Oscar Bobb’s brilliant finish clinched Manchester City a crucial win at Newcastle on Saturday and was the 20-year-old’s first Premier League goal.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at 10 other memorable first Premier League goals.
Alan Shearer (Blackburn) – 1992
Shearer is the Premier League’s all-time leading scorer with 260 goals and his first, scored on the opening weekend of the new era, was a typical block-buster, lashed into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area in Blackburn’s 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace.
Paulo Wanchope (Derby) – 1997
Nine days after Derby had signed Wanchope, the little-known Costa Rican announced himself on his debut in style, collecting the ball deep in his own half and galloping past four Manchester United defenders before side-footing a low finish into the bottom corner in a 3-2 win at Old Trafford.
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) – 1999
Gerrard did not score his first Liverpool goal until his 25th appearance, but it was worth the wait. He burst to the edge of the penalty area after receiving a pass 50 yards from goal and brilliantly stepped round two defenders before firing into the bottom corner in a 4-1 home win against Sheffield Wednesday.
Wayne Rooney (Everton) – 2002
Rooney became the Premier League’s youngest-ever goalscorer at the time, five days before his 17th birthday, when stepping off the bench to halt Arsenal’s 30-game unbeaten run with a stunning last-minute 25-yard strike in Everton’s 2-1 home win.
James Milner (Leeds) – 2002
Less than two months later, Milner replaced Rooney as the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer. Aged 16 years and 356 days, the Leeds substitute evaded two tacklers on the edge of the box and unleashed a brilliant finish inside the far post to seal his hometown club a 2-0 win against Chelsea.
Neil Mellor (Liverpool) – 2004
In his second Premier League start, Mellor lashed home a dipping 30-yard volley with virtually the last kick of the game in front of the Anfield Kop to snatch a 2-1 victory for Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool against defending champions Arsenal.
James Vaughan (Everton) – 2005
Vaughan’s predatory strike from Kevin Kilbane’s cross sealed a dream debut for Everton in a 4-0 home win against Crystal Palace and made him the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer at the age of 16 years, eight months and 27 days.
Danny Welbeck (Man Utd) – 2008
Welbeck marked his Premier League debut for Manchester United, 11 days shy of his 18th birthday, by rifling home a curling 30-yard shot into the top corner after replacing Park Ji-sung in the second half of a 5-0 win against Stoke at Old Trafford.
Danny Rose (Tottenham) – 2010
The then teenage left-back enjoyed an unforgettable Premier League debut for Tottenham after scoring a wonder goal in a 2-1 win against derby rivals Arsenal at White Hart Lane, crashing home a swerving 30-yard volley after Gunners goalkeeper Manuel Almunia had punched clear a corner.
Anthony Martial (Man Utd) – 2015
Ten days after signing from Monaco for £36million to become the world’s most expensive teenager, Martial scored a stunning solo effort on his debut in a 3-1 win against Liverpool, cutting inside from the left wing and beating three defenders before finishing with aplomb into the bottom corner.
Tunisia head coach Jalel Kadri has warned his players the opening matches of the Africa Cup of Nations have already shown they can take nothing for granted in the tournament.
Tunisia are strong favourites for their Group E opener against Namibia, but Kadri pointed to Ghana’s shock defeat to Cape Verde and Mozambique’s draw against Egypt on Sunday when saying that upsets are always possible.
“Namibia is a serious opponent, and we don’t have any easy team,” Kadri said. “The results in the opening rounds have shown that there is no small team in Africa as we saw, so we need to show them respect and play to our best ability. The opening matches have shown that.”
While Tunisia are taking part in their 21st edition of the tournament, Namibia have qualified for only the fourth time in their history. On each of their previous appearances they finished bottom of their group, and they have lost seven of their nine matches.
Tunisia cruised through qualifying, conceding only one goal in six games, but have reason to be wary having failed to win any of their last four opening fixtures at the Africa Cup of Nations.
The goal for the 2004 winners is to improve on last time out, when they reached the quarter-finals, but Kadri must prove wrong a number of doubters back home, and will be without the retired Wahbi Khazri and young midfielder Hannibal Mejbri, who has made himself unavailable to sort out his club future.
“We will try to go as far as possible,” he said. “We have teams that are good quality so we will try to win each match and go as far as possible. We must be respectful to all opponents.
“There are Africa’s best teams that are present, so ours is to do our best in every match and take it game by game.”
Motherwell midfielder Callum Slattery has been ruled out for the season after suffering a serious knee injury in training.
Slattery has been a regular feature in Motherwell’s midfield and joins Lennon Miller on the sidelines.
“First off, I want to wish Callum the very best in his recovery,” manager Stuart Kettlewell said on the club’s website.
“Losing him is a massive blow for the team and the nature (of how) he has picked up this injury only makes the situation worse for the player.
“We’ve not had our problems to seek with regards to injuries this season and this is another hurdle we have to deal with.”
Former Southampton player Slattery’s three-year contract expires in the summer. The 24-year-old has made 93 appearances for Motherwell.
Kettlewell said: “Callum will now begin his recovery and the staff here will look after him every step of the way and I have no doubts, with the Callum’s attitude and strong mentality, he will come back stronger and ready to go.”
Manchester City snatched a last-gasp win over Newcastle on Saturday as they look to kick-start their traditional title charge in the second half of the Premier League season.
Pep Guardiola’s side have won five of the last six titles and here, the PA news agency looks at their formidable record in the run-in.
Strong in the home stretch
City have won at least 14 of their final 19 games in each of the last six seasons, with a minimum of 45 points in that stretch (2.37 per game) in their five title-winning campaigns and 43 in 2019-20 when they finished second to Liverpool.
That includes the Premier League’s only 100-point tally in 2017-18 and the memorable battle the following season in which Liverpool set another record by finishing second with 97 points.
That season required City’s best run-in of all, winning 18 of their last 19 games and the last 14 in succession to stay a point ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s side, who themselves finished with nine straight wins.
City won 14 of their last 19 games in 2019-20 but lost four – to Tottenham, Manchester United, Chelsea and Southampton – as they finished 18 points behind the Reds, who had built up a dominant lead by winning 18 and drawing one before the halfway point.
Guardiola’s side have won 15, 14 and 15 of their 19 games in the second half of the three seasons since, winning the title on each occasion. That includes another one-point winning margin in 2021-22, when Liverpool won 16 and drew three in the run-in.
In the six completed seasons going back to 2017-18, City won 90 out of 114 games in the second half of the campaign to earn 280 points. Oscar Bobb’s late goal at St James’ Park on Saturday provided just the start required for another strong finish to the campaign this year.
Liverpool rank second with 254 points in the equivalent games, with Manchester United the only other team over 200 at a distant 208. City do also have 267 points in the first halves of those seasons, 18 more than Liverpool with the established ‘big six’ all above 200.
Let battle recommence
Liverpool are again the main rivals for this season’s title, currently top of the league and two points ahead of City having lost only one game.
Aston Villa are alongside City on 43 points but have played a game more and won only one of their last four, with Arsenal slipping three points further back in fourth after a run of one win in five. Spurs also have 40 points but, like Villa, have played 21 games.
With City and Liverpool’s goal difference also level on plus-25, the stage is set for another memorable fight over the second half of the season.
City’s experience and winning record in those battles will aid their bid, as is the keenly awaited return of Erling Haaland – still joint-top of the Golden Boot standings with 14 goals despite missing the last five games.
He is alongside Mohamed Salah, who was ever-present for Liverpool’s first 20 games but now faces his own absence of potentially up to four matches while away with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations. Salah also leads the league in assists, alongside Villa’s Ollie Watkins, with eight.
Former Chelsea forward Timo Werner believes he can make a big impact under Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham without being “the main man” scoring goals.
Much was expected of the Germany international when he completed a £53million switch to Stamford Bridge in 2020 after scoring goals aplenty at RB Leipzig.
But the pacy forward failed to transfer his German scoring feats into the Premier League and returned to his former club for just £25m after two seasons in west London.
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The 27-year-old is back in English football after joining Spurs on loan – with Son Heung-min at the Asian Cup – and provided an assist on his debut in Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Manchester United.
“We wanted to win the three points, that’s the only not-so-good thing but we did a very good game,” Werner, whose six-month loan includes an option to make the deal permanent, said.
“It’s not easy to win at Old Trafford and yeah I’m very pleased with my game.
“I enjoyed it out there and with the assist, it was a very good debut for Spurs.”
Asked whether supporters saw the best of him at Chelsea, the Germany international said: “That’s hard to say. There was always criticism of my game there.
“At the beginning I also started like I did here, from the left side.
“I think a lot of people wanted to see me scoring more goals, but at Spurs, with the tactics we have and the way the manager wants me to play, I can bring a lot to the group, also with my assists and maybe (by) not being the main man who scores the goals.
“To make deep runs to create space for the others and like today, to create an assist.”
Werner’s work on the left allowed Rodrigo Bentancur to make it 2-2 at Old Trafford, where Spurs twice came from behind and should perhaps have left with more than a point.
It was a promising debut from a player that scored 23 goals in 89 appearances for Chelsea and helped win the Champions League in 2021.
“Maybe sometimes it’s not about the fans or the manager,” Werner said when asked if criticism of his time at Stamford Bridge was unfair.
“Sometimes it’s about you, how you are getting things together, how you look at your stats and think, ‘I wanted to score more goals’.
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“I think now I’m a bit older, I see how important assists and deep runs are for the team.
“I also want to score goals but it’s not the main part of my game anymore. I can bring so much more especially in this kind of tactic for the group.”
Richarlison and Bentancur were the goalscorers for Postecoglou’s side on Sunday, cancelling out goals from Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford.
Hojlund’s thumping opener got United off to a dream start inside three minutes, but Erik ten Hag’s side lost their way in what will be their only Premier League match this month.
“We were talking in the break about switching off, so it was a little bit annoying (to concede so quickly),” Hojlund said, referring to Bentancur’s strike within a minute of the second half getting under way.
“We need to take the positives with us, again we need to be disappointed, as two times we were ahead.
“It can happen but again I think we played a great game.”
What the papers say
Liverpool are reportedly ready to sell their 24-year-old goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher for £20million, the Mirror reports, with the club now looking towards Sunderland’s Anthony Patterson as their replacement. The 23-year-old goalkeeper has played 27 games for the Black Cats this season.
The Daily Echo says that Bournemouth’s 29-year-old midfielder Joe Rothwell will have a medical at Southampton before he completes a loan move to the club.
Bournemouth face a battle to keep their 26-year-old Wales defender Chris Mepham, the Sun reports, with Premier League strugglers Sheffield United interested.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Leny Yoro: Lille’s 18-year-old defender is the subject of interest from Liverpool, Real Madrid and Paris St Germain, according to AS.
Serhou Guirassy: West Ham will be joined by Manchester United, Newcastle and AC Milan in pursuing the 27-year-old Stuttgart striker, Football Insider says.
Garry Rodrigues scored a stoppage-time winner as Cape Verde beat Chris Hughton’s four-time winners Ghana 2-1 to go top of Group B in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Rodrigues took advantage of a mix-up in the Ghana defence to tap the ball into an empty net and give his side a deserved victory in Abidjan.
Jamiro Monteiro had put the islanders ahead in the 17th minute and Ghana had a goal ruled out by the VAR before Alexander Djiku got them back on level terms with a stooping header, 10 minutes into the second half.
Ghana goalkeeper Richard Ofori made two vital saves before substitute Rodrigues pounced at the death to secure all three points.
It was another disappointing result for the Black Stars, who last won the title in 1982 and failed to get out of the group stages in 2021.
Hughton’s side were without West Ham forward Mohammed Kudus due to injury but it was defensive lapses which proved costly and Monteiro was left with a simple tap-in to open the scoring after Ofori palmed a shot from Jovane Cabral straight into his path.
Ghana thought they had equalised in the 36th minute when Majeed Ashimeru rifled a superb long-range strike into the bottom corner, only for it to be ruled out following a lengthy VAR check.
Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo eventually decided that Ransford Konigsdorffer, who had unwittingly hit the post moments earlier when the ball was palmed onto his head by Vozinha, was blocking the view of the goalkeeper inside the area.
Djiku did equalise in the 56th minute as he headed home Jordan Ayew’s corner and the defender also produced a vital block at the other end from Bebe’s scuffed shot.
But just as the game looked set to fizzle out, Gilson Benchimol took advantage of a blunder from Mohammed Salisu to nip in front of Ofori and set up Rodrigues for the easiest of winners.
Garry Rodrigues scored a stoppage-time winner as Cape Verde beat Chris Hughton’s four-time winners Ghana 2-1 to go top of Group B in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Rodrigues took advantage of a mix-up in the Ghana defence to tap the ball into an empty net and give his side a deserved victory in Abidjan.
Jamiro Monteiro had put the islanders ahead in the 17th minute and Ghana had a goal ruled out by the VAR before Alexander Djiku got them back on level terms with a stooping header, 10 minutes into the second half.
Ghana goalkeeper Richard Ofori made two vital saves before substitute Rodrigues pounced at the death to secure all three points.
It was another disappointing result for the Black Stars, who last won the title in 1982 and failed to get out of the group stages in 2021.
Hughton’s side were without West Ham forward Mohammed Kudus due to injury but it was defensive lapses which proved costly and Monteiro was left with a simple tap-in to open the scoring after Ofori palmed a shot from Jovane Cabral straight into his path.
Ghana thought they had equalised in the 36th minute when Majeed Ashimeru rifled a superb long-range strike into the bottom corner, only for it to be ruled out following a lengthy VAR check.
Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo eventually decided that Ransford Konigsdorffer, who had unwittingly hit the post moments earlier when the ball was palmed onto his head by Vozinha, was blocking the view of the goalkeeper inside the area.
Djiku did equalise in the 56th minute as he headed home Jordan Ayew’s corner and the defender also produced a vital block at the other end from Bebe’s scuffed shot.
But just as the game looked set to fizzle out, Gilson Benchimol took advantage of a blunder from Mohammed Salisu to nip in front of Ofori and set up Rodrigues for the easiest of winners.
Kylian Mbappe helped Paris St Germain move eight points clear at the top of Ligue 1 following a 2-0 win at 10-man Lens.
Closest challengers Nice’s defeat at Rennes 24 hours earlier presented PSG with an opportunity to extend their advantage at the summit and the defending champions fully capitalised in northern France.
Mbappe teed up Bradley Barcola to open the scoring from an acute angle after half an hour before the provider turned goalscorer in the 89th minute with a low finish beyond Brice Samba following a PSG counter-attack.
Lens were left to rue Przemyslaw Frankowski having his early penalty saved while their efforts to get back into the contests were hampered when Jonathan Gradit was sent off just before half-time.
Ultimately, Mbappe’s 19th league goal of the season in just his 17th appearance wrapped up the points for PSG, who are unbeaten in all competitions since November 7.
PSG took amateurs Revel to task in the French Cup last weekend in a 9-0 rout but had not won at Lens’ Stade Bollaert-Delelis since 2014, losing twice during their last three visits and drawing the other.
They could have fallen behind after seven minutes as Danilo Pereira hauled down Elye Wahi in the box but Frankowski slammed his spot-kick straight at Gianluigi Donnarumma, who saved with his legs.
Donnarumma barely had to move as Frankowski went down the middle and PSG were given a major reprieve.
Donnarumma then saved well from Wahi’s effort before home defender Kevin Danso spurned a glorious chance when he directed a free header from a corner over the bar.
Lens’ failure to take their opportunities came back to haunt them as PSG broke the deadlock, with Mbappe putting through Barcola, who lofted over Samba from a narrow angle.
Matters worsened in first-half stoppage time for Lens as Barcola slalomed his way through the defence before being tripped up on the edge of the area by last man Gradit.
As Gradit had denied Barcola a goalscoring opportunity, an initial yellow card was upgraded to red and Lens would have to play the second half with a man down.
To their credit, the hosts refused to roll over and Neil El Aynaoui forced Donnarumma into action while the midfielder was then unable to get the ball under control when well-positioned to equalise.
Vitinha missed the target at the other end while Fabian Ruiz took one touch too many when he could have shot before attempting to feed through Mbappe and being impeded by Lens defenders.
Mbappe fizzed wide but started and finished a PSG break after Lens had left themselves short at the back in their efforts for a leveller.
PSG were presented with a three-on-three when Mbappe spread the ball to Ousmane Dembele on the right wing. Mbappe then exploited a yawning gap to collect a return ball and slot across Samba.
Pep Guardiola has backed match-winner Oscar Bobb to serve Manchester City for “many, many years” – if they can keep hold of him.
The 20-year-old came off the bench at Newcastle on Saturday evening to snatch a 3-2 victory which catapulted the reigning Premier League champions right back into the thick of this season’s title race.
Bobb’s imperious control and nimble-footed finish, prompted by the brilliance of fellow substitute Kevin De Bruyne, left Guardiola purring, but fully aware that another of his emerging talents could follow Cole Palmer, now plying his trade at Chelsea, out of the door at the Etihad Stadium if he cannot give him the football he craves.
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The City boss said: “We have another player for many, many years – if he decides to stay. Maybe he decides for now he is happy with those minutes.
“Cole Palmer was happy with those minutes, but after two or three years, they want more and it’s natural, it’s completely understandable. Maybe I don’t give them those minutes and they decide to go there.
“If he decides to stay, we have a player for many, many, many years.”
Bobb’s cameo at St James’ Park capped a thrilling night of football characterised by a display of increasingly bewildering finishing.
Bernardo Silva gave the visitors a 26th-minute lead when he nonchalantly flicked Kyle Walker’s cross past Martin Dubravka, but they were pegged back by Alexander Isak’s delicious strike 10 minutes before the break and found themselves behind two minutes later when Anthony Gordon repeated the dose.
City dominated the second half without finding a breakthrough until shortly after Guardiola sent on De Bruyne for his first league appearance since August with 21 minutes remaining, and it was he who levelled with a pinpoint 74th-minute effort.
The game appeared destined to finish all square until a minute into stoppage time when Bobb collected De Bruyne’s pass with the deftest of touches, side-stepped Kieran Trippier and stabbed the ball past Dubravka to win it with his first league goal.
Guardiola decided to take Bobb on the club’s summer tour to Asia on the recommendation of director of football Txiki Begiristain and has been richly rewarded since.
He said: “Txiki at the end of the season, he said to me he that Oscar Bobb in the under-23s was the best player by far. Then I said, okay, go to Japan, start to train with us and immediately Oscar got something that is the most important thing, relying on his mates. It’s more important than relying on the manager.
“When the mates can say, ‘Okay, this player can play with us’, that is for the best success, and it was immediate.
“He can play in five positions – striker, right-winger, left, in pockets – he is so dynamic, the work ethic is unbelievable. He doesn’t feel much the pressure.
“An important part of the season is November, December, a lot of games. Important players were not there and Oscar helped us, and that is great, it’s really, really great.”
Mauricio Pochettino will give his players “time to breathe” after they recorded three Premier League wins in a row for the first time since October 2022.
Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Fulham at Stamford Bridge me22ans the team have taken 12 points from their last five league games, and are now within three points of the top six.
Chelsea do not play again until January 23 when they face Middlesbrough in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit to reach their first major final since 2021.
Pochettino will take the opportunity to allow his side time off rather than following the example of other top-flight clubs, many of whom have opted to use the league’s winter break to embark on warm-weather training camps.
“We need to give some rest to the players and staff,” he said. “It’s been a really busy period now, they need to breathe a little bit. This break is well deserved.
“Then we are going to prepare. We’ll have seven days to prepare the second leg of Middlesbrough, and then we are going to play Tuesday, Friday the FA Cup again Aston Villa, then Wednesday against Liverpool in the Premier League. Three different competitions.
“I think they need a few days off. They deserve it. Then after, to attack the second half of the season. They need to have some break.”
Pochettino has hinted that the club could enter the transfer market in January in search of a striker with Christopher Nkunku still unavailable with a hip injury.
The manager admitted to being concerned by the nature of the France international’s problem, which has become “complicated”, particularly with striker Nicolas Jackson likely to be away for the rest of the month at least at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Meanwhile Armando Broja is still looking to find form having only returned in September from nine months out with an ACL injury.
It took a penalty from Cole Palmer in added time at the end of the first half for Chelsea to get the goal that saw them past Fulham, and on the whole it was another frustrating attacking display for home fans to endure.
Whilst the transfer window remains open, Pochettino said he is unlikely to be able to switch off from work.
“You need to be always available 24 hours,” he said. “If something happens I need to be in contact with the sporting director and owners. Because always something can appear.”
AC Milan beat Roma 3-1 at San Siro to secure a third successive Serie A victory.
Milan went ahead through Yacine Adli’s low strike before Olivier Giroud doubled their lead with a header in the second half.
Roma threatened a comeback when Leandro Paredes pulled one back from the penalty spot but Theo Hernandez’s powerful effort made the game safe in the 84th minute.
Victory sees Milan remain third in the Serie A table, four points off second-placed Juventus, while Roma drop into ninth.
Although Roma started brightly, it was the hosts who took the lead 11 minutes in when Tijjani Reijnders flicked the ball to Adli on the edge of the box and the midfielder switched it onto his left foot to fire low into the bottom corner.
Milan took control of the game following their opener and dominated possession, but their next real shot did not come until the 28th minute when a quick run from Christian Pulisic was followed by an effort which was held by Mile Svilar.
They tested the visiting defence again minutes later when Hernandez burst down the left flank and his attempted cross rolled off the crossbar and behind.
Roma then had a chance on the half-hour mark as Bryan Cristante tapped the ball through to Mehmet Zeki Celik, who fired the ball towards the far post, forcing Mike Maignan into a fingertip save to turn the ball behind.
A brilliant cross from Rafael Leao on the left picked out Pulisic, who headed just wide, before Maignan made a good low save from Leonardo Spinazzola’s effort.
Milan started the second-half well and they had a great chance from Hernandez’s free-kick, but Matteo Gabbia’s header flew well wide.
They eventually doubled their lead in the 56th minute when a cross floated into Simon Kjaer on the right and he headed across into the six-yard box, where Giroud was lurking at the back post to nod home for his 10th league goal this season.
Milan had another chance when a curling low crossfield pass from Leao found Pulisic on the right but the American sliced his shot wide and Davide Calabria had a crack from distance fly past the post.
Roma were awarded a penalty when Lorenzo Pellegrini was fouled in the box and Paredes smashed the ball from the spot to pull one back in the 69th minute.
After their goal, the visitors began to get a grip on the game and continued to push moments later when Giroud headed away Pellegrini’s free-kick before the Roma midfielder had a powerful effort saved by Maignan.
However, Milan wrapped up victory in the 84th minute when a brilliant backheel from Giroud found Hernandez who hammered the ball over Svilar and into the roof of the net.
They nearly had another in the closing stages when Yunus Musah went on a curling crossfield run and hit the post.
Vinicius Junior’s first-half treble helped Real Madrid storm to Spanish Super Cup glory following a comprehensive 4-1 victory over 10-man Barcelona in the Riyadh final.
The Brazilian twice exploited Barcelona’s lackadaisical high line to put Real 2-0 up within the first 10 minutes before Robert Lewandowski halved the deficit just after the half hour mark.
But Vinicius completed his hat-trick from the spot in the 39th minute, having been hauled down in the area by Ronald Araujo, before Rodrygo completed a one-sided win after the interval.
To compound a miserable evening in the Saudi capital for Barcelona, Araujo was dismissed in the 71st minute for another foul on Vinicius.
Real, who trailed 3-2 with just five minutes remaining against Atletico Madrid in the semi-final on Wednesday before triumphing 5-3 after extra-time, continued their recent dominance over their rivals.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side prevailed in October’s El Clasico meeting and are seven points ahead of Barcelona at the halfway point of the LaLiga campaign.
This latest encounter marked a chance for Barcelona to land a blow of their own but Xavi’s decision to employ a risky high defensive line backfired spectacularly as Real hit the front after seven minutes.
Jude Bellingham – who at the final whistle celebrated winning his first trophy with Real – split the defence with a sublime pass that allowed Vinicius to round Inaki Pena and slot into an empty net.
Real and Vinicius capitalised again on plenty of space being left in behind as the 23-year-old slid in to convert Rodrygo’s cross.
Barcelona responded well to the double blow as Ferran Torres’ snapshot cannoned against the bar before both he and Lewandowski forced Andriy Lunin into important saves to keep Real two ahead.
Lewandowski’s thunderous volley from the edge of the area after 33 minutes dragged Barcelona back into the contest but the Catalans were the architects of their own downfall moments later.
Araujo paid the price for having his arm around the neck of Vinicius, who went down which saw a penalty awarded and the Barcelona defender booked.
Vinicius made no mistake from 12 yards to re-establish Real’s two-goal lead at half-time.
Xavi made a triple substitution as Joao Felix, Fermin Lopez and Lamine Yamal were introduced just after the hour mark but it did not have the required impact as Real went further ahead in the 64th minute.
Vinicius was involved again as his poor cross was tamely cut out by Jules Kounde straight into the path of Rodrygo, who drilled beyond Pena from inside the area.
Matters worsened for Barcelona as Araujo missed an attempted clearance and instead brought down Vinicius, with the Uruguayan having to trudge off the pitch for a second bookable offence.
Ancelotti was able to withdraw Vinicius and Bellingham in the closing stages with the job done and attention fast turning to Wednesday’s Copa del Rey showdown against Atletico.
Palestine suffered a 4-1 defeat to Iran in their opening game at the Asian Cup on Sunday, with a moment of silence observed before the match to commemorate the victims of the Israel-Hamas war.
As the war reached the 100-day mark, both teams lined up in the centre of the Education City Stadium pitch as an announcement asked for silence "in memory of the lives tragically lost as a result of the ongoing conflict in Palestine".
A hush fell across the stadium in the city of Al-Rayyan before shouts of "free Palestine" were heard from members of the crowd.
Once the game began, three-time champions Iran never looked back after Karim Ansarifard struck within two minutes, with Shoja Khalilzadeh adding a second goal 10 minutes later.
Mehdi Ghayedi made it 3-0 with 38 minutes on the clock, but the loudest cheers came when Palestine's Tamer Seyam pulled a goal back in first-half stoppage time.
Sardar Azmoun scored a fourth for Iran 10 minutes after the break as Amir Ghalenoei's team made a winning start to their Group C campaign.
Elsewhere, Takumi Minamino scored twice as Japan came from behind to beat Vietnam 4-2 in Group D.
The tournament favourites trailed 2-1 in the first half despite Monaco attacker Minamino opening the scoring after 11 minutes.
Nguyen Dinh Bac levelled things up at Al Thumama Stadium five minutes later and Vietnam, ranked 94th in the world by FIFA, went ahead through Pham Tuan Hai's goal in the 33rd minute.
Record four-time Asian Cup winners Japan, who have been heavily tipped to reclaim the trophy they last won in 2011, recovered from that setback as former Liverpool forward Minamino equalised in the 45th minute.
Keito Nakamura then made it 3-2 in first-half stoppage time and substitute Ayase Ueda made the points safe five minutes from full-time.
Finally, Hong Kong's Philip Chan Siu Kwan scored the 1,000th goal in the history of the Asian Cup, but his team still fell to a 3-1 defeat against the United Arab Emirates.
Chan briefly levelled the Group C match four minutes into the second half after Sultan Adil had given UAE the lead from the penalty spot 11 minutes before the break. However, it took just three further minutes for UAE to regain their advantage through Zayed Sultan.
Substitute Yahya Al Ghassani then struck deep into stoppage time to clinch victory against the lowest ranked team at the tournament, with Hong Kong sitting 150th in the FIFA World Rankings.
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag wants to see Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford kick on after both strikers scored in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham at Old Trafford.
As Sir Jim Ratcliffe attended his first game since agreeing a partial takeover of the club, United were twice pegged back by goals from Richarlison and Rodrigo Bentancur in a frustrating afternoon for Ten Hag, with Scott McTominay missing a glorious chance to win it late on.
But there was encouragement in seeing summer signing Hojlund make it two goals in as many Premier League matches after a long wait to break his league duck, and then for Rashford to score only his fourth of the campaign.
“I hope they keep going, there is progress,” Ten Hag said. “They are coming up with some routines and that is what you need, especially in the front line where a quick decision has to be made and in a split second you need the right decision so you need intuition.”
This was only the sixth game in 24 domestic fixtures in which at least one of United’s forwards has found the net.
“When your forwards are not scoring it is going through the whole team,” he said. “It makes everyone insecure, starting with the front players when they are not scoring. (Alejandro) Garnacho, Hojlund, and Rashford must be a threat.”
Ten Hag claimed United should have had a penalty when Garnacho tumbled in the box but although Destiny Udogie had hold of the forward, there appeared to be little in the incident.
“Yes,” Ten Hag said when asked if it should have been a spot-kick. “But what can you do? But I am used to it, all season that is the case.
“(Away at) Spurs was similar, a clear handball from (Cristian) Romero and I can list more. In some point in the season I think it will turn to our side. Let’s hope for that.”
While Ten Hag was delighted by two “great goals” for his side, he called Tottenham’s equalisers “soft”, with Richarlison heading in from a corner and Bentancur allowed to stride through the United box as Tottenham caught them cold at the start of the second half.
“The equaliser is no good but I have seen some good spells,” he said. “Two goals and we created other chances. We played well and that pleased me most but you are still disappointed when you get this result.”
Spurs counterpart Ange Postecoglou was proud of his side having travelled north without several players through injury and illness.
Tottenham bossed possession and had 16 attempts at goal to United’s nine, but allowed the hosts to score with their only two shots on target.
“I thought it was an outstanding performance, considering the team out there today,” said Postecoglou, whose team remain fifth in the Premier League, eight points above seventh-placed United .
“It’s a difficult place to come and play. A win today would give United some kind of momentum.
“Every time these players have to deal with adversity, they do it. It was an outstanding performance, I thought they were unlucky not to win.”
Romero and Bentancur returned ahead of schedule while Micky van de Ven played almost the entire match before suffering with cramp in his first appearance since early November.
And Postecoglou said their desire to play and help a short-handed team even when not fully fit spoke of the spirit in the Tottenham camp.
“We are not (where we are) because everything is running our way,” he said. “Anyone doing an objective commentary on our season would say we have not had it easy. These guys are giving me everything. They just give everything.
“It is not always smooth but there is no manager on this planet who wouldn’t feel they are not in the right place when they put in this effort.”
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