Arsenal hand Postecoglou a loss in his first Forest game, Bournemouth continue hot start

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Arsenal’s Spanish defender #36 Martin Zubimendi (R) scores the team’s third goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest at the Emirates Stadium in London on Saturday. (AFP)
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Newcastle United’s Nick Woltemade celebrates scoring their first goal during their Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers — St. James’ Park, Newcastle, Sept. 13, 2025. (Reuters)
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Updated 14 September 2025
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Arsenal hand Postecoglou a loss in his first Forest game, Bournemouth continue hot start

  • Newcastle United’s new signing Nick Woltemade enjoyed a dream debut, scoring in their 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers for their first victory of their campaign
  • Tottenham Hotspur cruised to a 3-0 win over West Ham United

LONDON: Arsenal ensured former Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou endured a miserable return to English football with a 3-0 victory over his new club Nottingham Forest on Saturday, while a late Brentford goal denied Chelsea moving atop the table.

Newcastle United’s new signing Nick Woltemade enjoyed a dream debut, scoring in their 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers for their first victory of their campaign, while Bournemouth continued their strong start with a 2-1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion, and Tottenham Hotspur cruised to a 3-0 win over West Ham United.

Fulham recorded their first win of the season by beating Leeds United 1-0 thanks to a late own goal, while Crystal Palace were held to a 0-0 draw by Sunderland and neither Everton nor Aston Villa could find the back of the net in a scoreless draw.

Villa have failed to score in their opening four league games of a season for the first time in their history.

Arsenal dominated at the Emirates as Martin Zubimendi’s double and Viktor Gyokeres’s tap-in gave Mikel Arteta’s men a comfortable home victory, condemning Postecoglou to defeat in his first game as Forest boss.

Spain midfielder Zubimendi struck a stunning volley in the 32nd minute and then Arsenal doubled their lead within a minute of the restart when Eberechi Eze, making his Gunners debut, laid it on a plate for Gyokeres to score his third of the season.

The game was petering out when Zubimendi put it to bed in the 79th minute with a simple header from Leandro Trossard’s cross.

“(Zubimendi) has given us a lot of positive things: his presence, his authority on the pitch, the way he connects with the players and that composure that he’s having,” Arteta said.

“If he starts to add assists and goals like this, then it’s another dimension of a player.”

Arsenal’s victory provisionally moved them to the top of the table ahead of holders Liverpool who play at Burnley on Sunday.

Chelsea looked poised to leapfrog Arsenal to the top of the table after Cole Palmer scored an equalizer in his return from a groin injury to cancel Kevin Schade’s first-half goal, and Moises Caicedo celebrated what he thought was the winner in the 85th minute.

But Fabio Carvalho poked home the equalizer from six yards out in the 93rd after Schade’s long throw-in.

“Delighted with the approach of the group, the character we constantly show,” Brentford boss Keith Andrews told the BBC.

“The equalizer came very late but it’s what I felt we deserved from the game in terms of the application, the quality the players showed for large parts.”

Newcastle’s new club record signing Woltemade stole the show in Tyneside in their first game since their former hero Alexander Isak departed for Liverpool, scoring in the 29th minute when he arrived at the back post to send a header past Sam Johnstone.

“The fact we haven’t won a game puts more pressure on you in the latter stages,” Newcastle boss Eddie Howe told the BBC. “The win was all that mattered but we’d love to win in a better style and score more goals.

“It was great to see Nick score on his debut. Very strong, I was very pleased with him.”

Tottenham left West Ham languishing in the bottom three, with the Hammers suffering another blow as midfielder Tomas Soucek was sent off for a dangerous tackle.

Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and Micky van de Ven all scored second-half goals in Spurs’ first game since executive chairman Daniel Levy’s exit from Tottenham.

“So happy that the goal came in the second half because you never know, the momentum can change after half-time but we kept going and scored a good goal after and then 3-0 done,” Spurs boss Thomas Frank said.

“So a very good clear win, a good performance and I think we all know the derby and the importance of the game for the fans.”

At Bournemouth, Alex Scott opened scoring with a brilliant strike from outside the box in the 18th minute.

Brighton drew level in the 48th on a goal from Kaoru Mitoma but Antoine Semenyo sealed the victory for Bournemouth’s third win on the bounce with a penalty in the 61st after Evanilson was brought down.

“The mood in the camp is perfect. We can’t ask for any more, we just have to keep going,” Semenyo told the BBC.

Fulham appeared headed for another draw when Gudmundsson scored a horror own goal from a corner kick in the 94th minute, stooping to head in the ball with great force.

“An own goal in the last minute of the game so we have to feel a bit fortunate,” Fulham boss Marco Silva said.

“It was important for us to keep a clean sheet because we need to create this habit and it allowed us to go on and try to win the game.”


Manchester City Abu Dhabi Cup 2027 dates confirmed

Updated 18 February 2026
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Manchester City Abu Dhabi Cup 2027 dates confirmed

  • After a record-breaking tournament in January, the competition returns next year from Jan. 8-10

ABU DHABI: The Manchester City Abu Dhabi Cup will return in 2027 following another record-breaking edition last month, and the registration window is now open.

From Jan. 8 to 10, 2027, teams from across the world will be able to compete in the eighth edition of the region’s Tournament of Choice.

The competition’s three-day format returns after a successful expansion this year that had more than 8,000 people attend Zayed Sports City across a weekend that featured 3,500 local, regional and international players.

In total, 244 teams from the under-8 to under-16 categories competed in the 2026 edition, with 86 international sides, spanning 18 countries, four continents, and a record-breaking 44 girl teams.

Off the pitch, players and spectators were able to enjoy the City Village that played host to entertainment and activations supported by the club’s partners.

This included the e& Gaming Zone, Puma pop-up and Aldar’s showcase of Fahid Island, as well as performances from a DJ and visits from special guests, including tournament ambassador and Manchester City legend Nedum Onuoha, and event host FG.

Teams will compete for the Abu Dhabi Cup, and individual age-group winners will go into a prize draw for their team to win a trip to a City Football Group club, where they will train and watch the first team in action.

Simon Hewitt, tournament director, and director of Football Operations MENA, said the 2026 edition was a “landmark event.”

“It was the first time we had expanded the tournament to three days, and the reaction to that decision was incredible. Players were able to spend more time on the pitch, take in the incredible atmosphere of the City Village, and enjoy the sights and attractions of Abu Dhabi.

“We might only be a month removed from that tournament, but the hard work in preparing for 2027 starts now. Already, teams are asking when they can register, and we expect huge competition for places from all over the world.”