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Aug 31, 2026

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7:58 pm ET

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7 min read

A summer when Arsenal targeted Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez seems set to end without them luring a Galactico of a forward but Mikel Arteta may have other ways of adding a new dimension to his attack. Perhaps typically, given the Arsenal manager’s obsession with accumulating defenders, it involves a man whose day job is at the back.

But Riccardo Calafiori got their season off to a flying start with a goal after 23 seconds in the Community Shield. And, when Arsenal seemed short of incision at Villa Park, it was their charismatic, compelling left-back who provided the element of unpredictability required. By surging forward to supply Bukayo Saka with a simple finish, Calafiori maintained Arsenal’s 100 percent start to the campaign. If part of the test is to improve upon last year, in one respect they already have: defeated at Villa Park in December, they were victorious now.

“That image when the players were on the floor, totally gutted, it was a really difficult one to take and we used that,” said Arteta. This was cathartic and came from the collective. “It was a squad victory,” Arteta said.

It was forged more by perspiration than inspiration. If Arteta had seemed to take the handbrake off in eviscerating first Manchester City in Cardiff and then Coventry at home, this was a night when it was back on. Arsenal can win in different ways, but many of them involve a clean sheet and Aston Villa finished without a shot on target. The travelling Gunners’ eventual chorus of “1-0 to the champions” was a retort to their Villa counterparts chanting that they would never be able to call themselves champions of Europe.

Maybe, maybe not. But Saka’s second goal in as many league games showed Arsenal already had the potential to kick on; if Saka, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard can stay fit, each could offer more goals than last year. And while they are yet to land a left winger, Gabriel Martinelli’s departure could afford Eberechi Eze the chance for more minutes on the flank.

He came on at half-time for Christos Tzolis who, after a fine start to his Arsenal career, was booked then hooked. Eze offered an indication of what he can offer to help set up the goal, releasing the underlapping Calafiori, who centred for Saka. “Ebs comes on and makes the difference to win the game,” said Arteta.

It was a personal comeback, with Eze culpable for Matty Cash’s goal at Villa Park last year, and a swift response to a collective disappointment. Five minutes earlier, Arsenal were initially awarded a penalty when Ian Maatsen’s nudge in the back sent Saka flying. A VAR review later and the offence was adjudged just outside the box. Odegaard dinked the resulting free kick just wide.

Until then, the goalmouth action consisted of Villa rattling the frame. Emi Buendia, the late match-winner last season, was almost an early scorer, his ferocious, first-time shot thudding into the Arsenal bar.

Buendia had begun Villa’s Premier League campaign as a false nine at Brighton. They had a genuine striker here, the £47.5m Nicolas Jackson parachuted in for a debut after his move from Chelsea. He showed flashes of pace without getting a chance.

Perhaps the more auspicious bow came at the other end of the pitch, even if the statistics will not reflect it. Goalkeeper Zion Suzuki made fine saves from Declan Rice’s header and Havertz’s shot, when the German was clear on goal; he was not to know that, with the flag raised for different reasons, neither would have counted. The Japan international cut an authoritative figure and looked a worthy successor to the sold Emi Martinez.

The most notable bow, however, came in the closing stages. It was certainly the most audible introduction, with boos apparent when Ezri Konsa was on the ball. A stalwart of Villa’s best team of the 21st century had decamped to London amid the exodus. The fixture list may have been unkind to him, giving him an immediate return to Villa. Even with William Saliba and Jurrien Timber injured, Arteta had enough defenders to start without the £51m man.

He also benefited from having players already accustomed to lining up alongside each other. This was change against continuity, with the upheaval at Villa versus Arsenal’s summer of stability and solidity. The stands at Villa Park contained Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Ibrahim Mbaye, perhaps the last arrivals in a recruitment drive that has cost a quarter of a billion pounds, all funded by sales.

“We are happy how we are closing the window,” said Unai Emery. “We are not regretting anything.” His Villa were far better than they were against Brighton, though that is not saying much. They made that rout look like an aberration. “We performed like we planned and we competed like we planned,” added Emery. “The result, of course, is painful.”

He is reconstructing his side. Villa Park can whip up an atmosphere for a night game even when the North Stand is a building site but Arsenal are sufficiently battle-hardened they could cope with it. This was not a statement performance but, in its own way, it may prove a statement result. “To lose in Villa Park is not normal,” said Emery. It may have been a good time to face a team in transition but, thanks to Calafiori and Saka, Arsenal ensured it was as they pocketed the points.

Bill Haney has named a five-man hit list for his son, Devin, who looks to return to action later this year.

‘The Dream’ has not fought since last November, when he became a three-division world champion by dethroning Brian Norman Jr with a unanimous decision victory.

After that, he was in talks for a unification match with WBA champion Rolando Romero, only for their matchup to collapse at the negotiating table.

Having missed the window for a voluntary title defence, Haney was then ordered to defend his WBO welterweight strap against mandatory challenger Keyshawn Davis.

The only issue, however, was that Davis initially rejected a $3m offer from his promoter, Top Rank, before altogether withdrawing his interest from their contest.

This was because, following a purse bid hearing, ‘The Businessman’ found himself on the short side of a 75/25 split and would have been left with around $2m.

But still, Bill Haney has told Ring Magazine that Davis is nonetheless included on Devin’s hit list, while pound-for-pound star Shakur Stevenson is placed at the very top.

A more left-field option, meanwhile, is Delante ‘Tiger’ Johnson, who was involved in a brawl with Team Haney during the weigh-in for Stevenson’s January showdown against Teofimo Lopez.

From Bill’s perspective, though, the unbeaten welterweight could make for an intriguing clash with his son.

“Goddamn it, I gotta give you another wildcard. Fox Johnson. You been talking so much. You got me on a f**king restraining order; you got me going to court.”

Along with the aforementioned names, Bill highlighted IBF champion Liam Paro and top contender Jack Catterall as potential options for Devin.

Indian paddler Ankur Bhattacharjee produced a memorable performance to win his maiden WTT men’s singles title, while also securing the doubles gold with Akash Pal at the WTT Feeder Olomouc tournament in Czechia.

The World No. 78 overcame third-seed Slovenian Deni Kozul 3-1 (9-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-6) in the singles final to cap a remarkable campaign.

He had joined forces with Akash earlier to defeat Hungary’s Csaba Andras Szantosi and Poland’s Alan Kulczycki Zalewski 3-1 (11-8, 4-11, 13-11, 11-9) in the men’s doubles final.

The singles final began with a setback for Ankur as Kozul edged the opening game 11-9. The Indian, however, quickly found his rhythm, tightening his placement and controlling the rallies to win the next three games and seal the title.

In the men’s doubles, Ankur and Akash overcame an early setback.

The two took the opening game 11-8, but Szantosi and Zalewski levelled with an 11-4 second game.

The Indians regained the advantage in a closely fought third game, winning 13-11, before holding their nerve to close out the fourth 11-9.

The result capped a strong season on the WTT Feeder Series for the Ankur.

The Europe Youth Smash (Sweden 2025) finalist had already reached two quarterfinals and two semifinals in 2026 before breaking through for his maiden WTT title in Olomouc.

Jaja Santiago-Minowa finished with 19 points in her debut with Creamline in the PVL Invitational Conference on Monday. She scored 17 from 30 attacks and also had a block and an ace.

A warning to the rest of the field: She’s still adjusting to her team’s system.

“I’d say I’m around 70 percent. It’s really me who needs to adjust because this is their system and I’m the one who came into the team,” Santiago-Minowa said. “I still need to learn more about our blocking system and defense. But I don’t think it’s that difficult because I’ve been training with them for about two months now. I think we’re getting there, and hopefully throughout this Invitational, everything will connect.”

When that everything connects, Santiago-Minowa expects the Cool Smashers to be better than they were when they fended off Nxled, 25-20, 25-23, 23-25, 25-20, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

One of the things the 6-foot-5 ace hopes to improve is her connection with setter Kyle Negrito, who dished out 31 excellent sets on top of six points. INQ

Bandle kicks off September 1, 2026 with puzzle number 1476, and it lands right in the middle of the difficulty scale, not quite a gimme but far from the toughest round players have faced lately. The same familiar setup carries over as always: six guesses, one hidden track, and a fresh instrument added to the mix every time a guess misses.

Anyone hoping to solve today’s (September 1, 2026) round the honest way should work through the hints below before scrolling to the reveal, since there’s enough here to make a genuine attempt at naming the song before the answer gets spelled out.

Today’s Bandle Answer Hints (September 1, 2026)

“Ski.” That’s the entire clue attached to today’s puzzle, a single word doing a lot of quiet work for a song that carries a difficulty rating of 3 out of 5. The instrument layers build up in this order across the round:

• Drums and Bass
• Flute
• Guitar
• Backing Vocals
• Voice Cover

A few extra details round out today’s hint package for anyone who wants more to work with:

• Year: 2006
• Genre: Alternative, Rock
• YouTube Views: 404 million
• Difficulty: 3 out of 5

That massive view count paired with a 2006 release date points toward a track that’s held onto serious staying power over the past two decades, and the flute showing up in the instrument layers is a fairly distinctive clue on its own for anyone familiar with alternative rock from that era.

Bandle Answer for September 1, 2026

Today’s Bandle #1476 answer is shown in the above image.

The one-word clue ‘Ski’ lines up neatly with the title once the answer is revealed, since snow and skiing go hand in hand. The track comes from the band’s 2006 double album, Stadium Arcadium, and it topped the Billboard Modern Rock chart, holding the number one spot for five straight weeks.

Much of its staying power comes down to the fast, intricate guitar riff John Frusciante plays throughout the song, a detail that’s helped it become one of the more recognizable entries in the band’s catalog and lines up with that record-breaking chart run.

List of All Previous Bandle Answers

Looking for earlier Bandle answers? Here’s a quick list of the daily solutions from the past seven days to help catch up on recent puzzles.

August 31, 2026 answer

August 30, 2026 answer

August 29, 2026 answer

August 28, 2026 answer

August 27, 2026 answer

August 26, 2026 answer

August 25, 2026 answer

How to Play Bandle

Bandle is a daily music guessing game centered on identifying a popular song through up to six audio clues, starting with a single instrument and stacking on additional layers with each miss.

The clue and guess structure

Bandle builds the song gradually, giving players a little more to work with after each incorrect guess.

• Every round adds another musical layer, progressing through drums, bass, guitar, and eventually vocals.
• Players have six attempts to identify both the song and the artist.
• Additional clues reveal details such as the release year, genre, and YouTube view count.
• The puzzle refreshes once every day according to the player’s local timezone.

Streaks and win rates

Missing a day doesn’t end a streak for good either, since puzzles from the past 7 days remain available for replay. Across the player base, the average win rate sits around 59% for those skipping the hints entirely, climbing up to 79% once players lean on the available clues.

If daily puzzle games are your thing, Connections and the NYT Mini Crossword are worth checking out too if you want to keep the streak going after today’s Bandle round.