Weekend Football Round-Up: 28-30 August 2026

Manchester City and Chelsea maintained their perfect Premier League starts, Bruno Fernandes inspired a Manchester United comeback and Liverpool were held for the second successive weekend.

There were goals throughout the EFL, including seven for Sheffield Wednesday and five apiece for Stockport County, Mansfield Town and Southampton. Celtic continued their winning start in Scotland, while Rangers claimed a much-needed victory at Aberdeen.

Haaland and Cherki put Manchester City in control

Manchester City set the tone for the weekend with an impressive 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Friday evening.

Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki scored twice each as Enzo Maresca’s side made it two wins from two. Haaland headed City in front before Cherki produced a superb individual goal early in the second half.

Palace briefly reduced the deficit when a Yeremy Pino free-kick rebounded into the net off Gianluigi Donnarumma, but Cherki restored City’s two-goal advantage almost immediately. Haaland then completed the scoring with five minutes remaining.

City finished the weekend at the top of the early Premier League table, ahead of Hull City and Chelsea on goal difference. Reuters

Chelsea survive Brighton fightback

Chelsea also collected their second victory, although Xabi Alonso’s side were made to work considerably harder during a remarkable 4-3 win over Brighton at Stamford Bridge.

Goals from Romeo Lavia, Pedro Neto and João Pedro put Chelsea 3-0 ahead inside 32 minutes. Brighton refused to surrender, with Malick Yalcouyé pulling one back before a João Pedro own goal reduced the gap to a single goal.

Cole Palmer restored Chelsea’s cushion from the penalty spot, but Pascal Groß headed Brighton’s third during stoppage time to produce a nervous finish.

Chelsea’s attacking football has yielded seven goals from their opening two matches, although five conceded at the other end suggests Alonso still has defensive issues to address. Reuters

Fernandes hat-trick drives United comeback

Manchester United responded to their opening defeat at Hull with a 5-2 victory over Ipswich Town at Old Trafford.

The afternoon initially threatened to become another uncomfortable one for Michael Carrick’s side when Leif Davis put Ipswich ahead after 29 minutes. Bruno Fernandes equalised shortly before half-time, however, and United took complete control after the interval.

Harry Maguire put United in front before Fernandes converted a penalty and completed his hat-trick seven minutes later. Bryan Mbeumo added a fifth, with Chuba Akpom scoring a stoppage-time consolation for Ipswich.

The result delivered a convincing response from United, but Fernandes was once again the player responsible for transforming their performance. The Guardian

Liverpool held as Newcastle deepen Tottenham’s problems

Liverpool had to come from behind twice to earn a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest at Anfield.

Dan Ndoye gave Forest the lead before Alexander Isak levelled on the hour. Morgan Gibbs-White restored the visitors’ advantage from the penalty spot, only for Víctor Muñoz to rescue Liverpool with a powerful equaliser eight minutes from time.

Liverpool have now drawn both of their opening league matches 2-2, leaving them with plenty of attacking promise but only two points.

Newcastle United collected their first victory of the season with a 2-0 win at Tottenham. Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa struck during the second half, leaving Spurs without a point or a goal from their opening two games.

Hull City’s excellent return to the Premier League continued with a 1-0 victory at Coventry City. Liam Millar scored the only goal in the 82nd minute, giving Hull six points and two clean sheets from their first two fixtures.

Elsewhere, James Tarkowski’s stoppage-time equaliser earned Everton a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth. Dominic Calvert-Lewin rescued a point for Leeds against Brentford, while Wilson Isidor scored Sunderland’s winner in a 1-0 victory over Fulham. Premier League results

Charlton lead as Southampton and Norwich hit form

Charlton Athletic moved to the top of the Championship with a third consecutive victory. Tyreece Grant scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over Preston North End, maintaining Charlton’s perfect start.

Southampton produced the division’s biggest result of the weekend by beating Millwall 5-1. Millwall scored first through Ross Sykes, but Flynn Downes’ side responded through Cyle Larin, Finn Azaz, Leo Scienza and Tom Fellows. Larin finished with two goals.

Norwich City also recorded their first league victory in emphatic fashion, beating Burnley 4-1 at Carrow Road. Mo Touré and Andre Brooks both scored twice after Norwich raced into a two-goal lead inside five minutes.

Wolverhampton Wanderers recovered from an early deficit to defeat Stoke City 4-1, with Rodrigo Gomes scoring twice. Middlesbrough beat West Bromwich Albion 3-1, while Swansea City enjoyed an impressive 3-0 victory at Derby County.

Lincoln City recorded their first win in the second tier for 65 years as Ben House’s goal secured a 1-0 victory at Bolton Wanderers.

Birmingham City began the weekend with a 2-1 win at Wrexham, while QPR, Bristol City and Watford also collected points. Cardiff City and Sheffield United remain without a victory after an eventful 2-2 draw in which all four goals arrived before half-time. Championship results

Nine goals at Hillsborough

Sheffield Wednesday produced the standout League One score by beating Bromley 7-2 at Hillsborough. Jamal Lowe and Louie Barry scored twice each as Wednesday recorded their second league victory of the campaign.

Stockport County were almost as impressive, defeating Wycombe Wanderers 5-1. Kyle Wootton and Jack Diamond were among the scorers after Odin Bailey Wood struck twice during the opening 23 minutes.

Blackpool beat Peterborough United 4-0, while Barnsley won 3-1 at Leyton Orient. Huddersfield Town scored twice in the closing stages to turn a deficit into a 2-1 victory at Cambridge United.

Sunday’s action brought another seven-goal game as Mansfield Town defeated Luton Town 5-2. AFC Wimbledon left it much later, with Myles Hippolyte scoring in the 88th minute to secure a 1-0 win over Wigan Athletic. League One results

Unbeaten sides set the pace in League Two

Walsall maintained their unbeaten start with a 3-2 victory over Accrington Stanley, while York City defeated Exeter City 2-1.

Barnet came from two goals behind to draw 2-2 with Cheltenham Town, leaving both Barnet and Walsall among a group of clubs on seven points.

Crewe Alexandra are also on seven points and are yet to concede after drawing 0-0 at Port Vale. Colchester United joined them with a late 1-0 win over Rochdale.

Oldham Athletic recorded the largest League Two victory of the weekend, beating Swindon Town 3-0. Bristol Rovers won 2-0 at Crawley, while Rotherham United struck in the 90th minute to defeat Chesterfield 2-1. League Two results

Celtic remain perfect as Rangers get off the mark

Celtic maintained their perfect Scottish Premiership record with a 2-1 victory over Falkirk.

Camilo Durán scored twice during the opening half-hour, although a Colby Donovan own goal gave Falkirk hope during the closing stages. Celtic held on to make it three league wins from three.

Hearts defeated St Johnstone 2-1, while Dundee United claimed their first victory of the season with an emphatic 4-0 win at Kilmarnock.

Rangers finally collected their first league victory under Derek McInnes, beating Aberdeen 1-0 at Pittodrie. Lawrence Shankland converted the decisive penalty after 69 minutes, although Rangers survived a late scare when Kevin Nisbet’s apparent equaliser was disallowed following a VAR review.

Hibernian won 2-1 at Dundee through goals from Martin Boyle and Drey Wright.

The weekend’s most dramatic Scottish game came in Paisley, where St Mirren and Motherwell drew 3-3. Motherwell raced into a 2-0 lead, only for St Mirren to score three times before half-time. Wilfried Kanga then rescued Motherwell with a stoppage-time equaliser. Scottish Premiership results

Late drama in the National League

The National League’s Bank Holiday programme began on Friday evening, with a second set of fixtures scheduled for Monday.

Justin Amaluzor Abrahams scored a first-half hat-trick as Aldershot Town beat Harrogate Town 3-1. Kidderminster Harriers claimed an impressive 3-1 victory at Southend United, while Scunthorpe United beat Solihull Moors by the same score.

Yeovil Town scored twice in the closing minutes to win 2-1 at Barrow. Tamworth went even later, striking in the 94th and 98th minutes to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 victory over Worthing.

Elsewhere, Sutton United won at Gateshead, Eastleigh edged past Hartlepool and AFC Fylde defeated Forest Green Rovers 2-0. National League results

The Premier League weekend concludes on Monday evening when Aston Villa host Arsenal. That match, together with the Bank Holiday National League programme and the week’s cup and European action, will be covered in our next Midweek Football Round-Up.