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Opening Thoughts

Good morning on this Sunday day. We bring you your comprehensive matchday live hub, highlighting today's key football action. The Premier League presents fascinating contests between Brighton & West Ham and Fulham & Crystal Palace. On top of that, a crucial Scottish clash between the Hoops and the Jambos, coupled with WSL action plus cup second round excitement rounds out the schedule. As always send us your views and let us know how you'll be following today's games. Let's get into it.

Yesterday's Headlines

Liverpool's Egyptian star stole the spotlight despite was absent in Liverpool's hectic 3-3 draw at Leeds United. Salah delivered an stunning attack on manager the Dutch coach, accusing him of tossing him “under the bus” after being left out the starting lineup for the third consecutive game. He expressed feeling made a scapegoat for the team's disappointing start to the campaign.

“It's unbelievable … I’m sitting on the bench for 90 minutes,” the Egyptian reportedly said. “This is the third match on the bench, perhaps for the first occasion in my professional life. I’m very, very disappointed.”

The other significant Premier League development was the Gunners' last-gasp defeat at Aston Villa, sealed by Emi Buendía's winning goal. This outcome, combined with Manchester City's comfortable win over the Black Cats, has left a very tight race at the summit of the standings.

Outside the English leagues, the Argentine maestro once again played the hero for Inter Miami as they triumphed the MLS Cup, beating Vancouver 3-1 in the showpiece.

Today's Premier League Fixtures

The Seagulls host West Ham in a afternoon kickoff. West Ham have shown flickers of improvement since the arrival of manager Nuno Espírito Santo. A creditable midweek draw means he has overseen a run of just one defeat in their last five.

Fulham against Crystal Palace is a repeat of last year's cup quarter-final. 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 travels.

The FA Cup Second Round

The FA Cup second round provided plenty of drama on Saturday. National League South side the Seagulls made history by reaching the next round for the first time ever.

Additional standout outcomes featured:

• Swindon hammered Bolton Wanderers – a division above them – 4-0.
• Cambridge United beat Stockport County on penalties.
• Non-league Buxton led against Cheltenham before eventually suffering a 6-2 defeat.

Today's cup schedule features:

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

Developing Mini-Leagues

It appears three distinct mini-leagues forming in this campaign's Premier League.

1. The Title Race: Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa are seemingly contending for the championship.
2. The Packed Middle: A very tight group includes Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle and Manchester United, all with designs on the top five. Can any string together a winning run to challenge the top teams?
3. The Relegation Battle: The dogfight to avoid the drop probably involves Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Burnley and West Ham, with Wolverhampton Wanderers looking especially vulnerable. Teams like Brentford or Fulham could also be sucked into the fight.

Elsewhere in Football

Outside the English top flight and domestic cup, today's fixtures 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)

Around the Continent:

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

Ongoing Discussion About Liverpool's Star

The reaction from the Liverpool forward's comments continues. There are two clear camps to the debate. On one hand, has Salah done enough to speak out as a true Liverpool legend? On the other, is boss Slot right in doing whatever it takes to try to win games?

Fan opinion seems divided:

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

“Can we take a moment to feel sorry for Mo Salah? He must have forgotten that he is presently Liverpool's best-paid player... Someone hard done by, Mo, you are not.”

The big question for Mo Salah, then? Speculation suggests his relationship with the club may now be damaged. Could he seek a loan to another European club? Might he accept a lucrative offer and move to Saudi Arabia following the Africa Cup of Nations?

Matches Abandoned

Two Championship matches were called off yesterday.

• The game 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's game against Sheffield Wednesday was also paused and abandoned due to a waterlogged pitch at Ewood Park. Heavy rain – for the second time this season at the ground – rendered the field unplayable.

There is no confirmation on when these matches will be replayed.