Harry Kane bemoaned the "story of our season" after Tottenham suffered defeat to Liverpool following another slow start.

Liverpool ran out 2-1 winners at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium having taken a two-goal lead in at half-time, the third Premier League game in a row in which Spurs have been trailing at the break, and the fourth in a row where they have been 2-0 down at some stage.

Mohamed Salah's first-half brace was enough for Jurgen Klopp's men despite Kane's goal in 70th minute, and the Spurs striker was not happy with his team giving themselves another mountain to climb.

"It's been the story of our season so far, for sure," Kane told Sky Sports after the game. "We haven't been playing well enough in first halves and got punished.

"It was a fairly tight game for the first 20 minutes, they obviously got their goal... then the mistake [from Eric Dier] for the second goal has really hurt us in a big game."

Spurs were booed off by their own fans at half-time, and Kane insisted it was up to the players to not allow themselves to be affected.

"There's moments where there's tension around the stadium when someone maybe gives the ball away," he said. "But to be a big team and big players you have to be able to handle that and not let it affect you for the rest of the game.

"Our home support has been incredible, you saw them in the second half there really pushing us on. Of course there's going to be times when people make mistakes and I think that's the time people need to be behind us, but you have to be able to handle that as a player."

Kane became the first Spurs player to score in six consecutive home appearances in the Premier League. Only Erling Haaland (13) has scored more goals in home games than Kane (six) in the competition this season.

The England captain was largely tasked with leading the attack on Sunday in the absence of injured pair Richarlison and Son Heung-min, though Dejan Kulusevski returned from his own lay-off to come on in the 68th minute, providing the assist for Kane just moments later.

"We've got players playing in different positions, we've been unfortunate with injuries in the attacking part of our team," Kane added. "But it was great to see Dejan back for 30 minutes, he's been a fantastic player for us.

"Whoever plays we still feel like we can create chances and we did that second half... big moments in big games are what makes the difference and we didn't do well enough on those today."

The World Cup break may be just around the corner, but there remains plenty of life in the Premier League campaign, as another action-packed Sunday showed.

The day was book-ended by two heavyweight clashes, with Mikel Arteta's Arsenal moving back to the top of the table by beating Chelsea in a tense London derby in the early kick-off.

Later on, Liverpool finally clinched their first away win of the Premier League campaign as Mohamed Salah tormented Tottenham.

Elsewhere, Unai Emery made a memorable start to his Aston Villa reign and Newcastle United went third by tearing Southampton apart on the south coast.

Here, Stats Perform looks through the best facts of the day.

Tottenham 1-2 Liverpool: Salah ends Red's dismal away run

Liverpool had failed to win an away Premier League game this season (D2 L3), and needed a result as the prospect of slipping 13 points behind Spurs loomed.

Jurgen Klopp's side may have struggled, but Salah's recent form has been imperious, and he handed the visitors a strong start by drilling home an 11th-minute opener.

Salah then capitalised on Eric Dier's error to double Liverpool's lead, and he has now contributed to 19 goals in 20 games for Liverpool this season (14 goals, five assists). Only last season (28) has the Egyptian recorded more goal involvements in his first 20 appearances of a campaign for the Reds.

Meanwhile, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the 24th different away venue Salah has scored at for Liverpool in the Premier League – only Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen (both 25) have bettered that tally for the Reds.

Harry Kane ensured a nervy finish when he became the first Spurs player to score in six consecutive home Premier League appearances after the break, but Liverpool held firm to claim a huge win. 

Chelsea 0-1 Arsenal: Gabriel earns Gunners another statement win

Sunday's first game saw Arsenal return to the summit with a 1-0 victory against Chelsea, becoming the first team to win 10 away games against the Blues in the competition, and just the second to win on three successive trips to Stamford Bridge (after Blackburn Rovers from 1993-94 to 1995-96).

Gabriel Magalhaes got a touch on Bukayo Saka's corner to decide a hard-fought game – all nine of his league goals for Arsenal have come from corners, and no Premier League player has scored more goals from such situations since he arrived in the division in 2020.

Chelsea looked disjointed throughout, managing just five shots as they slipped to back-to-back Premier League defeats for the first time since December 2020 (under Frank Lampard).

Arsenal, however, look like the real deal. Having beaten Tottenham and Liverpool last month, the Gunners have won three consecutive league games against 'big six' opponents for the first time since April 2012. 

It was a miserable reunion with his former side for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who had just eight touches before being taken off by Graham Potter just after the hour.

Aston Villa 3-1 Manchester United: Emery makes flying start

At Villa Park, all eyes were on Emery as the Spaniard made his Premier League return just under three years after being sacked by Arsenal, and he could hardly have wished for a better start.

Leon Bailey and Lucas Digne put Villa 2-0 up within 11 minutes – the earliest point at which United have trailed by two goals in a Premier League game since October 2018 against Newcastle (10th minute).

Jacob Ramsey's own goal dragged United back into contention before he atoned by making the points safe for Villa, ensuring Emery became just the fourth coach to win his first Premier League game in charge of a team when facing the Red Devils.

On an eventful day for Ramsey, he became the fourth player in Premier League history to record a goal, an assist and an own goal in the same game, after Kevin Davies, Wayne Rooney and Gareth Bale.

United have now lost nine away league games in 2022 – their most in a calendar year since 1989 (12).

Southampton 1-4 Newcastle United: Miggy on the mark again as Magpies cruise

Eddie Howe's Newcastle have arguably been the story of the Premier League season to date, and they continued their stunning form by thrashing Southampton 4-1 at St Mary's.

Newcastle have now scored four or more goals four times in their last seven Premier League games, as often as they did in their previous 226 outings in the competition.

Miguel Almiron opened the scoring, becoming the eighth different player to net in four consecutive Premier League matches for Newcastle, and only the second non-Englishman to do so after Papiss Cisse.

Chris Wood and Joe Willock also got on the scoresheet before Bruno Guimaraes bent a 25-yard effort into the bottom-right corner, scoring his eighth goal in 28 league games for the Magpies, having netted just three times in 56 Ligue 1 outings for former club Lyon.

The result piled more pressure on Ralph Hasenhuttl, with Southampton now winless in their last 14 Premier League games against teams starting the day inside the top four (D5 L9).

Mohamed Salah hopes a great week for Liverpool can kick-start their Premier League season after he scored both goals in a 2-1 win at Tottenham.

The Reds finally claimed a first top-flight away win of the campaign at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, moving into eighth place.

Salah continued his magnificent goalscoring run with a first-half double, making it nine goals in eight matches for the Egypt forward.

He rounded off a brilliant move to open the scoring after taking a pass from the lively Darwin Nunez and then capitalised on a mistake from Eric Dier to take his goal tally for the season to 14.

Spurs looked like a different side as they dominated the second half and Harry Kane pulled a goal back with a clinical finish, but Jurgen Klopp's men held on for three precious points.

Liverpool beat Napoli 2-0 in the Champions League in midweek following shock Premier League defeats to Nottingham Forest and Leeds United.

Salah is optimistic they can kick on following a long-awaited Premier League victory on the road. 

He told Sky Sports: "I think we played quite good and managed to score two goals. In the second half, we could've scored but were unlucky.

"We did well to get the three points. It is always a tough opponent. I'm focused on making a difference and managed to do so today.

"We managed to strike back a few times in the season, have played some good games against City and against Napoli. Hopefully that can give us more confidence to win more games."

Spurs slipped down a place to fourth after Newcastle United moved above them with a 4-1 win at Southampton.

England boss Eddie Jones said his team were "not good enough" and captain Owen Farrell raised discipline worries after a surprising 30-29 defeat to Argentina at Twickenham.

In front of an 80,000 full house, the home side were edged out by the Pumas, getting their Autumn Nations Series campaign off to a rocky start.

Head coach Jones said England were left "chasing our tail" after letting a half-time lead slip away.

"We made silly mistakes, but I like the way the team went about it. We didn't finish well, there was that lack of cohesion," Jones said on Amazon Prime Video.

"It's not good enough – we realise it's not good enough. We kept making fundamental mistakes."

As Argentina celebrated a first win against England since 2009 and a first at Twickenham since 2006, the defeated hosts set about working out what went wrong.

They allowed Emiliano Boffelli and Santiago Carreras to cross for second-half tries, with Boffelli finishing with 25 points in all thanks to his strong kicking performance.

Farrell said England must show a response, with matches against Japan, New Zealand and South Africa to come this month.

"We've got a long way to go this autumn and need to make sure we don't drop any confidence because of this," Farrell said.

On a boggy surface, England failed to cope as well as their visitors, and Farrell said: "We kind of let the pressure off a lot of the times. We played the game we thought we needed. It's a wet, wet pitch and both teams didn't really move the ball that well.

"We weren't at our best, definitely not, and that's what were here to do, to get the best out of ourselves.

"We'll have a good look. There were some good bits, and it felt like it was coming. I just think a bit of discipline and errors of not quite being on the same page at times cost us that extra bit of momentum, what it takes to get in front and stay in front."

Boffelli said Michael Cheika's victorious team would enjoy their big moment.

He said: "I'm very happy, we are very happy. Tomorrow we will think about Wales, that follows. We spoke about how we must try to stay close in the score."

Speaking about the influence of Australian coach Cheika, who guided Argentina to wins over Australia and New Zealand in this year's Rugby Championship, Boffelli said: "Everyone knows Michael Cheika as a coach, and it's very important for us.

"He has experience in international rugby and he is confident in us, and that's good. I'm very happy with that, but the team did a good day."

Alphonso Davies will be fit to represent Canada at the World Cup despite sustaining a hamstring strain in Bayern Munich's win at Hertha Berlin, the Bundesliga giants have confirmed.

Davies was forced off in the 64th minute of Bayern's 3-2 victory at the Olympiastadion on Saturday, sparking fears he could miss Canada's first World Cup appearance since 1986.

The left-back was seen clutching his right hamstring as he walked gingerly from the field, and head coach Julian Nagelsmann initially did little to ease fears over his condition.

Speaking after Bayern's win, Nagelsmann revealed Davies was suspected to have suffered "at least one fibre tear" and said a more accurate diagnosis would be available on Sunday.

However, Bayern have now revealed Davies should return for Canada's trip to Qatar, though he will miss his club's upcoming Bundesliga games against Werder Bremen and Schalke.

A statement on Bayern's website read: "FC Bayern will be without Alphonso Davies for the two remaining Bundesliga games prior to the winter break. 

"The 22-year-old full-back suffered a hamstring strain in the 3-2 win at Hertha BSC on Saturday. The diagnosis was confirmed by the German record champions' medical unit. 

"The Canada international's participation in the World Cup in Qatar is not at risk."

Canada will face Belgium in their Group F opener on November 23 before taking on Croatia and Morocco.

Mohamed Salah scored a first-half double as Liverpool ended their wait for a first Premier League away win of the season with a 2-1 victory at Tottenham.

Salah gave the Reds a deserved early lead and capitalised on a terrible mistake from Eric Dier to double their advantage, taking his goal tally for the season to 14 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

Spurs burst into life in the second half and Harry Kane's 13th goal of the campaign halved the deficit, but they are down a spot in fourth place after suffering back-to-back home defeats in the top flight.

This was a first Premier League win in three Premier League matches for Liverpool after being stunned by Nottingham and Forest and Leeds United, moving them into eighth spot.

The Reds started with vigour and Darwin Nunez forced an excellent save from Hugo Lloris before the lively Uruguay striker curled a shot wide of the far post.

Nunez showed great awareness for a brilliantly worked opening goal 11 minutes in, picking out Salah in the box and the prolific forward rounded off a slick move by taking a touch to control the ball before slotting into the bottom-left corner with his left foot.

Ivan Perisic nodded against the post when Alisson failed to deal with a whipped Harry Kane cross, but Liverpool were gifted a second goal by Dier five minutes before the break.

The defender tried to head a long ball back to Lloris but presented Salah with the opportunity to race clear and dink over the Spurs keeper with a clinical finish.

Spurs made a blistering start to the second half after they were booed off at the break and Perisic rattled the crossbar when Ryan Sessegnon pulled the ball back for the Croatia international.

Salah passed up a great opportunity to complete his hat-trick when he shot straight at Lloris and Kane got Spurs back in it with just over 20 minutes to go.

The fit-again Dejan Kulusevski played the England captain in with a clever pass and he fired into the far corner with his right foot from inside the box to give Spurs hope.

Tottenham continued to dominate but Liverpool held on for a long-awaited Premier League win on the road.

Kevin Durant is interested in becoming part of the Washington Commanders' new ownership group after Dan and Tanya Snyder announced they were considering a sale of the franchise.

On Wednesday, the Commanders released a statement confirming the owners had hired BofA Securities to explore a potential sale.

The decision comes amid an NFL investigation into an allegation of sexual misconduct from Dan Snyder, who is also being probed by attorney generals in Washington, D.C. and Virginia over alleged financial improprieties.

Reports have credited Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos, as well as musician and producer Jay-Z, with an interest in making a joint bid for the team, and Durant wants to be involved.

Two-time NBA champion Durant, who grew up in the D.C. area, told ESPN: "In a perfect world, I would be a part of it.

"I would love to do it. I would love to give a little bit of my money to be a part of the Commanders, but we'll see. Hopefully it's somebody nice. I heard Bezos and Jay-Z, but you never know.

"I don't have a lot of money, though. I don't have that much money to say, 'Look, man, let me get a piece of the team.'

"I'm sure it would have to work out some way, somehow. I would love to, obviously, but to be honest, I doubt that it'll happen. It's a five or six-billion-dollar team."

Dan Snyder brought the Washington franchise in 1999, and while Durant is surprised to see him exploring an exit, the Brooklyn Nets star is excited about the team's future. 

"How long has he had it now, 20-something years? He's probably the only owner I've known, since I've been alive, for the Redskins or Commanders," Durant added. 

"It's definitely shocking to see him put them up because it's his baby. NFL teams are precious, they're important.

"That's going to be a team that everybody [wants]. Everybody wants to be a part of the league. It's one of the most lucrative teams in sports, so I'm sure there's going to be a lot of bidders.

"Our market is incredible. There's a lot of support in D.C., a lot of money in D.C. to be made. I feel like we drafted well the last couple of years, we got some foundation pieces that can help you win football games moving forward. 

"I know we've had some losing seasons, but it's starting to come around for us. I'm excited as a fan. 

"I'm excited about the sale. I'm excited to see who they bring in and who they sell the team to, and to see how we move forward with it." 

Holger Rune stunned Novak Djokovic to win the Paris Masters title as the teenager confirmed his ascendancy into the tennis elite.

The 19-year-old defeated Djokovic 3-6 6-3 7-5, fending off the six-time champion at the indoor event to earn a place in the top 10 for the first time, becoming the first Danish man to reach such heights.

Rune becomes the first player since the ATP rankings were launched in 1973 to have beaten five top-10 players in the same tournament, other than at the season-ending ATP Finals.

His scalps on the route to his maiden Masters 1000 final included Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, Carlos Alcaraz – who retired when trailing in their quarter-final – and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Now Rune can add last year's Paris champion Djokovic to that list, defeating the 21-time grand slam winner who had described his young opponent as the future of tennis on the eve of the final.

Rune becomes the youngest Paris Masters champion since an 18-year-old Boris Becker triumphed in 1986, and he did it the hard way too, coming from behind after Djokovic made the stronger start.

Djokovic broke Rune's serve in the fourth game to lead 3-1 and take an early grip, soon seeing out the opening set.

Yet Rune charged 3-0 ahead in the second and grew in confidence. There was even a Djokovic-like raised fist after getting the better of his illustrious rival in one thrilling rally

Djokovic roared ahead in the decider, but not intimidated by the occasion, Rune struck back to recover the early break. 

Rune then broke to lead 6-5, as his Serbian opponent became erratic.

Nobody beats Djokovic without a fight though, and the 21-time grand slam winner had six chances to break back in the next game.

Rune survived them all and clinched victory on his second match point when Djokovic, who had been chasing a record-extending 39th ATP 1000 title, netted on the half-volley.

Addressing Rune in an on-court interview, Djokovic said: "You absolutely deserve this victory. What an amazing week you had.

"I'm not happy that you beat me, but on the other hand I'm happy for you because I like your personality, I think you're a very dedicated guy that loves tennis and puts a lot of hours into hard work.

"It's paying off for you, and I'm sure the future is bright for you and your team, so congratulations."

Rune, who is working with Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou, said: "This must be my favourite tournament now, I really enjoyed my time here."

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag dubbed his side's defeat to Aston Villa as "not acceptable", following a woeful performance at Villa Park.

The hosts raced into a two-goal lead inside 11 minutes, with Leon Bailey firing home and Lucas Digne converting a free-kick, but a fortuitous own goal when Luke Shaw's effort deflected off Jacob Ramsey pulled one back just before the break.

United's start to the second period was just as poor as the first half, however, with Ramsey firing home at the right end this time to restore his side's two-goal advantage, and the visitors were unable to muster anything in return.

That left Ten Hag disappointed with the performance of his players, highlighting they had been off the mark.

"We lost the game at the start of the first half and second half and that is not acceptable. They looked more fresh and more ready," he told BBC's Match of the Day.

"We need to be more sharp. The result is really clear. It never lies. Today we were not good enough.

"We didn't get the right organisation. We created chances and good chances at 2-1. But you are really disappointed to concede at the start of the second half."

Shaw offered a similar assessment of United's display, conceding that they expected a quick start due to Villa's new manager bounce with Unai Emery.

"We knew they were coming out with a new manager and a new feeling. We did expect it. But in games like this, if you start slowly in the first 20 minutes then you are going to lose," he said.

"We were not good enough. We have always got to believe we can win games even when we're 2-0 down. We conceded early in the second half and it's a mountain to climb after that.

"If you watch the game back, you'll see we made a sloppy start. They were finding spaces and pockets and turning with ease. That is not good enough. We didn't deserve to win."

Diego Simeone seemed optimistic despite seeing his Atletico Madrid team fail to beat Espanyol at the Metropolitano, even with a man advantage.

The visitors had Leandro Cabrera sent off after 28 minutes on Sunday after he fouled Alvaro Morata to deny him getting in on goal, leaving Atletico with more than an hour with an extra player.

However, it was Espanyol who took the lead just after the hour through Sergi Darder's volley, before substitute Joao Felix fired in a leveller with just over 10 minutes remaining.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Simeone expressed his gratitude for the love he has received at the club since taking over as head coach in 2011, with some believing him to be under pressure after finishing bottom of their Champions League group and falling 10 points behind the top of LaLiga.

"I came to Atletico young and the first season was very bad and [the fans] always loved me without having given them absolutely anything," he said. "Then we won the Copa del Rey (2012-13) and the league (2013-14). 

"I was lucky enough to come back as a player and a coach. I am grateful to Atletico Madrid for life, the love I feel is not going to upset me in the current circumstances."

 

Atletico attempted 27 shots in the game, their highest tally in all competitions since February 2021 against Levante (28).

They hit the target just seven times though, and also found Espanyol goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte in fine form.

"We had chances," Simeone added. "They scored, and after scoring the desire to generate danger and intensity went up one more step. If one has forcefulness, the mental part grows. When you see that you have 27 shots and you don't win... We tend to have more precision, hopefully we can adjust that."

Despite exiting Europe and having not won any of their last four games in all competitions, Simeone looked on the bright side.

"After [losing to] Porto [in midweek], the Champions League and Europe are closed and a new tournament begins in LaLiga, where we are not doing badly.

"We have to be confident in what we do and hope this doesn't break. At least we didn't lose, we could have won it, and a draw keeps us in the top four."

Callum Wilson left Newcastle United's 4-1 win over Southampton as he was feeling unwell, rather than due to any injury that might have hurt his World Cup chances.

Wilson has emerged as a potential option for England in Qatar after recovering from a fitness concern earlier in the season to score six goals.

But in front of watching Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate at St Mary's on Sunday, Wilson was withdrawn at half-time.

The striker had shown no obvious sign of discomfort before the break, yet his injury history prompted worries of a setback that would stop him playing for his country. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was injured for Everton on Saturday.

However, Newcastle coach Eddie Howe confirmed there was no long-term issue behind Wilson's substitution, with the striker having revealed earlier in the week he was battling a cold.

"Callum wasn't that well in the week and felt light-headed and dizzy, so that's why he came off," Howe told Sky Sports.

"It was a joint decision. He didn't feel he had the energy needed and it was an easy decision to replace him with Chris [Wood], who came on and got the job done."

Kieran Trippier had gone down late in the first half for Newcastle. An injury to the right-back would have represented a major blow for Southgate, who may already be without Reece James and Kyle Walker.

But Trippier stayed on as Wilson was replaced by Chris Wood with Newcastle 1-0 up through Miguel Almiron's eighth goal of the season.

The Magpies number nine was scarcely missed, as Wood netted a rare goal for the second and Joe Willock grabbed the third. Newcastle have had a league-leading 12 different scorers this season.

After Romain Perraud replied for Southampton with a minute to play, Bruno Guimaraes completed the scoring in stoppage time.

It was the fourth time Newcastle have scored four or more in their past seven matches – as many as across their prior 226 top-flight outings – and took them above Tottenham into third ahead of Sunday's late kick-off between Spurs and Liverpool.

Fabio Quartararo turned off his television to avoid witnessing Francesco Bagnaia's title celebrations before quickly turning his attention to reclaiming his MotoGP crown next year.

Quartararo's hopes of retaining his championship were slim heading into Sunday's season-closing Valencia Grand Prix.

The Frenchman needed to win the race while seeing rival Bagnaia finish no better than 15th.

Instead, Quartararo could only manage fourth, while Bagnaia crossed the line in ninth to secure an ultimately comfortable title triumph.

The dethroned champion's pain was clear after the race, but he sought to focus on the positives, using his frustration as motivation for 2023.

"That's the positive and the negative side, of course," Quartararo told BT Sport. "It hurts a lot – I had to turn off the TV.

"But it's motivation to say, 'okay, we lost the title, but I will be back'. The team is working super hard, so there is no reason we cannot fight for the championship next year."

Quartararo referenced "an up-and-down season", which included "quite a lot of struggle", but there is optimism ahead of a post-season test on Tuesday.

"It will be really important," he said. "I want to always be in the top position, and I will try my best. I will work super hard, and I am pushing the team to make the same.

"I think next year is going to be a good year, and hopefully we can really bring a performing bike to fight with them."

Karim Benzema is "struggling" and has been ruled out of Real Madrid's trip to Rayo Vallecano on Monday, which could prove a worrying sign for France ahead of the World Cup.

The Ballon d'Or winner returned from a short lay-off to feature as a substitute in Madrid's 5-1 Champions League win against Celtic on Wednesday, but he is now back on the sidelines.

Benzema has been troubled by muscular fatigue in his left quadriceps and the 34-year-old remains not quite at ease, although Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti expects him to be available for their home game against Cadiz on Thursday.

Benzema joins defender Antonio Rudiger in missing Monday's game, as Madrid seek a win that would take them back above Barcelona at the top of LaLiga.

Looking ahead to the trip to Vallecano, Ancelotti said on Sunday: "Karim won't play because he's not feeling right.

"It looked as though he was okay, but he's struggling a bit and he won't be available tomorrow. Against Cadiz I don't think Rudiger will be back, but Karim should be."

Benzema has started just 11 games across all competitions this season, scoring six goals. He managed 44 goals in 46 games last term, enough to win the highly prized Ballon d'Or award, marking him out as the top performer in world football over the 2021-22 campaign.

"Karim's lack of game-time has meant we have got to see other players with real quality, like [Federico] Valverde, Rodrygo, Vinicius [Junior]," said Ancelotti.

"We've coped well with Karim being out thanks to the quality of the other lads. When we come back after the World Cup, we'll need Karim for the second part of the season."

The Italian then sang the praises of Rodrygo, the 21-year-old Brazilian who has seven goals this season, saying he considers the youngster "more as a centre-forward than a wide man".

Ancelotti was also asked about comparisons between Rodrygo and Brazil great Ronaldo, but says the 21-year-old benefits from the quality around him at the Santiago Bernabeu.

"Ronaldo wasn't as fortunate as Rodrygo," Ancelotti said. "Back then, Real Madrid weren't as strong as they are now in the Champions League. 

"Rodrygo can make the most of that. If he reaches Ronaldo's levels on an individual basis, we'll be building a statue to him."

A UEFA working group made up of 10 European nations has stressed the need to "support human rights" at the Qatar World Cup.

The decision to stage the World Cup in Qatar has been widely criticised due to concerns over the country's human rights record, with the conditions of migrant workers and the criminalisation of homosexuality being highlighted.

Amnesty International later accused FIFA of brushing these concerns "under the carpet" after president Gianni Infantino and secretary general Fatma Samoura called on participating nations to "focus on the football" at the World Cup.

In a statement released on Sunday, the working group acknowledged what it perceives to be "significant progress" made by Qatar, though also insisted human rights issues cannot be ignored.

"We acknowledge, and welcome, as we have done in the past, that significant progress has been made by Qatar, particularly with regards to the rights of migrant workers, with the impact of legislative changes demonstrated in the International Labour Organisation's recent reports," the statement read.

"We welcome the assurances given by the Qatari Government and by FIFA regarding the safety, security and inclusion of all fans who travel to the World Cup, including LGBTQ+ fans.

"We also recognise that every country has issues and challenges and we agree with FIFA that diversity is a strength.

"However, embracing diversity and tolerance also means supporting human rights. Human rights are universal and they apply everywhere."

The group, made up of the football associations of England, Wales, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Portugal and Belgium, also detailed the talks it has had with FIFA on the matters.

"We will continue to support the momentum for positive, progressive change and continue to advocate for a conclusive outcome and update on the two key outstanding issues we have been discussing with FIFA for a long time," the statement continued.

"FIFA has repeatedly committed to deliver concrete answers on these issues - the compensation fund for migrant workers, and the concept of a migrant workers centre to be created in Doha - and we will continue to press for these to be delivered.

"We believe in the power of football to make further positive and credible contributions to progressive sustainable change in the world."

The tournament gets underway on November 20 when the hosts take on Ecuador.

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