Sunset Boulevard of south London. The Den prepares : Picture by @YTJourno League Cup Third Round Millwall (0) 0 Newcastle United (0) 1 Willock 81 Sometimes you don't need a ton of goals for a thriller. A solitary Joe Willock goal with about 10 minutes to play was just enough to see the Premier League boys overcome the Lions in a rip-roaring encounter in which Millwall filled their fans with pride. Theirs was a great effort to contain and aim for a swift break or two and set

Eagles v Boro: Pic by JTaylorSport Crystal Palace 3 Middlesbrough 0 It was a tie which had the potential for an upset - but Crystal Palace eased into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, thanks to a brace of headers by Jorgen Strand Larsen and a fine chipped goal by Daichi Kamada against Middlesbrough at Selhurst Park. Strand Larsen’s aerial abilities ultimately made the difference against the Championship outfit, who acquitted themselves well, but lacked the clinical touch o

No room for self-pity. Andy woodman in usual no-nonsense form post-match : Picture by @YTJourno Bromley's bid to get back on an even keel after two fearful batterings in the past week fell flat, as they were well beaten by south London rivals AFC Wimbledon. Monday night's 2-0 defeat at Hayes Lane may not have been as embarrassing as the 7-2 shellacking at Sheffield Wednesday or the 5-0 home defeat to Orient but it suggests a worrying direction of travel for the Ravens as they

It was a buzzy Copperjax Community Stadium ahead of kick off : Picture by @YTJourno League One Bromley (0) 0 AFC Wimbledon (1) 2 Stockley 8 Hippolyte 67 It may be too early in the season to be overly significant, but it still felt important. Bromley did not concede the avalanche of goals that have descended on them in the past week, but they were still very much second best at Hayes Lane against an altogether slicker AFC Wimbledon. The Dons scored in each half and were less

By Alessandro Schiavone in Prague Jan Koller revealed that he rebuffed Fulham’s advances in the same summer Edwin Van der Sar left Juve for Craven Cottage because the club wasn’t big enough for him. Although the 6ft 7ins Czech juggernaut was the subject of an enticing offer from the Cottagers and was eager to join them, Champions League giants Borussia Dortmund, who had won Ol Big Ears four years previously, hijacked the deal. At the time he claimed that the opportunity to pl

The Hammers were on song ; Picture @CapitalFootballUK Having swept to the top of the table with three wins out of three, Nathan Jones' Charlton Athletic travelled to Stoke City full of optimism, but a chastening first 45 minutes saw them well and truly humbled. Two goals from Justin Devenny, a deadline signing from Crystal Palace, one from Ethan Galbraith and another from George Hirst gave the Potters a 4-0 half-time lead. The Addicks did well to avoid further embarrassment a

First reverse for Alonso to get to grips with : Picture by @YTJourno Xabi Alonso suffered his first setback as Chelsea boss as the Blues fell 2-1 at the Emirates in a high-intensity clash - but insists the outlook is fine with so much of the campaign ahead. Despite the encouragement of an early Morgan Rogers strike for his side, the Gunners fought back well to take the points - ending the Blues' perfect start to the new season. "It was a game with different momentums and diff

Contemplating a significant win. Arteta post match : Picture by Julian Taylor The smile was possibly as broad as we have ever seen it. It wasn't just that he had got one over his good friend from the same part of the world as himself, Xabi Alonso, but also because his team showed the mettle of champions. If Mikel Arteta was looking for signs that his team is still very much hungry for more after winning the title last season, Sunday's 2-1 victory over Chelsea showed plenty. T

First big clash of the season : Picture by @YTJourno Premier League Arsenal (1) 2 Havertz 25, Odegaard 50 Chelsea (1) 1 Rogers 2 A game of startling pace and intensity ended with Arsenal recovering from an early setback to maintain their recent hold over the Blues. It was a match that had no right to be this good, this early in the season, but Arsenal in particular looked in no mood to let this opportunity pass to lay down an early reminder that they are the reigning champion

Fulham (2) 2 v Crystal Palace (1) 3 King 11 Mitchell 36 Palacios 42 Mitchell 54 Chilwell 77 By Kaz Mochlinski at Craven Cottage Premier League Matchweek 3 Crystal Palace gained their first points of the new Premier League season with a vital victory at Craven Cottage, producing a spirited comeback from being behind at half-time to leave Fulham in despair after three consecutive defeats. All three Palace goals were scored by their left-sided wing-backs, with two from Tyrick Mi

Post match thoughts : Picture by Capital Football Keith Andrews admitted his side were not at the races in the first half of Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Sunderland in west London. The Bees looked distinctly out of sorts during the opening period and so it came as no surprise when head coach Andrews made three changes at the break. He saw that call pay off when Vitaly Janelt volleyed the hosts in front in the 57th minute. However, Enzo Le Fee’s penalty rescued a point for the Bla

Picture: Capital Football Premier League Brentford (0) 1 Janelt 57 Sunderland (0) 1 Le Fee pen 82 A late Enzo Le Fee penalty denied Brentford victory as Sunderland secured a 1-1 draw at the Gtech. The visitors were the better team in the first period and were frustrated to see an early Dan Ballard goal chalked out because Kevin Danso was ruled offside. Instead it was Vitaly Janelt who struck first as he volleyed the Bees ahead on 57 minutes. But the Mackems sealed a point in

Trent assignment for Spurs : Picture by @YTJourno Premier League Nottingham Forest 0 Tottenham Hotspur 0 Spurs are finally on the scoreboard. That's in terms of points, though, not goals. Goals would perhaps be pushing it. The display may have looked more organised and together than in the first two games of the season - both defeats - but Roberto de Zerbi's men are still not striking too much terror in opposition defences as yet. It's now three blanks in a row. It needed a V

EFL Championship Millwall (0) 0 Wrexham (1) 3 Sturge o.g. 28, Moore 52, Ekomie 68 After the 5-1 drubbing in Southampton last Saturday, Millwall suffered another big defeat as Wrexham tamed The Lions in their Den: 0-3. Alex Neil’s injury-plagued side managed to create only one decent chance in a disappointing display. ‘We need to make sure that is just a bump in the road,’ Neil wrote in the match program, referring to the defeat against The Saints. But it was not to be. His si

Table Toppers It may not have been that spectacular, but Charlton Athletic fans are not complaining. Karlan Grant's 56th minute strike was enough to beat Preston 1-0 at the Valley on Sunday to make it an unexpectedly perfect start to this new Championship season for Nathan Jones' men. That made it three wins out of three for the Addicks, who are the only team with a 100 per cent record in the division. It once again owed much to a solid defence, with keeper Arthur Okonkwo hav

Blue all around : Opening home league game at the Bridge for Chelsea : Picture by @YTJourno Premier League Chelsea (3) 4 Lavia 4, Pedro Neto 14, Joao Pedro 32, Palmer 74 Brighton (1) 3 Yalcouye 35, Joao Pedro og 63 Gross 95 You can't get much more 'early days' in a new season than a first home league game of the campaign - but is it too early to get excited about Chelsea's prospects? It can be argued that it has been a good decade since they seriously challenged for the Premi

Barnet boss Dean Brennan : Picture by @YTJourno Dean Brennan is very much the glass half full man and despite having the frustration of seeing his team surrender a 100 per cent record in the league, he was full pf praise for the quality of entertainment on show and the direction of travel. The Bees started brightly and led at the interval in the Saturday lunchtime clash with Cheltenham Town at the Hive. But they needed some spirit and a late penalty to salvage a 2-2 draw afte

Time to usher in a new league season at the TH Stadium: Picture by @YTJourno Premier League Tottenham Hotspur (0) 0 Newcastle United (0) 2 Elanga 62, Wissa 72 The personnel may have altered quite a bit but the grim record for Spurs on their home patch shows no signs of immediate improvement. So much optimism has accompanied Tottenham into their new season after they splashed the cash with abandon. But once again they faded after a bright start in their first home league game

Rainy lunchtime at the Hive : Picture by @YTJourno League Two Barnet (1) 2 Lakin 11, Tshimanga 78pen Cheltenham Town (0) 2 Broom 60, McCann 65 Barnet did their best to prove that actions speak louder than words, but in the end had to be satisfied with just the point in their bid to silence the constant bellowing from Steve Cotterill from the sidelines. The Cheltenham boss may have had health scores a few years ago but he is clearly now in robust health and he was easily the l

Gathering of the Eagles faithful : Picture by @YTJourno Premier League Crystal Palace (0) 1 Donnarumma og 56 Manchester City (1) 4 Haaland 17, 84 Cherki 54, 59 Pierre Sage's first home game in charge of the Eagles ended in a resounding defeat as doubles from Erling Haaland and Ryan Cherki underlined the superior finishing of the domestic cup double winners. The defeat makes it two losses from the opening two games and even though there is no cause for alarm, it serves as a wa

Another day, another derby Carabao Cup Second Round Fulham (2) 3 Smith Rowe 37, Muniz 42, Gonzalo 90+3 AFC Wimbledon (0) 0 The big question for Alvaro Arbeloa after this one was: What did Oscar Bobb do to make him the only survivor from Monday night's clash with Chelsea. And was it reward or punishment? Either way, the Man City import seemed to enjoy being the one constant in a starting line up showing 10 changes from three days ago. One of those changes was particularly good

Blues v Hatters by @JTaylorSport Chelsea 2 Luton Town 0 Chelsea prevailed in this second round Carabao Cup tie against a determined Luton Town at Stamford Bridge to ignite a new era with Xavi Alonso in charge. The Blues earned a tie in the exit round against Leeds United, thanks to a comfortable 2-0 win – and a debut goal for Danny Welbeck. An own goal in 78 minutes by Hatters’ defender Hakeem Odoffin made matters safe and to draw more satisfaction for Alonso. It was sufficie

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 5 CHARLTON ATHLETIC 1 Two players at different stages of their careers helped Tottenham ease past Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup. Spurs eventually brushed the Addicks aside with a 5-1 victory and a performance which was a slow burn into a second half of some prime quality in north London. The sort which illustrates the gap between the Premier League and the Championship itself. A home debut goal from substitute Savio lit up the Tottenham Hotspur Stadiu

Fulham (1) 2 v Chelsea (2) 3 Premier League Matchweek 1 Talking Points By Kaz Mochlinski at Craven Cottage Has there ever been a more thrillingly promising start made by a new Chelsea manager than that produced by Xabi Alonso at Fulham? Rarely has such an immediate impact occurred with an opening goal after only 31 seconds. It provided the platform for a 3-2 away victory as all three of Alonso’s new forward line of Cole Palmer, João Pedro and Morgan Rogers scored on their fir