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Preamble

Good morning on this Sunday morning. We bring you your all-in-one football coverage center, focusing on today's key soccer action. The Premier League offers fascinating contests featuring Brighton & West Ham as well as Fulham & Crystal Palace. Additionally, a crucial Scottish Premiership clash sees Celtic and Hearts, coupled with WSL games plus cup round two drama completes the schedule. Feel free to send us your views telling us your plans for watching today's games. Let's get into it.

Major Stories from Saturday

Mohamed Salah stole the spotlight despite not featuring in Liverpool's thrilling six-goal thriller at Leeds United. He launched an stunning critique on manager Arne Slot, claiming him of tossing him “under the bus” after being left out the first eleven for the third straight game. The player stated feeling made a scapegoat for the club's poor beginning to the campaign.

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

The other major Premier League development saw Arsenal's injury-time loss at Aston Villa, courtesy of by Emiliano Buendía's winning goal. That result, coupled with Manchester City's straightforward win over the Black Cats, has left a very tight battle at the top of the standings.

Outside English football, the Argentine maestro as ever played the hero for his MLS side as they lifted the league championship, defeating Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in the showpiece.

Sunday's Top-Flight Matches

Brighton host the Hammers for an 2pm GMT start. West Ham have displayed signs of improvement under the arrival of manager Nuno Espírito Santo. A creditable point at Manchester United means he has presided over a run of just one defeat in their last five.

Fulham against Crystal Palace is a repeat of last season's FA Cup last-eight tie. The Eagles are aiming for a fourth straight victory on the road in the league, having defeated Burnley, Wolves and Liverpool without conceding in their latest travels.

Cup Action Continues

England's famous cup competition round two delivered lots of drama on Saturday. National League South side Weston-super-Mare made history by reaching the third round for the first time ever.

Other standout outcomes featured:

• Swindon Town thrashed Bolton Wanderers – a league above them – 4-0.
• Cambridge defeated Stockport on penalties.
• Non-league Buxton led against Cheltenham Town before eventually suffering a 6-2 defeat.

Today's FA Cup schedule features:

• Slough Town v Macclesfield (12.30pm GMT kickoff)
• Boreham Wood v Newport County
• Gateshead v Walsall
• Blackpool v Carlisle United

Developing Mini-Leagues

There seems to be a trio of separate mini-leagues forming in this season'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 incredibly congested group includes several big names, all with designs on the top five. Will any put together a consistent form to threaten the top teams?
3. The Relegation Battle: The scrap to stay up likely involves Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Burnley and West Ham, with Wolverhampton Wanderers appearing especially vulnerable. Teams like others could also be sucked into the fight.

Other Matches Today

Away from the English top flight and domestic cup, today's schedule include:

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 reaction from Mohamed Salah's comments continues. There are two clear camps to the debate. Has he earned the right to speak out as a bona fide Liverpool legend? On the other, is boss Slot right in doing what he believes is necessary to attempt to win games?

Fan opinion appears split:

“As a Manchester United supporter. If I’m not mistaken, Salah was the players' player of the year 6 months ago and now he’s chief scapegoat. Not the way to treat a legend of the club.”

“Can we pause to have sympathy for Mo Salah? He's probably forgotten that he is presently 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 damaged. Will he seek a loan to a club abroad? Or will he accept a lucrative offer and head for the Saudi Pro League following the AFCON?

Sad News from the Championship

Two Championship fixtures were abandoned on Saturday.

• The game between Charlton and Portsmouth at The Valley was paused in the 12th minute after a fan was taken unwell. It was later announced the supporter died 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 field unsuitable.

There is no word yet on when these matches will be rescheduled.