It took 10 Premier League games for the first cracks to appear in Manchester City's facade last season, but Pep Guardiola got a much earlier reminder of his side's fall from grace on Saturday in another defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
A summary of Saturday's action in the Premier League.
Unai Emery was pleased that Arsenal kicked off their Europa League campaign with a 4-2 home win over Ukraine's Vorskla Poltava but could not hide his frustration at the concession of two late goals.
Getting Arsenal back into the Champions League is manager Unai Emery's main goal, but the Spaniard said on Friday it won't be an easy job as the competition for a top-four finish in the Premier League is tough.
Beyond the handball incident, the Belgian champions were the better side on the night. Villa's World Cup-winning keeper Martinez was pressed into action early by Brugge, who had seven shots on target to the Premier League club's one, and made several key saves to keep his team in the game.
Images from the FA Cup semi-final between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa at Wembley stadium, London, on Saturday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Reach fifth round for first time in 10 years
Jose Mourinho was branded a 'crybaby' by Valencia coach Unai Emery on Monday following his criticism of the match referee after Real Madrid's scrappy 1-0 home win over Sevilla on Sunday.
England's young forwards must consider leaving major clubs to play more regularly in their preferred positions and boost their chances of breaking into the national team, former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright has said.
Manchester City spent more than 180 million pounds ($223.58 million) -- more than the combined amount paid by the other 19 English top-flight clubs in a relatively quiet window.
'If we play at the level of Liverpool or Tottenham we'll do it again.'
Paris St Germain played out their first goalless draw of the season at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday but stayed in the driving seat for direct qualification for the Champions League last-16 after a string of fine saves by home goalkeeper Unai Simon denied the defending champions.
Barcelona twice came from behind to rescue a point in a 2-2 draw at Valencia while Real Madrid dropped points again in a goalless affair at Racing Santander in La Liga on Wednesday.
Villa remain fourth on 56 points, three points above Spurs in fifth, having played a game more. West Ham are seventh on 44, three points behind sixth-placed Manchester United who have a game in hand.
David Villa netted twice to fire Valencia to a 4-1 win over 10-man Villarreal in La Liga on Sunday and lift Unai Emery's side to within three points of second-placed Real Madrid.
David Villa struck twice and David Silva and Juan Mata also scored to give rampant Valencia a 4-2 win at Real Valladolid in La Liga on Sunday.
'Every player needs that moment, that turning point ... to settle and hopefully now Arsenal can see what they paid for... 72 million pounds was seeming expensive until tonight'
A round-up of Saturday's action in the Premier League.
David Villa scored twice from the penalty spot to help Valencia to a 4-1 victory at home to Getafe in the Primera Liga on Sunday, putting them back in the hunt for a place in next season's Champions League.
Vicente Rodriguez scored in the 81st-minute to give Valencia a 3-2 victory over Real Madrid in the first leg of the Spanish Supercup.
Arsenal's Arteta wary of old foe Villa
Arsenal's new manager Unai Emery faces a baptism of fire after the Gunners were handed an opening day fixture at home to Premier League champions Manchester City.
French champions Paris St Germain have appointed former Netherlands international Patrick Kluivert as the club's director of football, the Ligue 1 side said. The former Ajax Amsterdam and Barcelona striker had a coaching stint as the manager of Curacao and was an assistant coach for Netherlands under manager Louis van Gaal.
"What's important for me is to give the best of myself for my club, and we're looking forward for Leo (Messi) to return to continue scoring and winning matches."
The two previous meetings at Anfield ended in 4-0 and 3-1 defeats for Arsene Wenger's Arsenal teams, but there is a fresh optimism around the club after a successful transfer window.
A summary of Wednesday's Champions League first leg quarter-finals between Barcelona and Dortmund and Real Madrid, and Paris St Germain and Aston Villa.
With no Champions League football for a third straight season, the financial realities are starting to bite and Arsenal will be desperate for some of their talented youngsters to come through.
Poland midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak has signed a five-year contract with Paris St Germain, the French champions said in a statement on Sunday.
Paris St Germain are hoping their Parc des Princes crowd will help them overturn a 3-1 deficit in their Champions League last-16 return leg against Real Madrid as they try to cope without the injured Neymar.
Moises Caicedo's blistering second-half strike cancelled out a Bruno Fernandes penalty as Chelsea salvaged a 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Sunday.
IMAGES from the Premier League matches played on Wednesday.
Aston Villa claimed their first three points of the Premier League Season
The duo, who escaped unhurt after an attempted carjacking last month, were not in the squad at Newcastle United last weekend due to "further security incidents" which the club did not elaborate on.
Mauricio Pochettino has left his job as Chelsea manager by mutual consent, the Premier League side announced on Tuesday.
A round-up of the UEFA Champions League last-16 first leg matches played on Tuesday.
Arsenal's players have been self isolating since March 12 when Arteta tested positive for the virus -- before the lockdown in Britain -- and the Spaniard said that all efforts were being made to ensure the players were in good spirits.
Coach Laurent Blanc parted ways with Paris St Germain, putting pen to paper on a 22-million-euro ($25 million) severance deal.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's brace guided Arsenal to beat an injury-plagued ten-man Chelsea 2-1 at the Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Dinamo Zagreb and Celtic played out a lifeless 0-0 draw in the Champions League on Tuesday, with Celtic keeper Kasper Schmeichel producing the match's memorable moment with a late save.
