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Bayern Munich were victorious in the UEFA Super Cup final on Thursday, but required extra time to defeat a stubborn Sevilla side 2-1.

With the game level 1-1 after 90 minutes, Bayern’s unlikely hero was substitute Javi Martinez, who looped his header past Bono to seal Bayern’s first trophy of the 2020/21 season.

The game got off to a flying start when Los Palanganas were awarded a 13th minute penalty after Ivan Rakitic was fouled by David Alaba. The spot kick was tucked away confidently by Lucas Ocampos.

Bayern levelled things up before the break courtesy of Leon Goretzka’s calm finish and Die Roten then had two goals ruled out in the second half, one for offside and another for a foul in the build up. Sevilla also spurned a golden chance to win the game in the dying minutes and things would eventually be settle by a Martinez header in the first half of extra time.

Here’s 90min player ratings from a tense night in Budapest…

Manuel Neuer (GK) – 8/10 – Did everything he had to with minimal fuss. Only faced three shots in normal time – and one was a penalty. Made a vital save to send the game to extra time.

Benjamin Pavard (RB) – 7/10 – Defended well and was close to scoring in the first half, wriggling free of his marker like a centre-forward.

Niklas Sule (CB) – 7/10 – Did fine but wasn’t caused that many problems, especially in the second half.

David Alaba (CB) – 6/10 – The penalty he conceded was soft but it was still clumsy from the Austrian. Bounced back well thereafter, building Bayern’s attacks from the back.

Lucas Hernandez (LB) – 7/10 – Good to see him continue his return from injury. Suso caused a few problems but he was largely solid.

Leon Goretzka (CM) – 7/10 – Showed ice cool composure to score Bayern’s equaliser. Burst forward for his side regularly but faded after the break.

Joshua Kimmich (CM) – 8/10 – Kept things ticking over superbly. The multi-disciplined German was a joy to watch.

Thomas Muller (AM) – 6/10 – Spurned a tap-in in the first half – very unlike the world’s first and only Raumdeuter. Struggled to pick apart Sevilla’s stubborn low block.

Leroy Sané (RW) – 6/10 – Always dangerous but decision making was lacking at key moments. Had a goal ruled out for a very soft foul.

Robert Lewandowski (ST) – 7/10 – Sumptuous touch in the box led to Goretzka’s goal. Will be absolutely devastated not to score. He loves goal you see.

Serge Gnabry (LW) – 7/10 – A constant threat. He weaved in and out of defenders pulling the trigger at will.

Corentin Tolisso – 6/10

Alphonso Davies – 6/10

Javi Martinez – 8/10

Jerome Boateng – N/A

Bono (GK) – 6/10 – Made several good saves in the first half to make up for a poor mistake that could have proved costly. Should have done better for Bayern’s winning goal.

Jesus Navas (RB) – 8/10 – The wily veteran fared fairly well against his fleet-footed opposite number. Also broke forward with success at times.

Jules Kounde (CB) – 6/10 – The Manchester City target had a tough time against one of the best forward lines in the world. His yellow card was quite harsh.

Diego Carlos (CB) – 7/10 – Completely dominant in the air and dealt with Bayern’s forward line running in behind pretty well. However, his tragic mistake led to the corner and Bayern’s winner. He looked very sad after it went in, poor sod.

Sergio Escudero (LB) – 7/10 – Drove forward whenever he could and surprisingly missed a few chances to score.

Joan Jordan (CM) – 5/10 – Picked up the stupidest yellow card of all time, blocking a quick free kick after Anthony Taylor asked him very nicely not to.

Fernando (CM) – 6/10 – Had a tough task keeping Bayern’s midfield quiet and struggled at times.

Ivan Rakitic (CM) – 7/10 – Stepping into Ever Benega’s boots was never going to be easy but he fared well, winning his side the penalty and looking classy on the ball.

Suso (RW) – 5/10 – Caused Bayern a few problems early on but faded in the second half and was rightly being substituted.

Luuk de Jong (ST) – 7/10 – His lovely cushioned header led to his side’s penalty. Unlucky to be replaced before the hour mark.

Lucas Ocampos (LW) – 6/10 – His beautiful no-look penalty gave his side the lead. Offered an important counter-attacking threat but was starved of service.

Nemanja Gudelj – 6/10

Youssef En-Nesyri – 5/10

Oliver Torres – 6/10

Franco Vazquez – N/A

Uruguayan superstar Luis Suarez has joined Atletico Madrid on a free transfer, leaving Barcelona after six years with the Catalan giants.

The 33-year-old’s future has received plenty of media attention in recent weeks, with Juventus previously touted as his most likely destination. Suarez was even thought to have agreed personal terms with the Serie A champions.

His contract with Barcelona was due to run until the summer of 2021 but, having now terminated that deal, La Liga rivals Atleti have been able to officially announce the Uruguay international’s arrival.

Suarez will join Atleti with Alvaro Morata set for a return to Juventus, despite the former Chelsea striker’s loan move to Wanda Metropolitano only being made permanent in July this year.

The former Ajax man arrived at Camp Nou from Liverpool in 2014 for a fee of £65m and went on to score 198 goals in all competitions for the Blaugrana. He enjoyed some incredible highs in the red and blue, particularly during his second season at the club when he bagged a stunning 40 goals in 35 La Liga appearances, ending the campaign as the division’s highest scorer.

Suarez was also voted La Liga’s World Player of the Year for his efforts in the 2015/16 campaign, helping his side lift the domestic title, the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa all in one year.

However, the ex-Red has struggled with fitness issues over the past 12 months and has subsequently found himself out of the picture at Barça, with coach Ronald Koeman deeming him surplus to requirements.

The Catalan giants are desperate to cut their wage bill, so much so that they were prepared to allow their prolific goalscorer to leave the club for nothing rather than holding out for a considerable fee.

The Uruguayan’s exit may make way for a major replacement to fill his boots in the side, although Barcelona are relying on any money made from the high-profile departure of club legend Lionel Messi to increase their transfer kitty.

Manchester United eased into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup after beating Championship side Luton Town 3-0 on Tuesday night.

Juan Mata opened the scoring late in the first half from the spot after George Moncur clumsily brought down Brandon Williams inside the hosts’ box.

Chances came few and far between for both sides in the second period before substitutes Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood ensured United’s progression with a pair of well-taken strikes late on.

Here are the Red Devils’ player ratings from their Carabao Cup triumph.

Dean Henderson (GK) – 7/10 – Was rarely tested on his Manchester United debut before making a superb save to prevent Tom Lockyer’s header hitting the back of the net with ten minutes remaining.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka (RB) – 5/10 – Felt a little sorry for the right-back in possession; often isolated with a lack of width provided down the right by Mata which meant he faced one-v-two situations on the ball. Rarely targeted down the left so was pretty inactive defensively.

Eric Bailly (CB) – 7/10 – A few poor decisions in regards to positioning but covered space really well and was dominant in duels. Progressive in possession but sloppy too.

Harry Maguire (CB) – 6/10 – Outwitted by the crafty Danny Hylton on a couple of occasions and wasn’t the most convincing of centre-back performances. Typically immense in the air.

Brandon Williams (LB) – 5/10 – Won United’s first-half penalty by outfoxing a reckless Moncur. However, struggled to provide width and depth for the visitors down the left due to his stronger right-foot. Erratic in possession and booked for his troubles on what was a mixed night for the Englishman.

Fred (DM) – 8/10 – His typical tenacious self in the middle of the park and proved dynamic with the ball at his feet. Looked to maintain the tempo of United’s attacks with quick ball-circulation and constant discovery of angles once he’d passed elsewhere.

Nemanja Matic (DM) – 7/10 – Fantastic out of possession as usual; constantly disrupting Luton from penetrating through the centre, although he was caught out in transition a couple of times. Press-resistant in possession and brilliant in tight spaces. Could’ve perhaps distributed the ball a bit quicker in periods of sustained United possession to manipulate Luton’s defensive block but a fine showing nonetheless.

Juan Mata (AM) – 8/10 – The Spaniard was usually the man to kickstart any combinations between United’s creators and often attempted to probe and penetrate the Luton defence via intricate through balls. Dispatched penalty with precision.

Donny van de Beek (AM) – 7/10 – Rarely wasted a touch and supreme space interpretation was laid bare. A couple of ingenious flicks early on and movement was certainly causing Luton a problem before influence waned as the contest progressed.

Jesse Lingard (AM) – 6/10 – Bright throughout with clever movement and darting runs through the centre. Took up dangerous positions between the lines and established a healthy dynamic with van de Beek.

Odion Ighalo (ST) – 4/10 – A forgettable display. Struggled to hold the ball up or combine with creators behind him. Handed a great opportunity on the counter to put United two goals ahead but appeared indecisive and squandered the chance.

Bruno Fernandes – 6/10

Marcus Rashford – 7/10

Mason Greenwood – 7/10

It was well documented just how far Manchester City finished behind Liverpool as they failed to defend their Premier League title last season – a full 18 points, in case you needed reminding.

That’s a sizeable gulf they need to overhaul this season if they are to be crowned champions of England once more, but the Citizens demonstrated during their victory over Wolves that they have the tools to do so – even if defensively, they’re still vulnerable.

Pep Guardiola’s side turned in a stunning first half performance where they completely blew Wolves away. This was a City side without Sergio Aguero and Aymeric Laporte up against a well-oiled Wolves team who had beaten them twice last season, but they looked in complete control.

Kevin de Bruyne was irresistible, his ability to produce the Hollywood passes just as impressive as his willingness to run, to press, to surge forward and get in behind. This was the Belgian at his athletic, elegant best.

Phil Foden picked up from where he left off after lockdown with another mature performance, drifting in between the lines and picking up the ball just as David Silva had done before him, but also demonstrating that he has goals in his game by finishing off the flowing move that he started, drifting into the box to tuck home Raheem Sterling’s intelligent cut back.

It was a blistering first half display and the title to this piece was already in the drafts: Manchester City Demonstrate They Have All the Tools to Over Throw Liverpool at the Premier League Summit.

But then the second half unfolded and the defensive frailties that had cost City last season started to sneak back in, and suddenly all the positives to this Manchester City team had an asterisk.

Wolves had woken up, and once Adama Traore and Pedro Neto started charging down the flanks and Daniel Podence began playing off the shoulder, Guardiola’s side looked vulnerable.

It was not dissimilar to how Wolves had snuck a 2-0 victory at the Etihad 11 months ago, after the pace of Traore and the speed of the Wolves counter attack had cut City open.

They were not quite as exposed as they had been last October, but this was a City side who now did not look quite so unbeatable. Had Jimenez and Podence been more clinical, Wolves could have been level by the hour.

Instead City held out. Despite their dominance in the first half, the 3-1 scoreline makes for comfortable reading when in reality they were on the ropes at times in the second period.

Guardiola’s team showed both facets to their game during their first Premier League outing of the 2020/21 season. There was the fluid, effervescent, dynamic side, orchestrated by the superb De Bruyne.

But there was also the vulnerable side, the slight defensive frailties, the concern when teams counter attack at pace.

With the quality City have at their disposal and the football they can play, Liverpool’s title will be under siege this season. But the problems that plagued them last term are still there, lingering in the background.

Real Madrid made a stuttering start to their La Liga title defence on Sunday, drawing 0-0 at Real Sociedad.

Los Blancos deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation with Martin Odegaard playing in a number ten role against the club he impressed for on loan last season. It was the Norwegian’s first appearance for Real since he made a half an hour cameo against Getafe back in 2015.

The visitors dominated possession in the first half but failed to convert this into meaningful chances. Zinedine Zidane’s side had a strong appeal for handball in the box turned down just before the break, but other than that they did not come close to scoring.

It would be the hosts who had the best chance of the opening 45 minutes with Alexander Isak’s shot being smothered by Thibaut Courtois on the stroke of half time.

The second period saw Real create more opportunities with Dani Carvajal and Karim Benzema both forcing excellent saves out of home goalkeeper Alejandro Remiro.

Zidane tried to shake things up by introducing first team debutants Marvin and Alejandro Arribas, as well as Fede Valverde and Casemiro from the bench, but it just wasn’t to be.

The game finished goalless and Real will now look to get back to winning ways against Real Betis next Saturday.

It could have been quite easy to write off West Ham after the opening day of the new Premier League season.

In fact, many people did. The Hammers crumbled to a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle – a scoreline that probably flattered the east Londoners. This curtain raiser followed a summer of chaos and turbulence, with young prodigy Grady Diangana’s sale to West Brom causing captain Mark Noble to voice his own concerns and anger over the running of the club.

Several teammates shared their leader’s fears and, with the Newcastle loss in the books, Irons fans were probably begging for the football to never return. Relegation was written all over the club, from the very top, almost all the way to the bottom.

But one man refuses to throw in the towel. David Moyes may not be the most fashionable appointment, nor the most exciting or ambitious. He’s probably the most derided coach in the Premier League, following his failures at Manchester United, Real Sociedad and Sunderland.

The Scotsman is a stubborn soul though, and he’s clearly up for this fight. All the chips are down, the walls of the club are falling around him, but he is giving it his all. And thank God for that.

West Ham travelled to an Arsenal side with their tails up on Saturday evening, off the back of their 3-0 victory over Fulham last weekend. All signs pointed to a routine home win at the Emirates, and the Hammers would be forced to limp back across London with their own tails between their legs.

Moyes’ men started promisingly however, pressing the Gunners high up the pitch and denying them the space they needed to operate and punish their opponents. And then, yep – you guessed it. The setback. The moment that makes this embarrassing excuse of a team fold.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang worked his magic, fed the ball to Alexandre Lacazette, and the French forward did the rest with his wonderful forehead. Onslaught incoming, you’d imagine.

Not today. West Ham held their own, regrouped, shook off that potential knockout blow, and went again. This time, they got their reward. The relentless Michail Antonio, who epitomises everything that is magnificent about a resilient Moyes setup, showed that extra percent of desire to get to a wicked low cross, snaking a toe out to poke the ball over the line.

It came from a pretty nice West Ham move, too. Right on the stroke of half time, the Hammers were back on level terms, and beginning to stand as an equal to their technically superior adversary. As the game progressed, we began to see a different side to this group of players: courage, heart and skill combined.

Tomas Soucek rattled the crossbar with a towering header, and Arsenal started to creak under the pressure of a barrage of crosses into the penalty area. As the minutes ticked by though, West Ham dropped deeper, aware of the size of the point they were about to claim.

Ultimately, it wasn’t to be. A fantastic five seconds of football saw the Gunners break through the backline, and in a flash, it was game over. One fell slash of their sword, and that was that.

After all that work, West Ham go home empty handed. Twitter will be alight with protests and rage against the board, who are dragging this club to depths they’d hoped to have left behind. Others will be slating the managerial selections on the pitch, the lack of trust in their creative stars or the reluctance to field their most expensive purchases.

Right now though, whether Hammers fans like it or not, Moyes is the best man for the job. Remove basket case Sunderland from the equation, and he has been a trusty and effective manager at a certain level.

The east London club are in dire straits, and with all the chaos behind the scenes, an upheaval in the dugout could be the final nail in the coffin. Moyes proved that he still has the players’ backing on Saturday night, and he has the pedigree to get them out of this mess – again.

Shall we just cancel the 2020/21 season and hand Bayern Munich literally every trophy in the entire world? They’re going to win it all anyway, so what’s the point delaying it?

Clearly having never heard of the idea of taking a day off, Bayern roared to an overwhelming 8-0 victory over Schalke in the Bundesliga opener on Friday, just over a month after putting eight past Barcelona in the Champions League.

Sure, dominating David Wagner’s Schalke is like beating a three-year-old in an arm wrestling contest, but that’s not the point.

Eight goals. Again.

The ridiculous thing about Bayern is you could argue that last season, the only player who wasn’t an 11/10 was Kingsley Coman. Instead of accepting his imperfections, Bayern have just gone and replaced him with Leroy Sané, who chimed in with two goals and an assist on his debut.

The scariest side in the world just got a little bit scarier, and there’s absolutely nothing anybody on this planet can do about it.

If you thought that Thiago Alcántara’s departure would hurt Bayern, you were wrong. Hansi Flick’s entire squad are so strong that they can make up for the loss of creativity by just making a few changes.

Joshua Kimmich, who was handed Thiago’s number 6, took the role of chief string-puller in midfield and played Schalke off the park in the same way that Thiago did for years. Benjamin Pavard dropped back into right-back, and that was that. Bayern had replaced one of the greatest midfielders on the planet with another and just carried on dominating.

Thomas Müller did his usual roaming to wreak havoc and Serge Gnabry popped up in every area of the pitch to ensure he could not be marked. There’s no way to defend that, and Bayern know that. They enjoy ripping teams apart.

By the time Bayern had hit six or seven, Flick decided to withdraw some of his top stars and give some of the young kids a run out. American defender Chris Richards was introduced alongside former Chelsea youngster Jamal Musiala, in a move which should have made Bayern a little weaker for the last 15 minutes.

But it didn’t.

Bayern remained on top and Musiala even found the back of the net. They were actively trying to not be so dominant and still couldn’t stop.

They will want to win the Bundesliga, the DfB Pokal, the German Super Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, the Champions League and the Club World Cup. The scary thing is, it’s hard to see them not winning all six of those trophies. Give them the Premier League too. What’s the point anymore?

For any fan out there who isn’t utterly petrified of seeing your team face Bayern, I’d advise you to re-evaluate your entire life. Find a different hobby. I’ve heard good things about golf.

The tentative draw for the fourth round of the Carabao Cup has been made, with current holders Manchester City facing a trip to either Millwall or Burnley should they beat Bournemouth.

Pep Guardiola’s side beat Aston Villa at Wembley in March to secure their third consecutive League Cup trophy and are among the favourites to win the competition again this season.

Elsewhere, Liverpool will face either Leicester or Arsenal – providing they themselves beat League One outfit Lincoln.

There is also potential for a rematch of the 2015 final, should Tottenham and Chelsea win their respective ties. Spurs have to deal with Leyton Orient as part of their congested start to the 2020/21 season, while the Blues face Barnsley.

Chelsea won that 2015 final 2-0, with Jose Mourinho leading the Stamford Bridge side to victory against his Spurs predecessor Mauricio Pochettino.

Elsewhere, Manchester United could have a trip to the south coast to look forward to should Brighton – who smashed Portsmouth 4-0 on Thursday night – beat Championship side Preston.

The second round saw Wolves beaten at home by Stoke courtesy of Jacob Brown’s 86th minute strike, while Burnley eliminated Sheffield United on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Premier League sides Leeds, Southampton and Crystal Palace were all knocked out by lower league opposition.

Southampton and Leeds became the first Premier League casualties of the Carabao Cup after they were beaten by Brentford and Hull City respectively.

The second round continued on Wednesday evening with five top-flight sides in action, while there was also disappointment for League One side Northampton Town and fourth tier outfit Salford City.

However, the biggest shock of the night was inflicted on Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds, who off the back of an encouraging display at Anfield, succumbed to a penalty defeat at home to third tier side Hull City. The Tigers were good value for their 1-0 lead, but were pegged back in stoppage time by Ezgjan Alioski’s late equaliser. It counted for nothing in the end, as the visitors ran out 9-8 winners in a penalty shootout.

Ralph Hasenhuttl also saw his side start the 2020/21 campaign off with back-to-back defeats. Southampton welcomed the Championship’s Brentford to St. Mary’s, but were undone by a first half late show from the Bees. Goals from Christian Nørgaard and Josh Dasilva on the stroke of half time securing a 2-0 win.

Everton also booked their place into the third round with a 3-0 win over Salford City in a game the home side dominated. Michael Keane, Gylfi Sigurðsson and a Moise Kean penalty did the damage as Carlo Ancelotti’s side cruised against the League Two outfit.

It was a similar story for West Brom as they brushed aside Football League newcomers Harrogate Town 3-0 at the Hawthorns. Goals from Rakeem Harper and Hal Robson-Kanu in the first half were added to by Callum Robinson after the restart, ending the Sulphurites journey in the competition.

Elsewhere, Fulham secured a narrow victory over League One Ipswich at Portman Road – Aleksandar Mitrović’s goal handed the visitors a deserved 1-0 win. On the other side of England, Bristol City had no problems taking on Northampton at Ashton Gate, with strikes from Chris Martin, a double from Kasey Palmer and a solitary Antoine Semenyo strike earning them a comfortable 4-0 win.

Emiliano Martinez has confirmed his departure from Arsenal in an emotional message posted on his official Instagram page.

Martinez is heading for Aston Villa, who secured their Premier League status on the final day of last season, in a £20m deal, having excelled between the sticks after Arsenal’s regular number one Bernd Leno suffered a knee injury.

The Argentine spent 11 years at the club – often serving as their third-choice shot-stopper – and enjoyed loan spells at six different clubs, including Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Wolves.

Although his move to the Midlands is yet to be made official, Martinez’s Instagram farewell video – titled ‘Thank you @arsenal’ has all but confirmed his exit.

“I always had that feeling that I would have my chance here at Arsenal, that season after season I was always trying to come back to the club I love to have my chance,” the Argentine said.

The 28-year-old started Arsenal’s final eight Premier League games last season, keeping three clean sheets, and was a mainstay in their FA Cup triumph under Mikel Arteta.

Speaking about his impending departure, Martinez added: “For me, I could not be happier to leave through the front door with the Arsenal fanbase supporting me and the club supporting me.

“I had 11 years at the club, and even if it was a hard road for me, and I suffered through my time at Arsenal, today I am happy and I tried to show young goalies how work pays off.

“They all understood at Arsenal and they support me for my decision. The Arsenal fanbase were always there for me, I felt their love. Even when Bernd got injured this season, I received loads of messages like ‘we trust in you,’ ‘you are our goalie’.

“That made me confident, made me win games and made me the keeper I am today. They understood my story and they love the way I worked in the club. I am so glad to be part of the Arsenal family for 11 years.”