Top Flight Build-up alongside FA Cup Round Two Latest News and More

Preamble

Good morning on this weekend morning. This is your comprehensive football live center, focusing on today's major soccer fixtures. England's top division offers intriguing contests between Brighton & West Ham and Fulham & Crystal Palace. Additionally, a crucial Scottish encounter sees the Hoops and the Jambos, coupled with WSL action plus cup round two drama completes the schedule. Feel free to share your thoughts and let us know your plans for watching the action. Without further ado.

Major Stories from Saturday

Liverpool's Egyptian star grabbed the spotlight even though he not featuring in Liverpool's hectic 3-3 draw at Elland Road. Salah delivered an astonishing critique on manager the Dutch coach, claiming him of tossing him “to the wolves” after being left out the starting lineup for the third consecutive match. The player stated that he felt singled out for blame for the team's poor beginning to the campaign.

“I can’t believe … I am sat on the bench for 90 minutes,” Salah stated. “This is the third match on the bench, I think for the first time in my professional life. I am extremely disappointed.”

Another significant top-flight story saw the Gunners' injury-time loss at Villa Park, courtesy of by Emi Buendía's winning goal. This outcome, combined with Manchester City's comfortable victory over Sunderland, has left a very tight race at the top of the standings.

Away from English leagues, the Argentine maestro once again wrote the script for Inter Miami as they triumphed the league championship, beating Vancouver 3-1 in the showpiece.

Today's Premier League Fixtures

Brighton host the Hammers in a 2pm GMT kickoff. West Ham have displayed signs of life since the arrival of head coach Nuno. A creditable midweek draw means he has overseen a run of just one defeat in five games.

Fulham against Crystal Palace is a repeat of last season's FA Cup last-eight tie. Crystal Palace are eyeing a fourth straight away win in the league, having beaten three opponents without conceding in their recent travels.

The FA Cup Second Round

The FA Cup round two provided plenty of drama on Saturday. Sixth-tier side the Seagulls created a historic moment by advancing to the next round for the first time in their history.

Additional standout results featured:

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

Sunday's cup action includes:

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

Developing Mini-Leagues

It appears a trio of separate mini-leagues developing in this campaign's top flight.

1. The Title Race: Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa are seemingly contending for the top prize.
2. The Mid-Table Scramble: A incredibly congested section contains several big names, all with aspirations for the top five. Will any string together a winning run to challenge the top teams?
3. The Relegation Battle: The scrap to avoid the drop probably concerns Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Burnley and West Ham, with Wolves appearing especially in trouble. Teams like others could also be dragged into the fight.

Elsewhere in Football

Outside the Premier League and domestic cup, today's schedule feature:

Women's Top Flight: (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)

The Salah Debate Continues

The fallout from the Liverpool forward's comments continues. There are two distinct sides to the debate. On one hand, has Salah earned the right to speak out as a true Liverpool legend? Or is manager Arne Slot justified in doing whatever it takes to try to win matches?

Fan opinion seems divided:

“United fan here. If I’m not mistaken, Salah was the players' 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 take a moment to have sympathy for Mo Salah? He's probably forgotten 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 burned. Will he seek a loan to a club abroad? Or will he accept a lucrative offer and move to Saudi Arabia after the Africa Cup of Nations?

Sad News from the Championship

A pair of second-tier matches were called off on Saturday.

• The match between Charlton Athletic and Portsmouth at The Valley was halted in the early stages after a fan was taken ill. It was later announced 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 confirmation on when these matches will be rescheduled.