#match-statistics

#match-statistics

"When you suffer the fourth defeat in 12 rounds, that is too many. However, the table is still pretty tight. We are up there and need to deal with this frustration, because losing a game like this can leave a mark. We hardly allowed any counter-attacks, despite knowing the two strikers could cause us problems. The one time we lost the second ball in midfield, they scored. This is football. I take home the good performance."

Preston looked the more dangerous side in the opening stages, with Lewis Dobbin and Liam Lindsay both going close before Michael Smith and Odeluga Offiah both saw efforts blocked in quick succession. Andrew Hughes tested Aynsley Pears in the Blackburn goal before Offiah had another chance in the box, though this time his strike failed to hit the target, but a frantic end to the first half followed.

Lithuania were caught playing out from the back in the 16th minute, with Tijjani Reijnders spinning to meet Frenkie de Jong's throughball and rifle his effort into the top-left corner. He arguably should have had a second shortly after; he broke through the defence once more, only to bend his outside-of-the-boot shot off the left post. Lithuania offered very little threat, but a second-half collapse ensured there was no way back into the game after Artemijus Tutyskinas was penalised for a handball.

Arsenal last conceded a goal at 5.05pm on 28 September. Since then, they've only allowed 12 shots on target in 12 hours and 56 minutes of football, over eight-and-a-half matches, a sequence that equals a club record established in 1903, when they were still knocking around in Woolwich. Nick Ames digs deeper. Share Sunderland are in If It Ain't Broke mode. They name the same XI that started the 2-1 win at Chelsea and the 1-1 draw with Everton.

Middlesbrough returned to the top of the Championship table after holding on for a 2-1 victory over Ipswich Town. Morgan Whittaker's second-half strike proved the difference at the Riverside Stadium, where a Cedric Kipre own-goal put the hosts in front, before a late Dara O'Shea header proved academic for the visitors.

Both sides ended the tense affair with 10 players after Dominique Janssen was shown a straight red card shortly before half-time, while Alexia Fernandez received a second yellow in the 74th minute. The winning goal came from the boot of Fridolina Rolfo, who scored past Lola Gallardo with a stunning volley midway through the first half. Ella Toone's awkward header fell kindly for Rolfo, who made no mistake with her finish at the near post.

Diego Simeone backed his Argentina forward to bounce back from his penalty miss last time out, and Alvarez did exactly that, scoring the winner with a thunderous strike from outside the box in the 88th minute. Alvarez scored his first early on, volleying home with his weaker left foot from Marcos Llorente's cross, but Vallecano fired back with an even better strike as Pep Chavarria fired a rocket from close to 30 yards out to beat Jan Oblak.

It was a worrying start for Alonso's side, with Carlos Alvarez going close for the hosts after just four minutes before Adrian de la Fuente missed a golden opportunity eight minutes later as his header went wide of the target. Madrid eventually kicked into gear and made a breakthrough in the 28th minute as Vinicius, who had reacted angrily to being substituted off in Madrid's previous game, curled the ball into the net with the outside of his boot, leaving Mathew Ryan helpless in the goal.

"I'm more than happy for the team and the staff. We had an excellent week from start to finish. We just proved what I saw every day in this camp. We played with a lot of intensity, it was teamwork in its purest form. From there, we showed our quality. We limited Serbia to no shots on target, you need to put in a lot of work and have intensity in the duels. We did this in all positions."

"Honestly, I couldn't ask for a better way to start," said Smith. "I think with the support of my team-mates, the staff, and the fans, it made it so much sweeter. So, it was a great, great game."

St. Pauli surged to the top of the early Bundesliga standings after a 2-0 away win at Hamburg in the first derby match between the two sides in Germany's top division since 2011. After a late fightback to earn a 3-3 draw with Borussia Dortmund on the opening day, Alexander Blessin's side overcame Hamburg, who saw Giorgi Gocholeishvili sent off.