European football: Sevilla’s Alexis Sánchez launches rout of Barcelona

Sevilla thrashed Barcelona 4-1 on Sunday, ending the champions’ unbeaten start in La Liga and denying them an opportunity to return to the top of the table.

Hansi Flick, Barcelona’s manager, said: “Today, I have to accept this defeat, and I’m looking positive, in a way. We also see the negative points in our game, which we have to change. The first half wasn’t good … we had no solutions to play out, it was really not good. But in the second half, the reaction, I appreciate a lot. What we did, how we played, it was really good to see.

“With this defeat, this emotion … it’s important that we keep it, and when we start again after the break, we will fight. We will fight for every title.”

Sevilla took the lead in the 13th minute, after Isaac Romero went down while jostling for the ball with Ronald Araújo near Barcelona’s six-yard box. Alexis Sánchez sent former Arsenal teammate Wojciech Szczesny the wrong way to convert the spot kick.

Romero doubled Sevilla’s lead in the 37th minute, but Marcus Rashford scored from Pedri’s lobbed pass to make it 2-1 just before half-time.

Barcelona had a chance to equalise when Adnan Januzaj brought down Alejandro Balde, but Robert Lewandowski fired wide from the spot in the 76th minute before José Ángel Carmona and Akor Adams scored two late goals, as the visitors remained two points behind the leaders, Real Madrid.

“It’s one of the happiest days of my life. We deserved to win from start to finish,” said José Ángel Carmona, who scored Sevilla’s third goal.

The Barcelona midfielder Pedri said: “We lacked intensity, we couldn’t get the ball out of our half, we didn’t know what to do with the ball … we were never at our best. We need to improve a lot of things so that we can start winning games again after the break.”

Celta Vigo and Atlético Madrid drew 1-1 in the late game. Atlético led through a sixth-minute own goal from Carl Starfelt before Clément Lenglet was sent off five minutes before half-time. The hosts took advantage midway through the second half when Iago Aspas equalised but Celta could not find the winner.

Christian Pulisic missed a penalty as Milan had to settle for a 0-0 draw away to Juventus on Sunday, denying the visitors a return to the top of the Serie A standings.

After Napoli and Roma, along with Inter, all registered wins over the weekend, the pressure was on Milan and Juventus to keep pace at the top, leading to a cagey game.

Massimiliano Allegri was back at Juventus as an adversary, taking on the club where he won five league titles in his eight seasons in Turin, but there was no happy return for the Milan manager.

The first half brought little in the way of entertainment, but both sides did manage to create scoring opportunities, with the hosts let down by the struggling striker Jonathan David.

David had the goal at his mercy when set up by Pierre Kalulu in the box but lost his footing at the crucial moment while for Milan, Santiago Giménez continued his Serie A scoring drought.

A corner shortly after the break gave Juventus a gilt-edged chance to take the lead but the Milan keeper Mike Maignan spread himself to keep out Federico Gatti’s shot from point-blank range. Minutes later, Milan had their golden opportunity when Lloyd Kelly bundled over Giménez in the box but Pulisic blazed his penalty over the bar.

Second-half goals from André-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Rasmus Højlund helped Napoli battle back to earn a 2-1 home win over Genoa.

Napoli’s perfect start to the league campaign was ended by a 2-1 loss at Milan last weekend, and Antonio Conte’s side risked a second successive defeat before a spirited fightback.

Conte opted to rest Kevin De Bruyne, for the first 50 minutes at least, after the Belgian midfielder had started all seven games this season, bringing in winger David Neres, but it was Anguissa who proved vital to Napoli.

Genoa took the lead with an audacious piece of magic from Jeff Ekhator in the 33rd minute. Brooke Norton-Cuffy rounded Mathias Olivera, took the ball into the area and squared a pass which 18-year-old Ekhator finished off with a deft back-heel strike from just inside the six-yard box.

Leonardo Spinazzola also came on and it was his cross which led to Napoli’s equaliser 12 minutes after the break with their first effort on target.

Genoa’s Johan Vásquez got to the cross ahead of Højlund but the loose ball bounced kindly for the unmarked Anguissa to pounce with a header. Then, 15 minutes from time, Anguissa’s shot was parried away by the keeper and this time Højlund was there to capitalise with a low strike from the edge of the six-yard box.

Roma fell behind early but came away with a 2-1 win at Fiorentina, to leave the hosts waiting for their first league win of the season.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma had conceded just one goal in their five league outings but it was Fiorentina who were in front in the 14th minute when a ball over the top by Hans Nicolussi Caviglia found Moise Kean. Kean twisted and turned his way towards the area before rifling a shot from outside the box into the far top corner to net his first goal of the season.

The lead lasted all of eight minutes before Artem Dovbyk’s backheeled flick from inside the box ended with Matías Soulé’s first-time cannoned shot from the edge of the area which left Fiorentina keeper David de Gea with no chance.

Roma took the lead on the half-hour mark from a corner. Bryan Cristante lost his marker and powered a bullet header from outside the six-yard box.

Kean had another chance before the break but this time his effort smashed off the upright and in the second half Fiorentina substitute Roberto Piccoli saw his strike from distance bounce off the crossbar.

In Ligue 1 on Sunday night, Paris Saint-Germain were held 1-1 at Lille. Nuno Mendes put the visitors ahead in the 66th minute before Ethan Mbappé scored an equaliser against his former club five minutes from time. PSG stay top with 16 points while Lille climb to seventh.