Leeds United have not been good enough at the top end of the pitch since they earned promotion back to the Premier League by winning the Championship.

The Whites have made club history by failing to score a single goal from open play in any of the first four matches of the league campaign, with their only strike coming from the penalty spot against Everton.

Lukas Nmecha’s spot kick sealed all three points for the Championship champions on the opening day of the season, but they have failed to score in three matches since then.

Leeds reportedly had a bid in for Fulham winger Harry Wilson on deadline day, and felt they matched his valuation, only for the Cottagers to pull out of a deal at the last minute.

This meant that the Whites ended the window with Noah Okafor as the only attacking signing brought in for a transfer fee, alongside free transfers for Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Nmecha.

The lack of business done in the attacking positions has left Daniel Farke with a clutch of players who have previously shown that they are not up to the task in the Premier League, including Dan James and Wilfried Gnonto.

Why Leeds are struggling to score goals this season

Speaking to Beren Cross after the 1-0 loss to Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday, Farke challenged his attackers to prove people wrong.

The German boss said: “James, Harrison, Aaronson with us when we were relegated and they were called hopeless. They still have a point to prove these judgments are not right. We have this type of offensive players and I’m looking forward to improving them, but we shouldn’t expect miracles.”

Publicly admitting that critics described your players as “hopeless” and that the club have failed to replace them since that 2022/23 campaign is an interesting decision by Farke, and one that, hopefully, spurs the players on to prove people wrong.

But the fact that they have kept those three players, along with Gnonto, as their wide options alongside new signing Okafor, is part of the reason why the penalty from Nmecha in the clip above is the only goal they have scored in the top-flight.

James and Gnonto started the season as the first-choice wing pairing, after Manor Solomon returned to Tottenham Hotspur, and they have not done anywhere near enough at the top end of the pitch.

25/26 Premier League	Wilfried Gnonto	Dan James
Appearances	4	4
Starts	3	3
Goals + assists	0	0
Shots on target	0	0
Key passes	1	2
Big chances created	0	0
Dribble success rate	17%	25%
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, both players have struggled badly in possession so far this season, with no shots on target or ‘big chances’ created between them after four matches.

This comes after James and Gnonto combined for four goals in 48 appearances in the Premier League for Fulham and Leeds respectively in the 2022/23 campaign, per Sofascore.

Relying on players who have previously struggled in the top-flight, instead of bringing in quality replacements, is why the Whites are now struggling so badly in the Premier League this season.

Unfortunately, the West Yorkshire outfit sold a player last year who would solve a lot of the team’s current problems in the final third, as Georginio Rutter has proven himself in the top-flight with Brighton.

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Leeds sold the France U21 international to the Premier League side for a whopping fee of £40m after the 2023/24 campaign, which was a terrific fee for the club. You cannot blame them for cashing in because it was a release clause in his contract.

However, the Whites, even after winning promotion to the Premier League and having a summer transfer window to recruit more talent, have failed to replace the quality that he provided at the top end of the pitch.

Why Georginio Rutter would solve Leeds United's attacking issues

The left-footed star is a mercurial and versatile attacking talent who would be a difference-maker for Leeds in their current condition, because they lack quality in the final third.

Rutter, who can play centrally or out wide, proved his quality in the Premier League during his first season at Brighton, as he scored eight goals and provided five assists in all competitions, per Sofascore.

24/25 Premier League	Georginio Rutter
Appearances	28
Starts	19
xG	4.64
Goals	5
Big chances created	6
Assists	3
Successful dribbles	28
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the French magician delivered 11 goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in just 19 starts for his current club in the top-flight last term.

He scored as many goals in the Premier League last season as Aaronson, James, and Gnonto managed in their last full seasons in the division combined, which illustrates the kind of goal threat that he can offer.

The left-footed forward’s form in the 2023/24 Championship campaign for Leeds also shows that he has far more to offer to the team than Gnonto and James as a creative force.

Per Sofascore, Rutter created a staggering 22 ‘big chances’ and racked up 10.52 xA in 45 appearances in the 2023/24 season. Last term, Gnonto created ten ‘big chances’ and 3.74 xA and James created 16 ‘big chances’ and 8.66 xA in the Championship for Leeds.

These statistics suggest that the £40m-rated star can also create high-quality chances at the top end of the pitch for his teammates more frequently than Gnonto and James.

Rutter, who talent scout Jacek Kulig claimed has “blistering” pace, would be a big upgrade on Farke’s current attacking options because of his ability to score and create goals more effectively than the likes of Gnonto, James, and Aaronson.

Of course, it was not a mistake by Leeds to sell the attacker last year, because there was a release clause in his contract, but it now seems like they could use a player with his quality to solve the team’s attacking issues in the Premier League this season.

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Celtic dropped down to second in the Scottish Premiership table on Saturday afternoon as they were held to a drab 0-0 draw by Hibernian at Parkhead.

The Hoops have dropped points in two of their six matches in the top-flight so far this season, and they now sit two points behind Hearts in the table.

Brendan Rodgers made a few changes to the starting line-up to freshen things up after the 1-1 draw with Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League on Thursday night, but the players coming in did not push their case forward to keep a starting berth. Arne Engels was one of those players who did not take their chance.

Why Arne Engels should be dropped by Celtic

The Belgium international was brought into the central midfield mix to replace Benjamin Nygren, who dropped to the bench, but produced an underwhelming performance in the middle of the park.

Engels, who was signed for £11m from Augsburg last summer, was substituted in the 68th minute of the match after failing to register a shot on target or a ‘big chance’ created, per Sofascore.

The 22-year-old flop lost possession of the ball 18 times and only created two chances, neither of which were ‘big chances’, before Rodgers decided to haul him off for the last 20 minutes.

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Engels should, therefore, be dropped from the starting line-up after he failed to take his chance to impress. However, the Belgian was not the only underperformer for the Hoops, as Kelechi Iheanacho was even worse than him.

Why Celtic should drop Kelechi Iheanacho

The Nigeria international was brought into the starting line-up to replace Daizen Maeda in the number nine position after he came off the bench to score in the draw with Red Star Belgrade.

As you can see in the clip above, the former Sevilla striker did brilliantly to take the ball under control and find the top corner between two defenders to put the Hoops ahead in that match.

Unfortunately, the left-footed attacker was unable to follow that up with an impressive performance from the start against Hibernian, as he wasted several chances to find the back of the net.

Vs Hibernian

Kelechi Iheanacho

Minutes

67

Shots

4

Shots on target

1

Big chances missed

2

Passes completed

9/10

Key passes

1

Big chances created

0

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Iheanacho spurned the two big chances that he had, one of which was a tap in that he struck the crossbar with from close range.

The worst part of his performance was that the one chance that he did take, finding the back of the net with a nice finish, was offside because he mistimed his run across the front post.

Along with his poor play in front of goal, Iheanacho also lost 100% of his duels (1/1), per Sofascore, which shows that he did not compete with and make it hard for the Hibs defenders.

This is why he was even worse than Engels, who won more duels (two), created more chances (two), and missed fewer ‘big chances’ (one) than the striker, per Sofascore.

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Both of Iheanacho’s goals for Celtic so far have come as a substitute. This, perhaps, suggests that coming off the bench to make an impact should be his role for now, which is why he must be ditched from the starting XI against Braga.

Harry Maguire ended Manchester United's long, long wait to win away at Liverpool as he snatched a 2-1 victory which could kickstart the Ruben Amorim era at last. Maguire headed home Bruno Fernandes' swerving cross in the 85th minute to restore United's advantage shortly after Cody Gakpo had cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo's quick-fire opener.

The victory was United's first at Anfield since January 2016 and also gave Amorim successive Premier League wins for the first time as Red Devils' boss.

United grabbed the lead on exactly 60 seconds thanks to some razor sharp reactions after Virgil van Dijk, Mbeumo and Alexis Mac Allister went down from an aerial challenge. Fernandes set Amad Diallo away down the wing in space and the Ivorian threaded a ball for Mbeumo, who was back on his feet quickly, to run towards and knock past Giorgi Mamardashvili. 

United had a cautious game plan and were fortunate when Cody Gakpo hit the post after a lightning quick break. The Dutchman later hit the woodwork twice more, but United also threatened on the break, and Fernandes should have scored when he lashed an Amad cut-back off the outside of the post. The captain then saw his free-kick skim the top of the net after taking a flick off Gakpo while Mason Mount had an effort repelled by Mamardashvili.

The Red Devils lost their edge as the game progressed, particularly after Casemiro and Amad were taken off, and Liverpool kept on threatening until Gakpo appeared at the far post to tuck in Federico Chiesa's cross after poor defending from United on the whole.

The stage looked set for Liverpool to complete the comeback victory, but instead it was United who were left celebrating thanks to Maguire.

GOAL rates United's players from Anfield…

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Senne Lammens (8/10):

  Hard to believe it was his second game and first away match. Transmitted confidence to his defenders, taking crosses with conviction. Made a smart save from Isak with his legs, caught a stinging shot from Jones and did enough to put Salah off from close range. Took a no nonsense approach to kicking which served him well.

  Harry Maguire (9/10):

  Justified starting ahead of Yoro by getting his head in front of every ball and anticipating the danger well. A good performance became a great one when he headed in the winner and ended a 10-season wait for United to win at Anfield.

  Matthijs de Ligt (7/10):

  A decisive and dominant display at the heart of the defence. Showed strength to barge Kerkez out of the way early on and helped weather the storm, save for the defence switching off when Gakpo struck.

  Luke Shaw (8/10):

  An excellent display from start to finish. His tidy play under pressure seamlessly created the move leading to Fernandes' chance while he made key challenges on Chiesa and Mac Allister.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Midfield

  Amad Diallo (8/10):

  Back towards his best after a difficult start to the season. His threaded pass to Mbeumo set up the crucial goal while he would have gotten a second assist had Fernandes taken his chance. Had Kerkez on the back foot for most of the game. Taken off shortly after being booked.

  Casemiro (8/10):

  A gigantic presence for his hour on the pitch. Won every header and challenge while his positional sense was impressive, allowing him to control the middle of the pitch without having to exert himself.

  Bruno Fernandes (7/10):

  Crucial to both goals. Showed his quick thinking to release Amad for the opener and sould have scored himself when he struck the post. Made amends in other ways, such as when he dispossessed Isak in the box. Kept the move alive leading to Maguire's winner.

  Diogo Dalot (5/10):

  The only weak link and was somewhat fortunate his lapses, such as losing Van Dijk at a free-kick and sending a clearance to the feet of Isak, were not punished. 

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Attack

  Mason Mount (6/10):

  Not a vintage display and yet he helped the team execute Amorim's tactical plan with clever movement. Had two half-chances to score.

  Matheus Cunha (6/10):

  A surprise choice as the false nine but it just about worked as he linked the play well, even without creating many clear chances.

  Bryan Mbeumo (7/10):

  Got the team off to a flying start by quickly bouncing off the floor and using his pace to get onto Amad's pass and score. Kept working hard, leading the press with his selfless running. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Subs & Manager

  Manuel Ugarte (5/10):

  Not nearly as assured as Casemiro and United's performance dropped when he came on, although he did play his part in preventing another equaliser.

  Patrick Dorgu (6/10):

  A little scrappy but dug in and did his job to protect the lead late on.

  Benjamin Sesko (6/10):

  Put himself about well and his aerial presence came in handy in his own box.

  Kobbie Mainoo (N/A):

  Introduced in the 85th minute to see out the win.

  Leny Yoro (N/A):

  Came on to put an extra body on the line and get the win over the line.

  Ruben Amorim (8/10):

  His finest display and result in 11 months in charge. His tactics were spot-on and he at last has back-to-back wins, getting the all important victory at Anfield of all places.

It's difficult to overstate Cole Palmer's importance to Chelsea, but it's probably reflected in how determined head coach Enzo Maresca has been to have him at his disposal this season despite a persistent, niggling groin injury. The Blues have now paid a significant price for that over-reliance on the 23-year-old, with the attacker – who has already been sidelined for close to a month – now ruled out until December, in a crushing blow to his club and his World Cup hopes.

Palmer has only made four appearances in all competitions this season; after pulling out of the starting line-up on the second Premier League matchday of the campaign, he returned prematurely in spite of the ongoing problem in September and was inevitably forced back onto the treatment table as the wear and tear on his groin became too much to bear.

Having already missed a month of action, Maresca has now revealed that Chelsea's talisman requires a further six weeks to recover, meaning he won't be seen until late November at the earliest and will be sidelined for at least nine club matches between now and then, in what will be a defining period for the Blues' long-term prospects in 2025-26. The only silver lining is that, for now, he doesn't require surgery.

It also means he will be forced to sit out a third England camp in a row in November, having been unavailable to Thomas Tuchel in both September and October through the same injury, and – despite his obvious talent – his hopes of going to the World Cup next summer are now under serious threat as the German tactician looks to reward those who have performed consistently for him so far.

AFPPaying the price

There is little doubt that this is an injury that Palmer could have avoided or that would have been less severe if it wasn't for Chelsea's run to unexpected glory at the Club World Cup in the summer, where the 23-year-old was their hero once again as he dismantled European champions Paris Saint-Germain almost singlehandedly in the final.

Despite the west Londoners often coming up against relatively weaker opposition in the U.S., Palmer clocked up more than 550 minutes in six games over the course of just under a month. It is believed that this groin problem flared up at some point during the tournament, where matches were invariably played in excruciating and physically draining heat and humidity.

After the final on July 13, the squad was afforded just three weeks off before reporting back for training in early August as part of their scaled-back warm-up plans, with Palmer playing more than 100 minutes across their two friendlies against Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan on the same weekend when, evidently, he wasn't fully fit.

It's easy to forget that he was also involved in the completely misguided post-season England camp in June, too – needlessly playing in what should have been a routine win over Andorra before warming the bench against Senegal.

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'Bizarre, wrong, impossible'

Chelsea legend Pat Nevin is in no doubt that the club's summer schedule is to blame for Palmer's injury woes, with the attacker previously a near ever-present for the west Londoners.

"Cole Palmer is the same as everyone, not in terms of quality, but in terms of he's one of those things called a human being," the Scot told . "The physicality of what Chelsea players have gone through, it's going to get to them and we know it's going to get them. And it's not a maybe, it's a when, not if.

"So Cole's getting a little bit of it now. Because he played all through the summer, I thought a big hit would happen around November, December time. I thought that sort of time you'd start seeing a lot of injuries and form dipping with a number of players.

"Chelsea's pre-season was two games in three days. It's bizarre, it's wrong, it's impossible."

Getty Images SportRushed back

Some blame should certainly be attributed to Maresca and perhaps the Chelsea medical staff following this latest setback, as his unwavering determination to have his key man available as often as possible has undoubtedly come at the detriment of his fitness.

Following his last-minute withdrawal before the thumping victory over West Ham on matchday two of the league season in August, apparently after painkillers failed to have the desired effect, the head coach admitted his talisman had already been playing through the pain barrier in the season opener against Crystal Palace five days prior, after which the attacker was criticised for a subdued performance in the goalless draw.

Palmer was able to rest during the September international break and started as a substitute in the first game back against Brentford, but he was called upon by Maresca with Chelsea trailing 1-0. He popped up with a vital equaliser, and scored again as he played the full 90 against Bayern Munich in the Champions League a few days later, but three run outs in a week proved to be too much as he was forced off after just 21 minutes at Manchester United the following weekend, and he hasn't played since.

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Getty Images Sport'I was wrong'

It had been reported that Chelsea were hopeful of having Palmer back by early November, and Maresca had downplayed the severity of the problem, but he has now been forced to eat his words.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the clash with Nottingham Forest, the Italian tactician conceded: "I was wrong, unfortunately, he needs to be out for probably six more weeks. We try to protect Cole as much as we can and the most important thing is when he comes back he is fully fit.

"Unfortunately, the medical staff are not magicians, you never know that (he will definitely be fine again by then). He will probably need six weeks, we hope that six weeks is enough. It is a problem we need to see step by step, week after week. But for sure he is going to be okay."

That recovery timeline means Palmer will miss nine matches, including upcoming big games against Tottenham and Barcelona, while he faces a race against time to be fit for the showdown with Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on November 30.

MatériaMais Notícias

Manchester vai ganhar o tempero baiano por um dia. Neste sábado (2), o City encara o Fulham, em duelo válido pela 4ª rodada da Premier League, às 11h (de Brasília). Antes de a bola rolar, o clube inglês fará uma homenagem ao Bahia, último clube integrado ao conglomerado de equipes integradas ao City Group.

A principal atração do chamado ‘O dia da Bahia’ é Carlinhos Brown, vencedor de dois Grammys Latinos, que se apresentará em um trio elétrico no Etihad Stadium, casa do City. Além do artista que é declarado torcedor do Esquadrão, outros elementos da cultura baiana estarão presentes como performance de capoeira e outras exibições musicais, como os timbaleiros.

>Assista aos jogos do seu clube do coração com aquela gelada! Copo Stanley a partir de R$120,00

– A realização de um evento do Bahia em uma abertura de um jogo do Manchester City, na Premier League, é muito importante, pois marca e celebra a chegada do Bahia a essa família, ao maior grupo multiclubes do mundo. E também mostra a importância do clube para o grupo, o respeito que tem ao Bahia e à Bahia, pois será um momento de celebração da nossa cultura, da nossa raiz, da nossa origem e de onde viemos. Ficamos felizes com essa valorização por parte do City Football Group e do Esportes da Sorte, parceiro que acredita muito no Esporte Clube Bahia e tem sido fundamental para diversas realizações, como essa que vamos vivenciar no próximo sábado. Temos certeza que é apenas o primeiro evento de muitos outros que irão ocorrer, pois esse casamento que acaba de começar será muito frutífero – pontua Vitor Ferraz, vice-presidente do Bahia.

Maior patrocinador master da história do Tricolor, a casa de apostas Esportes da Sorte tem participação direta na realização do evento. A empresa decora o trio elétrico de Carlinhos Brown com um painel em LED, contendo a exibição de sua marca, além de distribuir mil bonés aos torcedores presentes no local. Criando, assim, uma combinação com o que será ofertado pelo artista ainda levará as famosas fitinhas do Senhor do Bonfim para dar aos fãs.

Os mascotes de Bahia e Manchester City também estarão presentes para interagir com a garotada. A Dama e O Maestro, nomes do pagode baiano, são outros destaques escalados para ‘O dia da Bahia’ em Manchester.

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He delivered 16 dots in his four-over spell to produce the joint-most economical spell in the IPL at the Wankhede Stadium

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-20251:51

Moody: Santner a nightmare on pitches like this   

Three wickets for 11 runs. An economy of 2.75. A total of 16 dot balls. These were Mitchell Santner’s returns for Mumbai Indians (MI) in match 63 of their IPL 2025 outing against Delhi Capitals (DC).It was also the most miserly figures by a spinner at the Wankhede Stadium in IPL history in yet another sublime performance for the left-arm spinner this season who now has an economy of 7.60 this season.Related

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After his spell put DC into a chokehold, Varun Aaron and Tom Moody couldn’t help but praise Santner in the post-match segment on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show.”The moment Will Jacks bowled, I was thinking if Will Jacks is going to turn the ball this much, Santner is just going to run rigs around the batsman,” Aaron said. “Santner is a quality bowler, just one of those underutilised bowlers, underutilised players at CSK, never really got a long run, but he’s just showing what he’s worth the moment he stepped into Mumbai Indians’ colours.”Ryan Rickelton stumps Ashutosh Sharma off Mitchell Santner’s bowling•BCCISantner dismissed Sameer Rizvi and Vipraj Nigam – DC’s top-two scorers on the night – before removing Ashutosh Sharma with a beautiful delivery that left him stumped. But it wasn’t just the uncharacteristically slow Wankhede surface that made Santner so dangerous, Moody added. His variations – sometimes very subtle – played a big part too.”And the beauty of Santner is that, on a surface like that, it’s not so much the turn is the threat, it’s the pitch being slow and his ability to change the arrival of the ball at different paces without the knowledge of the batsman. That’s what makes him lethal, his subtle change of pace without any real sign or cue for the batter is his key,” Moody said. “It’s not like he’s spun the odd one, but let’s face it, Mitchell is not a big turner of the ball, he’s never been a big turner of the ball, that’s why he’s never really grabbed hold of a Test cricket and run with it.”Yes, he had a good series here recently when New Zealand beat India in a three-Test-match series. But his real skill is that sort of change of pace and when you’ve got a slow surface, that’s a batting nightmare.”Aaron also pointed to Santner’s physical attributes that add another layer of deception: “his height and his angles, he really uses the crease well. Generally, when batsmen subconsciously see a tall bowler, they just think he’s going to fire every ball in. But he actually, like Tom says, uses his pace so well.”

يستأنف ليفربول مشواره في دوري أبطال أوروبا، بعد تحقيق فوز مريح على حساب أستون فيلا بهدفين نظيفين في الجولة العاشرة من الدوري الانجليزي الممتاز.

وجاء هدف ليفربول الأول عن طريق النجم المصري محمد صلاح في الدقيقة 46 بعد أن استغل تمريرة بالخطأ من إيمليانو مارتينيز ليضع الكرة في الشباك بسهولة، وأضاف ريان جرافنبيرخ الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 58.

بهذا الفوز ارتفع رصيد ليفربول للنقطة 18 في المركز الثالث وبفارق 7 نقاط عن المتصدر آرسنال صاحب الـ25 نقطة.

أقرأ أيضاً.. لعب دورًا في ضم محمد صلاح.. تشيلسي يتعاقد مع مؤسس فريق ليفربول الذهبي

وتجمد رصيد أستون فيلا بقيادة مدربه الاسباني آوناي آيمري عند النقطة 15 في المركز الحادي عشر. موعد مباراة ليفربول وريال مدريد في دوري أبطال أوروبا

يستضيف ليفربول ريال مدريد، يوم الثلاثاء المقبل 4 نوفمبر، على ملعب أنفيلد، في الجولة الرابعة من دور المجموعات لدوري أبطال أوروبا في تمام العاشرة مساء بتوقيت مصر الحادية عشر بتوقيت السعودية.

Jayden Meghoma believes sticking together is the only way for Rangers to navigate through troubled waters at the Ibrox club.

Under-fire head coach Russell Martin again faced the wrath of the Gers fans following the 1-0 home defeat to Genk in their Europa League opener on Thursday night.

The former Southampton boss has won only four of 14 games since taking over in the summer with the Light Blues second bottom of the William Hill Premiership table and knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers with a humiliating 9-1 aggregate defeat by another Belgian outfit, Club Brugge.

Meghoma, the 19-year-old left-back signed on loan from Brentford, is looking to bounce back against Livingston in West Lothian on Sunday and, asked if the players are supporting each other through a testing period at the club, he said: “Of course, you have to.

Meghoma: Rangers must stick together

“As a team, we have to be together. It’s the only way to get through a tough time like this. I’m enjoying it, but at the same time, I’m always focused on the next game.

“As a team, as a whole, we do need to focus on what we can do together. We’re always attempting to win the game and that’s what we have to do against Livingston.

“Every game has its different challenges and poses a different threat. We know we’re coming up against them and we’re ready for it.

“Like I said, focus on the next game and making sure that we win for this club because it’s a massive club and we should be doing better for this club.”

Livingston boss David Martindale has told his newly-promoted team they need to adapt quickly to the demands of the Premiership after conceding stoppage-time winners in two of their last three matches against Hearts and Dundee.

“If we had got the two points from those games we would have been sitting third on the table last Saturday night, but that’s the unforgiving nature of the Premiership,” said the manager.

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Tom Cunningham

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“That’s the fine margins at this level and I feel as a group, we need to understand that very, very quickly. If we play like we did against Dundee in the Championship last year, we’d have probably won 2- or 3-0. It’s just different levels, different players and the unforgiving nature of the Premiership.”

Despite winning only one of their six top-flight matches so far, Martindale sees no reason why his side should be wary of facing Rangers on Sunday.

“We’ll just treat it like any other game, really,” he said. “If we were going away to Ibrox we’d potentially approach the game slightly different, but we’re at home and I think we’ve got to kind of stick to how we want to play.

“I don’t want to play here and shut up shop. I want to stick to as many of the principles that we’re trying to force into the players this year, so we want to go and try and get the three points.”

Pep Guardiola gave a tongue-in-cheek response when discussing the ever-changing narrative surrounding the Premier League title race, joking Liverpool are now “done” following their recent run of poor form. The Manchester City manager delivered the wry take when recalling how his side were written off following a start to the season which saw them lose two of their opening three games.

City back in title race discussion following five-game unbeaten run

Following a 2024-25 season which saw City fail to claim any silverware, Guardiola’s side were considered by many bookmakers to be third favourites for this season’s league title, behind both Liverpool and Arsenal. City then saw their odds increase when they suffered successive defeats against Tottenham and Brighton in August, having beaten Wolves 4-0 in their opening league fixture.

However, City are now the name on everyone’s lips in the title race discussion, having put together a five-game unbeaten run in the league. Following victories over Manchester United, Burnley, Brentford and Everton – having also recorded a draw with Arsenal – Guardiola’s men have now risen to second in the table, three points behind Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal and one point above Arne Slot’s Liverpool.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportLiverpool have title credentials questioned following losing run

Liverpool, meanwhile, have had their title credentials questioned for the first time following a recent four-match losing streak. The Reds suffered defeats against Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, Chelsea and United before getting back on track with an impressive 5-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Wednesday. Slot’s men are looking to return to winning ways in the league when they travel to Brentford on Saturday evening, whereas Guardiola and City head to Aston Villa on Sunday after defeating Villarreal in their European encounter on Tuesday.

Guardiola pokes fun at pundits' early-season predictions

And ahead of another weekend which will see attentions return to the title race, Guardiola poked fun at pundits’ reactions to City’s early-season form when asked about Liverpool’s disappointing league results of late.

"In the first two, three games we were done and now it looks like Liverpool (who are third after three consecutive losses) are done,” Guardiola joked ahead of City’s trip to Aston Villa. "I'll tell you that we will be back.

"I've said many times that the pundits, the specialists, the former footballers know what's going to happen after five games — I'm not able to do that.

"10, 15 games to know what's going on. Liverpool and Arsenal are there, someone else will be there and hopefully we can be there.”

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Getty Images SportHaaland the catalyst for City being discussed as title contenders again

While the likes of Nico O’Reilly and Phil Foden have played key roles in helping City return to form, Erling Haaland has undoubtedly been the catalyst behind the 10-time champions’ being discussed as title contenders once again. The Norway international has been in remarkable goalscoring form in 2025-26, netting 15 times in just 11 games for City. The former Borussia Dortmund man has also replicated his club efforts on the international stage, scoring a hat-trick against Israel earlier this month to put his country on the brink of qualifying for next summer’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has already made a decision on the long-term future of a promising player ahead of 2026, with the Spaniard having no place for him in his long-term plans for the North Londoners.

Arsenal prepare for imminent Premier League return against Fulham

The Gunners entered this international break on a near-perfect run of form.

Arteta’s side, barring their 1-1 draw with Man City, have won every single match in all competitions since the last international break, including a dramatic win at Newcastle, where Arsenal showcased a Liverpool-esque ability to nick three points right at the death, despite not playing at their best.

Arsenal’s manager will be quietly thrilled by his squad’s reaction to their first and only defeat of the campaign so far at Anfield, with the Gunners’ impressive unbeaten run since catapulting them to the Premier League summit.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Premier League

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Champions League

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Premier League

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Carabao Cup

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Premier League

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Champions League

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Premier League

The only piece of bad news for Arteta recently has been club captain Martin Odegaard’s knee injury, with the Norway international not expected to return until after the November international break.

Odegaard joins Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Noni Madueke’s on Arsenal’s long-term injury list, but luckily for Arteta, summer signing Piero Hincapie is set to be available for their clash against Fulham this weekend.

Hincapie has been struggling with a groin problem since joining from Bayer Leverkusen on loan with a £45 million option to buy, with the Ecuador international playing just one minute for Arteta so far and still waiting for his Premier League debut.

The 23-year-old was brought in as a direct replacement for Jakub Kiwior, who joined FC Porto on loan in the summer window.

Kiwior, by contrast to Hincapie, has got off to an excellent start to his temporary spell in Portugal. He’s started every league game since his switch to the Primeira Liga, helping Francesco Farioli’s side to maintain their unbeaten run domestically and in the Europa League.

Porto have also conceded just two goals in all competitions so far, with the 25-year-old finding his feet very quickly abroad.

Jakub Kiwior to leave Arsenal for good after Mikel Arteta decision

Kiwior’s loan includes an obligation to become permanent for around £15 million plus add-ons if certain conditions are met, and it appears as if the Poland international is firmly on his way to meeting those requirements to seal an indefinite Arsenal exit.

This is just as well, with Arteta already deciding that there is no place for the ex-Spezia man in his long-term plans.

That is according to reports from Spain, which state that, even if Kiwior doesn’t end up meeting the obligation conditions at Porto, Arsenal are set to sell the defender next summer and have put a £21.5 million price tag on his head in the event he becomes available again.

As things stand, the most likely scenario is Kiwior joining Porto permanently, and it is believed they wish to secure his future in April or May after an impressive early run of form under Farioli.

Called a “sensational talent” by members of the media, it was always a tall order for Kiwior to establish himself as a mainstay Arsenal starter ahead of Gabriel and William Saliba, who’ve established themselves as two of the top five best centre-backs in world football.

Rank

Player

Age

Club

Nation

1

Virgil van Dijk

34

Liverpool

Netherlands

2

Antonio Rudiger

32

Real Madrid

Germany

3

Gabriel Magalhaes

27

Arsenal

Brazil

4

Alessandro Bastoni

26

Inter Milan

Italy

5

William Saliba

24

Arsenal

France

That being said, his ability was never lost on Arteta.