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Opening Thoughts

Good morning on this Sunday morning. This is your all-in-one matchday live center, focusing on the day's key soccer fixtures. England's top division offers fascinating contests between Brighton & West Ham and Fulham & Crystal Palace. Additionally, a top-of-the-table Scottish encounter between the Hoops and the Jambos, alongside WSL games and FA Cup round two drama completes the lineup. Feel free to get in touch telling us your plans for watching today's games. Without further ado.

Yesterday's Headlines

Liverpool's Egyptian star grabbed the spotlight even though he was absent in the Reds' thrilling six-goal thriller at Elland Road. Salah delivered an remarkable attack on boss the Dutch coach, accusing him of tossing him “to the wolves” following being left out the first eleven for the third consecutive game. He expressed feeling made a scapegoat for the team's disappointing beginning to the season.

“I can’t believe … I’m sitting on the bench for 90 minutes,” Salah reportedly said. “The third time on the bench, perhaps for the first occasion in my professional life. I’m very, very disappointed.”

The other significant Premier League story was Arsenal's injury-time loss at Villa Park, courtesy of by Emi Buendía's decisive strike. This outcome, coupled with City's comfortable victory over the Black Cats, has left a very tight battle at the top of the standings.

Outside English leagues, Lionel Messi once again wrote the script for his MLS side as they lifted the MLS Cup, defeating Vancouver 3-1 in the showpiece.

Sunday's Top-Flight Matches

Brighton host West Ham in a afternoon kickoff. The visitors have shown flickers of improvement since the arrival of head coach Nuno. An impressive midweek draw means he has presided over a run of just one defeat in their last five.

Fulham versus Palace is a rematch of last year's FA Cup last-eight tie. The Eagles are aiming for 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

The FA Cup round two delivered lots of drama on Saturday. National League South side the Seagulls made history by advancing to the third round for the first time in their history.

Additional notable results included:

• Swindon Town hammered Bolton – a league above them – 4-0.
• Cambridge United beat Stockport on spot-kicks.
• Sixth tier Buxton led against Cheltenham Town before finally enduring 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

There seems to be a trio of distinct mini-leagues developing in this campaign's top flight.

1. Championship Contenders: Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa are apparently contending for the top prize.
2. The Mid-Table Scramble: A very tight group contains Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle and Manchester United, all with designs on the European places. Will any put together a winning run to challenge the elite?
3. The Fight for Survival: The dogfight to stay up likely involves Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Burnley and West Ham, with Wolves appearing especially in trouble. Clubs such as Brentford or Fulham could also be sucked into the battle.

Elsewhere in Football

Outside the English top flight and FA Cup, today's fixtures 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)

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 done enough to speak out as a bona fide club icon? Or is boss Slot right in doing whatever it takes to try to win matches?

Fan opinion appears split:

“As a Manchester United supporter. If memory serves, 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.”

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

The big question for Mo Salah, then? Speculation suggests his bridges at Liverpool may now be burned. Will he move on loan to a club abroad? Might he accept a lucrative offer and head for Saudi Arabia following the AFCON?

Sad News from the Championship

A pair of second-tier matches were abandoned on Saturday.

• The match between Charlton and Pompey at The Valley was halted 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 pitch unsuitable.

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