Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca downplayed the significance of becoming the first manager to win his first three away games in the Premier League since his former mentor Pep Guardiola achieved the same feat in 2016.

Maresca – who had a spell as one of Guardiola’s assistant managers at Manchester City – oversaw Chelsea’s 3-0 win at West Ham United on Saturday and said he believed his young squad was making progress, even if they still had room for improvement.

“The way the players are buying the idea, or the different style, since I arrived has been top,” Maresca told reporters. “I think we are on the right path, we are in the right direction. But this is a long journey.”

Maresca is the fourth permanent coach to work for Chelsea’s American owners since they bought the club in 2022.

After finishing 12th two seasons ago and sixth in the last campaign, Chelsea are desperate to recover their status as an English and European heavyweight.

Co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali were both in attendance at the London Stadium on Saturday, despite media reports of a rift, and they congratulated the players and coaching staff after the game.

“They were in the changing room, they were all happy,” Maresca said. “The main target in this moment is to see how we progress as a team and I think we are improving many things even if today we could attack better, we could defend better.”

Maresca said he sensed that a coherent team would soon emerge from the flurry of players who have arrived at Stamford Bridge in recent months, including winger Jadon Sancho and defender Tosin Adarabioyo who both made their first starts for Chelsea against West Ham.

“It’s just a matter of time,” the Italian said. “I said at the beginning the most important thing is how the players they have bought since we arrived here work together, and this is the most important thing.”

West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui, who is also finding his feet after moving to London over the summer, said he was very frustrated that his team had given away two early goals to Chelsea with defensive errors.

Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson scored in the fourth and 18th minutes when unmarked, and Cole Palmer made it 3-0 shortly after half time.

Asked about the booing that rang out from the home fans during the game, Lopetegui asked for patience from supporters.

“For sure this group of players they are going to improve and they are going to have time to give the fans the best days that they deserve,” the Spaniard said. “We feel their support, their ambition and of course today is a bad day for all of us.”

-Reuters

New signing Matthijs de Ligt grabbed his first goal for Manchester United while Marcus Rashford scored for the first time since March in a 3-0 Premier

League victory at Southampton on Saturday after a shaky start to the season.

Alejandro Garnacho added a late goal for Erik ten Hag’s side who started the day 14th in the standings after back-to-back losses. They now have six points from four matches while newly promoted Southampton remain without a point.

Southampton dominated early on but squandered a chance to take the lead in the 34th minute after United goalkeeper Onana saved Cameron Archer’s poor penalty, sparking an immediate shift in momentum at St Mary’s Stadium.

A minute later, De Ligt headed in a sumptuous ball from Bruno Fernandes after Christian Eriksen’s short corner.

“I think if you get three points from three games it’s not enough so there was some pressure, but I think today we played very well,” said De Ligt, a summer signing from Bayern Munich.

Rashford, who had gone 13 games without a goal, then ended his drought when he was left unmarked on the edge of the box to bend a diagonal shot in the far corner in the 41st.

Ten Hag had been criticised for starting Rashford but he has stuck by the much-maligned 26-year-old — who had not found the back of the net since United’s 2-0 win over Everton on March 9 — saying pre-game that Rashford needed only a goal or an assist and “then he will fly”.

“It’s very important,” the Dutchman said after the win. “It is so huge for him, for every striker, when the season starts you want to be on the scoring list. Now he has his first, I’m sure more will come.”

Archer’s penalty miss spoiled a stellar first league start for Southampton’s Tyler Dibling. The 18-year-old, who had scored for England’s Under-19 side in a loss to Germany four days earlier, drew the penalty when he dribbled at Diogo Dalot only to be taken down by the defender in the box.

That was the turning point, as the hosts were almost immediately punished for the miss but goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale tipped a low shot from Joshua Zirkzee just wide of the net.

“It was a turning point for us,” Onana said. “I’m happy for the guys, we had a great game, now we move on.”

What started as a solid afternoon for Southampton had a wretched ending as Russell Martin’s side failed to register a shot after the missed penalty and were reduced to 10 men in the 79th minute when defender Jack Stephens was sent off for a high tackle on Garnacho.

The Argentine forward smashed the ball in with almost the last kick of the game to seal the win for the visitors.

United finished with 20 shots to the home side’s six.

-Reuters

Arsenal face a daunting set of fixtures starting with a trip to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, with influential midfielders sidelined this weekend, but Mikel Arteta’s side can take heart from their recent record in north London derbies.

Having been held to a draw by Brighton & Hove Albion in their last outing, Arsenal are two points off the pace after champions Manchester City and Liverpool had perfect starts.

Letting points slip in the past two campaigns has punished Arsenal in the title race. With City and Liverpool playing on Saturday, Arsenal could potentially be staring at a five-point gap ahead of Sunday’s short trip to face their neighbours.

Arsenal will wear their away kit in the derby for the first time in 38 years due to a colour clash but two men who will not be wearing their black strip are skipper Martin Odegaard and midfield partner Declan Rice.

While Odegaard is out for several weeks nursing an ankle injury sustained in Norway’s Nations League victory against Austria in midweek, Rice is suspended following a controversial red card against Brighton for kicking the ball away.

Form usually goes out of the window in north London derbies, which often produce spicy encounters, but Arsenal have had the upper hand in the last two seasons, winning three and drawing one of the last four league matches against Spurs.

The hosts also have injury worries with forwards Richarlison and Dominic Solanke plus defender Micky van de Ven missing their 2-1 loss at Newcastle United, though the latter two are expected to return.

FORCED ROTATION

With Arsenal’s midweek Champions League game at Atalanta and a trip to City the following weekend, Arteta will be forced to rotate his squad or even change his formation.

Since new signing Mikel Merino is also injured, he may have to play the versatile Kai Havertz in a deeper role. Brazil forward Gabriel Jesus has also been sidelined, while striker Eddie Nketiah moved to Crystal Palace on deadline day.

“He could play Leandro Trossard or even Raheem Sterling, but that’s a big ask for a winger to play up front at a new club,” Sky Sports pundit and former Arsenal forward Paul Merson said, adding the club should have signed another striker.

“You might get away with it for two or three games playing a false nine, but you wouldn’t want to go seven, eight, nine games with one,” he added.

The weekend kicks off with 14th-placed Manchester United looking to put their early season troubles behind them as they travel to promoted Southampton, who are without a point so far.

Erik ten Hag is in his third season as United boss but a 3-0 humbling by Liverpool — whose manager Arne Slot was taking charge of just his third game — rang alarm bells among the Old Trafford faithful although the Dutchman has the club’s backing.

Leaders City host sixth-placed Brentford, while second-placed Liverpool, the only Premier League team yet to concede a goal this season, welcome Nottingham Forest.

Ipswich Town travel to third-placed Brighton seeking a first win following their return to the top flight, while bottom side Everton, with three straight losses, travel to Aston Villa.

-Reuters