Barcelona forward Memphis Depay reportedly is looking to leave the club on a free transfer in January, and a trio of high-profile Premier League teams are mentioned as potential suitors.

Depay, 28, played 38 games for the Catalan giants in the 2021-22 campaign, but he has found himself on the outside looking in this season, appearing in only three contests.

With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, and Barcelona looking to shed his salary to increase their financial flexibility, the Netherlands international is hopeful his exit can be arranged mid-season.
 

TOP STORY – PREMIER LEAGUE TEAMS CIRCLE OUT-OF-FAVOUR BARCA FORWARD

According to Mundo Deportivo, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham are paying close attention to Depay's situation with Barcelona.

If he is allowed to leave on a free transfer, United are said to have strong interest in bringing him back to Old Trafford, where he spent two seasons from 2015 to 2017 before being sold to Lyon.

The report also mentions Chelsea and Tottenham, who had interest in the previous transfer window before deciding against a move.

Depay has not played since a September 22 Nations League match for the Netherlands against Poland, but if he puts on a show at the World Cup, interest could skyrocket.


ROUND-UP

– According to The Guardian, Erik ten Hag plans on selling United captain Harry Maguire at the end of the season.

– 90min is reporting Arsenal are planning moves for Leicester City's Youri Tielemans and Palmeiras' 21-year-old Danilo in a bid to strengthen their midfield in January.

Newcastle United will rival Arsenal in the chase for 21-year-old Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk, who will reportedly cost in the range of £100million, per Football Insider.

– The Daily Mail is reporting Chelsea have hosted 16-year-old Palmeiras prodigy Endrick on an official club visit, introducing him to fellow Brazilian Thiago Silva.

Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund have shown interest in 20-year-old Leeds right-back Cody Drameh, per the Daily Mail.

A Leeds fan who was accused of racially abusing Jamaica and West Ham forward Michail Antonio has been banned from football events for 4 years.

The incident occurred during the teams defeat to West Ham at Elland Road in 2021.  On that occasion Antonio scored a 90th minute winner to give the Hammers a 2-1 win.

Following the goal, Gary Hawkins, a 52-year-old male, was found to not have only abused Antonio from his seat but also threatened another fan who challenged him regarding the language. 

Hawkins was found guilty of two offences after a trial at Leeds Magistrates' Court and given an eight-week sentence, suspended for 12 months.

The West Yorkshire Police were quick to condemn the action.

"Race hate crime such as this is truly abhorrent and can never be tolerated,” said Supt Russ Hughes.

"As we have seen with this incident, other fans will rightly take exception to this type of behaviour.”

 

 

Antonio Conte wants to earn the right to sign a new contract with Tottenham, but has hinted the club must match his ambitions to keep him for the long term.

Conte's current deal with Spurs expires at the end of the season, and although the club have an option for a one-year extension, the Italian has been linked with an exit on several occasions.

A return to Juventus has been touted as a possibility for Conte at various stages this campaign, but the Tottenham boss wants to show he deserves an extended stay in north London – so long as Spurs can help him achieve his own aims.

"My contract expires on June 30. Until that moment, the club has to make the best evaluation," Conte said at a pre-match news conference ahead of Tottenham's meeting with Leeds United on Saturday.

"I think that everything needs to be deserved. For this reason, it's important to see the rest of the season, what happens, if we are happy with the improvement we are doing.

"On my side, professionally, I have to feel that I deserve to sign a new contract with this club. I have to feel this, but for sure I will talk with the club and we will find the best solution.

"When you start a path with a club, your dream is to stay here many years, to try to build something important. 

"I think it's very important, the relationship that you create with your players, the relationship you create with the club, the environment around you, and also don't forget the ambition.

"If you're used to fighting to win, it is also very important to match this situation and then, if you are lucky and find all of these situations, it's simpler to stay for a long-term project.

"When this happens, you are a lucky person, a lucky man. Every manager dreams of this situation. Then the reality, unfortunately, is not always this."

Tottenham have lost three of their past four Premier League games, which is as many as they had lost in their previous 24 (W17 D4), with Conte's side appearing stretched amid an injury crisis.

Attacking stars Son Heung-min, Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski have all been absent in recent weeks, and Conte believes Tottenham may need to add numbers when the January transfer window opens.

"For sure, after the first part of the season it will be right to have a meeting with the club, to discuss the positive and negative things, where we can improve," Conte said.

"Then we will see what we can do. It always depends on the possibilities, and the ambition from the club.

"But for sure, we'll speak, also to have a good evaluation of this part of the season. I have seen a lot of positive things, but with injuries and having to play every three days, I think we struggled a lot.

"In the future, we have to try to improve, to be better to face this type of situation."

Tottenham have won seven of their past nine Premier League games against Leeds (D1 L1), having lost eight of their previous nine against them in the top flight (D1).

Trent Alexander-Arnold says Liverpool must "get some points" at Tottenham to get their "aims and aspirations" back on track.

Jurgen Klopp's side are ninth in the Premier League and could fall 15 points behind Arsenal, who play Nottingham Forest on Sunday as the Gunners aim to return to the top-flight summit.

Liverpool have suffered consecutive domestic defeats against strugglers Forest and Leeds United, the latter of which on Saturday ended a 29-match home unbeaten run for the Reds in the Premier League.

Klopp's team may take some consolation after reaching the Champions League knockout stages, though Alexander-Arnold urged his side to improve in the league at Tottenham next Sunday.

"I'd say we all believe in ourselves, we believe in the way we play, the squad and what we can achieve," the right-back told the club's website.

"But I think when you do get setbacks, it can potentially make you second-guess yourself and question things.

"Clearly as a team something's not going right, it's not going as well as we want it to go. That's something for everyone to think about, for everyone to address and make sure we put it right, especially next week against Spurs, top-four rivals.

"We kind of need to go there and get some points if we've got any chance of reaching our aims and aspirations for the season."

While Liverpool's title hopes are virtually over, with Manchester City and Arsenal embroiled in a two-horse race thus far, the Reds are also eight points away from the Champions League qualification places.

The England international acknowledged Liverpool have been far from their best this season, pinpointing the Reds' failures in front of goal, a notable problem in the 2-1 defeat to Leeds last time out.

"I think we are not in the greatest run of form – I think a lot of players would say that about themselves and as a team in general," he added.

"But we're still creating opportunities to score and win games. We just haven't been able to take them, especially [in the] last two Premier League games.

"I think it's important for us to regroup, assess what's going wrong. I think right now, it's kind of, 'pick up as many points as you can now going into this break [for the World Cup].

"And potentially this break will come at a decent time for us to reset and be able to get our heads straight to go into the second half of the season."

Liverpool are not battling through "a blip" but a "serious problem", according to club great Jamie Carragher.

Jurgen Klopp's side sit ninth in the Premier League, 13 points off the top ahead of Arsenal's meeting with Nottingham Forest on Sunday, after falling to defeat against Leeds United on Saturday.

Crysencio Summerville's late strike snatched an unlikely victory for strugglers Leeds as Liverpool suffered their first Premier League defeat at Anfield since March 2021, ending a 29-match home unbeaten run in the competition.

Despite Mohamed Salah cancelling out Rodrigo Moreno's early opener, Illan Meslier made a series of impressive stops to help pave the way for Summerville's winner, and Carragher feels his former side face a worrying situation.

"It's a huge result for Leeds but Liverpool have got massive problems," Carragher said in his role as a pundit on Sky Sports.

"Leeds' fans know how big a result this is. It's so long since anyone's won at Anfield. They're going to milk it and rightly so. It will do wonders for them, in terms of the league table.

"This isn't a blip for Liverpool, this is a serious problem. There's no doubt that the goalkeeper in the last 10-15 minutes has kept Leeds in it but if you look at the whole game you can't say Leeds haven't deserved to get something from it. They were fantastic.

"Klopp must be thinking, what else can I try now? Different permutations, formations, personnel."

Klopp again bemoaned a lack of consistency, lamenting the injury issues Liverpool face, though Graeme Souness offered a scathing assessment of his former side's capabilities.

"Liverpool are a country mile from where they were over the last few years," Souness added. "In many instances, Leeds were more than a match for Liverpool and they did to Liverpool what they had been doing to teams for years.

"Liverpool basically bullied teams before, their midfield bullied teams. And now they're being bullied. That's making them vulnerable at the back, and they're not creating the same chances up front. Liverpool are a shadow [of the team they used to be].

"Liverpool still had enough chances to win the game, but they are not like the Liverpool we've seen for the last five years. They don't play with the same intensity and just don't have it in their legs anymore."

Souness pinpointed Liverpool's midfield as a primary reason for their struggles.

"If correct [Leeds ran 11 kilometres more than Liverpool], then to a man they ran a kilometre more than Liverpool. That's a big difference," he continued.

"And if you look at a midfield of Thiago [Alcantara], 31, [Jordan] Henderson, 31, Fabinho, 29, then after that you have [Naby] Keita and [Alex] Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones who is 21, and Harvey Elliot who's 19.

"If you go back to the start of the season, Jurgen [Klopp] must have looked at his midfield and thought: 'We're vulnerable here'. I feel their midfield is no longer a midfield that is going to get them back and win the big trophies."

Jurgen Klopp suggested Liverpool were asking to be punished with the way they defended for Leeds United's winning goal on Saturday.

The Reds were beaten 2-1 in dramatic circumstances at Anfield, with Crysencio Summerville poking home from inside the box after Patrick Bamford was able to tee the youngster up.

Liverpool had numbers back but failed to stop Wilfried Gnonto from getting his cross into the box in the build-up despite the Italy international being faced up by two defenders.

Similarly, both Bamford and Summerville were outnumbered in the penalty area as well, and Klopp was left frustrated.

"It was a setback, absolutely," the German told Sky Sports. "I thought we had a really good start then conceded a freakish goal.

"We scored the equaliser but for some reason it didn't give us the security back. We struggled to control the game and gave too many balls away.

"The boys tried, we had good possession and had big chances but, in the end, if it is 1-1 and you defend the situation around the second goal like this, you leave everything open.

"In the end, it was two versus one in the box and they can finish off the situation. The problem is we cannot control this type of game at the moment."

He added: "A team performance is always made up of individual performances. It's the same, it's never different, so how could it be different? One leads to the other.

"You can see we had a lot of good moments, like a lot of parts of the game, but all over it's not enough if you don't finish your situations off. 

"You can watch this game completely, but you cannot defend like we did for the second goal, but we did, that's why we lost, otherwise it would have been a point which would've been deserved and we'd go from there. Now we have nothing and it feels completely different."

Liverpool have been unfortunate with injuries and illness this season and ultimately their squad has not been deep enough to dampen the impact of those absences.

Klopp again offered this as one explanation for Liverpool's issues, with the Reds potentially set to end the weekend 15 points off the Premier League summit, but he urged his players to show more fighting spirit.

"Maybe some players are overplayed," Klopp continued. "Harvey [Elliott] has been exceptional for us this season. He had a good start but couldn't keep it going.

"Thiago [Alcantara] was ill last week, but not in the last few days so we thought he was fresh. Up front the same [players] play all the time – they are the three strikers we have left.

"All these kinds of things but in the end if you don't finish your situations off, they were there and it changed the game completely. We have to fight and that is what we must do.

"We have to bring our quality on to the pitch and we fight against it. We had problems from the first day, injury wise.

"Players have had to play from the first day. It's our situation and it means we have to help ourselves, and that is what we will do."

Crysencio Summerville's dramatic 89th-minute winner condemned Liverpool to a second successive Premier League defeat as Leeds United left Anfield with a shock 2-1 victory.

Jurgen Klopp's men were beaten by bottom-of-the-table Nottingham Forest last weekend, and Summerville's late goal means the Reds have lost back-to-back games to teams in the relegation zone for the first time since March 2012.

Liverpool gave themselves an uphill struggle early on when Joe Gomez gifted Rodrigo Moreno the opener, though it did not take Mohamed Salah long to restore parity.

The Reds were even more dominant in the second half but they could not find a way past the excellent Illan Meslier, and Summerville – on the eve of his 21st birthday – prodded home at the end to rescue a potentially vital win for the under-fire Jesse Marsch and Leeds.

The match was less than four minutes old when Gomez went rogue, sending his backpass wide of Alisson and Rodrigo was on hand to tap in.

Liverpool hit back 10 minutes later; Salah left with a similarly easy finish from Andy Robertson's left-wing delivery.

Leeds were almost ahead again soon after as Brendan Aaronson saw his volley crash against the crossbar, but Liverpool's dominance continued to grow.

They piled the pressure on in the final 30 minutes, forcing Meslier into a flurry of saves.

He rushed out to thwart Darwin Nunez when one-one-on, before also saving smartly from Jordan Henderson.

The young Frenchman then tipped a long-range Nunez effort over and made a crucial block from Salah with five minutes left.

Leeds took full advantage of Meslier's heroics, as Summerville instinctively poked past Alisson at the other end to seal the Whites' first Anfield win in over 21 years.



What does it mean? Liverpool crisis deepens as Jesse Marsches on

Klopp said last weekend's defeat to Forest left him feeling "as low as possible" – well, they have plumbed new depths here.

Liverpool were dominant and clearly created enough chances to win, but their chronic lack of ruthlessness proved their undoing yet again.

Similarly, a lot has been said of Leeds' issues this term coming down to luck, with the stats suggesting they should be better off than they are. Certainly, they did not look like a team who have given up on their manager.

Meslier plays his part

Summerville will get the headlines and the glory, but this win would not have been possible were it not for Meslier. His nine saves is a joint-high for a Premier League game this season.

Nunez fluffs his lines

Liverpool striker Nunez was very lively and in many respects had a good game – he set up four shooting opportunities for his team-mates. However, he was simply not reliable in front of goal, hitting a one-on-one straight at Meslier and also hesitating in the first half when the chance for a lob presented itself.

What's next?

Liverpool are at home to Napoli on Tuesday in the Champions League before going to Tottenham in the league next Sunday. Leeds face Bournemouth at Elland Road the day before.

Crysencio Summerville's dramatic 89th-minute winner condemned Liverpool to a second successive Premier League defeat as Leeds United left Anfield with a shock 2-1 victory.

Jurgen Klopp's men were beaten by bottom-of-the-table Nottingham Forest last weekend, and Summerville's late goal means the Reds have lost back-to-back games to teams in the relegation zone for the first time since March 2012.

Liverpool gave themselves an uphill struggle early on when Joe Gomez gifted Rodrigo Moreno the opener, though it did not take Mohamed Salah long to restore parity.

The Reds were even more dominant in the second half but they could not find a way past the excellent Illan Meslier and Summerville – on the eve of his 21st birthday – prodded home at the end to rescue a potentially vital win for the under-fire Jesse Marsch and Leeds.

Jurgen Klopp says his Liverpool players are "1,000 per cent committed" to domestic matters despite the looming Qatar 2022 World Cup.

The Reds have struggled this season, falling well off the pace of the Premier League title race, after a blockbuster 2021-22 campaign that saw them come close to a historic quadruple.

Though the team will be handed an enforced rest by the mid-season break for Qatar 2022, several of their stars will head straight to international duty, unless they are injured over the coming weeks.

The prospect of missing out on the plane to the tournament has seen some wonder if players could pull their metaphorical punches.

But speaking ahead of his side's Saturday clash with Leeds United, Liverpool manager Klopp disabused such notions.

Klopp told reporters: "This happens every year when the World Cup is usually in the summer, and the big finals are in the summer as well.

"So, if you are involved in the finals of the Champions League, the FA Cup, whatever, there is no player who thinks about the World Cup.

"They want to win the final [in front of them]. It is a logical thing.

"If the last match day decides qualifying for the Champions League or staying in the league, there is no player I know who thinks, 'Be careful', the players I know are 1,000 per cent committed with us here."

Ahead of the match at Anfield, Klopp further cautioned his side to expect a response from under-fire Leeds, who are looking to pull free of another relegation battle this term under Jesse Marsch.

"I heard Jesse Marsch say he was sick of losing," Klopp added. "We saw his half-time talk at Salzburg, so he is obviously pretty lively in the dressing room. He will set them on fire."

Liverpool start the weekend sitting in eighth position, while Leeds are 18th.

Liverpool fans will say their team is like a box of chocolates at the moment in that you never know what you're going to get, and also they can be hazardous to your health.

A wobbly start to the campaign looked to have got back on track after wins against Manchester City and West Ham, only for an insipid defeat at Nottingham Forest last week to send Jurgen Klopp's men back into crisis.

A 3-0 win at Ajax on Wednesday to secure their place in the last 16 of the Champions League should boost confidence again, but it is still anyone's guess as to which version of the Reds will turn up when they host Leeds United on Saturday.

Jesse Marsch heads to Anfield under serious pressure himself, with Leeds having not won in eight Premier League games (D2, L6) since beating Chelsea 3-0 at Elland Road in August.

Stats Perform has taken a look behind the numbers heading into this clash to try and get to the bottom of what can be expected.

Home comforts can calm Reds nerves

They may have not had the best start to the campaign domestically, having not won any of their five Premier League away games (D2 L3), but Liverpool remain a force to be reckoned with at Anfield.

Klopp's side are unbeaten 29 league home games (W22 D7), scoring 73 goals and conceding just 16 in that run.

It has not all been plain sailing, having fallen behind in five of their previous six at Anfield prior to back-to-back 1-0 wins against City and West Ham, but more often than not they get the job done.

Virgil van Dijk is still yet to suffer a Premier League defeat in his home stadium since his move from Southampton in January 2018 (70 games – W59 D11).

You've lost that winning feeling

When Leeds were celebrating a well-earned victory against Chelsea on August 21, few would have thought they would not have experienced another by late October.

As mentioned, the Whites are winless in their last eight league games, which is the longest current run of any team in the Premier League.

Leeds have also lost each of their past four away games, last losing five in a row on the road in the top flight between January and March 2003 – the fifth game of which was at Liverpool, where they were beaten 3-1.

They will also be missing several players through injury, with Rodrigo Moreno's likely absence a blow as the Spaniard has scored five goals in 10 Premier League games this season, just one fewer than he netted in 31 appearances last season, and just two less than he managed in his best scoring season in the competition in 2020-21 (seven in 26 games).

Mo Salah, fewer problems

Mohamed Salah has been the subject of much debate this season, seemingly not hitting his usual heights.

Last season's joint-top scorer in the Premier League seemingly enjoys facing Leeds, though, having been involved in six goals in two home appearances against them (five goals, one assist).

Salah has 10 goals in 17 games in all competitions, and is coming off another fine finish to open the scoring in Liverpool's victory in Amsterdam on Wednesday.

The Egypt forward has also created more chances from open play than any other player in the Premier League this season (28). He is creating 2.6 chances per 90 minutes on average this season, his best rate in a single campaign in the competition.

No more bottom feeding

While they have dropped some sloppy points this season, Liverpool could at least take some comfort in the fact their only Premier League defeats had been against fellow big fish Manchester United and Arsenal.

That was until last week when they handed three points to bottom club Forest, and they will be looking to avoid a similar story this time around.

Liverpool have not lost consecutive Premier League games against sides in the relegation zone since March 2012, when a defeat at QPR was followed by a home loss to Wigan Athletic.

They have already lost more league games this season (three) than they did in the whole of 2021-22 (two), while their 16 points from 11 games is their worst return at this stage of a campaign since 2014-15 (14).

Leeds might smell blood, or arguably more likely, face the wrath of a wounded beast.

Jurgen Klopp emphasised the importance of the three Premier League matches Liverpool will play before the World Cup break as they look to recover ground on their rivals.

Liverpool took the title fight all the way to the final day of the 2021-22 season, narrowly losing out to Manchester City, but they enter this weekend down in eighth, 12 points behind leaders Arsenal.

Ahead of the season pausing next month, the Reds will face Leeds United on Saturday, before visiting Tottenham after a Champions League clash with Napoli and hosting Southampton following an EFL Cup tie against Derby County.

Klopp's side at least head into the Leeds game on a high, having secured their progress in Europe with a 3-0 win at Ajax.

Since losing 4-1 at Napoli, Liverpool have been flawless in the Champions League, although they have only won one of the three domestic matches that have followed directly after European successes.

Asked about the prospect of taking confidence from the win in Amsterdam, Klopp replied: "I think we've had this conversation or a similar conversation after all the games we won or won convincingly – Bournemouth, Rangers, Ajax."

But he added: "We have to. It's a better feeling. Of course, I sit here with a different feeling than if we'd lost to Ajax and we had to play Leeds and then we have a final against Napoli.

"I would feel different, I can tell you. At the moment, it's not too important.

"We have to see who we can use again. The situation is it's a tough five games until the World Cup break; for us, they're all super important.

"Then there's a long break and we'll see how we come back and how others come back.

"We have to create the basis for the time after, and we have three games in the league, which are all difficult. I can't find an easy one. After the World Cup break, we are the first to face Unai Emery with Aston Villa, and we have no idea what they will do then. Great.

"That's our situation. Yes, the moment is okay, we are ready to fight again, I hope the people are ready to fight again.

"It's 19:45, Saturday night, a great time to play a football game. Everybody is in the right shape, and let's go for it."

For opponents Leeds, Klopp has seen "a massive difference between the results they got and the performance they put in".

It was suggested Leeds' struggles might be evidence of a highly competitive Premier League, and Klopp answered: "City is not running away, which makes it already more competitive.

"There is not only two teams or one team up front; there are three, four, five teams up front. My problem with that is only that we are not one of them."

Five points behind Newcastle United in fourth, let alone the title contenders, Klopp is looking to swiftly get Liverpool back on track.

He should at least be boosted by the presence of Thiago Alcantara and Jordan Henderson in midfield. Thiago is back, while Henderson should "be okay" after he was substituted at Ajax.

Jurgen Klopp has "no idea" how good Darwin Nunez could become but believes the Liverpool forward's output so far has been "incredible" considering the "knock" of his early suspension.

Nunez was Liverpool's big-money pre-season signing, arriving from Benfica for a fee that could reportedly reach £85million (€100m).

The 23-year-old enjoyed a flying start to life in England, scoring from the bench against both Manchester City and Fulham, but his first appearance in the starting XI was cut short by a red card against Crystal Palace that prompted a three-match ban.

As a result, Nunez has still only played 636 minutes for Liverpool in late October, although he has been in the thick of the action when he has been on the pitch.

The Uruguay forward has six goals and an assist, and he might have added more; he is averaging 6.4 shots per 90 in open play, almost double second-placed Liverpool star Mohamed Salah's 3.3.

Including chances created and contributions to build-up play, Nunez has been involved in 8.1 attacking sequences per 90 in open play – another leading mark among Liverpool players.

He has marginally underperformed his 6.4 expected goals, even if his expected goals on target value – calculated from the quality of the attempt rather than the quality of the chance – of 6.6 suggests his finishing has not largely been at fault.

Those numbers might easily be ignored in the face of some of the more eye-catching misses, as Nunez has converted only four of his 14 'big chances', from which Opta would expect a player to score.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's game against Leeds United, Klopp listed a range of factors that would suggest a tough first season for Nunez, meaning he is willing to forgive those occasional failings in front of goal.

"Darwin came here after a short break in the summer, arriving in Asia, doesn't speak a word [of English], and he's young, and Liverpool's a big club, and it's a big step for him, and he was expensive," Klopp said. "All these kinds of things.

"It's like everybody's looking at you – the whole place is dark and there's one light that's a spot on you. You have to deal with that, but we don't expect them to deal immediately. If you cause it, then you have to be prepared, but he did not."

After the red card, Klopp said: "He feels embarrassed for himself, definitely – that's how everybody would react.

"From not being 100 per cent confident, getting a knock like this is not cool. He can blame nobody else. Then he has to start new."

However, his manager added: "For all these things, his numbers are incredible, to be absolutely honest.

"You talk about the xG of Leeds, I'm pretty sure his xG is high as well. He had a few chances, which he missed, but he scored as well. He's involved in a lot of finishing moments.

"The steps he's made are really big, and that means automatically that he settles in more and more."

With Nunez so impactful even while passing up such opportunities, his potential with a little more work is "so exciting".

"Nobody knows [how good he can be]; he doesn't know," Klopp said. "That is so exciting.

"He has to stay fit and be available all the time, and he wasn't against Nottingham [Forest]. That's all important in the life of a professional football player.

"We have to work on all different areas. The potential is incredible. It's not only speed; the attitude is really good, he's a real worker.

"There are people out there who, technically, not sure, first touch... it's incredible. He does not bring it on the pitch in the moment all the time. His first touch might be here or there sometimes, but it's nothing to do with technique. It's just a bit too late, awareness, orientation, all these kinds of things.

"It's all possible to develop and learn, and that's where we are at. It's really exciting. But where it could go? I have no idea."

North London giants Tottenham and Arsenal endured frustrating outings as the Premier League saw more twists and turns on an action-packed Sunday.

Spurs' Champions League hopes suffered a blow as they were edged out by Newcastle United in the day's headline clash, with goals from Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron helping the visitors to a 2-1 win.

That result saw Eddie Howe's side climb into the top four, and there was another surprise at the summit as leaders Arsenal were pegged back by Southampton in a 1-1 draw.

At the bottom of the table, meanwhile, Fulham increased the pressure on Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch and Leicester City leapfrogged Wolves by trouncing them 4-0 at Molineux.

Here, Stats Perform picks through the most interesting facts to emerge from Sunday's action.  

Tottenham 1-2 Newcastle United: Magnificent Magpies go fourth

Tottenham approached Sunday's match having won eight consecutive league games on home soil, but Newcastle seized the initiative with an outstanding first-half display to end that run and move within two points of Antonio Conte's team.

Hugo Lloris' bizarre error allowed Wilson to put Newcastle ahead, with the France captain hitting the deck as the striker lobbed into an unguarded net from range.

Wilson's goal was his first in the Premier League from outside the penalty area since January 2019 (for Bournemouth v West Ham), and just the second of his 65 goals in the competition to come from more than 18 yards out.

Newcastle were two goals ahead within 10 minutes of that strike, with Almiron scoring his fifth goal in his last five Premier League outings – as many as he had netted in his previous 61. 

While Harry Kane pulled one back after the break, Newcastle held on to ensure they went fourth after 12 games of the season – this is the latest point at which they have occupied such a lofty position since April 2012, when they sat fourth after 35 matches of the campaign.

Southampton 1-1 Arsenal: Armstrong denies Gunners four-point lead

Arsenal went to St Mary's looking to re-establish a four-point lead over Manchester City at the summit, but saw their run of 27 Premier League games without a draw halted as they slipped up.

Granit Xhaka converted Ben White's cross to put Arsenal ahead – with four goals this season in all competitions, Xhaka is enjoying his joint-best goalscoring campaign with the Gunners, and he has scored in back-to-back games for the club for just the second time (also in September 2016).

However, Stuart Armstrong replied with his first goal in 21 league games as the Saints fought back – each of his last seven Premier League goals have now come at St Mary's.

Arsenal were unable to find a late winner, meaning they dropped points after opening the scoring in a Premier League game for the first time since New Year's Day (1-2 v City), ending their run of 18 straight wins when scoring first.

Wolves 0-4 Leicester City: Lethal Foxes leapfrog sorry hosts

At Molineux, Wolves' nightmare campaign continued as a clinical Leicester side ran out 4-0 winners despite recording just five shots to their hosts' 21.

Wolves have now lost five of their last six Premier League games, failing to score four times during that run, and are enduring their worst ever goalscoring start to a season in the competition with just five goals in 12 games. 

Leicester took the lead through an incredible effort from Youri Tielemans, who picked out the top-left corner to score the Foxes' seventh goal from outside the penalty area this season – the most of any side in the Premier League.

Harvey Barnes, Jamie Vardy and James Maddison then added some gloss to the scoreline, with the latter doing his hopes of an England call-up no harm with another fine display.

Maddison has amassed 28 goal contributions in the Premier League since the start of last season, a tally only bettered by Kane (37) among English players.

Leeds United 2-3 Fulham: Pressure builds on Marsch as Willian shines

Leeds joined Wolves in the bottom three after Fulham dealt them a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat at Elland Road, piling more pressure on beleaguered boss Marsch. 

Leeds have collected nine points from their 11 games this season, their fewest at this stage of a campaign since 2003-04 (eight), when they went on to be relegated from the Premier League. 

Meanwhile, Fulham have posted back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since April 2019 under Scott Parker (a run of three), having failed to win consecutive matches at any point in their last top-flight season (in 2020-21).

Willian's 84th-minute strike ultimately proved decisive for Marco Silva's men, on the day the former Chelsea and Arsenal winger made his 264th Premier League appearance.

Among Brazilian players, only Manchester City great Fernandinho has appeared as often in the competition. 

Arsenal have been charged by the Football Association (FA) with failing to control their players during a controversial ending to their 1-0 win over Leeds United on Sunday.

Mikel Arteta's team moved four points clear of Manchester City at the Premier League summit as Bukayo Saka scored the only goal of the game at Elland Road, though they required two huge reprieves. 

Patrick Bamford drilled a penalty wide following a handball by William Saliba on the hour mark, before a VAR review overturned a stoppage-time red card for Gabriel Magalhaes – as well as another spot-kick for Leeds.

Arsenal's players reacted furiously to Chris Kavanagh's original decision to dismiss Gabriel for a perceived kick at Bamford, leading the FA to take action.

An FA statement released on Thursday read: "Arsenal FC have been charged with a breach of FA Rule E20.1 following their Premier League fixture against Leeds United FC on Sunday 16 October 2022. 

"It's alleged that the club failed to ensure that their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion during the 92nd minute of the fixture.

"Arsenal FC have until Monday 24 October 2022 to provide a response."

Asked for his opinion on the incident after the win, Arteta said: "I have not seen it, but everyone is saying the decision was clear. 

"Thank God they made the system work, that delay was worth it, because without VAR, I don't know what would have happened!"

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

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 16, 2022

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).

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