Manchester United ended their one-year Champions League hiatus in emphatic style when Wayne Rooney struck a hat-trick in a 4-0 destruction of Club Bruges that sent the three-times winners through 7-1 on aggregate on Wednesday.
Manchester United's 100 per cent start to the Premier League season ended when they were held to a goalless draw against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on Saturday.
News of Van Gaal's impending departure from the club leaked out minutes after Saturday's 2-1 extra-time victory over Palace and, following relentless media speculation and a day of negotiations, it was confirmed by both sides on Monday evening.
The Premier League kicked off in unique fashion on Saturday as an own goal by Tottenham Hotspur's Kyle Walker gave Manchester United a 1-0 victory in an undistinguished season opener at Old Trafford.
Manchester United's fourth place in last season's Premier League was regarded as a qualified success but more importantly the launch pad to return the club to former glory.
Manchester United maintained their push for a Champions League place after a Juan Mata goal on Saturday pushed Norwich City to the brink of relegation.
Jamie Vardy equalled the English Premier League record by scoring for a 10th successive match as his Leicester City side went top after winning 3-0 at Newcastle United while champions Chelsea ended their slump with a 1-0 win over Norwich City on Saturday.
A round-up of all the international friendlies played on Tuesday
Luuk de Jong scored a hat-trick and Memphis Depay netted the winner in the third minute of stoppage time as PSV Eindhoven beat Feyenoord 4-3 in a thrilling clash that put them four points clear on Wednesday.
The Netherlands beat Australia 3-2 in a sensational World Cup Group B match featuring stunning goals and non-stop action on Wednesday. The 2010 runners-up made it two wins out of two following their opening demolition of Spain.
Manchester United flirted with calamity before coasting into the Europa League last 16 as debutant Marcus Rashford helped them overcome an early blow with two goals in a 5-1 home victory over Midtjylland on Thursday.
From Cristiano Ronaldo picking up the third Golden Boot award of his career to Phoenix Suns cheerleaders, Rediff.com has it all snapped right here...
Manchester United took over at the top of the Premier League while Barcelona's Argentine forward Lionel Messi could be out for up to two months with a knee injury and rampant Bayern Munich extended their perfect start to seven league wins.
Rediff .com has the 10 Best Images of the day snapped right here...
Manchester United replaced Manchester City as Premier League leaders with Wayne Rooney ending an 11-match run without a league goal in his side's comfortable 3-0 win over Sunderland at Old Trafford on Saturday.
There was the usual frenzy of last-minute deals as the English Premier League brought the curtain down on another bumper European transfer window in which Manchester City again flexed their financial muscle as the continent's top spenders.
Swansea City came from behind to end Manchester United's unbeaten start to the Premier League season with an impressive 2-1 victory at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday.
Fourth seed Andy Murray erased memories of early losses at Indian Wells by storming into the BNP Paribas Open third round with a ruthless 6-1, 6-3 victory over Canadian Vasek Pospisil on Saturday.
Rediff.com takes a look at a few other players who shunned champion sides for mediocre clubs in the Premier League.
Despite a splurge of summer spending of more than 500 million pounds and counting, it was a free transfer from France who provided one of the standout moments of the Premier League's big kickoff.
VfL Wolfsburg reached the Champions League last 16 and dealt a knockout blow to Manchester United with a 3-2 victory to claim top spot in Group B and condemn their opponents to the Europa League on Tuesday.
Germany have four players and Argentina three in the 10-man FIFA shortlist for the adidas Golden Ball, which is awarded to the World Cup's most outstanding performer.
Louis van Gaal's tactical masterstroke got them out of a sticky situation again in the quarter-final on Saturday but the Netherlands will know they cannot continue relying on their coach to conjure up tricks if they are to go further at the World Cup.
The Netherlands advanced to a World Cup semi-final with Argentina by beating Costa Rica on penalties after a cagey, tactical last-eight battle finished 0-0 after extra-time on Saturday.
Goals by substitutes Leroy Fer and Memphis Depay gave the Netherlands a 2-0 victory over Chile on Monday that put them top of World Cup Group B and likely to avoid a second-round meeting with Brazil.
Goals by substitutes Leroy Fer and Memphis Depay gave the Netherlands a 2-0 victory over Chile on Monday that put them top of World Cup Group B and likely to avoid a second-round meeting with Brazil.
Memphis Depay's goal in the 68th minute gave the Netherlands a 3-2 victory over Australia in their World Cup Group B match on Wednesday. Depay scored with a long ranger to earn the Dutch full points and keep the top spot in the group with six points.
Photos from the tennis matches played at Indian Wells on Tuesday
The Netherlands failed to reach the European Championship for the first time since 1984 as they lost 3-2 at home to the 10-man Czech Republic in their final qualifier on Tuesday to miss out on Euro 2016.
Just 11 days after Kobe Bryant made his long-awaited return for the Los Angeles Lakers, the shooting guard is expected to be out for "approximately six weeks" because of a knee injury, the team announced on Thursday.
Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal took advantage of the first official water break at the World Cup to switch tactics and conjure up a late win for his side over Mexico on Sunday.
Ahead of the UEFA Champions League proper, which kicks-off next month, Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com tells football fans what to expect in this year's competition.
Barcelona look well set to wrap up the La Liga title.
The Indiana Pacers threw open the NBA Eastern Conference finals on Friday, upsetting the Miami Heat with a 97-93 victory to level the best-of-seven series at 1-1.
Here is the round-up of all the football action across Europe on the weekend
The suspect, Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, was arrested by FBI on Wednesday at his residence in Corinth, responsible for the mailings of the three letters sent through the US Postal Service which contained a granular substance that preliminarily tested positive for ricin.
Top seed John Isner narrowly avoided a second straight first round exit as the big serving American edged past Canadian Jessie Levine 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 at the Delray Beach International on Tuesday.
Rudy Gay drained the game-winning shot in the final seconds as the rejuvenated Toronto Raptors withstood a furious fightback from the Denver Nuggets for a 109-108 victory over one of the NBA's hottest teams on Tuesday.
As Manchester United prepare to embark on a new era following Louis van Gaal;s departure, Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com offers a diagnosis of what went wrong with the most successful Premier League club after Sir Alex Ferguson called it a day.