🔗 Share this article

Opening Thoughts

Hello and welcome to another weekend morning. This is your comprehensive football coverage center, centering on today's major soccer fixtures. The Premier League presents fascinating contests between the Seagulls and the Hammers as well as Fulham & Crystal Palace. Additionally, a top-of-the-table Scottish Premiership encounter between Celtic and Hearts, coupled with WSL action plus FA Cup round two excitement completes the lineup. We encourage get in touch and let us know how you'll be following today's games. Without further ado.

Major Stories from Saturday

Liverpool's Egyptian star stole the headlines even though he did not play in Liverpool's thrilling 3-3 draw at Leeds United. Salah delivered an astonishing attack on manager the Dutch coach, claiming him of throwing him “to the wolves” following being left out the starting lineup for the third consecutive game. The player stated that he felt singled out for blame for the team's poor start to the season.

“I can’t believe … I am sat on the bench for 90 minutes,” the Egyptian stated. “This is the third match on the bench, perhaps for the first occasion in my career. I’m very, very disappointed.”

The other major Premier League development saw the Gunners' injury-time loss at Villa Park, courtesy of by Emiliano Buendía's decisive strike. That result, combined with Manchester City's comfortable win over Sunderland, has left a very tight race at the summit of the standings.

Away from the English leagues, the Argentine maestro as ever wrote the script for his MLS side as they lifted the league championship, defeating Vancouver 3-1 in the final.

Today's Premier League Fixtures

The Seagulls host West Ham for an 2pm GMT kickoff. West Ham have shown flickers of improvement under the arrival of manager Nuno. A creditable point at Manchester United means he has presided over a run of only one loss in their last five.

Fulham against Crystal Palace is a repeat of last season's FA Cup quarter-final. Crystal Palace are eyeing a fourth successive away win in the Premier League, having defeated Burnley, Wolves and Liverpool without conceding in their latest travels.

The FA Cup Second Round

England's famous cup competition second round provided lots of excitement on Saturday. Sixth-tier side Weston-super-Mare created a historic moment by advancing to the next round for the first time ever.

Additional standout results featured:

• Swindon Town hammered Bolton – a division above them – 4-0.
• Cambridge defeated Stockport County on penalties.
• Sixth tier Buxton FC were ahead against Cheltenham Town before eventually suffering a 6-2 defeat.

Today's cup schedule includes:

• Slough Town v Macclesfield (12.30pm GMT kickoff)
• Boreham Wood v Newport County
• Gateshead v Walsall
• Blackpool v Carlisle United

The Premier League's Three Tiers

There seems to be three separate battlegroups developing in this campaign's Premier League.

1. The Title Race: Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa are seemingly contending for the top prize.
2. The Packed Middle: A very tight section includes Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle and Manchester United, all with designs on the European places. Will any put together a winning run to challenge the top teams?
3. The Fight for Survival: The dogfight to stay up probably concerns Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Burnley and West Ham, with Wolves looking especially in trouble. Clubs such as Brentford or Fulham could also be dragged into the battle.

Other Matches Today

Outside the Premier League and domestic cup, today's schedule feature:

Women's Super League (WSL): (All 12pm GMT unless stated)

• Leicester City v Manchester City
• London City Lionesses v Brighton & Hove Albion
• Manchester United v West Ham United
• Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa
• Chelsea v Everton (2.30pm GMT)

Around the Continent:

• Real Madrid v Celta Vigo (8pm CET)
• Borussia Dortmund v Hoffenheim (4.30pm CET)

The Salah Debate Continues

The fallout from the Liverpool forward's explosive interview continues. Opinion is split into two distinct sides to the argument. Has he earned the right to speak out as a bona fide Liverpool legend? Or is boss Arne Slot justified in doing whatever it takes to try to win matches?

Fan opinion seems divided:

“As a Manchester United supporter. If memory serves, Salah was PFA Player of the Year 6 months ago and now he’s chief scapegoat. This is no way to treat a legend of the club.”

“Perhaps we should pause to feel sorry for Mo Salah? He's probably forgotten that he is presently Liverpool's highest ever earning player... A victim, Mo, you are not.”

What next for Mo Salah, then? Many think his bridges at Liverpool may now be burned. Could he move on loan to another European club? Or will he accept a lucrative offer and head for Saudi Arabia following the Africa Cup of Nations?

Sad News from the Championship

Two second-tier matches were abandoned yesterday.

• The match between Charlton and Portsmouth at The Valley was halted in the 12th minute after a supporter was taken unwell. It was later confirmed the fan passed away in hospital.
• Blackburn Rovers's game against Sheffield Wednesday was also paused and abandoned due to a waterlogged pitch at Ewood Park. Torrential rain – for the second time this season at the ground – made the pitch unplayable.

At this time, there is no word yet on when either game will be rescheduled.