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Liverpool manager has branded Ibrahima Konate’s potential as ‘incredible’ following his inspiring display against Crystal Palace.

The 22-year-old joined the Reds on a five-year contract in a deal worth £35m having impressed at Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.

Nevertheless, he made his competitive debut in the club’s 3-0 over Patrick Vieira’s men in Saturday’s Premier League encounter.

Partnering Virgil van Dijk, Kostas Tsimikas and James Milner, the 22-year-old halted the attacking forays of the Eagles to help the 19-time English kings keep a clean sheet.  

The German tactician was impressed with Konate’s performance and when asked if the former France youth international had required an adaptation process, Klopp told the club website: “Yes, definitely, that’s very important. I think we all saw what kind of potential the boy has – it’s incredible.

“Physicality, technique, game understanding, it’s all there, but when as a young boy you are already skilled like Ibou is then you rely sometimes on these skills and the Premier League teaches you harsh lessons.

“[Saturday] was a good example with Crystal Palace playing with first Benteke and then Edouard, Zaha all the time cutting inside, Ayew around… these are proper strikers, and he did really well.

“Of course, when you play your first game then maybe it is not so nice when you play in a completely new last line, but together with Virg and Millie on this side it worked really well – and Kostas played a top game as well.”

Klopp stated there is still more to expect from the Mali prospect while talking about whether he is keen on rotating the squad or not in the 2021-22 campaign.

“There is a lot more to come from him,” he continued.

“He is still young and yes, of course, they all have had to adapt to the way we play and to the league as well, of course.

“It is a special league here. He is in a really good way and I am really happy about the process.

“We will rotate, we always rotated, but you see in the last line in the last years we couldn’t rotate really because there were always a maximum of two fit [centre-backs] very often – and the third one was already a midfielder.

“In midfield, hopefully, we have the numbers to do [it] and we need that because, as I said before the game, this is the engine room of the team and we need to make the changes there.

“Upfront, we have different opportunities as well, so that’s good. How often we do it, I didn’t make a plan already for the season, but as often as necessary and possible.”

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer brushed off Rio Ferdinand's speculation that Cristiano Ronaldo was running the team from the sidelines during Tuesday's defeat to Young Boys.

Ronaldo's goal at Young Boys wasn't enough in United's Champions League opener, as the 10-man Reds went down to a surprise defeat in Switzerland. 

The striker was pulled off during the second half but retained a vocal presence on the touchline, to Ferdinand's concern. 

What was said? 

“If I’m the manager, I’ve got to be honest, I’m telling him to sit down,” former United and England defender Ferdinand told BT Sport during the broadcast.

“I get it. You know, with Cristiano people go, ‘Oh it’s bravado, it’s for the fans’. He’s just a passionate guy. He wants to win, he’s desperate to win, and he can’t hold it in.

“If that means he has to go up there and stand next to the manager, shouting instructions etc etc, so be it. When it’s someone of his standing and stature in the game how can you argue with it?”

Solskjaer, though, insisted that Ferdinand's interpretation of events was misguided.

"Rio, again, sometimes he comments on things he doesn’t really know," he said of his former team-mate at Old Trafford.

"It should have been a yellow card for Martins Pereira when he brought down Nemanja Matic. Both Bruno [Fernandes] and Cristiano, as competitive as they are, suddenly I had them on my shoulder.

"They were there for a brief spell and shouted to the referee. That was the aggravation of getting a few bad decisions against us. But then Cristiano sat down, Bruno sat down. We know only one man is allowed in that technical area and that’s either me or Carras [Michael Carrick], Mick [Phelan] or Kieran [McKenna].

"It was just spur of the moment, he should have been sent off, so I don’t have any problem with them showing some passion and then going back down. It’s not like he [Ronaldo] was coaching the players, no."

United's next outing

The Reds have the chance to atone for their slip midweek in Sunday's Premier League clash away to West Ham. 

Victory would restore their share of the lead alongside Liverpool, who moved three points clear of both Manchester United and City with a comfortable defeat of Crystal Palace on Saturday. 

Solskjaer's next European test, meanwhile, is set for September 29, when Villarreal visit Old Trafford.

Further reading 

Liverpool star James Milner has expressed his delight at seeing teammate Sadio Mane achieve a Reds landmark in their 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The Senegal international opened the scoring against Patrick Vieira two minutes before half time, and that happened to be his 100th goal for the Anfield giants.

He has now scored in his last nine English topflight appearances against the Selhurst Park giants, a run that stretched back to August 2017.

And no other player in the competition’s history has managed such a feat.

Those numbers are precisely why the former English international felt the reigning African Player of the Year is worthy of whatever praises he receives.  

“It's impressive. Obviously, all the boys up there do so much for the team – not only goal,” Milner was quoted by Liverpool website.

“Assists, working for the team off the ball and how we play and press, we couldn't do it without the front boys starting it off.

“But Sadio has great quality, scored all types of goals and very important goals as well.

“Pleased for him because he's such a good player and he deserves the accolades he gets.”

Echoing this sentiment is manager Jurgen Klopp who highlighted the player’s contribution since moving from Southampton in 2016 for a transfer fee of £34 million on a five-year contract.

“He did, he did [contribute so much]. People obviously forget but around these 100 goals he worked incredibly hard, defended for us the wing, pressed high, counter-pressed, created goals, set up chances, all that kind of stuff,” said Klopp to the club’s website.

“So, the 100 goals are just one number, there are so many other numbers which are similarly important, but I’m really happy for him that he could reach that today.

“Yeah, a massive achievement. In the glorious history of this club only 18 players - if that is right - scored 100 goals, that says a lot.

“Nowadays players are usually not that long in clubs so I am really happy that I could work now already for five years with Sad and he’s just a top player.”

As it stands, Liverpool occupy the summit of the EPL log with 13 points from five matches played so far.

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is determined to help Kai Havertz reach his full potential, and will not permit any slacking off from the young star along the way. 

After a difficult start to life in the Premier League following his move from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020, Havertz is now considered a key part of the Blues team. 

And Tuchel is delighted to see him working hard to fulfil his undoubted potential. 

What was said?

"I found him very strong when we came back," the manager said of Havertz when asked by reporters. 

"I was pleased with his attitude to training and the pre-season matches very early in the season. I felt him very self-confident after his end to the season after he was very decisive in the Champions League.

"He didn’t lean back on that and took it as a given that he has made an impact now and has his place. He is fighting hard with a different attitude and self-confident. He is also using his body to play physically in training, if he misses in training, he still takes the next shot with full belief.

"These are little details where I could see that he is in a good place. He pushes himself and he wants to continue to get better and have another impact and another impact. This is what we demand because the guy is so full of talent that we won’t let him relax for a second.

"If you have this amount of talent, we will push him to the absolute maximum and this guy has the body, talent and head. He has everything and the belief to play at the very top level. This is it. I felt him a little bit tired after the national break where he was a bit ill during his matches for Germany but now he is in very good shape.

"He had a good physical impact versus Zenit where he came off the bench. We count on him. He’s super important for us."

The bigger picture 

Havertz was one of the highest-rated young midfielders in the world when he chose to swap Leverkusen for Chelsea in the summer of 2020 in a £70 million ($97m) move. 

But inconsistent form and injury, including a bout of Covid-19, hampered his attempts to settle at Stamford Bridge, leading to a disappointing start under Frank Lampard. 

Better was to come following Tuchel's arrival, and Havertz would ultimately show his worth with the winning goal against Manchester City to seal victory in the Champions League final. 

He has since featured in every game in 2021-22 so far for the Blues, with his only goal so far this term coming in a 1-1 Premier League draw with Liverpool.

Further reading 

Manager Veljko Paunovic is overwhelmed by Ovie Ejaria’s performance in Reading’s 2-1 away victory over Fulham on Saturday.

Still basking in the euphoria of their 3-1 triumph over Peterborough United their last time out, the Berkshire based outfit travelled to London with the aim of extending their fine run against the Cottagers.

That ambition was achieved with the former England youth international of Nigerian descent getting the goals while the hosts got their only strike through substitute Rodrigo Muniz.

After full-time, Ejaria walked home with the man-of-the-match award to the delight of his Serbian boss who waxed lyrical about his notable act and the rest of his team.

"Ovie put in an amazing performance – we see that in training from him all the time and we encourage him to show it in the game more. He has huge talent,” Paunovic was quoted by the club website.

"And in that second half, some of the players were at their limit, physically. But they put it all out there.

“It was a fantastic game, a great day and a fantastic atmosphere. We executed our plan very well. And I’m very happy with the performance of our team.

“Fulham played very, very good football and it was hard. But with grit and determination, character and composure and good execution of our game plan, we managed to get this very important win for us – especially in a week when we have picked up seven points in total.”

Reading welcome Middlesbrough to the Select Car Leasing Stadium in their next league outing and the Serbian has shifted his focus to Neil Warnock’s Boro.

“We are starting to regroup and get better,” he continued.

“We now have a full week to prepare for the next game against Middlesbrough at home. And we now have to start focusing ourselves, from game to game.

“But we have our confidence back, we have our identity back, and we can look to improve and look forward to the next game.”

Ejaria saw every minute of action alongside Tom Dele-Bashiru, Chelsea loanee Baba Rahman and Andy Yiadom.

Even at the result, Reading are 14th in the English Championship table having accrued 10 points from eight league matches.

Francis Ezeh and Simon Deli contributed an assist each as a Mario Balotelli inspired Adana Demirspor earned a 3-1 victory over Rizespor in Saturday’s Turkish Super Lig encounter.

Both teams came into this encounter on the back of their inability to win any of their last four matches in all competitions, however, it was the hosts who reigned supreme after 90 minutes.

Still bitter about their 4-0 loss to Fatih Karagumruk on the last time out, Vincenzo Montella’s men were aiming to bounce back against the Black Sea Sparrowhawk at the New Adana Stadium.

After a cagey start to the encounter, Balotelli gave the Blue Lightnings the lead one minute after the half-hour mark following an infringement in the visitors’ danger area.

The former Inter Milan and Manchester City star expertly put the ball beyond goalkeeper Gokhan Akkan.

Five minutes before the half-time break, the hosts doubled their advantage through Matias Vargas who was teed up by Nigerian midfielder Ezeh.

Rizespor came out stronger in the second half but they could not get beyond Adana’s goal area. However, their persistence paid off six minutes before the hour mark as Tyler Boyd assisted Fernando Boldrin to beat goalkeeper Ferhat Kaplan.

That goal was a reality check for the home side who awoke from their slumber. They restored their two-goal advantage in the 66th minute thanks to Birkir Bjarnason who was assisted by Deli.

With no goals coming in the remaining minutes of the encounter, Adana Demirspor cruised to their first win of the 2021-22 campaign.

Nigeria’s Ezeh was subbed off for Metehan Mimaroglu in the 55th minute, while Ivorian star Deli saw every minute of action.

DR Congo striker Britt Assombalonga was brought in for Balotelli with eight minutes left on the clock. Whereas, David Akintola (Nigeria) and Younes Belhanda (Morocco) played no part in the encounter.

On the other hand, Yannick Bolasie was handed a starter’s role for Rizespor before making way for former France international Loic Remy in the 65th minute.

A minute later Nigerian striker Aminu Umar was introduced for Joel Pohjanpalo, while Burkina Faso's Bryan Dabo was not dressed for action.

Anthony Nwakaeme provided the assist for Trabzonspor's only goal in their 1-0 victory over Kasimpasa in a Turkish Super Lig encounter on Saturday.

Following a cagey first-half at the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadium, the Super Eagles striker helped Anastasios Bakasetas in breaking the deadlock in the 52nd minute.

Nwakaeme played the entire duration for the visitors and Gervinho returned to action after recovering from a hamstring injury that kept him out of action since August.

The Ivory Coast star came on as a 74th-minute substitute while Guinea's Fode Koita was an unused substitute.

Despite his contribution in sealing the win, Nwakaeme's scoring streak came to an end. This was after previously having scored at least a goal in each of his last four league appearances for the Black Sea Storm.

He remains Trabzonspor's top scorer with five goals in nine appearances across all competitions this term.

They sit second in the Turkish top-flight standings and they are currently level on 13 points with leaders Besiktas after five matches.

The Nigeria star will be expected to continue his fine form when Abdullah Avci's side travels to Konyaspor for their next Super Lig outing on September 23.

Earlier this season, Nwakaeme was honoured by Trabzonspor's fans with a statue that was erected in the city of Trabzon to appreciate his contributions to the club.

The 32-year-old moved to Turkey from Israeli club Hapoel Beer Sheva in 2018 and he is already in the final year of his contract in Avci's team.

In the three years spent so far, Nwakaeme helped Trabzonspor lift the Turkish Cup and the Super Cup, both in 2020.

Former Mamelodi Sundowns defender Matthew Booth feels Orlando Pirates' willingness to attack from the back could be a risky tactic.

While The Sea Robbers ended up comfortable 3-1 winners against Chippa United, they had not been convincing in the first half.

Apart from conceding first to a Phakamani Mahlambi goal in the 12th minute, the Pirates defence was exposed on several other occasions in the opening half. Were it not for some wasteful finishing, Chippa could have established a greater and perhaps unassailable lead.

Having attack-minded full-backs can be a double-edged sword, Booth believes.

"When you look at the full-backs, how attacking both [Bandile] Shandu and [Paseka] Mako are, I like that. It sends out a good message to the team," he said in the SuperSport TV studio.

"But obviously in those situations, when you are more attack-minded, you sometimes don't recognize when to be defensive, or how quick to get back into that pocket, and Shandu didn't recognize that.

"Even later on, Mako also got caught out. So a little bit of a concern.

"Also [Happy] Jele and [Thulani] Hlatshwayo, a little bit off the pace, sluggish, which is a worry."

Booth's fellow analyst, Jabu Mahlangu (formerly Pule), also questioned the Bucs defence.

"I ask myself, where is [Wayde] Jooste," Mahlangu said. "Because I think when they signed him in that position (right-back), he gave Pirates width when they attack, and also he was always there (in defence), he was tracking back on time when Pirates loses the ball.

"Shandu, fantastic player, good player attacking, but I think there's a lot of problems when you put him under pressure, when he has to defend," said the former Kaizer Chiefs and Pirates ball wizard.

The second half saw Bucs having much less defending to do as their midfielders and forwards took the game to the Chilli Boys and scored twice, through Abel Mabaso and Goodman Mosele, to win the match comfortably in the end.

Alex Iwobi has equalled Efan Ekoku’s Premier League appearance record having featured in Everton's 3-0 defeat against Aston Villa.

Prior to the fixture against Dean Smith’s men, the former Arsenal player boasts 159 appearances in the Premier League.

And having made Rafael Benitez’s starting XI – anchoring the Toffees' midfield alongside Abdoulaye Doucoure and Brazil's Allan – the 25-year-old garnered his 160th English elite division cap.

In the process, he became the 10th joint most capped Nigerian player in the competition alongside Ekoku – who represented Norwich City and Wimbledon during his active days.

Newcastle United great Shola Ameobi is Nigeria’s most capped player in the competition with 298 appearances since making his bow for the Magpies against Chelsea on September 9, 2000.

Ameobi’s last Premier League cap was attained against Stoke City on March 21, 2015, during his spell at Crystal Palace. Overall, he accrued 43 goals with 105 wins and 116 defeats to his credit.

Even at this milestone, Iwobi could not rescue Everton from losing their first game of the 2021-22 campaign as Matty Cash, Leon Bailey plus an own goal from Lucas Digne secured all three points for the hosts.

With nine minutes left on the clock, the Super Eagle was subbed off for Tom Davies with former France youth international of Malian descent Doucoure seeing every minute of action.

Whereas, Cote d’Ivoire international Jean-Philippe Gbamin was not listed for the entertaining affair.

For the hosts, DR Congo prospect Axel Tuanzebe played all 90 minutes as Burkina Faso’s Bertrand Traore and Zimbabwe’s Marvelous Nakamba made second-half appearances for Cash and John McGinn respectively.

Egypt’s Mahmoud Hassan ‘Trezeguet’ and Anglo-Nigerian Carney Chukwuemeka were missing due to contrasting degrees of injuries.

Benitez’s men would be eyeing a return to winning ways when they welcome Norwich City to Goodison Park on September 25. Should Iwobi play a role in that encounter, he will overtake Ekoku while closing in on Celestine Babayaro’s 179 mark.

Before taking on Daniel Farke’s Canaries, they are guests of Championship side Queens Park Rangers in Tuesday’s League Cup outing slated for Loftus Road.

AmaZulu FC progressed to this season's second round of the Caf Champions League on Saturday afternoon.

Usuthu produced a vintage performance as they defeated Nyasa Big Bullets 3-1 in the first round second-leg match and they won the tie 3-2 on aggregate.

They came into the encounter trailing 1-0 on aggregate having lost at home last weekend with former Orlando Pirates striker Chiukepo Msowoya scoring for Big Bullets.

AmaZulu joined their PSL rivals, Mamelodi Sundowns in the second round with the Tshwane giants having been given a bye in the first round. 

Usuthu will now take on DR Congolese giants TP Mazembe next month and the winner on aggregate will advance to the group stage. 

Coach Benni McCarthy recalled bulky centre forwards Bonginkosi Ntuli and Siphelele Mthembu to the starting line-up as Usuthu looked to stun record 14-time Malawian champions.

AmaZulu started the match like a house on fire as they grabbed two quick goals inside the first 11 minutes of the match which was played at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.

The visitors were awarded a penalty just three minutes into the game after one of the Big Bullets defenders was adjudged to have used his hand to clear the ball from off the line.

Ntuli then stepped up and made no mistake from the penalty spot as he hit the back of the net to hand AmaZulu a 1-0 lead on the day - leveling the tie at 1-1 on aggregate.

The KwaZulu-Natal giants were soon 2-0 up when Mthembu made a good run down the left flank, before setting up Ntuli, who scored with a sublime backheel finish in the 11th minute.

AmaZulu were leading 2-0 at half-time and they looked destined to advance to the next round in their debut appearance in the Champions League.

Big Bullets pulled one back five minutes after the restart when Henry Kabuchi beat goalkeeper Veli Mothwa from a free-kick to make it 2-1. 

However, McCarthy's charges surged forward and they managed to restore their two-goal lead after their two frontmen Ntuli and Mthembu combined once again.

Ntuli was the provider this time around when as he set up Mthembu and the former Kaizer Chiefs star scored from inside the box to seal AmaZulu's 3-1 win in the 55th minute.

Usuthu will now face Lamontville Golden Arrows in a PSL game on Wednesday.

Luton Town's Henri Lansbury somehow escaped with just a yellow card despite dispatching Swansea City's Ryan Manning with a savage kick while the ball was not even in play. 

The two Championship sides played out a memorable 3-3 draw on Saturday, but Lansbury's attack also proved a heated talking point. 

Not only did Manning's aggressor stay on the field, but the Swansea man also picked up a booking for his troubles! 

What happened? 

Luton were cruising 3-0 ahead when Lansbury and his right boot came to the fore. 

The midfielder was keen to restart the action with a quick free kick, taking a big swing at the ball following a Swansea infraction. 

Manning, however, found himself in the way, and received the full force of Lansbury's follow-through as he was sent flying. 

Other Swansea players immediately confronted the perpetrator, but when tempers cooled he was only shown a yellow card instead of the expected red. 

The bruised Manning was given an identical punishment for encroachment, having rolled the ball away a split-second before feeling the wrath of Lansbury's boot. 

The bigger picture

Seemingly riled by the perceived injustice of the decision, the incident prompted Swansea to mount a stunning comeback. 

Jamie Paterson and Olivier Ntcham scored to put the visitors within reach, before Joel Piroe levelled the game at 3-3 deep into injury time. 

The draw keeps Swansea just above the Championship relegation zone, with seven points from their opening eight games; while Luton missed the chance to close on a play-off spot and finish Saturday in 13th place. 

Further reading 

Andre-Pierre Gignac, Guillermo Ochoa and Florian Thauvin are among the top 10 highest-rated Liga MX players in FIFA 22.

The France duo of Gignac and Thauvin both star for Tigres, while longtime Mexico goalkeeper Ochoa is back at Club America where his career began. 

Ochoa is one of four goalkeepers in the top 10. while Cruz Azul star Jonathan Rodriguez joins Gignac as the only other striker.

FIFA 22: Who are the best Liga MX players?

Tigres have the most representatives in the top 10, making up half of the group with five players.

In addition to Gignac and Thauvin, Tigres are also represented by Nahuel Guzman, Rafael Carioca and Chaka Rodriguez.

In fact, outside of Tigres, no other team has more than one player in the top 10.

Ochoa represents America, while Esteban Andrada plays for Monterrey, Rodriguez comes from Cruz Azul, Alfredo Talavera plays for Pumas and Angel Mena lines up for Leon.

When does FIFA 22 come out?

This year's edition of FIFA is set to be released on October 1 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Stadia, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Further reading

Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Jabu Mahlangu has questioned the character in the Amakhosi side and pin-pointed Khama Billiat as one example.

Mahlangu, who previously went by the surname Pule, felt that Billiat should have shown a greater desire to track back after losing the ball near the opponents' box, which ultimately led to the final goal of the game, converted by substitute Mfundo Thikazi with the last kick of the match.

"Billiat lost the ball on the D-line of the 18-area. He didn't even show that he's lost the ball and it's a counter-attack," Mahlangu said in his capacity as a SuperSport TV presenter.

"What I'm saying is effort. When you lose the ball, and you see danger is on...you can run, you can sweat to try and defend. But you look at the body language of Khama there after losing the ball. 'Who cares, they [his team-mates] will see that.'

"That's not the attitude for the team," Mahlangu added.

For Royal AM's second goal, Victor Letsoalo bent in a brilliant free-kick past Brandon Petersen. Mahlangu felt that not enough was done to protect the Chiefs goal, and that the lack of communication highlights the shortage of character in the side.

"Communicate with the goalkeeper (at the free-kick). There's that one player who [should] communicate with the goalkeeper and arrange the wall.

"We don't see players who have that character at the moment in Kaizer Chiefs. The coach can't coach how to defend (a free-kick). You are professionals, you practise at training. [Someone should be] saying 'Jabu, wake up'. I don't see players with character. At a team likes Chiefs, you must have characters like this."

The defeat was a third of the season for Stuart Baxter’s side, following losses to Mamelodi Sundowns in both the league and in the MTN8 quarter-finals.

Having drawn against TS Galaxy and beaten Baroka FC, the Soweto side has four points from their opening four league games.

Next up for them are Marumo Gallants, at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on September 26.

Orlando Pirates co-coach Mandla Ncikazi has revealed the team needed a performance like the one they put up in their 3-1 win against Chippa United in the PSL on Saturday.

The Buccaneers were forced to come from a goal down at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium courtesy of goals from Tshegofatso Mabasa in the 29th minute, Abel Mabaso in the 58th minute, and Goodman Mosele in the 78th minute to silence the home team, who had taken the lead through Phakamani Mahlambi in the 12th minute.

Buoyed by their first victory of the season – 1-0 against Moroka Swallows on September 11 - the Buccaneers sought to build on the result and they were the better side especially in the second half when they put the Chilli Boys to the sword.

Ncikazi has said that he was not satisfied with the overall display from his team, but they are happy to have picked up another three points.

Ncikazi's not fully satisfied

“I wish we could have started better, but I am grateful we got the result and I am also grateful for the hard work the team went through,” Ncikazi told the media after the game.

“I am also happy with the commitment of the team, teamwork and if we can get a result with such a performance I can imagine if we play better than these, then the signs are positive.

“It was a great result, Pirates needed that but we still have a lot of work to do, this is not the performance that we expect from a team like Pirates a bit of dominance on the ball and a bit of composure on the ball and I thought we did not do that part well.

“But for scoring, which has been our deficiency, I am just happy we scored three goals today [Saturday] coming from a goal down that we conceded very early, there is growth in the team, it is very minimal in the eyes of other people but in our eyes there is growth and I am just proud of that.

“The match is a matter of training and what I saw today, the fighting spirit, I saw it in training and if the team is united, and if the team is prepared to work hard every day, then we can do well, today, we were worked for our luck and I think luck was on our side.”

The fitness of Mabasa

On whether goalscorer Mabasa will play in the next game, Ncikazi said: “It is important because teams that win the championship and win matches they have got a consistent line-up and if it is possible we don’t have injuries then we will have to keep the same team.

“And without jumping the gun, I think he should start the next match without disclosing much, we want to be consistent but sometimes injuries force us into situations that we don’t want to be in.

“Pirates have been very unlucky lately with a lot of injuries but I am happy for Mabasa, I am happy for him to play two games and score two goals and more is to come.”

The win pushed Pirates to second position on the table with eight points, the same as leaders Stellenbosch FC and they will next face champions Mamelodi Sundowns at Orlando Stadium on September 25.

Senegal international Sadio Mane registered a new Premier League record as he helped his Merseyside club record a 3-0 win against Crystal Palace at Anfield on Saturday.

Mane - who scored two minutes before the first half ended to give the Reds the lead - became the 18th different player to score 100 goals in all competitions for Liverpool, with the Senegalese netting more of these goals against Crystal Palace than any other side (10). The forward also became the first player in Premier League history to score in nine consecutive appearances against a specific opponent.

"After netting his 100th goal, Mane attracted praise from James Milner who said he is a quality star. "It's impressive," Milner told  Liverpool FC.com . "Obviously all the boys up there do so much for the team – not only goals. 

"Assists, working for the team off the ball and how we play and press, we couldn't do it without the front boys starting it off. But Sadio has great quality, scoring all types of goals and very important goals as well. Pleased for him because he's such a good player and he deserves the accolades he gets."

Meanwhile, since Salah made his debut for Liverpool, he has racked up 134 goal involvements in the Premier League - 99 goals and 35 assists - at least 24 more than any other player. The Egyptian scored the second goal for the home side in the 78th minute with an assist from his defender, Virgil van Dijk.

Liverpool have won each of their last nine Premier League games against Crystal Palace. Only against Bolton have the Premier League giants had a longer winning run in the competition, 10 between 2007 and 2011. Following their 30 shots against Leeds United, and 25 against Crystal Palace on Saturday, the Reds have registered 25 plus shots in consecutive league games for the first time since May 2017.

Jurgen Klopp's side has scored more goals from corners than any other side in the Premier League - 16 - including all three strikes at Anfield against Crystal Palace with Mane, Salah and Naby Keita - who scored the third goal in the 89th minute.

On his part, Ivorian international Wilfred Zaha marked his 250th Premier League appearance but was unfortunate not to score from the opportunities presented to him.

Norwich forward Josh Sargent admitted he felt mixed emotions after making his first Premier League start in a 3-1 home defeat to Watford on Saturday.

The U.S. international, who joined in the summer from Werder Bremen, played 70 minutes on his full debut before he was substituted.

Watford would go on to earn all three points behind a second-half double from Ismaila Sarr, continuing the Canaries' dismal start to the season.

What was said?

Speaking to the BBC after the game, Sargent said: "It's bittersweet. I'm very happy to make my debut. The team is frustrated, the fans are frustrated, we wanted to get the points. Very disappointed.

"It is what it is, we can't lose focus, we can't give up at all. We've got to be focused and get the points we need."

Sargent's debut campaign so far

Saturday marked Sargent's fourth Premier League appearance of the season, with the 21-year-old having come off the bench in his side's first three league matches.

Sargent also started and scored a brace in the Carabao Cup against Bournemouth last month.

Norwich still without a point

The newly-promoted Canaries are beginning life back in the Premier League in the worst possible fashion, losing all of their first five matches - while also extending manager Daniel Farke's horrendous top-flight run which stretches back to their last season in the division.

Norwich are only the fifth team to lose each of their first five matches in a Premier League campaign, with the previous four offering the Canaries some hope of staying up this term.

Southampton in 1998-99 and Crystal Palace in 2017-18 both survived after losing five straight to start the season, while Sunderland in 2005-06 and Portsmouth in 2009-10 were relegated.

Further reading