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Since Pep Guardiola won his first Premier League title back in 2018, only two teams have been able to compete with Manchester City: Arsenal and Liverpool. The Gunners led the way for the majority of the 2022-23 season before they were overhauled by Guardiola's treble-chasing juggernaut, while only two points could separate them in 2023-24, when City won a fourth successive title.

In Guardiola's 1000th game as a coach, in which he was serenaded from start to finish by the Etihad faithful, he watched his side swat Liverpool aside in a merciless act of revenge for what occurred last season. And in doing so he and his team trimmed Arsenal's lead at the top of the table down to four points and sent out a message to the Gunners: 'Not so fast'.

Arsenal should know as well as anyone that you cannot ever count City out of a title race. Mikel Arteta's side led the table for 248 days in 2022-23, the longest period for any team that did not win the title, and at one point held an eight-point advantage. Arsenal then signed Declan Rice the following summer and shored up their defence but still fell short again, even though City lost Kevin De Bruyne for half the season and Erling Haaland for two months. 

The Gunners seem to have learned from past mistakes and have assembled a deep squad that can absorb injuries to the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Odegaard. And yet watching the way City ripped their way through Liverpool on Sunday, with the mesmeric Jeremy Doku leading their charge and Haaland scoring for the ninth time in 11 matches, it must have been difficult not to be overcome by a sense of dread.

With Liverpool now trailing Arsenal by eight points, they are fading from the title race as dramatically as the way they wrapped their tentacles around it at this stage of last season. But City are right back in the mix, and their chase of Arsenal has truly now begun.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the Etihad Stadium…

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  WINNER: Jeremy Doku

  If it hadn't been for Romelu Lukaku, Doku could have been playing for Liverpool on Sunday, giving Matheus Nunes and Ruben Dias the run around. The Reds set their eyes upon the winger when he was still a youth player with Anderlecht and saw him as a potential successor to Sadio Mane. Simon Mignolet, Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum were among the players to greet the Doku family at Liverpool's Melwood training ground in 2018 while Steven Gerrard – then a youth coach – showed them tactical videos. 

  It was an offer that Doku, aged 15 at the time, could hardly refuse. But Lukaku, who had also come through Anderlecht's academy and maintained good relations with staff, took it upon himself to change the youngster's mind and gave him a video call. It worked, and Doku stayed in Belgium for another two years before joining Rennes and eventually landing at City in 2023. And after this whirlwind display, City should send Lukaku a bottle of champagne in the post.

  Doku was unplayable here, becoming the first Premier League player since compatriot Eden Hazard in 2019 to score, win 10 or more duels, complete seven or more dribbles, create three or more chances and have three or more shots on target in the same game. He tore Conor Bradley to pieces just five days after the Liverpool full-back had put Vinicius Jr in his back pocket. 

  "He had an outstanding game against one of the best full-backs in the Premier League," said Guardiola. "Do you think I teach him how to dribble openings? This is natural talent."

  Doku's natural talent has always been easily visible, but adapting to City's intricate play has not always been easy for him. The story of his City career in the first two years was one of many flashes of brilliance but little end product and not a whole lot of consistency. This season, though, he looks to have finally cracked the code, and this performance was no anomaly after he helped destroy Manchester United and Burnley earlier in the campaign.

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  LOSER: Conor Bradley & Ibrahima Konate

  Bradley was the toast of Liverpool last week for his dominant performance against Real Madrid, but he was given a brutal reminder of how quickly things can turn on Sunday. After being lauded for how he dealt with Vinicius, he simply had no answer when it came to shutting down with Doku. Arne Slot attempted to stem the bleeding by getting Ryan Gravenberch to double up with Bradley on the City winger in the second half, and it worked for a period as Liverpool began to improve and found their feet, albeit not a goal.

  But Bradley then found himself with a twin threat of his own to deal with when presented with the marauding Nico O'Reilly while Doku led the way, and it fell to Ibrahima Konate to try and stop the Belgian when he collected O'Reilly's pass on the edge of the area, but he stood no chance. Konate seemed unsure whether to get tight on Doku or to try and block his shooting angles, but failed miserably on both fronts as the City man wrapped up the points.

  Konate had lost another crucial battle earlier in the game when he was out-jumped by Haaland for the first goal. The France defender has had a patchy season and looks set to run down his contract so he can join Real Madrid for free like his former team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold. Liverpool fans will be feeling slightly better about that inevitability after a performance like this.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WINNER: Pep Guardiola

  A lot of managers would have been happy to have one banner displayed to mark their 1000th game; Guardiola got three, but it was no less than he deserved. City have had the financial resources to compete at the highest level since Sheikh Mansour bought the club in 2008, but it was not until Guardiola agreed to take over in 2016 that the project the Abu Dhabi royal family had envisaged could truly take flight.

  Guardiola became a household name due to his achievements with Barcelona, and while his stint at Bayern Munich was impressive, it was also to be expected. But he has left the longest-lasting legacy with City. He has spent 10 seasons in Manchester, taking charge of 550 games and counting. He has delivered the club's first Champions League, two FA Cups, four League Cups and won six Premier League titles, including a historic four-in-a-row and while achieving a record 100 points in 2017-18.

  As he said himself, there could be no more fitting opponent than Liverpool to mark 1000 games as a coach. The Reds have been even more formidable rivals for Guardiola than Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund at his previous two clubs, and it must have been hugely satisfying to not just mark the occasion with a win but with a truly crushing performance. 

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  LOSER: Arne Slot

  Just when he thought he was out of the woods after beating Aston Villa and Real Madrid following a run of six defeats in seven games, Slot was dragged right back into the thick, squelchy mud with this damaging defeat. It was not just the fact that his side lost that must have been hard to take, it was the way they lost. And in his typically frank way, Slot was only too happy to admit that his team had been outplayed, telling that "they were better than us" on no fewer than four occasions during his post-match interview.

  He was not the only one to point out the massive gulf in quality between the two sides on the day. "I thought it was a really, really poor performance. It was one of the worst that I've seen from a Liverpool team for a long time," said Gary Neville. Roy Keane went even further: "There was a lack of intensity, a lack of energy. The subs, when they came on, looked really soft. It's okay to lose to a club like Man City – it's a tough place to come. But to lose seven in 10 – five league losses already – it has to be a crisis for a club like Liverpool."

  It's now back to the drawing board for Slot, and he has two weeks to analyse what went wrong and come up with a plan to improve when his players return from the international break.

Whether buying them or producing them in the academy, West Ham United have a proud history of developing some of the best talent around.

The best example of this in recent years is undoubtedly Declan Rice, as while joining a fellow London club is never ideal, he did so after captaining the side to European glory.

However, not every promising prospect goes on to fulfil their potential, as before the Englishman, the most talked about youngster at the club was probably Reece Oxford.

So, Nuno Espírito Santo will be hoping that West Ham’s latest exciting talent follows in the footsteps of Rice and not Oxford.

Where is Reece Oxford today?

Ironically, Oxford’s most memorable game as a West Ham player was his full Premier League debut, away to Arsenal in the club’s opening game of the 2015/16 season.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The young Englishman, who was just 16 years old at the time, started in the middle of the park and was given what seemed to be the impossible task of stopping a Gunners’ team that included the likes of Mesut Özil, Santi Cazorla and an in-form Aaron Ramsey.

Yet, instead of being made to look foolish, he helped the Hammers to a famous 2-0 victory, and was described as having “everything” by then manager Slaven Bilic at full-time.

However, even after putting in such an incredible showing and being looked at as the club’s “main talent” at the time, per an interview with former West Ham trainee Lewis Page, the teenager would only go on to make another 11 first-team appearances that season, and then go on loan to Reading midway through the following campaign.

Unfortunately, injuries kept him to just five appearances for the Royals, and after two more underwhelming loan spells in Germany, he was finally sold to Bundesliga side Augsburg in the summer of 2019.

Initially, things started to look up for the youngster: while he wasn’t playing every week, he was getting more action than before. But it wouldn’t last, as injuries reared their ugly heads once again.

Then a severe case of long COVID kept him out of first-team action from November 2022 until he left the club this summer.

Unfortunately, Oxford remains without a club today, but at 26, there is still a chance he can find his way back into the game. So, with all that said, West Ham will be hoping their latest talent can follow more in Rice’s footsteps.

West Ham's biggest talent since Rice and Oxford

The good news for West Ham fans is that there are several exciting U21 players in the current squad, like Callum Marshall and Oliver Scarles, but the most promising has to be Luis Guilherme.

The 19-year-old joined the Hammers from Brazilian outfit Palmeiras last summer for a fee of around £25.5m, and while that is a lot for such a young player, it might prove to be a bargain in the future.

For example, one of his best traits is that while he is primarily looked at as a right-winger, he’s more than capable of playing all over the pitch, from attacking midfield to left-wing and even up top or as a second-striker.

Moreover, even though the goal involvements have not exactly flowed freely so far, those in the know are incredibly excited about his attacking potential.

According to respected analyst Ben Mattinson, while the Brazilian gem doesn’t take enough shots, when he does, they are of a “high calibre.”

Furthermore, the more Nuno uses him and the more comfortable he becomes in the English game, the more exciting the Hammers could become.

This is because, according to Mattinson, the “electric” winger is a player who “thrives on transitions” and can “turn past players with ease” thanks to his “elite ball manipulation,” which sounds like a player fans would want to watch.

Finally, while he might not hit the levels of a Dimitri Payet, he could bring some of the trickery and mazy runs the Frenchman was famous for back to the London Stadium.

At least that is what it sounds like when Mattinson describes him as an “entertainer” who is capable of producing “match-winning moments,” be that through a “30-yard screamer” or by “taking on players.”

Ultimately, fans have not quite been able to see it over the last year, but there is a very good chance that Guilherme is West Ham’s most exciting prospect since Rice and Oxford, but only time will tell which player he emulates.

Nuno can banish Soucek from West Ham by unleashing "powerful" Irons star

The West Ham gem could help Nuno Espirito Santo pick up his first win in the Premier League.

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By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Oct 23, 2025

We’ve got a full day of MLB on the slate, and there are plenty of ways to get in on the action. Today, I am zeroing in on two matchups: the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Milwaukee Brewers and the Hosuton Astros at the Tampa Bay Rays.  

All bets listed below present good value and can be found at DraftKings.

Let’s get to it! 

MLB Best Bets Today for Wednesday, Aug. 14

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Milwaukee Brewers Predictions and Best Bets

Dodgers at Brewers over nine runs (-105)

Milwaukee Brewers ML (+100)

I’ll be backing the home dogs tonight in Milwaukee. 

Walker Buehler has not pitched since June 18 and is returning from the injured list after dealing with hip inflammation. 

Before landing on the IL, Walker had a rough start to the season with a 5.84 ERA. Buehler has not looked the same since returning from his second Tommy John surgery, and though he is 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA vs. the Brewers in his career, I’m throwing that out the window.  Milwaukee has scored three or fewer in its past four games after a four-game stretch in which it scored 42 runs.

The Brewers are due for some positive regression at home tonight in this matchup.

Yes, the Dodgers have the best record in baseball, and they have won four of the five matchups with the Brewers this season. However, the Brewers’ +98 run differential is not far behind the Dodgers’ +105, and they have a 33-24 home record.

This could turn into a slugfest, with Frankie Montas having an 8.50 ERA in four starts since the All-Star Break.

The Brewers have scored 5.91 runs per game in August, while the Dodgers have scored 5.27.  The Brewers have the better bullpen, so we will root for the Brewers to win by a run in a high-scoring affair. 

Houston Astros at Tampa Bay Rays Predictions and Best Bets

Both Teams to score 2+ runs in the First Five Innings (+160)

The Astros will be looking to win their eighth consecutive game tonight at Tropicana Field.  

Ronel Blanco will start for Houston, and though he began the season as Houston’s ace, he has started to show some signs of fatigue.  

Since the All-Star Break, Blanco has had an ERA of 5.68 compared to his 2.68 ERA before the All-Star Break.  His 3.59 walks per nine innings are the fifth-most among qualified starters this season, and his 1.34 home runs per nine rank 15th.  

Last week, in his start vs. the Rays, he allowed two earned runs before getting into trouble and exiting early.   

When Blanco does get into trouble, it's usually in the first or fifth inning. Blanco has an ERA of 4.09 in the first inning and an ERA of 4.74 in the fifth. 

The Rays will start Zack Littell at home tonight. Though Littell held the Astros to one run through six innings last week, I don’t expect the same tonight.   

Littell’s home run numbers are even higher than Blanco’s. He has allowed the 11th-most home runs per nine this season, and both Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez have been hot in August.  

Bregman has hit a home run in four consecutive games and will be looking to make it five tonight. Alvarez and Bregman are the reigning co-players of the Week in the AL and have scored 22 combined runs in the first eleven games of August. 

The Astros are averaging 2.48 runs per game in the first five this season, while the Rays are averaging 2.01.  The game total is set at eight today, and both bullpens have been excellent to start August with a combined ERA of just 2.00.   I see both teams scoring a couple early if we are getting close to eight. 

That’s enough to have me taking a chance on this plus money payout. 

Germany legend Oliver Kahn has criticised Bayern Munich for allowing defender Dayot Upamecano to enter the final year of his contract. The former Bayern goalkeeper believes that Upamecano now holds the upper hand and that the club may have to pay a high price to avoid losing him on a free transfer. Spanish giants Real Madrid and Premier League side Liverpool are both reportedly interested in signing the French defender.

• Upamecano's contract expiring amid resurgence under Kompany

  Upamecano joined Bayern from RB Leipzig in 2021 for a fee of €42 million (£37m/$48m) and has since established himself as one of the club’s key defenders. His current contract runs until 2026, but negotiations over an extension have stalled in recent weeks. Bayern have already placed an offer on the table, yet talks remain complicated as the French defender is reportedly demanding a salary of around €15m (£13m/$17m) per year along with a substantial signing bonus. The club are now hoping that manager Vincent Kompany can personally convince Upamecano to commit his future to Bayern.

  Upamecano has rediscovered his best form under Kompany after struggling to impress former Bayern managers Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel. Bayern’s Bundesliga triumph in the 2024–25 season highlighted the success of Kompany’s philosophy, which emphasises hard work, discipline and perseverance. Upamecano has thrived in this environment, becoming a key figure in Bayern’s defence once again. The French defender has openly praised Kompany, describing him as an example to follow both on and off the pitch. In an interview, Upamecano said: “We all watched him when we were young; he was a legend for Belgium and Manchester City. He was a very aggressive defender in duels, a leader on the pitch too, a good example for me. He helps me a lot; we do a lot of videos, he talks to me about my positioning. With him, it's always very intense.”

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  Kahn blames Bayern for 'expensive' contract debacle

  Replacing such a defender, then, will be a difficult task for Bayern, and Kahn has told that they have only themselves to blame as competition heats up. 

  “The way he's playing now, at the very highest level, it's not just going to be expensive, not just very expensive, it's going to be very, very expensive for Bayern," he said. "The question that always arises is: why did you let Dayot Upamecano enter the final year of his contract in the first place?”

  “The only explanation is that Bayern weren't so happy with him a year or two ago. Now he's performing at the top of his game. When you're in the final year of a contract, you're in a very bad position as a club unless you pay a lot of money.”

• Madrid interested in Upamecano but face competition

  Bayern’s hesitation to finalise Upamecano’s contract renewal has opened the door for Madrid, who have reportedly begun talks with the French defender over a potential free transfer next summer. Strengthening the defence has become a top priority for Los Blancos ahead of 2026, with David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger both entering the final months of their contracts. Madrid are actively seeking a new defensive leader to partner with Dean Huijsen, as frequent injuries to Alaba and Eder Militao, combined with Rudiger’s heavy workload from playing every three days, have started to affect his performances.

  Upamecano’s profile fits perfectly with Xabi Alonso’s playing style and Madrid’s recruitment approach. He is a world class defender with Champions League experience, available for free, and would have no trouble settling in Madrid thanks to the presence of his French teammates Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Ferland Mendy.

  While Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool and Barcelona are also monitoring the situation, Madrid currently lead the race.

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  What comes next?

  Bayern have identified Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck as a potential replacement should Upamecano choose not to renew his contract and leave the club on a free transfer. However, the Bavarian club remain hopeful of resolving the situation with Upamecano and securing his extension. The French defender is considered a key part of Kompany’s system, and Bayern are keen to keep him at the heart of their defence for the coming years.

Former Rangers manager Ally McCoist feels the club’s new owners, staff and Russell Martin “underestimated” the size of the task at Ibrox before the head coach was sacked.

Martin lasted just four months in charge and paid the price for a poor start after Sunday’s 1-1 William Hill Premiership draw with Falkirk.

Rangers only won five out of 17 games under Martin with their sole league victory coming courtesy of a stoppage-time winner at Livingston. A Champions League exit was followed by defeats in their opening two Europa League games against Genk and Sturm Graz.

Martin was appointed soon after an American consortium secured a majority stake in Rangers but the new-look board now face another major decision.

McCoist: 49ers and old Gers staff made fatal error

McCoist said on TalkSPORT: “We’re sitting eighth in the table and we have a negative goal difference so there’s no surprise at all.

“I think probably the new owners and certainly the old management staff probably underestimated the size of the job.

“There’s a lot of people maybe just look a little bit at Scottish football and say ‘Celtic and Rangers will win their games and that’s it finished because that’s what they do’. But football is a lot more difficult than that.

“I just think that aligned to really poor, really poor business in the transfer market in terms of recruitment.

“It’s easy to blame the manager and that’s where the buck stops, we all know that’s what happens, but the players have got to take some of the responsibility as well. Some of the defending…

“The goals Rangers lost in midweek (against Sturm Graz) were incredible.

Kris Boyd slams "embarrassing" thing Martin had Rangers do in Sturm Graz defeat

It was another night to forget.

By
Tom Cunningham

Oct 3, 2025

“Rangers look like wee boys. Falkirk out-ran Rangers, they out-fought Rangers and that can happen occasionally but it’s been happening on a regular basis. It’s not good enough.

“The away games. They’ve been to St Mirren, Motherwell, Falkirk, Livingston. It’s not as if they have been to Celtic, Hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen. These are games you are expected to win.”

Boyd: Thelwell's transfer business not good enough

Another former Rangers striker, Kris Boyd, expanded on McCoist’s main point and believes questions will be asked of the likes of sporting director Kevin Thelwell.

“Scotland’s a difficult place to play football,” Boyd told Sky Sports News.

“There’s a lot of people, especially down south, that think it’s easy, it’s not that good. And sometimes the football isn’t that good, you can’t get away from that.

“But it’s a difficult place to play because both clubs in this city demand that you win. Both can’t win at the same time and when you’re not winning, you come under huge scrutiny.

“And that’s where Rangers are at right now because not only Russell Martin hasn’t delivered. There’s a lot of people within the football club failing to deliver in their duty right now as well, and the focus will turn on them.”

Boyd added: “There’s fingerprints from other people over some of the signings that have arrived at Rangers.

“When you think of (Youssef) Chermiti, for £9million, you’ve got to be looking for more. You’ve got to be looking for somebody that’s going to come in and start and have an impact. You’re more or less looking for the finished article, not a project.

“Rangers recruitment, they’ve tried to hit the jackpot with every single signing, bringing them in, giving them an opportunity to try and move them on for bigger money.

“You need to have a core at this football club that allows you to build from within, and that has been lost.”

Morgan Gibbs-White helped Nottingham Forest to a welcome win under new manager Sean Dyche and admitted afterwards that it feels like he and the rest of the Reds squad can "finally breathe" as they put Ange Postecoglou's disastrous spell as head coach behind them. Dyche's first game at the helm delivered an impressive 2-0 victory over Porto in the Europa League.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Nuno & Postecoglou gone: Forest onto third manager of the season

  Forest headed into that contest ready to open another new era on Trentside under their third permanent boss of the 2025-26 campaign. Nuno Espirito Santo, who guided them into Europe last season, was relieved of his duties in early September. Reins were then passed to former Tottenham manager Postecoglou.

  The Australian tactician lasted just 39 days in the City Ground dugout, with a run of eight winless matches seeing him make the wrong kind of history. A 3-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League proved to be the final straw, with Reds owner Evangelos Marinakis taking decisive action once again.

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• Immediate impact: Dyche enjoys perfect start at Forest

  Former Forest youth team player Dyche, who once worked under the legendary Brian Clough, is now back in familiar surroundings – bringing former fan favourites Ian Woan and Steve Stone with him. They got off to the perfect start against Porto in front of a raucous home support that have a cause to get behind again.

  Fans are buying into the Dyche project, with the players also very much on board. Gibbs-White admitted as much when – having netted the first goal under Forest’s new boss – he told : "I feel like I can finally breathe. It's been a difficult couple of months here with all the changes that have happened, the bad performances. So just happy to get our first win in nine games and to do it here at the City Ground and the European nights, it's an incredible feeling and there's no one here that deserves it more than the stadium, the fans. So we're delighted to get three points on the table and those three points are for the fans for sticking by us."

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  Back to basics: Forest fans & players believe again

  Gibbs-White, who started as captain for Forest against Porto, added on the impact that Dyche has made across a few days in charge – with the Reds going back to basics: "That was the first thing the gaffer came in and said, ‘last season you had a real identity, a real structure to how you play’ and he wants to bring that in, and he also wants to build on top of that, and I think we showed that tonight. We were solid, hard to break down and when we went forward we could have been a bit more clinical, a bit better, but we take the three points and we move on.

  "It's only been one game and we've only had a few training sessions, but you can feel the morale within the stadium, you can feel the morale within the group – it feels a lot higher, a lot more energetic. It feels a lot more positive and that's the way it needs to be and it needs to stay like that for us to continue and try to push forward. That's credit to the manager."

  Postecoglou holds the unwanted honour of being the shortest-serving permanent manager in Premier League history – with Sam Allardyce’s 30-day reign at Leeds in 2023 seeing him fill an interim role at Elland Road.

  Dyche is looking to shake Forest from what has been a nightmare start to the new season, with the early signs being that he is the man to get the Reds back on track – with loyal supporters on side.

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• Dyche reaction: Winning start ahead of trip to Bournemouth

  Dyche said of calling the shots for the first time: "When you are on the side you don't hear every word, you hear a noise and you know if it's a positive noise or a negative noise. I'm not here to judge or question anything, just deliver what I can to the job. It's nice when they support you from the off, winning helps.

  "These fans are pretty fair, win, lose or draw if they see a team out there wearing the shirt with pride and I think they'll accept that. To get it off with a good performance and a win is very pleasing for them. If they can accept me and my staff and what's going on that's got to be a bonus. Hopefully it will fast track the feeling around the ground."

  Dyche’s first Premier League game as Forest boss will see a trip to Bournemouth taken in on Sunday, with the Reds currently sat inside the relegation zone and in need of a spark to make them upwardly mobile once more.

Arne Slot’s Liverpool look a pale shadow of their former imperious selves.

Where to begin? Liverpool are so tactically imbalanced, so open and unsure across each phase of play. The finely-wrought tactics of last season are nowhere to be seen; instead a hodgepodge of high-quality players without a recognisable identity.

Is that a bit harsh? Perhaps it is. But the Reds have got some issues, all right, and the impressive mentality displayed across the opening weeks of the season has perhaps papered over the lack of control and coherence on show so far this year.

Against Galatasaray, Liverpool huffed and puffed but were miles away from their best, and they were indeed defeated in the Champions League.

Liverpool's worst performers in Istanbul

Liverpool thought they had found a lifeline in the dying embers against Turkish giants Galatasaray in Istanbul, but their penalty was overturned by VAR.

And so Slot’s anguish deepened. But the plain truth of it is Liverpool deserved to lose and have much to sort out if they are to challenge for the biggest prizes on offer this year.

Florian Wirtz will be scapegoated by some, but he was a focal creative presence and is devoid of confidence.

However, positives stemming from Ibrahima Konate’s performance were few and far between. The French defender has been out of sorts since the summer, and his error-laden, unconvincing showing against Galatasaray will have done little to quell the noise as he approaches the end of his contract with Real Madrid lurking.

The 26-year-old needs to sort his form out quickly, especially after Giovanni Leoni ruptured his ACL against Southampton in the Carabao Cup last week. Liverpool were unable to wrap up a summer move for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi, let’s not forget.

Liverpool’s flanks have been picked upon across a number of games this season, with right-back presenting Slot with something of a conundrum. On Tuesday evening, Dominik Szoboszlai failed in the role.

Dominik Szoboszlai must be dropped

Victor Osimhen had scored early on from the spot, and that goal proved definitive as Galatasaray kept Liverpool out. It was Szoboszlai’s trailing arm which prompted the referee to award that first-half penalty, but that was hardly the extent of the Hungarian’s troubles.

The Liverpool Echo acknowledged that the penalty conceded was soft, but this couldn’t detract from an overall performance that left plenty to be desired, with questions arising as to whether deploying the attacking midfielder at right-back is a viable long-term plan, especially with Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley both in the squad.

Baris Alper Yilmiz was an absolute livewire for the hosts, and Szoboszlai struggled to contain him. The Turkish international won all seven of his duels, as per Sofascore, and indeed won the penalty.

With Liverpool’s versatile 24-year-old beaten routinely, there’s much for Slot to work on going forward. Szoboszlai shifted into a more advanced midfield role in the second half, but he was unable to influence as he might have hoped.

While Slot continues to puzzle over the solution at right-back following Trent Alexander-Arnold’s summer departure, it looks like the Hungarian won’t always be the solution, which is understandable, and so should perhaps be axed ahead of the weekend trip to Sunday, who boast a ferocious frontline indeed.

Liverpool have faced some concerning problems across the opening weeks of the season, but this is not a disaster, this is not a catastrophe.

There is plenty of time for Slot to fix things, but he does need to fix them quickly, and leading stars like Konate and Szoboszlai need to snap themselves back into form.

Trent 2.0: FSG have already sold a Bradley & Frimpong upgrade at Liverpool

Arne Slot has problems to fix at Liverpool after an up-and-down start to the season.

By
Angus Sinclair

Sep 30, 2025

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca urged his players to find consistency if they are to compete for the Premier League title this season. The Blues suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat against Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, bringing an end to their four-game winning run and leaving them five points adrift of leaders Arsenal ahead of Sunday's clash with Crystal Palace.

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  Chelsea's winning run ended in surprise defeat against Sunderland

  After securing victories over Benfica, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Ajax in all competitions, Chelsea headed into the match against Sunderland in fine fettle. Maresca’s men got off to the perfect start when summer signing Alejandro Garnacho scored his first goal for the club following his move from Manchester United, but they were soon pegged back by Sunderland forward Wilson Isidor’s close-range finish. Winger Chemsdine Talbi then popped up with a 94th-minute winner to stun Chelsea, with Sunderland moving up to second in the table following their last-gasp victory.

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• Blues hoping title contenders Arsenal and Man City slip up on Sunday

  The result leaves Chelsea five points off Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, who lock horns with Palace at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Maresca’s side are also two points behind Pep Guardiola's Manchester City ahead of their trip to Aston Villa on the same day, with Chelsea now hoping results go their way in order to stay in touch with the league’s two main title contenders.

• AFP
  

  Maresca conceded Chelsea were 'not good enough' against Sunderland

  Following Chelsea's defeat against Sunderland, Maresca said in his post-match press conference: "I think we were not good enough in general. We know that in the moment you drop a little, we dropped a little bit, you can lose points against any team in the Premier League. That is so difficult."

  When asked if he expected more from his substitutes, Maresca said: "No it’s always difficult for the ones that they go inside. At least they tried. But again, overall we were not good enough.”

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• Italian also left frustrated as Chelsea fail to maintain consistency

  And when speaking to Maresca expressed his frustration at his side's inability to maintain the level they had shown in recent weeks, adding: “If you want to be up there you need the consistency. We won four in a row and yesterday we could have shown that, but because we lost points we didn’t show that.

  “If we can have that level and this level, probably it is better to have something in between, to be consistent always in the same way, rather than like this. But I think overall, since we started, we have performed much better compared to Saturday’s game (against Forest).

  “Before this game we had exactly the same points as last year after eight games, but we dropped points yesterday. But we are still in October, we need to improve many things, and see where we are in March, April, May.”

It would be an understatement to say that West Ham United have not had the start to the season they’d have been hoping for.

For example, the East Londoners aren’t taking part in the League Cup this week after losing to the equally terrible Wolverhampton Wanderers last month.

It’s somehow been even worse in the Premier League, with the Irons losing to Sunderland, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace in their first five games.

In short, things need to change, and it now looks like the club are going after a manager who’d be a massive upgrade on Graham Potter.

West Ham target Potter upgrade

The last few weeks have seen West Ham be linked with a host of potential Potter replacements, with one of the more prominent ones being Slaven Bilic.

Manager Focus

The former Hammers boss left the club in 2017, and has since managed Al-Ittihad, West Bromwich Albion, Beijing Guoan, Watford and Al-Fateh.

In other words, he’s not done much to suggest he’d bring in a new era at the club.

Likewise, while he’s doing a reasonable enough job with Coventry City, the links to Frank Lampard aren’t going to excite fans.

Fortunately, there is another coach on the club’s radar, someone who’d be a massive upgrade on Potter.

At least that’s according to a recent report from Claret and Hugh, which claims West Ham are very interested in Nuno Espírito Santo.

In fact, the report has revealed that the Portuguese manager is now one of three names on a shortlist for the role.

It remains unclear whether West Ham will be able to secure their man, but they should certainly keep trying, as he’d be a colossal upgrade on Potter.

How Nuno compares to Potter

The good news is that there are several reasons why we think Nuno would be a significant upgrade on Potter.

The most important of all, and the one that encompasses many of the others, is his track record.

More specifically, his track record in English football and the Premier League.

For example, although he had a fairly dire stint in charge of Tottenham Hotspur, the Portuguese coach has more than proven himself capable of managing at the top level with both Wolves and Nottingham Forest.

He took over the former when they were still in the Championship, led them to promotion in his first campaign and then, within a few years, had them playing Europa League football.

Likewise, when he took over at Forest, it was viewed as something of an impossible job, but he led them from relegation candidates to European football in a season and a half.

On the other hand, while Potter did a pretty good job with Brighton & Hove Albion, he proceeded to fail with Chelsea, and it would be hard to find someone who’d claim he isn’t failing at the London Stadium today.

Finally, you only need to compare their records in the top-flight to see who is the better manager.

The “outstanding” Portuguese coach, as dubbed by commentator Adam Summerton, has taken charge of 184 games in the Premier League, of which his teams have won 72, lost 67, drawn 45 and averaged 1.42 points per game.

In contrast, the Englishman has taken charge of 164 games in the competition, of which 47 have been wins, 55 draws, and 62 losses, which comes out to a points per game average of just 1.20.

Ultimately, West Ham need a new manager, and Nuno looks like the best man for the job.

Manager "close to agreeing" West Ham contract after Sullivan and Brady talks

He’s being lined up if Graham Potter is sacked.

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By
Emilio Galantini

Sep 23, 2025

Chelsea could push to sign a “world-class” Robert Sanchez replacement in the January transfer window, after the goalkeeper’s disastrous performance against Manchester United.

Sanchez sent off in Man Utd defeat

The Blues suffered their first Premier League defeat of the season on Saturday afternoon, succumbing to a 2-1 loss against Man United at Old Trafford, with Sanchez’s early dismissal making the task considerably more difficult.

The Spaniard saw red just five minutes into the game, after bringing down Bryan Mbeumo when the forward was through on goal, with Enzo Maresca criticising his goalkeeper for the tackle in his post-match interview.

Maresca looked at replacing Sanchez in the summer, with the west Londoners being linked with a number of goalkeepers, and the Italian may now be regretting his decision not to bring in an upgrade.

As such, according to a report from The Express, Chelsea could now push to sign AC Milan’s Mike Maignan in the January transfer window, with a view to bringing him in on a free at the end of the season.

Maignan was known to be a target for the Blues in the summer, with Maresca said to be a fan, viewing the goalkeeper as an ideal fit for his style of play, and there are signs that a deal could be possible.

The Frenchman was persuaded to remain at the San Siro during the summer, but the Italian club have since made no progress in talks over a new deal, potentially giving Maresca’s side the opportunity to sign him on a free transfer.

"World-class" Maignan could be upgrade on Sanchez

There are indications the Milan shot-stopper could be an upgrade on Sanchez, given that he has averaged fewer goals against per 90 over the past year, while he is also impressive with the ball at his feet.

Chelsea now set to open talks to sign "baller", Maresca thinks he's ideal

The Blues are planning to enter discussions to sign a new midfielder.

By
Dominic Lund

Sep 21, 2025

The 30-year-old has averaged 43.02 touches per 90 over the past year, compared to 40.04 from Chelsea’s current goalkeeper, which suggests the Milan captain is comfortable in possession of the ball.

Journalist Carlo Garganese has also been left impressed by the 34-time France international in the past, describing him as “world-class” after putting in a solid performance in the Milan derby.

Sanchez has made far too many mistakes over an extended time period, making three errors leading to goals in the Premier League last season, so it is no wonder Chelsea are looking at bringing in a replacement, and Maignan could be a fantastic option.