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Opening Thoughts

Morning everyone to another weekend day. This is your all-in-one matchday coverage hub, centering on today's major soccer fixtures. England's top division offers fascinating matches featuring Brighton & West Ham and Fulham & Crystal Palace. Additionally, a top-of-the-table Scottish encounter sees the Hoops and the Jambos, alongside WSL games plus cup second round excitement completes the lineup. We encourage get in touch and let us know your plans for watching the action. Let's get into it.

Yesterday's Headlines

Mohamed Salah grabbed the headlines despite was absent in Liverpool's thrilling 3-3 draw at Leeds United. Salah delivered an remarkable attack on boss Arne Slot, accusing him of tossing him “to the wolves” following omission from the starting lineup for the third straight game. He expressed feeling singled out for blame for the team's poor beginning to the season.

“I can’t believe … I am sat on the bench for 90 minutes,” Salah reportedly said. “This is the third match on the bench, perhaps for the first occasion in my career. I’m very, very disappointed.”

Another significant Premier League story saw the Gunners' injury-time loss at Villa Park, sealed by Emi Buendía's winning goal. This outcome, combined with City's comfortable win over Sunderland, has left a very tight race at the summit of the standings.

Outside English football, the Argentine maestro once again wrote the script for Inter Miami as they lifted the MLS Cup, defeating Vancouver 3-1 in the final.

Sunday's Top-Flight Matches

Brighton host the Hammers in a afternoon kickoff. West Ham have displayed signs of improvement since the arrival of manager Nuno. A creditable midweek draw means he has presided over a run of just one defeat in five games.

Fulham against Crystal Palace is a rematch of last year's cup last-eight tie. Crystal Palace are eyeing a fourth successive victory on the road in the Premier League, having defeated Burnley, Wolves and Liverpool without conceding in their latest away fixtures.

The FA Cup Second Round

England's famous cup competition second round delivered lots of excitement on Saturday. National League South side the Seagulls made history by advancing to the next round for the first time ever.

Additional notable results featured:

• Swindon hammered Bolton – a division above them – 4-0.
• Cambridge United beat Stockport on spot-kicks.
• Non-league Buxton were ahead against Cheltenham before eventually suffering a 6-2 defeat.

Today's FA Cup action features:

• Slough Town v Macclesfield (12.30pm GMT kickoff)
• Boreham Wood v Newport County
• Gateshead v Walsall
• Blackpool v Carlisle United

Developing Mini-Leagues

It appears a trio of separate battlegroups developing in this campaign's top flight.

1. The Title Race: Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa are apparently vying for the top prize.
2. The Packed Middle: A very tight section contains several big names, all with aspirations for the European places. Can any put together a winning run to threaten the elite?
3. The Fight for Survival: The scrap to avoid the drop likely involves several clubs, with Wolves looking especially vulnerable. Teams like Brentford or Fulham could also be sucked into the fight.

Elsewhere in Football

Outside the Premier League and FA Cup, today's schedule include:

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 the Liverpool forward's comments continues. Opinion is split into two distinct sides to the argument. On one hand, has Salah earned the right to voice his frustration as a bona fide Liverpool legend? On the other, is boss Slot right in doing whatever it takes to try to win games?

Fan opinion seems split:

“United fan here. If I’m not mistaken, Salah was PFA Player of the Year 6 months ago and now he’s chief scapegoat. Not the way to treat a legend of the club.”

“Can we take a moment to have sympathy for Mo Salah? He's probably overlooked that he is currently Liverpool's highest ever earning player... Someone hard done by, Mo, you are not.”

The big question for the Egyptian king, then? Many think his bridges at Liverpool may now be burned. Could he seek a loan to another European club? Might he take the pay day and move to the Saudi Pro League after the AFCON?

Matches Abandoned

A pair of Championship matches were abandoned yesterday.

• The game between Charlton Athletic and Portsmouth at The Valley was halted in the 12th minute after a supporter was taken unwell. It was later confirmed the supporter died in hospital.
• Blackburn's game against Sheffield Wednesday was also stopped and called off due to a waterlogged pitch at Ewood Park. Heavy rain – for the second occasion this season at the ground – rendered the field unplayable.

There is no word yet on when either game will be rescheduled.