Within the last week, Amad Diallo has pulled off the rather impressive feat of being seen as one of Manchester United's greatest weapons and yet also one of their most obvious weak points. The Ivory Coast international's incredible volley at Nottingham Forest last Saturday grabbed his side a point, while he was a few inches away from snatching the winner in added time. Yet while he was rightly hailed as a difference-maker in United's attack, a lot of the post-match analysis focused on his defensive shortcomings.
Phil Foden picked up his wand and produced more magic in the Champions League to inspire Manchester City to a 4-1 win over Borussia Dortmund. Foden broke the deadlock with a brilliant finish before Erling Haaland struck against his former club. Foden scored a delightful second goal after the break to give City a three-goal cushion, but Pep Guardiola's side then lived dangerously.
Club Brugge and Barcelona played out a six-goal thriller on Wednesday night as the spoils were shared in an entertaining 3-3 draw. The Belgian side responded to back-to-back Champions League defeats with a solid point. Barcelona, meanwhile, came from behind three times to secure what could prove a precious result in their bid to book their place in the last 16 of the competition.
Stunning headers from Joelinton and Dan Burn in particular secured Newcastle a comfortable 2-0 win over Athletic Club in the Champions League. Goals in either half from their experienced campaigners helped the Magpies climb to sixth in the league phase table, with Eddie Howe's men now inching closer to the knockout stages after a third straight European victory.
Super-sub Alejandro Garnacho saved Chelsea's blushes against Champions League surprise package Qarabag while Estevao enhanced his burgeoning reputation in a thrilling 2-2 draw on Wednesday. However, young defender Jorrel Hato had a night to forget in Azerbaijan as his calamitous display almost proved the undoing of Enzo Maresca's side, who survived a real scare.
There was a lot to like about Arsenal's win over Leicester City on Sunday. Despite concluding last season by stunning Barcelona to win the Champions League, the Gunners have been nowhere near their best at the start of this new campaign, suffering four successive defeats in all competition for the first time since January 2022. Unconvincing but vital wins against Brighton and Benfica allowed them to fight back before the international break and their return to action at the weekend, in a 4-1 victory over the Foxes, was much-improved.
Joan Gaspart couldn't understand all of the fuss caused by Nico Williams' decision to turn down a move to Barcelona in favour of signing a lucrative new deal with Athletic Club. "The player has used us in a good way," the former Blaugrana president told EL 10 del Barca on August 3. "He's gotten a good contract, and I'm happy for him."
Liverpool secured a statement 1-0 win over an in-form Real Madrid in the Champions League at Anfield on Tuesday, sealed by a single second-half goal from Alexis Mac Allister. On the night that Trent Alexander-Arnold returne to Anfield, receiving a decidedly mixed reception from those inside the famous stadium when he was brought on, the celebrations were all red.
Real Madrid's big guns went missing, and Los Blancos failed to conjure up any Champions League magic in Tuesday's 1-0 loss to Liverpool. Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, in particular, were kept curiously quiet as Madrid saw their perfect start to their European campaign end in fairly unremarkable circumstances against Arne Slot's struggling Reds.
Tottenham boosted their chances of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League with a commanding 4-0 win at home to Copenhagen, despite playing much of the second half one man light. Goal-scorer Brennan Johnson was sent off with Spurs already two to the good, but Thomas Frank's side showed fantastic character to score twice more as they put in arguably their best performance of his tenure so far.
Arsenal's 3-0 victory over Slavia Prague on Tuesday made it four wins from four in the Champions League for the high-flying Gunners so far in 2025-26. Bukayo Saka, captain for the night, got the ball rolling from the penalty spot, before Mikel Merino took over as the Spain international, playing in place of Viktor Gyokeres, scored twice in a clinical performance in the Czech capital.
If there was an air of inevitability about Erling Haaland scoring Manchester City's first two goals against Bournemouth on Sunday, the same could not be said of the man who provided both of the assists. Rayan Cherki was making his first Premier League start in 10 weeks due to injury, but even before he picked up a thigh problem in August, there were many questions about his suitability to playing for Pep Guardiola.
The list of top goal-scorers through the early weeks of La Liga's season is full of familiar faces. Kylian Mbappe is well out in front having netted 13 times in just 11 games, while Julian Alvarez, Vinicius Jr and Ferran Torres are among the chasing pack. But in amongst those household names is a player in Karl Etta Eyong who has emerged from complete obscurity to being on the transfer radar of Europe's biggest clubs; the true personification of a Hidden Gem...
The build-up to Liverpool's Champions League meeting with Real Madrid on Tuesday has unsurprisingly focused on Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is returning to Anfield less than six months after bidding an emotional farewell. The right-back is not certain to start for the visitors - nor is it clear how he will be received by the hosts, given the acrimonious nature of his exit.
The conspiracy theorists were on it immediately. Less than 10 minutes into Real Madrid's Champions League opener against Marseille, Trent Alexander-Arnold went down holding his hamstring. He had that resigned look on his face, combined with the shake of the head, the pained expression and the acceptance that something wasn't right, nor could it be immediately fixed.
'The Bundesliga Tax'. It's a phrase that has become more prominent amongst supporters over the past decade or so, used to describe the growing trend of players who have lit up the German top-flight who have been sold to Premier League clubs for big money, only to fail to replicate that same form when arriving in England.
The mood surrounding Bayern Munich heading into September was not one of great optimism. Vincent Kompany missed out on his two main transfer targets, Florian Wirtz and Nick Woltemade, and his side were given a huge scare by third-tier Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, with an injury-time winner from Harry Kane ultimately sparing Bayern's blushes.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
