Sam Lammers, Danilo, Abdallah Sima and Kieran Dowell all scored their first competitive goals for Rangers as the Light Blues came on strong to beat Livingston 4-0 in the cinch Premiership at Ibrox.

Attacking midfielder Lammers hammered in the opener after 10 minutes as the hosts dominated but it was late in the second half before Michael Beale’s new-look side secured the points.

Brazilian attacker Danilo headed in a second in the 78th minute before Sima pounced from close range six minutes later with fellow second-half substitute Dowell thrashing in a fourth in the final minute of normal time.

The Govan outfit lost their league opener at Kilmarnock last week before beating Servette 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier at Ibrox on Wednesday night.

Boss Beale – who has signed nine new players this summer with the promise of more to come – will see this as a building block for his side but more will be required going forward, starting with the return game against Servette on Tuesday night.

As Beale revealed on Friday, Jose Cifuentes, the 24-year-old Ecuador international midfielder signed last week from Los Angeles FC, made his starting debut. Centre-back Leon Balogun was back in again for the first time since returning to the club for a second spell, with Ryan Jack and Connor Goldson rested.

It was a patient start by the home side and the opener came when influential midfielder Todd Cantwell’s shot from inside the box was blocked by the foot of Livi keeper Shamal George but Lammers slammed in the rebound from 16 yards.

The goal forced Livi to come out their shell a little although a mix-up in defence allowed John Souttar a shot at goal only for the Gers defender to balloon the ball high over the bar, before George dived full length to tip a Cifuentes drive past the post.

When captain James Tavernier’s delivery came over, Cifuentes volleyed into the net at the second attempt but after a VAR check, referee Don Robertson awarded a free-kick to Livingston for an initial hand ball by the midfielder.

The tempo dropped towards the end of the first half which finished with Light Blues forward Cyriel Dessers heading a Tavernier cross over the bar.

Lammers headed a Borna Barisic cross just wide of the target at the start of the second period and missed the target again from a Dessers cut-back, after George had made a fine save from a Danilo drive.

In a rare Livingston attack, Gers keeper Jack Butland was tested twice in a minutes by Andrew Shinnie, twice making good saves before Livi defender Ayo Obileye threw himself to block a Dessers drive from 14 yards after he had been set up by Danilo, the corner coming to nothing.

In a 68th minute counter-attack, Danilo flicked a Cifuentes cross over the bar from two yards out which cranked up frustration levels, however all was soon well in Govan.

Rabbi Matondo and Sima came on for Lammers and Dessers and in the 77th minute Sima drove a shot from point-blank range against George but the second goal was on its way, coming when Barisic’s deep cross found Danilo at the back post and he rose to head past the Livi keeper for his first Gers goal and alleviate the building pressure.

Dujon Sterling came on among more substitutions to make his Rangers debut before Danilo hit the post from close range.

Sima then opened his account in a Light Blue jersey and there was time for Dowell, on for Cantwell, to fire in off the crossbar for number four to make his mark at Ibrox.

Adam Armstrong’s 97th-minute penalty saved Russell Martin’s St Mary’s curtain-raiser as Southampton drew a topsy-turvy 4-4 clash with Norwich.

Josh Sargent gave the Canaries an early lead before Saints hit back to claim the lead through Jan Bednarek and Armstrong’s first spot-kick.

But Norwich returned their advantage by half-time thanks to Gabriel Sara’s thunderbolt and Jon Rowe’s header.

Che Adams got Saints back level before Christian Fassnacht thought he had won it six minutes from time with his first Norwich goal, only for Armstrong’s last-gasp penalty.

Former Norwich player Martin was taking charge of Southampton at St Mary’s for the first time and aiming to become the first Saints manager since Glenn Hoddle in 2000 to win their first two league matches.

After an early sighter from Rowe, Sargent gave Martin a rude awakening to life on the south coast as the Canaries striker finished off a swift attack in the seventh minute.

Ashley Barnes had brilliantly held up the ball before releasing Jack Stacey to stand up a cross at the back post for Sargent to open his account for the season.

What came next was a frantic 344 seconds which saw the game see-saw with three goals.

It started with a recycled corner whipped back into the box by Kyle Walker-Peters, new club captain Jack Stephens’ header was saved but centre back Bednarek was on hand to smash in his first goal since April 2022 with the rebound.

Three minutes later, in the 20th minute, Will Smallbone’s cross was handled by Shane Duffy. Armstrong stepped up and converted for his second goal of the season.

But the Canaries went straight back up the other end, where Brazilian Sara controlled the ball around Smallbone before rifling into the top corner with his left foot.

Shane Duffy hit the side netting, Armstrong had a header cleared off the line and Stephens bravely blocked from Kenny McLean to continue the exhilarating first half.

Rowe managed to find a free header from a Sara corner in stoppage time to loop Norwich back into the lead.

There was little let up in the second half as Adams came off the bench for a second week in a row to find the back of the net.

The former Birmingham attacker thumped a low shot across the face of goal and into the bottom corner.

Both sides had good chances to win the game but for heroic defending and keeping. Carlos Alcaraz had one shot saved and another grazed the crossbar.

Norwich sub Fassnacht was crowded out on the counter, before Angus Gunn produced a stunning save to keep out Armstrong’s acrobatic effort.

But the Canaries took the lead for a third time with six minutes to go as Ryan Manning made a hash of clearing Dimitris Giannoulis’ cross to give Fassnacht a simple finish.

But Giannoulis’ nudge on Walker-Peters gave Armstrong his second penalty of the game. Alcaraz even had time to curl a 98th-minute effort just wide to conclude a thrilling fixture.

Ozan Tufan’s hat-trick inspired Hull to a 4-2 comeback victory against Sheffield Wednesday, who remain pointless in the Sky Bet Championship.

The newly-promoted Owls looked in good shape when Juan Delgado struck after 26 minutes.

But the Tigers dominated for long spells of this Yorkshire derby and equalised in first-half injury-time through Tufan’s well-taken penalty.

Hull also showed the greater endeavour after the restart and scored a second goal their efforts warranted when Tufan let fly with a beauty.

The Turkey international added a third when he scored in similar fashion from just inside the penalty box after 70 minutes.

Substitute Aaron Connolly then added gloss to the scoreline when he capitalised upon a terrible defensive mix-up late in the game.

Michael Smith scored a consolation for Wednesday in stoppage time, but it failed to mask the visitors’ clear deficiencies following their promotion from League One.

In keeping with most of the match, Liam Rosenior’s team controlled possession during a tactical first half.

Indeed, Barry Bannon nearly gifted the hosts an opening goal after nine minutes when he uncharacteristically lost possession to Regan Slater in a central area.

Slater charged into the penalty area, but the Wednesday captain made amends with a fine sliding challenge as the Hull midfielder was about to shoot.

The visitors might have lacked enterprise, but, as the first half wore on, Xisco Munoz’s men grew in stature – especially on the break.

And after having sensed a weakness on Hull’s left, Wednesday pounced when Dominic Iorfa flighted a neat, low cross towards the near post.

Delgado reacted quickly with a sharp effort that took a significant deflection.

Hull responded purposefully and might have equalised when defender Bambo Diaby deflected Liam Delap’s flick on to the right post.

Yet parity was restored when Jason Lokilo easily defeated Callum Paterson on the left before crossing the ball towards the back post.

Jacob Greaves rose the highest but a poorly-positioned Lee Gregory elbowed the Hull defender in the head.

Referee Matt Donohue awarded a just penalty – with Greaves needing treatment for a bloodied right eye – and Tufan scored from the spot.

The game seemed to have passed him by until then, but Tufan was inspired thereafter.

He was admittedly given too much time on the ball after 58 minutes, but the strike with his right foot was perfect.

The visiting fans must have expected a response, but it did not arrive.

And they were further punished after 70 minutes when Tufan artfully threaded a low ball into the bottom-right corner of the net.

Tufan was unplayable at times, but Wednesday should offer no excuses for Hull’s fourth.

Michael Ihiekwe’s atrocious back-pass left goalkeeper Devis Vasquez stranded. Connolly could not miss.

Smith side-footed a second for the Owls, a mere consolation as they went home pointless.

Lukas Jutkiewicz smashed home a stoppage-time winner against Leeds as Birmingham celebrated the life of Trevor Francis and the start a new era in front of NFL great Tom Brady.

There has been precious little to cheer about since the Blues’ relegation from the top flight 12 years ago, but the recent takeover led by American businessman Tom Wagner has finally brought hope back to the club.

Brady went onto join as minority owner nine days ago and the former quarterback made his first trip to a rocking St Andrew’s on Saturday as Birmingham secured a 1-0 win.

Substitute Jutkiewicz fired home from the penalty spot at the death in a dramatic end to a drab encounter on an emotional day in the second city.

Birmingham paid a touching tribute to their greatest ever player before-kick-off, with Jasper Carrott leading the tributes to Francis following his death last month.

The comedian said Francis was “a hero, a role model and a symbol of a time when there was real hope in this stadium” – a feeling of hope he felt was now back at St Andrew’s.

The positive feeling around the club brought the biggest crowd since February 2020 but the occasion did not live up to the hype in a poor first half devoid of opportunities.

Both sides improved after the break and pushed hard for a late winner, which went Birmingham’s way after Daniel James brought down Ethan Laird in the box.

Illan Meslier got a foot on Jutkiewicz’s thumping penalty but could not stop it finding the back of the net as seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady celebrated a successful first visit.

The performance, as much as a result, will alarm Daniel Farke’s Leeds – who were without wantaway Willy Gnonto and fellow forward Luis Sinisterra at St Andrew’s.

Neither team did anything of note in a first half that appeared to be impacted by the emotional start to proceedings.

The fact there was only one minute of added time at the end of the opening period highlighted just how uneventful it had been.

The second half began in brighter fashion and City’s Keshi Anderson met a Siriki Dembele cutback with a shot that deflected narrowly wide.

Leeds responded with a James cross-shot that forced John Ruddy into action, before Georginio Rutter saw a fierce drive blocked by Krystian Bielik moments after coming on.

John Eustace’s hosts had a huge chance in the 80th minute but Kevin Long powered a free header from six yards just off target.

Bacuna saw a driven effort held before Birmingham hearts were in mouths as Sam Byram glanced an effort across the face of goal in front of the 2,213 away fans.

But City were pushing hardest for the win and were gifted a chance by James’ late error.

The former Manchester United flyer brought down Laird as he attempted to stop the lively right-back meeting a diagonal ball, with referee Tim Robinson pointing to the spot.

Newly-introduced Jutkiewicz leathered home the penalty and chants of “USA, USA, USA” filled the air as Birmingham saw out victory.

QPR spoiled Aaron Ramsey’s Cardiff homecoming with a 2-1 success in the Sky Bet Championship.

Sinclair Armstrong – with his first QPR goal – and Kenneth Paal were on target to puncture Cardiff’s early-season optimism generated by the return of Wales captain Ramsey.

Ike Ugbo gave Cardiff hope 12 minutes from time with his second goal in as many league games, but the Bluebirds were left to rue efforts from Ramsey and Mark McGuinness coming back off the crossbar.

Ramsey’s last appearance on this ground in Cardiff colours came in February 2011, when on loan from Arsenal as he recovered from serious injury.

There was huge excitement as Ramsey led out a Cardiff side managed at home in the league for the first time by Erol Bulut, the former Fenerbahce head coach.

But the day belonged to Armstrong, a 20-year-old Irish striker who not only opened his QPR account in the first half but unselfishly set up Paal after 65 minutes.

QPR slumped to a 4-0 defeat at Watford on the opening weekend and boss Gareth Ainsworth had acted quickly to bolster his defence.

Steve Cook arrived from Nottingham Forest on Wednesday and the veteran centre-half went straight into the middle of a three-man defence.

QPR started brightly but Cardiff carried a goal threat when getting into forward positions.

Cardiff’s best chance of the first period came after 19 minutes when McGuinness headed goalwards for the swivelling Ugbo to send his shot wide.

QPR were playing the more cohesive football and Cook met Paal’s free-kick at the far post to force a smart save from Jak Alnwick.

Ilias Chair was wayward before Paul Smyth picked Callum O’Dowda’s pocket and found the sliding Armstrong, who made no mistake from a few yards.

Cardiff went close to an equaliser in first-half stoppage-time but Asmir Begovic got down well to turn Ryan Wintle’s 20-yard effort around a post.

There was more purpose about Cardiff straight after the restart as Ramsey played in O’Dowda and Morgan Fox made a fine stretching clearance.

Callum Robinson replaced the injured Ebou Adams but Cardiff struggled to make headway against resolute opponents.

QPR were lucky to survive when Ramsey found space on the edge of the penalty area and his effort clattered against the crossbar.

Cardiff kept the move alive and Begovic was quick off his line to smother Karlan Grant’s attempt.

QPR made the most of their good fortune within moments after Ramsey gave away possession and Armstrong, having evaded Dimitrios Goutas, raced down the right.

Armstrong did not panic as he scanned for support and his inviting ball was dispatched by Paal.

Cardiff set up a grandstand finish as Ramsey delivered a delightful pass to O’Dowda at the far post.

O’Dowda did superbly to keep the ball in play and lift it over Begovic and Ugbo tapped home.

Cardiff struck the crossbar again through McGuinness but 10 minutes of stoppage time eventually ran out on the Bluebirds.

An entertaining goalless draw between Watford and Plymouth at Vicarage Road ultimately left both sides frustrated at a spurned opportunity to head the early Sky Bet Championship table.

While the visitors could at least take an unbeaten start to their first second-tier campaign in 14 seasons back with them to Devon, there was scant consolation for Watford who managed to hit the target with just three of their 20 goal attempts.

There was little wrong with the attacking ambition of Valerien Ismael’s side, yet for all their dominance, they were thwarted by both their own profligacy and defiant Plymouth defending.

Having taken the lead in their opening fixture against QPR after just 33 seconds, Watford went in search of an early goal again. With just over seven minutes gone, Matheus Martins clipped over a cross which fell invitingly for Vakoun Bayo to strike on the swivel. His volley missed the post by inches.

Imran Louza went even closer in the 12th minute with a curling left-footed shot, which struck the outside of the Argyle post.

In reply, Morgan Whittaker had a shot deflected wide. A sloppy clearance by Watford goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann then almost let in the visitors before Ryan Porteous timed his tackle brilliantly on Ryan Hardie.

Bachmann’s carelessness did not stop there as he dallied on the ball and was almost embarrassed by a Hardie block, falling on the ball just in time.

For all Watford’s dominance of possession, the visitors always looked menacing on the break with Hardie finding space and testing Bachmann low down as half-time approached.

Plymouth were entertaining travellers during last season’s League One title-winning campaign, a testimony to manager Steven Schumacher’s attacking principles which brought Argyle 11 wins away from Home Park.

That openness went largely unpunished in League One, but they were frequently caught out at Vicarage Road. Both Ryan Andrews and Ken Sema ought to have put Watford ahead with shots just before half-time.

An intricate Plymouth interchange after 53 minutes ended with Hardie slipping in Adam Randell, whose shot was blocked superbly by the onrushing Bachmann.

Watford manager Valerien Ismael’s immediate response was to make a quadruple substitution three minutes later.

The home side’s pressure intensified with Andrews forcing Conor Hazard into a save low down by his post.

As hard as they pressed for the opening goal, it took until the 83rd minute for Watford to fashion a clear chance, but when it fell to Bayo running straight at Plymouth keeper Hazard, the striker wastefully struck his low shot wide.

Derby recorded a first-ever victory at the Pirelli Stadium as they beat Burton 3-0 in Sky Bet League One.

James Collins, skipper Conor Hourihane and Conor Washington all netted as the Rams got their season up and running after last week’s 2-1 home defeat to Wigan.

Collins, a former Albion loan player, struck an early blow, heading home in the seventh minute to convert Hourihane’s free-kick from the right.

Burton almost found themselves two behind a couple of minutes later, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing denied at close quarters by a smart save from Jamal Blackman.

Burton went close in the first half through Sam Hughes, who was twice denied by Joe Wildsmith in the Derby goal, while the Rams stopper almost gifted Albion an equaliser by firing a clearance straight at striker Josh Gordon that rebounded over the bar.

Max Bird should have added a second but inexplicably failed to convert a low cross from Mendez-Laing with the goal at his mercy just before the hour mark.

Hourihane’s calm finish with 12 minutes remaining gave Derby the comfort of a two-goal advantage before substitute Washington added a third late on.

Everton paid the price for a string of missed chances as their goalscoring issues were exploited by Fulham in a 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park.

A new season brought new hope for recent relegation strugglers Everton but for all the improvements Sean Dyche has made over the summer, it appears he he has not yet solved their problems in front of goal.

Substitute Bobby De Cordova-Reid struck the only goal of the game to get Marco Silva’s side off to a winning start.

Everton, the Premier League’s lowest scorers last season, were again without striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Despite generating twice as many shots as the visitors, Dyche’s side were undone by one square pass across their six-yard area when Andreas Pereira beat Nathan Patterson to an Aleksandar Mitrovic’s through-ball for a 73rd-minute tap-in by Decordova-Reid.

It burst the bubble of optimism which had been generated by an energetic and relatively creative opening 73 minutes of the season and will have infuriated Dyche as much as it delighted former Toffees boss Silva.

Michael Keane’s first-half goal was disallowed as the centre-back turned the ball into an empty net and celebrated almost apologetically before referee Stuart Atwell, having initially not blown, ruled there had been an infringement in the collision between goalkeeper Bernd Leno and James Tarkowski.

Both teams started without their recognised first-choice strikers: Calvert-Lewin was omitted due to his lack of minutes in pre-season while Mitrovic was left on the bench after ongoing interest from Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal.

But it was the home team who suffered the most as they generated 19 shots to their opponents’ nine from just 41 per cent possession but failed to capitalise with Calvert-Lewin’s deputy Neal Maupay most culpable.

The £15million signing from Brighton last summer has a return of one goal in his 29 previous appearances but the reason for that conversion rate was evident after just 32 seconds when he clipped a shot wide of the far post with only goalkeeper Leno to beat after being put through by James Garner’s cushioned header.

It did not get any better for the Frenchman, whose heavy touch from Abdoulaye Doucoure’s square pass denied him another shooting opportunity before Leno blocked his close-range scuff from a Doucoure knockdown and then he fired straight at the German when played in by Amadou Onana.

Doucoure, playing just behind the striker, was not without fault either as he should have scored inside five minutes when clean through but shot straight at the goalkeeper when he could also have squared to Maupay.

Everton were fortunate the visitors were even more toothless in attack themselves, although Willian, 35, gave 21-year-old right-back Nathan Patterson, who made just 21 appearances in a debut season affected by injury, an uncomfortable 45 minutes before he was replaced by De Cordova-Reid at half-time.

But Willian was also lucky to escape with a booking for an over the top challenge on Garner.

By contrast, on the other side of the defence Ashley Young, Everton’s second-oldest debutant at the age of 38 years and 34 days, was coping easily with Harry Wilson – 12 years his junior.

The 57th-minute of introduction of Mitrovic and Pereira, seconds after debutant Raul Jimenez had struck the post with his last touch before being replaced, threatened a new element of danger for Everton.

However, it was the hosts who should have scored when Leno parried Alex Iwobi’s shot to Patterson who lashed his shot against the crossbar.

Loan signing Arnaut Danjuma assumed the central striking role from Maupay but, before he had even touched the ball, De Cordova-Reid had scored the goal which secured Fulham’s third successive win at Goodison Park.

The return of Calvert-Lewin and a debut for new signing Youssef Chermiti, the £15million Sporting Lisbon striker watching from the directors’ box, cannot come soon enough.

Joao Pedro and Simon Adingra claimed debut goals as Brighton set aside Moises Caicedo’s ongoing transfer saga to thrash Premier League debutants Luton 4-1.

Club record signing Pedro doubled Albion’s lead following Solly March’s first-half opener by converting a 71st-minute penalty after being brought down by Hatters captain Tom Lockyer.

Carlton Morris slotted home from the spot at the other end following Lewis Dunk’s handball to set up a tense finale but Adingra capitalised on a dreadful error from Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu before fellow substitute Evan Ferguson sealed the Seagulls’ emphatic victory.

Build up to the contest was dominated by news of Albion accepting a British record transfer fee of around £111million from Liverpool for star midfielder Caicedo amid reports he would prefer to join Chelsea.

The 21-year-old Ecuador international was absent from the Amex Stadium as his current club launched their first campaign to feature European football in commanding fashion.

Luton, back in the top flight for the first time since being relegated from the old First Division in 1992, were second best on the south coast and could have lost by more as Danny Welbeck, Pascal Gross and Ferguson each struck the woodwork.

With Caicedo seemingly heading for the exit, Brighton handed debuts to Mahmoud Dahoud, James Milner and Pedro.

Brazilian forward Pedro, whose every touch was booed by the travelling fans following his £30million transfer from Luton’s bitter rivals Watford, should have opened the scoring inside five minutes but he skewed wastefully wide of the gaping goal.

The clubs were facing each other for the first time since the southern final of the Football League Trophy in 2009, with their only previous top-flight meetings coming during the 1982-83 campaign.

Luton did the double over Albion by an aggregate score of 9-2 back then but remained on the back foot, albeit the hosts appeared susceptible to counter attacks.

Albion eventually turned their dominance of the ball into a lead nine minutes before the break.

Kaoru Mitoma was afforded time and space on the left and his inviting, inswinging cross gave the unmarked March a simple headed finish from six yards out.

Albion’s advantage was almost instantly wiped out as Hatters forward Morris thumped a header too close to home goalkeeper Jason Steele from Ryan Giles’ corner before Welbeck hit the base of the right post at the other end.

Despite their limited possession, Luton, who were a non-league club as recently as 2014, were far from overawed in the first half and went into the break with reason for encouragement.

Gross fired against the outside of the left upright from a wide free-kick early in the second period as Roberto De Zerbi’s men attempted to add to their slender lead.

Brighton were in need of a cushion and it arrived 19 minutes from time when Pedro tumbled under Lockyer’s challenge before, as he had done twice in pre-season, firing into the right corner from 12 yards.

Albion looked set to ease to victory on the back of last season’s club-record sixth-placed finish which secured a Europa League place.

Yet Morris’ successful 81st-minute penalty after a cross from substitute Jacob Brown struck the elbow of Dunk briefly brought back the tension.

However, Ivory Coast winger Adingra, who was loaned to Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise last season, thumped home just four minutes later after Mpanzu inexplicably failed to clear.

Striker Ferguson then rattled the right post with a fine curling effort.

The Republic of Ireland international would not be denied a place on the scoresheet and duly slid home Pervis Estupinan’s low cross deep into added time.

Dion Charles scored twice as Bolton Wanderers continued their impressive start to the season with a 3-0 win at Cheltenham Town.

All of the goals came during a one-sided first half at the Completely-Suzuki Stadium.

Charles’ opener arrived in the 15th minute after a clever ball from Victor Adeboyejo set him up to slot confidently past Luke Southwood.

Southwood dived to catch Randell Williams’ header two minutes later and Kyle Dempsey curled one just wide as Wanderers continued to dominate.

It was 2-0 after half an hour when a free-kick from Aaron Morley was whipped towards the near post and Liam Smith deflected it into his own net.

Charles added his second and Wanderers’ third with a fine curling finish in the 33rd minute, giving Southwood no chance.

Morley forced Southwood into another save 10 minutes into the second half before Cheltenham’s penalty appeals were waved away two minutes later when Rob Street went down in the box.

Lewis Freestone’s header from Liam Sercombe’s corner was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Nathan Baxter in the 79th minute and Street forced another save in the final seconds, but Wanderers comfortably made it three wins from three in all competitions.

Leicester continued their winning start to the season with a 1-0 victory away at Huddersfield.

Enzo Maresca’s side made it three wins from three in all competitions thanks to Stephy Mavididi’s first Foxes goal.

The summer recruit from Montpellier has already begun to repay the reported £6.4million outlay as he grabbed what proved to be the winner midway through the second half.

After performing the great escape last season, Neil Warnock’s outfit continued their slow start to the new campaign as they slipped to a third successive defeat.

In their first meeting since a 4-1 Leicester win in the Premier League back in April 2019, it was Huddersfield who started the brighter in this affair.

Youngster Brahima Diarra had two early opportunities to open the scoring, with his prodded strike narrowly wide of the target the closest.

Despite the Terriers’ early dominance, it was the visitors who nearly snatched the advantage in somewhat freakish circumstances.

Defensive miscommunication enabled Kelechi Iheanacho space in the box with his effort deflecting off Matty Pearson and looping onto the roof of the net.

Maresca’s visitors quickly assumed control of the match and again spurned a glorious opportunity to take the lead inside the half-hour mark.

A delightful Ricardo Pereira pass split the Town defence to send Dennis Praet through on goal, but the Belgium international was thwarted by Lee Nicholls.

The momentum pendulum again turned in Huddersfield’s favour with Michal Helik – a scorer in the opening weekend defeat at Plymouth – having the chance of the half.

A quick free-kick resulted in a pinpoint Sorba Thomas delivery finding the onrushing defender, but Helik wildly blazed over from point-blank range before the interval.

The Terriers began the second period in similar fashion to the first with Danny Ward heading narrowly over before Diarra stung the palms of keeper Jakub Stolarczyk.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall then looked to add to his double versus Coventry last weekend, but his effort curled wide as Leicester regained control.

However, the Leicester youngster’s blushes did not last long with teammate Mavididi breaking the deadlock with 17 minutes left.

The lively winger shifted the ball to an acute angle and unleashed a venomous strike which wriggled through the legs of Town keeper Nicholls.

The hosts launched a spirited fightback and should have levelled when an unmarked Pearson met a Thomas set-piece, but the defender headed straight at Stolarczyk.

Substitute Marc Albrighton should have doubled the Foxes’ lead in stoppage time, but his low strike was pawed clear by Nicholls.

The visitors ultimately held onto their slender advantage to continue their impressive start to life under new boss Maresca, with recent history suggesting this could be a successful season in their bid for an immediate return to the Premier League. In each of the last three seasons, Huddersfield’s first home league opponent has gone on to lift the Championship title.

Odsonne Edouard’s second-half goal earned Crystal Palace a 1-0 win against Sheffield United to worsen the gloom at Bramall Lane.

Edouard struck from close range four minutes after the restart to give the Eagles a deserved three points in the Premier League opener.

It was thoroughly convincing for Roy Hodgson’s men as they had two further goals disallowed, while Blades goalkeeper Wes Foderingham made a number of saves to keep his side in it.

Indeed, Hodgson’s biggest problem was a tweet from wantaway goalkeeper Vicente Guaita before the game, seemingly questioning why he was not in the team.

United’s return to the top flight after two seasons away ended with a whimpering defeat to compound a negative few weeks which saw the sale of Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge.

Boss Paul Heckingbottom admitted before the match that United are “nowhere near” where they need to be and that showed as they lacked any real goal threat throughout the match.

The signing of Gustavo Hamer from Coventry overnight had boosted spirits and he was paraded on the pitch before kick-off.

The atmosphere helped the Blades make a strong start, with Will Osula going close inside the opening 10 minutes with an effort that was deflected just wide.

But Palace began to take control of the game, with Eberechi Eze running things with his impressive ball-carrying skills.

And he twice saw goalbound efforts blocked, first from Jack Robinson and then from John Egan.

The visitors thought they had taken the lead midway through the first half when Jordan Ayew headed home after Joachim Andersen’s shot had been fumbled by Foderingham, but it was ruled out for offside.

It was little surprise when they did go in front just after the restart.

Ayew found a good position on the right hand side and sent in a wicked low cross which was begging to be converted and Edouard duly obliged, stabbing in from close range.

It could have been two 10 minutes later as Edouard found space at the far post from Eze’s free-kick but his header was straight at Foderingham.

The former Celtic striker also had a goal ruled out for offside, while Ayew tested Foderingham’s handling with a fierce shot that was palmed away.

Palace kept knocking on the door for a second and Foderingham got down brilliantly to keep out Andersen’s header.

The Blades had nothing in the way of a response, other than plenty of effort, as Palace saw it out with ease.

Franny Amartey’s early goal proved enough to give Ayr a 1-0 win over Inverness in their cinch Championship match at Somerset Park, where frustrated Caley head coach Billy Dodds was sent from the dugout.

The Honest Men, who lost 3-1 at Morton last weekend, went ahead in the eighth minute through Amartey after good build-up play involving Sam Ashford.

Ayr captain Sean McGinty then fired a long-range effort over before Caley threatened when Charlie Gilmour’s shot was saved by Charlie Albinson.

Inverness defender Daniel Devine saw his header from Cameron Harper’s free-kick pushed over the crossbar.

Luis Longstaff shot wide from 20-yards just before the break – with Caley head coach Dodds sent from the dugout by the referee as frustrations boiled over.

The visitors – who lost their league opener at home to Queen’s Park following three defeats in the Viaplay Cup – almost equalised just after the hour when Nathan Shaw’s header from Jake Davidson’s cross struck the far post.

Ayr substitute Aiden McGeady had a late effort bounce just wide and Olly Pendlebury’s long-range effort was tipped over as the hosts closed out a first league win.

Dominic Solanke’s late equaliser denied West Ham an opening-day win as Bournemouth hit back for a 1-1 draw.

Jarrod Bowen had fired the Hammers into the lead early in the second half with a spectacular curler from the edge of the box.

But Bournemouth, playing under new boss Andoni Iraola for the first time, were good value for the point they earned when Solanke rounded Alphonse Areola with eight minutes remaining.

It has been a troubled summer for West Ham following their Europa Conference League success last season with the departure of Declan Rice, Manchester City’s attempt to lure Lucas Paqueta away and a lack of new signings coming through the doors at the London Stadium.

They arrived on the south coast with essentially last season’s team, minus Rice, and not much in the way of optimism.

Yet they almost went ahead early on when Said Benrahma fed Tomas Soucek, whose effort bounced back off the inside of the far post and into the grateful arms of Bournemouth keeper Neto.

The Cherries were relieved again when Michail Antonio’s flick from a corner was cleared from underneath the crossbar by Philip Billing.

But Bournemouth had their chances too as the first half wore on, with Solanke slipping in David Brooks who fired just wide.

Solanke then chased a long ball over the top only to be denied by the long leg of Hammers defender Kurt Zouma, before Areola beat away another Brooks drive.

The second half almost began with a bang for Bournemouth with Brooks letting fly on the volley from 20 yards, forcing Areola into an acrobatic save.

But it was the Hammers who broke the deadlock moments later after Pablo Fornals, trying to fill a Rice-shaped hole in the West Ham midfield, won possession 30 yards out.

Bowen’s last kick of the previous campaign was the late goal which secured the Europa Conference League trophy against Fiorentina 66 days ago.

This time he collected the ball off Soucek 20 yards out, cut onto his left foot and buried a superb, curling effort beyond the dive of Neto.

Bournemouth, playing their new brand of easy-on-the-eye, expansive football, tried to hit back and Areola saved from Solanke before Joe Rothwell’s shot clipped the crossbar.

Their dominance told in the 82nd minute when Antoine Semenyo’s wayward shot fell at the feet of Solanke, who showed tremendous composure to slip round Areola and tap into an empty net.

Mikel Arteta said the way Eddie Nketiah trained made him impossible to leave out against Nottingham Forest as the striker repaid the faith by opening the scoring on his recall.

The 24-year-old had not scored a competitive goal in over 10 hours before breaking the deadlock as the Gunners began their quest for the Premier League title with a narrow 2-1 win.

After a 30-minute delay to kick-off following an issue at the turnstiles, Nketiah struck just after the midway point of the first-half, his deflected strike coming on the back of a fine piece of skill from Gabriel Martinelli.

Bukayo Saka’s fine curling effort proved enough to secure the points, even though Forest rallied and pulled a late goal back through substitute Taiwo Awoniyi.

“I’m delighted for him because he is a role model,” Arteta said of Nketiah, who was back in the starting XI having missed out on a berth against Manchester City in the Community Shield win last week.

“He was a player who was so disappointed not to play the final in the absence of Gabi (Jesus).

“What he did was he came on the field in the final and changed the game. That’s number one. The second one was the way he was training this week was saying ‘gaffer, if you’re not playing me you are blind’.

“A lot of players come and say ‘oh why am I not playing’ and you have to try to explain, other players come and say ‘these are the reasons why I deserve to play’. This is exactly what Eddie does.

“This is exactly what he did and then he got on the pitch and he performs that way. He’s a clear and very good example to everybody.”

Defeat at Forest in May saw Arsenal’s title charge come to an end last season and, despite starting the new campaign with a win, Arteta conceded he was concerned by the fall in performance levels.

“For sure,” he replied when asked if he was worried by the drop-off.

“It’s going to be very difficult to dominate games for 100 minutes. But we allowed them to get some grip of the game because they didn’t create anything but on that action the game changes.

“Momentum shifts immediately after that goal. That’s not the moment to change it, you cannot change it, now you have to be so good at dealing with that situation, running the clock down and earning the points.

“The team has done that really well but we’re going to have to be more ruthless and more critical of ourselves to be more pushy and kill the game.”

Forest boss Steve Cooper was left ruing the defending for Arsenal’s goals after setting up the visitors to create the sort of chances that led to their late consolation.

“I was disappointed with elements of our game in the first half,” he said.

“Structurally we were good but I didn’t like us on the goals – we should have defended those much better.

“I didn’t love that we didn’t back ourselves in the duels. I showed some clips to the lads at half time – we needed to believe, back ourselves and compete.

“The real chance in the first half was Brennan Johnson’s from open play. The plan was going to plan with our counter-attacks but we needed to compete more. So it is a game of ‘what might have been’.”