Europe

MANCHESTER — Bruno Fernandes scored his first hat-trick in English football in front of a raucous Old Trafford as Manchester United thrashed Leeds United 5-1 to get their Premier League season off to a flying start on Saturday.

French midfielder Paul Pogba also starred with four assists - one more than he managed in the whole of last season in the league - to help United run riot in front of their first full crowd in 17 months.

Christian Pulisic opened his 2021/22 Chelsea scoring account in the first game of the season with a true poacher’s finish. With Chelsea leading 1-0 in the first half courtesy of a Marcos Alonso thunderbolt free kick, Pulisic made it 2-0 in the 40th minute.

Christian Pulisic Goal vs. Crystal Palace

One match, one goal for Christian Pulisic!

@peacocktv pic.twitter.com/tKYRQo6dAV

Champions Bayern Munich had to work their way back from a goal down in their Bundesliga season opener on Friday as they earned a 1-1 draw at Borussia Moenchengladbach thanks to last season's top scorer Robert Lewandowski.

The Bayern forward, who scored an all-time league record 41 goals last season, but was repeatedly denied by Gladbach keeper Yann Sommer, volleyed in from a corner to level in the 42nd minute after Alassane Plea had put the hosts in front in the 10th.

Brentford hadn’t played a game in England’s top flight in nearly three-quarters of a century. The Bees came swarming back on Friday to open their Premier League campaign by thumping Arsenal 2-0 on the opening night of league play.

The Arsenal vs. Brentford highlights are a reminder of how much better this sport is in front of a full stadium. The scenes before the game were enough to give goosebumps

The scenes that Brentford supporters have waited 75 YEARS FOR.

PARIS — The arrival of Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain has created a positive mood at the Ligue 1 club but he is unlikely to play any part in Saturday's home game against Strasbourg, coach Mauricio Pochettino said.

Speaking at Friday's news conference ahead of the league fixture after Messi joined PSG from Barcelona earlier this week, Pochettino added his first task was to make sure a star-studded outfit began to look the sum of its parts.

BERLIN - Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann had hoped for a strong Bundesliga start in his first league game in charge of the champions on Friday at Borussia Mönchengladbach but instead is struggling with injuries.

Nagelsmann, who succeeded Hansi Flick on the bench, added defender Benjamin Pavard to the injury list after the France international suffered an ankle injury in training.

ROME - Romelu Lukaku is a familiar face to Premier League viewers, but the player who completed a $134.7 million return to Chelsea on Thursday is, by his own admission, not the same one who departed England two years ago.

“Italy has brought me to another level. I have never felt this strong. I have reached another level, physically and mentally,” Lukaku said in May.

PARIS - Lionel Messi trained with new club Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday, two days after joining the Ligue 1 giants from Barcelona, French daily L'Equipe reported.

It was the first time Messi, who won 10 LaLiga and four Champions League titles with Barcelona, set foot on the pitch since leading Argentina to the Copa América title with a 1-0 win over Brazil.