Kieran Tierney was “gutted” to be overlooked for Arsenal’s win over Liverpool last weekend but says “I’m not going to be angry.”

Takehiro Tomiyasu got the nod at left-back over Tierney in the absence of Oleksandr Zinchenko, who has made an impressive start to his Gunners career after his move from Manchester City.

Japan international Tomiyasu kept Reds forward Mohamed Salah quiet in a 3-2 win at the Emirates Stadium that put Mikel Arteta’s side back on top of the Premier League.

Scotland international Tierney has vowed to try and earn his place back rather than feel sorry for himself.

"I'm gutted, that's all it is," he told Sky Sports. "I'm not going to be angry, I'm not going to try hard, I'm gutted because I want to play every opportunity I can.

"Especially in the big games, you want to play and soak in the atmosphere. There's nothing I can say. We went out and won and Tomiyasu played amazing and the game plan worked. 

"I'm learning, I’m dealing with it, but it is tough, football is what I want to play.  Unfortunately, I’ve not played too many but every time I get a chance to play, I'm so grateful. I work as hard as I possibly can for the team.

"I'll just try and get my head down, work hard. I can't change anything other than how I approach training, how I work. So I'm just trying as hard as I possibly trying to work my way back in."

Arsenal travel to Leeds United on Sunday looking for a seventh consecutive win.

Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz has signed a new long-term contract with the Premier League club.

Arsenal were said to have made two bids for the Brazil international during the last transfer window, with reports suggesting the Gunners' second offer of £23million fell some way short of Villa's £40m valuation.

Luiz's previous contract with Steven Gerrard's side was set to expire at the end of this season, and the 24-year-old was also linked with Serie A champions Milan.

However, Luiz has agreed a new deal to remain Villa Park, where he arrived in 2019 following a two-year spell at Manchester City.

He told the club's official website: "I love this club. This club opened the door for me when I came to England to play in the Premier League. I'm so happy because I’m staying here and my choice is here."

Luiz is set to face Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday, with boss Gerrard under pressure following a poor start to the season.

Antonio Conte claimed he has never been worried about the form of strike duo Son Heung-min and Harry Kane as Tottenham prepare to host Everton on Saturday.

Son endured an underwhelming start to the 2022-23 campaign, failing to score in Spurs' first six Premier League games before hitting a hat-trick in a 6-2 thrashing of Leicester City last month.

While those goals remain Son's only domestic strikes of the season, he scored a brace – including a crashing left-footed volley – as Tottenham earned a 3-2 Champions League win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday. 

Speaking ahead of Tottenham's meeting with the Toffees, Conte said Son's quality prevents him from fretting about any lack of goals, adding he would feel the same if Kane endured a drought.

"I wasn't really worried about Sonny, or maybe last season, if Harry didn't score goals," Conte said on Friday. "We are talking about two important players for us, they work very well.

"It can happen during the season that you have a period where you can't score or are a bit unlucky, but I repeat, we are talking about two important strikers.

"For sure, by the end of the season, I know that they are going to score more goals to help us do our best."

Kane's tally of eight Premier League goals this season is only bettered by Manchester City's Erling Haaland (15), and the England captain has scored 13 goals in 14 league appearances against Everton.

That return includes six doubles – only Alan Shearer has scored multiple goals against a specific opponent more often in the competition (seven times v Leeds United; six braces, one hat-trick).

Kane's form has helped Tottenham cope with the absence of fellow attacker Dejan Kulusevski, who has been ruled out since last month after sustaining a hamstring injury.

Conte pledged not to take any "stupid" risks with Kulusevski's fitness as he ruled the Sweden international out of Saturday's match, adding: "We have the same players from the last game. 

"Deki is still not available for the Everton game. The rest of the players are okay. 

"We need to have a bit of patience with him, and to not take any stupid risks because we play a lot of games between now and November.

"It's important he recovers very well, and in this moment he is not 100 per cent in perfect physical condition. For this reason, it's good to respect the opinions of the doctors."

Conte has seen his sides keep clean sheets in all six of his Premier League meetings with Everton. Should Tottenham shut Frank Lampard's men out this week, the Spurs boss will match Roberto Mancini (seven v Wigan Athletic) for the most games against a single side without conceding in the competition as coach.

Chelsea head coach Graham Potter has given his backing to Steven Gerrard following a poor start to the season for Aston Villa.

Villa have won just two of their opening nine Premier League matches, sitting just three points above the relegation zone with only Wolves having scoring fewer than their goal tally of seven.

That has resulted in boss Gerrard coming under pressure, with speculation that Villa could move on from the former Liverpool captain if results do not improve.

Potter has made it clear that the situation can change swiftly, adding that there is "always somebody under pressure" in England's top flight.

"The margins are very small in the Premier League - I'm sure Steven will want to improve their results," he said ahead of Chelsea's trip to Villa on Sunday.

"If they had beaten Forest they would have gone above Liverpool so that shows you how quick things change.

"There's always somebody under pressure in the Premier League and at the moment it's Steven."

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says he is "not thinking one second" over a potential contract extension as his team prepare to face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

Having joined City in 2016 and led them to four of the last five Premier League titles, Guardiola's side once again look favourites to win the league.

They are the only remaining unbeaten team in the Premier League this season and are kept off the top spot by just Arsenal.

But with Guardiola's current set to expire at the end of the 2022-23 season, there are fears he may depart in similar fashion to the sabbatical period he took when leaving Barcelona in 2012 if a new agreement is not made.

However, Guardiola says he is not even considering his contract situation yet. 

"You know I am not thinking one second about that," he said.

"We have two or three weeks until the World Cup and this is an important time. After that, we have plenty of time to talk about that."

Sunday's fixture sees City face their closest competitors over the past couple of years, with the Citizens and Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool finishing as the top two in three of the past five campaigns.

After finishing as runners-up in both the Premier League and Champions League last term, Liverpool have struggled at the beginning of this season, winning just two of their eight league games and already finding themselves 13 points behind City and 14 behind leaders Arsenal.

Liverpool's star forward Mohamed Salah has faced particular criticism for his poor start, but Guardiola believes the Egypt international will come good.

"These type of players always score goals in their career," Guardiola added. "Sometimes they struggle a little bit, but the quality is there.

"They get chances, they convert it. We played many times against Liverpool. Just because Salah isn't scoring goals now doesn't mean he's not going to score."

Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool will experience a familiar rush heading into Sunday's clash with Manchester City, despite writing off their Premier League title chances.

Klopp has openly dismissed the possibility of the Reds contending for top spot this term, having already slipped 14 points behind leaders Arsenal and 13 adrift of champions City.

Liverpool have regularly been City's closest challengers in recent seasons, twice taking them to the final day and winning the title themselves in 2019-20.

As such, matches between the two teams have made for compelling viewing, with the championship seemingly on the line.

Yet Klopp, while acknowledging his side will not be celebrating come May, suggests the title element could still be relevant this weekend as Liverpool welcome City – "definitely the best football team in the world" – to Anfield.

"It could be [a title decider] this year... just not with us," Klopp said.

"When you play City, the results left and right are not really important. This game requires all your focus, requires all the things you know about football.

"I enjoy preparing the game really, but it's the biggest challenge you can face in football.

"Football is all about closing down spaces, closing down players, making challenges in the right areas, these kind of things. With City, it's always: if you close down here, they are there; if you close down that gap, you open up that gap. The pitch is so big, and we have only 10 players to close all the gaps.

"It's always a challenge. It's not that we now feel different; it's a home game, it's Anfield, it's us against Man City.

"They are, at the moment, definitely the best football team in the world, that's how it is. But we will give it a try anyway, knowing there are no guarantees. We get help from a full Anfield and we try to use that."

Liverpool come into the match on a high after winning 7-1 against Rangers in the Champions League.

That was an encouraging result and performance for Klopp, but having also beaten Bournemouth 9-0 this season before again struggling, he added a joke at his team's expense.

"It's helpful when these boys at least still know where the goal is," he said. "We just need to spread the goals a bit more to different games.

"We should not focus on one, then nine, then seven, then nil. We know that."

Jurgen Klopp became aware of Erling Haaland's "insane" potential when he faced Liverpool with Salzburg, and the Reds boss believes the striker has found "a perfect fit" at Manchester City.

Liverpool were drawn into the same Champions League group as Haaland's Salzburg in the 2019-20 season.

Then 19, having hit a hat-trick against Genk on his Champions League debut, Haaland netted in a 4-3 defeat at Anfield.

The Norway international has scarcely stopped scoring since, earning moves to Klopp's former club Borussia Dortmund and then City, where he has an astonishing 20 goals in 13 games in all competitions.

Ahead of facing Haaland again on Sunday in the Premier League, Klopp was asked for his take on the dominant forward.

"Even when he was very young, younger than he is now, you could see the potential was insane," Klopp said.

"Physically, he sets new standards. The combination of being really physical and technical and [having] sensational awareness, his orientation on the pitch is exceptional, he is barely offside, he resets really well – there are so many things that make him a striker.

"Now, at City, he has some of the best players around him in the world in setting up goals and finding the right moment for the passes, with Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, [Riyad] Mahrez, whoever. They all are really good at that.

"It's a perfect fit, there is no doubt about that."

Asked how Haaland might compare to other elite forwards, with Robert Lewandowski name-checked as a player Klopp worked with previously, the Liverpool manager said: "For Erling, I think it's that he combines so many things, and it's rare.

"His finishing skills are exceptional, but he also moves really smart. You can only use the speed if you use it in a smart way, because just running is not helpful if you forget the ball or whatever. Especially behind the line, you need to make sure that you are patient enough in not being offside.

"The package makes him special."

So, do Liverpool have any special plans for dealing with Haaland? That is tricky, Klopp said, when he plays for a side as good as City.

"When you play against, at the moment, the best striker in the world, you have to make sure he doesn't get that many balls," Klopp explained.

"That's what we will try, but against City, obviously the problem is if you close Haaland down with too many players then you open up gaps for all the other world-class players, so that will not make life easier.

"It's a challenge, a football problem. We will try to find solutions."

Reece James is set to see a specialist this weekend to assess the injury he suffered in Chelsea's midweek victory over Milan, amid reports he could miss the upcoming World Cup.

James was forced off in the victory at San Siro and the Daily Mail has subsequently reported he sustained ligament damage, which could rule him out for between six and eight weeks.

Chelsea boss Graham Potter was questioned on James' situation ahead of Sunday's meeting with Aston Villa, but was unable to provide a definitive timeframe for the defender's recovery.

"Reece is due to see a specialist over the weekend so until we get that information there's not too much I can add. We will wait and see," Potter said in Friday's news conference.

"There's discomfort so we just need to check and see a specialist.

"When we spoke yesterday he didn't feel so bad, but you need to get things checked and see the way forward."

Any long-term absence for James would represent a severe blow for Gareth Southgate's England, particularly with fellow right-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kyle Walker also battling injuries.

Chelsea will also be without N'Golo Kante and Wesley Fofana for Sunday's clash against Villa, and Potter provided an update on the pair.

"Kante is due to see a consultant at the weekend. It's a setback and it's not good news. But at this stage, I can't give you anything more," he added.

"Fofana is progressing where he was. I don't think we'll see him before the World Cup."

Pep Guardiola is ignoring Liverpool's below-par start to the Premier League season ahead of Manchester City's trip to Anfield on Sunday, declaring: "Nothing changes what I feel about Liverpool."

City and Liverpool have finished as the Premier League's top two teams in three of the last four seasons, but the Reds trail the champions by 13 points after a poor start to the new campaign.

Liverpool's tally of 10 points is their lowest at this stage of a season since 2012-13 (nine), and Jurgen Klopp's team have already lost as many league games this campaign as they did throughout the entirety of last term (two).

That form represents quite the drop-off for a side who went tantalisingly close to a stunning quadruple in 2021-22, but Guardiola believes City will still face a stern test.

"I had the feeling at Anfield we have played really well [in the past]," Guardiola said on Friday. "It's different circumstances, but you have to behave at a top, top level. 

"In Anfield, winning or losing, we have behaved with an incredible personality. It's a football game, Liverpool is important because of the quality they have.

"Liverpool were going for a prestigious achievement of four titles. For two little details, they didn't achieve what no English team has done.

"I pay zero attention to them being in a good moment or bad moment. They know in the last years, we have fought for most of the competitions and titles, and it's been really close.

"We were a bit better, especially in the Premier League, but nothing changes what I feel about Liverpool."

Pushed on whether Liverpool remain title contenders, Guardiola said: "Liverpool have always been our biggest challengers, and they will be now. Being in the position that we are, with the World Cup, anything can happen."

City have picked up four points from their last two league trips to Anfield, just one fewer than they earned in their previous 17 visits to Liverpool (D5 L12).

Should Guardiola's men avoid defeat on Sunday, it will represent the first time they have done so in three consecutive away league games against Liverpool since December 1992.

City's efforts could be hampered by the absences of England trio Kalvin Phillips, John Stones and Kyle Walker, but Guardiola says Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva are raring to go after being rested at Copenhagen on Tuesday.

"John Stones will be back in, I don't know, maybe one week or 10 days. Kalvin is doing really well, but Kyle is out," Guardiola said.

"We have a lot of games, like all the teams. Players are recovering better. Erling could not play all the games last season. Bernardo was tired, but they feel good and are ready for Sunday."

Haaland has only played nine Premier League games for City, but he has already broken the records for most goals (15) and goal involvements (18) in a player's first 10 outings in the competition.

The Norwegian is just one goal away from matching the record for most goals scored by a player across any 10-game stint in Premier League history, set by former Liverpool attacker Luis Suarez – who from October to December 2013 scored 16 goals for the Reds.

Erik ten Hag says Marcus Rashford is still "on a really good run" despite consecutive blanks and backed the Manchester United forward to get back on the scoresheet against Newcastle United this weekend.

The forward has been in superb form since United kick-started their season under the Dutchman, and netted twice in last week's Europa League win over Omonia Nicosia.

But the attacker failed to find the back of the net in both of their subsequent games, coming away empty-handed against Everton in the Premier League and then again in the return European fixture against the Cypriot outfit.

Ten Hag, however, is unconcerned by the mini-drought and tipped Rashford, who is eyeing a recall to the England fold in time for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, to return to form.

"Sometimes, it is the game," he said. "It just isn't your night, but it can change in another game. He is on a really good run. Maybe he's saving it for the coming week.

"He knows that he has to be more clinical, that he has to score a goal. When you have such good movements, when you make such good combinations, you have to finish."

Ten Hag also touched on the injury situations of Anthony Martial and Harry Maguire, revealing the former could feature against the Magpies, while the latter will likely return to full team training next week.

The former, back in the United fold after a lacklustre loan spell with Sevilla last season, has impressed on his limited appearances this term, with three goals and two assists in four games, but Ten Hag still wants to see more.

"We have seen [his skill] from his dribble capabilities, his speed, his finishing," he added. "Now, he has to work on more variation. He is a player who can adapt quickly to a high level.

"He likes challenges. Every game is a challenge, and he'll make the best out of it. I think there is a lot of space for improvement, but he is already really good."

Eddie Howe is not focusing on the possibility of Newcastle United making a "statement" by beating Manchester United or Tottenham over the next 10 days.

Newcastle head into this weekend sixth in the Premier League, just a point and a place behind next opponents United.

The Magpies follow up Sunday's match at Old Trafford by playing Everton at home in midweek and then, the following Sunday, visiting Tottenham, who are six points better off in third.

Since Howe's first match in charge last November, a resurgent Newcastle have earned 58 points to United's 56 – albeit having played a game more.

That has encouraged talk of a top-six finish this season, but Arsenal are the only 'big six' team they have beaten in that time, meaning Howe was asked on Friday if he needed a "statement" win to be taken seriously as European contenders.

"I'm not looking for statement wins. I'm just looking for wins," he replied. "I'm just looking to try to win our next game.

"I always let you guys [the media] do your job, but my focus has to be day to day and week to week, and that's what it will be."

He added: "There will be a lot of opinion and a lot of predicting of the future, and we can't get involved in that.

"It's a waste of my energy and the team's energy. Let's just focus on the next match."

Another question put to Howe pondered whether Newcastle now had "the best Bruno in the Premier League", as Bruno Guimaraes takes on Bruno Fernandes for the first time.

Guimaraes was signed after Newcastle's last meeting with United last December, debuting at the start of February.

Since then, he has scored seven goals and assisted two in 23 matches, while Fernandes, from the same number of games and playing in a more advanced role, has only six goal involvements.

"I think Bruno Fernandes is a fantastic player," Howe said. "I think they've actually got a lot of similarities to their games. I think technically they're very good.

"Maybe Bruno Fernandes plays a little bit higher up the pitch, but Bruno, our Bruno, can do exactly the same. He's got the versatility of playing deeper.

"They're two great technicians, and I enjoy watching both of them play."

Gabriel Martinelli produced another outstanding display in a thriller against Liverpool last weekend and the Arsenal forward can torment Leeds United on Sunday.

If you have overlooked Martinelli for your fantasy team so far this season, now is the time to see the error of your ways and pick the Brazil international before he wreaks havoc at Elland Road.

Tottenham duo Harry Kane and Eric Dier can also rack up the points when they face Everton in the Premier League.

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is enjoying a new lease of life with Graham Potter at the helm and that could continue this weekend.

It's that time of the week when you need to be finalising your fantasy selections and help is at hand, as Stats Perform pick out the Opta data to point you in the right direction.

Kepa Arrizabalaga (Aston Villa v Chelsea)

Chelsea have made a great start to life under Potter and Kepa Arrizabalaga is certainly enjoying a new era at Stamford Bridge.

The Spaniard has taken over from Edouard Mendy as Chelsea's first-choice goalkeeper, and he has not conceded in the Blues' past three matches.

Of keepers who have played at least 180 minutes in the Premier League this season, only Neto (81.82 per cent) has a better save percentage than Kepa's 80. Only Wolves (3) have a lower goal tally than Aston Villa's seven in the top flight in the 2022-23 campaign, so Kepa looks like your man between the sticks this weekend.

Eric Dier (Tottenham v Everton)

Only Ruben Dias (4) has kept more clean sheets among defenders than Spurs centre-back Dier (3) this season.

The England international has also scored twice, with goal always a bonus for defenders in the battle for fantasy football prizes.

Everton have scored just the eight goals in nine Premier League games this season, so you can get a good return from putting Dier in your side.

Gabriel Martinelli (Leeds United v Arsenal)

Martinelli has scored four goals and provided two assists for leaders Arsenal this season.

Both assists have come in his past two matches and he stunned Liverpool with an early opening goal in a 3-2 thriller last Sunday.

Only Kevin De Bruyne (30) and Mohamed Salah (26) have created more chances than Martinelli's 20 this season. He could be too hot for Leeds to handle at Elland Road.

Harry Kane (Tottenham v Everton)

Spurs talisman Kane has scored in four consecutive Premier League games and he was also on target in a midweek Champions League win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Only Erling Haaland (15)  can boast a better goal tally than Kane's eight in the top flight this season, while he is also one of only two players to have both 15 shots on target and 15 chances created (16 and 17). 

Kane's scoring streak can continue when he comes up against the Toffees, who could be up against it in the capital.

Joao Felix is increasingly frustrated with life at Atletico Madrid after dropping out of the starting XI in recent games.

The 22-year-old Portuguese is yet to score for the side in LaLiga or the Champions League this season and was an unused substitute in the midweek 0-0 draw with Club Brugge.

Atleti boss Diego Simeone has preferred Antoine Griezmann, Alvaro Morata, Matheus Cunha and Angel Correa in attack recently.

TOP STORY – JOAO FELIX WANTS ATLETICO EXIT

Joao Felix has requested to leave Atletico Madrid in January, reports Fichajes.

The forward is frustrated that he has been used sparingly, largely outside the starting XI this term.

Joao Felix's contract runs until 2026 and it will likely require a hefty fee to sign him from Atleti, who paid €126 million for him in 2019.

Relevo claims that Atleti are not considering selling the Portuguese any time soon.

ROUND-UP

– ​ Frenkie de Jong is growing frustrated at his lack of first-team opportunities at Barcelona and will look to exit the club in January should the situation not improve, claims SPORT. De Jong was at the centre of a drawn-out off-season saga, amid links to Manchester United.

– Granit Xhaka will earn a contract extension at Arsenal, reports Football Insider. Xhaka, who is out of contract in 2024, has been in top form this term and will be rewarded after the World Cup.

– Chelsea have an interest in RB Leipzig's Austria international midfielder Konrad Laimer, reports Bild. Laimer is out of contract at the end of this season and the Blues will look to sign him for free if he is not sold in January.

– Chelsea along with Arsenal are now also keen on pursuing Rennes winger Jeremy Doku, claims Fichajes. The 20-year-old is already being chased by Liverpool, Napoli and Juventus.

– Bild also claims Chelsea are monitoring versatile Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard.

– The Telegraph reports Thomas Tuchel is interested in the England managerial role should Gareth Southgate depart after this year's World Cup. The German has reportedly declined two Premier League jobs since leaving Chelsea last month.

Roberto Firmino was not supposed to be Liverpool's go-to man this season. If widespread reports were anything to go by, Firmino himself did not even envisage himself being at Anfield this campaign.

And yet here we are, midway through October, and no Liverpool player – not even the £350,000-a-week Mohamed Salah, despite his record-breaking six-minute hat-trick against Rangers – has played a part in more goals in all competitions this season than Firmino's eight.

Far from being the odd man out following the arrivals of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez this year, Firmino has regularly stepped up for the Reds this season and is surely in contention to start Sunday's Premier League showdown against Manchester City.

Liverpool quite simply have to win at Anfield, where Firmino will come face-to-face with Europe's hottest striker in Erling Haaland, a player boasting 20 goals – six more than anyone else in Europe's top-five leagues – from his 13 appearances for City and feeling refreshed after a midweek rest. 

Ahead of the meeting between the Premier League's two most dominant forces over the past four seasons, Stats Perform looks at Firmino's figures in more detail and just why he may hold the key to Liverpool getting the better of the champions.

KLOPP'S FAITH PAYS OFF

Amid all the noise surrounding Firmino's future heading into the 2022-23 campaign, with Juventus said to be in advanced talks to sign him, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp branded the forward "the heart and soul" of the team.

No wonder the German thinks so highly of the 31-year-old, with no Liverpool player playing more games (332), featuring for more minutes (23,899) or registering more assists (70) during Klopp's seven years in charge.

The arrivals of Diaz and Nunez, plus the impressive form of Diogo Jota, looked as though it would curtail Firmino's playing time, but he started three of Liverpool's opening four matches of the campaign, including the Community Shield win over City.

Firmino failed to register a single goal or assist in any of those matches, yet he retained the faith of Klopp – albeit helped by Jota being injured and Nunez suspended – and truly kick-started his campaign in the 9-0 thrashing of Bournemouth at the end of August.

In that game, a joint-record winning margin for a side in Premier League history, Firmino became the first Liverpool player to be directly involved in four goals in the first half of a match in the competition en route to scoring two and assisting three. If a reminder was needed of Firmino's qualities, this was very much it.

An important equaliser followed in Liverpool's next match, a late 2-1 win over Newcastle United; two goals to drag Liverpool back from two goals down in a 3-3 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion; another equaliser, this time in defeat to Arsenal; and then another two-goal and an assist showing in the 7-1 midweek Champions League rout of Rangers.

Those 12 goals and assists in all competitions is level with Salah's tally for the season, and double that of next-best Diaz, who has started three games more than the Brazil international. Per minute, no Liverpool player is performing better this season in an attacking sense.

FIRMINO THE FOCAL POINT

Perhaps most remarkable of all as focus turns to Liverpool's meeting with City, Firmino is only one goal short of Haaland's tally for October (five goals compared to six). Across clubs from Europe's top-five leagues, when taking all competitions into account, Monaco's Wissam Ben Yedder is the only other player with five or more goals this month.

Firmino's five goals have come from an expected goals (xG) value of 1.43, incidentally, compared to six from an xG of 3.03 for Haaland – a difference of 3.57 and 2.97 respectively, suggesting the quality of Firmino's chances have been lower than those teed up for Haaland.

That is not to say Firmino is in the same league as Haaland right now – who is? – but on a personal level this is by some way his best start to a campaign for Liverpool. His eight goals after 11 games is at least two more than he has managed in his previous seven seasons at Anfield, while only in 2019-20 has he had more assists than his four this term.

But exactly why is that? Playing against a Bournemouth side unable to defend any balls into the box has admittedly skewed the figures somewhat, though it is clear to see that Firmino's game has also changed this season compared to last.

Just under 11 per cent of his touches of the ball in the Premier League this season have come within the width of the goal inside the penalty area, which is an increase on a figure of six per cent last time out. It was further back last season, and more towards the right, that he more occasionally touched the ball.

Indeed, all eight of his goals this season have come from that central zone inside the box – one via his head, three with his left foot and four with his right. 

Another interesting aspect of Firmino's game this season has been his movement, or more specifically his off-the-ball runs into the penalty area. He has made 89 of them in the Premier League in his 468 minutes on the field, which is the most per 90 minutes (17.1) of any player, followed by Haaland (14.1).

That may well be a tactic Liverpool will aim to take full advantage of against City, a side in which Firmino has scored or assisted against seven times in 14 top-flight appearances – only versus Arsenal (13 combined) does he have a better record against among top-five clubs.

So while plenty of the build-up to Sunday's showdown will – justifiably – be centred around Haaland and his remarkable scoring run, Liverpool will have born-again Bobby to call upon in a game they simply must win if they are to keep alive any hopes of challenging for the title.

Bukayo Saka was thrilled his fortuitous goal gave Arsenal a hard-fought 1-0 away win at Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League to continue their strong start to the season.

A lovely move in the 24th minute gave Saka the ball in the box and, though his initial shot was deflected, it came back off the 21-year-old and nestled into the back of the net to put the Gunners ahead.

Though they underwent spells of sustained pressure in the second period as the hosts pushed for an equaliser, Arsenal held on to make it 11 wins from 12 in all competitions to start the campaign and put them on nine points at the top of Group A.

Bodo had won 14 consecutive home games in European competition prior to the defeat and Saka knew it would be hard work putting an end to that run.

"It was very difficult, and we knew that before," Saka told BT Sport. "There's no way they can win their last 14 games in Europe here and we'll come here and it will be easy."

Asked about his unorthodox winner, the England international added: "I think it came off my lips!"

Bodo had multiple chances to level the game, with Amahl Pellegrino spurning a couple of great opportunities while Runar Espejord and Ola Solbakken also went close.

But Saka had little sympathy for the Norwegian champions after the match, recounting previous experiences of being on the end of unjust results.

"This is football, if you don't score you get punished," Saka added. "We've had games like that and we've left the game feeling quite hard done by, but you quickly learn this is football.

"It was quite end-to-end, it was quite difficult. I feel like they were on us for quite a big period, especially in the second half.

"They did well. That's why it's extra nice for us to leave here with three points because we know how difficult it was out there."

Arsenal return to London with another three points, but Saka wants his team-mates to re-sharpen their focus ahead of Sunday's Premier League trip to Leeds United, who are yet to lose at Elland Road this season.

"We have to be happy with the three points and focus on Sunday," he added.

"Like I always say, we have to keep focus on each game because each game is coming every three days and it's getting more and more difficult, so we have to keep our focus as high as ever and try and win each game."

When questioned on his own personal goals, Saka replied: "To win.

"It's the most important thing for me. I'm a big believer in being a team player first, so if the team wins, I leave the pitch happy."