Bukayo Saka was Arsenal's match-winner once again and Patrick Bamford endured a nightmare as the Premier League leaders secured a dramatic 1-0 win at Leeds United.

The Gunners would have been braced for a typically energetic start from Leeds, but play was suspended less than two minutes after it started as a power cut was affecting Hawk-Eye and communications between referee Chris Kavanagh and the VAR.

The in-form Saka gave the Gunners a first-half lead with his fourth goal in three matches after the game resumed following a delay of around 40 minutes.

Arsenal rode their luck to secure a seventh consecutive victory in all competitions, half-time substitute Bamford having a goal disallowed and missing a penalty.

Leeds were then awarded another spot-kick in stoppage time and Gabriel Magalhaes was shown a red card for kicking out at Bamford, but referee Kavanagh overturned his decision following a VAR check as the striker had pushed the Brazil defender – who was instead issued with a yellow card – before he lashed out.

 

Manchester United's top-four hopes suffered another setback as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

United are now three points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea after an uninspiring performance in which they rarely looked like breaking Newcastle down prior to a flurry in the closing minutes.

Eddie Howe's visitors earlier had the better chances, with Joelinton twice frustrated by the frame of the goal, and have still only suffered one defeat this season after surviving a late scare.

Newcastle remain a point behind the Red Devils in sixth, with Sunday's showing the latest sign they will be persistent challengers to the 'big six' in the years to come.

The Magpies were in the ascendancy from the early stages, with the best United could muster in the opening exchanges a speculative effort from Jadon Sancho that sailed over the crossbar.

Newcastle would have taken the lead in the 24th minute if not for the woodwork, which denied Joelinton twice in quick succession after Kieran Tripper’s blocked free-kick broke to him in the box. His first header was repelled by the bar and his second the post.

United did create a clear-cut opening seven minutes before half-time, but Antony’s near-post effort was easily kept out by Nick Pope.

Erik ten Hag's team were more dangerous after the break. Cristiano Ronaldo had the ball in the net but was correctly flagged for offside, and he and Sancho had penalty appeals waved away.

There were few moments of concern for Newcastle thereafter until Marcus Rashford sprung the offside trap, rounded an advancing Pope and squared only for Fred to incredibly skew wide of an open goal.

Rashford could have settled it himself in the final minute of injury time but sent his close-range header the wrong side of Pope's right-hand post.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp named Darwin Nunez and Trent Alexander-Arnold on the bench as his team prepared to face Manchester City in the Premier League.

Despite scoring in each of his last two appearances, Nunez made way in the Liverpool attack, along with Fabio Carvalho, following the 7-1 Champions League win at Rangers. Diogo Jota and Ibrox hat-trick hero Mohamed Salah came in.

Alexander-Arnold had been expected to miss Sunday's fixture entirely after suffering an ankle injury in the 3-2 loss at Arsenal, but he was surprisingly among the substitutes for the clash at Anfield.

James Milner got the nod to start at right-back in place of centre-back Ibrahima Konate, who missed out through injury, meaning Joe Gomez moved inside to partner Virgil van Dijk in the middle.

There were two more changes from the thrashing of Rangers as Jordan Henderson and Kostas Tsimikas were replaced by Thiago Alcantara and Andy Robertson.

City made five changes following their 0-0 draw in Copenhagen, with Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland coming in for Aymeric Laporte, Sergio Gomez, Riyad Mahrez, Jack Grealish and Julian Alvarez.

Mason Mount's double and a Kepa Arrizabalaga masterclass saw Chelsea beat Aston Villa 2-0 to extend their unbeaten run under Graham Potter.

Mount scored in each half of Sunday's Premier League encounter at Villa Park, yet Chelsea were fortunate to hold their advantage in-between thanks to a dynamite performance from their goalkeeper.

Kepa made a string of wonderful save before half-time, with his stop from a close-range Danny Ings header the highlight.

Steven Gerrard, meanwhile, will lament errors from Tyrone Mings and Kepa's opposite number Emiliano Martinez, though the pressure is growing on Villa's boss.

Mings made a mess of a clearance to gift Mount the chance to open the scoring six minutes in, with the playmaker calmly slotting past Martinez, but Chelsea had their backs to the wall for much of the first half.

Leon Bailey hit the crossbar with a header and Kepa came to Chelsea's salvation with a superb double save, keeping out John McGinn's strike before tipping Jacob Ramsey's follow-up onto the post.

Ings hit another rebound against the upright from an offside position in that flurry, and he was thwarted by Kepa 10 minutes later – the Spaniard acrobatically tipping the striker's header over.

Raheem Sterling hit the bar at the other end before the break, but any hope Villa had was extinguished when Mount's dipping long-range free-kick, conceded by Mings, dropped in over Martinez, who should have done far better.

A miserable day for Mings concluded with a calf injury, though he battled through to full time, which was greeted by jeers from the Villa fans that had not already made their exit.

Sunday's Premier League clash between Leeds United and leaders Arsenal was temporarily suspended soon after it started due to technical issues following a power cut at Elland Road.

The game had only been under way for a couple of minutes when referee Chris Kavanagh brought it to a halt, having lost contact with the VAR and also being unable to use goal-line technology.

Following a lengthy spell on the field attempting to keep warm, both sets of players were told to return to the dressing rooms by referee Kavanagh.

Leeds tweeted: "The game is temporarily suspended, after a power cut causes issues with the referee's communications systems."

Play in Yorkshire resumed around 30 minutes later, with Arsenal looking for a seventh consecutive win in all competitions to go four points clear ahead of second-placed Manchester City's trip to Liverpool later in the day.

Sunday's Premier League clash between Leeds United and leaders Arsenal was suspended soon after it started due to technical issues following a power cut at Elland Road.

The game had only been under way for a couple of minutes when referee Chris Kavanagh brought it to a halt, having lost contact with the VAR and also being unable to use goal-line technology.

Following a lengthy spell on the field attempting to keep warm, both sets of players were told to return to the dressing rooms by referee Kavanagh.

Leeds tweeted: "The game is temporarily suspended, after a power cut causes issues with the referee's communications systems."

Arsenal arrived in Yorkshire looking for a seventh consecutive win in all competitions to go four points clear ahead of second-placed Manchester City's trip to Liverpool later in the day.

Newcastle United might be one of the few clubs capable of signing Cristiano Ronaldo, but Eddie Howe has suggested the Magpies' interest lies elsewhere.

Ronaldo wanted to leave Manchester United in the last transfer window, but the 37-year-old ultimately stayed at Old Trafford.

He has only had a bit-part role under Erik ten Hag, though came on from the bench to score United's winner against Everton last week, bringing up his 700th club goal in the process.

There remains question marks over his future, but ahead of United's meeting with Newcastle on Sunday, Howe – while revealing his huge appreciation of Ronaldo – indicated his side are looking towards signings more suited to a long-term approach.

When asked in a press conference if Newcastle, backed by the wealth of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) would be interested in signing Ronaldo, Howe told reporters: "We're trying to provide long-term growth, we've got a longer-term vision.

"At the moment, we have quite an ageing squad, so we need to invest more in young players. That's probably a big part of our progression, we need to get the average age down.

"So, it might not be a signing that we would necessarily look to make, but that's not under-estimating the quality of the player.

"He's an outstanding player. You look at his goal record last year, that was incredible. So, for me, the transfer [to United] has worked, it's been a success.

"He got massive goals last year and some really late, important goals in the Champions League. The quality of the player is unquestionable.

"We are going to have to be very, very good against him if he plays. We're going to have to brief our players on the areas from where he wants to score That's something we have to be aware of."

Newcastle spent big on Sven Botman from Lille and Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad – aged 22 and 23 respectively – to bolster their squad for this season.

Howe's side had lost only one of their opening nine league games this season ahead of Sunday's trip to Old Trafford.

Diego Simeone has suggested Atletico Madrid were never interested in offering Cristiano Ronaldo a route out of Manchester United due to his association with Real Madrid.

Atletico were one of a number of European clubs, along with the likes of Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Napoli, to have been linked with the United forward in the transfer window.

Simeone remained quiet on the speculation at the time, though supporters made their thoughts clear by unfurling a "CR7 NOT WELCOME" banner during pre-season.

However, with Ronaldo remaining at Old Trafford until at least January, Simeone says the 37-year-old making a move to Atleti was never feasible due to the unrest it would have caused among the fanbase.

"What these little birds [journalists] have said is far from what happened," Simeone told Tigo Sports reporter Martin Liberma.

"People sometimes speak to tell you what they want to tell, not what actually happens. Ronaldo is an absolute benchmark for Real Madrid.

"You wouldn't see [Martin] Palermo or [Juan Roman] Riquelme play for River Plate or [Ariel] Ortega playing for Boca Juniors. There are certain situations that are very clear."

Simeone added: "I remember in pre-season when a fan behind me, without knowing what was happening, yelled 'Cholo, careful, it's not the Champions League at all costs'.

"I liked that because it's a healthy reflection of what I felt at that time. We signed Luis Suarez [from Barcelona] before, but that is different to the Ronaldo case."

Ronaldo scored 450 goals across nine seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu, winning two LaLiga titles and the Champions League four times.

He has since spent three years with Juventus and is now in his second campaign back at United, but he was reportedly eager to move on in the close season.

While distancing Atleti from a move, Simeone respects what the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has achieved throughout a remarkable career.

"I have no doubt Ronaldo will score goals again as he's done it all his life," he added. "It's impossible for him to walk away if he's mentally as strong as he's always been."

Tottenham forward Richarlison tearfully admitted he fears the injury sustained in Saturday's win over Everton could crush his dream of representing Brazil at the World Cup.

Richarlison was substituted early on in the second half of Spurs' 2-0 Premier League victory against his former side Everton at Goodison Park with a calf injury.

The 25-year-old left the stadium on crutches and will undergo an MRI scan on Monday, but he has already been ruled out of Wednesday's trip to Manchester United.

He missed a month of action last season with a similar injury and is now worried about a comparable lay-off, with Brazil facing Serbia in their tournament opener on November 24.

"It's so close to the realisation of my dream," he told ESPN Brasil with tears in his eyes. "I've already suffered a similar injury to this, but I hope it can heal as soon as possible.

"It's hard to talk at this moment, but let's see, I hope to recover. Monday, I have tests to do, but even walking hurts. Let's wait. I have to stay positive if I want to go to Qatar.

"It's all so close, it's about a month to go, and we've been getting ready, working every day so that nothing serious can happen. 

"Unfortunately, I had this calf injury, but now it's just a matter of waiting, doing the treatment every day so that I can recover as soon as possible."

Richarlison has scored just twice in 13 appearances since joining Tottenham from Everton, both of those goals coming against Marseille in the Champions League.

He has been capped 38 times for Brazil and has scored seven times in six appearances this year, making him a certainty to be named in the squad if fit.

Brazil boss Tite, spoiled for options in attack, has until November 14 to name his final 26-man squad – though most competing nations are expected to do so much before then.

Record five-time champions Brazil follow up their opener against Serbia with group games against Switzerland and Cameroon on November 28 and December 2 respectively.

Frenkie de Jong's future at Barcelona remains up in the air after a drawn-out saga ahead of the season.

The Dutch midfielder had interest from Barcelona but wanted to stay at Camp Nou.

However, De Jong's opportunities have been limited this season, perhaps encouraging further bids.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL MOVE IN FOR BARCELONA'S DE JONG

Liverpool have entered the race to sign the unsettled De Jong from Barcelona, claims SPORT.

De Jong resisted interest in from United with a strong desire to play Champions League football, which Jurgen Klopp's side can offer.

Liverpool midfielders Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner are all out of contract at the end of this season, when Arthur's loan will also expire, so the club are assessing their options.

The domestic struggles of the Reds could precipitate January transfer activity, given their need for midfield reinforcements.

ROUND-UP

Liverpool may try to hijack Chelsea 's move for RB Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku, claims The Sun. The Reds sent scouts to watch the French forward against Celtic in the Champions League in midweek but fear Chelsea are well down the line with Nkunku, and they have missed the boat.

– Talks between Everton and Chelsea target Anthony Gordon on a contract extension have stalled, according to The Sun. Gordon reportedly wants approximately £100,000 per week.

Manchester United have reached out to Lautaro Martinez's agent about the Inter forward's availability, claims Gazzetta dello Sport. Martinez is contracted until 2026, while Barcelona are also interested.

United have joined Chelsea and Manchester City in having an active interest in Milan's Portuguese attacker Rafael Leao, claims The Mirror. United sent scouts to watch him against Chelsea in the Champions League.

Chelsea are interested in Napoli's Slovakia international Stanislav Lobotka, reports Calciomercato. Napoli and the midfielder are close to sealing a new deal.

– Newcastle United have commenced discussions with the agent of Vasco da Gama midfielder Andrey Santos, reports Torcedores. Barcelona are also interested in the Brazilian, who has a release clause of £34.6million (€40m).

David de Gea has expressed his wish to stay at Manchester United for "many more years" ahead of his contract expiring in 2023.

If De Gea features in the Red Devils' meeting with Newcastle United at Old Trafford on Sunday, he will become just the 11th man to make 500 appearances for United in their illustrious history.

Only Ryan Giggs, Sir Bobby Charlton, Paul Scholes, Bill Foulkes, Gary Neville, Wayne Rooney, Alex Stepney, Tony Dunne, Denis Irwin and Joe Spence have previously reached that landmark at United.

However, De Gea's long-term future at the club is uncertain – the Spain international's contract expires in 2023 and he has yet to agree to fresh terms. 

De Gea hopes to have the chance to rack up many more United appearances, however, saying: "This is my club and this is where I feel good. I'm playing well, I feel very well. 

"I think I have many more years to play. I feel confident.

"Yes, I would like to stay here more years and make records of games and records of everything. To try to help the young people here as well with my experience and try to win trophies."

De Gea will turn 32 next month and has already spent 11 years as United's number one goalkeeper, but believes he is now entering his prime.

Asked whether he thought he was entering his peak years, De Gea said: "I feel very, very good in games and training. Of course, with more experience you feel very good. So, yes, I think so.

"I feel good and want to play more years, and most important is to try to win trophies and help the team, as I try to do every day."

Jurgen Klopp joked Pep Guardiola should take a four-year sabbatical when his Manchester City contract expires at the end of the season.

Guardiola has led City to four Premier League titles in the last five seasons, but his future at the Etihad Stadium is unclear with less than 12 months remaining on his deal.

On Friday, Guardiola said he was not considering his contract situation for the time being, declaring there would be "plenty of time" for talks after the Premier League breaks for the World Cup next month.

Liverpool have often suffered due to Guardiola's brilliance, finishing as Premier League runners-up to City on two occasions, and Klopp says there can be no questions over his rival manager's quality.

Asked whether he thought Guardiola would remain at City beyond this campaign, Klopp said: "I would prefer for Pep to be doing a sabbatical for four years or something, 100 per cent.

"Actually, my preferred solution would have been if he had a sabbatical these past four years. Honestly, it's a joke, but I have no idea.

"I've said it, I don't know how often; he is the best manager in the world. He has proven that all the time, every day. It's special, what they are doing, and I respect that."

Asked whether Guardiola's incredible standards made his own job the toughest in football, Klopp said: "Yeah, but it's fine, I am a very happy person. I have no problem with the situation.

"I'm not [Roger] Federer and Pep is not [Rafael] Nadal, they compete on the highest level and are best friends. Pep and I are not best friends because we don't know each other.

"But I respect him a lot, I know he respects what we are doing as well, so that's fine. For a rivalry you don't need to be disrespectful.

"Around the games, we have a good relationship; during the games we are both competitors. I could always admit brilliance when I saw it, and with him, that's the case."

While Guardiola has brought 11 pieces of silverware to City since his 2016 arrival, he has yet to deliver the Champions League trophy, but Klopp says that has no bearing on his standing in the game.

"I am not here to name City's targets. They are the best team in the world, I think it's obvious," Klopp said. "I think they won an awful lot, to be honest, and were unlucky in moments to not go through in the Champions League, nothing else.

"Last year they should have gone through, but that's how life is. From a sports point of view, I couldn't respect what they do more, that's the 100 per cent truth.

"What Pep is doing, it's absolutely outstanding. He will never stop, he wants to win each game desperately… he has so many things which are special for a manager."

Reece James has not given up on his World Cup dream despite being ruled out for eight weeks with a knee injury. 

James was substituted during Chelsea's 2-0 Champions League triumph over Milan in midweek, and the Blues confirmed on Saturday that the right-back would undergo a "rehabilitation programme" that will keep him sidelined for two months.

That would mean him missing England's World Cup campaign in Qatar, which starts against Iran on November 22. 

A statement on Chelsea's official website read: "Following the knee injury sustained in our away match against Milan, Reece has received treatment from the Chelsea medical department and visited a specialist this weekend.

"After consultation between all parties, Reece will now undergo a rehabilitation programme and is expected to be out for eight weeks."

James, however, does not appear to have written off the possibility of making Gareth Southgate's squad. 

Posting on Twitter, the 22-year-old said: "The race against time is on… But we won't give up."

Southgate faces a problem on the right side of defence ahead of the tournament, with fellow right-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kyle Walker also battling injuries.

Walker faces a race to be fit in time to make the squad after undergoing surgery for a groin issue, while Alexander-Arnold has struggled for form this season and is sidelined with an ankle problem.

Antonio Conte declared himself proud of Tottenham's development after they closed in on the Premier League summit by beating Everton 2-0 on Saturday.

The Toffees turned in a stubborn first-half display in Conte's 50th match in charge of Spurs, who were fortunate not to fall behind when Amadou Onana and Demarai Gray squandered glorious chances.

However, Tottenham ultimately came good after the break. An injury to former Everton talisman Richarlison led to Yves Bissouma's introduction, and Spurs' change in shape overwhelmed Everton.

Jordan Pickford's blunder gifted Harry Kane a penalty to break the deadlock, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg rounding off the win late on.

Everton failed to muster a single shot in the second half, and did not get one attempt on target all game.

Spurs' win put them level with second-placed Manchester City, who face Liverpool on Sunday, and just one point behind league leaders Arsenal, who travel to Leeds United on the same day.

"We have to be really happy, because we played a good game, created a lot of chances and we had an injury during the game with Richy, for sure this situation could create something negative," Conte told Sky Sports.

"Instead, we found the right solution with three midfielders, I liked the attitude. We started the game very well, maybe in the first half we had to pay more attention because we conceded two counter-attacks, we could do much better, but in the end we deserved the win. We have to continue this way.

"I'm really pleased, despite the difficulty of the game, of the opponent and a bad injury, we were able to solve the situation. 

"It means the players are growing in many aspects, not only tactical but also to face the difficulties. This makes me very proud of my players."

Spurs have lost just one of their last 20 Premier League encounters against Everton (W10 D9), winning more games (29) and scoring more goals (97) against the Toffees than against any other side in the competition's history.

Conte, meanwhile, has won 30 of his opening 50 matches in charge, which ranks him joint-second for Tottenham managers. The Italian has not lost any of his seven Premier League meetings with Everton, seeing his sides keep a clean sheet on each occasion.

"The shape of the team was good, the defensive discipline was good. You have two good chances and you have to take those chances," Everton boss Frank Lampard told BBC Sport.

"We're probably in that middle ground now where people have given us a bit of praise. This season was always going to be about getting better from nearly getting relegated and now we're playing against a Champions League team. Sometimes that shows a little bit."

Tottenham have taken 23 points from their 10 Premier League games this season, their best tally at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 1963-64 (24 – considering three points for a win).

Kane, meanwhile, has scored in each of his last five top-flight appearances, his longest scoring run in the Premier League.

Reece James will miss England's World Cup campaign in Qatar after Chelsea confirmed the defender will be out of action for eight weeks.

James was forced off in Chelsea's midweek Champions League win over Milan at San Siro with a knee injury.

And the Blues have now confirmed he will undergo a "rehabilitation programme" that will keep him sidelined for two months.

A statement on the club's official website read: "Following the knee injury sustained in our away match against Milan, Reece has received treatment from the Chelsea medical department and visited a specialist this weekend.

"After consultation between all parties, Reece will now undergo a rehabilitation programme and is expected to be out for eight weeks."

The news will come as a huge blow to England manager Gareth Southgate, particularly with fellow right-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kyle Walker also battling injuries.

Walker faces a race to be fit in time to make the squad after undergoing surgery for a groin issue, while Alexander-Arnold has struggled for form this season and is sidelined with an ankle problem.

England start their World Cup campaign against Iran on November 22. 

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.