Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank said Friday the club are doing everything they can to support Destiny Udogie following a "terrible situation" in which the Italian international defender was allegedly threatened with a gun in north London.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's visit of Manchester United, Frank said everyone at the club had rallied around 22-year-old Udogie.

"It is a terrible situation to have been in and I can't speak too much about it as it's a legal case, as we know, but the club and we have done everything we can to support him," Frank said.

"We'll do that and he's clearly doing well on the pitch, which is good and we'll keep supporting him."

Police have launched an investigation after the incident involving the Spurs left-back on September 6. A 31-year-old man was arrested and has been bailed while inquiries continue.

Udogie could be involved against United and, should he start, may find himself marking the in-form Bryan Mbeumo, who arrived at Old Trafford in the summer after starring for a Brentford side managed by Frank.

His old boss said seeing the way Mbuemo had adjusted to life at United was no shock.

"No, I'm not surprised," Frank said. "When you work with a player for six years, you get a close relationship.

"To see him develop from being a young man, 19-years-old when he moved to London and Brentford and left six years later going into one of the biggest clubs in the world with all that focus and the way he stepped up."

The Dane added: "For me, looking from the outside, maybe a little bit biased, I think he's been their (United's) best offensive player.

"He's a top player. I think he will have fantastic success there. I hope that for him, not tomorrow, but in general I hope and wish him all the best."

Both Spurs, sixth in the table, and United, sitting eighth, have 17 points from their opening 10 league games.

Pep Guardiola takes charge of his 1,000th game as a manager when his Manchester City team face Liverpool on Sunday and he says he could not wish for a better fixture to mark the milestone.

"Liverpool have been the biggest rival in this country and it could not be better, to be honest," Guardiola told reporters on Friday. "I think we pushed Liverpool to be better and Liverpool pushed us to be better. That's for sure."

Former Spain midfielder Guardiola is regarded as one of the best coaches of all time, winning a combined 12 domestic league titles with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City as well as three Champions Leagues and numerous other cups.

Guardiola spoke of his pride at being inducted into the League Managers Association (LMA) Hall of Fame 1,000 Club alongside 38 other managers who have worked in England including Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.

"The journey, the experiences, have been unbelievable," Guardiola, whose first game as a coach was for Barcelona B in the Spanish fourth-tier in 2007, said.

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"The numbers are insane," Guardiola, who has won 715 games out of his first 999, said. "It's difficult to reach it, and if I started again I would not reach it.

"It's been a lot of hard work, a lot dedication, passion, love, and in that nobody beat me. I love that game, and I love to scrutinise the secrets of what we can do to opponents.

"Hopefully Sunday we can continue."

On being described as the best manager ever, the 54-year-old joked: "They are completely right! The influence of every manager has been through history. Of course, I can say I've been part of that because the numbers explain, I've had success and it's been nice to watch my teams.

"But I never started thinking 'I want to be the best'."

While his overall win rate is more than 70%, Liverpool have been a tough nut for Guardiola to crack since he arrived at City in 2016, first under Juergen Klopp and now Arne Slot.

He has only won seven of his 24 meetings against Liverpool, losing 10, including home and away last season as Slot's side dethroned City as Premier League champions.

While many of those clashes have been pivotal in title chases, Sunday's game could determine which of the two clubs are more likely to try to chase down Arsenal who could have a nine-point lead over City by the time of kickoff at The Etihad.

"If (Arsenal) continue this way, not conceding goals or even clear chances it will be almost impossible (to catch them)," Guardiola, who has won six Premier Leagues with City, said.

"But you always expect you can be better and they can drop points. The only thing we can do is win our games to be close and they have to come here. But of course it's exceptional what they are doing for two or three seasons and every time it's closer, closer. But we are in early November.

"You don't win the title in November, but you can lose it."

Despite the importance of Sunday's game, Guardiola said midfielder Rodri, who has just returned from injury, is unlikely to be risked.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has defended his policy of making regular wholesale changes to his Chelsea team after criticism from Wayne Rooney that his approach is disruptive.

The Blues made seven changes for Wednesday's disappointing 2-2 draw against Qarabag in Baku in the Champions League – the fifth game in a row in which the Italian had made at least that number of changes.

In all this season, Chelsea have made 85 alterations to their starting line-ups in all competitions, far more than any other Premier League side. The next closest are Liverpool, with 69.

Rooney used his BBC Sport show on Thursday to question whether players can build relationships when they rarely know who they will line up alongside.

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But Maresca stood by his decisions ahead of Chelsea's meeting with managerless Wolves on Saturday, pointing out that football has changed from the days when the former England and Manchester United forward played.

"We are in an era where anyone can say what they want," he said on Friday, referring to Rooney's remarks. "Since I joined the club, it's my view to rotate players. No one complains when you win. When you don't win, I can understand no one is agreeing.

"I loved rotation as a player. Football is a bit different compared to years ago in terms of physicality and intensity. It's impossible to play with the same players 65 games in one season.

"You cannot say: 'Why, years ago, was it possible?' Because it was different. It was not so physical. I played for 20 years. Now it's changed. You need to rotate.

"If you want to see the season like a marathon – when you are in February and March, the last sprint, you have to think in a different way. But it's a long race."

There was particular criticism directed at Maresca in Baku over his decisions in defence, with 19-year-old Jorrel Hato at fault for both goals conceded.

"When the rotation is Andrey Santos, a Brazil international, and Jorrel Hato, Holland international, and Estevao, Brazil international, then it's not about rotation," he said.

"They are talented, they are young. When they are young you have to give them a chance to make mistakes. But when you don't win games, the problem is rotation."

Chelsea are seventh in the Premier League table ahead of their trip to basement club Wolves.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta on Friday credited Granit Xhaka for making him a better coach after rescuing the Switzerland midfielder's career when he was on the verge of leaving following a bitter falling out with the London club's fans.

Xhaka had been stripped of the Arsenal captaincy under former manager Unai Emery after he angrily gestured at supporters who jeered him at a game in 2019.

However, when Arteta took over mid-season, he revived both the player's fortunes and his relationship with the Arsenal faithful before Xhaka earned a move in 2023 to Bayer Leverkusen where he won the Bundesliga title and German Cup.

"I loved every minute we spent together. When I joined, he was in a special moment of his life and career," Arteta told reporters ahead of Saturday's game at Sunderland.

"Between all of us, we tried to guide him, to give him a different perspective, to make him feel loved and valued, and he responded in an incredible way."

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'ETERNALLY GRATEFUL' TO XHAKA

"He made me a better coach. He helped us to develop and improve a lot as a team and a club," Arteta added. "I will be eternally grateful because I have great memories with him."

Despite the midfielder's rocky relationship with supporters, Arteta insisted the club always valued Xhaka internally, describing him as a transformative dressing-room presence.

"I am laughing because I just visualised Granit and it makes me laugh because he was such a character, a huge personality, very funny, super professional," Arteta added.

"One of those guys who can change the spirit of a dressing room and a team. That's a superpower to have.

"It wasn't an easy decision (to let him leave) because I knew the impact he could still have. But then when you have one of those leaders, you need to have him in the right frame of mind, feeling committed."

XHAKA'S INSTANT IMPACT AT SUNDERLAND

Xhaka returned to the Premier League this season when Sunderland signed him for an initial fee of 13 million pounds ($17.45 million) as Regis Le Bris sought to bring in a leader who could guide the youngsters and players new to the league in the promoted team.

The 33-year-old has duly delivered with a goal and three assists while creating several chances for his teammates as Sunderland sit fourth in the standings, level on 18 points with third-placed Liverpool and seven off leaders Arsenal.

"With the impact he is having, one of the best (signings of the season), I would say," Arteta said.

"I think what they (Sunderland) have done as a football club in the last few years is very impressive, how stable they look and how they have started the season. Really impressed."

With Gabriel Jesus back in training, Arteta said it was a matter of time before the Brazilian forward is ready to play but he did not comment on when Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli would return.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot said he was not surprised by his team's return to form to win their last two games but warned on Friday that playing at Manchester City this weekend would pose a far more difficult challenge in a blockbuster Premier League clash.

Liverpool were at their lowest when they lost six of seven games in all competitions before they beat Aston Villa and Real Madrid, keeping clean sheets in both games.

"Our main focus is on consistency at the moment, as you know we've lost a few games, much more than we usually do... We were consistent but we were consistently losing. That wasn't the idea," a laughing Slot told reporters ahead of Sunday's clash.

'LOT OF WORK TO DO' FOR LIVERPOOL

"It wasn't a surprise for me how the last two games went. It was helpful that the other team did what we expected them to do," he added.

"In eight out of the 10 games we've played this season, we've faced a different playing style. But there is still a lot of work to do to get more performances like that. It is helpful."

City are second in the standings with 19 points while Liverpool are a point behind in third. Both teams are well adrift of Arsenal (25 points) but Slot said Pep Guardiola's City were his immediate focus rather than the league table.

"These are the games everyone looks forward to and if you're part of it, you look forward to it as well. It's always worth watching because so many great individuals are playing that game," Slot said.

"These teams, nine out of 10 times, give you what you expect. For me with Pep, that's 10 out of 10.

"What I like about Pep Guardiola's teams is, 10 out of 10 times, you get what you're hoping for - a great game of football with no time-wasting, no things that I dislike about football."

TACTICAL SZOBOSZLAI SWITCH

A tactical shift of moving Florian Wirtz out of the number 10 role and playing Dominik Szoboszlai in midfield has worked wonders, with the latter earning praise for his versatility having played in other positions this term due to injuries.

"Dom has been outstanding for us the whole season but these two games brought more out of the team and him. He has a lot of qualities. One is his work without the ball, I like that. The last two games were above his own standards," Slot said.

"Florian can play in more than one position. He can play off the left, which he did almost all the time in Bayer Leverkusen when (manager) Xabi Alonso came in.

"We would like to have him in and around the 18-yard box, centrally, or a bit more off the left or right for him to create the amount of chances he's created for us."

Slot said striker Alexander Isak will train for the first time on Friday after three weeks on the sidelines with a groin injury, while goalkeeper Alisson and defender Jeremie Frimpong are not expected to return until after the international break.

For Leny Yoro and his teammates, Manchester United's game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday will not just be another Premier League fixture – it’s a chance to rewrite the narrative that began with heartbreak in last season’s Europa League final.

United's season, already their worst in the Premier League, hit a new low with their 1-0 defeat to Spurs in that final in Bilbao that denied them a spot in this season's Champions League.

"Everyone knows what happened in the final, so I think this game can be a good game for us to prove that maybe the final (could have had) another result," Yoro told reporters.

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The 19-year-old centre back, who joined United amid high expectations, admitted the loss was a bitter pill to swallow but added that it had a faint silver lining in that their lighter schedule has allowed much-needed training time.

“Of course everyone wants to play Champions League," Yoro said. "(But) we have one game a week now, so I think it helped us a little bit to work more on the things that were not good last year. We have more time to work now."

United head into the weekend unbeaten in four consecutive games and sit eighth, two points behind second-placed Manchester City, in a congested Premier League table.

"We’re still in good momentum,” Yoro said. “This game against Tottenham will be important for us... to be (around) the top of the league."

Despite the sting of last season’s 15th-place finish, Yoro said he never doubted his decision to join United from French club Lille in the 2024 close season. “I never had this feeling of regret,” he said.

The extra training time this season has included adapting to tactical tweaks under manager Ruben Amorim, who frequently rotates his centre backs.

"We get used to it now," Yoro said. "It’s not a problem for us."

He has also taken on extra defensive responsibility, with the attack-minded Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo in front of him on the right-hand side.

"When I play with Amad and Bryan, I know that Amad likes to attack a lot," Yoro said. "It's good for me also to have two guys in front that can really attack. I'm here also to help them to have the freedom to attack and stay at the back to protect."

Yoro credited the club’s culture shift for helping foster a more unified dressing room.

“We don’t want any bad things in the team,” he said. “So, be focused on the team, don't do any drama. Speak with everyone, have a good relation. We cannot build something with bad energy or bad atmosphere or bad characters. I think the club is doing well with this."

The defender is determined to help guide United back into Europe this season.

“When you’re in Manchester United, you need to play in Europe,” he said. “It’s really important for us this year to achieve this, and this is in the mind of everyone.”

Manchester City host Liverpool this weekend in the latest chapter of a compelling rivalry that has dominated the Premier League for nearly a decade – but this time both clubs are playing catch-up.

Table-toppers Arsenal will hope their two main rivals cancel each other out at the Etihad, but a win for either City or Liverpool would be a psychological boost.

The Gunners, meanwhile, face former captain Granit Xhaka when they travel to fourth-placed Sunderland, while Manchester United seek revenge for their defeat in the Europa League final by Tottenham Hotspur.

AFP Sport looks at three key talking points ahead of this weekend's action:

Liverpool brace for Haaland test

Arne Slot has steadied the ship at Anfield, reverting to a tried-and-trusted defence after a run of four Premier League defeats that threatened to derail Liverpool's season.

It is too soon to say if the defending champions have turned a corner but consecutive wins and clean sheets against Aston Villa, in the Premier League, and Real Madrid, in the Champions League, are steps in the right in the right direction.

Liverpool manager Slot's defence for the past two matches has been Conor Bradley, Ibrahim Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson – all of whom were at the club last season.

On Sunday the Reds will face a challenge of a different magnitude when they come up against Erling Haaland, who has already scored an astounding 27 goals in 17 matches for club and country this season.

The Norway forward has scored twice in each of his past four home league games. Two more on Sunday would take him to a century of Premier League goals in record time.

Man Utd in Spurs revenge mission

Tottenham and Manchester United meet on Saturday for the first time since they faced off in May's Europa League final between two misfiring teams.

Spurs, who finished 17th in the Premier League last season, jettisoned manage Ange Postecoglou despite winning that match 1-0 to end their 17-year trophy drought.

United, who finished 15th, decided to stick with Ruben Amorim.

Both clubs can argue they made the right decision despite an inconsistent start to the new campaign, given they are level on 17 points after 10 games and well in the fight for Champions League football.

Spurs started brightly under new boss Thomas Frank but their home form has been poor, with just one win in five league games.

Tottenham were booed off by their own fans after an anaemic performance in last week's 1-0 defeat by London rivals Chelsea.

But they beat Copenhagen 4-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, with Frank saying it was a "step forward in terms of how we want to play".

United, whose three-match winning run was ended by Nottingham Forest last week, will be desperate to beat Spurs after four defeats against them last season.

Xhaka's emotional Arsenal reunion

Can Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka be the man to finally breach Arsenal's rock-solid defence?

Mikel Arteta's Gunners have won their past eight games in all competitions without conceding a goal, a joint-record for an English top-flight club.

They are six points clear at the summit of the Premier League and joint top of the league phase table in the Champions League.

Xhaka has been a revelation since joining newly-promoted Sunderland from Bayer Leverkusen and was described by ex-Liverpool defender and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher as the "signing of the season".

The Switzerland midfielder scored his first goal for the Black Cats against Everton on Monday and also has three assists.

Xhaka, 33, said he was looking forward to facing a club where he spent "seven amazing years".

"We know the quality that Arsenal has," he told Sky Sports. "It will be an emotional game for myself."

Arsenal will hope he does not enjoy the match too much.

 

Is @Arsenal's six-point lead after 10 matches a sure sign they're set for their first title since 2004? 👀🏆

Here's what history tells us...

— Premier League (@premierleague) November 6, 2025

 

Fixtures

Saturday (1500 GMT unless stated): Tottenham v Manchester United (1230), Everton v Fulham, West Ham v Burnley, Sunderland v Arsenal (1730), Chelsea v Wolves (2000)

Sunday (1400 GMT unless stated): Aston Villa v Bournemouth, Brentford v Newcastle, Crystal Palace v Brighton, Nottingham Forest v Leeds, Manchester City v Liverpool (1630)

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has responded to stinging criticism from club great Cristiano Ronaldo, his former Portugal teammate, by urging fans and pundits alike to look forward rather than dwell on the past.

Ronaldo, who won eight trophies at United, told Piers Morgan in an interview this week that United were “not in a good path” and warned that Amorim was “not going to do miracles” at Old Trafford.

“We say in Portugal, ‘miracles only happen in Fatima,’” the 40-year-old Al-Nassr forward said, adding that the Manchester club lacked long-term vision.

Amorim, who took over from Erik ten Hag in November 2024, hit back ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash at Tottenham Hotspur.

“Of course, he has a huge impact in everything he said," Amorim said on Thursday. "What we need to focus (on) is in the future. We know that we as a club made a lot of mistakes in the past, but we are trying to change that. So let's not focus on what happened. Let's focus (on) what we are doing now.

"We are changing a lot of things in the structure, the way we do things, the way we want the players to behave. We are doing that and we are improving."

Ronaldo expressed sadness over the club’s decline but insisted the problems go beyond the manager.

“You have to work with smart people to create a base for the future,” he said. "Right now, they don't have a structure."

United have shown signs of improvement, climbing to eighth, two points off second spot, after a four-game unbeaten run.

Provisional second place in the table is up for grabs on Saturday in a grudge game for Amorim's side after Spurs beat them 1-0 in last season's Europa League final to prevent the Red Devils from playing in the Champions League this season.

Amorim credited internal reforms for the turnaround.

"Characteristics of the players are different in the team now," he said. "We also have players who played last year. But we are a better team. We understand the game better. We are more confident.

"We reached the Europa League final confident that we could win it. But in this moment we're playing with a different confidence."

Amorim added that there was a silver lining to missing out on European football this season.

"It's us using the positives," he said. "Any situation you have in life, you can look at it positively or in a bad way.

"If you ask me whether I prefer to be here with the (Europa League) and Champions League football, I might say yes.

"But on the other side, you have more time to train and know your players. Arrange everything and prepare with the staff and players. So we try to use the positive thing of not playing in the midweek games."

Tottenham say they are supporting 22-year-old Italian international defender Destiny Udogie and his family after he was allegedly threatened with a gun in London.

Police arrested a 31-year-old man in connection with the incident in September. He has been bailed while inquiries continue.

A Tottenham spokesman said on Tuesday: "We have been providing support for Destiny and his family since the incident and will continue to do so.

"Given this is a legal matter, we cannot comment any further."

Police were called late in the evening on 6 September to reports a man in his 20s had been threatened with a gun in a north London suburb popular with Tottenham and Arsenal players.

 

According to @TuttoMercatoWeb, #Tottenham’s Destiny Udogie was the unnamed Premier League footballer threatened with a gun on a street in North London by a sports agent.

The agent in question was arrested and questioned.

We’re all with you, Destiny 🤍 pic.twitter.com/WheJatZPGM

— Tottenham Tiers (@TottenhamTiers) November 4, 2025

 

A spokesman said: "Officers spoke to the victim and during the course of their investigation it was also reported another man in his 20s had also allegedly been blackmailed and threatened by the same individual.

"No injuries were reported in either incident.

"A 31-year-old man was arrested on Monday, 8 September on suspicion of possession of firearms with intent, blackmail and driving without a licence."

Udogie started Tottenham's 4-0 Champions League home win over Copenhagen on Tuesday.

Iliman Ndiaye scored a superb solo goal for Everton but Granit Xhaka's deflected equaliser secured a deserved point for Sunderland in their entertaining 1-1 Premier League draw at the Stadium of Light on Monday.

Promoted Sunderland continue their fine start to the season and move into fourth in the table with 18 points from their 10 games, while Everton are in 14th with 12 points.

Ndiaye gave the visitors the lead on 15 minutes as he picked up the ball on the right wing and drove towards goal, beating four defenders with his quick feet and curling his shot into the net from the edge of the box.

Iliman Ndiaye dances through Sunderland's defence 😲✨

📺 Stream #SUNEVE on DStv: https://t.co/B0jLrQW5cc#SSFootball pic.twitter.com/j8lZu3Z1SP

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) November 3, 2025

Sunderland took control of the game after the half-hour mark and created numerous opportunities, with Xhaka’s goal-bound effort 40 seconds into the second half deflecting into the net off the foot of James Tarkowski.

43 seconds into the second half and Sunderland are level 🐈‍⬛🔥

📺 Stream #SUNEVE on DStv: https://t.co/B0jLrQWD1K#SSFootball pic.twitter.com/WcsHtDzgb4

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) November 3, 2025

Both coaches will look at the result with some sense of frustration, Everton’s David Moyes due to early missed chances, and Sunderland’s Regis Le Bris for the fact his side could not make their second half dominance count.

"To be honest, we lost the three points today in the first 20-25 minutes in my opinion, sloppy on the ball, too many mistakes, easy mistakes," Xhaka told Sky Sports.

"At this level, you get punished but second half was very, very good. A lot of emotions. We create a lot of chances. With a bit more luck, we win this game, but in the end we take one point."

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Moyes has been talking about Everton earning European football for next season, but until they start getting goals from their misfiring strikers, that is a pipe dream.

Everton dominated the opening half-hour but only managed a single goal through Ndiaye’s wonderful strike.

James Garner flashed a shot inches wide in the opening seconds, Jack Grealish hit the post and Thierno Barry blazed over from two yards out when it seemed easier to score.

Had he made it 2-0 at that point it is likely Everton would have gone on to win, but Sunderland seized control after that, buoyed by their good fortune.

They got their equalizer within a minute of the second half as Xhaka’s low shot found its way into the net off Tarkowski, when goalkeeper Jordan Pickford looked to have it covered.

Sunderland’s pressure did not turn into another goal as Everton scrambled to keep them at bay.

"We started very well and got a great goal from Ndiaye," Pickford said. "Then they have changed their shape a bit and the defensive effort we had to put in was first class.

"You always want to get that second goal and we didn't. But we have come away from home and got a point."

Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank said on Monday that Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence have apologised for snubbing their manager and heading down the tunnel after Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Chelsea.

Spurs were booed off by their own supporters after failing to win for a fourth consecutive Premier League home game.

Van de Ven, who started the game as captain, and Spence have been two of the better performers in an inconsistent start to Frank's reign in charge.

But they barged past Frank at fulltime as he tried to get them to acknowledge the home fans.

"Micky and Djed came into my office yesterday and just said they wanted to say sorry for the situation," said Frank.

"They didn't want it to look bad or any misconception that you can get in this beautiful media world.

"So there was no disrespect meant at all towards me or the team. They were just frustrated with the performance from us and the booing during the game," added the 52-year-old Dane.

Despite their poor home form, Spurs sit fifth in the Premier League and are unbeaten after three games in the Champions League.

Victory at home to FC Copenhagen on Tuesday would put Spurs in a strong position to make the knockout phase of the Champions League for only the second time in six years.

Winning the Europa League last season masked an otherwise disastrous campaign that saw Ange Postecoglou sacked despite ending the club's 17-year trophy drought.

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Tottenham finished 17th in the Premier League – their worst season in English football's top-flight since being relegated from the old First Division in 1976/77.

"Of course, we are coming on the back of a bad performance – there is a big flashing light right now. Everyone has a little bit of a struggle to look past that to see some of the very good performances we have had this year as well," added Frank.

"If anyone had said that we would now be 17 points after 10 games and unbeaten in the Champions League – everything is not perfect – but there is a decent foundation.

"Everyone would have taken that situation where we are now in terms of 22 (league) defeats last year (season) and finishing 17th."

Lucas Bergvall is set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering concussion in the early stages of the Chelsea game, but Spence and Mohammed Kudus should be fit to feature against Danish champions Copenhagen despite picking up knocks.

Some weeks, picking the standout moment feels like splitting hairs. Erling Haaland’s ruthless brace against Bournemouth, Lucas Paqueta’s thunderbolt versus Newcastle, Lamine Yamal’s Messi-esque magic for Barcelona, or Orlando Pirates’ 20-year-old sensation Cemran Dansin announcing himself with a stunner against Sundowns — all worthy contenders.

But this week, one goal carried more than just beauty. It carried weight. It carried history.

Liverpool were wobbling. Four straight defeats had left the champions bruised, their fans restless, their manager under fire. And then came Mohamed Salah — the man for the big moments — to steady the ship and etch his name deeper into Anfield folklore.

When Emiliano Martínez misjudged a pass, Salah pounced like a predator sensing weakness. One touch, one finish, and the net rippled. Simple, clinical, devastating. But this was no ordinary goal. It was his 250th strike for Liverpool, a milestone that places him alongside the club’s immortals — Ian Rush (346) and Roger Hunt (285).

Goal 1 ➡️ Goal 250 ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/nOEMkyWY8E

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 3, 2025

And the records didn’t stop there. That finish also drew Salah level with Wayne Rooney for the most Premier League goal involvements for a single club: 276 (188 goals, 88 assists). Across the league, his tally now stands at 279, joint-third all-time with Frank Lampard, trailing only Rooney (311) and Alan Shearer (324).

Numbers tell part of the story. The roar of Anfield told the rest. This wasn’t just a goal. It was a statement — from a legend who refuses to fade.

Another step closer to a Premier League double-century 👑🇪🇬#SSFootball | #LIVAVL pic.twitter.com/fWIHrIKvxs

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) November 1, 2025

Mohamed Salah scored a landmark goal for Liverpool and Amad Diallo of Manchester United got off the mark for the season in the Premier League at the weekend.

Egypt captain Salah notched his 250th goal for the Reds in a 2-0 win over Aston Villa while Ivory Coast winger Diallo bagged his first this campaign to salvage a 2-2 draw for the Red Devils at Nottingham Forest.

Both will soon have key roles to play at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where Ivory Coast will be the defending champions.

We highlight African headline-makers in the major European leagues…

ENGLAND

MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool)

Salah scored his 250th goal for Liverpool as the Premier League champions ended their four-match losing league run with a home win against Aston Villa. A misplaced pass from Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez gifted Salah his landmark goal in first-half stoppage time. The Egypt forward, 33, has also equalled Wayne Rooney's record for the most Premier League goal involvements for a single club –- 276.

AMAD DIALLO (Manchester Utd)

Diallo scored a stunning volley from outside the box to rescue a point for Manchester United against Nottingham Forest. The Ivory Coast international, 23, struck in the 81st minute at the City Ground for his first club goal of the season and was denied a winner in the closing moments as United's three-match winning streak was ended.

GERMANY

NICOLAS JACKSON (Bayern Munich)

Jackson scored his first Bundesliga goal in Bayern's 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen. With star striker Harry Kane rested, Chelsea loanee Jackson started up front. The Senegal international headed in Bayern's second from close range just after the half-hour mark. "My first one, hopefully many more to come," Jackson told the Bundesliga website.

YAN DIOMANDE (RB Leipzig)

Leipzig forward Diomande starred as his side made short work of top-four rivals Stuttgart in a 3-1 home win. The Ivorian forced Jeff Chabot into conceding an own goal before getting his own, cracking a low shot through the penalty box and into the corner. The 18-year-old, who scored a goal and laid on two assists the week before, is fast emerging as a star.

SERHOU GUIRASSY (Borussia Dortmund)

Guirassy was the difference in Borussia Dortmund's 1-0 win at Augsburg, with the Guinea striker scoring the only goal. With 37 minutes gone, he was on the spot to take advantage of a defensive mistake,pouncing on a lost ball and slamming home. The goal was Guirassy's first in the league since mid-September and kept Dortmund within touching distance of the top of the table.

FRANCE

MOSES SIMON (Paris FC)

Paris FC pulled off an upset 1-0 Ligue 1 win at high-flying Monaco thanks to an early second-half goal by 30-year-old Nigeria winger Simon. Maxime Lopez picked out the Nigerian, whose scuffed effort went over the diving Philipp Kohn and into the net after 53 minutes to inflict a first home defeat this season on Monaco.

Arsenal won their fifth successive Premier League match to finish the weekend with a six-point cushion at the top of the table as Liverpool ended their miserable losing run.

Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City climbed to second and Nuno Espirito Santo celebrated his first win in the West Ham dugout.

We look at three talking points from the Premier League weekend.

SLOT RETURNS TO WINNING FORMULA

Arne Slot went back to basics as he sought to end Liverpool's damaging four-match losing run in the Premier League – and it paid dividends with a 2-0 win against Aston Villa.

The Dutchman spent around £450 million ($592 million) on a clutch of high-profile signings in the summer transfer window but Hugo Ekitike was the only new face to start Saturday's match.

Alexander Isak – yet to score a Premier League goal – and Jeremie Frimpong were missing with injuries while Milos Kerkez and Florian Wirtz were on the bench.

Andy Robertson and Conor Bradley were picked as the full-backs as the defending champions kept a first clean sheet in 11 games in all competitions.

The home side rode their luck against in-form Villa, who hit the woodwork twice before Mohamed Salah scored his 250th goal for the club following a howler from Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

The pressure on Slot has eased but he still has huge decisions to make on how best to use his expensive squad, with a daunting trip to Manchester City next week.

FANTASY GOAL MACHINE HAALAND

It is easy to be blase about Erling Haaland, Manchester City's unique goalscoring machine.

The Norwegian scored twice more on Sunday against high-flying Bournemouth to take his season's tally to 26 goals in 16 games for club and country.

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He is only the third player ever to score two or more goals in four or more consecutive Premier League home appearances, after Robbie Fowler and Luis Suarez.

Bournemouth's David Brooks admitted it is almost impossible to come up with a plan to deal with the marauding 1.95-metre (six feet, five inches) striker.

Haaland had an amusing take when asked how he felt about being substituted when in sight of a hat-trick.

"There were probably a few fantasy managers who were not so happy," he told Sky Sports, referring to the game in which participants win points based on the real-life performances of players.

Pep Guardiola's City are still seeking consistency but with Haaland in this form, they must surely be title contenders.

TOTTENHAM UNREST

Tottenham are fifth in the Premier League and unbeaten in the Champions League this season.

But it seems tensions are bubbling in the camp, with decent results so far masking some sub-standard performances.

Stand-in captain Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence appeared to snub manager Thomas Frank as they came off the pitch following a lame 1-0 defeat by Chelsea on Saturday – their 10th loss against their London rivals in 12 meetings in all competitions.

Frank's team were booed off after they produced only one shot on target all game and recorded their lowest expected goals figure of 0.05 on record (since 2012/13).

The former Brentford boss played down the incident involving Van de Ven and Spence, saying it is "one of the small issues".

"They perform very well so far this season and everyone is frustrated," he added. "We do things in a different way, so I don't think it is a big problem."

But it was an uncomfortable moment and one that he will have to address.

 

Erling Haaland scored twice to propel Manchester City up to second in the Premier League with a 3-1 win over Bournemouth on Sunday.

The Cherries started the day in second thanks to the longest unbeaten run in the English top flight.

But Andoni Iraola's side were undone by the scintillating form of the Norwegian striker, who took his tally to 13 Premier League goals in 10 games.

The Cityzens are up to second on the Premier League table 🔵🔝#MCIBOU | #SSPremierLeague pic.twitter.com/EY8LkSksIE

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) November 2, 2025

Haaland's relentless streak is maintaining City's title challenge as they reduced the gap to leaders Arsenal back to six points and edged one point ahead of Liverpool, who they face next weekend.

Despite a first defeat in 10 games away to Aston Villa last weekend, Pep Guardiola remained confident his side can pose a threat to Arsenal come May.

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There were more encouraging signs for Guardiola as Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden shone in creative roles, while Nico O'Riley became the first City player other than Haaland to score in the Premier League for over a month.

Buoyed by their unbeaten streak since losing at Liverpool on the opening night of the season, Bournemouth started brightly.

However, their brave high line was exposed on 17 minutes when Cherki's header allowed Haaland to gallop clear from inside his own half to slam past Djordje Petrovic.

The visitors levelled eight minutes later when Gianluigi Donnarumma claimed he was impeded as the Italian tried to collect a corner and Tyler Adams thrashed home the loose ball.

But Haaland restored City's advantage before halftime by racing onto another Cherki pass in behind the Bournemouth defence to round Petrovic and slot home his 26th goal for club and country this season.

Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland do the double ⚽⚽

📺 Stream #MCIBOU on DStv: https://t.co/B0jLrQW5cc pic.twitter.com/fLlXXk9ldA

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) November 2, 2025

The 25-year-old also became only the third player to ever score multiple goals in four consecutive Premier League home games after Luis Suarez and Robbie Fowler.

Guardiola has called for greater contributions from his other attacking players to lessen the goalscoring burden on his prolific No 9.

Still no City player other than Haaland has scored more than once in the league this season, but O'Riley chipped in from full-back to seal the three points.

Foden was the creator this time as O'Riley strode forward before arrowing a low shot into the far corner.

Haaland was denied the chance of a hat-trick as he was replaced by Omar Marmoush eight minutes from time with one eye on facing his former club Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday.

A double was enough to keep City still within range despite Arsenal's rampant run of nine consecutive wins and seven straight clean sheets in all competitions.

Nuno Espirito Santo celebrated his first win as West Ham manager on Sunday as his spirited team battled from behind to beat Newcastle 3-1 at the London Stadium.

The Hammers remain in the relegation zone after just their second Premier League win of the season but are now just three points behind 17th-placed Burnley, whom they play next week.

Eddie Howe's Newcastle took the lead courtesy of a fine early strike from Jacob Murphy but Lucas Paqueta levelled and an own goal from the unfortunate Sven Botman gave the home team the advantage at halftime.

The visitors made wholesale changes in the second half but were blunt in attack and Tomas Soucek made sure of all three points for West Ham in the closing moments.

Nuno was appointed West Ham boss in late September, just over two weeks after he was sacked by Nottingham Forest, who are also in the drop zone.

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The Portuguese, who has had to be patient in waiting for his first win, said it was "terrific to hear the noise at the London Stadium".

"The players are realising that winning in the Premier League, we have to work very hard," he told the BBC. "We will do it again. The win makes it easier, there are smiles and the legs feel easier.

"We see slight improvements on the pitch. We have to create a platform on the pitch."

TURNAROUND

Murphy put Newcastle ahead in the fourth minute, fizzing a shot from the edge of the area just 26 seconds after Jarrod Bowen's effort clattered off the post at the other end.

Referee Robert Jones awarded West Ham a penalty six minutes later, ruling that Bowen had been brought down by Malick Thiaw, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review as Thiaw had touched the ball.

The Hammers were deservedly level in the 35th minute when Paqueta hammered a sweet strike from outside the box past the sprawling Nick Pope.

And moments before halftime they were in front when a low cross from defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka was sliced into his own net by Botman, whose attempted interception left Pope stranded.

The Hammers are 45 minutes away from their first win in six Premier League matches ⚒️🫧#WHUNEW | #SSPremierLeague pic.twitter.com/pv4bRRIr0C

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) November 2, 2025

Howe brought on Fabian Schar, William Osula and Jacob Ramsey for Emil Krafth, Nick Woltemade and Anthony Gordon at halftime, later making further changes.

The visitors dominated possession but Pope was called into action twice in quick succession at the other end as West Ham threatened a third goal.

Hammers midfielder Freddie Potts had the ball in the net with just over 20 minutes remaining but the goal was ruled out for off-side.

Newcastle continued to probe but could not find an equaliser and Soucek had the last laugh, poking home deep into stoppage time.

The Hammers get their first victory under Nuno Espírito Santo 👏🫧#WHUNEW | #SSPremierLeague pic.twitter.com/6oD4iu4N6x

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) November 2, 2025

It is West Ham's first win at home in the Premier League since February while defeat leaves Newcastle 13th the table and still searching for their first league win of the season away from home.

"It wasn't a great day for us," said Howe. "The away form is something that will be talked about and discussed and is of course something that concerns us."

Wolverhampton Wanderers sacked manager Vitor Pereira on Sunday, ending his tenure after a catastrophic start to the Premier League season that has left the club winless and marooned at the foot of the table.

The Portuguese coach's fate was sealed following Saturday's humiliating 3-0 defeat at Fulham, a result that sparked fury among travelling supporters who directed their anger at both Pereira and the club's Chinese owners.

The timing also proved particularly brutal given that Pereira had signed a contract extension less than two months earlier.

'WE MUST MAKE A CHANGE'

"Vitor and his team worked tirelessly for Wolves and helped guide us through a challenging period last season, for which we are grateful," Wolves' executive chairman Jeff Shi said in a statement.

"Unfortunately, the start to this season has been a disappointment and, despite our strong desire to give the head coach time and matches to find an improvement, we have reached a point where we must make a change."

Wolves' nightmare campaign has yielded a measly two points from 10 games, leaving them eight points adrift of the safety zone in what appears an increasingly desperate battle for Premier League survival.

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They have scored the joint-fewest goals in the division while simultaneously boasting the league's leakiest defence.

Pereira becomes the fourth Premier League manager to face the axe this season, joining Nuno Espirito Santo (Nottingham Forest), Graham Potter (West Ham United) and Ange Postecoglou (Forest).

YOUTH COACHES TAKE INTERIM CHARGE

Wolves said all eight of Pereira's backroom staff had also left the club, and that under-21 head coach James Collins and under-18 head coach Richard Walker would take training until a new manager was appointed.

Pereira's departure ends an 11-month spell in charge after he joined in December 2024, replacing Gary O'Neil with Wolves languishing in 19th place.

The Portuguese coach led them to safety with a run of six straight wins in March and April, finishing 17 points clear of the relegation zone.

Despite a poor start to the current campaign, Shi had publicly backed Pereira earlier this season, rewarding him with a three-year extension after last season's turnaround.

However, results did not improve and the 3-0 defeat at Fulham -- where Wolves were reduced to 10 men in the first half -- was described by Pereira as the "worst performance from my team".

"Today I'm not proud about our work. I don't need anybody to judge my work. I judge my work, I judge myself," he said after the loss.

Pereira's exit marks his sixth straight year leaving a managerial post.

The Portuguese has had short-lived spells across five countries since 2020, managing Shanghai SIPG, Fenerbahce, Corinthians, Flamengo and Al Shabab before joining Wolves.

Wolves next travel to Chelsea on Saturday before the international break.

Liverpool ended a four-game losing streak in the Premier League as Mohamed Salah scored his 250th goal for the club in a 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday.

Salah pounced on an error by Emiliano Martinez to open the scoring before Ryan Gravenberch's deflected effort secured a long-awaited victory that lifts the defending champions up to third in the table.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot's decision to make wholesale changes for Wednesday's 3-0 League Cup exit to Crystal Palace only piled even more pressure on his returning stars to get back to winning ways after six defeats in seven games in all competitions.

Yet they nearly paid for another slow start.

Liverpool had conceded inside the first 15 minutes of all their four consecutive Premier League defeats and were inches away from doing so again when Morgan Rogers blasted a shot off the post from outside the box.

Giorgi Mamardashvili has struggled to fill the void left by the injured Alisson Becker in recent weeks but the Georgian goalkeeper made a stunning stop moments later to turn Maty Cash's deflected effort onto the post.

Villa were cutting through Liverpool's press with ease in the early stages, but soon became architects of their own downfall in playing out from the back.

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The visitors were handed a let off when Dominik Szoboszlai robbed Pau Torres but fired meekly into the arms of Martinez with just the goalkeeper to beat.

Hugo Ekitike did power a header past the Argentine only for a VAR review to show the Frenchman was clearly offside from Szoboszlai's cross.

However, Villa did not heed their warning as a terrible error from Martinez teed up Salah to roll his landmark goal into an unguarded net just before halftime.

The Egyptian's struggles have played a major part in the Reds' difficult start to the season, but he now has five goals in this campaign and sits behind only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt as the third top goalscorer in the club's history.

Mo Salah has now scored 250 goals for the Reds… Incredible. 👑 pic.twitter.com/QLfjFmcHve

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 1, 2025

The goal also ended Liverpool's seven-game run of conceding first and their confidence began to flow back in a dominant second-half showing.

Villa had won their last four league games, including notable scalps against Tottenham and Manchester City, to begin the day level on points with Liverpool.

However, Unai Emery's men struggled to live with a fired-up Liverpool after the break.

Gravenberch was badly missed due to an ankle injury in last weekend's 3-2 defeat at Brentford.

The Dutch midfielder had fortune on his side for Liverpool's second goal when he surged onto Alexis Mac Allister's pass before his strike deceived Martinez thanks to a deflection off Pau Torres.

A first clean sheet in 11 games rounded off a perfect start to a big week for Slot's men.

Real Madrid visit Anfield in the Champions League on Tuesday before a visit to Manchester City next weekend.

A disastrous run has left Liverpool with a mountain to climb if they are to reel in Arsenal to defend their title.

But cutting the gap to the Gunners back to seven points is an important first step to hauling themselves back into the title race.

Mohamed Salah's 250th Liverpool goal ended the Premier League champions' losing streak in a 2-0 win against Aston Villa, while leaders Arsenal beat Burnley to surge seven points clear on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Manchester United were held to a 2-2 draw at struggling Nottingham Forest and Chelsea won 1-0 at London rivals Tottenham.

After losing their previous four league games, and six of their last seven in all competitions, spluttering Liverpool finally showed signs of life at Anfield.

Arne Slot's troubled team were gifted their opening goal in first half stoppage-time when Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez's wayward pass was intercepted by Salah, who slotted into the empty net for his fifth goal this season.

Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea claim big wins on Saturday 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿⚽️#SSFootball | #LIVAVL pic.twitter.com/NyWKfu9OCF

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) November 1, 2025

The Egypt forward's milestone 250th goal in all competitions for Liverpool was followed by Ryan Gravenberch's 58th minute deflected strike, wrapping up the Reds' first league victory since they beat Everton on September 20.

🙌 pic.twitter.com/oUSJA1qpUr

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 1, 2025

Liverpool's win, which leaves them third but seven points behind Arsenal, was well-timed ahead of a crucial week featuring clashes with Real Madrid and Manchester City.

Arsenal eased past Burnley 2-0, creating a five-game winning streak in the league to position themselves as firm favourites to end their painful two-decade wait to be crowned English champions.

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Viktor Gyokeres headed the Gunners ahead following a Declan Rice corner in the first half at Turf Moor for his first league goal since mid-September – yet more joy for the set-piece specialists.

England midfielder Rice himself headed home to double the visitors' lead in the 35th minute and put them in total control.

"The first half was exceptional – we scored two goals and gave nothing away," Gunners boss Mikel Arteta said.

"That was the platform. We had to make a few changes and didn't have that much control in the second half. Defending was exceptional again, we didn't give anything."

Arsenal, who have now won nine games in a row in all competitions, have enviable options in attack but their team is built on a rock-solid defence that has conceded just three league goals in 10 games this season.

UNITED RESCUE POINT

Manchester United, seeking their fourth straight league win, led 1-0 at the City Ground courtesy of Casemiro's first-half opener.

But Forest, who had not scored a league goal since September 20, roared back after the break as their confidence flooded back.

Morgan Gibbs-White headed the home side level in the 48th minute before Nicolo Savona tapped in just two minutes later to complete a dramatic turnaround.

But Amad Diallo levelled with a sweet volley in the 81st minute to rescue a point for United, who have been much improved in recent weeks after a poor start to the season.

Ruben Amorim, marking a year since his appointment as United manager, was disappointed to drop points but encouraged by his team's mentality.

"I feel in the recent past if we had had this situation (from 1-0 up to 2-1 down) we would have struggled so much more than today," he said.

"My feeling is we played well but we dropped a little bit of energy. When we have the full energy we are the better team."

Forest, who last month appointed Sean Dyche as manager to replace the sacked Ange Postecoglou, remain in the relegation zone, four points behind 17th-placed Burnley.

Chelsea maintained their impressive record against Tottenham, winning 1-0 courtesy of a goal from Joao Pedro for a fifth straight Premier League victory over the north Londoners.

Enzo Maresca's fifth-placed side trail fourth-placed Tottenham on goal difference.

Rock-bottom Wolves, reduced to 10 men in the first half following the dismissal of Emmanuel Agbadou, are eight points from safety after a miserable 3-0 defeat at Fulham.

Crystal Palace beat Brentford 2-0 and Brighton pummelled Leeds 3-0.

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank refused to condemn Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence after his defenders appeared to ignore him following Saturday's 1-0 defeat against Chelsea.

Joao Pedro's 34th minute strike gave Chelsea a fifth consecutive victory over their London rivals and a 10th win in their last 12 meetings in all competitions.

Frank's team were booed off after they produced only one shot on target in their latest disappointing display at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It was a third home loss in seven matches under the former Brentford boss, who has been unable to solve the poor home form that also plagued his predecessor Ange Postecoglou in 2025.

Adding to Frank's problems, Van de Ven and Spence headed towards the tunnel after the final whistle and, despite Frank seemingly telling them to thank the Tottenham fans, they walked past the Dane, who stared in their direction before he turned to applaud the crowd.

"I think that is one of the small issues. We have Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence who are doing everything they can. They perform very well so far this season and everyone is frustrated. We do things in a different way, so I don't think it is a big problem," Frank said.

"All the players are of course frustrated. They would like to do well, they would like to win, they would like to perform well, so I understand that.

"I think it is about, which is difficult, to be consistent in good times and in bad times. That is why I went around to the fans as I did. It is more fun when we win, I can tell you that."

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'FRUSTRATION AND EMOTIONS'

Although they sit in third place in the Premier League – above Chelsea on goal difference – Tottenham fans are becoming frustrated with their manager's prosaic tactics, which stand in stark contrast to the club's 'to dare is to do' ethos.

Asked if he understood the supporters' reaction at the result, Frank said: "Yes, 100 per cent. We all sense the frustration and the emotions. That is part of football."

Frank has always been known as a pragmatic manager willing to sacrifice style for points, a philosophy unlike the attack-minded Postecoglou, who was sacked despite winning the Europa League last season to end the club's 17-year trophy drought.

"I would say that of course hurts massively. I have never been in charge of a team that created that little in one game. That of course I will look into," Frank said of Tottenham's dismal attacking performance against Chelsea.

This was only Chelsea's third clean sheet in 12 matches and boss Enzo Maresca was relived to emerge unscathed for once.

"In any case I am happy with the 1-0, happy with the three points and especially because we kept the clean sheet, but it is something we need for the future. We know we are a team in the end who will score goals, but we need to do better defensively," Maresca said.

"I think the performance was very good. On the ball and off the ball. For sure the way we press was very important."