Louie Barry in action for Barcelona’s youth side in 2019
“For all the games they had won (three out of three) and goals they had scored (12), Aston Villa’s 100 per cent record in this season’s Champions League was undone by a ruthless Barcelona on Tuesday. The home side led within seven minutes in the Camp Nou rain and dominated possession, but Villa went into the break with hope, given how open Barca’s defence looked. Had it not been for Joao Gomes’ mistake in passing the ball across his own box to Lamine Yamal for the seventh-minute opener, Villa would have been satisfied with the opening 45 minutes. But early in the second half the game unravelled for the visitors, and towards the end of the match Prince William was among the many travelling fans who could only glumly look on. …”
NYT/ATH
NYT/ATH: Louie Barry, Barcelona and a transfer that remains ‘unbelievable’, seven years on (Video)
YouTube: Barcelona vs. Aston Villa
PSG, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Betis: The Champions League’s flawless five
“Three matchdays into the Champions League — and with the fourth to come this Tuesday and Wednesday — just five teams with a 100 per cent record remain. Back-to-back winners Paris Saint-Germain, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Real Betis have won all three of their games so far, but can they keep it up? Here, we analyse their European aims, pick out a key player per side and tell you a stat or tactical element that makes each team an intriguing prospect. …”
NYT/ATH (Video)
Champions League briefing: Manchester United fans get just reward, PSG make more history
“Nobody needed this Champions League night more than Manchester United. For much of their game against Roma, they looked brittle and flawed. Their supporters released green and gold balloons before the game to protest against the club’s owners, and threw tennis balls onto the pitch during the first half to reinforce their point. …”
NYT/ATH
YouTube: Atlético de Madrid vs Bayern, Bodø/Glimt vs. Lille, Manchester United vs. Roma, Atlético Madrid vs. Bayern Munich, Villarreal vs. PSG
“Arsenal battled to their first victory at Anfield for 14 years as a Kai Havertz goal was enough for three points against Liverpool. Arsenal took the lead after Martin Odegaard pounced on a mix-up between Alisson and Jeremy Jacquet, allowing Declan Rice to cross for the German to score. Liverpool reacted well and caused problems for Arsenal with their crossing. Alexis Mac Allister should have done better with a header while Florian Wirtz hit the bar from a free kick, but Andoni Iraola’s side, for all their attacking, failed to have a shot on target. Liverpool could have had a penalty when Jurrien Timber tugged at the shirt of Alexander Isak in the first half, but nothing was given. And early on, Arsenal may have thought two late challenges from Trey Nyoni deserved a booking. …”
“Scott McTominay was leaving nothing to doubt. He appeared to have scored with a close-range header early in the second half of Napoli’s game at home to Roma, but Pierluigi Gollini clawed the ball out from inside the goal. McTominay got his noggin to the rebound, nudging it back across the line. Roma’s keeper pushed away again, so the 
“On Iñigo Pérez’s first day as a head coach he took a call from Andoni Iraola, just as he had every day for months. They had known each other for 22 years, lived in the same residency, come through the same academy and played in the same team; they had worked side by side, manager and assistant, and embarked on an adventure together. Now, though, Pérez was having to go it alone. At 36, he had become what his friend thought he would be from the moment they met, just not so soon. …”
“Barcelona’s La Liga juggernaut rolled into Seville on Saturday and left with the scoreboard smoking, as the leaders beat Real Betis 5-2 to make it nine wins from nine, stretching their blistering league goal tally to 39. Lamine Yamal lit the fuse with a dazzling opener before Rodri, Gabriel Jesus, Eric García and the substitute Dani Olmo joined the party, while Valentín Gómez and Ez Abde replied for Betis, who played much of the second half with 10 men after Facundo Bernal was sent off for headbutting Lamine Yamal. … Álex Baena struck in the 89th minute to snatch a 1-0 win for Atlético Madridat Espanyol. Baena smashed in from the edge of the box to claim the Rojiblancos victory from a tight game in Cornella. Atlético have won six consecutive games across all competitions and remain five points behind Barcelona. Valencia and Athletic Bilbao drew 0-0 at Estadio de Mestalla. … In Germany, Luis Díaz scored a hat-trick as Bayern Munich pummelled a listless RB Leipzig 6-1 at home on Saturday to climb to the top of the Bundesliga table. Borussia Dortmund had edged ahead of Freiburg into top spot after their earlier goalless draw at Union Berlin, but Bayern responded in typically ruthless fashion. … In Italy, Inter pulled clear at the top of Serie A by coming from behind to beat Bologna 3-1. The champions were criticised after a 4-3 Champions League defeat against Club Brugge in midweek, but bounced back to move three points clear of second-placed Lazio, who face Juventus in Turin on Sunday. …”
“A moment. A goal. A barrier broke down. New ground broken. A legacy cemented. There are many ways to become an iconic figure at a Premier League club. To mark UK Black History Month, our writers have paid tribute to a Black British icon from every club in the Premier League, from those that broke new ground to those still winning hearts and minds to this day. …”
“Welcome to week six of The Athletic’s Premier League performance table — a ranking system that will make the Nottingham Forest head coach Oliver Glasner instantly feel better. In case you’ve missed 
“Football, the world’s most popular sport, played by laws drawn up in London in 1863. The 
“Anthony Gordon scored his first goal for Barcelona as the Spanish champions extended their perfect start in La Liga with a 3-0 home win over Getafe. The England international opened the scoring in the second minute and Gabriel Jesus added another after half an hour for the league leaders, who have won every match they have played this season. Jules Koundé tucked home the third from Lamine Yamal’s cross to cap Barça’s solid win at the Camp Nou. Barça moved five points clear of second-placed Atlético Madrid, who won 2-1 at Alavés earlier, and lead Real Madrid, fourth, by nine points before Los Blancos host Villarreal later on. …”
“Premier League football is back after the three-week international break, and it’s time to assess potency. One of the key aspects that could be on the menu this weekend is shooting from long range. Across the first five rounds of the past five league seasons, 2026-27 has seen the largest proportion of shots from outside the penalty area — 36 per cent. Teams have converted just 10.1 per cent of their attempts into goals, the second lowest after the opening five rounds in eight seasons, behind 2021-22 (9.9). Some sides have prioritised quantity, while others have looked to work their way into the box. So, as Premier League action returns, who has created the most xG? …”
“It’s the place where points are lost and never to be seen again, according to a popular social media meme. Draw a line from 
“When UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham embarked on his trip to the United Nations in New York, he might not have been expecting a question about football fans drinking alcohol in grounds. Burnham firmly believes the law that prevents supporters from having a beer at their seat during a match is outdated. It’s a position the 
“Who is the best player in the Premier League? It’s a simple question with a complicated answer — one that The Athleticwill continue to attempt to answer throughout the 2026-27 season. This is the second instalment of our Premier League Player Rankings, in which we use form, data and the eye tests of Phil Hay and Tim Spiers to assess exactly who the division’s top 50 footballers are. 
“When 
West Ham and Millwall players shake hands before kick-off at 
“By now, you’ll probably have seen the clips of Brighton & Hove Albion’s press against Arsenal. They make for compelling viewing. Of course, it’s hard not to be impressed by sequences of well-choreographed pressing. There is something exhilarating about any complex action that requires a level of collaboration from multiple agents in order for it to come off. We see it in nature in the murmurations of starlings or the communal behaviour of a shoal of fish. On top of this, a well-worked press also fulfils one of the primary requirements for any football fan watching their team: the impression of effort. There is nothing a fan enjoys more than the players of their team exerting themselves around a football pitch. 
“The boos are what generate the headlines — ‘Tottenham Hotspur booed off after winless league start continues’, etc. — but what hits you harder is the silence. Football stadiums are meant to be cacophonous arenas of celebration, singing, unfiltered joy and, yes, of aggro and anger and despair and misery and questioning life decisions. But silence? Before a ball has even been kicked? There is something askew here. It’s midday, 30 minutes from kick-off and Aston Villa are in north London for one of English football’s oldest and grandest top-flight fixtures. The atmosphere, though, doesn’t feel at all like one of anticipation, despite more than 60,000 people all heading to the same venue. …”
“… Some truths transcend culture. Some myths appear and reappear in every tribe and community across the globe. And in every sport in every nation in every continent, we all share one unchanging tradition: Overreacting way too soon into a season. The sample size is small. The season is long. The teams are still finding that magic we call ‘gelling.’ (Especially this year with a record number of new managers or head coaches in the Premier League.) And yet. We are human beings, and we are entitled to our overreactions! It’s called passion. So, with the season’s first international break upon us and Premier League action halted until October 10, we figured it was time: Welcome to the overreactions and hot takes edition of the Soccer Weekender. …”
“Wrexham have bought The Turf pub that stands next to The Racecourse Ground. The deal for the iconic venue, arguably the most famous pub in football after featuring heavily in the Welcome to Wrexham documentary, has been struck between Wrexham Holdings, the club’s parent company, and Admiral Taverns. Wrexham’s purchase of The Turf, which continues to welcome hundreds of overseas fans every week, is seen as an important part of a development plan that has the new £69.1 million ($92.4m) Kop stand at its heart. …”
“This was a happy homecoming for Andoni Iraola. Liverpool’s head coach did not have to wait long into the new season to return to his former club Bournemouth and he will have taken huge satisfaction in claiming a 1-0 victory, even if the performance was not always convincing. The crucial moment came in the 57th minute as Alexander Isak swept in from close range after Cody Gakpo’s cross deflected into his path. After that it was down to the defence to close out a third consecutive league clean sheet — the first time they have achieved that since the start of the 2024-25 campaign — to secure the points. …”
“Arsenal’s turbo-charged start to the new season has come to a shuddering halt. The Premier League champions’ perfect record across all competitions was shredded by a 3-0 defeat at an inspired Brighton & Hove Albion, who celebrated their 125th anniversary (an occasion which saw them wear a special edition shirt) in style. The hosts were simply too intense for Arsenal to handle. They were 2-0 down by half-time courtesy of long-range strikes by Pascal Gross and Charalampos Kostoulas and the game was effectively killed off by Chema Andres’ header early in the second period. Kai Havertz saw one effort saved by Bart Verbruggen in an otherwise toothless performance by Mikel Arteta’s side. …”
“WHEN Leicester City won the Premier League in 2016, it was something of a modern fairy-tale. The club was not what anyone would have classified as small, but Leicester were not accustomed to silverware and they were largely in the shadows of bigger, more-resourced rivals. The successful squad of 2016 was built on a budget, but a hard-working, committed team deservedly finished as champions. It was a triumph for honest endeavour and a core unit that included a decent goalkeeper, solid defenders, one or two outstanding midfielders and a difficult-to-handle striker in the form of his career. The hub of the squad cost no more than £ 40 million, a small percentage of the money spent by the usual title contenders. It seemed too good to be true. …”
“Five o’clock Saturday, the Riverside Stadium and Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg is fist-pumping a half-bewildered but fully enthused home crowd. A helter-skelter 4-3 win against Norwich City has been secured in added time. In the directors’ box, owner-chairman Steve Gibson blows out his cheeks while a euphoric stadium falls over itself with happiness and relief. This really mattered. 
“THERE are surprise early leaders in the Bundesliga in the form of Freiburg, who won 5-0 against Borussia Mönchengladbach, taking their tally for the season to 10 goals in three games. Freiburg’s Yannik Engelhardt and Igor Matanovic scored two apiece. After the game, Gladbach’s third defeat of the campaign, coach Eugen Polanski became the first Bundesliga coach to be sacked this season. Polanski was appointed a year ago and had a win rate of 29.73% in his 37 games with Gladbach. Borussia Dortmund also maintained their 100% record with a 3-0 win against Paderborn with goals from Serhou Guirassy, Maximilian Beier and Marcel Sabitzer. Bayern Munich made hard work of beating newly-promoted Elversberg, who fell to their first defeat since arriving in the top flight. Harry Kane and Lennart Karl scored Bayern’s goals. Augsburg kept pace with the leaders but were denied a 2-1 win by a last-minute goal from Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick. Frankfurt picked up their first win at Mainz with Can Uzun netting twice in a 3-1 win. …”
“Dominik Szoboszlai’s sensational strike sealed Liverpool’s progress into the last 16 of the Carabao Cup via a 3-1 home win against Tottenham, with all three goals being particularly impressive. With Spurs searching for a late equaliser, the Hungary international connected sweetly on the half-volley with Cody Gakpo’s pass looped from 25 yards out, giving goalkeeper Martin Dubravka no chance. 
“After the opening weekend of this season, the Premier League trumpeted a record of 100 per cent accuracy in key decisions made by match officials. Across those first 10 games, it listed 21 key match incidents (KMIs), ranging from penalty appeals and potential red-card challenges to goals being double-checked for possible offside. The league’s KMI panel agreed that the on-field officials had made correct decisions in 18 of the 21 cases — and that ‘following VAR intervention, 100 per cent of calls were deemed correct’. But that wasn’t quite the case. …”
“While London has a host of top-flight clubs and Liverpool have been regular contenders, the story of the 
“The Manchester derby was dominated by two controversial refereeing calls, with the goal from Erling Haaland — finally given after a long VAR check — proving decisive in City’s 1-0 away win. That came after an hour, with the striker looking offside as he slotted home a Josko Gvardiol cross, only for VAR to find him onside due to the position of United defender Patrick Dorgu’s foot as the ball came in. It was also decided that a diving Enzo Fernandez did not interfere with play as he tried to head the cross in before Haaland’s back-post finish. On Sunday evening, 
“A below-par Liverpool were held to a 0-0 draw by Fulham at Anfield, a result which maintains their unbeaten start to the season but will surely be viewed as a missed opportunity. The visitors had lost their opening three Premier League games and have looked vulnerable defensively under former Liverpool right-back Alvaro Arbeloa, but Andoni Iraola’s side could not take advantage. There was a full league debut for Bradley Barcola but he had a quiet afternoon as the home side failed to follow up their Champions League victory against Atletico Madrid with another win. …”
“
“ASK any fan from the north and they will tell you the real passion in the game is found in cities like Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle. It is true these locations have long been at the heart of the sport and to some extent, the capital city was an underachieving metropolis for many years. But in terms of seats sold at matches and the number of football clubs – at all levels – London is a major hub in every sense of the word. In fact, according to historian and stadium expert Simon Inglis, only Argentina’s Buenos Aires can boast a greater football presence. …”
“If things had worked out differently, 
“Welcome to week three of The Athletic’s Premier League performance table — a ranking system that really does not appreciate tightly-contested matches. In case you missed 
“THE first ‘big six’ clash of the season saw two clubs with a 100% record come face-to-face. Arsenal played host to Chelsea at the Emirates but the hosts received a shock in the first minute when Morgan Rogers netted his second goal since arriving from Aston Villa. Former Chelsea man Kai Havertz scored the equaliser in the 25th minute with a shot that goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez should probably have stopped and the game was clinched by Martin Ødegaard in the 50th. Arsenal showed they are out to retain their title and Chelsea suggested they are a better equipped side than last season, but they are still some way from being contenders. Manchester City also have a 100% record after beating Coventry City with a goal from Erling Haaland. Liverpool secured their first win under new manager Andoni Iraola as they beat Ipswich Town at Portman Road (pictured). …”
Torino’s Nikola Vlasic equalises from the spot against Inter Milan in Serie A
“Welcome to week two of The Athletic’s Premier League performance table — the sort of ranking system Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage refuses to take any comfort from. In case you missed 
“Newcastle’s 2-0 win away to Tottenham Hotspur confirmed more than just Matthias Jaissle’s first victory as head coach. Three weeks after replacing Eddie Howe, this performance and result showed that Jaissle’s side have a clearer and better tactical identity than Spurs under Roberto De Zerbi — who is nearly five months into his tenure. Newcastle were not box office, but they were organised and effective. Inside a minute they showed their game plan, when No 6 Nico Gonzalez hit a diagonal ball from deep to advancing right-back Amar Dedic. The narrow positioning of winger Anthony Elanga, who occupied Spurs left-back Andy Robertson, created an overload. …”
“The map shows the average attendance of the 20 clubs that comprise the 2026-27 Premier League. The main map [of England & Wales] shows the locations of 14 of the clubs; the Inset-map shows the locations of the 6 clubs that are based in Greater London. The larger the club’s average attendance from last season [2025-26], the larger their circle-and-badge are on the map. Each club’s home venue-name, and regional location, are also shown. Clubs are grouped by region (that is, by City or County). One other detail on the map is that all 3 promoted clubs are indicated by small green-lined boxes. The 3 the relegated clubs from last season are also indicated on the map, by red-lined boxes. (Promoted from the 2025-26 EFL Championship: Coventry City, Ipswich Town, Hull City. Relegated from the 2025-26 Premier League: West Ham United, Burnley, Wolverhampton Wanderers.) …”
“Outside the Tollington Arms, Steve Chandler is in full flow. On the back of his replica shirt is the number 26 and a single word, “Champions” and, on the front of his head, lips are flapping overtime. Pint in hand, Steve is telling anyone who will listen that the first word he spoke as a kid was ‘Gooner’ (a slang term for an Arsenal fan). … After a brutal summer, London is parched, but the Tollington specialises in quenching and the mood is just as it should be: loose and liquid. Over the opening weekend of the Premier League season, versions of this conversation are ubiquitous across the country — in pubs, queues at burger vans, stadiums, online, at home. We are hopeful and fearful and excited precisely because, in this moment of not knowing, you can invest in possibility. …”
“First things first, this isn’t the official Premier League table. It’s a performance one that will be updated weekly, which means you can go from top to bottom, and vice versa, in the space of seven days. There’s a clean slate at the start of each gameweek, which will be good news for some clubs — Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at this rate. Results matter, but when deciding where to rank teams from one to 20, we’ll be looking primarily at how well they played last time out, which means dissecting (or, in the case of this weekend, watching) every Premier League game. If nothing else, it will provide you with a snapshot of how each team performed in the 2026-27 Premier League, week by week. And, naturally, you’ll be in full agreement with every summary, given that it’s a totally subjective process. …”
“For an opening-game upset of the season, Hull City’s win at home against 20-time champions Manchester United was rather convincing. They were 2-0 up after 38 minutes and managed the game with control and comfort in the second half to see out a statement victory. Not a bad start for the Championship play-off winners up against last season’s third-place side, especially as they have the least ‘valuable’ squad in the Premier League, 
“There was a period in the early 1990s during Kevin Keegan’s first, electrifying spell as Newcastle United manager when he and assistant Terry McDermott would turn up at St James’ Park at 10.30 on Saturday mornings for 3pm kick-offs. The pair would inspect the pitch, assess the level of watering and chat to the groundsman. St James’ was open then at both ends, vulnerable to the wind and rain blowing down the Tyne Valley. Keegan and McDermott were European Cup winners. Looking around, Keegan said it was ‘more like a bus shelter than a football stadium.’ But, as Keegan’s impact upon Newcastle — the club and the city — rose, the dilapidated ground changed, too. As it shed its old skin, St James’ became a visible focal point on the modern skyline. It still is. …”
“Ever since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement 13 years ago, 
“Last season was the greatest Aston Villa have enjoyed since they 
“Friday evening brings the return of the Premier League and, with it, nine more months of twists and turns, quality and controversy, and, for fans of the 20 clubs involved, more ups and downs than a FIFA president’s private jet during a World Cup. Eyes will be focused on the pitch but plenty of attention will be spared for matters off it too, and not only because there’s a summer transfer window with a week and a half left to run. Football’s richest, most-watched league will resume proceedings with its clubs subject to new financial rules, ones set to shape events in the 2026-27 season — and well beyond. Profit and sustainability rules (PSR), first introduced in 2013, are out; squad cost ratio (SCR) rules are in. So too, to less fanfare, are sustainability and systemic resilience (SSR) rules. At a vote by Premier League clubs in November 2025, the shift to an SCR regime was passed — barely. Fourteen clubs, the minimum needed to approve rule changes, voted in favour: Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Leeds United were the dissenting six. …”
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish thinks the rules impede aspirational clubs
Robin Roefs makes a save for Sunderland in a Premier League game Robin Roefs’ form for Sunderland in 2025-26 played a big part in their Premier League survival 
Referee Jarred Gillett signals for time wasting Referee Jarred Gillett signals for time wasting last season
Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland
Through on goal, beating the goalkeeper — a familiar sight for Ismaila Sarr
“At a train station pub six miles north east of Birmingham, England, Andy Lyden looks over a patent application he had almost forgotten existed for a concept that later changed football. The West Bromwich Albion supporter and his Aston Villa-supporting friend Dave Evans filed it from Evans’ kitchen table in their hometown of Sutton Coldfield in May 1998. Their system would track players, detect possible offsides and alert referees almost instantly, which they hoped would make football decisions more accurate. While football would not approve goal-line technology until 2012, conduct its first official semi-live video assistant referee (VAR) trial until 2016 or introduce semi-automated offside at a World Cup until 2022, Lyden and Evans had imagined elements of all three. Not only that, but they also warned that frame-by-frame video reviews would slow the sport down, damaging its tempo and atmosphere. …”
“The 2026–27 Premier League will be the 35th season of the 
Liverpool v Crystal Palace – Anfield, Liverpool, Britain – April 25, 2026
“The 2025-26 Premier League season is done and dusted — so what better time than right now to predict who will win it next time? Arsenal were crowned champions, overcoming Manchester City and improving on three consecutive seasons finishing as runners-up, and Mikel Arteta’s team look like they’ll enter 2026-27 with momentum and stability in their favour. City are coming to terms with the new era following the departure of the iconic Pep Guardiola, and they hope to replace him with Enzo Maresca, while Manchester United will continue under the stewardship of Michael Carrick, who succeeded Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford and oversaw their turnaround in the second half of the season. …”
Crystal Palace: love a long throw
“Andy Mitten recently re-completed ‘the 92’ — that is seeing a game at all the current football grounds in England’s top four tiers. Before the final weekend of the season, Andy, who has visited more than 600 stadiums at all levels, tells us his best and worst aspects of each of the Premier League venues. Andy, if you didn’t know, is a Manchester United supporter. … Liverpool – Anfield Like: The way Liverpool have redeveloped and expanded Anfield, bit by bit, pushing the capacity from 44,000 to 61,000. It was needed. Liverpool stalled in the 1990s as their main rivals United aggressively expanded Old Trafford, but they’ve made a smart job of it since with four distinct stands, it doesn’t look like any other stadium. The atmosphere before a big game and You’ll Never Walk Alone impresses, though it always sounds better — to me — with a ‘MANCHESTER!’ retort. Also, the Hillsborough memorial gets the space it deserves, the gates (and gable end murals on nearby housing) for former heroes, the proximity to Stanley Park. Dislike: A new Anfield Road stand means the worst view in football from the last two rows of the away end has gone. It’s much more spacious on the away concourse beneath the stand too, so I’m left not liking the lack of public transport options and that’s about it. Oh, and the fact that Liverpool play in such an impressive home. …”
“… After looking at 
“All too often a football match doesn’t live up to the hype. As Southampton’s players danced on the pitch and their fans sang about a return to Wembley and a chance to gain promotion to the Premier League, opponents Middlesbrough were crestfallen and wondering how it had ended like this 
