Brentford beat their big-spending west London rivals Chelsea 3-0 on ​Friday (September 18, 2026) with second-half goals by forwards Jaidon Anthony, Igor Thiago and Fabio ‌Carvalho condemning Xabi Alonso’s men to their third straight ​Premier League game without a win.

Anthony pounced in ⁠the 61st minute when he nodded in from close range after Jannik Schuster headed a corner back across the goal, which extended Chelsea’s long run ‌of league games without a clean sheet to 21.

Thiago made it 2-0 in the 83rd minute when Emiliano ‌Martínez saved from Kevin Schade on a breakaway but the ‌ball ⁠dropped to the Brazilian who made no mistake. Substitute ⁠Carvalho wrapped up the win when he turned in a cross by Schade in added time.

Schuster said he and his colleagues had turned up the pressure ​on Chelsea after the break ‌and the approach paid off.

“I think when the second half began we played it more directly forward and we scored after that so I’m just happy,” the Austrian told Sky Sports.

Brentford’s ‌win pushed the Bees, who are unbeaten so far in ​the league, up to third in the table ahead of the remaining weekend fixtures. Chelsea sit in ⁠seventh place.

It was the first home win for Brentford over Chelsea since 1938, and manager Keith Edwards and his players celebrated at the ‌final whistle, with their fans dancing along in the stands.

The usually free-scoring Blues – who had racked up a total of 10 goals in the first four games of the season, behind only Brighton & Hove Albion on 13 – came close early on when Pedro Neto’s curling shot was saved by Caoimhin Kelleher.

Cole Palmer almost ‌weaved his way through Brentford’s defence on two occasions, but overall Chelsea, missing ​in-form Brazil striker Joao Pedro through injury, were comfortably held at bay by the home defence.

Alonso made five ⁠changes, with captain Reece James also injured. Danny Welbeck got his first ⁠league start for the Blues and fellow veteran Jordan Henderson made his Chelsea debut against the club he played ‌for last season.

Moises Caicedo remained sidelined due to an injury that has made him miss all but a few minutes ​of the season so far, contributing to Chelsea’s defensive fragilities.

Arsenal’s 16-year-old Max Dowman scored twice in a 4-2 League Cup victory at Ipswich Town to continue the club’s ​perfect start to the season and Liverpool also reached the fourth round as ‌they beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 at Anfield on Tuesday (September 15, 2026).

Dowman showed great ​footwork to open the scoring in the seventh minute ⁠and made it 3-0 shortly after the interval with another silky finish to become only the second 16-year-old to score two goals in the same game for a ‌Premier League club.

Noni Madueke had doubled Arsenal’s lead and Mikel Merino made it 4-0 before Ipswich rallied with goals by ‌Anis Mehmeti and Chuba Akpom to salvage some pride.

Dowman matched Wayne ‌Rooney’s ⁠feat of scoring twice for Everton in a League Cup ⁠tie against Wrexham in 2002 and manager Mikel Arteta said “everything is possible” for the youngster.

“That is something very natural for him and he can deliver those actions, that is his ​biggest quality. His application, and ‌ability to sustain the action,” Arteta said.

“At 16 years old he can create the moments. He is coping better and better and better. We know the talent, we need to look after him. Step by ‌step.”

Premier League champions Arsenal have now won all six of ​their games this season in all competitions.

Struggling Tottenham sent out a strong starting lineup at Anfield against a Liverpool team ⁠showing 10 changes from the side that drew with Fulham at the weekend.

But the confidence-boosting victory Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi desired after a poor ‌start to the season did not materialise as they succumbed to the 10-time winners.

Alexis Mac Allister’s clinical finish into the top corner put Liverpool ahead and Cody Gakpo made it 2-0 in the 54th minute with a powerful finish after cutting in from the left.

Conor Gallagher headed Tottenham’s reply — the club’s first goal against Premier League opposition this season — but ‌substitute Dominik Szoboszlai wrapped up the win with a stunning late thunderbolt from outside the ​penalty area.

“I am pleased with the performance. I think there have been different phases in the game but overall I ⁠liked the energy,” Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola said.

Fulham won a five-goal thriller at ⁠second-tier West Ham United with Oscar Bobb’s first goal for the club sealing a 3-2 win at the London Stadium. Top-flight ‌Brentford also made it through with a 2-1 win at Reading thanks to goals by Callum Wilson and Fabio Carvalho.

Third-tier Peterborough reached the ​fourth round, edging a penalty shootout against Barnsley after a 3-3 draw.

Leeds hammered woeful Newcastle 4-1 to go third in the Premier League on Monday (September 14, 2026) while Real Betis won 2-1 at Villarreal to move equal on points with second-place Real Madrid in La Liga.

The top two in Italy, Roma and Inter Milan, won comfortably to maintain their 100% records and Como beat Parma 2-1 to climb into third spot.

Betis’ fairy tale start to the Spanish season continued with victory over Villarreal.

The win, courtesy of goals from Cucho Hernández and Natan, came 10 days after it beat Real Madrid 1-0 in La Liga, and less than a week after it overcame Lille 3-2 in its first Champions League group match since 2005.

The result at Estadio de la Ceramica lifts Betis into second place, tied with Madrid on 12 points. Barcelona is top on 15.

It was another disappointing night for the home side, which is still to win this season and sits third-bottom with two points from five matches.

In Italy, Roma continued its superb start to the season with a 2-0 win over Torino. It was joined at the top of the table by the only other team with maximum points, Inter Milan, which came from behind to crush Udinese 5-3.

Both teams have 12 points from four games, although Roma is first on goal difference after what was its ninth consecutive victory.

In-form striker Donyell Malen scored his sixth goal in four games to put Roma ahead and Niccolò Pisilli got a deserved second in stoppage time.

Inter struggled to get going against Udinese, which looked set to continue its good run of away form by scoring twice without reply in the opening 16 minutes.

James Abankwah rose unmarked to head Udinese ahead in the ninth minute and Jurgen Ekkelenkamp doubled its lead seven minutes later.

However, Carlos Augusto got a goal back for the reigning champion after 26 minutes with a 30-yard strike and Nicolo Barella equalized 10 minutes before half time.

Marcus Thuram, Francesco Pio Esposito and Ange-Yoan Bonny scored in a commanding second half, and although Idrissa Gueye grabbed a third for Udinese in stoppage time it was nowhere near enough for the visitor.

In Como, the home side moved into the top three with a 2-1 win over Parma.

Jacobo Ramon turned Nico Paz’s shot in for the opener midway through the first half and Kaiki made it 2-0 seven minutes from time after a goalmouth scramble. Jose David Romero got Parma’s consolation in stoppage time.

Como is third on 10 points along with Lazio.

In England, Dominic Calvert-Lewin was the star man as Leeds overran a flimsy Newcastle side.

The home team turned it on during a sparkling first half and took the lead in the 32nd minute when Ao Tanaka’s shot from the edge of the box took a double deflection to bamboozle Newcastle keeper Lukas Hornicek.

Three minutes later, sloppy defending led to Calvert-Lewin making a second with a trademark header, the goal being marked down to Jayden Bogle after the ball went in off his head.

Calvert-Lewin then grabbed his fourth goal in four games on the stroke of half time. Noah Okafor rounded off the scoring for Leeds with a half volley after another weak clearance early in the second period.

Newcastle’s consolation goal came in the final minute from substitute Bazoumana Touré.

The result lifts Leeds into third place in the Premier League, equal with Hull on eight points, four behind joint leaders Arsenal and Manchester City. Newcastle is 12th.

Erling Haaland’s hotly contested goal settled the 199th Manchester derby on Sunday (September 13, 2026). The Norwegian struck in the 60th minute at Old Trafford to seal a 1-0 win for 10-man Manchester City over fierce rival Manchester United in the Premier League.

At first, the goal was ruled out for offside, but after VAR review the onfield decision was overturned. That sparked a roar of celebration from the away fans.

United’s players were incensed by the decision, with Enzo Fernandez appearing to be in an offside position during the buildup. But the Premier League said the goal was allowed because, despite diving to head the ball, the Argentine did not get a touch before it reached Haaland at the far post.

However, league rules state a player is interfering with play when “clearly attempting to play a ball which is close when this action impacts on an opponent.” City will feel justice was done after Phil Foden was sent off in the 23rd for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes.

With an extra man United hit the post either side of halftime – first from Marcus Rashford’s long-range free kick and then Kobbie Mainoo’s low shot from the edge of the area.

Haaland’s goal makes him the top scorer in the Manchester derby in Premier League history with nine. City moved level on points with defending champion Arsenal at the top of the standings.

Coventry’s nightmare start to the season continued with a 5-0 home loss to Brighton. After running away at the top of the Championship last season it has been a rude awakening for Frank Lampard’s team since its return to England’s top flight.

Four straight defeats leaves Coventry rooted to the foot of the standings without a goal and a goal difference of minus 10.

Brighton led 1-0 at halftime through Charalampos Kostoulas before going on a scoring spree after the break with goals from Malick Yalcouye, Pascal Gross, Lewis Dunk and Yasin Ayari.

Yamal joined on Barcelona scoresheet by another 19-year-old academy product, Kane saves Bayern – (A)

Lamine Yamal produced another double and Barcelona also got a goal from another 19-year-old product of its famed youth academy in a 4-2 win at Levante on Sunday (September 13, 2026).

Elsewhere in Europe, the Bundesliga’s biggest club needed a second-half winner from Harry Kane to beat the league’s smallest side as Bayern Munich won 2-1 at promoted Elversberg.

Later, European champion Paris Saint-Germain looks for its first league win of the season when it goes to Brest.

Barcelona extends perfect startXavi Espart scored the opener for Barcelona with a low, bouncing shot from the edge of the area after getting set up by Raphinha five minutes in for his first goal with the senior squad.

Espart joined Barcelona’s La Masia academy as an under-10 player and made his senior team debut last season.

For Barca’s second, Raphinha dribbled around the goalkeeper and crossed for Yamal, who used one touch to smash it in from inside the 6-yard box. Yamal then added a penalty shortly after the break for his sixth league goal of the season and his third straight brace in the Spanish league.

A poor back pass from Espart, who was playing as a left back, allowed Ivan Romero to pull one back for Levante. Then Roger Brugué scored again for Levante before Karim Adeyemi restored a two-goal advantage in stoppage time as Barcelona improved its perfect start with its sixth win in six matches across all competitions.

Lennart Karl put Bayern ahead early on before substitute Maurice Krattenmacher equalized for Elversberg in the 61st

.Kane’s winner came in the 72nd as the England forward scored through traffic after Elversberg gave away possession under high pressing. It was Kane’s 99th Bundesliga goal in 97 matches. Elversberg entered the match ahead of Bayern in the table

Manchester City made a winning start to life without Pep Guardiola as late goals from Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol snatched a dramatic 2-1 victory against Bournemouth on Sunday (August 23, 2026) in Enzo Maresca’s first Premier League game as the Spaniard’s replacement.

Marcus Tavernier’s first half goal put Bournemouth ahead at the Etihad Stadium before City staged a pulsating fightback in the final minutes.

Marc Guehi headed City’s equaliser with six minutes left before Gvardiol stroked in the stoppage-time winner.

Guardiola won 20 trophies, including six Premier League titles, during a glorious decade with City.

His reign started with a late win at home to Sunderland in 2016 and Maresca will hope his own narrow victory serves as the prelude to an equally successful spell.

Maresca insists he can replicate Guardiola’s trophy haul if he is given time to handle the “big changes” at the club.

City’s lacklustre 3-0 defeat against Arsenal in last weekend’s Community Shield raised questions about their ability to keep pace with the Premier League champions this season.

For much of their top-flight opener, City were again short of inspiration in attack and cohesion at the back.

But they found a way to dig out a result that allowed Maresca to breath a sigh of relief.

It is a time of major upheaval at City, with Rodri, Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Nathan Ake and Tijjani Reijnders all leaving and Savinho set to join Tottenham.

England midfielder Elliot Anderson has been Maresca’s only major signing and he was unimpressive before hobbling off in the second half.

City are set to sign teenage Moroccan midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille in a deal worth £86 million ($117 million), according to reports on Sunday (August 23, 2026).

But more new recruits will be needed if City are to close the gap on Arsenal.

Critical decision

Maresca wasted little time emulating one aspect of Guardiola’s reign as he unveiled a curious starting line-up.

The Italian picked six players who could be classed as defenders, with England centre-back Guehi deployed in midfield and Nico O’Reilly moved from his usual role on the left to a position closer to Erling Haaland in attack.

Haaland shed his long blond hair on the eve of the new season, describing his close-cropped look as “new season, new trim”.

The City striker, who starred for Norway at the World Cup, might have looked sharp, but his finishing was rusty when he somehow prodded wide from close-range after O’Reilly’s cross presented him with a golden opportunity.

City were punished by an incisive counter from Bournemouth in the 26th minute.

Evanilson’s perfectly weighted cross fizzed across the penalty area as City defenders Ruben Dias and Abdukodir Khusanov stood statuesque, allowing Tavernier time and space to stroke a composed finish past Gianluigi Donnarumma from six yards.

City forwards Phil Foden and Antoine Semenyo struggled to link up effectively with Haaland, whose glancing header was clawed away by Djordje Petrovic.

Guehi should have equalised immediately after the interval from Foden’s corner, but he surpassed Haaland’s woeful first half miss with an even worse header from virtually on the line.

Moans from supporters underwhelmed by Maresca’s style of play were a constant soundtrack to his time at Chelsea.

It must have alarmed City’s hierarchy to hear similar complaints from the stands before Maresca had even completed 90 minutes in charge.

But Maresca made the critical decision to send on French playmaker Rayan Cherki and the move changed the course of the match.

It was Cherki’s corner that arrowed towards Guehi in the 84th minute, presenting the defender with a chance that he headed past Petrovic in clinical fashion.

And in stoppage time, Cherki slipped a deft pass through the heart of the Bournemouth defence for Gvardiol to slot home as Maresca punched the air in delight.

Premier League champion Arsenal beat Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield on Sunday (August 16, 2026), giving Mikel Arteta an ‌early-season triumph while condemning new City boss Enzo Maresca to defeat in ​his first game in charge in the traditional curtain-raiser to the campaign.

With ⁠their fourth victory over City in the fixture, Arsenal maintained their 100% win record over their opponents with an emphatic performance at the Principality Stadium where Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard found ‌the net.

“We showed our level today, we showed that we’re ready,” Odegaard told TNT Sports.

“I think we showed that we’re serious, we want to do ‌it again. There’s more trophies to go for and that’s the aim.”

Quick opener

Having failed to ‌convince ⁠in pre-season performances that raised a few eyebrows, Arsenal exploded into action ⁠with devastating effect right from kickoff, needing just 23 seconds to silence any lingering doubts about their readiness.

Myles Lewis-Skelly was deployed in midfield and he threaded an excellent pass to set up left back Calafiori, who calmly ​finished past Gianluigi Donnarumma to give Arsenal ‌the perfect start against the FA Cup champions.

Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori scores their first goal
| Photo Credit:
Action Images via Reuters

The early strike — the first goal scored in the opening minute of the fixture in 58 years — set the tone for a dominant display where Arsenal looked fitter, sharper, more confident and full of attacking ‌verve.

City did not have a clear opportunity until the 20th minute when Phil ​Foden curled a shot from range but David Raya was up to the task, diving to his right to deny the midfielder, while he also ⁠saved a shot later from Erling Haaland.

Arsenal doubled their lead when Odegaard floated in a cross to the far post where new signing Christos Tzolis headed the ball back across goal ‌for Havertz to head home, with Donnarumma accidentally spilling the ball over the line.

Arsenal needed just three minutes after the restart to make it 3-0 with Tzolis grabbing his second assist when he set up Odegaard, whose delicate first touch took the ball past Josko Gvardiol before he beat a wrong-footed Donnarumma with ease.

Haaland silenced

Maresca’s side showed only flashes of their attacking threat but Raya stood firm to preserve a clean sheet while Haaland last season’s ‌Golden Boot winner with 27 goals — was kept quiet and withdrawn before the hour-mark.

Arsenal kick off the ​new Premier League campaign on Friday against Coventry City and Odegaard said they were going to play on the front foot to defend their crown.

“We’re ⁠going to attack it. We want to do it again. It was an unbelievable achievement and ⁠experience for all of us,” he said.

“When you get the taste of how nice it is, you want to do it again. And there’s also a few ‌other ones we want to take,” he added, referring to the Champions League title that slipped through their fingers in the final against Paris St Germain.

“At this club, ​you want to win all of them. But of course, that’s a big one.”

Group F remains delicately poised heading into the final round of matches in the FIFA World Cup, and neither Japan nor Sweden will feel entirely comfortable when they meet at the Dallas Stadium here on Friday (June 26) early morning India time.

Both still control their own destinies, but the margin for error is considerably narrower. Japan arrives with momentum after Hajime Moriyasu’s side produced one of the performances of the tournament in a 4-0 demolition of Tunisia.

Ayase Ueda was the standout performer, scoring twice and providing an assist, while Daichi Kamada continued his fine tournament form by netting Japan’s quickest-ever World Cup goal.

Kamada has already scored twice in the competition, bettering his returns (no goals in 28 appearances for Crystal Palace) from an entire season of Premier League football.

Japan’s Ayase Ueda, left, and Daichi Kamada celebrate after the former scored the second goal during the World Cup Group F soccer match against Tunisia in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Saturday, June 20, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
AP

With four points and a superior goal difference, Japan knows a draw will guarantee a place in the knockout rounds.

Sweden’s journey in this World Cup, however, has been more turbulent. Graham Potter’s side opened with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Tunisia but was brought crashing back to earth by a big defeat against the Netherlands. It was Sweden’s heaviest World Cup loss since the 5-2 reverse to Pele’s Brazil in the 1958 final.

Despite the setback, Sweden remains well placed on three points. Another point could be enough to secure progression, depending on results elsewhere.

Its greatest source of optimism remains up front. The partnership of Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak has the potential to emerge as one of the most dangerous attacking combinations, while Anthony Elanga’s lively cameo and goal against the Dutch could earn him a larger role.

Sweden’s forward Anthony Elanga scores his team’s first goal during the 2026 World Cup Group F football match against Netherlands at the Houston Stadium in Houston on June 20, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
AFP

Japan will be without attacking midfielder Takefusa Kubo, who is nursing a knee injury. Sweden, meanwhile, may consider changes in midfield after the Netherlands defeat, with youngster Lucas Bergvall pushing for a starting berth.

Japan has been remarkably consistent in the last 12 months. The Samurai Blue have lost only once in 14 matches, scoring 26 goals while conceding just eight.

Sweden, meanwhile, had reached the quarterfinals, in Russia, eight years back, but has already suffered two heavy losses — 5-1 against the Dutch and 3-1 to Norway — in its six matches this year.

With qualification at stake, Dallas could witness one of the fiercest contests of the final group-stage round.

Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes was named the Premier ​League player of the season on ‌Saturday after guiding his club to ​third place in the standings ⁠while equalling the league’s assists record with a game to spare. Fernandes tied the ‌league record of 20 assists jointly held by former Arsenal ‌striker Thierry Henry and ex-Manchester ‌City ⁠playmaker Kevin De Bruyne.

The Portugal ⁠international also scored eight goals as United secured a third-place finish to qualify for the ​Champions League.

The 31-year-old ‌was nominated alongside Arsenal’s title-winning trio of Gabriel, David Raya and Declan Rice, Manchester City duo Erling Haaland ‌and Antoine Semenyo, Nottingham Forest midfielder ​Morgan Gibbs-White and Brentford striker Igor Thiago.

Fernandes emerged as the ⁠Premier League’s best playmaker this season when he created a league-high 132 ‌chances. The next best player was Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai, who created 89 chances.

Fernandes was named the Football Writers’ Association men’s player of the year earlier this month while he also ‌picked up the club’s Sir Matt Busby ​Player of the Year honour for the fifth time.

He has the ⁠opportunity to make the Premier League assists ⁠record his own on Sunday when United travel to Brighton & ‌Hove Albion for the final game of the season.