The Dutchman, linked with a move to Wolfsburg this week, struck in first-half injury time before promptly being substituted.

Liverpool should have won more convincingly but Joe Cole's miserable week continued as he had a second-half penalty saved.

New boy Christian Poulsen made his debut for the Reds.

While Mario Balotelli scored in his debut as Manchester City beat Timisoara 1-0 in their Europa League play-off first leg in Romania.

The former Inter Milan striker's registration was only received by UEFA on deadline day.

Balotelli responded by stepping off the bench to sweep the ball home after 72 minutes to put City in the driving seat with the second leg to come at Eastlands next Thursday.

Aston Villa drew 1-1 against Rapid Vienna in the first leg of their tie.

Caretaker boss Kevin MacDonald gave youth a chance as he looked to justify claims from some that he should be given the role vacated by Martin O'Neill on a full-time basis.

Marc Albrighton built on his impressive showing in their Premier League opener against West Ham with an assist for fellow youngster Barry Bannan to net early on in the first half.

However, Atdhe Nuhiu equalised for Rapid and they could well have won it had they not wasted several good chances to head to Villa Park with the lead.

The campaign may not be very old but already the 35-year-old has shown exactly why Fabio Capello was so desperate to have him at the World Cup this summer.

Scholes won man-of-the-match awards in both the Community Shield win over Chelsea and Monday's opening-day league triumph against Newcastle, destroying both opponents with his devastating ability to deliver accurate passes.

Fletcher featured alongside the former England star at Old Trafford earlier this week. And he can see similarities with Scholes' approach and the kingmakers of American Football.

"He is like a deep-lying quarterback," said Fletcher.

"He is probably better at controlling the tempo of a game than anyone else in the league.

"He can speed it up or slow it down as he wishes. His range of passing is second to none.

"People talk about his age but he has so much experience. His touch and awareness are amazing.

"He can just sit in midfield and control teams. He dominates and plays killer passes, like he did on Monday."

Dembele, who can also play on the wing, arrives at Craven Cottage for a fee believed to be £5million and has won 28 caps.

"Moussa is strong and quick and will add another dimension to our attacking options," Fulham manager Mark Hughes told the club's official website.

Fulham pipped Premier League rivals Birmingham in the race to sign Dembele, who has also been linked with Chelsea and Bayern Munich in the past.

The creative 23-year-old joined AZ in 2006 and weighed in with 10 goals in the club's Eredivisie title-winning campaign of 2008-09.

During four seasons at the AZ Stadium Dembele hit 18 goals in 118 appearances and has been hailed as one of the league's most exciting players.

"I'm glad that we have finalised the deal with Moussa and I'd like to welcome him to the club," continued Hughes.

"It's important that we go into the season with some additions to the squad that will enable us to compete at a consistently high level throughout the season.

"I look forward to working with Moussa and, hopefully, to making a few more additions before the transfer window closes."

Arsene Wenger looks set to move for the wantaway Fulham stopper, who is reported to have handed in a transfer request after the Cottagers rejected a £2million summer bid.

Current Arsenal number one Manuel Almunia captained the side in their opening game of the new Barclays Premier League season at Liverpool, where a fine late save from Steven Gerrard's free-kick helped secure a dramatic 1-1 draw after an own goal from Reds keeper Pepe Reina.

However, the Spaniard admits the constant speculation has been unsettling, and revealed he would consider his own future if an experienced goalkeeper such as Schwarzer was brought in.

Seaman, though, believes Almunia and his deputy Lukasz Fabianski have cost his old club dear with some high-profile errors.

The 46-year-old former England number one - nicknamed 'safe hands' and part of Wenger's Invincibles side of 2003/2004 - said: "Both Almunia and Fabianski did not end the season well. They both made mistakes in high-profile games that effectively cost them the chance of some silverware.

"It means if the quality of someone like Mark Schwarzer becomes available, then Arsene needs to look at him.

"He is a great player, tried and tested and can make saves that win you games. He is a world-class goalkeeper."

According to reports from the Mirror, the defender was omitted from the La Liga side's Champions League clash against Braga in preparation for his move to North London.

Unfortunately for Sevilla, his absence was conspicuous as the Spanish side fell to a 1-0 defeat to Braga.

Signing the 30-year-old French defender will be a departure from the norm for Wenger, given his age, but Squillaci could add some much-needed experience in the Arsenal backline, which was lacking again against Liverpool over the weekend.