Anthony Martial to sign for Manchester United

MANCHESTER United was set to make French forward Anthony Martial the most expensive teenager in world football after a chaotic day of transfer dealings at Old Trafford that also saw Javier Hernandez and Adnan Januzaj offloaded.

The French Football Federation said Martial, the 19-year-old Monaco player who has been compared to France great Thierry Henry, was granted permission to leave France’s national squad to sign a contract at United.

Reports in the French and English media said Martial could cost United 36 million pounds ($A78 million), a hefty fee for a player who has started only 29 games and was just called up by France for the first time ahead of upcoming friendlies against Serbia and Portugal.

Martial, who signed a new contract at Monaco this summer until 2019, would surpass Paris Saint-Germain’s Lucas Moura as the costliest teenager in the history of the game.

United’s overhaul under manager Louis van Gaal gathered pace with the sale of Mexico striker Javier Hernandez to Bayer Leverkusen on a three-year deal, while attacking midfielder Adnan Januzaj was sent on loan to Borussia Dortmund for the season and back-up goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard left for West Bromwich Albion.

United was also negotiating with Real Madrid for the sale of goalkeeper David de Gea, who is yet to play this season because he hasn’t been in the right frame of mind amid speculation about his future. However, by the time the transfer window closed in Spain, a deal had yet to be announced.

The 20-time English champions are taking a gamble on Martial after scoring just three goals in their opening four matches of the Premier League season, raising doubts about the strength of their attacking options. Wayne Rooney has been used by Van Gaal as a lone striker but hasn’t scored in the league since April 4. The only other striker in Van Gaal’s squad now is youngster James Wilson.

For the second straight year, United is turning to Monaco to solve its striker shortage in the final hours of Europe’s summer transfer window.

Twelve months ago, it was Radamel Falcao. This time, it’s Martial.

Martial can play as a winger or as a central striker, and has played at all youth levels for France. He scored nine goals in 35 league matches last season and is widely regarded as one of the brightest young players in French football alongside Lyon’s Nabil Fekir.

With his speed, technical skills and penchant for cutting in from the left, Martial has many of the same attributes as Henry – France’s record goalscorer and a Premier League great from his time at Arsenal.

Martial joined Monaco from Lyon in 2013 for 5 million euros and blossomed last season, relegating veteran Dimitar Berbatov to the bench toward the end of the campaign.

“He approached (France coach) Didier Deschamps for authorisation to go to England to sign a contract with Manchester United there,” a FFR statement said about Martial.

“In these exceptional circumstances, the coach accepted the request of the player.”

Martial is due to link up again with the France squad at its Clairfontaine base near Paris on Tuesday.

A loan move for Falcao didn’t turn out well for United, with the Colombia striker scoring four goals in 29 appearances. United rejected the opportunity to sign Falcao on a permanent basis and also sold Robin van Persie this offseason.

James Troisi signs with Al-Ittithad

Australia international James Troisi has signed with Saudi Arabian powerhouse Al-Ittihad, severing ties with Serie A champions Juventus.

Troisi, who was overlooked for Australia's World Cup qualifiers against Bangladesh on Thursday and Tajikistan next week, passed a medical in Dubai.

"Excited to officially join @ittihadclub.sa. Looking forward to getting into Jeddah and meeting all the fans. #newbeginnings," he tweeted on Tuesday.

The signing may provide some stability for the 27-year-old, who has drifted between clubs in recent years and never played a game for Juve.

Successful loan stints with Melbourne Victory in 2013-14 and Belgium outfit Zulte Waregem last season led to interest from across the Middle East and Europe.

The attacking midfielder, who scored Australia's winner in the 2015 Asian Cup final, joins other Australians including Mark Milligan (Baniyas), Brett Holman (Emirates Club) and Mark Bresciano (Al-Gharafa) playing in the Gulf region.

Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou said he omitted Troisi from his squad for the impending qualifiers because he "looked a little bit underdone" in the opener against Kyrgyzstan due to recent injuries.

But Postecoglou insisted he still considered him an important part of the Socceroos on the road to Russia 2018.

West Brom striker Brown Ideye set to join Greek giants Olympiakos

Olympiakos are poised to sign West Brom's former record signing Brown Ideye, HITC Sport understands from sources close to the club.

Ideye has found himself surplus to requirements at the Hawthorns, with the Nigerian not figuring in Tony Pulis' long-term plans.

The summer arrivals of Salomon Rondon and Rickie Lambert have pushed Ideye down the pecking order, and West Brom are prepared to cut their losses on the striker.

Ideye joined West Brom last summer in a £10million deal from Dynamo Kiev, as reported by the Daily Mirror, but he struggled to make an impact in the Premier League.

The 26-year-old scored two goals in his first 17 appearances for West Brom, but ended with seven in all competitions after netting four times in Pulis' first eight games in charge.

A number of clubs at home and abroad have identified Ideye as possible target, but Olympiakos have firmed up their interest with an offer.

The lure of Champions League football has tempted Ideye to make the move to Greece, and the striker could come up against Arsenal in this season's competition.

Socceroos goalkeeper Ryan undergoes knee surgery

Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan is having surgery for a meniscus injury in his right knee sustained when playing for Spanish club side Valencia.

"After ending the game against Deportivo la Coruna with some pain, Mathew Ryan will on Monday go under the knife to undergo an arthroscopy due to a medial meniscopathy in his right knee," Valencia said in a statement on their website.

Ryan posted on his official Twitter account: "About to undergo arthroscope to fix meniscus. With some luck be back fit in 4 weeks. Look forward to coming back stronger."

The star goalkeeper was scratched form the Socceroos squad after receiving the injury on Sunday.

The 23-year-old will miss Australia's World Cup qualifiers at home against Bangladesh on Thursday and away to Tajikistan on September 8.

He is also expected to miss Valencia's first two Champions League matches at home to Zenit St Petersburg and away to Lyon.

Nick Kyrgios to let his racquet do the talking

Nick Kyrgios plans to let his racquet do the talking as he bids to spring the first big shock of the US Open on Tuesday.

Condemned and sanctioned for his trash talking, Kyrgios hopes to remind fans of his playing talents with a first-round upset win over third-seeded former champion Andy Murray in the headline act on day two at Flushing Meadows.

He's just one of nine Australians in action, but all eyes will be on Kyrgios when the 20-year-old hits the court for the first time since copping a four-week suspended ban for his crude sledging of French Open champion Stan Wawrinka at the Montreal Masters.

Despite falling to Murray in all three previous clashes, including in straight sets in Melbourne and Paris, Kyrgios believes he can turn the tables on the Scot to really shake up the men's draw.

"I've played him three times now, I know what his strengths are and know how to play it. I just have to execute it on the day," Kyrgios said in his first interview since being placed on notice by the ATP.

A quarter-finalist at the Australian Open despite battling a back injury, Kyrgios feels the best he has all year after a torrid week training with Lleyton Hewitt at the former world No.1's Bahamas base.

"Obviously having Lleyton on court's helped me a lot," he said.

"I feel like I've been practising well, my preparation's been really good and I feel like I'm playing some really good tennis.

"He's (Murray) in form too, probably playing the best tennis of his life, winning Montreal and losing to Federer last week, pretty tight, so I know that he's one of the best players in the world at the moment.

"I just have to go out there and play the right style of game and believe I can win."

Thanasi Kokkinakis, the Davis Cup teammate at the centre of Kyrgios's taunting of Wawrinka, has put the issue behind him and is backing his Open doubles partner to take the fight to Murray.

"Nick's shown he can beat quality players before. If he puts it together on the day, regardless what happens off the court, his tennis is good enough if he's on," Kokkinakis said.

"But obviously Murray's a tough ask. He's been playing some good tennis of late too.

"So it should be a good match. It's a hell of a first round."

Win or lose, Kyrgios is vowing to be on his best behaviour - even though the ATP's tough sanctioning doesn't apply at ITF-governed grand slam event.

Kyrgios considers Murray a friend and mentor.

"He's always been someone I can sort of talk to, if that's sort of through Twitter or in person," Kyrgios said.

"He's been someone that's helped me. I've got a good relationship with him and he knows the journey as well.

"He's been through some tough times, so it's a lot of ups and downs out there."

Kokkinakis, up against French 12th seed Richard Gasquet, Australian No.1 Bernard Tomic and former champions Hewitt and Samantha Stosur, are also in action on Tuesday, as are James Duckworth, John-Patrick Smith, Jarmila Gajdosova and Ajla Tomjlanovic.

Panathinaikos beats Kalloni 4-0 in Greek Super league

Panathinaikos easily defeated visiting Kalloni 4-0 in the Greek league Sunday for its second straight win to open the season.

Nikos Karelis opened the scoring in the eighth minute from a cross by Zeca, andMarcus Berg made it 2-0 in the 31st when he pounced on a back pass to the goalkeeper. Stathis Tavlaridis added the in the 57th when Kalloni's defense failed to clear a corner and Mladen Petric closed the scoring in the 80th, tapping in a cross fromNikos Kaltsas.

Also, Giannena beat PAOK 3-1, Panetolikos won 2-0 at Asteras and Panionios beat host Iraklis 1-0. Platanias hosts Atromitos Monday.

Panathinaikos is tied with defending champion Olympiakos on six points after two rounds. Olympiakos won 2-0 at Levadiakos Saturday.

Basketball, Greece wins Acropolis Cup

Greece will be heading to EuroBasket 2015 with the taste of trophy success after the team defeated Lithuania to win the Acropolis Cup. The warm up tournament for the European Championships has been held in Athens and with home comforts the Greek’s claimed a 67-62 to claim the top prize. Both nations will now turn they attention to the EuroBasket competition that tips off later in the week.

Greece will be heading into the showpiece tournament of FIBA Europe in good form after winning its last three games. The hosts started strong here and midway through the first quarter had amassed a 12-3 lead. However, Lithuania hit back with a 1-9 run and trailed by just a point after 10 minutes (16-15). Lithuania continued to push through the second quarter and carved open its first lead at 29-31 with a minute left in the first half. Greece managed to net a single bucket to tie proceedings at 31 apiece through the long break.

Lithuania opened a lead during the third act, but the home team put together a 9-0 run that gave the Greek contingent a 46-41 lead through thirty minutes. Lithuania tried to find another gear at the start of the fourth stanza, but Greece killed the game once and for all with a 10-2 run and held on for victory.

“We made up for our disadvantage on the boards by forcing them to make mistakes,” said Greece head coach Fotis Katsikaris.

“The game was tough, it was a like an official knock-out game.

“We still have weaknesses but we will be ready by next week for the EuroBasket.

“One aspect of that is the systems and plays we will use, also in relation to the opponent.

“The other aspect is that every player feels happy with their role.”

Georgios Printezis will be a key component for Greece during EuroBasket 2015 and here was the standout again with 14 points, while Giannis Antetokounmpo logged 10 points.

Jonas Maciulis scored a game high 15 points in the losing effort, but was outdone by the games only double-double courtesy of Jonas Valanciunas’ 13 points 10 boards.

Swansea City in surprise win over Manchester United as Southampton down Norwich

Swansea City came from behind to end Manchester United's unbeaten start to the Premier League season with an impressive 2-1 victory at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday (Monday NZ time).

After an entertaining first half ended goalless Juan Mata fired Luke Shaw's teasing cross into the roof of the net in the 48th minute before Swansea took control.

Andre Ayew restored parity with a headed effort 13 minutes later before Bafetimbi Gomis maintained his superb form with a low shot five minutes later as the Welsh side registered their third successive 2-1 league victory over United.

"It was a very difficult game," Swansea captain Ashley Williams said. "We had to dig deep.

"Any time you can beat one of the top teams shows our improvement. We keep working every day and every week. We want to be a consistently good side."

Earlier, Dusan Tadic's brace and a goal from Graziano Pelle gave Southampton's stuttering league campaign lift-off with a comfortable 3-0 victory over promoted Norwich City at St Mary's.

Norwich defender Steven Whittaker was sent off having received two yellow cards within four first-half minutes for professional fouls as the south-coast club registered their first victory of the season.

United's solid yet unspectacular start to the season had been built on a steely defence which had yet to concede and had restricted opponents to just five shots on target in three matches this season.

Swansea, however, achieved a Premier League double over United last season and had started the season unbeaten, including an impressive opening-day draw at champions Chelsea.

United started brightly, though, with Memphis Depay and Mata sending early warnings of United's attacking threat.

Swansea began to grow into the game having weathered United's early attacking raids with Gylfi Sigurdsson firing agonisingly wide before Bafetimbi Gomis curled an effort against the post.

Wayne Rooney netted a midweek Champions League hat-trick but continued his underwhelming domestic form, squandering a host of inviting chances and having fewer first-half touches than every other United player.

After the break Mata fired in before the hosts turned the game on its head.

Ayew headed home Sigurdsson's cross before the Ghanaian's stunning pass created space for Gomis to slide home his ninth goal in his last 10 Premier League matches.

The surprise packages of last season having finished seventh, Southampton had been out-of-sorts, taking just two points from three games and failing to score since the opening day.

Sunday's first half was a microcosm of their season, plenty of possession and chances but a lack of killer instinct in front of goal.

James Ward-Prowse, Fonte, Pelle and the impressive Sadio Mane all went close in a dominant yet fruitless opening 20 minutes before Whittaker was dismissed.

After Pelle stabbed home in the 45th minute Tadic fired home Mane's cross for a superb second then applied the finishing touch after Pelle's header was parried into his path two minutes later.

Jay Rodriguez, still making his way back from a long-term knee injury, was brought on after the break and was lively throughout, forcing John Ruddy into a number of saves.

"We haven't had the start we wanted in the league," Saints captain Jose Fonte told Sky Sports. "But the most important thing today was getting back to winning games.

"We have massive responsibility now we are seen as a good team so we need to win and that's the mentality we have to implant in every game."

Swansea, who have eight points from four games, leapfrogged United, with seven, into fourth. Southampton moved up to 10th with five points while Norwich sit one point adrift in 14th.

Manchester City top the standings going into the international break with a maximum 12 points from four games, three ahead of Crystal Palace.

Bayern Munich beat Leverkusen to stay perfect in Bundesliga

Thomas Müller's two goals helped fire Bayern Munich to the top of the league with a 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen.

Müller broke the deadlock on 26 minutes before scoring on 60 to put the game beyond doubt from the penalty spot. Arjen Robben dispatched from the spot 10 minutes later as Bayern Munich maintained its 100% record after wins over Hamburg and Hoffenheim this season.

The German champions had only lose once in 28 competitive home games against Bayer Leverkusen and with Jerome Boateng and Medhi Benatia missing, this match threatened to be a test for Josep Guardiola's men.

Third-choice centerback Dante was left on the bench amid speculation about his future. Instead, Guardiola opted to play David Alaba as the main central-defender with Juan Bernat and Philipp Lahm to either side of him. The mandate: defend through keeping possession of the ball.

Bayer Leverkusen, meanwhile, was coming off the back of securing a place in the UEFA Champions League in midweek against Lazio. A fine performance was rewarded with a 3-0 win on the night (3-1 on aggregate) as Roger Schmidt's side booked a date with Barcelona in the group stages of the tournament.

With Kevin Kampl returning to the club -- and reuniting with his former boss -- it has been a busy week for Leverkusen. The former Borussia Dortmundplayer didn't make the squad after signing a contract until 2020.

Leverkusen successfully kept Bayern Munich at bay for most of the opening exchanges with Thiago Alcantara'slong-range shot, which flew over the bar, the first warning shot from the German champions.

This season, Brazilian Douglas Costahas been Bayern's most effective route to goal with three assists and a goal in his first two league games. Costa's brilliance is simple: his directness, his speed with-and-without the ball and his instinctive crossing really shakes up the team's normal passages of play.

And on 26 minutes, he set up his fourth goal of the campaign, his blistering pace beating Roberto Hillbert all ends up and he picked out Müller who slid in to score his 75th goal for Bayern Munich in 200 games.

Five minutes later, Costa, the 30 million euro signing from Shakhtar Donestk, was inches away from a goal of his own, his late run picked out in the box and his finish hit the corner of the crossbar and post.

Considering the intent of both sides to press man-to-man and force the opposition into losing possession, the number of fouls was hardly a surprise. However, referee Florian Meyer was improbably strict, showing four yellow cards before the first goal was scored.

Most of Leverkusen's front-four was utilized from a defensive purpose rather than impacting the game in the last-third. Hakan Calhanoglu's only notable impact was from a 30-yard free-kick in the 37th minute. The attacking-midfielder flighting his shot over the wall and against the crossbar as he looked for his 12th direct goal from a set-play in the Bundesliga.

But the 15-minute break went in the away side's favour. The introduction ofJulian Brandt from the bench has been successful consistently for Schmidt despite the 19-year-old probably deserving of a starting berth.

Four minutes after the restart, Bayern's makeshift, ball-playing defenders were forced into action. A quick counterattack fell to Stefan Kißeling at the back-post, his shot first saved by Manuel Neuer and then his rebounded header cleared off the line by the ever-impressive Alaba. The Austrian has shown outstanding acuity to play in a variety of positions at the back and in midfield, his mastery of the ball at a high-tempo and willingness to play bold passes the archetypal requirements of modern players.

Just as modern, if not harder to describe, is German international Müller. The Bayern front man scored his second of the game on the hour mark when Bayern was awarded a soft penalty kick for Hillbert's push on Arturo Vidalinside the box. Müller beat penalty-king Bernd Leno, the German keeper saving eight of his last nine spot-kicks.

Meyer was in a generous mood and awarded Bayern a second kick on 70 minutes with Hillbert enduring a torrid afternoon at the Allianz Arena. Costa's pace was pivotal, his cross striking the hand of the fullback as he turned his body from the ball and Robben proceeded to strike the ball into the net and kill the contest.

Robbie Kruse, a second half substitute for Leverkusen, had the ball in the net within seconds of the restart, but he cushioned the ball with his hand in the build-up. It was a rare glimpse of goal for Leverkusen who looked off-the-pace, confirming early concerns this season following narrow wins over Hoffenheim and Hannover.

Borussia Dortmund play Hertha Berlin on Sunday and could knock Bayern Munich off the top as the Bundesliga goes into a short hiatus as a result of the international shutdown.

Thanasis Kokkinakis ’I haven’t done anything to be a bad boy’

Playing US Open doubles with Nick Kyrgios is one thing, but Thanasi Kokkinakis wants no part in any new-age tennis brat pack with Australia’s fallen star.

More than 30 years after John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Ilie Nastase raged against officialdom, Kyrgios is being dubbed the new bad boy of the sport after a series of infractions at Wimbledon and his now-infamous verbal taunting of Stan Wawrinka in Montreal.

Kyrgios said he’d learnt his lesson and promised to lift his act after being hit with a suspended ban and fine for “aggravated behaviour”.

Regardless of which way Kyrgios goes, good mate Kokkinakis wants to remain known as a cleanskin after former Davis Cup captain and Australian of the Year Pat Rafter branded the teenager “our role model, our Australian tennis pin-up boy” at Wimbledon.

“I haven’t done anything to be a bad boy. I’m just doing my own thing and whatever,” Kokkinakis said ahead of his first-round clash at Flushing Meadows with Richard Gasquet.

“To be honest, it’s pretty comical when I read the headlines and they bunch it together like that.

“But everyone’s going to write what they want to write. Until people read the article and what actually happened, then they can make an opinion.

“But when they categorise it, it does annoy me a little bit.

“But it’s pretty funny so I try not too worry about it.”

The laid-back 19-year-old was unfairly dragged into Kyrgios’s dark on-court antics when Kyrgios told French Open champion Stan Wawrinka at this month’s Montreal Masters that “Kokkinakis banged your girlfriend. Sorry to tell you that, mate”.

While Kyrgios has been fined and heavily sanctioned, Kokkinakis has also suffered.

He almost came to blows with Ryan Harrison after the American in turn sledged Kokkinakis, effectively tarring the South Australian with the same brush as Kyrgios.

“I’m just playing tennis and trying to avoid all the rubbish,” Kokkinakis said.

“Obviously it was weird what he (Kyrgios) did. He shouldn’t have done it, of course.

“But I’m fine with him. I talked with him, he apologised to me. It’s all good, we’re past it now and we’ve just got to move on.”

Partners at Melbourne Park this year, Kokkinakis and Kyrgios — the 2013 Wimbledon junior doubles champions — are teaming up in New York for the first time.

Nick Kyrgios's sanctions won't apply at US

Andy Murray is expecting the usual fireworks from Nick Kyrgios on Tuesday after the grand slam's governing body conceded tough sanctions against Australia's tennis firebrand won't be imposed at the US Open.

While Kyrgios faces a 28-day suspension and a $US25,000 ($A34,900) fine if he steps out of line at an an ATP event in the next six months, the International Tennis Federation on Saturday said the controversial youngster wouldn't be under any such restrictions at Flushing Meadows.

The ITF's concession means that, unlike at regular tour tournaments, Kyrgios won't be banished if fined for any verbal or physical tirades unleashed at the season's final major.

Kyrgios himself on Saturday admitted he needed to tone down his aggression, but Murray said he wasn't convinced that would make the two-time grand slam quarter-finalist a less dangerous opponent in their marquee first-round match-up.

"I don't know how he's prepared to handle it. I have no clue. He and his people will find the best way to make it," Murray said.

"If he gets a warning here or breaks his racquet, I don't know if that should be a suspension.

"To be honest, I believe he likes playing on big stages. I would expect him to be ready for the match. He gets fired up for big matches."

Despite having removed Kyrgios from the Australian and French Open draws this year in straight sets, Murray remains wary of the 20-year-old's explosive firepower.

"I don't pay attention to the other stuff," said the third-seeded 2012 US Open champion.

"For me it's a tennis match. I go about the match in the best way possible, getting on with things."

"Every match is a new match. He might come in with something different against me. I have to prepare for that. He's quite an unpredictable player."

Unlike the other members of tennis's Big Four, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Murray has some sympathy for Kyrgios, who has been lashed by his peers as well as officialdom since making his crude slur against Stan Wawrinka and the Swiss's girlfriend, Croatian teenager Donna Vekic, at this month's Montreal Masters.

"I'm not necessarily about coming out in favour, (but) he's a young guy," Murray said.

"He made a mistake. All the guys here when they were 19 or 20 made mistakes. His was seen by millions. It's unfortunate it happened. It was wrong.

"Everybody matures at a different rate. It's a process. I don't think he's a bad guy, a bad person, at all.

"He's an unbelievably talented guy with a lot of potential. Just a little bit of patience is important when it comes to Nick. It's not easy growing up in the spotlight."

Tennis fans will have to wait until day two of the Open to see if Kyrgios can cast aside the controversy and upset Murray.

But five other Australians are in action on the opening day, including Daria Gavrilova against Russian third seed Maria Sharapova in one of the feature women's matches.

Casey Dellacqua plays Estonian qualifier Anett Kontaveit, Sam Groth faces Alexandr Dolgopolov, Matt Ebden meets 17th seed Grigor Dimitrov and John Millman is up against Sergiy Stakhovsky in his US Open main-draw debut.

Like Kyrgios, Bernard Tomic, Lleyton Hewitt, Thanasi Kokkinakis, James Duckworth, John-Patrick Smith, Samantha Stosur, Jarmila Gajdosova and Ajla Tomljanovic all have Tuesday starts.

Real Madrid Thrash Real Betis, Vermaelen Rescues FC Barcelona

Gareth Bale silenced his critics by scoring twice as Rafael Benitez got his first win as Real Madrid coach with a 5-0 thrashing of Real Betis.

Madrid remain two points behind Barcelona as Thomas Vermaelen was the unlikely hero for the European champions as they overcame stiff resistance from Malaga to win 1-0 at the Camp Nou.

Benitez's men had been held to an embarrassing 0-0 draw by newly promoted Sporting Gijon last weekend, but there was to be no repeat as Bale headed home James Rodriguez's cross inside two minutes.

Rodriguez then fired an audacious free-kick from a narrow angle into the far corner of the net to double the advantage seven minutes before the break.

Bale turned provider at the start of the second period for Karim Benzema to head home the third before Rodriguez produced another spectacular effort with an overhead kick to make it 4-0.

Betis had a great opportunity to at least mark their visit to the Bernabeu with a consolation when Raphael Varane was penalised for upending Jorge Molina.

However, Keylor Navas made the most of his opportunity despite the ongoing speculation that Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea could join Madrid in the coming days by diving low to his left to save Ruben Castro's penalty.

And Bale had the final word with a fierce left-footed effort that clipped the post on its way into the net.

At the Camp Nou, Vermaelen succeeded where Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar failed as he fired the only goal of the game past the excellent Carlos Kameni 18 minutes from time.

The Belgian defender endured a nightmare debut campaign with the Catalans last season despite being part of a treble winning squad as he was perennially sidelined by injury.

"It is a great reward for him for the fight he had last year," said Barca defender Javier Mascherano.

"I am happy for him because last year he couldn't show his best football.

"The goals from the front three will come The team generated a lot of chances, but we didn't have much luck."

Elsewhere, Celta Vigo went top of the table as Nolito scored twice in a 3-0 win over 10-man Rayo Vallecano.

David Moyes's Real Sociedad failed to find the net for a second consecutive game, though, as they played out a 0-0 draw with Sporting Gijon.

Olympiakos leave it late in Greek Super League

Defending champion Olympiakos struggled to beat stubborn Levadiakos 2-0 in the Greek league Saturday.

Playing at the Athens Olympic Stadium, because its own field was found unfit to stage games, Levadiakos' in-form goalkeeper Panagiotis Tsintotas kept Olympiakos at bay until the 89th minute.

Then, a clearance attempt by Levadiakos' Romeu hit Olympiakos midfielder Luka Milivojevic's foot and the ball arced over a stranded Tsintotas into the net.

A minute into injury time, Costas Fortounis' shot was deflected off Edwin Ouon, onto the underside of the crossbar and into the net for the final score.

Olympiakos also twice hit the crossbar, through Mathieu Dossevi in the 81st and Alejandro Dominguez in the 85th.

Also, Veria won 2-0 at Panthrakikos and the Xanthi versus AEK match ended in a 0-0 draw.

Review: Ward secures historic win for Palace at Chelsea

Joel Ward heads in Crystal Palace's winner at Stamford Bridge

Joel Ward scored a dramatic late winner as Crystal Palace claimed a memorable 2-1 victory at champions Chelsea, who suffered their second defeat of the season.

After Bakary Sako had fired Palace into the lead, Radamel Falcao looked to have earned the hosts a share of the spoils when he came off the bench to head home his maiden goal for Jose Mourinho's men 11 minutes from time. However, Palace raced to the other end and Ward's diving header subjected Chelsea to their first home defeat in the Barclays Premier League since April 2014.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was unable to celebrate his 200th league match in charge at the club, and his 100th at home, succumbing to only his second defeat at Stamford Bridge. Aside from a Gary Cahill header, cleared off the line by Sako shortly before his opener, Chelsea struggled to break down the Palace defence, although Alex McCarthy, in the Palace goal, had to be at his best to keep out Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas in the latter stages of the first half.

Raheem Sterling opens his account for Man City against Watford

Raheem Sterling scored the first Barclays Premier League goal of his Manchester Citycareer in a 2-0 victory over Watford as Manuel Pellegrini's men achieved a club record 10th consecutive win.

The winger's close-range strike from Bacary Sagna’s cross just after half-time broke a resolute Watford defence. Less than 10 minutes later, the lead was doubled when a Yaya Toure free-kick hit the wall, but the rebound fell to David Silva, who teed up Fernandinho with a brilliant pass into the area and the Brazilian smashed it into the far corner from an acute angle.

Quique Sanchez Flores's side deserved credit for a first-half defensive display in which they stifled the league's most potent attack, but there was a sense of inevitability about the result once the deadlock was broken at the Etihad Stadium. City are one victory away from equalling Chelsea and Liverpool's winning streaks of 11 matches, but on this kind of form the Barclays Premier League record of 14 consecutive wins, set by Arsenal in 2002, also appears in danger.

Manuel Lanzini scores the first goal for West Ham against Liverpool

West Ham United ended their 52-year wait for success at Anfield with a 3-0 victory overLiverpool, in which both sides were reduced to 10 men.

West Ham capitalised on slack play at the back to register a clinical victory in an action-packed affair that produced red cards for both Philippe Coutinho and Mark Noble.

On his Barclays Premier League debut, Manuel Lanzini set the visitors on their way to a first win at Anfield in 42 attempts, opening the scoring from inside the six-yard box. It was the first time Rodgers' defence had been breached this term but Liverpool fell further behind after Dejan Lovren relinquished possession on his own byline and allowed Lanzini to play in Noble, who beat Simon Mignolet from 18 yards.

Coutinho's two bookings either side of half-time added to Liverpool's frustrations and, even when Noble saw red for a foul on substitute Danny Ings, West Ham remained in control. Diafra Sakho coolly finished late on to add further gloss to the scoreline.

Jeremain Lens fires in the equaliser for Sunderland at Aston Villa

Sunderland are still chasing their first Barclays Premier League win of the season, but first club goals for Yann M'Vila and Jeremain Lens earned Dick Advocaat's men a hard-fought 2-2 draw at Aston Villa.

After two consecutive defeats at the start of the campaign Sunderland followed up a draw against Swansea City with another resolute display, securing a point despite Scott Sinclair netting twice for Villa.

M'Vila produced a glimpse of his technical prowess after just eight minutes, bending in a fine free-kick to open his Barclays Premier League account. But Sinclair, starting in place of Gabriel Agbonlahor, gave Villa an almost-immediate response from the penalty spot after being man-handled by Lee Cattermole.

Sinclair struck again, his fifth goal in two matches after a League Cup hat-trick against Notts County on Tuesday, but Sunderland began the second period with renewed purpose and Lens equalised in the 52nd minute.

Villa enjoyed the lion's share of possession and could have gone ahead again through Micah Richards, but Sunderland's character shone through, holding on to deny the hosts a first win since the opening day.

Jamie Vardy's penalty maintained Leicester's unbeaten start to the season

Jamie Vardy's penalty rescued a late point for Leicester City as they maintained their unbeaten start to the Barclays Premier League season with a 1-1 draw at AFC Bournemouth.

The visitors struggled for the most part at Vitality Stadium, but Vardy's mazy run drew a foul challenge from Steve Cook and the striker converted from the penalty spot.

Claudio Ranieri's men had been staring at defeat after a stunning first-half overhead kick from Callum Wilson, who scored a hat-trick in last weekend's 4-3 win at West Ham United. As Leicester's defence struggled to clear a Charlie Daniels cross, Wilson pounced and rifled a superb acrobatic effort into the top-left corner.

Injuries to Daniels, Tyrone Mings and Max Gradel hampered the Cherries in the second half and their woes deepened four minutes from time as Vardy's spot-kick denied them a maiden top-flight home win.

Salomon Rondon's header secured West Brom's first league win of the season

Stoke City had two players sent off in the first half against West Bromwich Albion as Salomon Rondon's first Barclays Premier League goal gave Tony Pulis a 1-0 win on his first return to the Britannia Stadium.

Pulis could hardly have asked for more assistance from the side he managed for nearly a decade across two spells, with two moments of ill-discipline allowing West Brom to dominate the match.

The hosts were reduced to 10 men in the 25th minute when Ibrahim Afellay was shown a straight red card for slapping Craig Gardner. Charlie Adam, who had been brought into the side in place of Marko Arnautovic by Mark Hughes, was also sent off six minutes later following a clash with Craig Dawson.

This allowed West Brom to dominate and Rondon, their club-record signing, scored following superb work by Rickie Lambert, a substitute. Despite failing to score a second, West Brom had no difficulty in holding on for their first league victory of the season.