🔗 Share this article

Preamble

Hello and welcome to another weekend morning. We bring you your comprehensive matchday live hub, centering on today's major soccer action. England's top division offers fascinating matches between Brighton & West Ham as well as the Cottagers and the Eagles. On top of that, a top-of-the-table Scottish encounter between the Hoops and the Jambos, alongside Women's Super League games plus cup round two excitement rounds out the lineup. As always share your thoughts telling us your plans for watching the action. Here we go.

Major Stories from Saturday

Mohamed Salah grabbed the spotlight even though he not featuring in the Reds' hectic six-goal thriller at Leeds United. Salah delivered an remarkable critique on manager the Dutch coach, accusing him of tossing him “under the bus” after omission from the first eleven for the third straight match. He expressed feeling made a scapegoat for the team's disappointing start to the season.

“It's unbelievable … I’m sitting on the bench for 90 minutes,” Salah reportedly said. “The third time on the bench, perhaps for the first occasion in my career. I’m very, very disappointed.”

The other significant top-flight development saw the Gunners' injury-time defeat at Aston Villa, courtesy of by Emiliano Buendía's decisive strike. This outcome, combined with Manchester City's comfortable victory over the Black Cats, has left a incredibly close battle at the top of the table.

Away from the English leagues, Lionel Messi as ever played the hero for his MLS side as they triumphed the league championship, defeating Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in the showpiece.

Today's Premier League Fixtures

Brighton welcome West Ham in a 2pm GMT kickoff. West Ham have shown flickers of life since the arrival of manager Nuno. An impressive midweek draw means he has presided over a run of just one defeat in five games.

Fulham versus Palace is a rematch of last season's cup last-eight tie. Crystal Palace are eyeing a fourth successive victory on the road in the league, having defeated three opponents to nil in their recent travels.

Cup Action Continues

The FA Cup round two provided lots of excitement yesterday. National League South side Weston-super-Mare made history by reaching the next round for the first time ever.

Other standout outcomes included:

• Swindon thrashed Bolton Wanderers – a league above them – 4-0.
• Cambridge beat Stockport on spot-kicks.
• Sixth tier Buxton were ahead against Cheltenham before eventually suffering a 6-2 defeat.

Sunday's cup schedule features:

• Slough Town v Macclesfield (early 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 mini-leagues forming in this campaign's Premier League.

1. The Title Race: Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa are apparently contending for the top prize.
2. The Mid-Table Scramble: A very tight section includes several big names, all with aspirations for the European places. Can any put together a consistent form to challenge the elite?
3. The Relegation Battle: The dogfight to avoid the drop likely involves several clubs, with Wolverhampton Wanderers looking particularly in trouble. Teams like others could also be dragged into the fight.

Other Matches Today

Away from the Premier League and domestic cup, today's fixtures include:

Women's Top Flight: (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)

European Football:

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

The Salah Debate Continues

The fallout from Mohamed Salah's comments rages on. There are two clear camps to the argument. Has he done enough to speak out as a bona fide Liverpool legend? On the other, is manager Slot right in doing what he believes is necessary to try to win matches?

Views from supporters appears split:

“United fan here. If memory serves, Salah was the players' player of the year 6 months ago and now he’s chief scapegoat. This is no way to treat a club legend.”

“Perhaps we should pause to feel sorry for Mo Salah? He's probably forgotten that he is currently Liverpool's best-paid player... A victim, Mo, you are not.”

What next for Mo Salah, then? Speculation suggests his bridges at Liverpool may now be burned. Could he move on loan to a club abroad? Might he take the pay day and head for the Saudi Pro League following the Africa Cup of Nations?

Sad News from the Championship

Two second-tier matches were abandoned on Saturday.

• The game between Charlton Athletic and Portsmouth at The Valley was halted in the 12th minute after a fan was taken ill. It was later announced the supporter passed away in hospital.
• Blackburn's game against Sheffield Wednesday was also stopped and called off due to a waterlogged pitch at Ewood Park. Torrential rain – for the second occasion this season at the ground – made the pitch unplayable.

There is no confirmation on when these matches will be rescheduled.