Friday’s briefing: John McGinn gives Villa victory and more woe for Rangers | OneFootball

Aston Villa secured a first win of the season with a 1-0 victory over Bologna in their Europa League opener at Villa Park.

Genk beat 10-man Rangers 1-0 at Ibrox to put Russell Martin back under the spotlight.

Arsenal defender William Saliba is understood to have agreed a contract extension, while Liverpool teenager Rio Ngumoha signed his first professional contract.

John McGinn earns Aston Villa first win

John McGinn’s early strike earned Aston Villa a first win of the season with a 1-0 victory over Bologna in their Europa League opener at Villa Park.

Unai Emery is looking to win this competition for a fifth time and the favourites to lift the trophy got their campaign up and running in a hard-fought contest.

Villa had only scored twice in their opening six games of the season, both away from home, but they finally grabbed a goal on their own patch courtesy of McGinn’s pinpoint strike.

Ollie Watkins came off the bench and saw a penalty saved in the second half as the wait for his first goal of the campaign went on, while Marco Bizot made important saves to deliver a much-needed win.

Oh turns up the heat at Ibrox

Former Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-gyu scored after missing an earlier penalty as Genk beat 10-man Rangers 1-0 at Ibrox to put Russell Martin back under the spotlight.

The Belgian visitors struck the woodwork in the first half before Gers midfielder Mohamed Diomande was shown a straight red card in the 41st minute.

In added time Gers keeper Jack Butland saved a penalty from Oh, who eventually broke the deadlock in the 55th minute with a close-range finish.

The 2-0 win over Hibernian at the weekend gave under-fire Martin some much-needed respite – but it was a case of one step forward, two back as the disgruntled home fans again turned on him at the final whistle.

William Saliba agrees new Arsenal contract

Arsenal defender William Saliba has agreed a contract extension, the PA news agency understands.

According to reports, the France international’s new deal is for five years and will run until 2030.

Saliba’s previous contract was due to expire in 2027. His impressive form for the Gunners had attracted interest from Real Madrid.

The 24-year-old joined Arsenal from St Etienne in July 2019 but was loaned back to the Ligue 1 club for the following season before having temporary spells with French sides Nice and Marseille.

Saliba, capped 28 times for France, has since become a key player at the Emirates Stadium, scoring seven goals in 139 appearances in all competitions.

Rio Ngumoha goes pro with Reds

Liverpool teenager Rio Ngumoha has signed his first professional contract a month after turning 17 and a year after arriving from Chelsea.

The winger – whose match-winning goal at Newcastle in August made him the club’s youngest goal-scorer aged 16 years and 361 days – has enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks and has been rewarded with a three-year deal.

Ngumoha, who has five senior appearances, made his Liverpool debut in the FA Cup third-round tie at home to Accrington in January and after impressing in pre-season was made a permanent member of head coach Arne Slot’s first-team squad.

The teenager’s Premier League debut saw him score the winner at St James’ Park in the 10th minute of added time – and his appearance off the bench in last week’s Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid made him the club’s youngest player in European competition.

Off the pitch, Liverpool announced a record 1,114 lifetime bans for ticket touting have been issued – with almost half of those imposed following the discovery of mass manipulation of software last season.

What’s on today?

Friday night’s live Sky Bet Championship action sees promotion hopefuls Leicester head to West Brom.

North of the border, Ayrshire rivals Auchinleck Talbot and Cumnock Juniors meet in the first round of the Scottish Cup at Beechwood Park.

Ahead of the weekend’s Premier League matches several clubs will be holding press conferences – including Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester United and Manchester City along with Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham.