What the papers say

Brentford striker Ivan Toney continues to be a hot property while he serves a ban over betting. Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are all keen on a January move for the England international, 27, according to the Daily Mirror, with a likely asking fee of around £60million.

Reading youngsters Caylan Vickers and Tyler Bindon, both 18, are attracting interest from Arsenal. According to the Daily Express, scouts watched English forward Vickers and New Zealand defender Bindon in the EFL Trophy match against Exeter on Tuesday.

Arsenal are also keen on English forward Jamie Bynoe-Gittens at Borussia Dortmund, according to the Daily Star via Spanish outlet Fichajes.

Off the field, former Chelsea captain John Terry is looking at taking a financial stake in his old club. The Daily Telegraph reports Terry, 42, is part of a group keen on taking a 10% share in the Blues with co-owner Todd Boehly open to new investment.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Michail Antonio: The West Ham forward, 33, is reportedly keen on extending his stay at the club by signing a new contract.

David de Gea:
Valencia have joined La Liga rivals Real Betis in showing interest in the free agent former Manchester United goalkeeper, 32.

Crystal Palace have announced manager Roy Hodgson will be back in the dugout this weekend after missing the 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa because of illness.

Hodgson was feeling unwell on Saturday morning and, as a result, he did not travel to Villa Park, where his side led through Odsonne Edouard before conceding three times late on, twice in added-on time.

Palace said the 76-year-old former England boss oversaw the club’s training session on Tuesday and he is now expected to be at Selhurst Park on Saturday as the Eagles take on Fulham.

“We are delighted to confirm Roy Hodgson led Crystal Palace training today,” said a brief statement on the club’s website on Tuesday.

“The manager was absent from Saturday’s match at Villa Park but will return to the dugout for Saturday’s match against Fulham at Selhurst Park.”

Palace did not say how poorly their manager was ahead of the Villa fixture but did confirm he was in touch with first-team coaches Paddy McCarthy and Ray Lewington throughout the encounter.

What the papers say

England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, 25, is attracting transfer attention after being dropped to the bench for Arsenal’s match at Everton. The Daily Mail reports that Chelsea and Bayern Munich are keeping an eye on the situation as he battles David Raya for the Gunners’ starting role.

Newcastle are lining up a potential £52million move for Brazil midfielder Lucas Paqueta, 26, according to the Daily Mail. Paqueta had been linked with an £80m move to Manchester City this summer but, amid an investigation into alleged betting breaches, he ended up staying at West Ham.

Real Betis are the latest suitors for former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, 32, reports The Sun via Fichajes in Spain.

Chelsea have secured one of their young talents for another year, according to the Evening Standard. Defender Alfie Gilchrist, 19, has reportedly extended his contract until 2025.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Jose Maria Gimenez: Manchester United are being linked with Atletico Madrid’s Uruguayan defender, 28.

Serge Gnabry: United are also reportedly lining up a bid for the Germany forward, 28, from Bayern Munich.

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper expected Callum Hudson-Odoi to have a big impact as his “moment of brilliance” earned a 1-1 draw with Burnley.

Hudson-Odoi reminded the Premier League what he is capable of with a fine debut goal, bringing his side level with a brilliant curling effort in the second half after Zeki Amdouni had put the Clarets ahead.

It is 18 months since the 22-year-old last played in England’s top flight as his promising Chelsea career petered out, but, after a year on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, he was back with a bang.

He was Forest’s brightest spark following his deadline-day move from Stamford Bridge and got his reward.

“Any new player will want to hit the ground running and show what they can do,” Cooper said. “We got Anthony (Elanga) and Callum in really good positions and we could have done more with them.

“I know he has quality and he can have moments of brilliance. We need that at times in the Premier League and we got one tonight. It is great for him, great for us obviously.

“He hasn’t played much football, he has trained well, but I backed him to do well tonight. He ran out of legs, I didn’t think we’d get that long out of him. We have got to push him to do more of that.

“You see goals like that in the Premier League, there is so much quality. It is a brilliant goal. We have had a few of those scored against us but we haven’t had too many of them for us. Beautiful strike, beautiful technique, great for him, great for the team. He will feel good about that.”

The point for Burnley enabled them to get their campaign up and running after three successive defeats, but they might be disappointed they did not leave with all three after they were denied a late winner by VAR as Sander Berge was ruled to have handled the ball.

They then ended the game with 10 men after Lyle Foster elbowed Ryan Yates deep into added time, with VAR also intervening.

Clarets boss Vincent Kompany was pragmatic in his response.

“I have a decent business brain and a decent coaching brain, but when it comes to the laws and legalities I switch off,” he said.

“A handball this way and handball that way, people come in and explain to us all of the time, but I have come to a decision to trust they know what they are doing and that they have the right intentions.

“It’s not something I want to discuss too much because I can’t change it now.”

Having played Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham in their opening three games, Kompany is seeing an improvement.

“You have to fight for every point in this league, but there is a range of teams that we can compete with at the moment from what I have observed,” the Belgian added.

“I thought today was at least even and depending what side of the fence you sit on you probably think you deserved three points.

“But, if we stay in these games, our team has got so much progress still to go and that is the exciting things for us. In these types of games we are there, but in the future there is room for much further improvement.”

Callum Hudson-Odoi reminded the Premier League what he is capable of with a brilliant debut goal to earn Nottingham Forest a 1-1 draw with Burnley.

It is 18 months since the 22-year-old last played in England’s top flight as his promising Chelsea career petered out, but, after a year on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, he was back with a bang.

He was Forest’s brightest spark following his deadline-day move from Stamford Bridge and brought his side level with a brilliant curling effort in the second half after Zeki Amdouni had put the Clarets ahead.

Hudson-Odoi is reunited with Steve Cooper, who managed the winger when he was part of the England Under-17 World Cup-winning squad, and England boss Gareth Southgate will hope the Welshman can get the best out of a player he has not used since 2019 and who is considering changing his allegiance to Ghana.

The point for Burnley enabled them to get their campaign up and running after three successive defeats, but they might be disappointed they did not leave with all three after they were denied a late winner by VAR, while they ended the game with 10 men after Lyle Foster elbowed Ryan Yates.

Forest, handing debuts to Hudson-Odoi and Ibrahim Sangare, looked vibrant in the opening 20 minutes and were causing Burnley problems with their pace on the break.

Hudson-Odoi, playing his first Premier League match since January 2022, was enjoying himself and saw a shot blocked after cutting inside from the left.

He came even closer in the 16th minute as Taiwo Awoniyi teed him up and his 20-yard effort was palmed away by Clarets goalkeeper James Trafford.

Burnley weathered the storm and began to come into the game.

They fired a warning shot in the 25th minute when Amdouni fired a low shot toward the bottom corner, but Matt Turner got down well to keep the ball out.

But the Clarets did take lead in the 41st minute as Luca Koleosho skinned Joe Worrall down the left and pulled the ball back for Amdouni to fire into the bottom corner.

Hudson-Odoi had looked Forest’s most dangerous player and he brought the City Ground to life just after the hour mark.

Awoniyi did well to control a high cross and he laid it off to the former Chelsea winger, who cut inside and sent a 20-yard curling effort in off a post, with the goal surviving a VAR check.

Burnley were not so lucky as they thought they had regained the lead in the 76th minute when Sander Berge got past Scott McKenna and teed up Foster, but the Norwegian was ruled to have used his hand and the visitors were denied.

And Foster’s experience with VAR did not get any better as he was shown a red card in added time after referee Robert Jones was invited to check the pitchside monitor after the forward was caught elbowing Yates.

Callum Hudson-Odoi reminded the Premier League what he is capable of with a brilliant debut goal to earn Nottingham Forest a 1-1 draw with Burnley.

It is 18 months since the 22-year-old last played in England’s top flight as his promising Chelsea career petered out, but, after a year on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, he was back with a bang.

He was Forest’s brightest spark following his deadline-day move from Stamford Bridge and brought his side level with a brilliant curling effort in the second half after Zeki Amdouni had put the Clarets ahead.

Hudson-Odoi is reunited with Steve Cooper, who managed the winger when he was part of the England Under-17 World Cup-winning squad, and England boss Gareth Southgate will hope the Welshman can get the best out of a player he has not used since 2019 and who is considering changing his allegiance to Ghana.

The point for Burnley enabled them to get their campaign up and running after three successive defeats, but they might be disappointed they did not leave with all three after they were denied a late winner by VAR, while they ended the game with 10 men after Lyle Foster elbowed Ryan Yates.

Forest, handing debuts to Hudson-Odoi and Ibrahim Sangare, looked vibrant in the opening 20 minutes and were causing Burnley problems with their pace on the break.

Hudson-Odoi, playing his first Premier League match since January 2022, was enjoying himself and saw a shot blocked after cutting inside from the left.

He came even closer in the 16th minute as Taiwo Awoniyi teed him up and his 20-yard effort was palmed away by Clarets goalkeeper James Trafford.

Burnley weathered the storm and began to come into the game.

They fired a warning shot in the 25th minute when Amdouni fired a low shot toward the bottom corner, but Matt Turner got down well to keep the ball out.

But the Clarets did take lead in the 41st minute as Luca Koleosho skinned Joe Worrall down the left and pulled the ball back for Amdouni to fire into the bottom corner.

Hudson-Odoi had looked Forest’s most dangerous player and he brought the City Ground to life just after the hour mark.

Awoniyi did well to control a high cross and he laid it off to the former Chelsea winger, who cut inside and sent a 20-yard curling effort in off a post, with the goal surviving a VAR check.

Burnley were not so lucky as they thought they had regained the lead in the 76th minute when Sander Berge got past Scott McKenna and teed up Foster, but the Norwegian was ruled to have used his hand and the visitors were denied.

And Foster’s experience with VAR did not get any better as he was shown a red card in added time after referee Robert Jones was invited to check the pitchside monitor after the forward was caught elbowing Yates.

Mauricio Pochettino admitted he empathised with Thiago Silva’s frustration after the defender appeared to lose his temper with Chelsea teammates during their goalless draw at Bournemouth on Sunday.

At one stage, whilst in possession of the ball during the first half at the Vitality Stadium, the defender was visibly angered by the team’s set-up, with little movement in front of him and huge gaps between forward players and the defence.

Silva, who turns 39 on Friday, is one of the club’s most experienced and successful players having won seven Ligue 1 titles with Paris St Germain, the Serie A title with AC Milan and the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021.

He has also collected 113 caps for Brazil during a 15-year international career.

By contrast three of his teammates who started the draw with Bournemouth – Lesley Ugochukwu, Levi Colwill and Malo Gusto – were not born when Silva made his professional debut for Brazilian third-tier side RS Futebol in 2002.

With an average age of just over 23 Chelsea have the youngest squad in this season’s Premier League, and an injury crisis that has left Pochettino without 12 first-team players has increased his dependency on youth.

“We need to be more relaxed,” said Blues boss Pochettino. “Sometimes the defensive players want to help the team to score because the feeling is that we are creating chances but can’t score.

“Then we need to be clever. Thiago has experience, but too many players (in the team) are still learning about the game. That is the construction and the building of a new team. There are many rules in football that you can’t write.

“In these type of games when you are pushing, pushing, trying to score and if you don’t score, it’s normal (to be frustrated), you know.”

Pochettino also clarified the absences of Marc Cucurella, Noni Madueke and Moises Caicedo, none of whom were in Sunday’s squad.

Instead the manager was forced to name three players who were 19 and under with no first-team experience on the bench, as well as two goalkeepers.

“Cucurella had a fever (on Saturday) and was at home and didn’t train,” said Pochettino. “Noni came from the national team with a muscle problem. Caicedo came with a knock in his knee.

“We need to assess (on Monday). That’s why they weren’t available, plus another 10 or 11 players.”

Tottenham and Aston Villa both produced dramatic late turnarounds this weekend as this season’s stricter stoppage-time rules made an impact in the Premier League.

Here, the PA news agency looks at how much time has been added this season and the increase in stoppage-time goals.

Drama at the death

As the clocks hit 90 minutes on Saturday, Spurs trailed Sheffield United 1-0 while Villa were locked at 1-1 with Crystal Palace.

Fast forward 11 minutes and both had turned their games decisively in their favour.

Richarlison was Tottenham’s hero, scoring a 98th-minute equaliser before setting up Dejan Kulusevski’s winner just over two minutes later.

As Richarlison’s goal went in, fellow Brazilian Douglas Luiz was stepping up to convert a Villa penalty – both goals were timed at seven minutes and 33 seconds into stoppage time.

Leon Bailey then added a clinching third in the 11th added minute for Villa, who had trailed 1-0 until Jhon Duran’s 87th-minute strike.

It was the third example in the last fortnight of a team scoring twice in stoppage time to change the result of a game, after Declan Rice (90+6 minutes) and Gabriel Jesus (90+11) earned Arsenal a 3-1 win over Manchester United.

There have been 22 stoppage-time goals in 48 Premier League games this season, compared to just five in last season’s first five rounds of matches.

Eighteen have come in the second half, meaning 14.8 per cent of all this season’s Premier League goals, and 19.4 per cent of those in the second half, have been scored in time added on by the officials.

That is up from 7.7 per cent last season, and 8.4 per cent of second-half goals. Through the first five rounds of last season, those figures were at just 3.5 per cent overall and 2.4 per cent in the second half.

Manchester City scored at 45+5 and 90+5 minutes, through Nathan Ake and Erling Haaland respectively, in their 5-1 win over Fulham on September 2 while on the same day, Spurs’ 5-2 win over Burnley featured stoppage-time goals for Cristian Romero in the first half and the Clarets’ Josh Brownhill in the second.

Spurs have scored four stoppage-time goals this season – Emerson Royal with the other in the first half of their draw with Brentford. They also led the way last season with eight, which were worth six additional points – matching rivals Arsenal for the highest such total in the top flight – and they have gained four already this term.

Three minutes more

The increase in stoppage time stems from new rules introduced by the International Football Association Board, first seen at last year’s men’s World Cup and now implemented worldwide.

IFAB encouraged a stricter application of time added on in a bid to deter time-wasting and ensure the ball remains in play for more of the regulation 90 minutes.

Matches in this season’s Premier League, up to and including Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Everton on Sunday, have lasted on average 101 minutes and 43 seconds.

That is up from 98 min 31sec last term, an increase of just over three minutes but 37.5 per cent. At the equivalent stage of the season the figure was at just 98:08.

The picture is similar across the EFL, with Championship matches up from 98:21 last season to 101:02 and Leagues One and Two up from just over 99 minutes to 102.

Those numbers indicate players are already adapting to the new rules, after the EFL’s opening weekend saw averages of 104 minutes in the Championship, 106 in League One and 107 in League Two.

The eyebrows that were raised when Brighton replaced Graham Potter with Roberto De Zerbi have been put firmly in their place over the last 12 months.

It was on September 18 a year ago, only 10 days after Potter’s departure for Chelsea, that the Seagulls announced their new boss would be a little-known Italian.

Brighton chairman Tony Bloom had identified De Zerbi as his next managerial target some time before after being impressed by his work in Italy with Benevento and Sassuolo, which then continued when he moved to Shakhtar Donetsk.

 

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Arriving at Brighton with little English and big boots to fill, it was perhaps not surprising it was seen as a risky move but the only question now is how long the Seagulls will be able to hang onto him.

De Zerbi did not win any of his first five games in charge but thumped Potter’s Chelsea 4-1 for his maiden victory and did not look back.

Premier League highlights included the double over Chelsea and wins over Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal while they also beat Liverpool during a run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup that only ended with a penalty shoot-out loss to United.

Brighton eventually finished sixth, securing European football for the first time in the club’s history with a place in the Europa League.

And they have picked up where they left off this season, winning four of their opening five matches, including back-to-back 3-1 wins over Newcastle and Manchester United.

That is despite again selling a number of their star performers, with Moises Caicedo and Robert Sanchez heading to Chelsea and Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool.

Selling on players and reinvesting the money in potential stars of the future is central to the Brighton model.

Marc Cucurella, Yves Bissouma, Leandro Trossard, Ben White and Dan Burn have all departed the Amex Stadium for bigger Premier League names in recent seasons while the likes of Kaoru Mitoma and Evan Ferguson are sure to be on many wishlists.

The no-nonsense De Zerbi has clearly had a big impact on the players he has worked with, and Lewis Dunk opened up on the Italian’s methods after regaining his place in the England squad.

“Football-wise, since the new manager at Brighton has come in I see football in a completely different way, I picture it in a different way and that is the biggest thing,” he said earlier this month.

“Football is not what I thought it was. Just how we play now. The idea of what I did before, I thought it made sense. But when you learn something completely different, you believe in it and this makes sense.

“You think, ‘Why didn’t I know this?’ and, ‘Why didn’t I do this before?’

“(I) know every position on the pitch and where they should be. The time they should move and what angles they should give. We see it every day and it makes life simpler.”

That attention to detail and precision is at the heart of De Zerbi’s footballing philosophy, with Brighton widely praised for their attacking panache and high-energy game.

Balancing trying to take another step forward in the Premier League this season with the demands of European football is a new challenge for De Zerbi but, based on the last 12 months, it would be no surprise if he found the right formula.

Carlos Carvalhal says he and his coaching staff "changed almost everything" about their approach to football after suffering relegation from the Premier League with Swansea City in 2018.

Carvalhal made a name for himself in the English game by leading Sheffield Wednesday to the Championship play-off final in 2016, where they were beaten by Hull City.

Wednesday were then beaten in the semi-finals after finishing fourth under Carvalhal in 2016-17. That remains their highest second-tier finish since 1990-91, when they were promoted in third.

However, Carvalhal left the Owls for Swansea City in December 2017, only winning eight of 25 games in south Wales and overseeing their relegation from the Premier League the following May.

Carvalhal has since enjoyed something of a renaissance with the likes of Rio Ave and Braga, before moving to Spain to keep Celta Vigo up with a final-day victory over Barcelona last season. 

The Portuguese coach is proud of his achievements since leaving English football, claiming his stint at Swansea provoked a change in his approach to the game.

"After England, we were at Sheffield Wednesday for two and half years and half a year at Swansea, then we stopped for one season," Carvalhal told Stats Perform at the Thinking Football Summit.

"We decided to stop and reflect on the things that we did and the things that we wanted to do in the future. We changed almost everything. In this moment, we saw football in a different way. 

"We are not basing it on the system [anymore], we are basing it on spaces and creating spaces. It's the way that we look at football, completely differently, like a chess player looking at the table.

"The results were fantastic, I can tell you. 

"We took a big risk to go to Rio Ave. Rio Ave is a medium club in Portugal. We were in the Premier League, and nobody from the Premier League goes to Rio Ave. But we decided to go there because it's a calm club, there were some good players, we could put our ideas on the pitch. 

"The reality was that we achieved Europa League [qualification]. Braga the same, we continued improving, in Celta Vigo we improved and we have stopped now to refresh a little again.

"I know €14 million was raised in Rio Ave with the players that we developed, which is very good for the club. Almost €100 million at Braga, and now in Celta Vigo with Gabri Veiga and Javi Galan probably about €50 million. So we are improving players.

"It's something that of course we are very proud of and something that we want to do in the future in the next challenge."

Carvalhal oversaw Rio Ave's best points return in their Primeira Liga history in 2019-20 (55 points), before leading Braga to their third – and most recent – Taca de Portugal one year later.

The 57-year-old has been out of work since leaving Celta in June, but he is ready to get back into the game and believes taking regular breaks is crucial to stay fresh.

"The gaps, I need to rest for my mental health, which I care about. Usually, you never see me have problems with other coaches, with referees and so on, because of these kinds of things.

"I decided [to move] because we did very well [at Braga]. We did the best the club has done in its history. In two seasons, we won the cup and we reached three finals. 

"We achieved the quarter-final of the Europa League, 17 players from the academy played in the first team. At Celta Vigo, we arrived at the club in a very difficult position. We finished in 13th. 

"There's a lot of pressure. So I spoke with my staff, I said I need to stop for three or four months and after, we go back to the market. So at this moment, we are on the market again. 

"We are not under pressure, it's not about money. We can't say that we don't ever go for the money because we never know what will happen tomorrow, but I would prefer to go because of passion and football. Let's see what happens."

Absentee-hit Manchester United have confirmed right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka is set for a “period on the sidelines” after picking up an injury as a late substitute against Brighton.

Erik ten Hag’s men have endured a challenging start to the season, with off-field issues compounded by poor performances and results on the pitch.

United are preparing for Wednesday’s Champions League group opener at Bayern Munich on the back of a 3-1 home loss to Brighton on Saturday, when their injury issues worsened.

Wan-Bissaka was named on the bench having dealt with illness in the build-up and then picked up an injury when brought on as a 85th-minute substitute.

United said in a statement: “Aaron Wan-Bissaka is set for a period on the sidelines after sustaining an injury during the closing stages of Saturday’s game against Brighton and Hove Albion.

“Further assessment will be needed to determine how long Wan-Bissaka will be out for, but initial indications suggest it will be several weeks.”

It has been reported that Wan-Bissaka is facing two months out as the right-back joins United’s lengthy list of absentees.

Left-backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are out along with centre-back Raphael Varane, while deadline-day signing Sofyan Amrabat has to make his debut due to a knock.

Mason Mount has not featured since picking up an injury in last month’s loss at Tottenham, while Kobbie Mainoo, Amad Diallo and Tom Heaton are also sidelined.

Jadon Sancho has been banished from the first team “pending resolution of a squad discipline issue” and Antony has been given a leave of absence following assault allegations against him.

Manchester United and Chelsea’s dreadful starts to the Premier League season continued as they dropped points again this weekend.

United were well beaten 3-1 by Brighton on Saturday to leave them 13th in the table while Chelsea, held by Bournemouth on Sunday, are one place worse off – and only one ahead of their winless opponents.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the two clubs’ records in their first five games.

Points

United have six points from their first five games this season and Chelsea just five, in both cases matching their second-worst record in the Premier League era.

United had only five points at this stage in 2014-15 and six in 2004-05, eventually finishing those seasons in fourth and third place respectively. They had seven in both 2013-14 and 2020-21.

Chelsea’s five points matches their total at this stage from all the way back in 1993-94, which was in keeping with the club’s record in the early days of the Premier League – they had six in both 1992-93 and 1995-96 as well as 2000-01.

Since their initial big-money takeover by Roman Abramovich in 2003, the only comparable season is 2015-16 when they followed up their title win the previous season with just four points from their first five games. Jose Mourinho was sacked as manager that December as the Blues eventually finished 10th.

Even last season under Thomas Tuchel, on their way to a 12th-placed finish with a revolving door of managers, Chelsea had seven points at this stage.

Wins and losses

United have lost three of their first five games for the first time in the Premier League era, with the Brighton result following defeats against Tottenham and Arsenal.

Erik ten Hag’s side lost two of their first five last season, for the seventh time in the Premier League, but have now gone one worse.

They have at least won the other two, beating Wolves 1-0 and Nottingham Forest 3-2, to avoid matching the 2004-05 and 2014-15 seasons when they won only one of their first five.

Chelsea have only one win, against Luton, the sixth time in the Premier League and first since 2015-16 that they have won only one of their first five. Mauricio Pochettino’s men have two defeats, the same as last season and one fewer than their nightmare start in 2015-16.

Goals

Chelsea’s five goals scored are their fewest in the first five Premier League games since 1995-96, matching that campaign and 1993-94 for their lowest total. Raheem Sterling’s brace against Luton makes him their only player with more than one to his name.

United have scored six – only five times have they scored fewer at this stage, including five goals last season and a record low three in 2007-08 – but their bigger problem may be at the other end.

The 10 goals they have conceded, three each to Arsenal and Brighton and two each to Spurs and Forest, is their second-highest total after five games.

The only worse start defensively came in 2020-21, when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side scored nine in their first five but conceded 12 to leave them with seven points. That included losing 3-1 to Crystal Palace and 6-1 to Tottenham.

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard welcomes the increased competition within the squad – highlighted by manager Mikel Arteta now choosing to rotate his two goalkeepers – as he believes it will make them stronger.

David Raya, who signed on loan from Brentford and on whom the Gunners have a £27million option to buy, made his debut in the 1-0 victory at Goodison Park, which extended their unbeaten start to five matches.

It means England international Aaron Ramsdale’s position as established number one is likely to be challenged over the coming weeks, but Odegaard said that principle should apply to the whole squad.

That was evident as Leandro Trossard came off the bench for the injured Gabriel Martinelli to score the only goal in the second half, but it is the position of goalkeeper which is set to remain the major talking point.

“I think it showed the depth in the squad now. We have so many quality players, the players on the bench can come on and change the game if we need it,” said the Norway international.

“The competition for places is huge and I think that is a great thing for us and helps a lot.

“You see in training every day the quality we have so everyone has to be on their best every day in training and that’s a good thing and will help us improve as a team as well.”

On Ramsdale’s response to being dropped at Goodison Park, having started England’s friendly victory over Scotland just a few days previously, Odegaard added: “I think he will just keep working hard, like he is always doing.

“He was there supporting us, cheering for us, helping us. He is a great character and he showed a very good response today by backing his team-mates, being there and giving us energy.

“Excellent from him. We have two good goalkeepers there and it’s big competition.

“Two top goalkeepers, different qualities, and both so good on the ball and in the goal as well.

“We are lucky to have two such good goalkeepers and we will see who will play, but both of them are excellent.”

Victory at Goodison Park, where they had not won in their previous five visits, was psychologically important to keep pace with the rest of their top-four rivals and the manner of the performance, having to grind out three points despite not being at their best, was pleasing for the Gunners captain.

“It was a tough one. We knew it was a tough place to come, it’s been a tough place for Arsenal for a long time, but I think we did really well and deserved the win as well so very happy,” he added.

“It’s a tough team and they play a bit different, and we had to deal with a lot of different things.

“But we knew it would be a tough game, but were ready for it and I think we did really well on the pitch to fight and get the goal in the end so credit to the team and happy for the win.”

What the papers say

Potential ins and outs at Manchester United continue to attract plenty of attention with Scott Mctominay again linked with a move away from Old Trafford. The Daily Mirror reports the Scotland midfielder, 26, is a potential alternative for Bayern Munich if they are unable to lure Joao Palhinha, 28, from Fulham in the January transfer window.

Israel youngster Oscar Gloukh is being linked with a move to Old Trafford, according to The Sun. Arsenal and Liverpool are also believed to be tracking the 19-year-old attacking midfielder from Red Bull Salzburg.

Brighton are poised to swoop for Boca Juniors teenage left-back Valentina Barco, reports The Sun. The Seagulls are expected to make a fresh move for the 19-year-old Argentine before the transfer window opens.

Nottingham Forest have reignited their interest in 17-year-old winger Tom Watson from Sunderland, according to The Sun.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Nico Williams: Aston Villa have joined Liverpool and Barcelona in monitoring the 21-year-old Spain winger at Athletic Bilbao.

Hugo Ekitike: The 21-year-old Paris St-Germain striker is interesting West Ham and Crystal Palace.

Captain Son Heung-min knows Tottenham’s “family” will continue to stand behind “strong” Richarlison but hopes Saturday’s match-winning contribution by the Brazilian can boost his confidence.

Richarlison turned his poor form on his head by coming off the bench to equalise in the eighth minute of stoppage time against Sheffield United before he set up Dejan Kulusevski’s winner two minutes later in a dramatic 2-1 victory.

The ex-Everton forward scored only once in the Premier League last season following a £60million move and was pictured in tears while on international duty after he fired more blanks for Brazil during the past week before he later revealed his desire to seek “psychological help” upon his return to England.

Saturday’s display off the bench was the perfect tonic for Richarlison after he spoke openly on Tuesday night about the “turbulent time” he has experienced during the past five months and he earned praise from his skipper following a euphoric triumph in N17.

“Not only me, everyone in the squad and club was very happy for Richy,” Son said.

“It was tough for him and we all hoped that this game would help his confidence. He changed the whole game, that’s what we were waiting for.

“Richy, probably everyone is not happy when not in the starting XI but we know how important it is to come on and change the game like he did or Ivan (Perisic), Brennan (Johnson), Emerson (Royal), Pierre (Hojbjerg).

“Everyone did a really good job. It’s important to keep an eye on it.

“For Richy, everyone is very happy for him.

“Richy is a really strong guy, a good character and can always bounce back strong, but when you have a tough time you need good people around you.

“I always try to be a friend of him and if he needs anything then I can help him from my experience or playing-wise, also. I think everyone is standing behind him helping. He did an amazing job for this club.”

Tottenham’s last-gasp success on Saturday has added to the growing optimism in north London and the dramatic nature contributed towards jubilant full-time scenes.

The whole Spurs squad ran towards a packed South Stand to celebrate and Sonny was eager to push Richarlison out on his own to accept the acclaim.

New head coach Ange Postecoglou has quickly changed the mood at the club and a family feel is now present amongst the playing group.

Asked about trying to make Richarlison soak up the applause, Son added: “This is part of family. We always want to have a good time when we play with each other.

“Richy obviously had a very tough time, a tough season. But I was very, very happy. I was probably more happy than him!

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“We need him as a team, he has really good quality but the confidence is massively different. For Richy, I just wanted to give him the big hug he deserved and he really showed his quality.

“We are still on the way. Obviously it is big games especially like this that make it more tighter and closer as a group.

“I think obviously you can’t compare to the real family but we are getting really, really tight in the changing rooms.

“Everyone is working for each other, everyone is running for each other, everyone is fighting for each other. If someone comes off, you give a hand and everyone is happy to do that.

“That makes us really strong as a team and a group. We’re getting really close. We hope we can be even tighter than this.”

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