The reality is you want a player to be coming in in top form and fighting for a position in the team.

"Getting out of this Nations League is important for us in terms of setting up World Cup qualification. Whether I'm here or not, it's important we are in a favourable pattern and in a position to win the World Cup."

Erik ten Hag has insisted Marcus Rashford's half-time withdrawal during Manchester United's draw with Porto was down to a need for rotation, not a statement on his performance. 

United are still searching for their first Europa League win of the campaign, after Harry Maguire's late header salvaged a 3-3 draw in Porto on Thursday.

After the Red Devils went 2-0 up through early goals from Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund, a strike from Pepe and a brace from Samu Omorodion had put them on the brink of another humiliating defeat.

To cap United's frustrations, captain Bruno Fernandes was shown a red card for a second successive game after also being dismissed in Sunday's 3-0 loss to Tottenham, having never previously been sent off in any of his first 241 games for United.

It was the decision to substitute Rashford for Alejandro Garnacho, though, that dominated post-match talk, with no United player matching Rashford's eight touches in the Porto box or three successful dribbles all game, despite his early withdrawal.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Ten Hag said: "We have to rotate. Garnacho, we didn't start him, but he had a great game not only Sunday but the whole season.

"We go quickly with a turnaround to Villa and they have had a day longer to recover and we have an away game."

Rashford now has 14 goals in the Europa League, moving him outright fourth in the all-time UEFA Cup/Europa League charts among English players, behind only Martin Chivers (22), Alan Shearer (21) and Jermain Defoe (19).

Asked about the substitution again in his post-match press conference, Ten Hag added: "Yeah, but Garnacho was my best player on Sunday by far and also in many other games.

"I think in the season, as I assess it so far, he is bringing us so far the offensive threat by creating chances, assists, also scoring.

"Garnacho we also have to play as well and we have two very good players over that side."

Pushed on whether the decision had anything to do with Rashford's role in Porto's first goal, which came down the England man's flank, Ten Hag said: "I have to watch it back and I think over the left side definitely we didn't defend well tonight.

"Marcus also played a part in this but, as I say, it had to do with Garnacho and nothing against Rashy."

Manchester United are in desperate need of a Premier League win when they take on Aston Villa on Sunday.

The pressure has piled on Erik ten Hag after last week's sorry 3-0 loss at Tottenham.

United have lost three of their six league fixtures this season, winning just twice - against Southampton and Fulham - while they have lost their last two home matches in the top flight by an aggregate score of 6-0.

Their tally of seven points is their joint-fewest after six games of any Premier League season (two wins, one draw, three losses), having made identical starts under David Moyes in 2013-14 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2020-21.

They now face another of the league's top teams when they take on Villa, who are fresh from their Champions League triumph over Bayern Munich and unbeaten in four league matches.

United, meanwhile, were forced to settle for a 3-3 draw at Porto in the Europa League, with Harry Maguire's late leveller doing little to ease the pressure on Ten Hag.

Here, we crunch the numbers and dive into the Opta insights ahead of Sunday's clash.

What's expected?

As far as home defeats in the Manchester rain go, last week's capitulation against Spurs was as bad as they get.

Ten Hag looked on miserably as United, who were reduced to 10 men when Bruno Fernandes was sent off late in the first half (that red card has now been rescinded), were carved open time and time again.

Spurs generated a huge expected goals (xG) figure of 4.59 on Sunday – the third-highest United have allowed a Premier League opponent since such records began in 2009. Only versus Arsenal in December 2017 (a 3-1 win) and against Man City in October 2011 (a memorable 6-1 loss at Old Trafford), have United given up a greater quality of chances in a Premier League match.

United also saw their opponents have nine big chances – only in five previous games in Premier League history has a team had more big chances in one game (Man City v Watford 2019-20, Man Utd v Sunderland 2012-13, Arsenal v Fulham 2018-19, Arsenal v Stoke City 2015-16, Man City v Crystal Palace 2017-18 – all 10).

Villa, on the other hand, have won both of their Champions League games without conceding a goal, and though Ipswich Town fought back to draw 2-2 with them last weekend, Unai Emery's team have enjoyed a fine start to the campaign.

They have picked up 13 points in their opening six Premier League matches this season (four wins, one draw, one defeat), their best start to a season since 2008-09 under Martin O’Neill (also 13 points).

As such, it's no surprise to see Opta's supercomputer makes Villa the favourites with a 42% win probability, albeit the gap is perhaps not as big as one might expect. United came out on top in 33.2% of the model's simulations, while the threat of a draw is 24.8%.

And it is worth noting that United have a great record against the Villans.

United have won 40 Premier League games against Villa, with only the Red Devils themselves beating an opponent more often in the competition's history (41 vs Everton).

Villa have won just one of their last 25 Premier League home games against Manchester United (eight draws, 16 losses), with that victory coming in Emery's first game in charge of the club in November 2022 (3-1).

Duran's hungry like a wolf

Forgive the quite abysmal Duran Duran reference, but Villa's fans are surely going to be pulling out the 1980s hits this season if their super-sub forward Jhon Duran continues to thrive as he is right now.

Duran scored a brilliant lob to see off Bayern in midweek, taking his tally of goals for the season to five in all competitions - all of those have come from the bench. His four league strikes have come from just 2.1 xG.

He has also netted four league goals in his last four league appearances at Villa Park, all as a substitute.

The 20-year-old averages a goal every 43 minutes at Villa Park in the competition, the second-best ratio by a player at a single venue (250+ minutes played there), behind Luis Suarez at Carrow Road (a goal every 38 minutes).

Duran is averaging a goal every 39 minutes this season in the league - in comparison, 10-goal Erling Haaland averages one every 54 minutes.

The Colombian has had just 10 shots in the league this term, so he has a 40% shot-conversion rate, the best rate in the competition of any player to score more than three times.

With such a quality talent in reserve, Villa's attack will surely be licking their lips if they can get at United's defence in the same way Spurs did.

Since Emery's first Premier League game in charge, only Man City (85), Liverpool (84) and Arsenal (81) have picked up more home points than Villa (74).

Among Villa managers to take charge of five or more home top-flight matches, only European Cup-winning boss Tony Barton (70%, won 37/53) has a better home win percentage than Emery (66%, won 23/35).

Leaking like Old Trafford's roof

United have actually kept successive away clean sheets in the league, winning 3-0 against Southampton and drawing 0-0 with Crystal Palace. They last kept three away clean sheets in a row in March 2021.

However, United have lost eight Premier League matches by a margin of three or more goals under Ten Hag. Since the start of 2022-23, the only current Premier League managers to suffer more 3+ goal defeats are Gary O'Neil and Sean Dyche (nine each).

United so often leave wide open spaces in midfield and huge gaps in defence, with defenders isolated in one-v-ones. 

Despite conceding only eight goals, United have an xG against of 11.04 so far in the league this season – that is the fifth-worst total in the league, lower than only the three promoted clubs and Brentford.

That is despite United allowing just 74 shots, which ranks ninth in the top flight. However, United’s average per-shot xGA is 0.14, which is the second-worst in the league, after Brighton (0.17).

Ten Hag has to find a defensive formula that works if United are to get something out of this game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Aston Villa - Ollie Watkins

While the limelight is on Duran, it is worth mentioning that Watkins has also scored four Premier League goals this term.

Watkins has been involved in 55 goals in 67 Premier League appearances under Emery for Aston Villa (36 goals, 19 assists), with only Erling Haaland (65) and Mohamed Salah (60) scoring or assisting more goals in that time. The former Brentford attacker is looking to score in four games in a row for the first time since April 2023.

Manchester United - Bruno Fernandes

United will be delighted Fernandes will be available for this game. He was set to miss just his eighth match for the club since his debut in February 2020, with the Red Devils winless in their last four (one draw, three losses) and failing to score in their last three without the Portuguese international in the team.

Fernandes has had 17 shots in the Premier League this season, but is yet to score.

That tally of shots is the most any player who is yet to score this season has had across the entirety of Europe's top five leagues this season.

Steve Cherundolo stated his pride in Los Angeles FC's defence and hopes they can put in another big performance against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday.

LAFC have won their last three games in all competitions, starting with their US Open Cup win over Sporting KC before getting back on track in MLS.

They are second in the Western Conference with three games left, with their 1-0 win over St. Louis City, in which they did not concede a single shot on target, closing the gap to LA Galaxy.

Cherundolo lauded his defenders for that performance and is pleased to see their training sessions paying off.

"It's great to see we're growing and learning in certain situations and putting all the pieces together," Cherundolo said.

"The defensive side of the game is something we train a lot and take pride in. When our defenders have enough minutes together and continuity, we're quite good.

"They've done extremely well and adapted amazingly by applying their lessons from training into the matches."

Meanwhile, Kansas City will not be playing in the postseason as they sit 13th after just one win in their last five, losing 3-1 to St. Louis last time out. 

However, head coach Peter Vermes has challenged his side to finish the regular season on a high.

"I'd like to win both games. This isn't like handing out free passes to go and play," Vermes said.

"Being in this spot isn't normal for our club, but I'm not changing the way I pick the team. We've still got two games to play, and we'll give it everything we have to make it tough."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sporting Kansas City – Stephen Afrifa

Despite dominating against St. Louis last time out, Kansas City failed to get a win, though Stephen Afrifa ensured they did not fire a blank.

He scored their only goal after having six shots, four of which were on target, while also having nine touches in the opposition box, more than anyone else on the pitch.

LAFC – Denis Bouanga

There is no doubt who has been one of the star performers for LAFC this season, with Denis Bouanga scoring 19 goals in MLS so far.

He does not just score goals though, as he can also dictate play – his five chances created against St. Louis last time out were the most of any player in the game.

MATCH PREDICTION: LOS ANGELES FC WIN

Kansas City have failed to win any of the six meetings with LAFC since September 2021 in MLS regular season and have only won four of their 12 matches overall against the club.

This will be the third meeting between the sides this season, with their previous MLS meeting ending in a 0-0 draw, before LAFC beat them 3-1 in extra time to clinch the US Open Cup final last month.

That win over Sporting in the final started a three-match winning streak for LAFC, who were winless in their five games prior to that run.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Sporting Kansas City – 28.8%

Draw – 24.5%

LAFC – 46.8%

Erik ten Hag does not believe Manchester United should be judged too harshly despite their tough start to the season, after snatching a last-gasp draw with Porto.

Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund gave the Red Devils a quickfire lead in Portugal, before Pepe and a double from Samu Omorodion looked to have sealed a turnaround.

Bruno Fernandes was then sent off for the second game in a row, but Harry Maguire came off the bench to ensure United left with a point in the Europa League after a 3-3 draw.

It was their second consecutive draw in the competition, having given up a lead in both, leaving them 21st in the league table.

In fact, United are winless in their last five matches in European competitions (D3 L2) despite leading by 2+ goals in three of them. 

Ten Hag continues to come under pressure, with his team now winless in four in all competitions, but he believes the squad have what it takes to turn things around.

"We will get there," he told TNT Sports. "Don't judge us in this moment, judge us at the end of the season.

"We are in the process, we will improve. We have had two seasons where we have reached finals, we will continue and fight.

"You see the spirit and the connection between the staff and the team. The players are together, they have a strong spirit, and they want to achieve. We have a good mentality but in some defending parts we have to step up."

Maguire came on as a 78th-minute substitute and scored his first goal of the season, nodding in from Christian Eriksen's corner in the 91st minute.

The former United captain backed the manager to cope with the added noise surrounding his job once again.

"I've played for this club for six years; I know how it works. When you go on a bad spell players come under pressure and also the manager does," Maguire said.

"He's experienced enough and been at this club long enough, so I'm sure he knows how to deal with it. It's part of the privilege you have playing for this club."

Greg Vanney has his eyes on finishing top of the Western Conference with LA Galaxy this season, with Austin FC one of the teams in their way of the title.

The Galaxy are currently six points clear in the table with two games left and have won their last two matches against Vancouver Whitecaps and Colorado Rapids.

They are in fine form at home too, winning six in a row, with their last such 'home' defeat coming at the Rose Bowl against Los Angeles FC.

Vanney is enjoying life at the Galaxy this season and hopes they can extend their impressive recent run on Saturday.

"It's a great group of players and this whole season has been helping to read our guys and mould them into the group that can be the best they can be," Vanney said.

"We want them to be a contender for championships, and hopefully we can close this thing out in the West.

"When you're winning everything is better than when you're not, but things with this group are good. They're hungry and want to be successful, it's fun to coach them."

Meanwhile, Austin are mathematically still in with a chance of the playoffs, sitting six points behind Portland Timbers in ninth, though their chances are slim.

They snapped a five-match winless streak with a 1-0 victory over Portland last time out, and Josh Wolff is hopeful they can show the same mentality against the Galaxy.

"I talk to these guys about it all the time," Wolff said. "If there's a collective willingness, we've shown we can beat anybody.

"It has to be extremely committed by the group, and you've got to take care of your opportunities at the other end too."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LA Galaxy – Gabriel Pec

Gabriel Pec (28) and Riqui Puig (27) each have recorded at least 27 goal contributions this season.

They are only the second pair of teammates to reach that mark in a single season in the last 20 years after Robbie Keane (33) and Landon Donovan (29), also for the Galaxy, in 2014.

Austin FC – Daniel Pereira

On Wednesday against Portland, Daniel Pereira scored his first goal for Austin since June 2022, giving him three goals for his MLS career.

All three of Pereira's MLS goals have come in one-goal victories.

MATCH PREDICTION: LA GALAXY WIN

Austin ended a four-match winless run against LA Galaxy on April 27 with a 2-0 home win. The Galaxy have won all three meetings between the sides in Carson, however, outscoring Austin 8-1 in those games.

Austin have kept a clean sheet on the road in six regular-season matches in 2024, including Wednesday's 1-0 win at Portland. Entering this season, the team had six road shutouts total in their three MLS seasons (two in 2021, four in 2022, none in 2023).

Meanwhile, the Galaxy have won 10 consecutive regular-season matches at Dignity Health Sports Park dating back to late May, scoring multiple goals in all of those matches. The Galaxy have lost only one of their last 25 regular-season matches in Carson, dating back to June 2023.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

LA Galaxy – 55.2%

Draw – 23.1%

Austin FC – 21.7%

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall hailed Enzo Maresca as a "breath of fresh air" after breaking his Chelsea duck in their 4-2 victory over Gent in the Europa Conference League.

Midfielder Dewsbury-Hall followed Maresca from Leicester City to Stamford Bridge during the close season but has had to be patient in a Blues squad stacked with talent.

But he scored Chelsea's fourth on Thursday after Renato Veiga, Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku were all on target in the Blues' opening league-phase encounter.

He was one of the Blues' bright sparks, having four shots in the game, three of which were in the box, and scored his one big chance.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Dewsbury-Hall spoke glowingly about his manager and loves the high standards at Chelsea.

"I'm over the moon. I've been waiting for that moment since joining the club, to show everyone what my qualities are," he said.

"Scoring the goal is an amazing feeling. I won't forget this night.

"I pride myself on working as hard as I can every day. I'd like to play more, but it's my duty to make sure the manager has a decision to make. I feel fresh.

"I've loved it. You come through the door and expectations are through the roof. The standards are so high. It's so nice to play with players on your wavelength - top, top players.

"It's about learning and evolving. That's literally what I'm here for.

"He [Enzo Maresca] is a breath of fresh air. I was taken aback by him last year. Everything he did was passionate and motivated. You can see the lads are buying into it."

Maresca appeared particularly enthused about Dewsbury-Hall's goal, celebrating with a jump when he netted.

The Italian said: "I know Kiernan very well. I know when you are the main player and then move to a big club it's not easy because you're not the main player. 

"Sometimes you struggle a bit at the beginning, so I was very happy for him."

Malick Fofana and Alexandre Lacazette each scored twice as Lyon outclassed Rangers 4-1 in the Europa League at Ibrox on Thursday.

Former Arsenal striker Lacazette scored twice before the break after Tom Lawrence had earlier cancelled out Fofana's opener in Glasgow, with the latter also netting again in the second half.

Vaclav Cerny was punished for woefully blazing over the bar when Fofana bent home on the rebound from the hugely impressive Rayan Cherki's shot after 10 minutes.

Lawrence quickly prodded home the equaliser when Cyriel Dessers was denied, but an awful error from Connor Barron led to Fofana laying on a simple finish for Lacazette.

The Frenchman then made it 3-1 with a whipped 25-yard stunner before the break and Fofana poked home Cherki's low cross at the back post to add more gloss shortly after the restart.

Duje Caleta-Car saw a header thunder off the crossbar and Corentin Tolisso had a shot cleared off the line, while substitute Said Benrahma was also denied as Lyon pushed to really emphasise their dominance of proceedings.

Data Debrief: Lyon forwards tormentors in chief

Rangers, who won impressively at Malmo on MD1, just had no answer for the dynamism of a Lyon side who are now two from two and second in the table.

Lacazette was playing his 50th game in the Europa League and scored his 23rd and 24th goals in the competition. Only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (34) and Aritz Aduriz (26) have scored more since his first appearance in September 2012.

Cherki set up both of Fofana's goals in an excellent display and has six goal involvements in only five Europa League starts (three goals, three assists), while Fofana scored and assisted in the same game for the first time for Lyon.

Rangers have a night to forget and this represented only the first time in the Europa League/UEFA Cup they have conceded four goals at home, and only the third time overall.

Despite achieving much of what she set out to already, Reggae Girl and Manchester City striker Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw intends to keep pushing the barriers and she hopes to inspire others to chase their dreams.

Shaw, who has overcome her fair share of obstacles and tragedies to get to where she is at, has been a role model for young athletes in Jamaica and the Caribbean, particularly aspiring women’s football players, as she continues to impress on the international stage and in the Women's Super League (WSL) since her move to City in 2021.

The 27-year-old ended last season as the WSL’s top scorer, assisting the Gareth Taylor-coached side to the runners-up position behind champions Chelsea, merely on goal difference.

Her performances throughout that campaign, which was cut short by a broken leg, also saw her cop the PFA Women's Players' Player of the year and the FWA Women's Footballer of the Year awards.

"When I look back at my childhood, I didn’t really have a lot of people I could look to, apart from Usain Bolt, of course. I didn’t have a lot of people who I could look to and say, ‘I want to be like that.’ One of the main reasons was that I wasn’t really allowed to play," Shaw said in an interview with BBC Sport.

“Now, looking at where the game is and where it is going, I think there is more room for that. For me, it’s just being alive and being in the moment. It’s staying true to who I am. Hopefully, by doing that each and every day, it works out in the end,” she added.

Black History Month in England, celebrated throughout the month of October, continues to shine a spotlight on athletes who have broken barriers to achieve success.

With her accolades and accomplishments speaking for themselves, Shaw is aiming to continue setting the standard for others to follow.

"I just try to be the best I can be and hope that by doing that, there are others looking on [who can] see that if I can do it, then it’s possible. Hopefully I can inspire a lot of the young girls back home in Jamaica that it is definitely possible,” the two-time Ballon d'Or award nominee shared.

"It’s been a long journey for me. I had to travel around the world to get here. Now I am here, I’m just embracing the moment and loving every part of it. The ups and downs are parts of life and that’s how you grow as a person. But I just try to be the best that I can and hopefully inspire more girls,” Shaw noted.

Renato Veiga and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall each scored their first Chelsea goals in a cracking 4-2 victory over Gent in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.

Enzo Maresca decided to make wholesale changes in the Blues' opening match of the league phase of Europe's third-tier competition, but they were still a class above their Belgian opponents.

Full-back Veiga headed Chelsea into a 12th-minute lead after Mykhailo Mudryk stood up a brilliant cross from the right and Dewsbury-Hall fired into the side-netting when he ought to have scored soon after.

Despite their domination of the ball, it took the Blues until the 46th minute to double their lead when Pedro Neto took hold of Axel Disasi's long punt and fired into the roof of the goal.

Some slack Chelsea defending was punished when Tsuyoshi Watanabe headed in from the cross of Andri Gudjohnsen, son of Blues great Eidur.

Christopher Nkunku rifled home from just inside the area after Gent failed to clear their lines just after the hour and Dewsbury-Hall shot straight through the goalkeeper after Nkunku was tackled attempting to take a shot – with Omri Gandelman celebrating a late consolation for the visitors.

Data Debrief: Dewsbury-Hall stakes his Chelsea claim

This was a great chance for a few Chelsea players to stake their claim for more regular Premier League minutes and Dewsbury-Hall put in an industrious performance to do his chances no harm.

Signed from Leicester City in the last transfer window, the centre midfielder had four shots in total, three of which were in the box, and scored from his one big chance. He also had an impressive 91.2% pass accuracy.

Neto too had a very lively outing, creating five chances in total and finishing with a pass accuracy rate of 97%.

Harry Maguire's late goal spared Manchester United's blushes as they drew 3-3 with Porto despite Bruno Fernandes' red card in the Europa League.

Samu Omorodion's double looked like it had secured Porto the win, but Maguire came off the bench to score in the 91st minute. 

Galeno tested Andre Onana with a powerful first-time shot two minutes in, but Marcus Rashford would open the scoring five minutes later at the other end, cutting inside from the left to drill his low shot under Diogo Costa's leg.

He then set up Rasmus Hojlund for their second in the 20th minute, and Costa again should have done better as the shot went through his hand.

Porto showed their fight soon after, though. Onana sprung brilliantly to keep out Noussair Mazraoui's inadvertent header, but Pepe was alert, stooping to nod home from close range.

Samu got his first in the 34th minute, taking advantage of some slack defending as he leapt high to thump his header over the goalkeeper, and got his second after the break, rifling a powerful shot into the top corner.

It looked like United's hopes of a result were over in the 81st minute as Fernandes received a red card for the second consecutive match. He got his first booking in the first half, receiving his marching orders in the 81st for a high boot in the box.

However, the Red Devils kept pushing for an equaliser, and it came from a corner, with Maguire guiding Christian Eriksen's cross into the top-left corner.

Data Debrief: Ten Hag gets lucky

It was a game that summed up United's season in some ways. They started the game on the front foot, getting two quickfire goals to put themselves in control only to drop their concentration.

Since Erik ten Hag joined the club in 2022, no Premier League club has conceded three or more goals in a match more times in all competitions than United (24).

In fact, they are winless in their last five matches in European competition (D3 L2) despite leading by 2+ goals in three of them. 

Fernandes' red card against Tottenham may have been overturned, but this one will stand. Having not received a single red card in any of his first 241 appearances for United in all competitions, he has now received two in his last two.

Ange Postecoglou waxed lyrical over the performances of Brennan Johnson and Mikey Moore as Tottenham defeated Ferencvaros 2-1 in the Europa League on Thursday.

Spurs made it two from two in Europe's secondary competition as goals from Pape Sarr and Johnson were enough for victory in Hungary despite Barnabas Varga's late consolation.

Versatile forward Johnson has now scored in each of his past five Tottenham appearances and has as many goals now as he did in the whole of last season (five).

Speaking at a press conference after the game, Postecoglou said of the Wales winger: "He's in a great vein of form right now. He's really confident. 

"They thrive on that sort of stuff, but his numbers have always been good. I was always curious as to why he was singled out because his numbers were always good when stacked up against the other wingers. 

"Now he's probably ahead of them with his numbers."

It was a night to remember for teenager Moore, who played the entire 90 minutes on his first professional start.

Postecoglou was extremely impressed with the way the 17-year-old forward applied himself on the European stage.

"His ability to just deal with pressure and keep the ball in really tight areas and make really good clean decisions for such a young boy," he added.

"It's not easy out there when defenders fly in, and he took one within the first 30 seconds, but he drives on. He's got so much growth, and he wants to learn. I couldn't be happier with him, and I'm very pleased that he's part of our football club.

"I thought he was outstanding. It's brilliant for a 17-year-old to play 90-plus minutes in a European away tie.

"He just handled it superbly, I kind of knew he would, and I think it'll help his growth as a footballer once you get through a sort of experience like that. 

"I think he'll grow and evolve, and I didn't feel like I needed to take him off. He still looked strong at the end and was still contributing."

Lee Carsley insists Harry Maguire's omission from his latest England squad is not due to form and he still has an important role to play for his country.

Manchester United centre-back Maguire missed Euro 2024 for beaten finalists England due to injury but was involved for interim boss Carlsey's first squad since Gareth Southgate departed for the Nations League victories over the Republic of Ireland and Finland last month.

However, there was no place for the 31-year-old ahead of this month's Nations League double-header against Greece and the return clash with the Finnish.

Maguire was the fifth-most utilised player for England under Southgate, with only Harry Kane, Kyle Walker, Jordan Pickford and John Stones appearing more, and Carsley explained that the decision was just to take a look at other options.

"It was a chance of having a look at other players. It's nothing to do with form. It's looking at the next two camps to look at other players," Carsley said.

"The players left out all have a case but we saw the benefit in the last camp of the squad being fresh, feeling fresh and a lot of energy in it.

"It's not just a copy and a paste, I want them to feel like they all have earned their place in the squad. People want to know where they stand long-term, I've told all the players this is a short-term situation.

"Harry is a player I've worked with in the past. He was very positive in the conversation we have.

"It was a case of talking to him about what my decision was, we have some really good centre-backs who we are keen to see play. Harry still has a really important part to play, not just in this squad but also in the campaign."