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Virgil van Dijk was shown a straight red card for Liverpool at Newcastle moments after a costly error from Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Reds endured nightmare start at St James' Park
• Full-back gifted hosts opening goal
• Dutch defender then sent for an early bath

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Dutch defender was sent for an early bath after catching Alexander Isak with a reckless challenge from behind. He claimed to have got a toe on the ball, but a VAR review supported the original on-field decision and Van Dijk was forced to depart.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Liverpool were already a goal down by the time that Van Dijk suffered his defensive rush of blood, with Jurgen Klopp seeing his side stumble out of the blocks at St James’ Park. Alexander-Arnold was fortunate to escape an early red card after being booked for throwing the ball away moments before dragging Antony Gordon to the turf.

• AND WHAT’S MORE

  Things did not get any better for Alexander-Arnold as it was his mistake that gifted Newcastle the lead. He is usually so assured in possession, but his touch deserted him at the worst possible time and Gordon was allowed to race through and put the home side in front.

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• WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Van Dijk will now have to serve a ban, ruling him out of important Premier League fixtures, while Klopp needs to find a way of cutting out the mistakes that continue to cost the Reds dear. A home date with Aston Villa next weekend will take them into the September international break.

The Gunners have not been afraid to spend big in the transfer market in recent years

There was a period of time following Arsenal’s move from Highbury to Emirates Stadium where money was tight and Arsene Wenger was forced to count the pennies.

That all changed, however, when Mesut Ozil sensationally arrived from Real Madrid in 2013 for a club-record £42.5 million ($51m).

Since then, the Gunners have not held back in the transfer market and have gone on to break the club’s transfer record on a further three occasions in an attempt to compete with Europe’s elite.

Here, GOAL takes a look at the top 15 most expensive signings in Arsenal history.

Arsenal top 15 most expensive transfers

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  Fabio Vieira | £30m | Porto | 2022

  A signing that came completely out of the blue.

  Few had even heard of Fabio Vieira when it suddenly emerged that Arsenal were bringing him in from Porto ahead of the 2022-23 season.

  The playmaker arrived with exciting pedigree, however, having established himself as a key player for the Portuguese giants as they won the 2021-22 title.

  And manager Mikel Arteta was quick to hail his new arrival: “I am very excited that we have identified and signed such a special talent.

  “Fabio is a very creative player that will bring high quality and versatility to our attacking play.”

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  Martin Odegaard | £30m | Real Madrid | 2021

  The Norway international had already enjoyed a fine loan spell with the Gunners before his move from Real Madrid was made permanent in the summer of 2021.

  As expected, Odegaard slotted in seamlessly after his return to north London and is often the heartbeat of Arsenal’s attack, pulling the strings behinds the forward line.

  A price tag of just £30m ($36m) always looked like a bargain and that’s how it’s proved, with the playmaker quickly becoming one of Arsenal’s most important players.

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  Alexis Sanchez | £30m | Barcelona | 2014

  Things may not have ended well between Alexis Sanchez and Arsenal, but the Chile international was a sensation during his first couple of years in north London.

  Signed from Barcelona after the 2014 World Cup, Sanchez was an instant hit with the Gunners and at £30m he was worth every penny.

  When he left four years later to join Manchester United with just six months remaining on his contract, Arsenal landed Henrikh Mkhitaryan in return.

  It’s safe to say things didn’t really work out for either player at their new clubs.

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  Granit Xhaka | £35m | Borussia Monchengladbach | 2016

  Love him or loathe him, Granit Xhaka has certainly given Arsenal longevity following his £35m ($42m) move from Germany in 2016.

  The Switzerland international has made more than 250 appearances for the Gunners and has won the FA Cup twice.

  He was even made club captain by Unai Emery in 2019, only for that honour to be cut short after his ugly spat on-field with Arsenal fans.

  Many will argue about how much value for money Xhaka has given the club over the years, but one thing that can’t be questioned is his ability to bounce back from seemingly irreversible situations.

The Lionesses No.1 has already shown her worth at in Australia at a tournament she probably didn't think she'd be at two years ago

As the clock ticked into the 81st minute, the score on the board at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium remained a surprise: England 1-0 Haiti. The European champions had certainly not had it all their own way in their Women’s World Cup opener and it wasn’t won yet, either. Their opponents, one of eight debutantes at the tournament, were pushing until the end, and when substitute Roseline Eloissaint burst into the box, they had a glorious chance to score an historic equaliser. That was until Mary Earps intervened.

The England goalkeeper had very little to do on the night. There was a fierce shot from Lyon teenager Melchie Dumornay that stung her palms early in the second period, but otherwise she was a bystander, Haiti’s promising attacks rarely turning into worrying shots on target. That made her late stop to deny Eloissaint with an outstretched leg all the more impressive.

“That’s why she’s No.1. That’s why she’s FIFA’s Best,” team-mate Georgia Stanway said afterwards, referring to the individual award Earps scooped up in February. “She’s the best for a reason and moments like that explain why.”

A European champion with her country last summer, a stand-out performer in the Manchester United side that secured Women’s Champions League football for the first time this year, and now set to be a key player in the Lionesses’ bid to win the Women’s World Cup, Earps’ importance cannot be overstated.

But it’s not always been like this for her with England…

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• On top of the world

  Back in November 2019, England welcomed Germany to Wembley for a highly anticipated clash between two of Europe’s best. It was just a friendly, but it proved to be an occasion that meant much more in the grand scheme of things, with 77,768 turning up to watch the Lionesses. It was a record crowd for the women’s national team in England.

  Earps was in between the sticks for her country that day, which felt significant. This was one of the biggest games in the history of English women’s football and then-head coach Phil Neville had selected her to wear the No.1 shirt for it.

  It also seemed to be a positive sign regarding Earps’ England career. She had just gone to the 2019 Women's World Cup as a back-up goalkeeper, but Karen Bardsley and Carly Telford, the other two shot-stoppers in that squad, were coming towards the end of their respective careers. The No.1 shirt was soon to be up for grabs…

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  Out of favour

  But then, all of a sudden, Earps was completely out of the picture. A few days later, in a friendly with the Czech Republic, Neville would choose to play Telford instead, and when the next international break came around in February, Earps wasn’t even selected. The coach never picked her again.

  “To go from the highest high and play for your country in the biggest game in English female football history, in front of nearly 80,000 people, to then not get selected for SheBelieves was very difficult for me personally,” she told in early 2021.

  “I won’t sugar-coat it, I will tell you straight, it was very difficult. I don’t mean from an ego point of view, I mean [it] genuinely hurt to the core of my being. I used my time in the lockdown as best as I could to put myself in the best position, mentally and also in terms of technically.

  “I feel in a completely different space now in my brain. I feel like, of course, [England] is where I would like to be, I won’t tell you any lies, I’m not going to pretend, ‘Oh it’s completely gone, whatever,’ but I’m at peace with what happened.”

  Neville left his role in early 2021 and in came Hege Riise, the legendary Norwegian who won the Euros, World Cup and Olympics in her playing days. She was to take charge of England on an interim basis and of Great Britain for the Games in Tokyo that summer. She did not select Earps during her time in charge of both.

  But after Team GB’s quarter-final exit in Japan, a change would come that would benefit the Manchester United star immediately.

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  Wiegman’s No.1

  In September 2021, after leaving her role with the Netherlands, Sarina Wiegman named her first squad as England boss. Earps was in, earning her first call-up since that game with Germany in November 2019. To say it caught her off guard would be an understatement. The goalkeeper was cooking dinner and thinking about heading out to John Lewis to buy some curtain poles. Then she got an email containing the “surreal” news.

  “I rang my mum and dad straightaway,” she told reporters at the time. “They know the challenges that I faced and obviously they've been through everything with me, so they were just really happy for me and just said, ‘Look, go and enjoy yourself’.

  “[Then] I rang my coach and he was like, ‘This is the first time I've ever heard you be speechless’. I was like, ‘Yeah, that sounds about right!’”

  Earps would be chosen to start Wiegman’s first game in charge, an 8-0 win over North Macedonia, and quickly became her No.1 goalkeeper in the build-up to the Euros.

  At England’s home tournament, she made some outstanding saves as the Lionesses kept four clean sheets in six games in a triumphant summer, her performances helping her to be named the Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper earlier this year, too.

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  Match-winner

  There’s a reason why Earps has been able to keep hold of that shirt since Wiegman came in. Her form in that time has been absolutely brilliant, with her certainly playing at the best level of her career to date this past year in particular.

  While previously there might have been an error or two in her game, the 30-year-old has ironed those out and made them much more rare. She’s clearly confident when she has the ball at her feet, her role as a leader has grown immensely and her shot-stopping appears to have only got better – even if it was already at a high level.

  Consistency has been one of Earps’ stand-out traits, too, with that helping United take Chelsea to the final day in the Women’s Super League title race this past season while also securing Champions League football.

  In fact, there was no goalkeeper more impressive in the division in 2022-23, that reliability between the sticks coming with an eye-catching highlights reel, including match-winning stops just like that one against Haiti on Saturday.

GOAL ranks the most underwhelming Premier League transfers of the campaign after record-breaking spending by English clubs

When it comes to transfers, it was a truly remarkable year in the Premier League, as spending across the division reached never-before-seen levels. It wasn't just the usual suspects who splashed the cash, either, with the likes of Newcastle, West Ham and Wolves going big, too.

Indeed, Premier League clubs obliterated the previous record for expenditure across two outrageous transfer windows; £2.1 billion ($2.6bn) was splurged in the summer alone, with that figure rising to £2.8bn ($3.5bn) in January as Chelsea in particular went on a shopping spree.

But with such a phenomenal amount of money spent, there has inevitably been some big misses among the hoard of incoming transfers. Below, GOAL ranks the 21 most disappointing Premier League transfers of 2022-23…

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  21Lucas Paqueta (West Ham, £51m)

  The jury is out on whether Paqueta will be a success at West Ham, but what is certain is that you expect more from a player who could end up costing as much as £51m ($63m). The Brazil international has contributed four league goals, but has only showed anything close to his best form towards the end of the season having finally adapted to the Premier League after moving into a deep-lying midfield role.

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  20Brenden Aaronson (Leeds, £25m)

  Aaronson made a fast start to life at Leeds following his £25m ($30m) transfer from Red Bull Salzburg, but his season tailed off somewhat and he found himself completely out of favour under Sam Allardyce in the run-in.

  Although the United States international was always an energetic presence and willing runner, more would have been expected from him than just one goal and three assists given the outlay Leeds made on signing him.

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  19Matheus Cunha (Wolves, £44m)

  If you'd looked at Cunha's stats at Atletico Madrid, expectation might not have been too high for his January move to Wolves. However, struggling in the Premier League at the time, the Midlands club turned to the Brazilian forward in their desperate search for goals.

  Despite a turnaround in their fortunes under Julen Lopetegui, Cunha hasn't contributed all that much – scoring just twice and generally flattering to deceive. Despite that, it has been suggested that he has met the requirements for his initial loan move to be made permanent at what looks a hefty price.

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  18Paul Onuachu (Southampton, £18.6m)

  A signing that is yet to pay off for Southampton after they tried in vain to save themselves from relegation. Onuachu caught the Saints' eye as he rattled in 17 goals in the first half of the season for Genk in Belgium, but the striker was unable to translate that form to the Premier League when he mad the switch to St. Mary's in January, failing to score a single goalas Southampton went down.

Where to watch the Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim – team news, kick-off time and more.

League leaders and defending champions Bayern Munich will take on Hoffenheim in their next Bundesliga challenge on Saturday.

💻 Watch Bayern vs Dortmund live on ESPN+ in the U.S.

Bayern are only two points ahead of second-placed Borussia Dortmund and are involved in a fiercely contested race for the title this season.

Thomas Tuchel took over from Julian Nagelsmann but his stint has not started well. They beat their rivals Dortmund in Der Klassiker but have since crashed out of the DFB Pokal and are trailing 0-3 against Man City in the quarter-final of the Champions League.

Hoffenheim are 14th in the standings but have won their last three league games. Their recent winning run should give them enough confidence to put up a fight against the defending champions.

GOAL tells you all you need to know about Bayern vs Hoffenheim below – including team news, squads, kick-off time and more…

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  Kick-off time

  Date:	April 15, 2023
  Kick-off time:	9.30am EDT
  Venue:	Allianz Arena, Munich

  The game is scheduled for Saturday, April 15, 2023 at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

  It will kick off at 9.30am EDT in the US.

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  How to watch Bayern vs Hoffenheim online – TV channels & live streams

  Country	TV channel	Live stream
  US	N/A	ESPN+

  In the United States (US), the match will be available to stream on ESPN+.

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  Team news & squads

  Bayern Munich team news

  The major update from the Bayern camp is that Sadio Mane will not be available for the game due to disciplinary reasons.

  Tuchel is unlikely to take a risk with forward Eric Choupo-Moting who has missed the last few weeks due to injury. He will also miss the presence of long-term absentees Lucas Hernandez and Manuel Neuer.

  Bayern predicted XI: Sommer; Cancelo, Pavard, Upamecano, Davies; Kimmich, Musiala, Muller; Coman, Gnabry, Sane

  Position	Players
  Goalkeepers:	Sommer, Ulreich, Schenk
  Defenders:	De Ligt, Upamecano, Davies, Blind, Cancelo, Pavard, Stanisic, Sarr, Janitzek, Marusic
  Midfielders:	Goretzka, Musiala, Wanner, Sane, Kimmich
  Forwards:	Gnabry, Coman, Muller, Tel

  Hoffenheim team news

  Hoffenheimwill be travelling without Jacob Bruun Larsen and Justin Che due to injury. Moreover, Munas Dabbur is also unavailable due to suspension.

  Having stringed together three league wins in a row, the visitors are likely to name a nearly unchanged lineup again.

  Hoffenheim predicted XI: Baumann; Vogt, Brooks, Akpoguma; Pavel, Geiger, Becker, Angelino; Kramaric, Baumgartner; Bebou

  Position	Players
  Goalkeepers:	Baumann, Pentke, Noll, Philipp
  Defenders:	Kabak, Pavel, Bicakcic, Vogt, Brooks, Angelino, Quaresma, Akpoguma, Nsoki
  Midfielders:	Stiller, Geiger, Promel, Becker, Baumgartner, Rudy, Bischof, Damar, Delaney, Tohumcu
  Forwards:	Bebou, Skov, Kramaric, Asllani, Dolberg

  Head-to-head record

  Bayern's last defeat against Hoffenheim came in 2020. They have won three out of the four head-to-head games since then and will be confident of avoiding a shock result on Saturday.

  Date	Result	Competition
  October 2022	Hoffenheim 0-2 Bayern	Bundesliga
  March 2022	Hoffenheim 1-1 Bayern	Bundesliga
  October 2021	Bayern 4-0 Hoffenheim	Bundesliga
  January 2021	Bayern 4-1 Hoffenheim	Bundesliga
  September 2020	Hoffenheim 4-1 Bayern	Bundesliga

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  Useful links

  • Bayern team page

  • Hoffenheim team page

  • Live soccer on TV in the U.S.

Glasgow Rangers’ Filip Helander has been urged to back up his words after the Sweden international said he had no plans to play in England.

The Lowdown: Interest from Premier League in Helander

Helander, who is currently representing his country at Euro 2020, has been linked with both Aston Villa and Leicester City in recent weeks (Aftonbladet).

However, the 28-year-old appeared to pour cold water on any suggestions he would leave the club by saying he has no plans to play south of the border (via The Daily Record).

The Latest: McAvennie sends strong warning

Speaking to Football Insider, Frank McAvennie has urged Helander to respect his word and stay at Ibrox. He said:

“It’s great to hear as a Rangers fan.

“Whether he means it or not, that’s the issue. We still have to see that. 

“Until you’re sold, you are a Rangers player and it’s rare you get a player who talks about wanting to go.

“He’s got to prove what he means now and stay, otherwise he’ll look daft.”

The Verdict: Important

While Helander has been unable to show his full ability so far with the 55-time Scottish champions as he has struggled with injuries (Transfermarkt), he has had a big impact when he has featured.

After 29 Premiership appearances, he is yet to lose a single match, while he was an important member of a defence that conceded just 13 goals in the league last term (BBC).

The Gers are said to be looking for £6m if they are to sell Helander this summer. However, there appears to be no real need to move him on and, if he stays at Ibrox, he can continue to play a role as the Gers target a Champions League run next term.

McAvennie is right though, after coming out with such a strong statement, Helander would look silly if he did end up moving on and he must have had that in mind before making the comments, which suggests that he did mean what he said.

In other news, Rangers fans were livid at this SPFL development.

Some Manchester City fans are eager for the club to sign Robin Gosens after the left-back impressed for Germany during his country’s 4-2 Euro 2020 victory against Portugal.

The Citizens have been heavily linked with a move for the 26-year-old, who currently plays for Atalanta in Serie A. Recently, it has developed that Pep Guardiola plans to continue using Oleksandr Zinchenko as his first-choice left-back (Manchester Evening News) next term, meaning any move for Gosens may be unnecessary.

However, that may change as the German impresses at the European Championship. He was a constant threat down the left flank against the defending champions and he even managed to get himself on the scoresheet. He also had the ball in the back of the net once more, but that effort was ruled out for VAR as Serge Gnabry was in an offside position.

These City fans have now implored the club to make a move for the defender, and they took to social media platform Twitter to respond to a tweet from @City_Xtra as they shared their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Gosens

“Time to go all out”

Credit: @sri_vastavaMein

“This guy is the perfect LB in Pep’s system”

Credit: @fanatic_city

“He’s such a perfect City player. Just insane going forward”

Credit: @koojababy

“I mean after seeing this they just have to get the fax machine ready and send that bid ASAP.”

Credit: @JCHawkk

“He’s very good, we should be in haste”

Credit: @StonzyE

“Smash the door down now!”

Credit: @Browny_MCFC91

In other news, some Man City fans react to links with this Euro 2020 midfielder.

This Real Madrid all-time XI is a supreme combo of Galacticos and magicians!

One of the greatest clubs in the history of club football, Real Madrid has created an unmatched footballing legacy on the local, continental and the global stage.

The famous have won 68 domestic trophies that include 35 La Liga titles and 21 European trophies, 14 of which are Champions League crowns, more than any other football club in history!

Thanks to multiple 'Galactico' eras undertaken by their president Florentino Perez, some of the greatest footballers in history have played for Real Madrid!

But, not all of them can fit into one dream team.

Want to know who we selected?

Take a look!

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  GK: Iker Casillas

  One of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, Iker Casillas has to be part of any Real Madrid dream team in history!

  The Spaniard epitomised in every way!

  Casillas made 725 appearances for Real Madrid in all competitions and won all major titles in his 16-year senior career at the club, including five La Liga titles, four Supercopa Espana titles, two Copa del Rey titles, three Uefa Champions Leagues, two Uefa Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and the FIFA Club World Cup.

  The only name in Real Madrid history that dares to come close and even threatens to trump Casillas in this dream team is Juan Alonso.

  The goalkeeper made 225 appearances for between 1949 and 1960, winning five back-to-back European Cups between 1955 and 1960. Alonso also won four La Liga titles.

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  RB: Chendo

  A true one-club man, Miguel Porlan Noguera aka Chendo played for Real Madrid at senior level between 1982 and 1998.

  The right-back made 497 official appearances for and won a host of trophies to cement his position as a club legend.

  Chendo won seven La Liga titles that included five back-to-back title wins between 1985 and 1990. He also won a Champions League and two Uefa Cups among other trophies at Real Madrid.

  Two other players deserve a mention in this position with the first being Michel Salgado. The Spaniard arrived at Real Madrid from Celta in 1999, and made 251 appearances for , winning four La Liga titles, two Spanish Super Cup trophies, two Champions Leagues, an Intercontinental Cup and a Uefa Super Cup.

  Dani Carvajal is another shout for this Real Madrid dream team's right-back position. The Spaniard has made over 200 appearances for , winning 20 trophies including five Champions League crowns that included winning three of them back-to-back between 2015 and 2018.

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  CB: Fernando Hierro

  One of the greatest goalscoring defenders of all time, Fernando Hierro arrived at Real Madrid from Valladolid in 1989 and made 439 appearances for the club, scoring 102 goals!

  Hierro possessed an unlimited passing range along with tremendous goalscoring traits that made him one of the most desired players in Europe in his prime.

  His positional sense and tenacity led to him winning as many as 17 trophies at the club, including three Champions Leagues and five La Liga titles among other honours.

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  CB: Sergio Ramos

  After one season at senior level at Sevilla, Sergio Ramos was signed by Real Madrid in 2005.

  He initially played as a full-back before transitioning into the centre-back role in the team and it is in this position that he worked wonders for Real.

  Ramos made won four Champions League, five La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey trophies, four Spanish Super Cups, three Uefa Super Cups and four Fifa Club World Cups in his 16-year stint at Real Madrid.

  The World Cup winner made 469 appearances for the club, scoring 72 goals!

  Ramos will be most remembered by Real Madrid fans for his 93rd minute equalising goal for the club in the 2014 Champions League final against Atletico Madrid.

  Not many can compete with Sergio Ramos' legacy at Real Madrid except a one-of-a-kind club legend, Manolo Sanchis.

  Sanchis graduated from Real Madrid Castilla to gain promotion to the senior team in 1983.

  From then, until 2001, he made 710 appearances in all competitions for the club. He also captained the club on many occasions, winning eight La Liga titles, two Champions Leagues and two Uefa Cups among many other trophies in his time there.

The 1982 World Cup in Spain offered plenty of entertainment, with the Italians eventually going on to lift the trophy

Italy sealed their third World Cup in 1982 after a 44-year wait, but it was by no means an easy run for the Azzurri.

Unimpressive in the first group stage with three draws, Italy sprang into life in the second group stage with wins over Argentina and Brazil [thanks to a Paolo Rossi hat trick].

Two more goals from Rossi saw Poland dismissed in the semis before the final victory at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid.

Rossi, Marco Tardelli and Alessandro Altobelli were on target for the Italians, while Paul Breitner scored the consolation goal for Germany.

Who were part of Italy's squad and what happened to them after their World Cup heroics?

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  Dino Zoff – Goalkeeper

  Zoff became the oldest man to captain a World Cup-winning side when he lifted the trophy in 1982, aged 40. He retired from playing in 1983 after 642 league appearances and 112 games for Italy. On retirement, he joined the coaching staff at Juventus and became the boss in 1988. However, despite winning the UEFA Cup in 1990, he was fired.

  In 1994 he became president of Lazi,o where he stayed until 1998 when he was chosen to succeed Cesare Maldini as the national team trainer. He came within 60 seconds of winning Euro 2000, only for France to score a late equaliser and then see David Trezeguet hit an extra-time winner.

  He took control of Lazio in 2001, but quit following a poor start to the season. Fiorentina was his next managerial job in 2005, but La Viola sacked him at the end of the season, despite his saving them from the drop on the last day of the campaign.

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  Giuseppe Bergomi – Defender

  Centre-back Bergomi was a one-club man, notching up 519 appearances for Inter in a Serie A career which spanned nearly 20 years. Lo Zio was just 18 at the 1982 tournament and played at four World Cup finals for the Azzurri, making a total of 81 international appearances. Bergomi also worked as a pundit for Sky Italia.

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  Antonio Cabrini – Defender

  The left-back spent 13 years with Juventus from 1976 to 1989. Bell'Antonio made almost 450 appearances, picking up six Scudetti, a European Cup, UEFA Cup, European Cup Winners’ Cup and Intercontinental Cup amongst a host of other trophies.

  Since retiring from football in 1991, Cabrini has found the managerial game a struggle, with little joy at Arezzo, Crotone, Pisa, Novara, or the Syrian national team.

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  Fulvio Collovati – Defender

  The defender was playing for Milan during the time of the 1982 World Cup finals but joined city rivals Inter after due to the Rossoneri’s relegation from Serie A. He also played for Udinese, Roma and Genoa before retiring in 1993. He was capped 50 times by his country.

  Collovati worked as an analyst for Italian station RAI on ‘Sunday Sport’ and also produced and presented ‘il Campionato dei Campioni’ on Odeon TV.

The under-fire forward was handed the armband by Erik ten Hag at Villa Park but again struggled as United slipped to a 3-1 loss

Erik ten Hag raised eyebrows by naming Cristiano Ronaldo as his captain for Manchester United's clash with Aston Villa and then could only watch as his team were cut apart as Unai Emery celebrated his first game in charge at Villa Park with a convincing 3-1 win.

The hosts came flying out of the blocks and were 2-0 up inside 11 minutes. Leon Bailey fired Villa in front on seven minutes, and four minutes later David de Gea was picking the ball out of his net again after a wonderful free-kick from Lucas Digne.

United were offered hope just before half-time when Jacob Ramsey deflected Luke Shaw’s shot past Emiliano Martinez, but Villa quickly snuffed out the visitors’ dreams of a revival.

Ramsey went from villain to hero by adding a third at the start of the second half to ensure all three points and make it a perfect start for Emery.

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  Winners

  Unai Emery:

  The former Arsenal boss took charge of Villa for the first time on Sunday and could not have asked for a better start. The Villans flew out of the blocks and left a shell-shocked United 2-0 down with only 11 minutes on the clock. Emery couldn’t hide his joy on the touchline and rightly so. Villa looked totally different from the team that had been struggling under previous boss Steven Gerrard. United did threaten a comeback when they pulled one back, but after a half-time team talk, Emery's side emerged for the second half and quickly finished the job.

  Bruno Fernandes:

  The Portugal international was forced to sit this one out through suspension and was badly missed by United. Fernandes' form has been questioned at times this season, but without the 28-year-old on the pitch the visitors lacked inspiration, were easily cut apart in midfield and offered very little bite. There was also a lack of leadership and balance in midfield as they limped to a defeat that simply highlighted how important Fernandes is to Erik ten Hag's team.

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  Losers

  Captain Ronaldo:

  The Portugal international captained United for the first time under Ten Hag in a move that won’t sit well with many fans, as it’s only been matter of weeks since Ronaldo walked out of the win over Tottenham before full-time. It was not a decision that went well either. United were a complete mess in the first half and in dire need of a driving force to get them back into the game. An own goal by Jacob Ramsey gave them hope but it was quickly snuffed out as Villa went 3-1 up. Ronaldo offered neither leadership nor inspiration on what was a dismal afternoon for the Red Devils.

  Erik ten Hag:

  Ten Hag's decision to hand the armband to Ronaldo was not his only dubious move. Selecting Donny van de Beek again after an anonymous showing in midweek was curious and he was too slow to change his team when things started to go wrong. A giant slice of luck ensured United were only 2-1 down at half-time and very much still in the game, yet Ten Hag decided not to change his team at the break, keeping faith with the starting XI that had played so poorly in the first half, and was made to pay when Ramsey restored Villa's two-goal lead three minutes into the second half.

  United's midfield

  Van de Beek was not the only poor performer in midfield as Villa cut open the visitors almost at will. Casemiro and Christian Eriksen offered very little protection and both players were caught out for two of Villa's goals. Indeed the hosts' third saw Ramsey run into the box without anyone near him to put the game out of United's reach. Fred and Scott McTominay have been far from perfect this season, but Ten Hag might rue leaving both players out on Sunday.

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  Man Utd Ratings: Defence

  David de Gea (5/10): Beaten three times on a tough afternoon for the United backline.

  Diogo Dalot (4/10): Has looked good in recent weeks but struggled at Villa Park and missed a decent chance in the second half.

  Victor Lindelof (3/10): A real weak link in defence. Caught out for two of the Villa goals and was too easily bullied by the hosts.

  Lisandro Martinez (5/10): Couldn’t keep up with Bailey for the opener and was pulled all over the place.

  Luke Shaw (5/10): Gave away the free-kick for the second goal but got United back into it with a shot that flew in with a little help from Jacob Ramsey.

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  Midfield

  Casemiro (6/10): The best of a bad bunch in midfield

  Christian Eriksen (5/10): Not a strong enough presence as United were too easily cut open.

  Donny van de Beek (3/10): Completely anonymous on his first Premier League start of the season.