🦁 Haaland shines against sloppy Chelsea; Palace prevail; Villa lose again

Plenty of Premier League teams were in action on Saturday as pre-season continues ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

Here is what went down.

Haaland shines against sloppy Chelsea

Scorers: Haaland 4′ (P), 5′, 56′, Bobb 55′; Sterling 59′, Madueke 89′

Only 15 days from their Premier League opener against each other, Manchester City ripped Chelsea apart in a 4-2 win.

Pep Guardiola’s side was without 15 senior players, but their goal machine was at his best as two goals in the opening five minutes from Erling Haaland stunned everyone.

Levi Colwill fouled Haaland in the box, and the Norweigian scored from the penalty spot before a misplaced pass from Moises Caicedo gifted him a second goal in the blink of an eye.

Christopher Nkunku and Enzo Fernandez had bright moments for Chelsea but nothing was strong enough to kickstart a true comeback. Unfortunately for Enzo Maresca, more mistakes gifted goals to City.

Raheem Sterling was next to give the ball away, and Oscar Bobb made him pay for it. Seconds later, Malo Gusto gifted the ball to a lurking Haaland, who secured a hat-trick.

Noni Madueke and Sterling combined for a consolation goal as the former City star volleyed home beyond Stefan Ortega. Madueke then almost scored himself, but Ortega made a big save with his chest.

In the dying moments, the 22-year-old winger finally found the back of the net but it was too little too late for sloppy Chelsea as the game finished 4-2.

Crystal Palace beat West Ham to win Stateside Cup

Scorers: Mitchell 1′, Schlupp 65′, Edouard 69′; Antonio 21′

Things got off to a flying start in Tampa, Florida as Crystal Palace ground out a 3-1 win over West Ham to win the Stateside Cup.

Oliver Glasner’s men scored in under 60 seconds when Tyrick Mitchell volleyed home a deflected ball with a strong left-foot finish.

However, things turned all square when Michail Antonio was played through. His pace beat two defenders before he calmly slotted home the equaliser.

Coming out after the break, Palace grabbed the lead just after the hour mark when Jeffrey Schlupp’s looping header found the back of the net.

The match was virtually over when Odsonne Edouard joined in on the action four minutes later as undefeated Palace held on to hand the Hammers their second consecutive loss.

Aston Villa lose three in a row

Scorers: Hernández 77′

Aston Villa registered their third pre-season loss in a row after falling 1-0 to Club América.

Unai Emery gave Ian Maasten, Youri Tielemans, and Lamare Bogarde a starting nod in the USA as the signings tried to impress their new boss.

Star talents Leon Bailey and John McGinn were lively in the first half but couldn’t find the back of the net as they each hit the woodwork.

Emery made nine changes at the break, but nobody could find the magic touch as Club América remained composed at the back with perfectly timed blocks and clearances.

Cameron Archer tried to drag Aston Villa forward but the absence of Ollie Watkins was clear in the attack.

The Liga MX side thought they had opened the scoring through Diego Valdés, but the goal was eventually ruled offside due to an offence in the build-up.

Yet minutes later, they made the most of their second attempt as Illian Hernández found the net with a low drive for a slim win.