LONDON — Manchester United earned their second win over Brighton & Hove Albion in five days as they booked a place in the League Cup quarter-finals with a 3-0 win at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday.
It was much more comfortable for United than Saturday's dramatic last-gasp 3-2 league victory, Scott McTominay heading in the opener shortly before halftime before Juan Mata and substitute Paul Pogba scored in the second half.
Having spent much of my sports writing career covering Texas high school football, which at most levels draws more fans than USL matches, I found that more than anything Texas high school football coaches care about effort. And by that barometer, Joshua Kimmich’s game-winner against Borussia Dortmund in the German Supercup on Wednesday was among the greatest goals of all time.
Daniel Thioune's Hamburg completed a successful comeback late on to secure a 4-3 victory over Paderborn in the 2. Bundesliga on Monday.
After narrowly missing out on promotion back to the top flight last season following a late collapse, Hamburg has won its first two games of the new campaign. It had gone up 2-0 after 24 minutes thanks to goals from Manuel Wintzheimer and Simone Terrode, but Hamburg squandered the lead and found itself down 3-2 all before halftime.
Premier League champions Liverpool maintained their 100% start to the season with a 3-1 win against Arsenal at Anfield on Monday leaving them level on nine points with pacesetters Everton and Leicester City.
Liverpool created the early openings with Trent Alexander Arnold causing the visitors problems down their left. His cross was headed towards goal by Virgil van Dijk but Arsenal's David Luiz cleared off the line and then another ball from the full-back was volleyed straight at goalkeeper Bernd Leno by Sadio Mane.
Lionel Messi might have grabbed the headlines this summer for all the wrong reasons as he attempted to leave Barcelona, but on Monday morning they finally belonged to someone else.
Despite being just 17, a lot is expected of Ansu Fati and he did not disappoint, putting in a magical display as Barça thrashed Villarreal 4-0 on Sunday.
Many have pondered what life is going to be like at the Nou Camp once Messi finally leaves, and with the Argentine apparently seeing out the final year of his deal before moving on next year, Fati gave a glimpse of what that might be like.
Anthony Fontana, Ilsinho and Brenden Aaronson each scored one goal to lift the host Philadelphia Union past Inter Miami 3-0 on Sunday night.
Kacper Przybyłko recorded assists on the first two goals for the Union, who are 4-1-0 in their past five games. The Union (8-2-4, 28 points) picked up three points in heavy rain without captain and midfielder Alejandro Bedoya (suspension for yellow-card accumulation) and right back Ray Gaddis (hamstring).
BARCELONA — Lionel Messi was back in scoring business for Barcelona on Sunday, leading them to a resounding 4-0 win at home against Villarreal in a near-perfect La Liga opener for the Catalans under new coach Ronald Koeman.
Teenage forward Ansu Fati was in inspirational form for Barca, combining with Jordi Alba to side-foot home first time into the net in the 15th minute and then striking again four minutes later with another ice-cool finish.
ROME — Cristiano Ronaldo’s second goal of the night rescued a 2-2 draw for 10-man Juventus away to AS Roma in Serie A on Sunday, after Jordan Veretout had twice put the capital club in front. Veretout and Ronaldo netted penalties after both teams were penalised for handball, and the French midfielder then struck his second of the night in first-half stoppage time.
LONDON — Another controversial handball decision gave Newcastle United a stoppage-time equaliser by Callum Wilson from the penalty spot and a 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday.
Spurs had led through a 25th-minute Lucas Moura goal and Newcastle had not managed a shot on target but deep into stoppage time Newcastle's Andy Carroll and Eric Dier challenged for a ball and the forward's header brushed the arm of the Spurs defender.
BERLIN — Quadruple winners Bayern Munich slumped to a shock 4-1 loss at Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Sunday to end their 32-match unbeaten run in all competitions stretching back to last year.
Bayern, winners of the Super Cup against Sevilla after extra time on Thursday, had not lost since Dec. 7, 2019, and had gone 21 consecutive Bundesliga matches without defeat, winning their last 15.