Hibernian assistant manager Adam Owen insists the team will relish the challenge of trying to defy the odds in Wednesday’s glamour European clash with Aston Villa.

After seeing off Raith Rovers in a hard-fought 2-1 Viaplay Cup last-16 tie on Sunday, Hibs can now turn their full attention to their Europa Conference League play-off first leg against their English top-flight counterparts.

Former Hibs favourite John McGinn’s return to Easter Road as Villa captain is also an exciting sub-plot to the game and Owen insists the Leith side are looking forward to the battle.

He said: “The anticipation of the game has probably been bubbling around outside the club rather than in the club.

“We have been going from one place to another, travelling, playing, recovering, travelling, playing, recovering. You don’t really think about it until it’s your next game.

“We go in with an underdog mentality. I’ve always quite enjoyed that, to be honest with you.

“From where we are the lads are looking forward to it, the staff are looking forward to it.

“We will be well prepared and we are really pleased we managed to get through this one without extra time with the squad rotation being a big part of that. Everyone is looking forward to it.”

Asked specifically about Scotland international McGinn, Owen said: “Obviously ex-players’ names are going to be brought up but they have a fantastic squad of players so we’re fully aware of the challenge it brings.”

Hibs made hard work of overcoming Raith to reach the quarter-finals. Following a nondescript first half Elie Youan powered home a header from Joe Newell’s corner before Callum Smith levelled for the visitors.

But Dylan Vente scored the winner in the 69th minute after climbing off the bench.

The Dutchman, however, was forced off in stoppage time with a bloodied nose after being caught by a high boot from Liam Dick, which earned the Raith defender a red card.

Raith manager Ian Murray was pleased with how his team performed despite the result.

He said: “I was very happy, I thought we played really well at times in the game, particularly after the first 10 minutes.

“Hibs had all the ball and then we pretty much controlled the second half, I felt, in terms of our passing.

“I said to the players before the game, the result will take care of itself, we just want to come here and play well and show everybody how good we can be as individuals and as a team. I thought we did that.”

Aston Villa bounced back from their heavy opening-day Premier League defeat by cantering to a 4-0 home win against Everton.

Captain John McGinn and Douglas Luiz’s penalty gave Villa a 2-0 lead at the break and after second-half efforts from Leon Bailey and substitute John Duran, Unai Emery’s side put last week’s 5-1 loss at Newcastle behind them.

It was all too easy for Villa as they cashed in on some wayward Everton defending, which prompted half of their fans to leave Villa Park long before the final whistle.

Everton have lost their opening two games for the second successive season and their cause was not helped by the first-half withdrawal of the luckless Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The England striker, who scored only two goals last season after being dogged by injury, failed to recover from an early clash of heads with Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez and was eventually forced off in the 38th minute.

Villa were without key players Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendia (both knee) and Jacob Ramsey (foot) due to long-term injury, but midway through the first half they had established a comfortable lead.

McGinn fired them in front in the 18th minute, volleying home Bailey’s cut-back after the latter had wriggled his way to the byline.

Villa doubled their lead from the penalty spot in the 24th minute after VAR ruled Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had taken out Ollie Watkins with a flailing arm.

Watkins’ had moments earlier seen his shot cleared off the goal-line, while Pickford, making his 250th Premier League appearance, was booked for delaying the spot-kick, which was coolly dispatched by Douglas Luiz.

England’s number one went some way to redeeming himself soon after when turning Moussa Diaby’s goal-bound volley on to a post.

Everton troubled Martinez for the only time before the interval when a low, angled shot from Calvert-Lewin’s replacement, summer signing Arnaut Danjuma, forced the Argentinian into a near-post save.

The visitors were forced into another change soon after the restart when Alex Iwobi hobbled off and was replaced by Neal Mapauy.

It got worse for Everton in the 51st minute when Villa put the result beyond doubt. Bailey pounced after Everton defender Michael Keane had miscontrolled a throw-in into the box and fired home a low shot under Pickford.

Watkins went close to adding a fourth when his angled effort rolled inches wide before Martinez superbly blocked Maupay’s close-range effort at the other end following a corner.

Keane was caught out again in the build-up to Villa’s fourth, miskicking from former Villa defender Ashley Young’s throw-in and Duran ran clear to bury his first goal for the club, less than a minute after stepping off the bench to replace Watkins.

England boss Sarina Wiegman felt the Lionesses exhausted every effort to win their first Women’s World Cup final despite coming up just short with a 1-0 loss to Spain in Sydney.

The Dutch boss, who led England to their first major trophy at last summer’s European Championship, finds herself with a silver medal in two consecutive attempts after steering 2019 runners-up the Netherlands to the title-decider four years ago in France.

Second place is still a best-ever finish for the Lionesses in a global showpiece, beating their bronze medal from 2015, but the three-time FIFA Best winning coach knows from experience it may take some time before the sting subsides.

Wiegman, who reiterated her commitment to remaining in England on multiple occasions this week, said: “That’s hard to take now, and of course we did everything, we gave everything, we’ve overcome lots of challenges and today we did everything we could to win.

“It feels really bad, of course, and very disappointed, but still very proud of the team.

“I’m just hurt about this moment. Losing a game and in a final, when you’re in a final you want to win it. I guess you mean because it’s a second final, I don’t see it (like that), this was a different game, a different team.

“I was totally convinced before the game that it would be a very tight game but we were confident that we were able to win it. I hope in the future I get a new moment with the team I work with, that would be amazing, because it’s very special to play finals.”

Lauren Hemp came inches away from scoring an opener with a first-half attempt that clipped the crossbar, and it remained England’s best chance of the contest.

Spain took a 1-0 lead when Mariona Caldentey slipped the ball to the onrushing Olga Carmona, who finished past Mary Earps with a left-footed effort into the bottom right corner after 29 minutes.

Wiegman initially employed the 3-5-2 shape that had been so successful in England’s 6-1 victory over China, but reverted to a 4-3-3 in the second half, when she brought in Lauren James – available for the first time following her two-match ban – and Chloe Kelly after the break.

Spain could have doubled their advantage in the second half when Keira Walsh was punished for a handball inside the penalty area following a lengthy VAR check, but the competition’s Golden Glove winner Earps read Jennifer Hermoso’s spot-kick perfectly and produced a fine save to keep England in the contest.

Wiegman said: “I think we played better in the second half. We changed shape, we got momentum, we got more in their half. Then they got the penalty and when Mary saved it I thought, ‘OK, now we’re going to score a goal and get the 1-1’, but we didn’t.”

The 2027 Women’s World Cup hosts will be announced at the 74th FIFA Congress in May, while England will defend their European title in Switzerland in 2025.

First comes UEFA’s newly launched Nations League, which also serves as a qualifier for next summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.

England, Scotland or Wales would need to reach the final to qualify as Team GB, or finish third if automatically qualified hosts France are one of the last two.

Wiegman managed the Netherlands during the postponed 2020 Tokyo Games, but was disappointed by the Covid-19-impacted experience, remarking earlier in the week that “it felt like a jail. We were stuck in a hotel.”

So rather than thinking about the next World Cup in an as-yet-undecided location, Wiegman was looking ahead to just over a month’s time when England will kick off their Nations League campaign against Scotland at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light on September 22.

She added: “Four years is a little bit of a long time. We will start in September in the Nations League to try to qualify for the Olympics.

“You want to improve all the time. This team and this group of players are so eager to be successful. We want to grab every moment to be better. We hope we come back and play good games again to win.”

David Martindale has urged Livingston to learn to rein in their attacking instincts after watching them reach the quarter-finals of the Viaplay Cup.

An early goal from Joel Nouble and a second-half strike from Cristian Montaño eased the Lions past Championship hopefuls Ayr United with a 2-0 win at Almondvale.

But Martindale reckons his side should have coped better with being two goals ahead in the closing stages, when Jack Bryden passed up a gilt-edged opportunity to get Ayr back into the tie.

He wants his players to temper their natural enthusiasm when wins are within their reach.

He said: “At that point, I’m just looking for them to manage the game a little bit better than what they did.

“If I had a frustration, that’s what it would have been. I’ll speak to the boys about that on Monday morning.

“At some points, we’re away gung-ho. We’re down the left flank, we’re down the right flank and our two number sixes are away joining in on the wings. That’s just down to game management.

“But it’s down to the appetite of the players on the park and it’s kind of in our DNA and how we train and how we coach the players, in terms of the aggression and the intensity.

“But sometimes I would like them just to come off that a little bit at 2-0 and manage the game a bit better.”

Martindale also felt his players should have been more comfortable with taking their early lead.

Jason Holt’s lofted pass was flicked on brilliantly by Kurtis Guthrie and Montaño benefitted to burst to the bye-line. His pinpoint cutback was fired into the net by Nouble from eight yards out.

It was the ideal start for the Premiership hosts, who were bidding to avoid the shock defeat they suffered against Championship opponents Inverness Caley Thistle in last season’s Scottish Cup.

Ayr gave as good as they got throughout but could not find the attacking edge to get themselves back into the tie.

And Montaño sent Livi into the last-eight when he was played through on the left side of the box and shot past Robbie Mutch in the Ayr goal with the aid of a ricochet.

Martindale added: “The second goal brought a lot of confidence to us as a group and we knew at that point the game was ours to lose as long we controlled the game within our shape.”

Meanwhile, Ayr manager Lee Bullen is excited for the future for his side this season, despite the defeat.

The Honest Men defeated St Johnstone in the group stage of the tournament last month and are looking to build on last season’s runners-up spot in the Championship.

Logan Chalmers signed on loan from Dundee United ahead of kick-off and veteran winger Aidan McGeady was making his first start.

Bullen said: “It excites me, the group of players that we’re trying to put together.

“Aiden and Logan are X-factor players. When they’re fully up to speed and I get Jamie Murphy fit then there’s shoots of excitement I think.”

Jude Bellingham has made a flying start to his Real Madrid career but that comes as no surprise to Gus Poyet due to the midfielder's mentality.

Carlo Ancelotti's side saw off competition from Liverpool and a host of other European clubs to sign Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund ahead of the 2023-24 season.

The England international has soon settled into life in Spain, scoring three goals in his first two LaLiga games after Saturday's brace against Almeria.

Poyet, like many other coaches and former players, pinpointed Bellingham's mentality and told Stats Perform the former Birmingham City man was always going to go to the top.

Poyet said: "I knew Bellingham because I had an interview with Birmingham four or five years ago, before he went to Dortmund, and I watched the team obviously.

"I watched him play and I was thinking 'wow' at the potential he had at 17 or 18 years old.

"So you see the player, but then you need to meet the person, the personality, the passion, how can he handle the pressure, what he likes and what he doesn't. And I think that is what people are seeing now at Real Madrid. 

"We knew that he had the quality, we knew that he made a big impact at Borussia Dortmund, especially when you saw him at Dortmund sometimes being the captain. You think that he must be special because of this.

"The quality, everyone can see, but I think the most important quality of Bellingham is his mentality.

"He is very strong, he believes in himself, he knows what he wants. He made decisions early in his life, leaving England his comfort zone to go to Germany at that age and now, boom, he is at Real Madrid."

Bellingham, aged 20 years and 51 days, is the second-youngest player to score in his opening two LaLiga games – only behind Markel Susaeta in 2007 (who was 19 years and 275 days old).

Poyet does not foresee Bellingham slowing down any time soon either, as Madrid eye a fruitful period with one of the world's most exciting talents in their ranks.

"I think he's going to be at Real Madrid for a long, long time," Poyet added. "He is going to be very good for the club and for himself."

The 20-year-old also had an assist against Almeria. He is just the third player to be involved in four goals in his first two LaLiga outings in the 21st century, along with Wesley Sneijder (2007) and Mounir El Hamdaoui (2013).

Jurgen Klopp was delighted with Wataru Endo’s Liverpool debut in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth after admitting the new signing would have had “no clue what to do” tactically.

The Japan captain only completed his £16million move from Stuttgart on Friday and was a late addition to Liverpool’s matchday squad after his international clearance narrowly came through on time.

But the 30-year-old was thrown in at the deep end when asked to come on moments after Alexis Mac Allister was sent off just before the hour mark – even if the task was made slightly easier as Diogo Jota made it 3-1 to Liverpool as Endo was waiting to come on.

“It was a horrible first game coming in,” Klopp said. “He did absolutely all right. But he came there, he had no clue what to do. I spoke in the morning with him about how with 11 players it would look, but 4-4-1 was not involved in our conversation.

“I don’t think he slept a lot in the last two nights but he came on and threw everything he had on the pitch.”

Endo’s job was to help Liverpool shut up shop at the end of a frantic fixture, in which Antoine Semenyo had fired Bournemouth in front just three minutes in amid a terrible start from Liverpool, before Luis Diaz levelled and Mo Salah’s penalty put the hosts in front before the break.

While Endo was making a full debut quicker than expected, Saturday’s match was a first Anfield appearance for both Mac Allister and fellow summer signing Dominik Szoboszlai.

The 22-year-old Szoboszlai won the penalty when he made the most of an outstretched leg from Joe Rothwell, and it was his shot which Neto could only parry to allow Jota to make it 3-1.

“His away debut was not too bad either,” Klopp said of the £60million signing from RB Leipzig. “I had to hold him back a little bit. He was the only one who has the power for more.

“He was part of the double six, running everything, but the general performance level he showed since he was here is really, really good. And his involvement in the goal is obviously super important.

“His shooting we didn’t see properly yet but we will probably see more in the future. Macca’s home debut was impressive as well, it just wasn’t as long.”

The win takes Liverpool to four points from their opening two fixtures after last Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea.

“I think it’s the minimum we should expect from these two games,” Klopp said. “When we look at the games we don’t say where we should win or lose but when you start at Chelsea I don’t think anybody goes there and books the points in, ‘OK we have them already’.

“Of course against Bournemouth, our first home game, we want to win. It’s an OK start. If we wouldn’t have won we would think differently.”

Bournemouth goalscorer Semenyo was the one change Andoni Iraola made to his starting line-up and the January signing from Bristol City suggested he is fully over the shin surgery he had at the end of last season with a strong display.

“He was really good (last week against West Ham) when he came in and gave us a lot of energy for 20 minutes,” Iraola said. “He has been training well and here he has scored. He finished really tired like a lot of players did but it’s good news.

“I think he can play both wings and as a number nine. He is physically powerful and we need this.”

Julian Alvarez’s fine first-half strike handed Manchester City a hard-fought 1-0 win over Newcastle in their first home match since winning the treble on Saturday.

The World Cup winner curled a shot into the top corner after 31 minutes of a tight Premier League encounter at the Etihad Stadium and it proved enough for the champions to claim all three points.

Newcastle, buoyed by thrashing Aston Villa 5-1 in their season opener last week, had travelled in hope of claiming their first league win at City for almost 23 years.

Yet the hosts, despite making just two changes following their draining European Super Cup venture in Athens in midweek, were too strong and successfully nullified Eddie Howe’s side.

Pep Guardiola’s men were far from their fluid best, but they produced a professional performance to follow up their opening win at Burnley and in Alvarez and Phil Foden they had the brightest players on the pitch.

Newcastle fought to the end but it ultimately proved a frustrating night for the visitors, who had five players booked.

City started slowly but began to step up the pressure midway through the first half and threatened for the first time when Manuel Akanji curled a long-range attempt over.

Alvarez then whipped in a low cross but failed to find Erling Haaland before Mateo Kovacic and Foden both had efforts blocked.

Foden grew into the game and was a lively presence, having stepped into the playmaking void left by long-term injury victim Kevin De Bruyne.

Foden was instrumental in City’s goal, finding space and darting into the area before pulling back for Alvarez.

The Argentinian then did the rest, picking his spot from the edge of the area and firing a shot beyond Nick Pope.

Foden threatened to seize control of the game and was crudely pushed over by Sandro Tonali after another dangerous run. He then slipped Haaland in on goal but the Norwegian’s low shot rolled narrowly wide of the far post.

Haaland was close again early in the second half, first after holding off Sven Botman to shoot at Pope and then mishitting another shot wide, again from a Foden pass.

City’s failure to kill off the game allowed Newcastle to come back into it in the closing stages.

Harvey Barnes was presented with a good chance after a rare misplaced pass by Rodri, but he shot straight at Ederson from distance.

Miguel Almiron also had a powerful effort blocked but City continually got numbers back and remained dangerous on the counter-attack.

Both Foden and Rodri led late raids from deep, but neither could set Haaland free for the goal that would have sealed it.

In the end, Alvarez’s strike was sufficient and City, who began the evening parading last season’s silverware, could celebrate a job well done.

Erik ten Hag cut a frustrated figure after Manchester United suffered a 2-0 defeat at Tottenham and insisted their wasteful display showed why Rasmus Hojlund was signed.

The Red Devils went down in the capital on Saturday night after Pape Sarr slid home the opener in the 49th minute before Lisandro Martinez deflected the ball into his own net late on.

United could have easily been ahead by this point with Marcus Rashford denied by Guglielmo Vicario and Bruno Fernandes heading wide from six yards, while Antony curled against the post minutes after Sarr’s goal.

Tottenham did also create plenty of opportunities in the first half but stepped up their display after the break to earn new head coach Ange Postecoglou a maiden Premier League win.

It left United to reflect on what might have been and Ten Hag, who watched them claim a nervy 1-0 win over Wolves on Monday, pointed to injured £64million forward Hojlund as a reason for optimism.

“You have seen today, the performance first half (was) very good, but you have to understand you have to score a goal,” he insisted.

“Because of the meaning of the first goal, players have to take responsibility. Focus, passion and desire in this moment to keep the overview and score the first goal.

“It’s about belief and we believe these players because of last year as well. They can score goals.

“But it is obvious why we signed a striker. If everything goes well, (Anthony) Martial is on (his) way back, Hojlund is coming, so we have more players capable to score a goal, but also the players on the pitch, they can score goals.”

Hojlund, who joined from Atalanta in a deal that could rise to £72million, is currently absent with a back injury and missed the Spurs clash.

Ten Hag named two goalkeepers on the bench with Harry Maguire out with a minor injury and Brandon Williams and Donny van de Beek also not considered due to the futures of the trio being uncertain.

He added: “Yesterday in final training, H (Maguire) was out with a small issue. So after September 1 everything can change, but we need players who are totally with their heads in our team.

“I won’t say the players you mention, they are not, but it’s also obvious that in this moment they are looking for something else.

“But when they are here they always do their best, every training (session).”

While United, playing under the cloud of continued talk about Mason Greenwood’s future, will go back to the drawing board ahead of Nottingham Forest’s visit next weekend, Spurs fans are back on cloud nine.

It has been a difficult 2023 with a disastrous March extending the club’s trophy drought and record goalscorer Harry Kane leaving to join Bayern Munich earlier this month.

A protest with hundreds of Spurs fans occurred before kick-off, arranged by the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust, over the club’s decision to increase matchday ticket prices for this season, but there was a lively atmosphere inside the stadium.

Postecoglou credited the home crowd for helping his young, new-look team navigate their way through some nervy opening stages, but they delivered a superb display after with Sarr firing home from Dejan Kulusevski’s cross before Ben Davies’ scuffed effort was diverted past Andre Onana by Martinez.

“The atmosphere was incredible. Our supporters were outstanding. The energy they created in the stadium right from the first whistle was brilliant and it helped us. In the first half we just looked a bit nervous,” Postecoglou said before he reflected on taking everything in post-match.

“But we got them in at half-time and settled them down a little bit. Then I thought the boys were brilliant.

“You want to win and that gives everyone the joy they need but I felt the manner in which we played, it’s a great starting point so when the final whistle goes from my perspective that’s a fantastic fertile ground for me to get going.

“You want to feel that moment because I have always said, to me I love what football does to people, particularly in those moments.

“So, you kind of take a moment to think about the 60,000 here or the ones who were watching at home because they will be smiling for the rest of the week.

“I love that it does that, the game. For me that moment is just about appreciating I am pretty blessed to be doing what I am doing, being in the middle of a stadium leading a fantastic football club and then you start to think about next week, mate.”

Gus Poyet has been impressed by the quality on display at this year's Women's World Cup and believes the tournament will inspire the next generation of women's football stars.

The expanded 32-team tournament in Australia and New Zealand has caught the imaginations of many, while a first-time winner is guaranteed ahead of Sunday's final between Spain and England.

Both host nations have posted record attendances for women's games, with Australia playing in front of three 75,784-strong crowds at Sydney's Stadium Australia and 43,217 watching Spain's semi-final victory over Sweden in Auckland.

The global competition has also been characterised by headline-making upsets, with Germany and Brazil suffering surprise group-stage exits as Morocco and Jamaica advanced at their expense. 

Speaking to Stats Perform ahead of the showpiece between Spain and England, former Chelsea and Tottenham midfielder Poyet hailed the tournament as a triumph.

"With respect to the other girls, when you see the best players playing, that's it," Poyet said. "That's football. 

"I think we need to be realistic and it is simple when you have a number of people playing football… men play football – I don't know how many – all over the world. 

"You can choose from those quantities, [there are] so many people to make so many clubs and so many competitions all over the world, that is why they keep going. Second division, third division… you go to England and it is National League, local leagues, Sunday League…

"But for the girls, they didn't play football that much in the last 40 years, quantity-wise. Then it is very difficult to find a way to make all these clubs play at the same level we are watching at the World Cup. 

"It is time, I think we need to give them time but the football that we saw, the goals we have seen, the ability of certain players, is nice to see. 

"We don't need to ask too much, too quickly. We need to take time, I think they need time and it is going to be part of life for everyone nowadays. 

"If you have a daughter, they will say that they want to play football and it will be natural. 

"When we were young it was different. There were a few [top players], but not the quantity that women's football needs. But it's nice to see that the quality is there."

Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses are looking to become just the second team – after Germany in 2003 and 2007 – to win the Women's World Cup as reigning European champions.

It will be the first meeting between England and Spain at the Women's World Cup, with the Lionesses losing just two of their previous 13 matches against La Roja across all competitions (W7 D4), including a 2-1 quarter-final win at last year's European Championships.

Ange Postecoglou oversaw a thrilling first win as Tottenham manager as Pape Sarr’s strike and a Lisandro Martinez own goal settled a pulsating Premier League clash with Manchester United.

Even by Spurs’ standards this has been a chastening year, with their struggles in the second half of last season compounded by homegrown star Harry Kane’s recent switch to Bayern Munich.

But former Celtic boss Postecoglou has brought new hope to Tottenham and his entertaining, new-look side sealed a fine 2-0 win thanks to Sarr’s effort and a late Martinez own goal.

Erik ten Hag’s men – playing under the cloud of continued talk about Mason Greenwood’s future – began on the front foot in north London and could have gone into the break ahead.

United were aggrieved not to have been awarded a penalty after the VAR reviewed a Cristian Romero handball in a half that saw Marcus Rashford and, in particular, Bruno Fernandes waste good chances.

Those let-offs allowed Spurs to grow into proceedings, with Pedro Porro smashing an effort off the bar before Luke Shaw deflected a Sarr cross onto the post just before the break.

Spurs returned with the bit between their teeth and took a 49th minute lead as Sarr reacted quickest to a deflected Dejan Kulusevski cross to score his first goal for the club.

Antony struck the post as the sides traded blows in a thrill-a-minute start to a second period that eventually calmed down, with Martinez’s late own goal wrapping up a home win.

The atmosphere was fantastic throughout as Spurs beat United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time, with Postecoglou receiving a fantastic reception before and after the match.

The home fans – a number of whom had protested about ticket prices before the match – had to hold on tight during a bright United start.

After some half-hearted chances, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario spread himself to stop Rashford giving United into a 13th minute lead having been slipped in by Antony.

Andre Onana’s stunning diagonal pass to Alejandro Garnacho deserved more than a driven cross being blocked, with an audacious Fernandes rabona cross headed over from close range by offside Rashford.

There was anger that the VAR did not intervene after Garnacho’s shot hit Romero’s arm, with the proximity of the effort understood to be behind the decision not to award a spot-kick for handball.

Another let-off soon followed. Smart play ended with Luke Shaw’s cracking first-time cross putting Fernandes behind, only for the unopposed skipper to head well off target from six yards.

But Spurs had grown into proceedings by this point. Sarr was denied by Onana after being played through by skipper Son Heung-min and went closer still in the 40th minute.

Son laid off for Porro to slam a thunderous shot off the crossbar and Sarr’s low ball back into the box deflected off Shaw and onto the post.

Spurs had clearly settled into a more cohesive attacking unit and needed just four minutes of the second period to take the lead.

Good team play ended with Kulusevski sending in a cross from the right that hit Martinez, with Sarr reacting quickest to slam home at the far post and spark wild celebrations.

The opener added extra spice to an already entertaining encounter.

Antony was allowed onto his favoured left foot just two minutes later and beat Vicario, only for his attempt to come back off the far post.

Spurs immediately swept up the other end. Onana stopped a low Destiny Udogie attempt and penalty appeals for Martinez’s challenge on Romero fell on deaf ears.

Vicario reacted well to tip over a Casemiro header and Fernandes saw a low shot pushed wide before the offside flag was raised.

Yves Bissouma had efforts either side of a blocked Son attempt, before changes took the sting out of the game.

Ivan Perisic and Ben Davies were among Spurs’ introductions, with the latter swinging at the former’s pass and getting the slightest touch before Martinez accidentally turned the ball into his own net in the 83rd minute.

United pushed to reduce the deficit but their play was stilted and frustrated, with an offside Raphael Varane denied by Vicario during nine scoreless minutes of stoppage time.

Ange Postecoglou oversaw a thrilling first win as Tottenham manager as Pape Sarr’s strike and a Lisandro Martinez own goal settled a pulsating Premier League clash with Manchester United.

Even by Spurs’ standards this has been a chastening year, with their struggles in the second half of last season compounded by homegrown star Harry Kane’s recent switch to Bayern Munich.

But former Celtic boss Postecoglou has brought new hope to Tottenham and his entertaining, new-look side sealed a fine 2-0 win thanks to Sarr’s effort and a late Martinez own goal.

Erik ten Hag’s men – playing under the cloud of continued talk about Mason Greenwood’s future – began on the front foot in north London and could have gone into the break ahead.

United were aggrieved not to have been awarded a penalty after the VAR reviewed a Cristian Romero handball in a half that saw Marcus Rashford and, in particular, Bruno Fernandes waste good chances.

Those let-offs allowed Spurs to grow into proceedings, with Pedro Porro smashing an effort off the bar before Luke Shaw deflected a Sarr cross onto the post just before the break.

Spurs returned with the bit between their teeth and took a 49th minute lead as Sarr reacted quickest to a deflected Dejan Kulusevski cross to score his first goal for the club.

Antony struck the post as the sides traded blows in a thrill-a-minute start to a second period that eventually calmed down, with Martinez’s late own goal wrapping up a home win.

The atmosphere was fantastic throughout as Spurs beat United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time, with Postecoglou receiving a fantastic reception before and after the match.

The home fans – a number of whom had protested about ticket prices before the match – had to hold on tight during a bright United start.

After some half-hearted chances, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario spread himself to stop Rashford giving United into a 13th minute lead having been slipped in by Antony.

Andre Onana’s stunning diagonal pass to Alejandro Garnacho deserved more than a driven cross being blocked, with an audacious Fernandes rabona cross headed over from close range by offside Rashford.

There was anger that the VAR did not intervene after Garnacho’s shot hit Romero’s arm, with the proximity of the effort understood to be behind the decision not to award a spot-kick for handball.

Another let-off soon followed. Smart play ended with Luke Shaw’s cracking first-time cross putting Fernandes behind, only for the unopposed skipper to head well off target from six yards.

But Spurs had grown into proceedings by this point. Sarr was denied by Onana after being played through by skipper Son Heung-min and went closer still in the 40th minute.

Son laid off for Porro to slam a thunderous shot off the crossbar and Sarr’s low ball back into the box deflected off Shaw and onto the post.

Spurs had clearly settled into a more cohesive attacking unit and needed just four minutes of the second period to take the lead.

Good team play ended with Kulusevski sending in a cross from the right that hit Martinez, with Sarr reacting quickest to slam home at the far post and spark wild celebrations.

The opener added extra spice to an already entertaining encounter.

Antony was allowed onto his favoured left foot just two minutes later and beat Vicario, only for his attempt to come back off the far post.

Spurs immediately swept up the other end. Onana stopped a low Destiny Udogie attempt and penalty appeals for Martinez’s challenge on Romero fell on deaf ears.

Vicario reacted well to tip over a Casemiro header and Fernandes saw a low shot pushed wide before the offside flag was raised.

Yves Bissouma had efforts either side of a blocked Son attempt, before changes took the sting out of the game.

Ivan Perisic and Ben Davies were among Spurs’ introductions, with the latter swinging at the former’s pass and getting the slightest touch before Martinez accidentally turned the ball into his own net in the 83rd minute.

United pushed to reduce the deficit but their play was stilted and frustrated, with an offside Raphael Varane denied by Vicario during nine scoreless minutes of stoppage time.

John Eustace was keeping both feet firmly on the ground after goals from substitutes Koji Miyoshi and Lukas Jutkiewicz maintained Birmingham’s impressive start to the Championship campaign.

Miyoshi, a 40th-minute replacement for the injured Ethan Laird, volleyed his first Blues goal in spectacular fashion deep into first-half stoppage time.

And Jutkiewicz settled the outcome six minutes from time with a close-range finish, shortly after being sent on for Keshi Anderson.

Blues boss Eustace said: “It was an outstanding effort by the whole group, but it’s important not to get carried away because this team has still got to grow together.

“Koji Miyoshi came off the bench against Leeds and was really exciting. Today again he showed what an important player he is going be for us.

“He was out for nine months before joining us, so we have to be careful how we manage him. But his talent is there for all to see and he will get better with games.

“We had a few injuries that could have hurt us. Ethan Laird and Siriki Dembele picked up muscle strains, which might have been disruptive.

“But we adapted really well. Juninho Bacuna moved to right-back and looked as if he had played there all his life.

“We set out to be strong and competitive in all areas of the pitch and that was the case throughout the game.

“We paid Bristol respect because Nigel Pearson has been with them for a while now and is building something.

“They are a good side whose strengths we had to counter and to a man the players did their jobs.

“Last season we were beaten here. But this is a new group of players with a new mentality.

“Obviously, the season has started well for us. But we will stay level-headed and keep working hard because the Championship is so competitive that you have to turn up every week.”

The Robins had centre-back Rob Dickie sent off for a second yellow card on 75 minutes and could have no complaints, even though Nahki Wells missed a great chance to level on 82 minutes just before Jutkiewicz’s clincher.

Manager Pearson admitted: “It was a bad day at the office for us. We didn’t play very well.

“We were laboured in our passing and made too many unforced errors, with things like the ball slipping under players’ feet.

“We should have been level at the break but went in a goal down because an individual switched off and didn’t do his job at a set-piece.

“I still believe we are better than we were last season and will do well. We were on the front foot even with 10 men towards the end and missed a great chance to equalise.

“But we didn’t manage the key moments well. You have to take your chances when they come along in the Championship and not concede poor goals because the difference between winning and losing in so many games is very small.

“We are looking at the possibility of doing some business before the transfer deadline, but it will have to be right for the club and in line with what we are building.

“I didn’t go overboard when we won away last week and it’s certainly not all doom and gloom today.”

Exeter manager Gary Caldwell has high hopes for Ryan Trevitt after his goal set up a 2-0 win over Carlisle.

Trevitt and Demetri Mitchell sealed the points to make a long trip north worth the effort, following a midweek defeat at Portsmouth.

“It was a fantastic result after a really difficult week,” said Caldwell. “We had to recover well after Tuesday night and after everyone’s really hard efforts we thankfully got the result here today.

“After the first 15 minutes of the second half we looked the stronger team. The substitutes gave us a real attacking threat. It was a big team effort and I have to thank everyone at the club who contributed today.”

Trevitt opened the scoring on 70 minutes with his first professional goal and Caldwell was full of praise for the Brentford loanee.

“Ryan’s been brilliant since he joined the club and I can see him scoring a lot more goals between now and the end of the season,” he said.

“He’s got a brilliant knack of finding the corner. It was a brilliant finish.”

Exeter kept their third clean sheet of the season against Carlisle.

“We’ve been very good defensively,” Caldwell said.

“It was a big question mark in pre-season and in fairness the whole team have worked hard on defending set-pieces and working hard off the ball. That allows you to make moments to go and win the game and when we got our two moments, we took them.”

Paul Simpson believes his Carlisle side are not too far away from where he would like despite the result.

“I thought there was a lot of good things today. We had good controlled possession and worked their keeper well,” he said.

“My over-riding thought is that we’re not too far away now. But that’s also a frustration.”

Carlisle were on top in spells of the game and Simpson rues the chances his side missed.

“When we’re on a good spell that first goal is all important,” he said. “There were opportunities to get crosses in and we hit the first man and that’s where the real frustration lies.

“We do know the importance of scoring the first goal when we’ve had the chances. We’ve had the corners. We overloaded the near post with good deliveries but fine margins and we didn’t get on the end of those good balls.”

Goalscorer Mitchell was on a yellow card when he fouled Fin Back in the first half but Simpson was coy about the decision not to send the Exeter man off.

“If he hadn’t been on a yellow, it might have been given but I don’t like seeing players sent off,” he said.

“It’s not why we lost today so I would be clutching at straws if I were to claim that cost us the game today.”

Ross County boss Malky Mackay was delighted that his side found a way to win after they overcame a battling Airdrie side 4-3 in extra time to reach the quarter-finals of the Viaplay Cup.

County looked well on course for victory at 3-1 up, though they would concede twice in the final 10 minutes to send the game into extra time.

The Staggies prevailed in the additional half hour however, Eamonn Brophy heading home in the first half to clinch a dramatic victory.

“Overall, we found a way to win which is the biggest thing of the lot – that’s what you’ve got to do,” Mackay said.

“We knew it was always going to be a tough game, Airdrie have been on a roll, they won promotion, have been excellent in their League Cup group and have started the Championship season well.

“I thought we started like a house on fire and I think overall in the first half we were excellent.”

Mackay admits he was frustrated at the manner in which his team conceded in the second half, though was thrilled at their reaction in extra time.

Jack Baldwin conceded a penalty to restore some hope for Airdrie and Josh O’Connor then seized on some sloppy defending to level the match in the final minute.

Despite demonstrating some defensive frailties, the County boss heaped praise on the resilience of his side.

“I was disappointed that we made two really silly errors. For the penalty the ball is running out of the park and all of a sudden we’ve given them a penalty and a way back into it,” Mackay added.

“Then we’ve got the ball in our own six-yard box, and he doesn’t just kick it into the stand, instead he miskicks it and it gives them the goal.

“Once we got to extra time I was delighted with my team and the way they stood firm.

“It’s a great testament to the group of players, the way they’ve started the season, the way they are fighting for each other and the consistency levels I’ve got compared to what I had last year.”

Airdrie manager Rhys McCabe felt his side were more than a match for their Premiership opponents.

The Diamonds have enjoyed a good start after gaining promotion to the Championship last season and came agonisingly close to causing an upset at the Excelsior Stadium.

“We really gave as good as we got and for large parts, especially in the second half and throughout extra time, I actually thought we absolutely dominated the game,” McCabe said.

“We’ve got to dust ourselves down, analyse where we can get better and what parts of the game were good.

“I’m frustrated for the boys, we’ve had a decent run against so-called bigger opposition, to score three and lose the game at home – I’m gutted for the boys.”

Mark Robins expects Coventry to be Championship promotion contenders again this season once his new signings hit the ground running.

The Sky Blues were left frustrated by Swansea in their third Championship game of the season as the sides played out a 1-1 draw in south Wales.

Record-signing Haji Wright spurned a number of chances in the first half before Matty Godden gave the Sky Blues a lead, but Jerry Yates earned a point for the hosts.

Coventry lost several key players – including Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer – following last season’s play-off final defeat to Luton, with Wright, Ellis Simms, Milan van Ewijk, Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Bobby Thomas, Jay Dasilva and Joel Latibeaudiere among those to join the club this summer.

And Robins believes his new-look team can ruffle plenty of feathers once the squad has had sufficient time to gel.

“I think we’re going to be good, but at the moment we’re just working our way through,” he said.

“Everybody needs to be patient. We’ve got brilliant supporters and they understand.

“But we’ve got to pick up points while we’re going, that’s the key.

“When we’ve worked together a little bit longer, I think you’ll see a different side with more confidence, more fluidity and hopefully more goals and more chances.”

United States international Wright was off target with a number of efforts in the first half as the hosts ended the contest with more shots on goal than Coventry.

But Robins still felt his troops deserved to clinch all three points.

“We should have won but you can only win games if you defend properly,” he added.

“We didn’t readjust quickly enough after we scored. The fact we conceded more or less straight away is really disappointing.

“The determination to try and play through them was there. I just think we tired and the fact I’ve not got the players I need to change things took its toll really.”

Swansea boss Michael Duff praised goalscorer Yates for earning the hosts a point.

The striker joined from Blackpool in the summer and has now netted in each of his two home appearances for the club.

“The one thing he does do is pop up with a goal – that’s two in two,” said Duff.

“He lives for goals and he gives you everything, whether he scores or not.”

Despite failing to win any of his first three Championship matches as boss, Duff remains confident that his early struggles at former clubs Cheltenham and Barnsley prove the Swans need to stay patient.

“The same things happened at my last two clubs,” he said.

“I didn’t win a game for 10 games at Cheltenham, 18 months later we won the league.

“The same thing happened at Barnsley. We were eighth or ninth in the league for the first three months, then we were the most in-form team in the country from November on.

“It’s never going to happen overnight. I want to win as much as anyone else. I also understand there’s a process.”