Saturday, September 5, 2026

Man City make it three wins in a row, Palace earn first points

Manchester City scrambled a 1-0 Premier League victory over promoted Coventry City on Saturday that maintained their 100% record but showed Enzo Maresca’s side are a work in progress after completing their £450-million ($608.45-million) rebuild.

A third successive win was sealed in familiar fashion by Erling Haaland, with a little help from British-record-equalling signing Enzo Fernandez on his debut but City were made to sweat by a Coventry side still seeking a first point.

Crystal Palace earned their first league victory of the campaign as they twice came from a goal down to prevail 3-2 at Fulham, while four other games ended all square.

Newcastle United recovered from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 at home to Bournemouth who scored first for the third game in a row but are still without a victory.

Tottenham Hotspur picked up their first point of the season but failed to have a shot on target in a 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest who had a goal ruled out by VAR for handball.

Brighton & Hove Albion drew 1-1 at home to Leeds United, Brentford versus Sunderland also finished 1-1, while promoted Hull City held visitors Aston Villa to a 0-0 draw.

CITY TRANSFER SPLURGE

After Manchester City’s eye-watering splurge continued until Tuesday with the arrival of Argentina midfielder Fernandez from Chelsea and Everton forward Iliman Ndiaye, Coventry may have feared the worst at The Etihad Stadium.

Maresca handed debuts to Fernandez and fellow deadline-day signing Ndiaye, while midfielder Elliott Anderson, whose club-record £115 million arrival was surpassed by Fernandez, was also in the starting lineup.

Fernandez played a key role in Haaland’s 26th-minute opener, sliding a pass through for Antoine Semenyo, whose cross the Norway striker headed in. Haaland’s strike was his 300th goal in all competitions in his top-flight club career.

Haaland also had a goal ruled out but it was Coventry who finished strongly and an equaliser would not have flattered Frank Lampard’s side, who forced City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma into a string of saves.

City completed 803 passes to Coventry’s 217 but there was some relief at the final whistle, although Maresca was happy enough with the nature of the performance.

“I really liked today for different reasons. First half we could have scored one or two more but we worked together to win so I am happy,” the Italian said.

“Anxiety from the fans is normal. Nine out of 10 of these games you end with a bad feeling but it’s important to win 1-0. Not all the performances are going to be nice, you also need ugly moments.”

City lead the table with nine points. Champions Arsenal and Chelsea, the other teams with a 100% record, meet on Sunday at The Emirates Stadium.

Hull dropped their first points in an impressive start to life back in the top flight but have yet to concede a goal, while Villa’s struggles persisted as Unai Emery’s side still search for a first goal and have one point from three matches.

CRAVEN COTTAGE ENTERTAINMENT

Coventry and Fulham remain without a point after three games, while Villa will hope to get their tally up and running when they travel to surprise package Hull.

The day’s real entertainment happened at Craven Cottage where Fulham’s new manager Alvaro Arbeloa suffered his third successive defeat as Ben Chilwell scored the winner for Palace.

Josh King put Fulham ahead after 11 minutes but Tyrick Mitchell levelled for the visitors before Cesar Palacios tucked in a rebound to restore the home side’s lead.

Mitchell equalised again for Pierre Sage’s side before Chilwell, who joined on a free transfer, latched onto a loose ball to drive home the winner in the 77th minute.

“It’s a good result but we have to be honest, our start has not been of the level expected. We did better with mentality in the second half,” Sage said.

Bournemouth made Premier League history by becoming the first club to score first in their opening three games of a season without winning any of them.

Marcus Tavernier gave Bournemouth an early lead before a Malick Thiaw own goal made it 2-0 after 35 minutes.

Harvey Barnes pulled a goal back before halftime and Jacob Ramsey earned Newcastle a point with a late strike to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

“Two times already in the last two games, but it is what it is,” Bournemouth manager Marco Rose said. “It’s good that we are in situations to be able to win games … We have to talk about the negatives, get better and try to finish the games.”

Vitaly Janelt put Brentford ahead against the run of play just before the hour mark against Sunderland but Enzo le Fee’s late penalty earned the visitors a point. Brighton’s record signing Luka Vuskovic scored his side’s equaliser against Leeds.

Tottenham are yet to score in the league this season but at least emerged with a point from the City Ground, although Forest were left frustrated after Neco Williams’ second-half effort was ruled out for handball after some chaotic Spurs defending. (Reuters)

The post Man City make it three wins in a row, Palace earn first points first appeared on Fastbreak.


UFC Paris: Salahdine Parnasse sends message to Max Holloway following main event win in debut

Lightweight Salahdine Parnasse won his UFC debut in emphatic fashion with a first-round liver kick TKO against New Zealand’s Dan Hooker in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Paris, France, Saturday at Accor Arena. Parnasse only needed 2:35 of the frame to finish the fight.

“I’m the best fighter in the world,” Parnasse said. “I knew I was going to finish the fight. I finish all my fights by KO.”

Parnasse (24-2 MMA) said he’s interested in fighting former UFC featherweight and “BMF” champion Max Holloway or a top-five opponent for his second Octagon outing.

“Thank you, Dana (White) for the opportunity,” Parnasse said.

Parnasse previously competed for other MMA promotions all over the world, including MVP MMA and Poland’s KSW.

Hooker (24-15 MMA) has dropped three straight fights and entered the fight No. 10 in the division.

In the co-headliner, lightweight Axel Sola of France beat fellow native Fares Ziam with one left hook 1:40 into the opening round. Sola (13-1-1 MMA) has won back-to-back fights, while Ziam is on the direct inverse path despite having won six of his last eight fights. The KO saw Ziam (18-6 MMA) go unconscious, leaving the crowd in stunned silence.

The next fight saw middleweight Michael Page of England win a unanimous decision over Uzbekistan’s Nursulton Ruziboev in a lackluster all-around performance to the tune of immense boos from the Accor Arena audience. Page (26-3 MMA) swept the judges’ scorecards 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 in what was the final fight of his UFC contract, improving to 5-1 in the promotion. Ruziboev (37-10-2 MMA) had his three-fight winning streak snapped.

Welterweight Daniil Donchenko of Ukraine won a unanimous decision over Hawaii’s Punahele Soriano with a mix of dominant wrestling and unorthodox striking across the 15-minute contest. Donchenko (16-2 MMA) took the cards 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 as he continues his momentum following his Ultimate Fighter Season 33 finale last fall. Soriano (13-5 MMA) had a four-fight winning streak snapped.

Featherweight Kurtis Campbell turned in an effortless performance over Trevor Peek, finding a third-round rear-naked choke at 3:07 in the third round. Campbell (9-1 MMA) of England became the first fighter to finish Peek, as Campbell set a UFC featherweight record with 13 takedowns throughout the fight. Peek (9-4 MMA) has lost three straight, last seeing the win column in Oct. 2023.

Featherweight Losene Keita of Guinea began the UFC Paris main card with a devastating overhand right to finish Muhammad Naimov at 2:54 of the opening round. Keita (17-2 MMA) improved to 1-1 under the UFC banner with his 11th KO/TKO in MMA overall, while Tajikistan’s Naimov (13-5 MMA) has lost three of his last five.

The post UFC Paris: Salahdine Parnasse sends message to Max Holloway following main event win in debut first appeared on Fastbreak.


Columbus man killed in Opelika crash on 2nd Avenue
OPELIKA, Ala. (WRBL) — A Colombus man has been killed in a multi-vehicle crash in Opelika on Friday afternoon, according to the Opelika Police Department (OPD). The crash happened around 2:12 p.m. on 2nd Avenue. An OPD officer who was travelling on 2nd Avenue said he witnessed the multi-vehicle crash which included an SUV and [...]
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Heat Advisory continues through this evening
COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) —No immediate relief from the heat today as the Heat Advisory will continue through this evening, expect heat indices between 100-108 degrees. High temperatures today will stay closer to the middle 90s thanks to clouds left behind from overnight showers. Isolated showers and storms possible this afternoon and evening but a better [...]
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Friday, September 4, 2026

News 3 PrepZone Week 3: Georgia high school football highlights
COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — WRBL is now in week three of News 3 PrepZone coverage! Stick with WRBL on air and online throughout the football season as we cover high school football games in Georgia, Alabama and across the Chattahoochee Valley. Check out the list of Georgia scores from week three below: Check out the top [...]
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