Denis Bouanga made it five goals in two games as reigning MLS Cup winners LAFC maintained their perfect start to the 2023 season with a 4-0 home victory over New England on Sunday.

LAFC improved to two wins from two games with Bouanga netting a 14th-minute penalty, before doubling their advantage midway through the second half at Banc of California Stadium. Timothy Tillman and Stipe Biuk added late goals to round out the win.

The result ends the Revs' winning start to the new campaign, falling to 2-0-1, as they look to bounce back after missing the last year's postseason.

Gabonese winger Bouanga, who joined LAFC in August from French club Saint Etienne, had scored a hat-trick in their 3-0 Champions League win at Alajuelense in midweek.

Bouanga rifled his spotkick down the middle to open the scoring, before beating the offside trap and slotting home for 2-0 in the 67th minute.

Tillman dispossessed Latif Blessing and cruised into the box to fire in the third in the 83rd minute, with Bouanga playing a part as Biuk added a fourth in the 96th minute.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says Arsenal's long Premier League title wait is helping them score late goals and insists the Gunners are still favourites for the domestic crown.

Arsenal's 3-0 win at Fulham on Sunday meant they restored their five-point lead over second-placed City with 11 games to play.

The Gunners' latest win was more routine in comparison to the recent 3-2 triumph over Bournemouth where Reiss Nelson netted a 97th-minute winner, or last month's thrilling come-from-behind 4-2 victory at Aston Villa.

Guardiola argued Arsenal's long drought for a Premier League title, having not claimed the honour since 2003-04, was fuelling their belief late in games.

On the contrary, the Catalan sensed City lacked that desire having lifted four of the past five league titles.

"They have many years without winning the Premier League and that gives you a little bit extra to win games in 93, 96, 98," Guardiola told reporters.

"That is something they have that we don’t have because we have won back-to-back, two times.

"That's why when people say about your opinion on the team and the season it's after two times back-to-back and 50 points for our opponents in the first half still we are there.

"Normally in this country when you win something a lot and you don’t start well or someone is a bit better, you drop it. You are not consistent. Still we are there. This is the best trophy and compliment that we can have.

"I don’t know what's going to happen at the end of the season but still they know that we want to be there and we will fight to be there and this is great."

The contrasting recent states of the clubs, given Arsenal's league title drought and City's recent dominance, has ensured Premier League favouritism has remained reserved despite the Gunners' lead.

But Guardiola pushed the narrative that Arsenal were the favourites, even after City beat them 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium amid the Gunners' three-game winless run in February.

"Still Arsenal are the favourites because they are in front," Guardiola said. "They made an incredible first leg, they dropped a little bit but now they’re coming back."

Six of Arsenal's remaining 11 league fixtures at home, but they will travel to face City on April 26. The Gunners also have difficult trips to Liverpool and Newcastle United to come and host Chelsea too.

City also have six home games in their final 11, including hosting Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea.

Chelsea forward Kai Havertz is enjoying some strong form once again, but he revealed the mental toll this season has taken on himself and those around him.

The Germany international has made 22 starts from Chelsea's 26 Premier League fixtures this campaign, having only scored 27 goals as a team.

It has resulted in a pressure-packed season as boss Graham Potter fights for his job, and while Havertz's own production has not taken too much of a hit, the weight of a disappointing season has taken its toll.

After eight goals and four assists in 29 league appearances last season, Havertz has tallied six goals and one assist this time around, but had only one goal in his past 10 prior to finding the back of the net against Leicester City in Saturday's 3-1 win.

"Football is our life," Havertz told reporters. "If you lose a game, of course you don’t have an easy life as well. 

"I think everyone at home, especially my girlfriend, has had some tough weeks as well in the last weeks and months. I think she is happy now again and so am I.

"For you [journalists], it is the same – if you have a bad day at work… you… I won’t say the word now but you don’t feel good. Football is a game where we have a lot of pressure on our shoulders.

"We want to make the fans happy and if you don’t make them happy then you don’t have a good time."

But things have begun to swing back the other way, with Havertz coming off a goal in consecutive games as he put one past Borussia Dortmund to help Chelsea advance in the Champions League, before another strong performance against Leiceister.

"Winning is always the best, we won again so we can enjoy some days," he said. "We knew it was going to take some time to adapt for everyone. So maybe, you could see that we are still not finished. 

"It will always take time to develop. We can develop a lot but we showed another good performance [at Leicester] and we can be happy.

"Of course, to win three games in a row is important for us because we had a tough time before that. We knew we would bounce back. 

"We still have a game to play [at home to Everton] before the [international break for the] national team. We have to keep our focus high and win the next game as well."

Xavi declared Barcelona's slender 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao as a "golden victory" after they survived a late onslaught to restore their nine-point lead ahead of next weekend's Clasico.

Raphinha's first-half goal at San Mames ultimately proved decisive, but that was just the tip of the iceberg as Barca were forced to withstand intense late pressure.

Earlier, Raul Garcia had hit the post for the hosts, and Athletic's late barrage began with Alex Berenguer striking the woodwork.

Athletic thought they salvaged a dramatic draw when Inaki Williams surged clear and smashed home, but the goal was then disallowed after a VAR check, with Iker Muniain deemed to have handled in the build-up.

Nico Williams then somehow failed to properly connect with the ball when seemingly destined to convert a tap-in; the follow-up by Yuri Berchiche was cleared off the line; and Gorka Guruzeta's volley from that rebound was crucially blocked in front of goal by Andreas Christensen.

It was a valuable win with Barca set to face second-placed Real Madrid at Camp Nou on Sunday.

"The same thing has happened to us again," Xavi told reporters. "We have been at a good level for 75 minutes, although we have to attack better.

"It was a difficult game. In San Mames you end up suffering, and that's what happened. It's a golden victory for us and we take three very important points.

"We maintained the nine-point lead, and we go into the Clasico with confidence.

"But we have to get better offensively. We had two or three clear chances in the second half: from Ansu [Fati]; from [Alejandro] Balde, who didn't choose well; from [Robert] Lewandowski with a header.

"We have to improve in that aspect, be calmer and more patient and play more in the attacking half. Defensive solidity must also be valued, but it's true that we have to improve in the attack."

Barca were greeted with a particularly vociferous reception at San Mames in light of the Negreira scandal.

Last month, broadcaster SER Catalunya alleged Barca had paid €1.6million to the company of Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira – the former vice-president of Spain's Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) – between 2016 and 2018.

Newspaper El Pais claimed Negreira's company – DASNIL 95 SL – produced written reports and DVD assessments of referees prior to games.

On Friday, however, Barca – who have denied any wrongdoing – were charged with corruption over alleged payments to Negreira, who is also facing charges along with the club's former presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell.

It also emerged on Friday that prosecutors allege Barca paid €7.3m to companies owned by Negreira between 2001 and 2018.

Athletic fans jeered Barca and chanted for them to be demoted to the Segunda, and the reception left Xavi taken aback.

"I am surprised by the hostile atmosphere of San Mames and it saddens me," he said. "Judging prematurely [before a trial] is not good for society.

"Everyone is free. I respect opinions. But we are being judged prematurely, and it saddens me.

"I have nothing more to add. We haven't talked about it in the locker room.

"Those things are for the club [to deal with]. We focus on playing football, we're professionals."

Massimiliano Allegri encouraged the struggling Dusan Vlahovic to "remain serene" despite his missed penalty in Juventus' 4-2 victory over Sampdoria.

The striker hit the post from 12 yards at the Allianz Stadium and despite a game-high eight shots on goal, he has now gone five successive Serie A matches without scoring for the first time in his career.

Vlahovic also saw four attempts blocked, and his frustration was evident as his efforts in front of goal reaped no rewards.

Meanwhile, Adrien Rabiot struck twice and Bremer and Matias Soule were also on target for the Bianconeri who, despite surrendering a 2-0 lead, closed the gap on fourth-place Milan to nine points.

But while Vlahovic continues to draw blanks, Allegri offered words of encouragement to his number nine.

"Dusan played a very good game," he told DAZN. "He must remain serene. Tonight, he played better technically. He has to stay calm.

"Let's not forget that he has been at Juventus for a year, he has done well, he is doing well. He has all the qualities to improve.

"When he manages to regulate his management of the game, he will be less hasty when the ball arrives."

Rabiot, meanwhile, continued his most prolific season in front of goal, taking his tally to nine with his brace on Sunday.

But the midfielder has urged his team-mates to improve their concentration levels ahead of Thursday's Europa League last-16 second leg against Freiburg, in which the Bianconeri hold a narrow 1-0 lead.

"In some moments, I have to take responsibility, if there is a need to do it alone," he said. "Tonight, I scored an important goal to bring the victory.

"I'm happy – a little less for the first half where we started well, but conceded two goals that we must not concede.

"We have to work and be more focused during the game. Don't be careless because we scored two goals. We had to win to prepare well for the game against Freiburg."

The France international's future is uncertain with his Juve contract set to expire at the end of the season, but he admits he is content in Turin.

"At the moment, I don't think about anything," he added. "I'm happy with the help to the team and then we'll see. Here, I'm fine; I'm scoring a lot of goals, and I think I'll score more."

A late VAR reprieve ensured Barcelona clung on to a slender 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao as Raphinha continued his impressive form to restore the Blaugrana's nine-point lead at the summit.

Barca looked to have been pegged back by a dramatic Inaki Williams equaliser, but it was disallowed for handball and Xavi's side just about held on in the face of intense pressure.

The visitors had to weather a storm in the first half as well, making the most of their survival on the stroke of half-time when the in-form Raphinha struck.

Williams' disallowed goal was then followed by more late chances for Athletic, but the hosts' efforts amounted to nothing as Barca got one over former coach Ernesto Valverde.

Adrien Rabiot's controversial strike helped to spare Juventus' blushes as they beat bottom side Sampdoria 4-2 in Serie A.

The France international put his team 3-2 ahead in a tight contest at the Allianz Stadium with his second goal, despite appearing to control the ball with his arm before volleying in.

Gleison Bremer and Rabiot both scored headers to put Massimiliano Allegri’s side into a 2-0 lead, but Sampdoria responded by striking twice in as many minutes through Tommaso Augello and Filip Djuricic before half-time.

Rabiot restored the hosts' advantage after the break though and despite Dusan Vlahovic's missed penalty, Juve held out for an eighth-straight home win over the Blucerchiati as substitute Matias Soule added a late fourth.

Despite a nervy start, Juventus broke the deadlock after 11 minutes as Bremer towered above the defence to head home Filip Kostic's corner.

Another header doubled the hosts' lead in the 26th minute when Rabiot buried Fabio Miretti's inviting cross.

But Sampdoria – this season's lowest scorers in the top five European leagues before Sunday – responded five minutes later with Augello neatly guiding in Mehdi Leris' deflected centre.

And within 72 seconds, they were level as Djuricic arrived late in the box to steer home Alessandro Zanoli's low cross.

Juve controversially regained the lead in the 64th minute, the VAR awarding Rabiot a second goal despite the ball seeming to strike the midfielder's arm before he brilliantly volleyed into the top corner.

Vlahovic missed an opportunity to kill off the contest, his penalty striking the post after Augello felled substitute Juan Cuadrado, but the hosts did seal the points in stoppage time, Soule nodding in his first senior goal after Vlahovic's initial header was tipped onto the crossbar.

Paul Pogba's absence from the Juventus squad on Sunday came after he felt an adductor injury when taking free-kicks in training, according to Massimiliano Allegri.

Head coach Allegri explained Pogba's situation before Juventus faced Sampdoria on Serie A duty, at the end of a turbulent week for French midfielder Pogba.

The former Manchester United player has had a torrid time of things with knee and thigh injuries since embarking on a second spell at Juventus last July, appearing for just 34 minutes across two substitute appearances.

Pogba appeared to have put those issues behind him when briefly featuring in back-to-back games against Torino and Roma, but he was dropped for Thursday's match with Freiburg.

That was down to Pogba turning up late for a team meeting ahead of the Europa League tie, yet Allegri said on Saturday he would be involved against Sampdoria.

However, that plan changed on Sunday, dealing another blow to player and club.

Allegri told DAZN before kick-off: "This morning while he was taking free-kicks he felt discomfort in his adductor, he stopped.

"Tomorrow we will see the extent of the damage. Tonight he could have given us a hand, but we are waiting for him, it's a year like this anyway, these things happen in life too.

"He must be good and strong to get up and want to return to the player he was before."

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was not particularly concerned about the injury suffered by Alejandro Garnacho on Sunday despite him requiring crutches as he left Old Trafford.

Garnacho was introduced in the second half of United's 0-0 draw with Southampton and went down hurt during the latter stages under a challenge from Kyle Walker-Peters.

The Southampton defender won the ball on the stretch in the penalty area, but Garnacho's right ankle appeared to get trapped between Walker-Peters' legs.

Garnacho looked to be in agony but managed to play on until he was withdrawn in stoppage time as Ten Hag sought to bolster 10-man United at the back.

He was subsequently spotted leaving the stadium with the support of crutches.

"He was a little bit limping after the bad tackle," Ten Hag told reporters.

"In the end they brought on another striker, a big and tall one [Paul Onuachu] and I don't want to go for risk, we were already downsized to 10 [men].

"I didn't want to go with players who were [just] 90 per cent [fit]. That's why I called him off, but I think it is not too bad."

United are next in action on Thursday as they go to Seville to face Real Betis in the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.

They take a 4-1 aggregate lead to the Benito Villamarin after a comprehensive win at Old Trafford in the first leg.

Reims are flying under head coach Will Still and remain undefeated in Ligue 1 since the Belgian-born Englishman took charge in October.

A goal from Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun sealed a 1-0 win at Monaco on Sunday, taking Reims into eighth place and closer to European qualification.

Still is only the second boss to remain unbeaten in his first 17 games (W9 D8) in the top-five European leagues in the 21st century, after Tito Vilanova with Barcelona in 2012-13 (18).

The 30-year-old is astonishingly costing the French club €25,000 per game in fines due to not having a UEFA Pro Licence under Ligue 1 rules.

It is clearly worth it, though, with Reims having kept six consecutive clean sheets in the league, establishing their longest run without conceding a goal in their top-flight history. Only Serie A giants Juventus have had a better streak in the top-five European leagues this season (eight between October 2022 and January 2023).

Les Rouges et Blancs have also won three consecutive games in a single top-flight season for the first time since April 1978, while their 10 games unbeaten away from home in Ligue 1 (W2 D8) is their longest since May-December 1959 (13).

Still is not the only Englishman impressing at the club, with Balogun's goal against Monaco taking him to 16 in 26 league games for the season.

Aged 21 years and 252 days, Balogun became the youngest player to score at least 16 goals in his first season in Ligue 1 since Mohammed Salem with Sedan-Torcy in 1960-61.

The England Under-21 international is also the only player to score against each of the top five in Ligue 1 this season, having netted against Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille, Lens, Monaco and Rennes (twice).

Still has the chance to match Vilanova's record when his team host Marseille next Sunday.

Julen Lopetegui claimed Wolves were denied a "very, very clear penalty" by referee Andy Madley in Sunday's 2-1 defeat at Newcastle United.

Wolves were furious in January when they had a late goal disallowed for offside against Liverpool in the FA Cup at Anfield, and they remain convinced that was an injustice.

Madley was also the man in the middle that time, with Wolves denied what would almost certainly have been a winning goal as the game finished 2-2, with Liverpool going on to edge the replay 1-0 at Molineux.

That incident has not been forgotten by Lopetegui, and he was aghast at Wolves being denied a spot-kick early on against Newcastle at St James' Park.

Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope took a poor touch and gave away the ball to Wolves striker Raul Jimenez, before seeming to bundle the Mexican to the floor.

Wolves wanted a penalty and a red card but got neither, and Lopetegui said afterwards: "It's true that, for me, it was a very, very clear penalty for us. We are very unlucky with the referee. This is a pity for us.

"It doesn't matter what I think. The more important thing is that this is true that we have suffered a big mistake a lot of matches ago at Liverpool, and for me [Sunday's incident] was a penalty, but the VAR can't help in this case the referee. We were very unlucky with the decision. We didn't have a penalty since I arrived here."

Alexander Isak headed Newcastle ahead in the first half, but Hwang Hee-chan brought Wolves level in the 70th minute.

The visitors sat deep and were punished by a fine finish from Miguel Almiron nine minutes later.

Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe told Sky Sports he felt there would have been no justification in awarding Wolves a penalty for the clash between Pope and Jimenez, which came when the game was goalless.

Howe said: "I didn't think it was a penalty at the time. You might say I was biassed, but I didn't. I thought it was Jimenez going down before the contact was made, that was my initial assessment."

Substitute Almiron delighted Howe with his contribution off the bench, having been a regular starter up to now.

"Not that he necessarily needed to give a response, it was a case of us just trying to freshen him up," Howe said. "It's an outstanding season that he's had, he's contributed in lots of different ways, and you see the work rate he gives every week. He made a massive impact, and I'm delighted for him."

Howe was glad to halt a five-game winless run, with the Magpies jumping above Liverpool into fifth place.

"I just think it reignites us," he said. "Hopefully it re-sparks us into action and restores confidence levels to where they should be."

Leandro Trossard and Casemiro were two of the standout players in Sunday's Premier League action – though for contrasting reasons.

Belgium international Trossard was inspirational as Arsenal's title tilt remained on track, while Casemiro was shown a second red card in three Premier League appearances as Manchester United slipped up again.

Miguel Almiron was Newcastle United's hero, Eddie Howe's men closing on the Champions League places again, and Ollie Watkins continued his fine form for Aston Villa in their draw with West Ham.

After the conclusion of the day's drama, Stats Perform highlights the pick of the Opta numbers.

Manchester United 0-0 Southampton: Another Casemiro red threatens to derail Ten Hag's men

Casemiro has undoubtedly been one of United's best players this season, but if they now miss out on the top four, the Brazil international will have to take part of the blame.

His sending off in the first half on Sunday for a heavy challenge on Carlos Alcaraz proved costly, with United only able to scrape a point thereafter.

That made him the first United player to receive two red cards in one Premier League season since Nemanja Vidic in 2013-14, and just the second to earn a pair of reds in his first campaign for the club after Darren Fletcher (2003-04).

He will now miss their next four matches – at the end of that run, he will have been suspended for eight games this year alone.

While some United fans might have had the perception this was always going to be the risk that came with signing a player like Casemiro, he had never been shown a straight red in his entire senior career before moving to Old Trafford.

Of course, for Southampton, Casemiro's dismissal proved helpful. While they could not get the win they might feel they deserved, Saints managed to keep a third clean sheet in four games under Ruben Selles – that is one more than in their previous 34 league games.

Fulham 0-3 Arsenal: Trossard inspirational as Gunners continue to deal out capital punishment

Arsenal's comprehensive win at Craven Cottage was their fifth successive away London derby win without conceding a goal.

That is a feat no club has managed previously in the Premier League.

Trossard played a vital role with a unique feat of his own, setting up all three of Arsenal's goals, with each one coming in the first half.

Thus, the Belgian became the first player to ever tally a hat-trick of assists in the first half of a Premier League away game.

Trossard's second was a looping cross that found Gabriel Martinelli for a close-range header, the Brazilian nodding in his 23rd top-flight goal for the club.

He is now only one away from surpassing Nicolas Anelka as the foreign player with the most Premier League strikes for the club before turning 22.

That first-half flurry keeps the Gunners on track in the title race, five points clear of Manchester City in second.

West Ham 1-1 Aston Villa: Watkins in a groove

Unai Emery has certainly managed to steady the ship at Aston Villa since replacing Steven Gerrard in the dugout, and the form of Watkins has been among the most notable improvements.

The striker netted again on Sunday, opening the scoring at London Stadium as he headed in from Alex Moreno's cross.

Since the World Cup, only Marcus Rashford (10), Erling Haaland (10) and Harry Kane (eight) have scored more Premier League goals than Watkins (seven).

That includes goals in each of his past four Premier League away games, which is the longest such scoring run by a Villa player since Dwight Yorke between March and May 1998 (also four).

Unfortunately for Villa, West Ham levelled just nine minutes later through Said Benrahma, who was lively throughout.

His penalty continued his 100 per cent record from the spot in English league football, with that his third from three for West Ham having also converted 4/4 at Brentford.

Over the course of the 90 minutes, Benrahma had 10 shots, which is the joint-most on record (since the 2003-04 season) for a West Ham player in a single Premier League game.

He could not single-handedly inspire a turnaround, however.

Newcastle United 2-1 Wolves: Almiron comes up trumps yet again

Almiron has stepped up this season, becoming a key player for Newcastle and a regular source of goals.

A recent dip in form saw him dropped from the starting XI for the visit of Wolves on Sunday, but he responded well.

Eleven minutes after his second-half introduction, he found space in the right side of the box and saw a deflected effort beat Jose Sa following Joe Willock's well-timed pass.

That was his fourth winning goal of the season – the most among Newcastle players – and his 11th goal in total in the Premier League, which is four than his previous four campaigns combined.

Earlier, Hwang Hee-chan had equalised just 57 seconds after coming off the bench, making it the second-fastest substitute goal of the season.

But the day belonged to Almiron as Newcastle ended a five-match winless streak.

Gabriel Jesus has given Mikel Arteta "a great problem" after the Arsenal forward returned from injury with a cameo appearance in Sunday's 3-0 victory at Fulham.

Manager Arteta saw Jesus impress in the opening months of the season as the Gunners began their title challenge, but they have learned to cope without him since the former Manchester City man suffered a knee injury on Brazil duty at the World Cup.

There is still no mistaking Jesus has a role to play in the Premier League run-in, but Arteta, while delighted to have the £45million man back, said the 25-year-old "needs to earn his place".

Arteta brought on Jesus as a 77th-minute substitute at Craven Cottage, in place of Leandro Trossard, whose three first-half assists paved the way for the London derby victory.

"We didn't know whether it was the right game for him today," Arteta said. "A few days ago, he told me he was missing something, and then yesterday he looked me in the eyes and told me he was ready.

"Today we had the opportunity to throw him in because it's that first step to give him the boost. He looked free and generated two big chances straight away, and it's great to have him back.

"Now he needs to earn his place like anyone else in the team. We have alternatives that can play in different positions, and we have different roles to fill in relation to the chemistry of the players and what we ask them to do. It's a great problem to have, believe me.

"I was so happy. He put a lot in the last few months, and all the staff spent so many hours together to try to fulfil all his needs. He wanted more and more and more, and he was very willing to get back. Just to see him there with a smile on his face was just a joy."

Jesus shared that emotion, writing on Twitter that he was "so happy to be back".

Arteta praised his team's "love for defending" after the clean sheet and called it an "outstanding performance", with Arsenal reasserting their five-point advantage over Manchester City, with 11 rounds of games remaining.

Trossard, a January recruit from Brighton and Hove Albion, set up the goals for Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard.

Arteta commended the Belgian winger, saying: "When we talk about composure and finding the right pass, and looking to the right player in the box, it's very blurry and some other players make rash decisions, and he created three goals.

"He could have scored two – I think he was really impressive. His contribution was superb."

Victory took Arteta to 100 wins as manager of Arsenal, and the former club captain said: "Hopefully there will be many more."

Thomas Muller will be left out of Hansi Flick's upcoming Germany squad, but the head coach has not "shut the door" on the Bayern Munich forward.

Muller is fourth on his nation's all-time caps list (121) behind only Lothar Matthaus (150), Miroslav Klose (137) and Lukas Podolski (130), while his tally of 44 goals puts him seventh.

A World Cup winner in 2014, the 33-year-old said he would contemplate his international future following Germany's group-stage exit from the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

Muller has been directly involved in 11 goals for Bayern this season (scored four, assisted seven), with only Jamal Musiala (eight) registering more assists for the Bundesliga leaders.

However, Flick revealed the forward will play no part in the friendlies against Belgium and Peru later this month, though the head coach has left the door open for a potential return with Germany hosting next year's European Championship.

"I discussed with Thomas that he will not be called up to the games in March and June," Flick told Suddeutsche Zeitung.

"I want to give younger players a chance with the national team. But that doesn't mean that his Germany career is over or that he won't play a role at the Euros.

"He sees things the way I do. As a national team player, you don't retire. You either get a call-up or you don't, and he's now on hold until the summer.

"Why would I shut the door on a player like that forever? Look at his current importance for Bayern. He's totally important again, and I'm very happy for him."

Flick also insists there are no guarantees that Manuel Neuer will remain his first-choice goalkeeper upon his return from injury, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen or Kevin Trapp likely to be handed opportunities in the friendlies.

The Bayern captain, and Germany's most-capped goalkeeper with 117 appearances, is out for the season having broken his leg during a skiing trip shortly after the World Cup.

"The performance concept is in the foreground," Flick added. "There's nothing set in stone — Manu knows that.

"I am convinced that he will reach his performance limit when he becomes 100 per cent fit again."

Erik ten Hag bemoaned a lack of consistency in refereeing decisions after he was left frustrated by the performance of Anthony Taylor in Manchester United's draw with Southampton on Sunday.

United could only scrape a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford after Casemiro was shown a straight red card in the first half – the Brazilian given his marching orders for a tough challenge on Carlos Alcaraz.

Taylor initially showed Casemiro a yellow card, but it was upgraded to a red following a VAR review, leaving the United midfielder clearly despondent after replays showed he won the ball before catching Alcaraz.

It means Casemiro is the first United player to receive two red cards in a single Premier League season since Nemanja Vidic in 2013-14, and he will serve a ban of four matches rather than three due to it being his second dismissal.

The tackle was not too dissimilar to an incident on Saturday when Ricardo Pereira caught Joao Felix with his studs and escaped punishment entirely, and this is the crux of Ten Hag's frustration, having also seen a couple of penalty appeals fall on deaf ears.  

"What I think is the inconsistency; players don't know anymore what is the policy, and I think it's all across [every competition]," Ten Hag told reporters.

"We see it with the Premier League yesterday: Leicester-Chelsea, the VAR is not coming online. Today, it's coming online.

"And then it's two penalty situations, but they don't come online. Especially the first one, it was clear and obvious handball, so what is the policy?"

Ten Hag was asked if he sought that clarification from Taylor afterwards, though he was seemingly dissatisfied with the outcome.

"Of course, we talk but not a lot, so some questions we [still] have," he continued.

"There's another one: inconsistent. The referee is coming in the start of the season with a policy; we are [in the] Premier League, it's coming strong here, we want intensity [in the play]."

Ten Hag also feels the slow-motion and freeze-frame nature of VAR reviews does not help because he believes it makes everything look worse than in reality.

"Everyone who knows something about football, and of course, when you freeze it, it looks bad," Ten Hag said. "But everyone who knows something about football, who was acting on top football, they know what is bad, what isn't bad and what is fair.

"And I tell you: Casemiro is a really fair player. Tough but fair.

"Casemiro is across European games, over 500 games he never had a [straight] red card. Now he has two.

"Think about that. He plays tough, but he plays fair. And also in this, he's playing fair, same as against Crystal Palace, so it's very debatable.

"And if they isolate one [incident] – it's a little bit the same as against Crystal Palace, definitely.

"When you saw that incident, you should have sent off three or four players and not only one [Casemiro], if you're really consistent."