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Digesting the deathly spirit of this team in the flesh will have emphasised to the coach the complexities of his task

Well, something to work on there then, Ruben. It would be tempting at the end of this decelerating game of semi-football to talk about Ruben Amorim at least realising the scale of the job he faces.

Except, given Amorim almost certainly possesses a TV set and is interested in football, he already knows the scale of the job. And the scale is: really very big indeed.

• Former Forest boss replaced Enzo Maresca in summer
• Foxes’ 2-1 defeat at home to Chelsea is his last match

Leicester City sacked Steve Cooper as manager on Sunday after just five months in charge. Leicester, promoted last season, are 16th in the Premier League, outside the relegation zone, but the hierarchy have been left unconvinced by performances, with player friction also a factor behind the scenes.

Leicester, whose players return to training on Tuesday following a home defeat to former manager Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea on Saturday, intend to make a quick appointment, ideally by the weekend, mindful of a trio of key games against Brentford, West Ham and Brighton across the next fortnight. Cooper leaves them two points above the drop zone after two wins from 12 matches.

For a moment, Mohamed Salah’s shirt was gone with the wind, resting somewhere on the edge of the Southampton box. He had whipped it off, bearing his lean, cartoonish torso in filthy conditions as he celebrated his second goal, from the penalty spot, to open up an eight-point lead at the summit of the Premier League, in front of the visiting Liverpool supporters going berserk in a pocket of this stadium. Then Luis Díaz retrieved Salah’s No 11.

On the face of it, at kick-off this was a mismatch between the teams top and bottom of the division but Liverpool, who opened the scoring through Dominik Szoboszlai, trailed to goals by Adam Armstrong and the impressive Mateus Fernandes. But Salah restored parity, struck the winner and then hit a post late on to leave Arne Slot’s side admiring the view. Slot’s businesslike thumbs up to the away end at the final whistle was the crowning moment, though they will have to improve when Real Madrid come to town on Wednesday.

• Madrid beat Leganés to move four points off Barcelona
• Lukaku takes Napoli back to top spot in Serie A

Kylian Mbappé ended his goal drought with a thunderous strike and England’s Jude Bellingham scored a header as Real Madrid thrashed Leganés 3-0 in La Liga on Sunday.

Leganés’ defence kept Real at bay in the first half but the visitors took the lead three minutes before the break when Vinícius Jr combined with Mbappé, who netted his seventh league goal this season. Real enjoyed most of the possession in the second half and the Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde scored from a free-kick after Bellingham had been fouled at the 66th minute.

Sonia Bompastor’s extraordinary start to life in the WSL continues at Kingsmeadow. It was Chelsea’s eighth win in as many league games and opened up a five-point lead over second-placed Manchester City at the top of the WSL. Scarily, this form is coming at the beginning of the French manager’s tenure, when they should be in transition, while the players are still getting to know the former Lyon manager and her style of play.

“For my perfect vision of the game model we are not where I want to be,” said Bompastor. “That’s normal, it takes a lot of time. I’m quite happy with the defensive stuff, when we are out of possession. In possession, there is room for improvement. It needs to be better if we want to control the game and be dominant.”

Leeds went top of the Championship as Daniel Farke’s side twice came from behind to win a wild game at Swansea 4-3.

Manor Solomon scored twice – his first Leeds goals – and Ben Cabango turned the ball into his own net before substitute Wilfried Gnonto struck a stoppage-time winner. Swansea had led through Harry Darling’s early opener and Liam Cullen – who scored for Wales against Iceland on Tuesday – restored their advantage on the stroke of half-time. Substitute Florian Bianchini appeared to have rescued a point for the hosts in the final minute, but Leeds went straight up the other end and Gnonto slid home from Daniel James’s pass to end their away-day blues.

• ‘We’re going through a bad spell but will come out of it’
• 4-0 home loss to Tottenham was fifth defeat in a row

Kyle Walker insists Manchester City have not lost confidence despite Saturday’s fifth consecutive defeat to Tottenham, with the captain insisting beating Feyenoord on Tuesday will recapture the champions “mojo”.

City were routed 4-0 by Ange Postecoglou’s side at the Etihad Stadium, a third league reverse of the losing sequence. They remain on 23 points, five behind Liverpool, who can extend their advantage to 11 if Arne Slot’s side win at Southampton on Sunday and beat City at Anfield on Sunday-week.

It was the first day of the rest of their season. After a patchy start to the campaign, littered with red cards and brain fades, double saves and points needlessly dropped, what Arsenal needed more than anything else was a straightforward win.

It’s in the routine Saturday 3pm kick-offs, just as much as in the live televised clashes, and in wins ticked off almost without incident, far more than in the great expenditures of emotion, that championships are decided.

Kamikaze defending aided Liverpool’s win but evolution of Dibling and Harwood-Bellis will be one to witness

For all that most people would always have considered the result an inevitability, there was little that was predictable about this game. Even once Liverpool took control in the final half-hour there rarely seemed any sense to its shifts in momentum. Like a leaf in a windstorm for long periods it tumbled gently in no particular direction, before zigging and zagging through a series of sudden, unexpected and often inexplicable turns. It was an extraordinary match in a bewildering and often underwhelming way, stuffed with a combination of the surprising and the indefensible.

Two goals came from centre-backs giving the ball away, two from the penalty spot, one from an inexplicable handball, one (scored by the goalkeeper’s team) from a goalkeeping fumble, another from the same keeper not so much coming for the ball as going for a stroll in its general direction. Goals are generally considered the high points of a game of football; here, with one wonderful exception, the opposite was true. “My overriding feeling is frustration that the goals were so poor,” Russell Martin said. “If they produce a moment of magic you can maybe accept it a bit more but the quality of the goals was so bad. So bad.”

After sticking with the Orlando Pride through nearly a decade’s worth of mediocrity, the Brazilian was rewarded for her loyalty with her first win in a final at club level in 13 years

For so long, on so many occasions, it felt like Marta’s time. On Saturday, it finally was.

The Orlando Pride, captained by the 38-year-old Brazilian playmaker and spearheaded by incandescent striker Barbra Banda, completed one of the most dominant seasons in NWSL history on Saturday with a 1-0 win over the Washington Spirit in the league’s championship game. The title is the team’s first ever, and Marta’s first win in a final at club level since the 2011 WPS championship with the Western New York Flash.

The champions are increasingly concerned with how things are portrayed and the basics appear to be an afterthought

Still, at least Manchester City can now concentrate on the Ballon d’Or. There was a lavish celebration for the world’s best player before this game: the word RODRI illuminated in giant letters on the pitch like a Vegas cabaret show, City’s injured midfield linchpin holding his trophy aloft as fireworks lit the night sky. The tailoring was immaculate; the audiovisuals impressive; the crowd rapt.

And then came a game of football, in which the champions were beaten 4-0 by a team with Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies at centre-half. It was City’s biggest home defeat in more than two decades: the sort of result that draws small involuntary gasps, that causes spectators to get their phones out and zoom in on the scoreboard, capturing for posterity this curious rip in the space‑time fabric.

When Aston Villa last lost five matches in a row, Dean Smith paid with his job. The situation was not as severe for Unai Emery but he needed to end a dismal run of four defeats and was deeply frustrated that his side failed to turn domination into three points.

Ollie Watkins and Ross Barkley twice equalised for Aston Villa, who also had a Youri Tielemans penalty saved. They were twice hit on the break, resulting in Ismaïla Sarr and Justin Devenny giving Palace the lead. Villa were dominant from the start but lacked the cutting edge expected of a Champions League side.

• Red Bulls beat NYCFC 2-0 to reach MLS Cup last four
• No 7 seed will face Atlanta or Orlando in East final

Dante Vanzeir notched an assist on a first-half goal by Felipe Carballo and then scored nine minutes later, and Carlos Coronel made them stand up by posting his seventh career clean sheet against New York City FC in the New York Red Bulls’ 2-0 victory in an Eastern Conference semi-final at Citi Field on Saturday night.

The seventh-seeded Red Bulls will play the winner of Sunday’s semi-final between No 9 seed Atlanta United and fourth-seeded Orlando City for the conference championship and the right to play for the MLS Cup.

When so many have doubted him, Gary O’Neil fights on. While Wolves have Matheus Cunha to hand and in such devastating form there will always be hope of redemption.

The Brazilian’s display, featuring two fine finishes and an adept assist, made it two Wolves wins in succession, catching Fulham cold and then killing them off with a spectacular strike.

• Banda on target as Orlando beat Washington 1-0
• Orlando 1-0 Washington: NWSL final – live reaction

In a volatile league the Orlando Pride have always been reliably disappointing, but no longer. The punchline has struck back and the Pride have their first NWSL Championship.

Part of the league since 2016, Orlando’s sole prior playoff appearance came back in 2017, the only other time they have finished in the top six. This year, something changed. And now everything is different.

Fabian Hürzeler is happy for Brighton fans to continue to sing about Europe after they moved up to fifth in the Premier League with a 2-1 win at Bournemouth. Brighton were in cruise control after João Pedro and Kaoru Mitoma struck at the start of each half before Carlos Baleba’s 59th-minute red card threatened to shift the momentum.

The Bournemouth substitute David Brooks reduced the deficit in the third minute of stoppage time and in the end Brighton were relieved to see Antoine Semenyo smash an effort against the bar five minutes later as the visitors held on for a fourth triumph in six league games.

Trouble is at Sean Dyche’s door just as the Friedkin Group waits to walk in as Everton’s new owner. The manager was left in no doubt as to the growing discontent inside Goodison Park after Brentford claimed their first away point of the season despite playing with 10 men for 53 minutes. They did so in relative comfort, which says everything about the paucity of Everton’s attacking game.

Brentford’s captain, Christian Nørgaard, was shown a red card in the 41st minute for catching Jordan Pickford’s knee with his studs. Thomas Frank confirmed his club will likely appeal against the decision. The Brentford manager was incensed at the time but a first Premier League clean sheet of the season, and in these circumstances, lifted his mood.

Portugal’s coaches and players are all the rage in part thanks to links forged between academia and the game

They always knew Ruben Amorim was a special one at the faculty of human kinetics. “I interviewed him for the course and from the start it was obvious,” says Prof António Veloso, José Mourinho’s former classmate, who runs the high-performance football coaching course at the faculty, which is affiliated to the University of Lisbon.

“The students needed to do an essay on specialist topics and Ruben’s results were fantastic. He had a leadership role in the group. When we were doing tactical drills on the pitch all the other students were looking at Ruben’s and asking for his opinion. But he was very humble.”

Few managers are idealists but the truth for the man in charge at St Mary’s is that his players aren’t good enough to stay up

There has, at least, been a win to break the pattern. But Southampton’s victory over Everton was followed immediately by defeat by Wolves and so they spent the international break bottom of the table. They have taken four points from 11 games. In only two games this season have Southampton had the better xG – on the opening day, when they lost 1-0 at 10-man Newcastle, and in the 1-1 draw at Ipswich. They are, barring something miraculous, doomed.

The routine has become familiar. Southampton play their goal-kicks short. They pass the ball neatly. They have a lot of possession; 56.6% – only three teams in the Premier League are averaging more. They don’t take their chances – no side have hit a lower percentage of shots on target this season. Somebody makes a mistake – perhaps one of their players, perhaps the referee – they concede and the game is lost.

Former Ipswich manager is enjoying the club’s resurgence under Kieran McKenna, having taken them to great heights more than 20 years ago

Every so often, George Burley takes a walk through the park and bumps into a vision of his younger self. Kieran McKenna is practically a neighbour; the greetings are always warm and the common ground bountiful. They are the only two men alive who know exactly what it takes to guide an Ipswich side to the Premier League and both have come to understand how success in Suffolk can propel a reputation towards the stars.

In Burley’s case it was a fifth-placed finish in the 2000-01 top flight, straight after going up, that sent him into the pantheon. He was named manager of the season, the first of only five times when the recipient did not win the title, and it capped a fairytale story that barely feels possible now. “It couldn’t get any better, it was an honour, an incredible feat,” he says. “I don’t know if a team that comes up could equal or beat that now. It might never happen again.”

Forward issued a timely reminder after becoming first player in Europe’s top five leagues to reach double figures for goals and assists in all competitions

By David Segar for Opta Analyst

It has become almost common football parlance in recent years when discussing data. You can barely refer to any attacking statistic without starting the sentence: “Only Mohamed Salah …”

The Egyptian has been a sensation since signing for Liverpool in 2017, scoring and creating goals that have fired the Reds to glory at home and abroad.

From a nightmare spell in Moldova to drawing a blank in Houston, some players enjoyed a unique professional life

Rohan Ricketts started out with Arsenal in 2001 and ended up playing in more countries than some people visit in a lifetime. Deals in Canada, Hungary, Moldova, Germany, Ireland, India, Ecuador, Thailand, Hong Kong and Bangladesh were steered over the line by his increasingly imaginative agent. The attacking midfielder had played once for the Gunners before a more notable three-season spell at Tottenham. There were loans around England with Coventry, Wolves, QPR and a full-time deal with Barnsley before his globetrotting commenced. In 2011 he won the Irish title with Shamrock Rovers, but Dacia Chisinau in Moldova was “an absolute nightmare … I never got paid”. In happier news he came off the bench for Shamrock Rovers to a warm reception at Tottenham in a 2011 Europa League tie. Exeter City and Leatherhead later appeared on Ricketts’ odyssey, although he stayed at the Grecians less than a month, eventually rounding things off with a spell at the gloriously obscure Canadian outfit Unionville-Milliken.

Plus: leagues with most teams whose names bookended by one letter, multiple international debut scorers and more

• Mail us any of your questions and answers

“I make Rúben Amorim the seventh Portuguese to manage in the Premier League,” writes Daniel Keown. “What’s the record for a country outside the home nations? And have any major football countries not produced a Premier League manager?”

On Sunday afternoon, at Portman Road, Amorim will indeed become the seventh Portuguese manager of a Premier League team. José Mourinho was the first, when he joined Chelsea in 2004, and he was followed (in chronological order) by André Villas-Boas, Marco Silva, Carlos Carvalhal, Nuno Espírito Santo and Bruno Lage.

We’ve included temporary managers who were either in charge or originally appointed for a minimum of five Premier League games. That means Cristian Stellini makes the cut; Spurs appointed him for the last 10 games of the 2022-23, only to sack him after four. But Ruud van Nistelrooy isn’t included as he was only ever appointed for two league games. The figure in parentheses covers your Van Nistelrooys and your Saltors.

Nationalities are taken from the official Premier League site. Technically there have been no African managers in the Premier League era, but Jean Tigana (France), Patrick Vieira (France) and Nuno (Portugal) were born in Mali, Senegal, and São Tomé and Príncipe, respectively.

Ruben Amorim said he is a 'dreamer' in his first press conference as Manchester United head coach after joining the club from Sporting.

The 39-year-old signed a two-and-a-half-year deal to replace Erik ten Hag who was sacked in October.

He has been compared to José Mourinho because of his nationality and success and said: 'He [José Mourinho] sent me a message and told me that this is a lovely club, a big club, with lovely people, and that is correct.'

He added: 'I am different from Mourinho. I am a different person.'

Pep Guardiola has signed a two-year contract that will extend his tenure as the Manchester City manager to 2027. Guardiola, who has won 18 trophies since he joined City in 2016, spoke about his decision making process in an interview with the club. Speaking about his side's poor recent form, he said: 'The problems we had in the last month [four consecutive defeats], I felt now was not the right time to leave.'

• ‘Now was not time to leave’: Pep Guardiola pens new two-year Manchester City deal

After five years in storage a statue of Harry Kane has been unveiled – much to the delight of the man himself but less so to the public, with many people claiming it fails to capture its subject. Kane isn't the first footballer to unveil an unflattering statue, however, with depictions of Ronaldo, Diego Maradona and Mo Salah among others facing ridicule.

• ‘Stuff of nightmares’: statue of Harry Kane unveiled after five years in storage

England beat Greece 3-0 in Athens on Thursday night to go top of their Nations League group. Lee Carsley's decision to bench Harry Kane paid off as his replacement, Ollie Watkins, scored the opener after seven minutes. 'It’s important if we want to put players in a position to win the World Cup that these players need to have as many experiences as we can,' Carsley said. 'It’s no slight on Harry. He’ll start the next game. I see the quality the players have got. The younger ones are more than capable with the quality and mentality they’ve got.'

Jordan Pickford kept England in the game with a couple of strong saves before an Odysseas Vlachodimos own goal and Curtis Jones flick sealed the victory.

• Lee Carsley praises England youngsters after Kane gamble pays off in Greece

Gary Lineker is to step down as the presenter of Match of the Day at the end of the season, it has been confirmed. The former England striker, 63, took over in the chair from Des Lynam in 1999 and has been a presence on football fans’ screens on Saturday nights for 25 years. Over that time he has brought plenty of memorable moments to viewers while also speaking out on issues he felt needed addressing.

• BBC confirms Gary Lineker’s departure from Match of the Day

• From presenting in pants to political controversy: Gary Lineker’s Match of the Day career

Ruud van Nistelrooy led Manchester United to a 2-0 victory over Greek champions PAOK in the Europa League. Van Nistelrooy, who is standing in as interim manager before the arrival of Rúben Amorim, will manage his last game for Manchester United on Sunday against Leicester. He said: 'For me, it's important now to carry on and build on results of Leicester, of Chelsea and of PAOK.'

Brazil legend features in Saturday’s big Championship game between Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit

The 2024 NWSL Championship between Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit on Saturday will be a historic contest and caps off a memorable year. Hosted at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, it already celebrates a massive milestone in yet another year of growth. The Kansas City Current’s home is the first stadium built specifically for an NWSL club and was deservedly awarded the Championship game.

As the NWSL commissioner, Jessica Berman, said: “It was a natural choice to stage the league’s marquee event in a venue that exemplifies the profound impact of infrastructure, investment and community support on the continued development and success of our sport.” The 11,500 capacity stadium sold out every game and is on course to do the same in the final.

• Bundesliga club move to Bluesky and urge fans to follow
• St Pauli concerned X may influence German election

St Pauli have become the first major football club to leave X, ­describing the social media site as a “hate machine” and expressing concern that it may influence the outcome of the forthcoming German election.

Scrutiny of the role played by X in platforming hate speech, far-right conspiracy theories and racism has intensified since Donald Trump’s victory in last week’s US election. Trump was vociferously supported by the entrepreneur Elon Musk, who bought X – then known as Twitter – in October 2022. Musk was given part-control of a new “department of government efficiency” this week.

• ‘My life has dramatically changed over the past two years’
• No timeframe but player vows to return ‘stronger than ever’

Matildas winger Cortnee Vine will prioritise her mental health and take a break from football after an “overwhelming” rise to prominence over the past few years.

For the second consecutive international window the 26-year-old made herself unavailable for selection and was again a notable absentee from interim coach Tom Sermanni’s 36-woman squad for Australia’s upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Taiwan.

Salento club may not have a storied history but players did not have to stay long to make their mark

By Michele Tossani for The Gentleman Ultra

Picking five players for a rational Lecce side should be easy, on paper. Salentini are a club that first stood in Serie A in 1985-86, which is relatively recent. The first Lecce game I remember was the 2-2 that the newly promoted side imposed on the then Campioni d’Italia of Verona in September 1985.

But Lecce are a club that featured great players. So, in the end, building Lecce’s five-a-side lineup was not as easy as expected to be.

• Controversy remains over Saudi Arabia’s 2034 bid
• The 54-year-old was re-elected Fifa president last year

Gianni Infantino will avoid any ­scrutiny of the controversial decision to give the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia next month after Fifa opted to stage the qualifying draw for the 2026 tournament as a virtual event.

Saudi Arabia’s successful 2034 bid will be confirmed by acclamation at an extraordinary Fifa congress, to be held online on 11 December, while the Guardian has learned that the draw for European qualifying for the 2026 World Cup two days later will also take place remotely.

• Spain great starts first major venture since retirement
• Club are currently seventh in 12-team division

Andrés Iniesta has become co-owner of the Danish third-tier club Helsingør in the Spain legend’s first major off-field venture since retirement.

Helsingør announced that NSN, the sports management and consulting company jointly founded by Iniesta, would take control alongside the Swiss investment group Stoneweg. They are seventh in their 12-team division, to which they were relegated last season. According to NSN’s website, the firm had been working with the club on a consultancy basis to “consolidate its position and give the opportunity to worldwide talents to come and play in Europe”.

Abdelrahman Kuku is part of a side that cannot play at home but wants to bring joy there

“I am excited, everyone is excited, you have to be excited,” the Sudan international Abdelrahman Kuku says and that’s understandable. Sudan need a point against Niger on Thursday to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations – for the fourth time in 24 tournaments – and eliminate Ghana. That would be impressive enough given the circumstances but the Jediane Falcons are also soaring at the top of their World Cup qualification group after four games as they seek to qualify for the first time.

The circumstances, though, are as dire as can be. The country of almost 50 million is being torn apart by a fierce civil war that broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces militia. The UN secretary-general, António Guterres, said in October that millions are not able to escape from a “nightmare of violence, hunger, disease and displacement”.

• Player had been placed into artificial coma
• Midfielder was married with a young son

Ecuador and FC Cincinnati midfielder Marco Angulo has died from his injuries sustained in a car crash that also killed his former youth team teammate Roberto Cabezas, the Ecuadorian Football Association said on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old Angulo was a passenger in the car that crashed into a metal barrier on the Rumiñahui highway southeast of Quito on 7 October. The driver and Cabezas, who played for Independiente Juniors, were killed in the incident.

• Priestman is banned by Fifa after alleged use of drone
• Review reveals ‘past pattern of an unacceptable culture’

The departure of the Canada women’s national team head coach, Bev Priestman, has been confirmed by Canada Soccer, following an independent review into the drone spying scandal that rocked the team’s Olympics campaign.

The Englishwoman Priestman was removed from the Olympic Games in Paris and received a one-year ban from football by the world’s governing body Fifa in July, after a drone was allegedly used to spy on a training session of one of their opponents, New Zealand. The analyst Joseph Lombardi and the Canada assistant coach Jasmine Mander were also banned after the allegations, and on Tuesday a statement from Canada Soccer said: “The three individuals currently suspended by Fifa will not be returning. The search for a new head coach for the women’s national team will commence shortly.”

From Franco Mastantuono to Estêvão, we select some of the most talented players born in 2007. Check the progress of our classes of 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 … and look at the editions from further back

We pick the best youngsters at each club born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008, an age band known as first-year scholars. Check the progress of our classes of 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 … and look at the editions from further back

From Warren Zaïre-Emery to Endrick, we select some of the best players born in 2006. Check the progress of our classes of 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018

• Next Generation 2023: 20 of the best Premier League talents

The two Americans were on our list five years ago but their paths show the professional game is rarely straightforward

Career paths are rarely straightforward, whether in football or any other area of life. Circumstances often change. Injuries and illnesses happen, there are often changes in leadership which have an impact on the individual while personal lives also play a part.

Career paths are therefore very difficult to predict. Looking down the list of our 2019 Next Generation, which we have now followed for five years, there were no guarantees any of the players would become household names. OK, Alex Holiga, who covers the Balkans for us, was confident that Josko Gvardiol would make it big – which he has – but apart from him, and perhaps Ansu Fati, Eduardo Camavinga and Jérémy Doku, there were no certainties.

A remarkable year for the youngster. Made his Bundesliga debut on 18 January and has not looked back since. He now has 23 first-team appearances and has established himself as a starter and one of the most talented young players in Europe. “I’m still learning a lot tactically,” he said in August. “There is a very big difference between youth and professional football. Making the right movements and creating space for myself and others is what I still need to learn the most.

A tumultuous year for the young American who was caught in the crossfire of a feud between his own family and the USMNT coach, Gregg Berhalter, after the World Cup, during which he played a mere 52 minutes of the US’s four games. Injuries have once again hampered him but he is back to full fitness now and a US return seems likely too after talks with Berhalter.

Whoever takes over the hot seat will find the foundations are strong – this is a thing that doesn’t need messing with

When I was young, and random old people my parents knew would ask what I wanted to do with my life, I’d always answer: “Be Des Lynam,” – at the time mainly to end the conversation so I could go back upstairs and play Sensible Soccer. But it seemed like a fun thing to do.

So it was with some excitement a couple of weeks ago that I received a screengrab of the odds for the next host of Match of the Day. I was sixth favourite at 12-1! Gratifying stuff – it was now simply a case of somehow disposing of Dan Walker, Colin Murray, Jeff Stelling, Manish and Chappers and the chair was mine. I guess people might have got suspicious after the first couple disappeared.

They should be one of the Africa Cup of Nations favourites, instead Ghana are facing up to another chaotic failure

What made it especially painful was that, just briefly, it seemed they might get away with it. But they did not. Ghana did not get the win they needed in Angola on Friday and so Mohammed Kudus, Thomas Partey and Antoine Semenyo will not be at the next Cup of Nations, which begins in Morocco in December 2025.

Ghana have been terrible in the qualifiers. Their elimination is deserved. They went into their final pair of games needing to win both and hope Sudan lost both of theirs. The likelihood was that it would all be over on Thursday, when Sudan, managed by the former Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah, which has added a whole other tier of complication, went to Niger. But Niger won, 4-0. Nobody had expected that. For Ghana there was a glimmer of hope.

Refereeing is basically a nightmare now. Is it really a huge surprise a Premier League official should end up brutalised and spitting toxins on a sofa?

Farewell then, David Coote. You were the one who looks a bit like a hungover version of Ross from Friends. Let’s take a look at your best bits. Not sending off Jordan Pickford for an attempted amputation at Goodison Park. Not sending off Fabinho for performing on-spec achilles keyhole surgery on Evan Ferguson at the Amex.

Plus of course, the decision to let yourself be filmed propped up on a sofa, saying all the bad stuff out loud, and in the process completing the amazing character arc of the English football referee, from taciturn northern master butcher, to the current crop of beleaguered full-time reality TV stars.

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“I’m not moving, I can assure you,” husked Pep Guardiola in the social media drop announcing his contract extension until 2027. The clip focuses on Pep’s crow’s feet and coal-black eyes, each line possibly marking the efforts required to win the multiple trophies he has brought Manchester City. Still, in bringing the news City fans so craved, it was understated, low-budget even, in these times of people living their best lives on Insta-disgraces with the production values of Kevin Costner’s vehicle Waterworld.

The English National Opera, which is decamping from London to Manchester, is promising projects bringing together opera and football. I see opportunities here for an entirely new, star-studded international operatic repertoire, featuring ‘Don Carlos Tevez’, ‘The Marriage of Figo’, ‘Thuramdot’ and, for local City fans, ‘Tosca Bobb’. And presumably there’ll be a penalty aria – Adrian Irving.

Re. this on the LDV Vans Auto Windscreen trophy (yesterday’s News, bits and bobs): ‘And the Bristol Street Motors Trophy is being rebranded – mid-competition, no less – to the Vertu Trophy. You’ll doubtless be reassured the EFL has provided a pronunciation guide: VUR-CHOO.’ Seems like typical Vurchoo-signalling to me – Mark Read.

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Paul Watson, Ewan Murray and Ben Fisher to round off the latest international break as Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all finish strongly

Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.

On the podcast today: we begin with the news that Pep Guardiola has agreed a one-year contract extension at Manchester City before moving on to talk about promotion for Wales in the Nations League, with manager Craig Bellamy remaining unbeaten as they thrashed Iceland 4-1.

Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzy Wrack, Jenna Schillaci and Sophie Downey to discuss all the weekend’s WSL games

On today’s pod, the panel discusses Chelsea’s rise to the top of the WSL table after a hard-fought win over Manchester City. Is this the start of their title charge?

The panel also looks at the late drama across the league, with Fran Kirby’s goal sealing Brighton’s victory and Ebony Salmon coming off the bench to give Aston Villa their first win of the season.

Midfielder enjoyed glittering career around the world and had impact off the field as advocate for LGBTQ+ community

As the final whistle blew in Stockholm on Saturday afternoon, fans of Rosengård and hosts Djurgården rose to their feet. Signs and flags were raised aloft at the Olympic Stadium and a standing ovation ensued as Caroline Seger, a name synonymous with Swedish women’s football for the best part of two decades, walked off a competitive football pitch for the final time.

Every footballer dreams of ending their career on a high but relatively few manage to achieve it, particularly when they have already bid farewell to the international stage. Seger, however, has managed to go out at the very top, a deserved finale for an individual who has transformed the game in Sweden on and off the pitch.

Plus: title winners with multiple clubs, a very southern English top flight, more palindromes and mascots on shirts

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“Aberdeen were thrashed 6-0 by Celtic in the Scottish League Cup, ending a 16-match unbeaten run under Jimmy Thelin. What’s the heaviest defeat to end an unbeaten run?” asked Matthew Shore last week.

We added the caveat of an unbeaten run of at least 15 games, and Chris Roe got busy crunching the numbers, for English football at least. “There have been 487 instances of unbeaten runs in league fixtures of at least 15 matches in length,” he tells us. “Of those, 290 were ended by a single-goal defeat, and 133 by a two-goal margin.”

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Our cartoonist on champions’ new habit of losing and that video of a Premier League referee slagging off Liverpool

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Ipswich’s young English duo catch the eye, Liverpool march on and the brilliance of Brighton’s Carlos Baleba

It took them an hour of huffing and puffing, but Arsenal did something at Stamford Bridge they hadn’t managed since September – they scored an away goal in the Premier League. After toothless performances at Newcastle and Inter in the past week – and last month at Bournemouth – Gabriel Martinelli’s cute finish was itself a moment of relief, but Mikel Arteta was frustrated that his team didn’t find a winner. Their expected goals figure was lower than Chelsea’s (1.27 to 1.69) but that does not account for Leandro Trossard’s costly miskick at the death nor Kai Havertz’s would-be opener, which was just offside. The Gunners will almost always control games, especially now Martin Ødegaard is fit and firing again, but that age-old itch has not been scratched. They are not ruthless enough and they still lack a penalty box killer. Dominic Booth

Match report: Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

Match report: Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa

Match report: Brighton 2-1 Manchester City

Match report: Manchester United 3-0 Leicester

Match report: Nottingham Forest 1-3 Newcastle

Match report: Tottenham 1-2 Ipswich

Match report: Brentford 3-2 Bournemouth

Arsenal deliver at last, Lauren Hemp’s treble sees her top the WSL assist chart and Chelsea have ‘two No 1s’

Five goals, five different goalscorers and a clean sheet – Arsenal’s performance against Brighton felt like it was a long time coming. So often this season they have created chances but not been clinical. On Friday night, however, they were in the mood, producing a high-intensity first half that left Brighton shell-shocked. Beth Mead and Emily Fox combined brilliantly down the right, Katie McCabe and Caitlin Foord equally so down the left to exploit the weakness of the visitors’ full-backs and fallible defensive structure. A trademark Mead goal reminded fans of more fruitful times, a spectacular finish from Frida Maanum the same. The special moment of the night, however, belonged to Lina Hurtig. Her 76th-minute header was her first goal in 362 days, a perfect return after the Sweden winger had spent the best part of the last year on the sidelines. SD

Inter legend enjoyed a remarkable career in Spain and Italy, but football was not his only love growing up in Sydney

I am having to explain to Christian Vieri that despite us being in London and only a few miles from Lord’s, organising a game of cricket with Sir Ian Botham is probably going to be a bit tricky. I just don’t have that sort of pulling power, but also because the former Ashes legend is in Australia and a bit banged up after falling into crocodile-filled waters on a fishing trip.

The thing is, Vieri – the former striker who at one time became the most expensive footballer in the world when he moved to Internazionale in 1999 for about £30m – doesn’t just like cricket, he loves it, having spent most of his childhood in Australia.

The Premier League players who have belied expectations (in a good way) so far this season

The Cameroonian had a debut season to forget in England. A series of blunders during a nightmarish Champions League campaign helped contribute to Manchester United’s group-stage exit, while high-profile errors on the domestic front led to serious questions about his future. Onana has enjoyed a far better start this time, dropping no conspicuous clangers and keeping five clean sheets in 11 games, the highest of any goalkeeper. He is overperforming in shot-stopping metrics and boasts a pass-completion rate that is on course to be higher than last season. An unexpectedly reassuring presence during another period of early-season turmoil at Old Trafford.

In a country where thousands of migrant workers have died since 2016 a huge building project lies ahead. December’s coronation will stand as surely the most wretched, bloody, damaging act in the history of global organised sport

“People will die.”
Amnesty International

“You can never say again that you did not know.”
William Wilberforce

Sexual assault accusations ended flourishing coaching career at Chesterfield but now he feels he has much to give

James Rowe remembers packing a suitcase before the day of his trial verdict, looking at his two young sons and wondering when he would be able to hold them again. He feared that had a jury found him guilty he could have been in prison for up to two years. The level of anxiety was extreme; the loss of control felt almost overwhelming. “Saying goodbye to them is something I’ll never forget in my life,” he says. “I’m feeling I can’t stop the train: that it’s just running away.”

Rowe, a free man since his acquittal last month, orders a still water as he tells his story in a Suffolk pub. He would like a swift return to doing what he loves: to further a career that was flourishing when, as manager of Chesterfield on 24 January 2022, life was essentially put on pause. That morning he was at the family home in Derbyshire when John Croot, the Spireites’ CEO, told him he would be suspended after an allegation of sexual harassment. “It had been released to the media before I could put the phone down,” Rowe says. A matter of days later, police arrived at the house to arrest him; he was charged the following September.

Erling Haaland has been voted the best player in the world for 2023 by our 218-strong panel, with Jude Bellingham finishing second

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The Norwegian is only 23 but his devastating goal record has seen him voted as the No 1 player in the world by the Guardian’s expert panel

When Pep Guardiola tearfully claimed Manchester City could not replace the departing Sergio Agüero in May 2021, he didn’t just create a meme. Guardiola was soft-launching a global audition for his team’s new attacking talisman. An unsuccessful pursuit of Harry Kane in the summer of 2021 came between two title-winning seasons where Ilkay Gündogan (13) and Kevin De Bruyne (15) were the club’s top league goalscorers. Guardiola’s slick creative machine needed a new front man, and they found him in Erling Haaland.

Like Agüero before him – and in contrast to many of City’s most successful Pep-era signings – Haaland arrived as a bona fide superstar, a plug-and-play addition to an already stellar lineup. Whether he was a bargain is another question. The release clause paid was €60m (£51.2m), but some reports suggest Haaland’s five-year deal could cost the club in the region of £300m. And while there was an ominous logic to the move for City’s rivals, questions remained.