Friendlies: Dortmund, Inter, Atletico WIN; Everton hold Sevilla, Bournemouth draw with Napoli

• Everton 2-2 Sevilla

Sandro Ramirez scored his first goal in an Everton shirt as the Toffees drew 2-2 with Sevilla at Goodison Park.

Ramirez, who joined from Malaga in July, scored with just 32 seconds on the clock as he rounded goalkeeper David Soria and tapped the ball into the net.

But Sevilla replied with two goals as Ever Banega struck twice in the space of four minutes early in the second half.

The Argentine scored with a tidy finish past goalkeeper Jordan Pickford before converting a penalty moments later when Gareth Barry fouled Nolito in the box.

Kevin Mirallas equalised from the spot in the 80th minute, meaning Ronald Koeman’s side had to settle for a draw.

• Brighton & Hove Albion 2-3 Atletico Madrid

In front of a crowd of 31,000 at the Amex Stadium, Brighton lost 3-2 to Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.

Pascal Gross and Steve Sidwell each pulled a goal back for the hosts to equalise, but Lucas Hernandez gave Atletico the win against Chris Hughton’s side.

Nicolas Gaitan broke the deadlock with a tame strike past goalkeeper Mathew Ryan in the 43rd minute before Gross equalised with a deflected free-kick in the 61st minute.

Fernando Torres then gave Atletico the lead again six minutes later with a header.

Sidwell got on the end of a Solly March cross with a header to level again for the Seagulls, but Atletico won the game late on as Ryan parried Antoine Griezmann’s effort into the path of Hernandez, who secured victory for Los Colchoneros in the 89th minute.

• Inter Milan 3-1 Villarreal

Stevan Jovetic and Marcelo Brozovic scored to give Inter Milan a 3-1 win over Villarreal. Roberto Soldado scored the consolation goal for the Spanish side.

• Newcastle United 2-0 Hellas Verona

Newcastle beat Serie A outfit Hellas Verona 2-0 at St James’ Park in their final friendly ahead of the new Premier League season.

Ayoze Perez put the hosts in front in the fourth minute as he got on the end of a Javier Manquillo cross to convert at the near post.

Just eight minutes later, Newcastle scored their second as Jonjo Shelvey slipped through the onrushing Christian Atsu and he slotted the ball past goalkeeper Nícolas to hand Newcastle a comfortable victory.

• Bournemouth 2-2 Napoli

Bournemouth drew 2-2 with Napoli in an entertaining friendly at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday evening.

Dries Mertens gave the visitors the lead in the 30th minute as Lorenzo Insigne’s strike heavily deflected off the Belgian and past Asmir Begovic in goal.

The Cherries pulled a goal back in the 51st minute as Max Gradel’s deflected cross was nodded in at the far post by Benik Afobe.

Fullback Simon Francis then gave Bournemouth the lead in the 75th minute as he confidently rounded goalkeeper Rafael Cabral and slotted home.

But with less than ten minutes to go, Napoli’s Piotr Zielkinski converted from close range after the ball bobbled around the box to ensure the Serie A club went home with a draw.

• Rw Erfurt 2-5 Borussia Dortmund

One day after losing the German Super Cup to Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund cruised to a 5-2 victory at RW Erfurt.

Liga side FC Rot-Weiss Erfurt. Seventeen-year-old Swedish forward Alexander Isak scored four times for Peter Bosz’s side, while Jan-Niklas Beste added the fifth.

Lion Lauberbach and Elias Huth scored for the hosts.

• Stuttgart 1-2 Real Betis

Real Betis won 2-1 at Stuttgart.

• Hoffeinheim 1-2 Bologna

Hoffenheim lost 2-1 at home to Bologna,

• Augsburg 0-0 PSV Eindhoven

Augsburg and PSV Eindhoven finished goalless.

• Wolfsburg 0-2 Fiorentina

Wolfsburg were beaten 2-0 by Fiorentina.

• Hamburg 1-1 Espanyol

Espanyol drew 1-1 at Hamburg.

Friendlies: Spurs beat Juventus; Bilbao beaten by Liverpool

• Liverpool 3-1 Athletic Bilbao

Liverpool concluded their warm-up games with a victory, beating La Liga side Athletic Bilbao 3-1 in Dublin.

Roberto Firmino, Ben Woodburn and Dominic Solanke scored the goals in front of over 51,000 fans in Ireland.

Roberto Firmino’s penalty was cancelled out by Inaki Williams’s well-taken strike in the first half.

Jurgen Klopp’s side will go into the new Premier League season, which they begin at Watford next Saturday, off the back of a pre-season campaign during which they were unbeaten inside 90 minutes.

• Tottenham 2-0 Juventus

Tottenham concluded their pre-season campaign with a 2-0 victory over Serie A champions Juventus at Wembley Stadium.

Harry Kane opened the scoring with a header in the 10th minute and Christian Eriksen added a second seven minutes after half-time after receiving a Dele Alli pass and beating Gianluigi Buffon.

The victory at their home for the season might have been even more emphatic, but Kane and Moussa Sissoko both struck the woodwork, while Hugo Lloris made two fine saves to deny Juan Cuadrado and Paulo Dybala.

The only sour note for Mauricio Pochettino was an injury to right-back Kieran Trippier, who set up Kane’s goal but limped off after 42 minutes.

• • Southampton 2-0 Sevilla

Southampton gave themselves a boost ahead of next weekend’s Premier League opener against Swansea City with a 2-0 victory over Sevilla.

Goals from Jack Stephens and Manolo Gabbiadini did the damage for Mauricio Pellegrino’s team.

Stephens’ first-half volley gave Saints the advantage going into the break, before Gabbiadini doubled the advantage with a neat finish eight minutes from time.

• Swansea 4-0 Sampdoria

Swansea left out Gylfi Sigurdsson once again as they brushed Sampdoria aside in their final friendly before the Premier League season starts.

Everton and Leicester have had £40m bids rejected for the Iceland midfielder, who Swansea value at £50m.

Leroy Fer’s header put the Swans 1-0 up, before Sampdoria’s Ricky Alvarez put a back pass into his own net.

Tammy Abraham bundled in a third and then Federico Fernandez nodded in to complete the rout.

Stoke City benefitted from an own goal to steal a 2-1 win away to RB Leipzig. Last season’s Bundesliga runners-up took a fifth minute lead after Jack Butland conceded a penalty that Emil Forsberg created, but Mame Diouf equalised following a corner just before the break. But on 78 minutes, Leipzig’s Marvin Compper headed a seemingly harmless cross up and over his own goalkeeper.

Frank de Boer’s first game in the Selhurst Park dugout ended in stalemate as Crystal Palace drew 1-1 with FC Schalke.

The Eagles trailed at the break when Pablo Insua netted just before half-time but Christian Benteke equalised on the hour mark with a header after some speedy work down the flank by Wilfried Zaha. T

he result means Palace are unbeaten in their last three pre-season matches ahead of their season opener with Premier League new boys Huddersfield next weekend.

• Watford 0-0 Real Sociedad

The Graham Taylor Trophy was shared as Watford and Real Sociedad played out a goalless draw on a poignant day to celebrate the Hornets legendary former boss.

• Burnley 1-0 Hannover (ABANDONED)

Burnley’s pre-season friendly at home to Hannover had to be abandoned on police advice. The Clarets were leading 1-0 at half-time thanks to a goal from Ben Mee when the announcement came.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Juan Mata score as Manchester United win Sampdoria in Dublin

Manchester United 2-1 Sampdoria

Juan Mata scored the winner as Manchester United’s pre-season ended with an encouraging 2-1 victory over Sampdoria in Dublin.

In a game that will be remembered for Nemanja Matic making his first United appearance, Jose Mourinho’s side took the lead inside nine minutes thanks to Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s third goal of pre-season.

United controlled large parts of the friendly at the Aviva Stadium but were made to work for the victory as Dennis Praet’s 63rd-minute strike set up a tense finale.

But substitute Mata made the workout worthwhile with the decisive strike nine minutes from time as United signed off their preparations for the new campaign with a sixth win from seven.

United face Real Madrid in the Uefa Super Cup final on Tuesday before starting their Premier League campaign against West Ham on Sunday, 13 August.

Dominic Solanke impresses as Philippe Coutinho captained Liverpool beat Hertha Berlin

Liverpool 3-0 Hertha Berlin

Dominic Solanke scored his second goal of pre-season as Liverpool eased past Hertha Berlin 3-0 on Saturday.

The summer signing nodded the Reds in front in the 15th minute at the Olympiastadion, having been called into the starting XI as a late replacement after Divock Origi pulled out with a tight hamstring.

Solanke then played a part in setting up Georginio Wijnaldum to score the second, before Philippe Coutinho, named as captain for the day, lofted a ball over the top for Mo Salah to make it 3-0 after half-time.

The win continues Liverpool’s unbeaten pre-season campaign and should provide more optimism for the campaign ahead, with several new signings impressing in a good all-around display.

Perhaps with recent speculation over his future in mind, Jurgen Klopp handed the captain’s armband to Coutinho, with the Brazil international playing on the left of the front three in the first half.

Sadio Mane also started as he made his first appearance since suffering a knee injury in April.

Manchester City thrash Tottenham in ICC

Manchester City coasted to a 3-0 International Champions Cup victory over Tottenham in Nashville.

New signings Ederson, Danilo and Kyle Walker were all named in the City starting line-up but it was John Stones who opened the scoring 10 minutes into the game.

City should have been out of sight before the break as they created a string of chances, with Gabriel Jesus missing an open goal late in the half.

In the second half Sergio Aguero struck the post twice before Raheem Sterling and Brahim Diaz then added further goals in the second half to wrap up victory.

Sterling doubled the advantage with 16 minutes when he waltzed through an almost static Tottenham defence and turned the ball past Michel Vorm.

Victory was wrapped up in stoppage time when Tottenham failed to clear their lines after a series of shots were blocked and Diaz popped up to make it two goals from two games with a simple tap in.

Ivan Perisic strike as Inter Milan beat Chelsea to clinch ICC Singapore

Chelsea 1 – 2 Inter Milan

Luciano Spalletti’s Inter Milan defeated Antonio Conte’s Chelsea 2-1 to win the International Champions Cup Singapore tournament.

Ivan Perisic demonstrated what he can do against Premier League opposition by firing Inter Milan to a 2-1 friendly victory over Chelsea in Singapore.

The Croatian winger has been linked with Manchester United this summer although Inter boss Luciano Spalletti said in the build-up to this pre-season clash he would “strongly oppose” any sale.

Nerazzurri players scored all three goals at the National Stadium, with former Manchester City forward Stevan Jovetic converting a penalty in first-half stoppage time to give the Italians the lead.

Perisic, who notched 11 times in Serie A last season, made it 2-0 with a stunning angled drive shortly after the restart and substitute Geoffrey Kondogbia ensured the tie was memorable by providing a comical own goal.

Somehow the French midfielder managed to lob Inter goalkeeper Daniele Padelli from 40 yards with an overcooked back-pass. It was not, however, enough to save Chelsea from back-to-back defeats.

Eder’s brace help Inter Milan sink Bayern Munich

Inter Milan striker Eder scored an early brace to secure a 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the International Champions Cup (ICC) in Singapore.

Bayern had caught Chelsea cold on Tuesday when three strikes in the first 30 minutes set the Germans up for a 3-2 win, but this time it was the Bundesliga champions who were caught cold as some sluggish defending allowed Eder to net twice in the first half-hour.

Ivan Perisic showed flashes of the form that has attracted the attention of Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho as Inter warmed up for Saturday’s clash with Chelsea with a positive result.

Franck Ribery provided the first moment of magic in the sixth minute when he cut inside from the left and fired in a powerful shot that Samir Handanovic did well to push over.

But Inter responded by taking an eighth-minute lead. Antonio Candreva broke down the right and swung in a tantalising low cross. Eder got in front of Bayern defender Felix Gotze, and the ball bounced perfectly for him to stoop and send a header into the top corner of the net from 10 yards.

Perisic then did a little showboating with a few stepovers, much to the delight of the crowd, demonstrating the confidence the goal had given the Italian side.

Inter added a second goal in the 30th minute when the Bayern defence were again caught napping. Perisic found time and space on the left to deliver an excellent cross, and the Bayern defence allowed Eder a free run into the box.

The Italy international took advantage by heading past Sven Ulreich. Things down got worse for the German champions as their most lively player, Ribery, went off injured and was replaced by Milos Pantovic.

It was a much-changed Bayern side that appeared for the second half.

Thomas Muller replaced James Rodriguez as a total of four substitutions were made. There was almost an immediate impact as Robert Lewandowski volleyed narrowly over in the first minute of the second period.

But Perisic again caused Bayern trouble with a surging run down the left that took him clear of the Bayern defence, but none of his teammates could keep up and he had no support before being upended by Niklas Dorsch.

An edge was creeping into the game and Borja Valero was unhappy when Lewandowski fended off his attentions with an elbow.

And a yellow card was finally produced when Gotz’s cynical foul on Gabriel Barbosa pushed the referee’s patience too far.

Inter made three substitutions in the 65th minute as the game began to slow down. Kingsley Coman and Renato Sanches made some encouraging runs without reward as Inter put more men behind the ball.

The closest thing to a goal in the closing stages came from Inter’s own player as Joao Miranda’s attempted clearance was headed straight for the Inter net until Handanovic pushed the ball wide with a reflex save.

Some more determined defending kept Bayern at bay and ensured that the Germans were unable to score against either of the Milan sides in the ICC, having been beaten 4-0 by AC Milan in China on Saturday.

The tournament concludes on Saturday when Inter take on Chelsea, who lost 3-2 to Bayern on Tuesday, at the same venue.

Roma edge Tottenham in New Jersey

Tottenham 2-3 Roma

Roma came out 3-2 winners against Tottenham in the ICC after a frantic finale in New Jersey in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

A Diego Perotti penalty on 13 minutes handed Roma the early lead after Cameron Carter-Vickers had handballed, before Spurs were denied a clear penalty of their own when Tottenham old boy Federico Fazio appeared to foul Harry Kane in the second half.

Kane then went close from an angle having been put through on goal shortly, before Cengiz Under slotted home for 2-0 in the 70th minute to make it 2-0 to the Serie A side.

But Tottenham produced a brave fightback with Harry Winks (87) and Vincent Jansson (90 1) looking to have earned Mauricio Pochettino’s side a point.

Winks’ goal came after the young midfielder managed to squeeze the ball home from a tight angle three yards out after Janssen’s poked effort had come off the post.

But Janssen wasn’t to be denied and he scored an excellent equaliser with a fine near-post finish following Kevin N’Koudou’s cross from the right.

However, all their hard work was undone when Roma raced up the other end and won it just a minute later, as Marco Tumminello turned home from close range from Kevin Strootman’s cross.

Alvaro Morata suffer debut defeat as Bayern Munich beat Chelsea

Alvaro Morata marked his first appearance for Chelsea with an assist as the Blues lost 3-2 to Bayern Munich in a pre-season friendly in Singapore.

The Spain forward, who joined in a club record £60m deal from Real Madrid last week, came on in the second half.

Bayern made a fast start to the contest, clearly stung by the drubbing they suffered at the hands of AC Milan in their last outing in the tournament.

The Bundesliga champions raced into a three-goal lead in Singapore, opening the scoring through Rafinha’s long-range strike after only six minutes.

That advantage was soon doubled by Thomas Muller’s close-range effort and Bayern’s captain further increased their advantage with a wonderful solo effort just before the half-hour mark.

However, the Blues responded through Marcos Alonso’s thumping drive in first-half stoppage time, although Michy Batshuayi’s 85th-minute goal proved too little, too late.

Chelsea face Serie A side Inter Milan in the International Champions Cup at same the National Stadium on Thursday, with the game again getting underway in in Singapore at 12.35pm.

And on Sunday August 6 the Blues get their season underway when they take on FA Cup winners Manchester United the FA Community Shield at Wembley Stadium.

De Gea saved two penalties as Manchester United edge Real Madrid on penalties

Real Madrid 1 – 1 Manchester United  (PK 1-2)

David de Gea saved two spot-kicks as Manchester United beat Real Madrid 2-1 on penalties in the International Champions Cup, after the match ended 1-1 at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.

Casemiro, who scored from the spot in the second half to cancel out Jesse Lingard’s opener, missed the crucial penalty after De Gea kept out efforts from Mateo Kovacic and Oscar Rodriguez.
Only three of the 10 spot-kicks taken in the shootout were successful, with Daley Blind and Henrikh Mkhitaryan the scorers for Jose Mourinho’s side.

Anthony Martial created Jesse Lingard’s first-half opener for United with a brilliant piece of skill on the left.

Martial wove past Luka Modric and Dani Carvajal, then roll a pass to Lingard for United’s opener as Raphael Varane closed in, it was easy to see why Mourinho’s predecessor, Louis van Gaal, sanctioned his £36m transfer two years ago.

Casemiro levelled for Real from the penalty spot after United’s new £31m defender Victor Lindelof brought down Theo Hernandez with a rash challenge.
It was not a great night for Lindelof, who compounded his error during the game with a miss from the spot.

Another negative for United was Ander Herrera lasting only six minutes before going off with a hip injury.
Manchester United have now won all four of their matches in the United States and meet Barcelona in their final tour game in Washington on Wednesday.
Wales forward Gareth Bale started for Real in their first pre-season game.

Real play Manchester City in Los Angeles on Wednesday before meeting Barcelona in Miami on Saturday.

PENALTIES

Martial set the tone by blazing the first kick way over. After two penalties each, the score was 0-0.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan finally scored for United, only for Lindelof to miss with their next kick.

Real were even worse. Only Quezada scored for them, meaning United won when Casemiro blasted against the bar after Daley Blind’s unconvincing effort had given the Premier League side the advantage.

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho:”It was a good training session. A very good first half against a top Real side. In the second half we lost motivation, intensity and appetite to play against their youngsters. My players in the second half were disappointed not to play against their best players.

“We have one injury to Ander Herrera, I don’t know how he is but it has to be painful to come off so soon.

“Three out of 10 penalties – that’s pre-season. I didn’t choose my best penalty takers.”

Neymar bags stunning brace as Barcelona defeat Juventus in ICC

Juventus 1-2 Barcelona 

Neymar scored two wonder goals as Barcelona beat Juventus 2-1 in the International Champions Cup at the MetLife Stadium on Saturday.

The Brazil international is wanted by Paris Saint Germain, and once again the player showed exactly why in New Jersey.

In his 45-minute performance, the playmaker broke the deadlock after receiving the ball from Lionel Messi, before playing a one-two with Paco Alcacer and finishing emphatically.

The TV replays showed Neymar’s immaculate close control, despite him running at speed.

Neymar’s opening strike may have involved his team-mates, but his second was all about him as he glided past five Juve defenders, before leaving veteran Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon helpless.

Neymar was denied a hat-trick by Buffon, before being substituted at half-time.

The Serie A champions did, however, reduce the deficit in the second half through Giorgio Chiellini’s far-post header.

Christian Eriksen stars as Tottenham beat 10-man PSG

Tottenham 4-2 PSG

Harry Kane picked up where he left off for Tottenham as they opened their pre-season schedule with a 4-2 win over Paris St Germain in Orlando.

The England striker, who scored eight goals in his final three Premier League games of last term to take the Golden Boot, bagged from the spot for Spurs late on in the International Champions Cup.

However, Mauricio Pochettino’s stars were given a huge helping hand as PSG keeper Kevin Trapp saw red just twenty seconds into the re-start leaving the French side to play the entire second half with ten men in high humidity.

In an entertaining game, Mauricio Pochettino’s men went behind early on as Edinson Cavani put the French side ahead, but quickfire goals from Christian Eriksen – a 30-yard stunner – and Eric Dier overturned the deficit.

Javier Pastore brought PSG level before the break, but Spurs ran out winners in the second half with two late goals, first from Toby Alderweireld and then Kane.

Tashan Oakley-Boothe may be a new name for most football fans but the young midfielder made history for Tottenham as the first player born in the new Millennium to figure in the first team.

The Lambeth-born teenager was born on Valentine’s day 2000 – but despite his youth Mauricio Pochettino chucked him on at half time for his debut against PSG.
They are next in action against Roma on Wednesday before a quick reunion with Kyle Walker as they face Manchester City next Saturday.

Pedro bloodied as Batshuayi bags brace to help Chelsea thrash Arsenal in Beijing

 Arsenal 0-3 Chelsea

Michy Batshuayi scored twice as Chelsea hammered Arsenal 3-0 at the Bird’s Nest stadium on Saturday in a Chinese edition of the London derby.

Batshuayi doubled Chelsea’s lead in the 42nd minute and then curled in a long-range effort shortly after the break to show new signing Alvaro Morata that he intends to fight for the main striker’s role next season.

Chelsea outclassed a tired-looking Arsenal side throughout this preseason friendly and had taken the lead through Willian in the 40th minute, with Batshuayi getting the second less than two minutes later.

Arsenal may blame tired legs for this defeat as it was the last of four games they have played on a two-week tour of Australia and China, while Chelsea were playing their first match of their preseason trip to Asia.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte also played arguably his strongest possible lineup, while Arsene Wenger started academy prospects Cohen Bramall and Ainsley Maitland-Niles and made mass changes at half-time.

They could easily have made it a bigger rout were it not for a couple of fine stops from David Ospina, including a double save to deny Willian and Victor Moses when it was still 0-0. Batshuayi then had the ball in the net from the ensuing corner but was waved offside.

The only negative for Chelsea was Pedro having to come off in the first half, looking dazed and groggy after being sandwiched between Maitland-Niles and Ospina when trying to get on the end of a long ball over the top.

For Arsenal, it was a disappointing ending to their tour, which had seen them earn two wins in Sydney and then beat Bayern Munich on penalties in Shanghai in sweltering heat on Wednesday.

Salah and Coutinho strike as Liverpool beat Leicester to win PL Asia Trophy

Liverpool 2-1 Leicester City 

Mohamad Salah and Philippe Coutinho were on target for Liverpool as they beat Leicester 2-1 to win the Premier League Asia Trophy on Saturday.

It was the Foxes who took an early lead in the Hong Kong showpiece as Islam Slimani  headed home, but new signing Salah  scored his second goal since arriving at Liverpool to equalise not long after.

Coutinho  scored the goal of the tournament to seal the victory with one minute of the first half to play, curling a stunning strike past Kasper Schmeichel and showing why he is a rumoured target for Barcelona.

It was Leicester who drew first blood, with Slimani nodding home in the 12th minute.

Christian Fuchs crossed a dangerous ball into the box after a fine pass from Marc Albrighton down the channel and the Algerian striker rose above James Milner to head into the net.

Eight minutes later, Liverpool were back in the game with a brilliantly worked goal. Salah slid the ball across the top of the box to Coutinho, who chipped the ball expertly over the top to the Egyptian winger as he made his way into the box and nodded past Schmeichel.

But the best goal was saved for last as Coutinho produced a spectacular effort in the 44th minute. Salah was once again involved as he linked up with Firmino, before the latter tapped the ball into the feet of his fellow Brazilian. Coutinho then let fly with the sweetest of strikes that curled past Schmeichel into the bottom corner to give the Reds a half-time lead.

Liverpool XI: Karius; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Lovren, Milner; Wijnaldum, Lallana, Coutinho; Salah, Firmino, Origi
Leicester XI: Schmeichel, Morgan, Drinkwater, Vardy, Albrighton, Maguire, Amartey, Slimani, James, Mahrez, Fuchs

Milivojevic and Sako score as Crystal Palace win West Brom to finish third in PL Asia trophy

West Brom 0-2 Crystal Palace 

​Crystal Palace beat West Brom 2-0 in Hong Kong on Saturday to finish third in the Premier League Asia Trophy.
Luka Milivojevic put Palace in front after 11 minutes with a fine curling free-kick following good work by the excellent Wilfried Zaha.

Bakary Sako grabbed their second just before half-time )43( and Frank De Boer’s side held off a late West Brom rally to secure third place in the pre-season tournament.

New look AC Milan thrash Bayern in ICC pre-season friendly

Bayern Munich  0-4 AC Milan

​

Patrick Cutrone scored twice as AC Milan stormed to a 4-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the International Champions Cup.

Summer signing Franck Kessie opened the scoring in Shenzhen for the Serie A side after 14 minutes, converting a loose ball in the area into the back of the net.
Cutrone then added a second for Milan 11 minutes later, heading home a Ricardo Rodriguez delivery into the far corner.

And the 19-year-old made it three two minutes before the break, slotting in from close range after being picked out by Giacomo Bonaventura.

Hakan Calhanoglu then completed the scoring for Milan five minutes before the full-time whistle, finding the bottom corner of the net with a strike from outside the area.

Lukaku and Rashford help Manchester United sink Guardiola’s Manchester City

 Manchester United  2 – 0 Manchester City 

The first ever Manchester derby on foreign soil went United’s way as Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford put City to the sword 2-0 in Houston.

A year on from a quagmire pitch forcing their Beijing meeting to be called off, the cavernous NRG Stadium, host of the Super Bowl earlier this year, witnessed history as the rivals met in the International Champions Cup.

Lukaku’s superb goal from an acute angle and a Rashford drive proved the difference in Texas, where Jose Mourinho’s United racked up their third friendly win as Pep Guardiola’s City opened pre-season with a 2-0 defeat.

The 67,401 under the roof in Houston were not only treated to a relatively entertaining friendly but a dollop of razzmatazz, epitomised by rapper Drake leading out the players in darkness before they were blasted with dry ice.

Play swung from end to end when football eventually became the focus, with United taking control as half-time approached.

Lukaku embarrassed Ederson Moraes by latching onto a fine Paul Pogba pass and continuing to slot home from an improbable angle, with the new City goalkeeper’s positioning again under scrutiny as Rashford struck soon after.

Lukaku saw an effort come back off the woodwork early in the second half, but there was to be no more goals as play lost momentum as Mourinho and Guardiola rang the changes.

Some of the pre-match razzle- dazzle in Texas was ridiculous, as was the City team shown on the big screens.

Centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo was shown in goal but would have probably looked as convincing as Ederson when faced by an Ander Herrera strike early in the game.

Raheem Sterling and sharp-looking Phil Foden had attempts for City as play toed and froed, with the former’s deflected effort forcing a fine save from David De Gea after Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Herrera were denied.
Manchester United starting XI:

De Gea; Valencia, Lindelof, Smalling, Blind; Herrera, Pogba; Mkhitaryan, Lingard; Rashford, Lukaku

Manchester City starting XI:

Ederson, Adarabioyo, Kompany, Fernandinho; Walker, Toure, Foden, De Bruyne, Roberts, Sterling; Aguero