If ever you wanted to understand the distinction between “winning the transfer market” and winning an actual football match, then this was the game for you. Tottenham’s first home fixture of the Premier League season began with adulatory focus on all their new players. It ended in decisive defeat to Newcastle as recruit after recruit failed to make their presence pay, while Newcastle’s forgotten forwards made hay. “Tottenham Hotspur, it’s happened again,” sang the Toon Army as if it needed pointing out.

Tottenham should have taken the lead in a first half they had the better of, but they had no response to impressive second-half strikes by Anthony Elanga and Yoanne Wissa. What had looked like green shoots of positivity withered to nothing. For a Newcastle team themselves a work in progress under Matthias Jaissle, this was a heartening victory achieved with many of their own additions to come in.

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© Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters

© Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters

© Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters

£380m = zero points: Big-spending Spurs humbled by Newcastle

• Updates from 5.30pm (BST) kickoff

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Fun fact: Tottenham and Newcastle have met 61 times in the Premier League era without ever playing out a scoreless draw. Today could be the day for a dreary stalemate but it seems unlikely – fingers crossed for a glut of goals.

Premier League: Hull City have made it back-to-back wins upon their return to the top flight, with Liam Millar scoring the only goal of their game at Coventry City to deposit another three precious points in the bank. James Tarkowski left it until added time to cancel out Alex Scott’s opener as Bournemouth were held by Everton at the Vitality Stadium. In today’s early game, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest served up an entertaining 2-2 draw at Anfield, where the hosts had to come from behind twice to rescue a point.

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© Photograph: Michael Zemanek/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Michael Zemanek/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Michael Zemanek/Shutterstock

• Mourinho: Mbappé deserves award for ‘making history’

• ‘The best player in the world is not at PSG or Spain’

José Mourinho has said Kylian Mbappé deserves to win this year’s Ballon d’Or, arguing the award should go to the best player in the world rather than be decided by World Cup or Champions League success.

“The best players in the world, there are two, three or four of them, and we know who they are: they’re here,” the Real Madrid coach said on Saturday before their game against Málaga in La Liga.

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© Photograph: Jose Breton/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Jose Breton/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Jose Breton/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

A malfunctioning electronic board will not have been on anyone’s bingo list of Liverpool complaints for the first Anfield game of Andoni Iraola’s tenure, but others sounded all too familiar. A slow start, a lack of intensity and defensive shortcomings were again evident as Liverpool salvaged a point against Nottingham Forest, while showing stronger foundations are required along with the excitement of £123m Bradley Barcola.

In front of some of the billionaires behind Liverpool, Iraola’s opening act on home soil offered more food for thought than the feast they may have been expecting. Forest were good value for the second 2-2 draw of the new Liverpool head coach’s reign and created enough clear openings to justify their frustration at the final outcome. A superb finish from Liverpool’s summer signing Víctor Muñoz cancelled out Morgan Gibbs-White’s penalty, after Alexander Isak had done the same to Dan Ndoye’s opener.

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© Photograph: Liverpool FC/Getty Images

© Photograph: Liverpool FC/Getty Images

© Photograph: Liverpool FC/Getty Images

Iraola fumes at bungling fourth official for costing Liverpool a penalty

Bournemouth concede late equaliser to Everton, while Hull continue perfect start against Coventry

The Liverpool v Nottingham Forest match is turning into a right battle. Alexander Isak equalised for the Reds but Morgan Gibbs-White just slotted a beautiful penalty to put Forest ahead once again. All the updates:

Hull City make one change as Matt Crooks makes way for Hidemasa Morita, who will make his full Hull debut.

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© Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images/Reuters

© Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images/Reuters

© Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images/Reuters

• Carlton beat Melbourne 10.14 (74) to 7.13 (5) at MCG

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Carlton claimed victory over Melbourne in front of 91,733 fans at the MCG in their AFL wildcard match to extend their fairytale resurgence into an elimination final clash with Geelong.

Under Josh Fraser, the Blues fought back from a 1-8 start to the season that cost Michael Voss his job, to first make the wildcard round in 10th place, then reach the elimination final.

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© Photograph: Michael Willson/AFL Photos/Getty Images

© Photograph: Michael Willson/AFL Photos/Getty Images

© Photograph: Michael Willson/AFL Photos/Getty Images

• Live updates from Anfield 12.30pm kick-off (BST)

• Email Scott | Reds finalise £123m Barcola deal

The teams are out! Liverpool all in red, Forest wearing a third-choice shirt that looks awfully like a recent Manchester City number. You’ll Never Walk Alone rings out, as Liverpool principal owner John Henry and the new vice-chairman Amit Bhatia watch from the stand. We’ll be off in a minute … and that minute will see fans remember the legendary Kevin Keegan, the star of Bill Shankly’s second great team, who recently passed. The warmest applause from all four corners of the ground, a mosaic on the Kop that reads KEVIN 7, and a chant of One Kevin Keegan.

On the subject of Forest and big-money transfers … David Ornstein of the Athletic was on TNT Sports earlier, reporting the possibility of their buying 19-year-old midfield prospect Harrison Armstrong from Everton for £40m. Should that come to pass, it’ll probably result in the Hill Dickinson toppling into the Mersey, but only after the whole structure is launched a couple of miles into the air by the steam from Everton supporters’ lugs. Armstrong is extremely highly rated, but Forest have pockets full of cash after selling Elliot Anderson to Manchester City, so this one is worth keeping an eye on.

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© Photograph: Scott Heppell/Reuters

© Photograph: Scott Heppell/Reuters

© Photograph: Scott Heppell/Reuters

Signing of World Cup winner adds to sense that this is the summer when BlueCo got serious in transfer market

Carlo Cudicini was a very good goalkeeper. However, José Mourinho was ruthless when he became Chelsea manager in 2004. Very good was not good enough. Mourinho wanted the best and one of the main factors behind the Portuguese winning the Premier League during his first season in charge was the decision to replace Cudicini with Petr Cech.

There is an old line about a great goalkeeper being worth 15 points a season. It is not for nothing, for instance, that Brian Clough regarded Peter Shilton as one of his most important signings at Nottingham Forest. Shilton was key when Forest defied the odds by winning the Division One title in 1978 and there are plenty of other examples of promising teams taking the next step only after buying a top No 1.

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© Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters

© Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters

© Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters

• PSG winger due for Liverpool medical over weekend

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Liverpool have wrapped up a deal for Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain, according to reports today.

The 23-year-old will arrive for a fee of well over £100m, with add-ons and precise sums involved TBC.

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© Composite: Getty Images

© Composite: Getty Images

© Composite: Getty Images

Chelsea defender reflects on spending time with refugees in Colombia this summer and her passion for helping people on and off the pitch

Lucy Bronze does not stop. Her brain runs a hundred miles a minute. She does not need traditional entertainment. “I’m not good at watching TV – I can’t sit still,” Bronze says, sitting sort-of still, on a bench shielded from the wind, overlooking Chelsea’s training pitch at Cobham. “Someone recently asked me what I listen to in the car and someone else jumped in and was like: ‘Lucy has her own podcast going on in her own head.’ I don’t listen to music, I don’t listen to podcasts, I just have a million thoughts going on.”

Bronze’s late ADHD and autism diagnosis help it make sense, but her mum had always suspected she might have one of the conditions, so it wasn’t a surprise. “Naomi Girma said to me: ‘I’ve never met someone who trains so hard in the gym with zero music on; it does not make sense.’ I was like: ‘It’s literally in my head, I don’t need anything else.’”

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© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

• Marquinhos grabs late equaliser for Ligue 1 champions

• Bayern overwhelm Stuttgart 5-1 at Allianz Arena

Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos scored deep into stoppage ⁠time to snatch a scarcely deserved 2-2 draw at Lille on Friday as the Ligue 1 champions ⁠continued to struggle ⁠after ​being held by Rennes on the opening weekend.

After the poor 2-2 draw ‌against Rennes, things went from bad to worse for PSG when Lille took the lead in the 21st minute as Icelandic playmaker Hákon Haraldsson latched on to a brilliant reverse pass from Olivier Giroud and curled an unstoppable shot past ‌Matvei Safonov.

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© Photograph: Abdul Saboor/Reuters

© Photograph: Abdul Saboor/Reuters

© Photograph: Abdul Saboor/Reuters

Cherki magic helping Maresca to step out of Guardiola shadow

All who attend the Rayan Cherki show know the ticket comes with a guarantee of entertainment. Enzo Maresca, a manager famed for his obsessive positional control, does not need to put limits on the Manchester City wizard. Cherki has to feel free and he was at his creative best against Crystal Palace, who were in this game before City’s creative heartbeat took it away from them in the second half.

It has been a fine start to the former Lyon player’s second year in England. Cherki was inspired against Bournemouth last week, coming off the bench to spark City’s fightback from 1-0 down with two assists, and this was better. The Frenchman scored twice and the first, a little prod with the outside of his left foot after a mazy run, left you wondering if you have seen something like it before.

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© Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

© Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

© Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

• Spurs head coach pushing for ‘one specific position’

• Tottenham could offload players at end of hectic window

Roberto De Zerbi is keen to add one more signing to his Tottenham squad and has said outgoing deals are also possible before Tuesday night’s transfer deadline.

De Zerbi had dinner on Thursday night with Spurs’ owners and key executives and they discussed a final push to a window that has already exceeded his expectations. The manager welcomed Omar Marmoush to the club on Thursday from Manchester City and is preparing to involve him in Saturday’s home game against Newcastle. Spurs have also been linked with a move for Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo.

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© Photograph: John Walton/PA

© Photograph: John Walton/PA

© Photograph: John Walton/PA

The Gotham striker said she was stepping away from the sport, but then signed for Al Qadsiah. The move sparked questions over professionalism and raised concerns of LGBTQ+ fans who have disavowed the Saudi league

A recent World Cup winner joins a historically downtrodden club, immediately leads them to their first championship, praises the level of play in the league, speaks fondly of living in the club’s market, extends her contract with the club, leads the club to another championship, is named a league MVP finalist, and breaks the club’s all-time scoring record. That’s the fairytale of Esther González and Gotham FC – a story that ended abruptly, just nine days after that scoring record was set. On 27 July, Gotham announced that they had mutually parted ways with the striker as she “temporarily steps away from soccer to attend to personal matters in Spain”. The announcement of her departure was full of gushing words going both directions, and was met with understanding and support from the women’s soccer world.

But less than a month after González left Gotham, Al Qadsiah, a club in the Saudi Women’s Premier League, announced her as their newest signing, on a one-season contract with an option to extend for a second. NWSL journalist Jenna Tonelli soon reported, “League sources tell me that Gotham did not expect Esther to sign with another club this soon.” Questions swirled: did she actually intend to take a break from soccer when she left Gotham? And why would a player who just had a child with her female partner choose to play in Saudi Arabia, a country where same-sex relations are criminalized?

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© Photograph: Chris Gardner/NWSL/Getty Images

© Photograph: Chris Gardner/NWSL/Getty Images

© Photograph: Chris Gardner/NWSL/Getty Images

With 110 matches to feature two coaches appointed this year, tactical history may be more insightful than teams’ head-to-head records

New managers are facing an almost one-in-two chance of being fired before the end of the season, a finding from Guardian analysis that shows 22 of the past 50 permanent Premier League managers to leave their roles lasted less than a year.

The betting markets reflect this reality. Six of the eight Premier League managers deemed most likely by bookmakers to be next to leave their post were appointed in 2026. Football management is a very precarious employment position. It looks inevitable that some of the 11 men who have only been in their role since earlier this year will fall before the end of the 2026-27 season – even if none of them are the first to move on.

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© Photograph: Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

© Photograph: Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

© Photograph: Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

The experts at Fantasy Football Hub are back with their selection advice for GW2

The league said 88 players will still be named as Pro Bowlers and honored in Los Angeles after this season. Several flag football events also will take place at that time.