Barcelona have reportedly reignited their chase of Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva, and are said to be confident in their ability to get the deal done in January.

Silva, 28, has won four league titles with City since arriving at the club in 2017, and is enjoying another strong season after setting a new career-high with eight Premier League goals in the 2021-22 campaign.

The Portuguese international with 72 senior caps has two goals and five assists in his 12 league appearances this season, and has appeared in all six of City's Champions League group stage fixtures.

Barcelona have been linked with Silva for months, but after recent reports claimed they had moved on, a recent development has positively impacted the Spanish giants' financial situation and put the City star back on their radar.

TOP STORY – BARCELONA REVISIT CITY'S SILVA AFTER PIQUE RETIREMENT

According to Sport, the retirement of Gerard Pique has resulted in significantly improved financial flexibility for Barcelona, allowing them to revisit their long-standing interest in Silva.

The report claims City may be hesitant to part ways with a key contributor in the midst of a title chase, but that Silva had previously asked to leave the club before the failed sale of Frenkie de Jong muddied the waters.

Meanwhile, Mundo Deportivo adds Barcelona will look at 31-year-old Athletic Bilbao centre-back Inigo Martinez as their top choice to fill the defensive void left by Pique's departure.

ROUND-UP

– Calciomercato is reporting Chelsea are preparing to terminate the loan of Denis Zakaria, claiming they can not offer him regular starts and have no interest in activating the €28million buy clause in the deal.

– According to ESPN, Liverpool are the favourites ahead of Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United and City to land Borussia Dortmund phenom Jude Bellingham.

– The Leicester Mercury is reporting Leicester City will not allow Youri Tielemans to leave during the January transfer window, despite his contract expiring at the end of the season.

– Milan are keeping a close eye on 22-year-old Spezia centre-back Jakub Kiwior, with Gazzetta dello Sport reporting they could make a move in January.

– According to La Razon, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is interested in 25-year-old centre-back Pau Torres, who he coached at Villarreal.

Unai Emery preached patience as he met the media for the first time as Aston Villa coach on Friday, but that did not stop him setting a "personal challenge" to bring silverware to Villa Park.

Emery started work as Villa boss this week having left former club Villarreal, where he achieved Europa League success in the 2020-21 season.

But initial ambitions will have to be more modest at Villa, with the side 16th in the Premier League table ahead of Sunday's clash with Manchester United.

If results go against his new team on Saturday, Emery could find himself in the relegation zone by the time of his first match in charge.

For that reason, Emery had a dash of realism to go with his optimistic plans for the future on his return to the Premier League.

"My dream is to win a trophy with Aston Villa," said the former Arsenal manager, who was asked if Villa could qualify for Europe this season.

"It's my personal challenge at the beginning. And my second dream, my objective could be to play with Aston Villa in Europe.

"But now we have to start thinking only [about] the next match because we are not in a good position in the table now, and each match is going to give us a lot of information from the players and I want to test, to check individually and collectively the players.

"The next match is my only focus now, Sunday against Manchester United, and, of course, playing here at home."

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is expecting a "difficult" test against Aston Villa following the appointment of Unai Emery, who has his first game in charge on Sunday.

The Spaniard makes his return to the Premier League after a previous stint with Arsenal, having rebuilt his reputation with Villarreal, where he won the Europa League against United in 2020-21.

A swift impact is needed at Villa, who enter the match on the back of a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Newcastle United last time out and having won just one of their past six Premier League matches.

United, meanwhile, have enjoyed back-to-back 1-0 victories against West Ham and Real Sociedad but will need to make changes amid their packed schedule, with Ten Hag mulling over his defensive options.

"I have to see because Aston Villa is going to be a difficult one as we don't know. They have a new manager and I have to have a look and analyse from that game, from that team and then we have a choice," he said.

"But Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof played really well together over some more games. I also think Licha [Martinez] and Harry [Maguire] last Sunday against West Ham United kept a clean sheet and also did really well.

"So that's a choice we have to make. When I choose one, it is not one thing against the other.''

One definite change will come in midfield due to Bruno Fernandes' suspension, having accrued five yellow cards in the Premier League.

''We know that we have to replace Bruno. That is quite clear," Ten Hag added.

"We have to see how we replace him and we have to think about that and it is short, so soon after this [Real Sociedad] game. I have one night to think about that.''

United travelled to Spain without attacking trio Antony, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial, with Ten Hag unsure if they would be available for this weekend's game.

"It's difficult to say in this moment," he said. "I have to talk with the medical and the performance team as they did a programme in Manchester.

"I have to hear how their progress was and if they can be available for Sunday's match."

Brad Friedel believes the authorities are "doing as much as they possibly can" when it comes to treatment of concussions in football.

Questions were raised about the decision to keep Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez on the pitch after he took a blow to the head during the 4-0 defeat to Newcastle United last week.

Martinez was eventually replaced, but it led to the Professional Footballers' Association to call for temporary concussion substitutes to be introduced to the game.

Speaking to Stats Perform, former Villa shot stopper Friedel said the protocol is improving for dealing with such incidents.

"Concussions are tough to detect," he said. "We play without helmets and, of course... Petr Cech did in his career because he had a fractured skull - [but] you don't get into too many clashes [as a goalkeeper].

"If a striker wants to be a little bit naughty on the through balls, they can leave a foot in, but it doesn't happen that often.

"I'm not so sure what more they could do to protect the goalkeeper. I think the more science that comes out with regard to concussions and concussion protocol, the better. Each season they're trying to do as much as they possibly can."

The former United States international explained he had suffered a concussion during his time at Blackburn Rovers.

"I was playing for Blackburn at home against Birmingham. I got knocked out, I think out for about six minutes, and I answered all the questions," he said. 

"I don't remember answering them and I carried on playing it. [It was] no fault of the doctors. I passed the protocol at the time and then I went in at half-time, and then they saw that I wasn't on planet Earth, so I didn't play in the second half.

"As a player, your adrenaline takes over you, you just want to stay on the field, and it's a tough one because it's really hard to tell if somebody's concussed in 30 seconds or a minute or a minute and a half.

"I would hate to be in those meetings with the NFL. A concussion technically is when your brain hits one side [of the skull] and then the other. I mean, for every play in the NFL, that must happen to somebody. It's a tough thing to really clamp down on... And I know they're trying to do as much as they possibly can to make it efficient."

Friedel also expressed his disappointment that Steven Gerrard was recently sacked by Villa following a run of poor results.

Gerrard was replaced by Unai Emery after the Midlands club won just two of their first 11 Premier League games of the season (D3 L6), and while Friedel understands the timing, he also believes his former Liverpool team-mate could have turned things around at Villa Park.

"Disappointed that it happened because Stevie's a friend," he said. "Based on the results, [it was] probably the right time, right before World Cup, and then you're going to have [the January] transfer window.

"I would also like to have thought if they kept him that he would have built the club up and gotten them into a mid-table position.

"That's not how football works and it can be ruthless. Being a head coach can be tough sometimes, but I would just say the run of results was the final blow and perhaps that performance and result against Fulham [3-0 loss at Craven Cottage] when the fans started singing against Stevie, that was probably it."

In the Premier League, only Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Antonio Conte could reasonably claim not to be envious of Unai Emery's CV.

Emery has coached in three of Europe's top five leagues and won one domestic league title and four of five major European finals.

As recently as May, Emery's Villarreal were going toe-to-toe with Klopp's Liverpool in the Champions League semi-finals.

Yet Emery is returning to England with a side battling against relegation – as he might have done 12 months ago when he was Newcastle United's top target.

Although the Spaniard's two most recent Europa League successes came in finals against Liverpool and Manchester United, he is best recognised in the Premier League as an ultimately underwhelming Arsenal manager, far since surpassed by Mikel Arteta.

So rather than contenders who might realistically allow Emery to immediately add to his trophy haul, it was Aston Villa – only a point clear of the bottom three – who came calling as he makes his latest move with a point to prove.

This is a gamble, just as it would have been a year ago had Emery gone through with the switch to St James' Park.

But he is at least joining a club who, like Newcastle, intend to return to the level at which their new head coach is used to operating.

Former Villa boss Steven Gerrard spoke at the start of the season of the need to "reach for the stars" – an ambition that was not achieved as his side lost six of their 11 league matches before he was sacked.

Gerrard had fallen short of his aim of "continuous improvement", Villa chief executive Christian Purslow said, and it is to that standard that Emery will also be held.

Fourth-placed Newcastle's progress under Eddie Howe – their second-choice when the Emery deal fell through – perhaps provides the template.

Indeed, Howe's Newcastle kindly exposed last Saturday the scale of the task before Emery at Villa Park if he is to again display his almost unmatched expertise in continental competition.

A 4-0 thrashing on Tyneside brought Villa back down to Earth after the previous week's demolition of Brentford by the same scoreline. The defeat was more in keeping with the mood around this team.

Villa have earned a joint-low two away points in the Premier League this season, while they have only recovered two points from losing positions home or away. For all the talent in this squad, they are far too prone to collapse.

When Callum Wilson's penalty in first-half stoppage time broke Villa's resolve, they never looked like regaining any measure of control. Wilson had another goal disallowed before the half-time whistle sounded, teeing up a second period in which Newcastle were swiftly four up.

Despite Tyrone Mings' criticism of Villa's "naivety" in attacking while goals flew in at the other end, the visitors' final attempt of the match came in the 29th minute.

Emery does not have a great deal of time to drill his methods into the team if they are to quickly kick clear of danger before the World Cup.

After his first few days on the training pitch, the first task is Manchester United at home, followed by the same team again at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup.

Meetings with United might remind Emery of Europa League glory; for Villa fans, there will be fears of further punishment.

Meanwhile, Emery will enjoy no Emirates Stadium return in the Premier League this season, with Villa having already lost at Arsenal in August, although Arteta's men are to visit Villa Park in mid-February.

Results on Saturday could see Villa in the bottom three before Emery takes charge, as Arsenal aim to protect their place at the top of the table against Chelsea.

By the time Emery meets his former employers and successor Arteta in league action, he and Villa need that picture to have altered considerably.

Villarreal have appointed former Barcelona boss Quique Setien as their new head coach following Unai Emery's decision to leave for Aston Villa.

The Premier League club appointed Villarreal's 2021 Europa League-winning coach on Monday after sacking Steven Gerrard, but the Yellow Submarine have moved quickly to secure a successor.

A statement released on Villarreal's website on Tuesday confirmed Setien had signed a contract to run until the end of the 2023-24 season.

Setien built a reputation for favouring an attractive, possession-based style during a two-year spell with Real Betis, but has not coached since enduring an ill-fated stint at Camp Nou during the 2019-20 campaign.

Setien's final game at Barca was their historic 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals in August 2020, while the Blaugrana also finished five points adrift of Real Madrid at the LaLiga summit that season.

Villarreal sit seventh in LaLiga after winning five of their 11 games this term, and Setien's first game at the helm will be Thursday's Europa Conference League meeting with Hapoel Be'er Sheva.

New Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery thanked Villarreal for allowing him to show his "best version" during two years with the Yellow Submarine.

Villa confirmed Emery as Steven Gerrard's successor on Monday, with the Basque coach set to formally take the reins on November 1.

Gerrard was sacked straight after last Thursday's chastening 3-0 Premier League defeat at Fulham, which left them with just nine points from 11 matches.

Emery's appointment sees him return to the Premier League after previously succeeding Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and spending 18 months with the Gunners before being dismissed in November 2019.

He joined Villarreal eight months later and enjoyed just over two years at Estadio de la Ceramica, leading them to Europa League success in 2021 – the fourth of his career, a record – and the Champions League semi-finals earlier this year.

Speaking at a farewell press conference on Tuesday, Emery paid tribute to Villarreal for giving him the backing and resources to be his best self.

"Here I have been very me," he told reporters in an emotional address.

"They gave me the conditions to be my best version of me, [but] you have to continue having challenges.

"In Villarreal I've had a home. I called Fernando [Roig, club president] on Friday to tell him the situation, that I wanted to play the game on Sunday and then on Monday to meet again.

"[On Monday] everything was unleashed. I called Fernando only when there was already something more serious going on."

On his move, Emery added: "It is a professional and personal decision.

"I always carry my baggage, with many complicated and beautiful moments. Here I found a very important family and I have felt something of heart again.

"But the profession is within me. I felt I had to take this option. It's a different challenge, but professionally a very good one."

First-team coach Aaron Danks took charge of Villa's 4-0 win over Brentford on Sunday and will remain at the helm for Saturday's trip to Newcastle United.

Emery's time at Villa will begin with back-to-back matches against Manchester United, first hosting them in the Premier League on November 6 before going to Old Trafford four days later in the EFL Cup.

Aston Villa have confirmed the appointment of Unai Emery as the club's new head coach, following the sacking of Steven Gerrard.

The former Arsenal boss returns to the Premier League after rebuilding his reputation with success at Villarreal, clinching Europa League glory in 2021 and reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League last season.

Villa, who stopped the rot with a 4-0 thrashing of Brentford on Sunday under first team coach Aaron Danks, confirmed the Spaniard will take his position on November 1 and will therefore not be in the dugout for Saturday's trip to face Newcastle United.

It means Emery's first task will be back-to-back tests against Manchester United, hosting Erik ten Hag's side in the Premier League on November 6 before travelling to Old Trafford four days later in the EFL Cup.

Emery will then lead Villa into a Premier League clash with Brighton and Hove Albion, the final game before the season pauses for the World Cup in Qatar.

Villa's win against Brentford, their first in four Premier League matches, took the team to 15th in the table, three points above the relegation zone.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is adamant Steven Gerrard will return to management but hopes he takes some time away from football after being axed by Aston Villa.

Gerrard was sacked following Villa's defeat to Fulham on Thursday, which left the club above the Premier League's relegation zone on only goals scored, having picked up just two wins in the opening 11 matches of the campaign.

Previously touted by many as Klopp's eventual successor at Anfield, Gerrard must now rebuild his reputation after a disappointing stint with Villa that came following success in Scotland with Rangers.

Klopp does not expect that to be an issue for the former Liverpool captain, although he hopes he does not rush back into a role.

"I'm very sure he will come back from that. During my seven years at Liverpool, with the academy we created a close relationship," he said in Friday's press conference ahead of the clash against Nottingham Forest.

"I always followed him, we had a little exchange this morning but nothing too deep, it wasn't a long conversation. I can imagine it is a disappointment for him with the ambitions that he had and the things he wanted to achieve with Aston Villa, it's obviously not good.

"We don't need to worry, he knows the game long enough, it's life, we all get knocks, it's all about how we respond. He always came back and he will come back from that, no doubt.

"A lot of great managers out there had to leave their previous clubs for different reasons. Quite frequently, they'll turn up somewhere else and will have learned from that situation.

"He will be back, 100 per cent, but I hope that he will take a bit of time for himself, since he finished his career he has pretty much been working all the time, so maybe use it now a little bit himself to recharge."

Jamie Carragher believes Aston Villa may have sacked Steven Gerrard because they feared the atmosphere at future games would become "toxic".

Villa acted shortly after Thursday's 3-0 Premier League loss to Fulham, a sixth defeat in 11 games for a Villa side who have won just twice in the top flight this season.

Carragher and Gerrard were long-standing Liverpool team-mates and remain close, to the point they had been discussing Villa's upcoming games just days ago.

However, Carragher was not surprised Villa opted for a change of head coach.

Speaking on Sky Sports News, Carragher said: "I don't think it was too much of a shock that the news came out. It was just whether the Aston Villa board would let Stevie take the [next] game because it's so close around the corner on Sunday against Brentford.

"But the reaction of the Villa fans, maybe they felt the crowd would be a little bit toxic on Sunday and better for all parties to part ways."

Carragher is intrigued to see whether Gerrard jumps back into a coaching role in the coming months, or whether he keeps his distance for a while.

Gerrard enjoyed considerable trophy success at Rangers but could not replicate that with Villa, departing after just under 12 months at the helm.

"I'm really not sure whether Stevie would go back in or wait 12 months," said Carragher. "I spoke to him a few days ago about the upcoming games for Aston Villa, and he's not daft, he knows the situation.

"It will be really interesting, that's not something I've spoken to him about, whether he's the type of guy who wants to be manager for the next 20 years or he's maybe picked certain jobs that really appeal to him. I think that's what he's done in the first few jobs that he's picked.

"Whether Stevie would drop down to the Championship, I'm really not sure."

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe said the sacking was a reminder of the "volatile" nature of being a Premier League boss, and he expects Gerrard to find another club before long.

"I'm disappointed for Steve. I think he's a very good manager," Howe said at Newcastle's press conference ahead of Sunday's meeting with Tottenham. 

"It just goes to show the short-term nature of everyone's thinking. I've got no doubt on his quality and I'm sure he'll be back very soon."

Villa on Friday announced the departure of five of Gerrard's staff, including former Scotland captain Gary McAllister. He has left the club, along with Neil Critchley, Tom Culshaw, Jordan Milsom and Scott Mason

They have put first-team coach Aaron Danks in temporary charge, meaning he will lead the side for the Brentford game.

Chief executive Christian Purslow said Villa's target "of continuous improvement" had not been achieved under Gerrard, adding: "The process of appointing a new head coach is under way and we will update supporters as soon as possible."

Aston Villa have sacked Steven Gerrard after just under a year in charge following Thursday's 3-0 Premier League loss to Fulham.

The former Liverpool midfielder arrived last November to succeed Dean Smith, having previously guided Rangers to Scottish Premiership success the season before.

But a dismal start to the 2022-23 campaign that has seen just two top-flight wins in 11 games means he has been shown the door, with Villa perched just above the relegation zone on goals scored.

Gerrard's position was already uncertain heading into the encounter with Marco Silva's Cottagers.

But a horror-show performance – one that saw them concede a penalty, score an own goal and have a player sent off – meant there was little chance for a late reprieve.

"We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future," the club said in a brief statement.

Steven Gerrard remains adamant he is the right man to lead Aston Villa out of their poor run of form, declaring: "I'm capable of getting out of this".

With Villa languishing near the Premier League's relegation zone after winning just two of their first 10 games of the season, Gerrard's position as manager has been called into question.  

Ahead of their trip to Fulham on Thursday, Villa have won just one of their last eight league matches (D3 L4), only scoring five goals during that run.

Earlier this week, reports suggested Villa may make an audacious move for former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino if they opt to dispense with Gerrard's services, but the former Liverpool midfielder is determined to fight on. 

"I'm here to fight and to lead every single minute of every day, and I've got every confidence and belief in myself that I can change this situation," Gerrard said on Wednesday.

"I'm game for these periods because I believe and know I can get through them if I stay true to myself. I'll front this head on, I'm game for it and I'll show everyone that I'm capable of getting out of this.

"I accept how I'm getting judged right now, but there's no one on the planet more determined to change it than myself and that's all I need to focus on, which is the next three points."

Only Wolves (3.5 per cent) have a worse shot conversion rate than Villa in the Premier League this campaign (6 per cent), with Gerrard's team scoring just seven goals from 116 attempts.

Key to their struggles has been the poor form of Philippe Coutinho, who is yet to score this season, but Gerrard believes his former Liverpool team-mate will come good.

"The age he is at and the talent, I very much have full confidence and belief in Phil," Gerrard added. "Obviously the stats at the moment suggest that he's not in the best place or at his best, which we all understand.

"But we as a staff and me as his manager, will give him every bit of support he needs. You don't lose talent, you don't lose class. It's still there.

"Confidence and belief can change very quickly, so my opinion on Phil Coutinho won't ever change, because I see it on a daily basis. He's just got to replicate it in the games."

Chelsea head coach Graham Potter says that injured Reece James "will give everything" in his race to make England's World Cup squad.

The defender has been sidelined for eight weeks after sustaining a knee injury during the Blues' Champions League victory over Milan on Tuesday.

But the 23-year-old is clinging onto his hopes of playing at the World Cup, which begins on November 21 with England opening their campaign against Iran.

While Potter is unsure on James' chances of appearing in Qatar, the Chelsea boss insists the full-back will not give up without a fight.

"In terms of his involvement in the World Cup, I don’t know. It will depend on how he recovers," he said following the Blues' 2-0 victory over Aston Villa. 

"He will give everything. I'm sure he will. But he is in a brace for four weeks and that slows everything down.

"He's naturally disappointed, naturally upset because he's injured for us. He misses games for us when he was in a fantastic moment.

"His performance at Milan was incredible in both games, so he's got himself into a real good moment of form and as you can imagine, he's really disappointed to be injured.

"He'll fight, try his best to get back as quickly as he can and when he is, he will be a top, top player.

"It wouldn't be my place to predict what's going to happen. He will be in a brace for four weeks, and that has implications in terms of what he needs to do to get fit from there, but our job is just to help him in the short term now and get him back."

Chelsea's resurgence under Potter continued with the 2-0 win at Villa Park, the former Brighton boss masterminding five successive victories for the first time in his managerial career.

Meanwhile, the Blues have recorded four successive triumphs across all competitions without conceding, while doing so consecutively in the Premier League for the first time since March.

"I think it's a collective desire to do the ugly stuff in the game; a collective idea to help each other and to be together," Potter said.

"If we have to suffer, we will suffer. We have humility, and we know sometimes the opponent can get the better of us, that is normal in football.

"But you can see the players running and can see players getting bodies in the way to block shots. That is an important part of the game because we've got the quality in the group."

Mohamed Salah condemned Manchester City to a first Premier League defeat of the season as Liverpool took all three points in a brilliant game at Anfield.

A long ball from Alisson was latched onto by Salah before he fired past Ederson to earn Liverpool just their third league win of the campaign.

Chelsea beat struggling Aston Villa 2-0 and Arsenal secured a 1-0 victory over Leeds United at Elland Road, while Manchester United and Newcastle United played out a hard-fought goalless draw at Old Trafford.

Here, Stats Perform picks out the best facts from the day's Premier League action.

Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City: Salah maintains Reds' unbeaten Anfield record

Liverpool's impressive home form continued as they made it 28 Premier League matches unbeaten at Anfield (21 victories, seven draws) with a win over the champions.

Salah's strike makes it 14 goal involvements for him against City in all competitions, more than against any other opponent, while he is the second player to score in four consecutive Premier League home appearances against the Citizens, after Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink between 2000 and 2004.

Alisson has now assisted Salah three times in the Premier League, more than any other goalkeeper-outfield player combination in competition history.

The defeat for City means Pep Guardiola has now lost 11 games against Jurgen Klopp, at least four more than against any other coach.

Aston Villa 0-2 Chelsea: Mount double adds to Gerrard pressure

Steven Gerrard's job security was already coming into question before Graham Potter's Blues took victory at Villa Park on Sunday with two Mason Mount goals and an impressive display from goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Since Gerrard took over as Villa head coach in November 2021, only Watford (12) and Norwich (nine) have lost more home Premier League games than the Villans (eight).

Chelsea were fired to victory by Mount, who scored his 25th and 26th Premier League goals for the Blues, becoming the second-youngest player to reach the 25-goal landmark for the club (23y 279d), after Eden Hazard (23y 271d).

Potter's impressive start to life as Chelsea boss continues with his fifth win in six games since taking over (one draw). Those five victories have come in the last five matches, the joint-longest winning run of Potter's managerial career.

7 - Kepa Arrizabalaga made seven saves while keeping a clean sheet against Aston Villa, his most saves without conceding in his top-flight league career. The Spaniard was expected to concede at least two goals based on the placement of the on-target shots he faced. Rejuvenated. pic.twitter.com/RPJNZeqImR

Leeds United 0-1 Arsenal: Saka strikes again as Gunners continue strong start

Bukayo Saka's 35th-minute goal at Elland Road was enough for Arsenal to record a ninth win in their opening 10 Premier League games, the first time in their history they have managed this in a top-flight campaign.

Arsenal were forced to ride their luck in the second half though, as Patrick Bamford put a penalty wide for Leeds with their first missed spot-kick in the Premier League since Alan Smith was denied by Brad Friedel against Blackburn in 2002.

The Gunners failed to register a second-half shot on target, while they failed to score after half-time in the Premier League for the first time this season.

Another defeat for Leeds means they are now winless in six Premier League games, losing four of these while drawing the other two as they remain without a top-flight win since August.

Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle United: Red Devils lacklustre in home draw

Manchester United were held by a Newcastle side who may feel disappointed not to have earned victory, having twice struck the woodwork through Joelinton.

The Red Devils went close on a couple of occasions late on but could not prevent the match finishing goalless, United's 76th Premier League game ending in a 0-0 scoreline and their 31st since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

Newcastle picked up a point at a stadium where they have struggled in the past, with their 3.6 per cent Premier League win rate (one win in 28 games) at Old Trafford their joint-lowest at any ground where they have played 10 or more times in the competition.

The visitors could have had all three points after an impressive first-half display, but their inability to find a decisive goal means they have now drawn six Premier League games this season, two more than any other side.

Two players with reason to be pleased were the goalkeepers, with David de Gea earning a shutout in his 500th Premier League appearance for United while Nick Pope enjoyed his 50th clean sheet in the top flight, with no English stopper keeping more since Pope's debut in the competition in September 2017 (level with Jordan Pickford).

Chelsea coach Graham Potter said Aston Villa made his side "suffer" as both he and goalscorer Mason Mount paid tribute to Kepa Arrizabalaga's masterful performance in their 2-0 victory.

The Blues kept their unbeaten record under the former Brighton and Hove Albion boss with a Premier League win at Villa Park, secured through Mount's brace.

But the visitors spent long stretches on the ropes, particularly in the first half, by a relentless slew of counter-attacks from Steven Gerrard's side, with Kepa called upon to make a flurry of superb saves.

Having stepped into the starting line-up at the end of Thomas Tuchel's tenure to replace the injured Edouard Mendy, the Spaniard has kept his place amid excellent form, and Potter was quick to hail him as key to their victory.

"It was a tough game," Potter told Sky Sports. "Aston Villa made us suffer, especially in the first half even though we took the lead. They put us under pressure, and our goalkeeper made some good saves.

"It was a world-class performance, especially in the first half. I'm really pleased for him. He has had a tough period for us at times, but he contributed to the game."

Mount, whose first finish came from a defensive mistake by Tyrone Mings, with his second a beautiful free-kick, concurred with Potter's assessment.

"Kepa was on fire, and his quick saves kept us in the game," he added. "He has been brilliant over the last couple of weeks.

"We have to keep pushing and keep winning games – that's our goal to finish as high as we can. Today was not the best performance, and we're not happy with it, but [we have] come away with a 2-0 win."

Mount's double came in front of England manager Gareth Southgate, who was watching at Villa Park but did not get to see World Cup injury doubt Reece James.

Three Lions midfielder Mount acknowledged he had done his chances of making the starting XI for the finals in Qatar no harm, adding: "I have to just keep focused on doing well for the club.

"We know there's a massive World Cup around the corner, and you want to play as well as you can going into it and hopefully get picked."

Potter also praised his playmaker, adding: "We believe in Mason Mount a lot. We love him as a player, and he is a great guy. You can see the influence he has on the team, and he works really hard for us."