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Opening Thoughts

Hello and welcome to another weekend day. We bring you your all-in-one matchday live hub, highlighting today's key football action. England's top division presents fascinating matches between Brighton & West Ham and Fulham & Crystal Palace. Additionally, a crucial Scottish Premiership encounter sees the Hoops and the Jambos, alongside WSL games plus FA Cup round two drama rounds out the lineup. Feel free to share your thoughts telling us your plans for watching today's games. Without further ado.

Yesterday's Headlines

Mohamed Salah stole the spotlight even though he not featuring in Liverpool's hectic six-goal thriller at Leeds United. He launched an astonishing critique on boss the Dutch coach, claiming him of tossing him “to the wolves” following being left out the first eleven for the third consecutive match. He expressed that he felt made a scapegoat for the team's poor start to the campaign.

“I can’t believe … I’m sitting on the bench for 90 minutes,” the Egyptian reportedly said. “The third time on the bench, I think for the first occasion in my professional life. I’m very, very disappointed.”

Another significant top-flight story saw the Gunners' last-gasp defeat at Villa Park, courtesy of by Emiliano Buendía's winning goal. That result, combined with City's straightforward victory over the Black Cats, has left a very tight race at the summit of the standings.

Outside English leagues, Lionel Messi as ever wrote the script for Inter Miami as they triumphed the league championship, beating Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in the final.

Sunday's Top-Flight Matches

The Seagulls welcome West Ham in a 2pm GMT start. West Ham have shown flickers of improvement since the arrival of manager Nuno. An impressive point at Manchester United means he has overseen a run of just one defeat in five games.

Fulham versus Palace is a repeat of last year's FA Cup quarter-final. The Eagles are aiming for a fourth successive away win in the league, having beaten three opponents without conceding in their latest travels.

Cup Action Continues

England's famous cup competition second round provided lots of drama yesterday. National League South side the Seagulls made history by reaching the next round for the first time ever.

Other notable outcomes included:

• Swindon Town hammered Bolton Wanderers – a league above them – 4-0.
• Cambridge United beat Stockport on spot-kicks.
• Non-league Buxton FC led against Cheltenham Town before finally suffering a 6-2 defeat.

Sunday's cup action includes:

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

The Premier League's Three Tiers

There seems to be three separate battlegroups developing in this season's top flight.

1. Championship Contenders: Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa are apparently vying for the championship.
2. The Mid-Table Scramble: A very tight group includes Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle and Manchester United, all with aspirations for the European places. Will any put together a winning run to threaten the top teams?
3. The Relegation Battle: The scrap to stay up probably involves several clubs, with Wolverhampton Wanderers looking particularly vulnerable. Clubs such as Brentford or Fulham could also be sucked into the battle.

Elsewhere in Football

Away from the Premier League and FA Cup, Sunday's schedule feature:

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

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

European Football:

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

The Salah Debate Continues

The reaction from Mohamed Salah's explosive interview rages on. Opinion is split into two clear camps to the argument. On one hand, has Salah earned the right to speak out as a bona fide Liverpool legend? On the other, is manager Slot justified in doing what he believes is necessary to try to win matches?

Fan opinion appears split:

“As a Manchester United supporter. If memory serves, Salah was PFA Player of the Year 6 months ago and now he’s the main target. Not the way to treat a legend of the club.”

“Perhaps we should pause to feel sorry for Mo Salah? He's probably overlooked that he is currently Liverpool's best-paid player... Someone hard done by, Mo, you are not.”

What next for Mo Salah, then? Speculation suggests his bridges at Liverpool may now be damaged. Could he seek a loan to another European club? Might he take the pay day and head for Saudi Arabia after the AFCON?

Matches Abandoned

A pair of Championship matches were abandoned yesterday.

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

At this time, there is no word yet on when these matches will be rescheduled.