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Arsenal, fifth on the table now, have bagged zero points in their last two Premier League games, succumbing to a 3-1 defeat against Wolves. Another club in contention for a top-four spot, Chelsea, took just one point from Burnley. Sixth-placed Man United, on the other hand, also lost both their games to Everton and Manchester City. It appears that the teams are fighting for a Europa League spot, and none of them look determined to get into the top four....

Going into the final quarter of most seasons, there usually is considerable daylight between the third and fourth placed teams and thereafter. However, this time, there is just one point that separates the teams placed from third to sixth. While Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United have momentarily found themselves in the top four, Arsenal sit fifth above Chelsea with 60 points with a home game against Newcastle United remaining on Monday night....

The week started with the best possible start as Arsenal took on Spurs at the Wembley stadium. The game had everything from goals, red cards, controversial moments, missed penalty, as one would expect from the North London Derby. The game finished with a 1-1 draw and a red card at the end for Arsenal’s Lucas Torreira. The evening was followed by comfortable wins for Man City, Brighton, Palace, Wolves and West Ham....

Nearly three decades have passed since a team featuring John Barnes, Ian Rush and Alan Hansen won the last of the Reds’ 18 domestic titles. There have been near-misses since – most notably when Brendan Rodgers’ side ’let it slip’ with the title tantalisingly close – but optimism has rarely been as high as it has at Anfield in the lead up to the new campaign. Since Jurgen Klopp’s men made May’s Champions League final and finished fourth in the Premier League, the Reds have splurged in the region of £160million on Fabinho, Naby Keita, Xherdan Shaqiri and Alisson....

As envisioned and expected, they dominated proceedings but the opposition did have their chances, especially in the second half. However, lack of incisiveness and a calm head fueled their problems in front of goal. The win gives Chelsea another positive home result. They haven’t lost any of their last 11 home games in the Premier League (W6 D5) – their longest unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge in the competition since August 2015....

The West Londoners had a busy summer transfer window, spending well over £100m in recruiting players. The deep pockets of Fulham owner Shahid Khan were not enough to propel their first PL campaign since 2013-14, where they managed to win only 1 out of their opening 12 league outings. Apologizing to the fans, owner Shahid Khan said: The disarray in which the Lilywhites find themselves in has many reasons behind it....

While it is way too early for the defending champions to concede the title race, the fact that City has slipped behind this early won’t rest easy with the arch-perfectionist that is Pep Guardiola. In this regard, he does bear some of the blame. A summer that saw the departure of Vincent Kompany and his considerable influence offered the chance for a change. This chance was spurned and the results have become clear to see....

The type of football Manchester City have produced under Pep has been nothing short of sensational. The quick passing, the immaculate positioning of players and the goals scored under his tutelage have been remarkable. Manchester City have won back to back Premier League titles under Pep Guardiola, but there has been one man who has continuously challenged and put the pressure on Pep. That man is none other than Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp....

The two sides are among the best outside the top-six and will look to get their campaign off on the right note as they look for a spot in Europe next season. Wolves produced the greatest individual season of any promoted club in the history of English football last year and they’ll look to cement their status as Premier League regulars in the forthcoming season. With both sides going into the new season with a renewed sense of optimism and hope, a tightly contested tie awaits at the King Power Stadium....

Baumann revealed that the 30-year-old has admirers and he’s expecting the centre-back to leave the club before the end of the transfer window. A likely destination for the defender would appear to be France, where he previously spent seven years with Girondins de Bordeaux. FC Metz, in particular, have been heavily linked with a loan move for the defender, having already acquired another former Bordeaux attacker—Cheick Diabate—on loan from Turkish side Osmanlispor....

Gerrard and Lampard have each taken their first steps in management this season, with Liverpool legend Gerrard moving on from his role with their academy to assume charge at Rangers, while Lampard has taken the reins at Derby County. Rooney has designs on management himself and, in an interview with the Mail on Sunday, the 32-year-old reiterated his desire to move to the dugout when his playing days are over....

The Poland international retains his place in goal after impressing once again at the weekend. Fabianski made eight saves in preserving Swansea’s clean sheet at Wembley, and frustrated Tottenham once again in their bid to win at their temporary home. Swans 17/10 for clean sheet v Watford TOMMY SMITH | HUDDERSFIELD Smith made three interceptions and three clearances for Huddersfield in their draw against Leicester. The Terriers continue their fantastic start to the Premier League season, and remain in the top six....

In fact, the rumour mill has been heavily filled with Chelsea and Liverpool news along with some of the other clubs. So, without further ado, let’s have a read on some of the rumours for today. #5 Palace’s two targets Crystal Palace have been in the news mostly due to Wilfried Zaha. Zaha’s performances this season have attracted a lot of clubs towards him. However, this one is not about him....

#5 West Ham’s failure Yann Karamoh is a player that has been wanted by West Ham United for quite a while now but they failed to sign him when he was at Caen. And now, they have been rejected by Inter for the man they covet so much. Karamoh was eventually sold to Inter, where he couldn’t get many opportunities but did excite the fans whenever he played, and West Ham want him on loan, but their approach has been rejected first-hand by the Nerazzurri, report TuttoMercatoWeb....

BY ZULHILMI ZAINAL Follow on Twitter On Thursday, global sportswear giant Nike revealed the new jerseys of several Southeast Asian national teams, including those of Malaysia’s. It is believed that they have done so in anticipation of the 2018 AFF Championship, which will kick off in December. The new Malaysia black and yellow home kit has broken away from the convention of its past iterations, in that it featured very little black....

The new No. 1 receiver for the Cowboys shook up the NFC East race, too. Prescott threw his third touchdown pass to Cooper on the first possession of overtime, and the Cowboys took a big step toward the division title with a 29-23 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. On third down, Rasul Douglas tipped the pass into the air by getting inside the slant route, and Cooper grabbed it and had a clear path to the end zone from the Philadelphia 7 for the 15-yard score....

Alabama, the defending national champion, opened at at No. 1 in the AP Preseason Poll. The Crimson Tide opened at No. 1 last year and became the first Preseason No. 1 to win the national championship since 2004. MORE: SN Preseason Top 25 Alabama opened at No. 1 in 2016. This marks the fifth the time the Crimson Tide started at No. 1 under Saban. Here’s a look at the AP preseason No....

That was his first mistake in this tweet. They were ballot applications, not ballots. He also said that the secretary’s actions were taken “illegally.” But experts caution that state emergency powers are at their highest during a public health crisis and that current election law does not appear to preempt Benson’s decision. Jake Rollow, a spokesperson for Michigan’s Department of State, called Trump’s assessment of Michigan election law “false” in a statement Wednesday....

Primakov, in truth, has not done a very good job of shielding his presidential ambitions. He has been respectful of all but the most rabid of the communists who control the Duma, and has quietly courted groups (such as trade unions) that were ignored by Yeltsin’s previous prime ministers. Since the start of the year, Primakov has installed allies at important Moscow-based media organizations, including a major television network and the ITAR-Tass wire service....

Club president Wu Xiaohui said this week that a breakthrough in negotiations with the former Juventus and Manchester City star had been reached. Arrest made over Chapecoense crash The 32-year-old has reportedly been offered €40million per year to make the move to the Chinese Super League. “There’s nothing to confirm,” Poyet told ESPN. “Obviously there is interest from the club in signing him and it’s being negotiated. “It would be a pleasure to have him....