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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted they will find a solution to deal with the absence of his star forwards Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane in January.

The duo is expected to play in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations finals to be held in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6, 2022. Salah will be representing Egypt while Mane will be turning out for Senegal.

It will be a blow for the Merseyside-based charges who are aiming at offering a stiff challenge in the race for the Premier League title.

"We knew it, [Salah and Mane’s absences], we have to deal with it and we will deal with it. How? We will see in January," the tactician told LiverpoolFC.

"People now say we have to sign two strikers with the same quality of Sadio and Mo. That cannot be a solution as we cannot do that, so we have to find a solution for that in January."

On Sunday, the Reds will be away against Leeds United in a league fixture.

In this fixture last season, the score was 1-1 and the German tactician fancies his chances of getting a win this time around despite conceding it will not be an easy task.

"We had, with some players now, a week’s time to prepare for it and some only came back training [from the international assignments], on Thursday so we have two sessions where we can probably prepare for it," Klopp continued.

"The game itself is already tricky. We saw in the last two games against them, my first time playing against Leeds, it was really exciting. They have a specific way of playing the game with strict man-marking idea defending, very flexible and very brave, very dynamic in possession.  

"Against Leeds [it’s] high intensity, they go for it. They are good in possession, I think, so far, second or third in possession. It’s a really good team and we have to be at our best to get something there.

"They don’t have the points yet they want to have but they for sure think they have a good chance against us. But they haven't played us yet this season.  

"We are hopefully good, as good as we can, and then we are difficult to play. When we are difficult to play, we have a chance to win – and that’s what we try."

The Anfield charges are on seven points after three games and a win will take them joint top with Manchester United. 

Patrick Bamford has quickly become a hero for Leeds United fans since arriving from Middlesbrough.

The 28-year-old made the move to Elland Road in 2018 and proved crucial in helping the club earn promotion to the Premier League.

His start to life at Leeds was not easy, though, as his first season was plagued by serious knee injuries.

Not only did he overcome those fitness troubles to score an impressive 16 league goals as they went on to win the Championship in 2020, but he impressed thoroughly in their first season in the top-flight.

Bamford ended the 2020-21 campaign with 17 goals from 38 Premier League matches, making him the joint-fourth top scorer.

It is no surprise, then, that the Leeds fans are singing his name from the stands as he continues to shine for the club.

But the Leeds fans have one particular song about Patrick Bamford that they like to sing.

What are the Patrick Bamford chant lyrics?

Du-du-du-du Patrick Bamford!
Du-du-du-du Patrick Bamford!
Du-du-du-du Patrick Bamford!
(repeat)

The lyrics to the Bamford chant are really rather simple, but it is a catchy song.

The words are just "Du-du-du-du Patrick Bamford" on repeat. You can listen to it being sung by fans n the video above.

What is the origin of the Patrick Bamford chant?

The tune of the Bamford chant is a common one in football, with teams across the world using it to hail their favourite players.

But the origin of the tune is from the 1981 hit 'Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag' from British dance-punk band Pigbag.

The track had a revival in 1995 when Paul Oakenfold, under the name Perfecto Allstarz, released a new version called Reach Up.

Middlesbrough supporters regularly chant the song when their team scores at Riverside Stadium and it has also been used by fans of Queens Park Rangers in similar circumstances.

The tune became entwined with Bamford during his time on Teesside and has stuck with him since.

What other Patrick Bamford songs are there?

Leeds fans also have a more inventive song about their favourite forward.

Their other number is a celebration of the England international's goalscoring exploits and his importance to their hopes for the future.

The song goes:

Paddy Bamford's magic,
He wears a magic boot
And when you give the ball to him
Our Paddy Bamford shoots

He'll put them to the left
And to the Keeper's right
And when we get promoted
We'll sing this song all night

This one may not be as relevant anymore as the Elland Road side have since been promoted and cannot get promoted any further.

But they may alter that line to make the chant relevant again.

Since 2021, another song that Leeds fans sing in tribute to Bamford alludes to his new status as an England international.

Having made his senior debut for the Three Lions in September of that year against Andorra, Leeds fans now also sing about "England's Number 9!".

More football chants & songs

Santiago Rodriguez scored for New York City in the 11th minute with an assist from Jose Gimenez before Boateng equalised for the home side in the 21st minute with Uganda's Emmanuel Kizza providing the assist.
 
Boateng and Kizza's side scored the match-winning goal in the 65th minute through Tajon Buchannan, who had replaced Cameroon's Wilfrid Kaptoum a minute after the hour mark.
 
New York City's Alfredo Morales was red-carded in the 53rd minute after receiving a second yellow card. He had been shown the first yellow card in the second added minute of the first half. 

Valentin Castellanos and Thiago were the other players from the visiting side that were yellow-carded while New England's Henry Kessler, Ryan Polste, Carles Gil and Adam Buksa were the ones who were cautioned.
 
At DRV PNK Stadium, Ghana's Harrison Aful was yellow-carded in the 10th minute as his side, Columbus Crew, lost 1-0 to Inter Miami. Gonzalo Higuain scored the only goal that separated the two teams in the 16th minute. 
 
Apart from Aful, Columbus Crew's Lucas Zelarayan and Nova Wormngoor were cautioned in the 12th and in the 82nd minutes, respectively.
 
At Saputo Stadium, Kenya international Victor Wanyama played the entirety of the game as CF Montreal lost 1-0 to Nashville SC. Walker Zimmerman scored the away side's only goal in the 66th minute as they emerged victors.
 
Uganda international Mustafa Kizza came on in the 65th minute for Zachary Brault-Guillard, but his introduction did not help much as they lost at home.

Joe Willis, Harry Mukhtar and Cameroon's Brian Anunga were Nashville's players who were yellow-carded while Montreal only saw Zohran Bassong cautioned in the game.
 
These were the first games that were staged after the conclusion of the September international break where Wanyama was not involved for Kenya while Mustafa Kizza was called up for Uganda's two qualifiers against the Harambee Stars and Mali.
 
Wanyama's side - who had lost a game, drawn in one and won two of the last five - will be up against Orlando City on September 15.

Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino has reserved praise for Senegal international Idrissa Gueye after he scored his second Ligue 1 goal of the season in the team’s 4-0 thrashing of Clermont on Saturday.

Playing at Parc des Princes, PSG took the lead courtesy of Ander Herrera’s double in the 20th and 31st minute for a comfortable score at the half-time break.

In the second half, PSG, who were missing the services of Argentina stars Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria, as well as Brazil’s Neymar, then sealed the game through goals from Kylian Mbappe in the 55th minute and Gueye in the 65th minute.

It was the second goal for the former Everton and Aston Villa midfielder and according to Pochettino, the 31-year-old is very important because of the balance he gives the team.

“He [Gueye] is an important player in the balance he gives the team, he also scores goals now,” Pochettino said after the game as quoted by GalsenFoot.

“Happy because what he does during the week in training is quality. He has been with us since the start of the preparation even if he had a stop with the Covid-19 and that he lost a little time.

“Faced with stiff competition in the midfield, the Senegalese continues to score points at the start of the season.”

The former Tottenham Hotspur manager also revealed his happiness at the performance of Morocco international Achraf Hakimi, who managed an assist during the win and promised to help him improve more.

“I am very happy with Ashraf [Hakimi]. It is one of the best in the world, very good since his arrival, does not fall asleep, not on his laurels," he continued.

“He has great potential but he also has a lot of points to improve. We will make him work so that he expresses all his enormous aptitudes.”

During the game, Gueye was pulled out in the 72nd minute and replaced by Eric Ebimbe while Hakimi was benched for Thilo Kehrer.

PSG are topping the 20-team table with 15 points from five matches and will next travel to face Club Brugge in their first group match of the Uefa Champions League at Jan Breydel Stadium on Wednesday.

On the league front, they will host Olympique Lyonnais at Parc des Princes on September 19.

Simy Nwankwo headed into this summer’s transfer window on the back of the most magnificent season of his career, and he appeared to have the world at his feet.

The towering frontman may have been relegated with Crotone, but he still netted a whopping 20 goals in a vain attempt to keep the Sharks in the division.

It was an outstanding haul for a team who found themselves on the back foot in the majority of games in which they played.

For context, his return of 20 goals made him the all-time top Nigerian scorer in a single season across Europe’s major five leagues, while the striker is also now the all-time top scorer in the Italian Serie A.

He’s no one-season wonder either, having previously scored seven goals in the Italian top flight with Crotone during the 2017-18 season.

He stuck with the Sharks on that occasion, remaining faithful when they dropped into the second tier, and then proving influential as he fired them back into the top flight.

Upon his return to the top tier in 2020-21, he demonstrated that he truly belonged at that level—and in an environment more elevated than Crotone.

There were parallels with Jack Grealish, who had stuck with Aston Villa when they dropped into the second tier—after initially excelling in the Prem—and then proved his class again in the top flight after remaining loyal with the Midlanders in the Championship.

However, whereas Grealish ultimately secured a £100 million move to Champions League finalists and reigning English champions Manchester City, Simy ultimately secured an anti-climatic offseason move to Salernitana.

It feels like an utterly sideways transfer for the Super Eagles frontman, who had earlier been linked with teams in the Premier League and Serie A during the offseason.

At one point, he was linked with a move to Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma, with the ex-Tottenham Hotspur coach having identified the hitman as an ideal replacement for Edin Dzeko.

Simy can perhaps be excited about the prospect of playing alongside France legend Franck Ribery, who has also penned a deal with the Garnets, but surely—like Grealish—he should have capitalised on such a magnificent season, and been rewarded for his loyalty, by securing a move to the very pinnacle of the game.

Nigeria midfielder Tom Dele-Bashiru played a crucial role in helping Reading claim a 3-3 draw in an EFL Championship match against QPR on Saturday.

The 21-year-old midfielder played the entire game as his team recovered from a slow start to get a point at home. The icing on the cake was his assist in the 64th minute that gave the home team a deserved lead.

The scoring opened when Michael Morrison turned the ball into his own net after just 11 minutes to give the visitors an advantage. John Swift then completed an Allen Halilovic pass to bring the teams back to level terms.

The Nigeria youth international Dele-Bashiru then picked out Swift in the second half to score his second of the match. He completed his hat trick in the 77th minute after finishing a Liam Moore pass.

But QPR fought back and struck through Andre Gray and Stefan Johansen to claim a point.

Meanwhile, Semi Ajayi inspired West Bromwich Albion to a 1-1 draw against Millwall.

He started in the three-man defence alongside Kyle Bartley and Cedric Kipre.

It was West Brom who had a massive opportunity to grab the lead on the stroke of half-time.

They were awarded a penalty, but Karlan Grant missed it to ensure the teams went to the half-time break with the score at 0-0.

Four minutes after the pause, Conor Townsend delivered a set piece that was well taken by Bartley. But five minutes later, Jed Wallace assisted Daniel Ballard to ensure the spoils were shared.

In another Championship match on Saturday, Kenya international Clark Oduor did not have a good outing as his team Barnsley fell 3-0 away to Bournemouth.

The 22-year-old started as a left-wing-back as Markus Schopp charges hoped to get a positive outcome. Nigerian Victor Adeboyejo started from the bench.

Bournemouth went ahead after just eight minutes courtesy of Jordan Zemura. They waited until the first minute of the second half to score their second, this time around through Dominic Solanke.

Zemura completed his brace in the 82nd minute to seal the three points for his side.

Orlando Pirates interim co-coach Fadlu Davids says Thembinkosi Lorch will not be able to take part in any of the Buccaneers' remaining matches in 2021.

The attacker has a shoulder problem that has kept him on the sidelines since featuring for Pirates in the Carling Black Label Cup in early August. 

That has seen him miss four competitive games the Buccaneers have played so far this season.

“We won’t see him for the rest of the year with a long-term injury,” Davids told the media in a brief response to the question about Lorch’s injury on Saturday.

Serious fitness issues also hit Lorch last season which saw him spend 79 days out and was unavailable for 16 games after a tear in his abductor muscle. 

Pirates continue to endure playing without key players due to injuries.

Also sidelined is defender Innocent Maela, who like Lorch, featured in the Carling Black Label Cup but has been out since then with what former coach Josef Zinnbauer said is a “bone problem.”

Striker Zakhele Lepasa has been battling injury since last season while Ben Motshwari and Tshegofatso Mabasa recently returned to fitness and took part in Saturday’s 1-0 Premier Soccer League win against Swallows FC.

Mabasa was back to make an immediate impact by powerfully heading in the goal which separated Pirates and the Dube Birds after coming on as a substitute.

“He [Mabasa] was cleared after our first match against Swallows so he is still in the process of going through his pre-season, so to speak,” added Davids.

“We are building him up on his individual periodisation plan but so far he is doing well. We know he cannot complete 90 minutes as yet in terms of the intensity that we want. But step by step he will get there.

“Yes, he always has a goal in him. He is a different type of striker from what we have and he is always at the right place at the right time with that instinct of smelling the moment and being in the right place. Not a lot of players have that, but he has it.”

Mabasa’s goal fired Pirates to their first win of the season after struggling in the MTN8 elimination by the same opponents as well as two other league games.

“In every match you play, you have that pressure as a coach. We know that we needed the three points but more importantly, we needed the performance,” continued Davids.

“It’s a process in terms of the point where the squad is at right now. You lose a coach [Zinnbauer] and you have to stabilise, you have to look at what was good in the past and what are the priorities to fix things and improve. 

“Yes the goal came late but we knew in the second half Swallows have a trend of bringing in two new wingers and that then opens up the game. It was for us to wait for that moment to be able to impact our subs.”

Pirates now switch focus to visiting Chippa United next Saturday for their fourth league match of the season.

Lionel Messi did not deserve to leave Barcelona in the manner he did and his departure could have been avoided, insists La Liga president Javier Tebas.

Barcelona tried to sign the Argentina star to a new contract after his previous one expired at the end of last season.

But they were unable to come to an agreement despite both parties wanting to continue their partnership, with Barca citing La Liga's financial restrictions as the reason behind the collapse in talks.

What has been said?

Tebas admits the six-time Ballon d'Or winner's departure comes as a blow for the Spanish top flight, even more so than the loss of other important figures.

He told Sport : "Just like when Cristiano Ronaldo, Pep Guardiola or Jose Mourinho left. We knew that one day this would happen. 

"We have had the great luck of having the two best footballers in the world in the two best teams in the world and from La Liga we have been able to take advantage of this to put ourselves on the world front line. 

"Perhaps Messi's departure has been a bit more painful, because personally I consider him the best in history, and he didn't deserve to leave like that, not only for Barça but for La Liga as well."

Was Messi's exit avoidable?

After Messi and Barca gave up on him signing a new deal, the forward was snapped up by fellow European giants Paris Saint-Germain.

Tebas insists the 34-year-old could have stayed at Camp Nou, however, and is confident that will be proven when the club's financial figures are released.

"I discussed it with [Barcelona president Joan] Laporta personally, by phone, and with his board of directors. Solutions were sought, if the reason was economic. If it has been for another reason, I can no longer value it," Tebas said. 

"I think that next season, with the numbers that Barca release, we will see if Messi could really have stayed or not. And although I respect the decision of the club, you have to tell things as they are.

"It was not an economic decision. I know for sure."

Further reading

Crystal Palace attacker Wilfried Zaha has opened up on what drove him to take the penalty which opened the scoring for his side when they beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 in the Premier League on Saturday.

The winger took the initiative to convert from the spot in the 76th minute after Conor Gallagher earned Palace a penalty, and his opener turned out to be the Eagles’ 500th Premier League goal in the home win at Selhurst Park.

With Tottenham reduced to 10 men after Japhet Tanganga was sent off in the 58th minute after a clumsy challenge on Ghana international Jordan Ayew, Palace, led by Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira, scored two more goals courtesy of debutant Odsonne Edouard to pick up their first win of the season on matchday four.

Zaha has explained why he stepped up to take the penalty and promised to take more this campaign.

“I just told myself that I feel like I hold myself back a lot,” Zaha told the club’s official website. “It’s not even I tell myself I can’t do stuff, I just don’t do it. One day I just thought: ‘Why am I not taking penalties?’

“You’ll be seeing me take corners, free-kicks soon enough! Why am I limiting myself? So today [Saturday] I see a penalty came and, yeah, it’s me taking it…as long as I keep scoring them you’ll see more of me, don’t worry.

“I know, everyone in the team knows, what I do for the team. But at the end of the day, I just want to get my name on the scoresheet; I feel like that’s what really matters…because goals win games.”

On the overall performance of the team, Zaha said: “Obviously we’ve worked hard and I’m just glad everyone can see what we’ve been working on from today’s display.

“The way we’re playing, we’re bound to get a chance. I feel like it’s not just counter-attacks and hoofing the ball around, when it’s properly planned the way we’re playing the goals are going to come eventually.”

On scoring what turned out to be Palaces’ 500th goal in the top-flight, the Ivorian said: “I’m always happy scoring goals for the club so hearing it’s the 500th for the club is massive.

“I’m glad my goal today could help towards a comfortable 3-0 win.

“It just shows we’re not just a counter-attacking team, we can actually play out the back and play through teams. Obviously today we showed we’re definitely improving.”

Zaha will hope to continue with his fine run when Palace travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool in their next assignment on September 18.

Senegal international Kalidou Koulibaly has explained the reason he used a ‘borrowed’ camera to celebrate his winning goal against Juventus in their 2-1 comeback win on Saturday.

The 30-year-old defender made the difference after he popped up with a goal in the 85th minute to sink Juventus at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona and hand them their second defeat of the campaign.

Juventus had taken the lead in the 10th minute courtesy of Alvaro Morata but Napoli waited until the second half to turn things in their favour, first Matteo Politano putting them level in the 57th minute before the burly Koulibaly tapped in the rebound after a save from Wojciech Szczesny.

After scoring the goal, Koulibaly then run towards the touchline and ‘borrowed’ a camera from a photographer, then turned it towards the crowd while pretending to take the click away.

“I saw the fans up there and wanted to keep the moment in a photograph, it was too beautiful!” he told DAZN as quoted by Football Italia.

“This victory is for them because we missed them for over a year and to see them back in the stands makes us so happy.”

On the game, Koulibaly said: “We knew that both teams were missing important players, and it’s a pity we conceded that goal, but we had the right maturity to react and change things.”

With the result putting Napoli eight points clear ahead of Juventus in the Serie A title race, the Senegalese international said: “It’s too early, we are not thinking about anything except our own progress, winning one game at a time.”

Meanwhile, Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti praised "great man" Koulibaly after the comeback win over Juventus,

“He really is remarkable. He always adds those two or three notches more than anyone else, he’s an extraordinary leader and a great man. We are what we do, not what we say,” Spalletti told DAZN as quoted Football Italia.

On the game, Spalletti said he was impressed with his team’s reaction after going down 1-0 in the first half.

“A coach tries to make changes during the half-time break, but the reaction of the players is what’s fundamental,” Spalletti added.

“Nobody gives you results; you have to turn these things around. We did more in the second half, added Adam Ounas in that position and that opened up a few more spaces.

“There was general pressure all around that prompted errors, both from Juventus and Napoli. Juve were sitting deeper and their wing-backs caused us problems because they put dangerous balls in behind the defence. We have to do better.

“We deserved to win, but it wasn’t as clean a victory as it could’ve been.”

Napoli are topping the log on nine points from three matches while the defeat saw Juventus drop to 16th position with one point from the same number of games.

Kaizer Chiefs’ bid for a first Premier Soccer League title since 2015 continues on Sunday when they take on defending champions and hosts Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld.

With Chiefs having won their last league outing, a 2-1 victory over Baroka FC at home, they are keen to continue on that path in these early days of the league marathon.

But that quest will see Sundowns standing in their way as the Tshwane giants are eager to pick themselves up from an unconvincing run of form.

Sunday’s match comes just less than a month after Masandawana knocked Chiefs out of the MTN8 at the quarter-finals stage via a penalty shootout.

That sets the Soweto giants on a mission to reclaim bragging rights which they ended with last season over Sundowns. 

TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch

Squads & Team News

Masandawana are expected to welcome back from injury key players in Themba Zwane and Mosa Lebusa as per the coaches’ forecast just before the international break.

The two missed Sundowns’ last two games, the 0-0 league draw away at Chippa United and the MTN8 semi-final, first leg 1-1 share of spoils against Golden Arrows.

Mothobi Mvala is definitely back after he missed their last match but recovered in time to do national duty with Bafana Bafana.

Gift Motupa and Khuliso Mudau are doubtful for this game while Lebohang Maboe is ruled out as the attacker is set to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Last Thursday, Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter said they were trying to manage the fitness levels of Keagan Dolly and Khama Billiat.

Despite starting against Baroka, Dolly is yet to reach the best shape Baxter wants him to have.

Billiat was being checked if he returned from international duty with Zimbabwe without any knock and is expected to feature against Sundowns.  

Forward Leonardo Castro is ruled out as he is recovering in his native Colombia after undergoing surgery.

Defender Siyabonga Ngezana is far from returning from injury, according to Baxter, while Dumisani Zuma has started doing light training and will not be fit for Sunday’s tie. 

Match Preview

The Loftus Versfeld battle comes as Chiefs and Sundowns each have four points so far in this campaign.

Sundowns edged AmaZulu 1-0 in their league opener, before being held by Chippa United.

Amakhosi, on the other hand, started their campaign with a 0-0 draw away at TS Galaxy and then the win over Baroka in what has been viewed as improvements.

But while Sundowns are still unbeaten in the league, their performances have been criticised this season.

The way they surrendered a 2-0 lead to Chiefs who clawed back to claim a 2-2 draw after extra time in the MTN8, before sneaking through via penalties angered their fans.

Then Masandawana needed a Zwane penalty to edge Usuthu, before firing blanks against Chippa while the MTN8 draw 1-1 against Arrows was also unconvincing. 

With the Brazilians eliminating Amakhosi from the Cup competition, it is, however, Chiefs who enjoy bragging rights in the PSL after beating Sundowns 2-1 in their last league meeting in April. 

Interestingly, that match was played at Loftus Versfeld where they return on Sunday.

Edouard Mendy has now turned his attention to Tuesday’s Champions League encounter with FC Zenit Saint Petersburg.

The Senegal international, who was signed from Rennes, was one of the Blues’ heroes as they defeated Aston Villa 3-0 at Stamford Bridge in Saturday’s Premier League encounter.

Against Dean Smith’s men, the 29-year-old kept a clean sheet as Romelu Lukaku’s brace and Mateo Kovacic’s strike saw Thomas Tuchel’s men through.

Following this result, they will now square off against the Russian Premier League giants as they commence their European title defence.

While praising his team for a job well done, the goalkeeper stated that Chelsea are now thinking of their next fixture against Sergei Semak’s side.

“Another solid performance from the team in a tough game, above all a great atmosphere at home. Focus now on the next challenge Champions League,” Mendy wrote on Instagram.

Despite securing all points against Aston Villa, manager Tuchel highlighted the challenges his team had to surmount.

“It was absolutely not comfortable,” he told Chelsea website.

“We played against a strong Aston Villa side, who were well prepared.

“They looked sharp from the start and caused us a lot of problems. We had to block a lot of shots and be wary at set-pieces because they are strong.

“I thought defensively we were very strong and did what we needed to do. Then in the second half, we were better. We were in control a lot more; we were a lot more fluid, and we took our chances well.

“It was a perfect result for us and of course a perfect night for our striker [Lukaku] but we know we can still improve a lot.”

Mendy shot into fame having joined the London team in a £22m ($31m) deal as the club sought to find greater firmness between the sticks as costly errors had sneaked into Kepa Arrizabalaga’s game.

He has since proven to be one of the bargain signings, making crucial saves for the Londoners who finished fourth in the 2020-21 league campaign.

The African star also played a key role in their Champions League success – featuring in 12 games and not conceding a goal on nine occasions – a feat that earned him Europe's Goalkeeper of the Year Award.

Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham showed off a novel celebration involving a cup of beer during his side's gripping 4-3 victory over Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.

A late penalty from Erling Haaland helped the visitors prevail in a match which saw them come back from behind on three occasions before finally sealing the win. 

But their young England star also shared the headlines for his "first beer" and earned some scorn from his own organisation for the antics.

'My first beer!' 

Haaland put Dortmund 4-3 ahead from the penalty spot with 13 minutes left on the clock and immediately ran over to the corner of Leverkusen's BayArena to celebrate, with Bellingham in hot pursuit. 

Their happiness was, rather unsurprisingly, received in a less than gracious fashion by the home crowd, which began hurling paper beer cups at the celebrating players. 

While most of the beverages landed on the turf, Bellingham showed admirable reflexes to pluck one of the receptacles out of the air, and he proceeded to lift the drink up to his mouth. 

"Perfect day for my first beer... Not a fan," he later joked on Twitter while sharing a sequence of the catch. 

The ex-Birmingham City youngster was later taken off in the final minutes as Dortmund held on for a vital win. 

Dortmund staffer Kehl scolds Bellingham

Not everyone was as impressed with Bellingham's actions, though.

One such critic was Sebastian Kehl, who heads the club's Licensed Player Division.

"I told him not to do that," Kehl told Sky Sport Germany after the match. "I'll tell him again. The boys are of course charged, it was a heated atmosphere.

"It's nice that there are spectators here again, but it was very heated, there were a lot of decisions against us too."

Saturday's win takes BVB up to third in the Bundesliga standings, having won three and lost one of their four outings to date.

Further reading 

Sebastien Haller found the net twice as Ajax defeated PEC Zwolle 2-0 in Saturday’s Dutch Eredivisie encounter.

The forward scored in each half as Erik ten Hag’s men continued their unbeaten start in the 2021-22 campaign.

Haller came into the game on the back of his double in Cote d’Ivoire’s 2-1 triumph over Cameroon in a 2022 Fifa World Cup qualification match on September 6.

For Zwolle, they were hoping to return to winning after three consecutive defeats against Vitesse, NEC and Willem II.

The game got off to a flying start, however, both teams were unable to get the breakthrough in front of goal.

Nevertheless, Ajax took the lead in the 29th minute thanks to Haller who was slammed Steven Berghuis’ pass past goalkeeper Kostas Lamprou’s net.

The hosts almost equalised, albeit Remko Pasveer was called to make a fine save off Slobodan Tedic’s shot.

Seven minutes after the hour mark, the 27-year-old completed his brace. Again, it was Berghuis who set him up.

Denmark international of Sierra Leonean descent Mohamed Daramy was introduced for Berghuis eight minutes from full time while Cote d’Ivoire’s Haller was in action from start to finish as well as Morocco international Noussair Mazraoui.

Mazraoui’s compatriot Zakaria Labyad was an unused substitute whereas Ghana international Mohammed Kudus was ruled out due to an ankle injury.

Although Ajax are undefeated in the ongoing season, yet they are second in the log having accrued 10 points from all four games played so far.

They travel to Estadio Jose Alvalade on Wednesday for their Champions League fixture against Sporting Lisbon.

After the fixture against the Green and Whites, they take on Cambuur in their next league encounter.

At the AFAS Stadion, Nigeria prospect Noni Madueke was in action for 55 minutes as PSV Eindhoven silenced AZ Alkmaar 3-0.

Goals from Olivier Boscagli, Yorbe Vertessen and Ritsu Doan propelled the Peasants past Pascal Jansen’s side.

Madueke was subbed off for Bruma but Cote d’Ivoire’s Ibrahim Sangare was not listed for the game.

PSV – who have won all their matches so far – occupy the summit of the log with 12 points. They host Feyenoord in their next outing.

Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku admitted that he fulfilled a childhood fantasy in finally opening his account in front of the Stamford Bridge faithful. 

The Belgium international has made a blistering start to his second spell with the Blues, scoring three goals in as many games since moving from Inter over the summer. 

But Saturday's double to down Aston Villa held special significance for him as he was given a rousing ovation by the home crowd. 

What was said? 

"It’s my dream since I was 11 [to score here]," Lukaku explained to Sky Sports following his side's 3-0 victory over the Villans, weakened by the absence of Argentina pair Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia, who must undergo isolation after travelling for September's World Cup qualifiers.

"I've worked hard for this moment. I’m very happy for the win. It was an important game for us. We showed the will to win from the first minute and I’m very happy with the result.

"In Italy, I was playing in a league where I maybe had one or two chances a game, so I had to take them. I’m very happy with the situation I’m in and we keep going."

The striker added: "Villa were very good and pressed hard, especially us three up front. They made life very difficult for us. It’s great. It’s a childhood dream for me. I’m very happy in this situation, but the work has to keep going.

"The coach said before the game, when we recover the ball we had to play it forward very quickly. I wasn’t doubting Kova’s [Mateo Kovacic] quality [for the first goal]. It was a great pass. I played with [Axel] Tuanzebe back in the day, he knows I’m left-footed, so I switched to my right."

The bigger picture 

Lukaku earned his first move to Chelsea at just 18, having burst onto the scene in his native Belgium with Anderlecht. 

His time at Stamford Bridge proved frustrating, though, as he was afforded just 15 appearances in three seasons with the club and failed to net a single competitive goal. 

A subsequent spell with Everton demonstrated his abilities in front of goal, and he went on to lead the Manchester United line for two seasons before finding his best form in Italy with Inter. 

Lukaku smashed 64 goals in 95 matches for the Nerazzurri, a record which helped the club reclaim the Serie A title after 11 years and also convinced Chelsea to part with £98 million ($136m) and bring back the frontman.

Further reading

Idrissa Gueye scored his second Ligue 1 goal of the season in Paris Saint-Germain's 4-0 thrashing of Clermont on Saturday.

Despite the absence of Argentina stars Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and Brazil's Neymar because they left South America late, Mauricio Pochettino's side put in a masterclass performance.

Gueye sealed the emphatic win at Parc des Princes with his effort in the 65th minute after Ander Herrera's brace and Kylian Mbappe's lone goal fired them ahead.

A few weeks ago, the former Everton and Aston Villa star opened his league goal account for the season in their 4-2 victory over Brest.

He has now matched his personal Ligue 1 tally of two goals in 28 matches for last season, after playing just three matches.

Gueye and Morocco's Achraf Hakimi played for 72 minutes before they were replaced by Eric Ebimbe and Thilo Kehrer respectively.

Senegal defender Abdou Diallo featured for 90 minutes for PSG while Clermont had a host of African players in action including Benin duo Jodel Dossou and Cedric Hountondji, DR Congo's Vital N'Simba, Ghana's Salis Samed and Tunisia's Saif-Eddine Khaoui.

The victory stretched PSG’s lead at the summit of the Ligue 1 standings to 15 points after winning their first five games of the season while Clermont suffered their first defeat of the campaign and they dropped to third spot with eight points.

Gueye and Diallo were part of the Senegal squad that defeated Togo 2-0 and Congo 3-1 in their opening 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.

They will be hoping to continue their fine form when PSG begin their Champions League campaign with a trip to Club Brugge on Wednesday. 

After the European outing, they battle Islam Slimani's Lyon for their next Ligue 1 match at Parc des Princes on September 19.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was overjoyed to see the Gunners finally get on the board with their first Premier League points of 2021-22 and saluted the hard work his team had carried out over the international break. 

Three consecutive defeats without scoring a single goal had increased the pressure on Arteta going into Saturday's clash with Norwich City, but the Gunners responded in fine fashion as a 1-0 victory brought that awful run to an end.

Arteta has claimed the turnaround marks one of his favourite football moments.

What was said? 

"I must say it has probably been the best 10-14 days I have ever had since I've been in football," Arteta told reporters after the game.

"You have to win football matches but it is a joy to watch how everyone was behaving around the context that we had around. I got pretty emotional to see that.

"I think it is pretty difficult to see football and people maybe were expecting something, they want to go another road - try to transmit hate or whatever - it wasn't the case at all. So, thank you so much."

'We played with pride'

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the man who finally broke Arsenal's scoring duck with the game's only goal 66 minutes in. 

And he echoed Arteta's relief in banishing the memories of their horrendous opening run. 

"I'm just really happy. The first three points of the season. It was tough weeks so we had to make sure we won this game in front of our fans. The most important thing today was to play with pride and that's what we did," he told  BBC Sport .

"[The start] was really hard. When you lose games as players we are the first to be touched inside. We had 10 days to prepare ourselves and to change things and this is what we did. Today we made sure we won this game and took three points.

"Overall we played well. We had a lot of chances. We have to be a bit more clinical in front of goal but everyone gave everything on the pitch."

Further reading