Next, we look at the immense club power across the continent: see if you can recall the 10 most successful clubs from each of Europe's top five leagues. Get the FourFourTwo Ultimate Quiz Book Now for a detailed look at Champions League dedication. Can you accurately sort these 30 players by the number of Champions League appearances they made? This quiz rewards knowledge of elite longevity.
Andy Davies (@andydaviesref) is a former Select Group referee, with over 12 seasons on the elite list, working across the Premier League and Championship. With extensive experience at the elite level, he has operated within the VAR space in the Premier League and offers a unique insight into the processes, rationale and protocols that are delivered on a Premier League matchday.
Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge kept them top of the Premier League table, but the big talking point was the surprise absence of defensive star William Saliba. Just hours before kick-off, the French centre-back was ruled out, leaving Mikel Arteta without both Saliba and regular partner Gabriel Magalhaes, who is already sidelined. That left the Gunners forced into an entirely new-look pairing with summer signings Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera stepping into the heart of defence.
Liverpool are set to table a 52.5m (60m euros) bid for Real Madrid's French midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, 23. (Caughtoffside), external Everton will not entertain any offers for Senegal winger Iliman Ndiaye, 25, and have no intention of selling him to city rivals Liverpool. (Teamtalk), external Manchester City are considering triggering the 65m release clause in the contract of Bournemouth and Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo, 25, in January.
He didn't play right-back but arguably the best player of the weekend is James. Wonderful in his approach and arguably his best game this season. I wanted to put him in midfield, where he played against Arsenal, but there were so many good players, so he goes in here, with an honourable mention to Kenny Tete from Fulham who only just misses out. Scored two at Everton and has been a real revelation since he came from AC Milan.
Explaining his decision before kick-off to recall him for the Premier League trip to Selhurst Park, Amorim reinforced that support. "Mason Mount is really smart," he said. "He gives us more possession. He is intense and he can score goals, so is one more player to be near the box." The remark showed incredible foresight as Mount sealed United's first victory at Palace since 2020 by drilling home what seemed to be a pre-planned free-kick move with skipper Bruno Fernandes from 20 yards.
Liverpool's record signing Alexander Isak scored his first English Premier League goal for the Reds as the under-pressure football champions snapped a woeful run of form with a much-needed 2-0 win at West Ham United on Sunday. Liverpool had endured their worst spell in over 70 years, losing nine of their previous 12 games, and manager Arne Slot took drastic measures, leaving Mohamed Salah out of his starting lineup for the first time in the Premier League.
England legend and former Match of the Day host Gary Lineker was spotted in the crowd as Crystal Palace hosted Manchester United in the Premier League. Lineker made 468 senior club appearances for the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, Leicester City and Everton. Notably, however, he never had any connection to Palace or United. It was therefore slightly surprising when TNT Sports' cameras cut to the former striker, taking in the game from the stands.
"Everyone knows why he went down," Farke said. "It is not the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the rules. It is smart. If I like it? If it's within the sense of fair play? If it should be like this I will keep to myself. It is up to the authorities to find a solution."
