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Introduction

Hello and welcome to another weekend day. We bring you your all-in-one football coverage center, highlighting today's key soccer fixtures. The Premier League offers intriguing matches between Brighton & West Ham and Fulham & Crystal Palace. Additionally, a top-of-the-table Scottish encounter sees Celtic and Hearts, alongside WSL action plus cup round two drama rounds out the schedule. Feel free to get in touch telling us your plans for watching today's games. Here we go.

Major Stories from Saturday

Mohamed Salah stole the spotlight despite not featuring in Liverpool's hectic six-goal thriller at Leeds United. He launched an astonishing critique on manager 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 singled out for blame for the team's disappointing beginning to the campaign.

“It's unbelievable … I am sat on the bench for 90 minutes,” Salah reportedly said. “This is the third match on the bench, I think for the first time in my career. I am extremely disappointed.”

The other significant Premier League development was Arsenal's injury-time loss at Aston Villa, sealed by Emi Buendía's winning strike. This outcome, coupled with City's comfortable win over Sunderland, makes for a incredibly close race at the top of the table.

Outside the English football, the Argentine maestro once again wrote the script for his MLS side as they lifted the MLS Cup, beating Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in the showpiece.

Sunday's Top-Flight Matches

The Seagulls host the Hammers in a 2pm GMT start. The visitors have shown flickers of life under the arrival of manager Nuno Espírito Santo. An impressive midweek draw means he has presided over a run of only one loss in their last five.

Fulham against Crystal Palace is a rematch of last season's FA Cup quarter-final. Crystal Palace are aiming for a fourth successive away win in the Premier League, having beaten three opponents without conceding in their recent travels.

Cup Action Continues

England's famous cup competition round two delivered lots of excitement yesterday. Sixth-tier side Weston-super-Mare created a historic moment by reaching the third round for the first time in their history.

Other notable outcomes included:

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

Sunday's cup action features:

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

Developing Mini-Leagues

There seems to be three distinct battlegroups forming in this season's top flight.

1. The Title Race: Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa are apparently contending for the championship.
2. The Packed Middle: A very tight section contains several big names, all with aspirations for the European places. Can any put together a consistent form to challenge the top teams?
3. The Relegation Battle: The dogfight to avoid the drop likely concerns Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Burnley and West Ham, with Wolves looking especially in trouble. Teams like Brentford or Fulham could also be sucked into the battle.

Elsewhere in Football

Away from the English top flight and domestic cup, Sunday'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)

Ongoing Discussion About Liverpool's Star

The reaction from Mohamed Salah's comments rages on. There are two distinct sides to the argument. Has he done enough to voice his frustration as a bona fide Liverpool legend? Or is manager Arne Slot right in doing what he believes is necessary to try to win games?

Views from supporters seems split:

“United fan here. If I’m not mistaken, Salah was the players' player of the year 6 months ago and now he’s chief scapegoat. This is no way to treat a club legend.”

“Can we take a moment to feel sorry for Mo Salah? He must have overlooked that he is currently Liverpool's best-paid player... A victim, Mo, you are not.”

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

Matches Abandoned

A pair of Championship matches were called off yesterday.

• The match between Charlton and Portsmouth at The Valley was paused in the 12th minute after a supporter was taken unwell. It was later confirmed the fan passed away in hospital.
• Blackburn's game against Sheffield Wednesday was also paused and abandoned due to a waterlogged playing surface at Ewood Park. Torrential rain – for the second occasion this season at the ground – rendered the pitch unsuitable.

At this time, there is no confirmation on when either game will be rescheduled.