Europa League Matchday Two Review

Ahead of the International break, Matchday two of the Europa League group stage saw some teams looking for consecutive wins while other hoped to bounce back from opening losses.

A
After opening with a draw, Fenerbache hosted a Feyernoord side who looked for consecutive wins. The Turkish side kept up their unbeaten start with a narrow 1-0 win over the Dutch with an early strike from Emenike sealing the points.

Manchester United looked to bounce back from their opening loss by hosting Zorya Luhansk who hoped to remain unbeaten. The hosts claimed their first success of the stage with a narrow 1-0 win with the crucial strike coming from Zlatan Ibrahimovic. 

B
FC Astana and BSC Young Boys faced off looking to get off the mark after both suffering opening defeats. They did just that in a tight game which saw them share the points in a 0-0 draw.

Olympiakos hosted Apoel Nicosia with both sides looking to secure back-to-back victories after opening successes. The spoils went to the Cypriots as they struck after just ten minutes through Soteriou to secure the narrow 1-0 win.

C
FK Qabala looked for their first points as they hosted FC Mainz who hoped to remain unbeaten after a draw. The visitors opened the scoring four minutes before the interval through Muto only to be pegged back by two goals in five minutes either side of the hour mark. Gurbanov levelled with a penalty before Zenjov put the hosts 2-1 up. Cordoba levelled for 2-2 before a Oztunali effort on 78 minutes sealed a 3-2 win for the Germans.

After unbeaten starts, St Etienne and Anderlecht faced off with the visitors looking for back-to-back victories. The sides shared the points in a 1-1 draw that saw the Belgians open the scoring via a Tielemans penalty just after the hour before a last gasp strike from Roux salvaged a draw.

D
Dundalk looked to remain unbeaten as they hosted Maccabi Tel-Aviv who searched for the their first points. The Irish side claimed an historic victory with the crucial strike coming on 72 minutes from Kilduff for 1-0.

Zenit St Petersburg hoped to claim consecutive wins as they welcomed fellow unbeaten side AZ Alkmaar. The Russians opened the scoring on 25 minutes through Kokorin before taking full control before the hour mark with a De Paula goal and a second from Kokorin for a 3-0 advantage. The points were wrapped up by a Criscito penalty on 66 minutes before Shatov rounded off the 5-0 rout.

E
After winning/drawing their opening games, Austria Vienna and Viktoria Plzen met in a battle to remain unbeaten. They remain unbeaten after sharing the points in a tight 0-0 stalemate.

Roma looked to continue their unbeaten start as they face Astra Giurgiu who searched for their first points. The Italians took just 15 minutes to open the scoring as Kevin Strootman made it 1-0. A rapid three goal spree for the hosts saw Fazio and Salah striker either side of an own goal from Silva Dornellas to complete a 4-0 rout.

F
Athletic Bilbao looked for their opening points as they hosted Rapid Vienna who hoped to seal consecutive wins. The hosts got off the mark in the group with a narrow 1-0 win which came from Urkiaga just before the hour mark.

Another battle between opening losers and winners saw Genk host Sassuolo and alike the other game in the group the hosts secured the win, this time with a 3-1 success. An early opener from Karelis was followed by a doubling of the lead by Bailey on 25 minutes. The points were wrapped up just after the hour mark as Buffel made it 3-0.

G
Ajax hoped to seal back-to-back victories as they hosted fellow unbeaten starters Standard Liege. The hosts made it two wins in a row with a 28th minute strike from Dolberg to seal a 1-0 success.

After an opening draw, Celta Vigo hosted a Panathinaikos side after their first points. The Greeks will have to wait to kick-start their campaign as they suffered a 2-0 defeat via a late show from the hosts. Guidetti made it 1-0 with just six minutes left before Wass confirmed the win in the 89th minute.

H
Gent hoped to extend their unbeaten start as they hosted Konyaspor who looking to bounce back from an opening loss. The hosts secured the points with a 2-0 win courtesy of two first half strikes from Saief and Neto.

Shakthar Donetsk and Standard Liege met hoping to keep up their unbeaten starts with a win and draw each in the opening week. The Ukrainians claimed the points with a 2-0 win that saw them strike inside five minutes through Stepanenko before they were reduced to ten men just after the interval by the sending off of Fred. Despite the man disadvantage, they went further ahead just nine minutes later through Kovalenko and held on for the win.

I
After an opening victory, Schalke 04 looked for a second as they hosted Red Bull Salzburgwho hoped to claim their first points. The Germans led early with a strike from Goretzka before an own goal from Caleta-Car doubled their lead. Howedes looked to have confirmed the win with a 57th minute effort for 3-0 but a 72nd minute goal from Soriano pulled it to 3-1 which was how it ended.

FC Krasnodar and OGC Nice faced off in the second group battle between opening winners and losers and alike the other game, the hosts secured consecutive wins. Smolov fired the hosts ahead with Dos Santos doubling the lad on 33 minutes with Mario Balotelli making it 2-1 just before the interval. A second from Dos Santos from the penalty spot made it 3-1 before the French side pulled it back to 3-2 on 71 minutes through Cyprien. However, the points were wrapped up late on as Silva Ferreira struck twice in the final four minutes for 5-2.

J
After opening draws, Fiorentina and FC Qarabag met looking for their first win of the stage. The visitors suffered a blow on the half hour mark with the dismissal of Yunuszada and the Italians took full advantage with three goals in six minutes before half-time. A brace from Babacar sandwiched an effort from Kalinic for 3-0 at the interval. A second half brace from Mauro Zarate saw him strike in the 63rd and 79th minutes to open up a 5-0 lead. The visitors avoided being shut-out though due to a late strike from Ndlovu. 

Also looking to build on opening draws were Slovan Liberec and PAOK Salonica and unlike the other game in the group, it was the visitors who continued their unbeaten start as they claimed a 2-1 win. The hosts started perfectly with a Komlichenko strike inside the first minute before being pegged back by a 10th minute penalty from Athanasidis who completed the turnaround with his second goal with eight minutes left of the 90.


K
After both opening with a win, Hapoel Beer Sheva and Southampton met hoping to remain unbeaten. They did just that as they shared the points in a tightly-knit 0-0 draw.

Sparta Prague and Inter Milan faced off looking to bounce back from opening defeats. The Czechs made a stunning start with a brace from Kadlec giving them a 2-0 lead after just 25 minutes. Inter hit back midway through the second half through Rodrigo Palacio only to be reduced to ten men just four minutes later with the dismissal of Ranocchia. The hosts sealed the win less than a minute later as Holek made it 3-1.

L
After an opening defeat FC Zurich hosted an Osmanlispor side in the hunt for consecutive victories. The hosts opened the scoring just before half-time through Schonbacher only to be pegged back midway through the second half by Maher for 1-1. The hosts regained their earlier lead with a strike from Causevic with 11 minutes to go and it proved to be enough to seal their first points.

Villarreal hoped to claim consecutive wins as they travelled to face Steaua Bucharest who themselves looked to get off the mark. The Romanians started the better of the two as they took the lead after just 20 minutes through Muniru before being pegged back just nine minutes later by a leveller from Santos Borré. Both sides pushed for a winner but were forced to a share of the points with the Spanish side moving atop the group table.

Champions League Matchday Two Review

Ahead of the International break, Matchday two saw some sides looked to record back-to-back wins while others hoped to claim their first success of the campaign.

E
Tottenham made the long journey to CSKA Moscow looking to bounce back from an opening loss. They did just that by securing a narrow 1-0 win courtesy of a 71st minute strike from Son Heung-Min. 

Monaco looked for consecutive victories as they hosted Bayer Leverkusen who drew their opener. The sides shared the points in a 1-1 draw that saw the game remain scoreless past the hour before Javier Hernandez fired the Germans ahead. The hosts salvaged the draw with a last-gasp leveller from Glik. 

F
After an opening win, Borussia Dortmund hosted Real Madrid who also looked to add to their perfect start. An early strike from Pierre Aubameyang put the hosts ahead before Cristiano Ronaldo levelled just before the interval. Raphael Varane put the visitors ahead on 67 minutes only for them to be denied the win by a late equaliser from Andre Schurrle for 2-2.

Sporting Lisbon and Legia Warsaw faced off with both looking to bounce back from opening losses. The hosts secured all three points with two first half strikes from Ruiz and Bas Dost for a 2-0 win.

G
After drawing their opening game, FC Copenhagen hosted Club Brugge who were looking to bounce back from an opening loss. The sides remained level into half-time before the Danes ran riot as they raced into a 3-0 lead with a Denswil own goal followed by efforts from Delaney and Santander. The rout was completed late on by Jorgensen for 4-0.

Leicester City had hopes of consecutive wins as they hosted former winners FC Porto. The Foxes did indeed secure back-to-back wins with a 25th minute strike from Islam Slimani enough to claim the three points.

H
After an opening defeat, Dinamo Zagreb looked to stage a shock as they hosted Juventus. Sadly for the Croatians, they were easily beaten with Juve going into the interval 2-0 ahead after strikes from Miralem Pjanic and Gonzalo Higuain. The Italians sealed the win before the hour mark as Dybala struck and the rout was completed five minutes from the end by Dani Alves for 4-0.

Sevilla looked to back up their opening draw with a win as they hosted Olympique Lyonnais who had claimed an opening win. This time around it was to be the hosts who took the points with a narrow 1-0 win coming courtesy of a 52nd minute strike from Ben Yedder.



A
Arsenal and FC Basel faced off at the Emirates both looking to remain unbeaten after opening draws. The Gunners struck early through Theo Walcott after just seven minutes and he doubled the lead on 25 minutes for 2-0. The lead proved to be too much for the Swiss to overcome as 'The Arsenal' moved top of the group.

After also drawing in the opening week, Ludogorets Razgrad and Paris Saint Germain went head-to-head. The hosts took an early lead through Natanael with 15 minutes played before the French champions levelled four minutes before the interval through Blaise Matuidi. The comeback was complete on the hour mark as Edinson Cavani struck a five minute brace for 3-1.

B
Besiktas looked to remain unbeaten as they hosted Dynamo Kiev who also hoped to claim their first win. The Turks opened the scoring through Ricardo Quaresma just before the half hour but the Ukrainians drew level just after the hour mark through Tsyganov to ensure a share of the points.

Napoli were in the hunt for consecutive victories as they hosted Benfica who looked to build on their opening draw. The Italians struck first as Marek Hamsik opened the scoring on 20 minutes before a rapid treble just before the hour saw Dries Mertens score a brace either side of a penalty from Milik for a 4-0 lead. The visitors staged a comeback with strikes from Guedes and Salvio but to no avail in the 4-2 loss.

C
Barcelona looked to build on a huge opening win as they travelled to face Borussia Monchengladbach who looked for their first win. The hosts struck first as Thorgan Hazard fired in on 34 minutes before Arda Turan levelled for the Catalans just after the hour mark. The turnaround was complete on 73 minutes as Gerard Pique sealed the points for the visitors.

After an opening humiliating loss, Celtic hosted a Manchester City side looking for consecutive wins. The Scots made a superb start as Moussa Dembele struck inside three minutes before Fenandinho drew City level on 11 minutes. Raheem Sterling scored for both sides in the space of eight minutes with an own goal on 20 minutes gifting the hosts the lead before he levelled for City for 2-2. Celtic went ahead for a third time as Dembele scored his second just two minutes after half-time but City hit back again through Nolito on 55 minutes and a six-goal thriller was how it ended as the sides shared the points.



D
After both securing opening wins, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich faced off hoping to remain unbeaten. The hosts opened the scoring in the 35th minute with a strike from Carrasco and they held on to the narrow lead to claim the narrow 1-0 win.

FC Rostov and PSV Eindhoven both hoped to get off the mark in the group and they did just that as they shared the points in a 2-2 draw. Propper fired the Dutch into the lead after just 14 minutes only for the hosts to level in the 28th minute through Poloz. The hosts completed the comeback with Poloz's second just nine minutes later but a Luuk De Jong effort just before the interval salvaged a draw.

City Stay Top While Reds Demolish Hull

After a busy week, the review has to be missed out and just the results posted but it will resume with game-week seven ahead of the International break.

EFL Cup Third Round Results

After the European cups began properly last midweek, the final entries into the EFL Cup came in the third round and as always there were a few surprise results.For this round just the results, round four will see a review.

City Stay Top While Reds Defeat Chelsea

Gameweek five in the Premier League turned out to be a very high scoring one with seven sides firing in three or more goals with just four shut-outs across the ten games.

Friday night saw a huge clash at Stamford Bridge as unbeaten Chelsea hosted free-scoring Liverpool. The Reds opened the scoring on 17 minutes after Dejan Lovren volleyed in a clever cross and they were 2-0 up nine minutes before half-time as Jordan Henderson rifled in a long range effort past a helpless Thibaut Courtois. The Blues reduced the deficit just after the hour mark as Diego Costa continued hit superb scoring streak for 2-1. Both sides pushed for further goals but to no avail as Liverpool secured the points.

Saturday's review begins with the action from the KCOM Stadium as Hull City hosted Arsenal. The Gunners got off to the better start of the two with Alexis Sanchez putting them in front after just 17 minutes. Hull were dealt a blow just before half-time with the dismissal of Jake Livermore and the visitors took just 15 minutes of the second half to extend their advantage as Sanchez struck for a second time. Robert Snodgrass slotted in a penalty to keep the hosts in the contest but a Theo Walcott strike within three minutes made it 3-1 before Granit Xhaka fired in for 4-1 in the final minute.

Leicester City looked to back-up their superb win in Europe as they hosted Burnley at the King Power Stadium. The Foxes led just before the interval as Islam Slimani fired in to open his account in the 45th minute before doubling the lead just four minutes after the restart. The Clarets' afternoon got worse rather than better as Ben Mee's 77th minute own goal confirmed a 3-0 win for the hosts.

Manchester City hoped to maintain their 100% record at the top with a visit from Bournemouth. Kevin De Bruyne gave the hosts the lead on 15 minutes before Kelechi Iheanacho doubled the lead in the 25th minute. The win looked to be safe for City less than four minutes into the second half as Raheem Sterling struck before Ilkay Gundogan made it 4-0 six minutes after the hour mark. The only blot on a perfect afternoon for the hosts came on 86 minutes as Nolito was sent off.

West Ham travelled to face West Brom at The Hawthorns looking to claim their first win after a poor start to the season. Their hopes suffered an early blow as Nacer Chadli slotted in a penalty after just nine minutes. Salomon Rondon doubled the lead eight minutes before the interval before James McClean looked to have sealed the win by half time at 3-0. Chadli struck his second of the afternoon to put the Baggies 4-0 up before two goals in as many minutes from Michail Antonio and Manuel Lanzini's penalty made it 4-2 but the Hammers were unable to cut the gap further as the hosts celebrated a win.

After a superb start to he season, Everton looked to continue their success as they hosted Middlesbrough. Boro opened the scoring in the 21st minute after a shot deflected in off Toffees 'keeper Maarten Stekeleberg before Gareth Barry levelled three minutes later on his 600th PL game for 1-1. Seamus Coleman put the hosts 2-1 up with half-time approaching and but for Boro it was to be a 3-1 deficit at the interval with a late strike from Romelu Lukaku After such a packed first half goal-wise, the second half was a draw as the Toffees held their two goal lead for the win.

Super Sunday began at Vicarage Road as Watford welcomed Manchester United hoping to claim back-to-back wins. The Hornets struck the opening goal on 34 minutes as Etienne Capoue continued his scoring streak for 1-0. United drew level through Marcus Rashford on 62 minutes but were denied as little as a point by a late-show from the hosts with Juan Zuniga made it 2-1 before Troy Deeney confirmed a 3-1 success with a penalty in the final minutes.

Crystal Palace hosted a Stoke side yet to win this season at Selhurst Park and the hopes of such a win for the Potters were dented early on by Scott Dann's ninth minute opener and further hampered within two minutes as James Tomkins doubled the lead. Palace struck twice more in a four minute period in the second half with James McArthur and Andros Townsend scoring in the 71st and 75th minutes. Stoke's miserable afternoon did have a positive end as Marko Arnautovic made it 4-1 late on.

Southampton eased to victory in Europe on Thursday night and they looked to complete a perfect week as they hosted Swansea City. The game was a close one with just a single goal needed to settle the points, Charlie Austin stuck the winner for the Saints in the 64th minute.

The final game of the weekend saw Tottenham look to bounce back from defeat in Europe as they hosted Sunderland. A tight game saw just one goal with Harry Kane striking in the 59th minute for 1-0. The afternoon got worse for the visitors as they went down to ten men late on with the dismissal of Adnan Januzaj. 

Europa League Matchday One Results

A delay due to a busy weekend means just the results for the first week of the groups stage, hopefully the first review will come in the second Matchday.

Champions League Matchday One Review

Mid September in the football season means the beginning of the highly anticipated group stage of the Champions League and while some of the notable names are missing this season there a few newbies who will hope to make a name for themselves.

A
Tuesday night saw the first games with Basel hosting Ludogorets and a tight game it proved to be with the side sharing the points in a 1-1 draw. Barbosa put the visitors ahead just before half-time only for them to be pegged back ten minutes from the end by Steffen's equaliser.

A battle between two top sides as Paris St Germain hosted Arsenal and the hosts made an immense start with Edinson Cavani scoring in the opening minute. The lead lasted until deep into the second half when Alexis Sanchez levelled for the Gunners.. Both sides would end the evening with ten men after late dismissal for Marco Verratti and Olivier Giroud. 



B
Benfica opened their campaign by hosting Besiktas and they came so close to securing a opening win after an early strike from Cervi looked to be enough for a 1-0 win. However, the Turkish side salvaged a point in the final minutes through Conceicao. 

Dynamo Kiev and Napoli face each other in the other game in the group with the hosts taking the lead just before the half-hour mark through Garmash before a nine-minute brace from Milik put the Italians into a 2-1 lead. Kiev's hopes of levelling suffered a blow with 20 minutes left with the dismissal of Sydorchuk as the visitors held on for the win.

C
Barcelona started their push towards glory with a stunning 7-0 win over a poor Celtic side. Lionel Messi fired the Catalans ahead inside three minutes before doubling the lead just before the half hour mark. The second half saw a master-class from the hosts as Andres Iniesta, Neymar and a hat-trick strike from Messi made it 5-0 on the hour. The rout was completed by a brace from Luis Suarez on 75 and 89 minutes.

Manchester City's game at home to Borussia Monchengladbach was postponed due to a flooded pitch but the re-arranged game took place on Wednesday with City storming to a 4-0 win.

An early penalty from Sergio Aguero saw him double the lead on 29 minutes to leave the German's with a uphill task which only got worse as the Argentine completed his hat-trick on 76 minutes for 3-0. The gloss on a fine home performance came in the final stages as Kelechi Iheanacho struck for 4-0.


D
Bayern Munich stormed to a 5-0 win in their opening game against FC Rostov with Robert Lewandowski slotting in from the penalty spot on 28 minutes ahead of a second goal just before the interval from Thomas Muller. 

An eight minute brace from Kimmich sealed the win before the hour mark but the rout was completed in the final minute by Bernat. 

PSV Eindhoven played host to Atletico Madrid in what turned out to be a close contest overall with the points sealed for the visitors just before half-time as Niguez struck for 1-0.




E
Bayer Leverkusen opened their campaign with the hosting of CSKA Moskva and raced into a 2-0 lead in as little as 15 minutes with Mehmedi and Calhanoglu firing in. However, the Russians fought back superbly with two goals in as many minutes with Dzagoev scoring before Eremenko levelled for 2-2 which is how the game ended.

Tottenham began their European stay at Wembley with a hosting of AS Monaco. The French side opened the scoring through Bernado Silva in the 15th minute before they were 2-0 to the good on 32 minutes after Lemar struck. Spurs pulled one back on half-time through Toby Alderweireld  but it was in vain as they began with a 2-1 defeat.



F
An opening game to forget for Legia Warsaw as they suffered a 6-0 demolition at home to rampant Borussia Dortmund. Mario Gotze struck an early opener after just seven minutes before a rapid double from Papastathopoulos and Marc Bartra made it 3-0.

Guerreiro and Castro extended the lead either side of the hour mark before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang completed the rout three minutes from the end.

Real Madrid staged a last-gasp smash and grab as they won 2-1 against Sporting Lisbon. The visitors took the lead through Cesar on 47 minutes and looked on course to claim a surprise win as the game entered the final minutes. However, a superb free kick against his former side from Cristiano Ronaldo levelled the game before the visitors' hearts were broken by Morata's strike.

G
Club Brugge were the first ever trip in the competition for Leicester City who looked to make an instant name for themselves. They did just that as Marc Albrighton fired them ahead inside five minutes before Riyad Mahrez fired in a stunning effort for 2-0. The Foxes confirmed a famous three points with Mahrez slotting in a third goal from the penalty spot.

FC Porto and FC Copenhagen shared the points in their opening meeting with Monteiro's 13th minute opener cancelled out by Cornelius on 52 minutes for 1-1. The Danes suffered a blow on 66 minutes with the dismissal of Gregus but the Portuguese side were unable to claim the win with the man advantage.


H
After claiming their third consecutive Europa League title back in May, Sevilla began their Champions League campaign away to Juventus.

The sides were evenly matched across the 90 minutes as they shared the points in a 0-0 draw.

Completing the first review of the campaign is Olympique Lyonnais' hosting of Dinamo Zagreb in which the French side eased to a 3-0 success.

A 13th minute opener from Tolliso set them on their way before Ferri doubled the lead four minutes after half-time for 2-0. The three points were sealed three minutes before the hour mark with Cornet striking for 3-0.