Liverpool-linked midfielder Ruben Neves is "99 per cent" likely to stay at Wolves beyond the end of the transfer window, according to head coach Bruno Lage.
Neves, who has emerged as a key figure since arriving at Wolves in 2017, had reportedly been targeted by the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United earlier in the transfer window after entering the final two years of his contract.
More recently, Liverpool have been touted as suitors for the Portugal international after Jurgen Klopp acknowledged the Reds may have to recruit a midfielder to ease their injury crisis.
Neves assumed the captain's armband at Wolves after Conor Coady was loaned to Everton, and scored a stunning long-range goal in their 1-1 draw with Newcastle United on Sunday.
The 25-year-old has scored 19 non-penalty goals for Wolves in all competitions, 16 of which have come from outside the penalty area. Since joining the Molineux club, he has scored four times as many goals from outside the box than any of his team-mates.
With Neves performing well despite Wolves' failure to win any of their first four Premier League games of the season, Lage is confident of retaining his services.
"Ruben is playing very well, that's why he was so important last season," Lage said. "He's started in a good moment. He has been amazing since the first day here. Now it's time to continue to work.
"I am 99 per cent he will stay with us for one more year. I can say 100, but you never know with the market.
"He is happy here, he is our captain and I am sure that he will be here to play for us. You can see that he is focused on his team and his game."
Although Neves looks set to stay at Molineux, defender Willy Boly could depart after failing to turn up for the Newcastle fixture despite being named in the matchday squad.
Boly has been linked with big-spending Premier League new boys Nottingham Forest, and Lage accused him of trying to "force something" after seeing his side pegged back late on in Sunday's draw.
Premier League MD10: Lucky winners and unlucky losers
We are now 10 games into the Premier League season and the table is beginning to take shape, but that does not mean there is no room for an upset or two.
On Saturday, both Manchester City and Arsenal fell to surprise defeats at Bournemouth and Newcastle United respectively.
It was only the third time since the start of 2017-18 that both of the previous season's top two teams had lost on the same day in the Premier League, after March 7, 2021 and January 14, 2023.
Pep Guardiola's champions could have few complaints about the result at the Vitality Stadium, where Andoni Iraola's Cherries won the expected goals (xG) battle by 2.04 to 1.56.
But which other games featured a lucky winner or an unlucky loser? We delve into the Opta data to find out.
Unlucky losers: Arsenal
The weekend's action began with Arsenal travelling to St James' Park to face Newcastle, with Mikel Arteta's side chasing a victory to move within a point of leaders Liverpool.
However, they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat as Alexander Isak's early goal proved enough for Newcastle to make it three wins in their last four home league games against Arsenal (one loss).
The Gunners could count themselves unlucky to come away from Tyneside with nothing, however, after limiting Newcastle to a measly 0.53 xG – 0.25 of which came from the chance for Isak's goal.
Only West Ham, who played half of their defeat to Nottingham Forest with 10 men, created a lower figure across the nine games to take place this weekend, with 0.13 xG.
Arsenal were far from their free-flowing best, though, only recording 10 attempts worth 1.05 xG themselves. They have averaged just 7.4 shots per game in their away Premier League matches this season, with only Brentford (7.5) taking fewer.
Lucky winners: Southampton
Just two teams – Wolves and Ipswich Town – remain without a victory in the Premier League after Southampton finally got off the mark by beating Everton 1-0 at St Mary's.
Russell Martin's team accumulated just 0.74 xG to Everton's 1.56, but Adam Armstrong's strike five minutes from time handed them a huge three points in their fight for safety.
While Beto, who headed against the crossbar just 25 seconds before Armstrong's winner, and Jack Harrison spurned great chances for the Toffees, Southampton were also grateful for a late VAR intervention, as the former saw a potential leveller chalked off for a marginal offside call.
It was the first time Everton had failed to score against Southampton in the Premier League since February 2022, bringing their five-match unbeaten run in the competition to a halt.
Unlucky losers: Crystal Palace
Southampton ended the weekend in 19th, above winless Wolves after they were pegged back in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace at Molineux.
Marc Guehi salvaged a draw for the Eagles, who were without star men Adam Wharton and Eberechi Eze yet arguably still did enough to leave the West Midlands with all three points.
They racked up 19 shots totalling 2.51 xG to their hosts' 11, which had a total value of 1.51 xG. Palace's xG figure was the highest in the Premier League this weekend, but they were missing their shooting boots as Ismaila Sarr squandered two glorious chances when they were a goal to the good in the second half.
With both defences struggling, this was only the second Premier League game of the season to be goalless at half-time but see both sides score at least twice in the second half, after Everton 2-3 Bournemouth in August.
There could have been a fifth goal in stoppage time, too, as Jean-Phillipe Mateta saw a potential winner disallowed for a foul on Jose Sa in the build-up. Wolves – and their under-fire head coach Gary O'Neil – arguably got away with one.
Lucky winners: Chelsea
Sunday's late game saw Chelsea fight back to draw 1-1 with Manchester United at Old Trafford, denying Ruud van Nistelrooy a first Premier League win as the Red Devils' interim head coach.
Moises Caicedo's well-taken volley cancelled out Bruno Fernandes' penalty and Chelsea arguably looked the more likely victors in the second half, but they only generated 1.1 xG from their 12 attempts – and just 0.29 from six after the interval.
United, meanwhile, had chances worth 1.98 xG, though Fernandes' spot-kick – with an xG value of 0.79 – was a major contributing factor.
Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho squandered decent opportunities for United, though, and incoming boss Ruben Amorim has plenty of work to do with their attackers.
United have scored just nine goals in 10 Premier League games this season – their worst record through 10 matches of any league campaign since 1973-74 (also nine).
Fans of a certain vintage will need no reminder of what happened at the end of that season – United were relegated from the First Division, their fate sealed by club legend Denis Law scoring against them with a nonchalant backheel, while representing rivals Man City.
Reggae girl Shania Hayles scores as Newcastle United Women defeat league leaders Birmingham to climb to fourth in Barclays Women’s Championship
Shania Hayles continued her strong season with Newcastle United Women by scoring in their 2-0 victory over league leaders Birmingham City Women on Sunday, propelling her team to fourth place in the Barclays Women’s Championship. The goals from Hayles and substitute Isabella Sibley proved decisive in a thrilling encounter that saw Newcastle showcase their resilience under heavy pressure from the league leaders.
The match started with both sides exchanging early opportunities, but Birmingham had the first real chance after eight minutes when Ivana Fuso set up Lily Agg in the box, only for Agg’s shot to soar over the crossbar. Newcastle responded strongly, and in the 22nd minute, Hayles, recently named October Player of the Month, put her team ahead. Beth Lumsden created the opportunity with swift footwork on the right, setting up Hayles at the penalty spot, where she struck cleanly to make it 1-0.
Birmingham looked to level the score immediately and came close several times, especially after capitalizing on a loose pass from Newcastle's goalkeeper, Claudia Moan. Moan redeemed herself, however, by pulling off a crucial save to deny Fuso’s shot. Agg then came within inches of equalizing, only for her header to be cleared off the line by Newcastle defender Charlotte Potts.
The second half saw Birmingham intensify their attack, dominating possession and creating numerous chances. Tegan McGowan nearly scored with a well-struck volley, and Birmingham rattled the woodwork three times in quick succession, with close calls from Fuso and McGowan showcasing their relentless pursuit of an equalizer. Despite the near-constant pressure from Birmingham, the Newcastle defense held firm, backed by Moan's strong presence in goal.
With Birmingham pushing for an equalizer, Newcastle struck again on the counter. Lumsden broke down the left wing and unleashed a powerful shot that ricocheted off the crossbar, falling to substitute Sibley. The forward controlled the rebound and calmly slotted it past the last defender, sealing Newcastle’s 2-0 victory.
Sibley nearly added a second just minutes later, but her shot was blocked by a Birmingham defender in a last-ditch effort. Despite Birmingham’s relentless attacks, Newcastle’s defense held strong, securing a crucial win that underscored their tactical discipline and ability to capitalize on opportunities.
The victory marked a significant step for Newcastle United Women in their championship campaign, with Hayles’ contributions reinforcing her role as the team’s top scorer.
Van Nistelrooy yet to speak to incoming Amorim about Man Utd future
Ruud van Nistelrooy revealed he has not spoken to incoming Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim after leading the Red Devils to a point against Chelsea on Sunday.
Van Nistelrooy, taking interim charge of his first Premier League game, saw Bruno Fernandes open the scoring from the spot in the 70th minute after Robert Sanchez's clumsy challenge on Rasmus Hojlund.
But Moises Caicedo's strike four minutes later sealed a share of the spoils at Old Trafford, though the performance left plenty for Amorim to ponder upon his arrival in Manchester.
Van Nistelrooy will oversee United's next two games against PAOK in the Europa League and Leicester City before Amorim takes the reins on November 11.
The Dutchman joined previous manager Erik ten Hag's coaching staff in July, but it remains to be seen whether he will remain at Old Trafford once Amorim arrives.
"Over the coming days we will be in communication, and I am waiting for that," Van Nistelrooy said.
"What is more important is that we are in training tomorrow and prepare for the game on Thursday. I haven’t spoken to him [Amorim] yet, but it will happen.
“You saw today that we competed well against a very good side. This is the way forward for this group of players."
The result, however, moved United on to 12 points, but marked their worst return after 10 games of a league campaign since 1986-87 (eight).
Meanwhile, the Red Devils' total of nine goals is their fewest at this stage of a league campaign since 1973-74 (also nine), though Van Nistelrooy was happy with the display.
“I am disappointed we didn’t win, we had the better of the chances in the game. But overall the performance was fantastic. They left their all out there on the pitch," he added.
“It was a great moment, the goal, when Old Trafford explodes. Bruno Fernandes did well taking it and the emotion came out.
"This week has been special, I have enjoyed every second of it. I am here to help and will get behind the new manager and make sure the club grows.
“We are behind the new manager, everyone at the new club is focusing on the two games that are very important, but then we will work hard to make this club better every day."
Fernandes echoed the thoughts of his manager, but said the result was one that frustrated his team-mates at full-time.
“We did fight, we could have won the game. Chelsea also played a good game, it was good from both teams but not the result we wanted," Fernandes said.
"I always look at the goalkeeper before facing them. He [Robert Sanchez] saved a penalty from me last season, but I was successful.
"Every week here is challenging, if we win or lose."
Fernandes has now scored 32 of his 36 penalties for United (89%), with his three penalty goals against Chelsea being his joint-most against any opponent (also three v Aston Villa).
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