Antony was not included in Ajax's matchday squad for Sunday's Eredivisie clash with Sparta Rotterdam amid ongoing links with a move to Manchester United.

The Brazil international is rumoured to have already been the subject of a £67million (€78.9m) bid by United, which the Dutch giants are said to have turned down.

Speaking in an interview published in De Telegraaf on Saturday, Antony suggested his future may lie away from Amsterdam, where he has spent the past two seasons.

And amid reports in the Netherlands that Antony has sat out training this week to help facilitate a move away, the 22-year-old played no part against Sparta on Sunday.

Antony spent two seasons playing under Erik ten Hag, who is now in charge of United, and played a direct part in 22 goals in 33 appearances in all competitions last time out.

He has started the 2022-23 campaign in good form with two goals in his first three outings under new head coach Alfred Schreuder.

United have already brought in Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia this window, while a deal is in place to sign Casemiro from Real Madrid.

Manchester United risk being "destroyed" by Liverpool if they fail to improve on their poor early-season performances, according to former Red Devils striker Louis Saha.

The Red Devils are bottom of the embryonic Premier League table – the first time that has happened since 1992-93 – after losing their opening two matches.

After being outplayed in a 2-1 home loss to Brighton and Hove Albion, United were thumped 4-0 at Brentford last weekend on a chastening day for new boss Erik ten Hag.

It is the first time in 30 years that United have started a season with back-to-back league losses and life does not get any easier for Ten Hag, with Liverpool up next on Monday.

Liverpool have themselves had a slower-than-expected start to the 2022-23 campaign, having played out draws with Fulham and Crystal Palace so far.

That makes Monday's contest the first time in Premier League history that these two sides have entered this fixture each seeking their first win of the season.

While a meeting with last season's runners-up is hardly an ideal fixture for an out-of-form United, Saha believes it could provide a good opportunity to kickstart their season.

"I think it’s going to be a surprising game," he told Stats Perform. "Liverpool are not playing at the same level as before. There are some questions about how they have started.

"I think it's a good and positive game for Manchester United to react. The opening 30 minutes are going to be very important.

"If United don't provide a good contest all the way through, they can be destroyed as any team can against Liverpool.

"But if they find the right spirit, like we saw during pre-season, then it could be an amazing game to watch."

Manchester United-bound Casemiro achieved legendary status at Real Madrid and thus deserved the right to decide his own future, according to Los Blancos president Florentino Perez.

Erik ten Hag's United have struck a deal with Madrid for a reported initial fee of around £60million (€70.7m) to sign the Brazil international.

The midfielder will reportedly move to Old Trafford on a four-year deal as Ten Hag attempts to improve a disappointing United side that sits bottom of the embryonic Premier League table.

Well wishes from team-mates and supporters alike have flooded in for midfield enforcer Casemiro, who has lifted five Champions League titles and three LaLiga trophies during his time in the Spanish capital.

Madrid chief Perez, who will appear alongside Casemiro at his farewell presentation on Monday, was quick to express his gratitude to the 30-year-old as he prepares for a new challenge in Manchester.

"Casemiro is a legend, he has earned the right to decide what he wants to do for everything he has given us," Perez told DAZN. 

"Next Monday, we will give him recognition with a tribute at the Ciudad Deportiva [training ground] for how much he has done for this club."

Casemiro will not arrive on English shores in time for the Premier League clash with Liverpool on Monday, though he may make his debut against Southampton the following week.

Madrid will still have the evergreen Luka Modric and Toni Kroos to call upon, along with Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and new signing Aurelien Tchouameni among Carlo Ancelotti's midfield ranks.

Los Blancos have started their LaLiga defence with back-to-back wins after thrashing Celta Vigo 4-1 on Saturday, and Perez assured the club will fight to defend their Spanish and European honours.

"We are facing this season with great enthusiasm, we believe that we have a great team and that we have a magnificent coach," he added.

"We are obsessed with fighting until the end and what a good result [Ancelotti] gave us last year, we are delighted."

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag should drop Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford for Monday's game with rivals Liverpool, according to Wayne Rooney.

United have made a slow start to life under Ten Hag, losing their first two games of the Premier League season, including a 4-0 humiliation at Brentford last weekend.

Much of the attention around the difficulties at Old Trafford has focused on Ronaldo, who reportedly wants to leave the club in search of Champions League football.

In his column for The Sunday Times, United's all-time top goalscorer Rooney expressed his belief that his former team-mate Ronaldo should be left out of the side, having previously said he thinks the club should agree to sell the Portugal international.

"The first priority is, against Liverpool, to just compete and have a go," he wrote. "Do that and the fans will accept it, even if United get beaten. Play like they did against Brentford, and United will suffer an even worse result than their 5-0 defeat by Liverpool last season.

"I don't expect that to happen, by the way – I can't see United winning, but I believe there'll be a reaction and they'll lose by the odd goal, or even snatch a draw.

"But I wouldn't play Cristiano Ronaldo, and I wouldn't play Marcus Rashford. If I was in Ten Hag's position my main concern would be getting energy on the pitch, and United's failure to recruit a No 9 means they relied on Ronaldo against Brentford, even though he hadn't trained a lot with the team. He looked like he needs time to get match fit.

"As for Marcus, I think he needs to do a lot of soul-searching and figure out what he wants, for his own good, before anything else. Because watching him is a real concern: he looks like he wants to be anywhere but on a football pitch. I haven't seen him smile on the field for a long time. His performances have dipped – he hasn't been selected by England for more than a year.

"I'm coming from a place of wanting the best for him. He's a lovely kid and a local lad who came through the ranks at United, who everyone wants to see doing well.

"But you look at the difference between Marcus now and when he first came into the team: the passion he showed, the smile on his face when he scored. It's night and day."

Rooney, whose D.C. United team suffered a 6-0 defeat at home to Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer on Saturday, also gave his opinion on United's impending signing of Casemiro from Real Madrid.

The Red Devils have been linked with a move for Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona throughout the transfer window, but turned their attention to the Brazil international last week, agreeing a deal in principle with the European champions for a fee of around £60million (€70.7m).

Rooney is not sure if the 30-year-old is what his former club needs, though admitted he is a talented player.

"Casemiro will not be eligible to face Liverpool, which is a pity because he will undoubtedly improve United," he wrote. "He's a good player. I've played against him and he'll bring a bit of character, a bit of work rate, but is he exactly what United need? I'm not sure.

"This goes back to the need to look to the future. Ideally, they should be signing players in their early to mid-twenties, and Casemiro is similar to Christian Eriksen – someone who has been a good player, but are they going to help the club move forward? Frenkie de Jong, Ten Hag's principal midfield target, would be a better fit.

"The Casemiro deal seems to have come from nowhere, and looks a reactive signing – I'd be surprised if he was a player identified as a priority to bring in when Ten Hag arrived. It looks like, having been unable to sign De Jong, United just reacted to Casemiro being available."

Bernardo Silva's future at Manchester City has been the subject of speculation throughout the transfer window.

The 28-year-old has another three years remaining on his contract with the reigning Premier League champions.

Despite that, rumours about interest from elsewhere have swirled, though City manager Pep Guardiola is desperate to keep him at the club.

TOP STORY – CITY TO OFFER SILVA NEW CONTRACT TO KEEP HIM IN MANCHESTER

Manchester City are set to offer Bernardo Silva a bumper new deal to stave off rival interest, claims the Sunday Star.

Both Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have been linked with the Portuguese midfielder over the past few months.

City slapped an £80million price tag on Silva to retain his services, but are now ready to offer him a new lucrative long-term deal.

ROUND UP

– Real Madrid are set to use the money generated by the sale of Casemiro to fund a deal for Borussia Dortmund's English midfielder Jude Bellingham, reports Marca.

– Chelsea and Everton are both weighing up a move for Brentford forward Ivan Toney, who has also been linked with Manchester United, according to The Sunday Mirror.

– Christian Pulisic will not be going to United, should he leave Chelsea, as he will only move to join a club playing in the Champions League, claims the Mail.

– Fabrizio Romano says Arsenal and Nice are deep into negotiations on a loan deal for Nicolas Pepe. Sevilla have been linked with Pepe but are yet to made a bid.

– Ismaila Sarr is close to a move from Watford to Aston Villa with the two clubs having a verbal agreement over a deal, according to Foot Mercato.

English football had a very different landscape in October 2010 when Fenway Sports Group won a court case to buy Liverpool.

The Reds had not won a league title in over 20 years, had lifted just two trophies in the previous nine, and had finished seventh in the Premier League the previous season.

Meanwhile, Manchester United would go on to win their 12th Premier League title at the end of the 2010-11 season, their 19th league win at the time, taking them one ahead of Liverpool overall.

The Merseyside club had allowed itself to drift and needed to learn lessons from their fiercest rivals.

When Tom Hicks and George Gillett bought Liverpool from David Moores in 2007, they brought with them promise of investment that should have enabled the club to finally catch up with United.

The Red Devils had timed their period of dominance perfectly, with the birth of the Premier League seeing an explosion in money and interest in the English game, and the combination of ambition, stability under Alex Ferguson and numerous smart decisions on and off the pitch cemented United as leaders domestically, while Liverpool struggled to keep up.

However, despite promises of a new stadium and backing of then manager Rafael Benitez, with Gillett famously saying: "If Rafa said he wanted to buy Snoogy Doogy, we would back him", initial investment dropped off quickly, before it became apparent that the American duo were more interested in taking money out of the club than putting it in.

A dramatic few days at the High Court in London essentially kept Liverpool from going under as Hicks and Gillett were forced to sell up, and a bright new dawn appeared to have arrived with the purchase by FSG (then known as New England Sports Ventures).

Having successfully turned around the fortunes of the Boston Red Sox in Major League Baseball, Liverpool's new owners set about trying to put in place the building blocks to do the same in English football.

Struggling manager Roy Hodgson was swiftly dismissed and replaced by club legend Kenny Dalglish, while Damien Comolli was appointed as director of football strategy, tasked with using the fabled 'moneyball' approach made famous in baseball, to the extent it was later made into a Hollywood film starring Brad Pitt.

It was indicative of the hit-and-miss nature of the approach in its early stages that the first two major investments were Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll, with one an undoubted success and the other a spectacular failure.

The strategy was adjusted after their first pre-season transfer window when significant money was spent on players who, on paper, were undervalued, but proved to still be overpriced in Stewart Downing and Charlie Adam, while a young Jordan Henderson had too much expected of him too soon.

Initial promise under Dalglish disappeared in the new owners' first full season in charge, with an eighth-place finish in the league, though reaching both domestic cup finals was not to be sniffed at, winning the EFL Cup against Cardiff City.

Dalglish always felt like a short-term stop gap to appease the fans and give FSG time to get to know the sport better, and their appointment of Brendan Rodgers in 2013 felt like the first that truly had their stamp on it.

Rodgers implemented a new style of play, and in his second season, very nearly won that elusive Premier League title, but fell agonisingly short.

Losing Suarez to Barcelona at the end of that campaign did not help matters, but worse still, the club's inability to replace him even slightly adequately – buying Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli – set them back further still.

When Liverpool lost 6-1 away to Stoke City on the final day of the 2014-15 season, it felt like all the hard work up until then had been undone, and on top of all that, club legend Steven Gerrard was retiring.

FSG had set up a transfer committee of sorts, with the idea that several heads were better than one, recruiting scouts Barry Hunter and Dave Fallows from Manchester City, and appointing Michael Edwards as technical director.

Rodgers did not seem to like working under those conditions, and a bizarre compromise appeared to be made in 2015 whereby the transfer committee would get to decide on one signing, such as Roberto Firmino, while Rodgers was allowed to decide on another, such as Christian Benteke.

It became apparent early in the 2015-16 season that this would not work, and so Rodgers was replaced by Jurgen Klopp, the man FSG had wanted before the Northern Irishman only to be turned down by the then Borussia Dortmund head coach.

Since then, everyone at Liverpool has pulled in the same direction, which has led to almost every major decision made being a correct one.

It has also caused the trophy cabinet to fill up again, with a Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup all being collected since the start of the 2018-19 season.

Their hit rate in the transfer market has been the envy of all major clubs, with the likes of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho and Alisson all coming in to significantly strengthen the team in recent years.

There has also been efficient continuity behind the scenes, with Edwards promoted to sporting director in 2016 and overseeing so much success in transfer dealings, and his exit at the end of last season saw Julian Ward replace him, having worked under Edwards, being prepared to pick up where he left off.

Naby Keita is arguably the only major signing since Klopp’s arrival that has not been a roaring success, and even the Guinea midfielders' struggles could be put down to his unfortunate injury issues.

By comparison, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher looked at United’s signings since 2013 on the most recent edition of Monday Night Football and came to the conclusion that only two of the 33 players listed could be considered successes (Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Bruno Fernandes).

United fans have been vocal in recent years around their opposition to the club's owners, the Glazer family, believing their own American custodians taking money out of the club has been stymying the ability to have success on the pitch.

The giants of English football that won 13 of the first 21 Premier League titles have not won any of the last nine since Ferguson's retirement in 2013, and have only lifted three trophies in that period.

There has still been significant investment on the pitch, in fact, far more than there has been at Liverpool.

Since FSG arrived in 2010, according to figures from Transfermarkt, with the addition of Casemiro from Real Madrid, United have spent over £1.47billion on players, with a net spend of around £1.08bn.

Liverpool have also spent plenty, with £1.12bn going out on players, but having made significantly more than their rivals in player sales, have a net spent in almost 12 years of just over £400m.

The key difference has been the intelligence of decisions being made rather than money being invested, which is where United need to focus to try and claw their way back towards the top again.

Their meeting on Monday actually sees both teams seeking their first wins of the season, but prospects at Liverpool still seem infinitely better whatever the outcome at Old Trafford.

It is surely now time for United to start learning lessons from Liverpool.

Pep Guardiola labelled Kalvin Phillips a "perfect" replacement for Fernandinho as he weighed up whether to hand the England midfielder his first Manchester City start against Newcastle United.

Guardiola also revealed talks with Phillips' former Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa proved crucial to City's decision to recruit the 26-year-old.

Phillips joined City from Leeds in a deal worth up to £45million in July, but he is yet to make a first competitive start for the Premier League champions after picking up an injury in training.  

But with Phillips back to full fitness and looking to make his full debut when City visit St. James' Park on Sunday, Guardiola has revealed how he was alerted to the midfielder's quality when Bielsa was coaching him in the second tier of English football.

"He [Bielsa] spoke about him three or four years ago," Guardiola said. "He spoke about him when he was in the Championship. 

"It was the first time I realised Kalvin Phillips played for Leeds and he [Bielsa] spoke with me: 'There is a guy who is really, really good, maybe not now for Manchester City but maybe one day he can play in the top teams.' 

"After he proved Marcelo was not wrong, [he was] promoted to Premier League and national team. 

"The steps they have done is for Kalvin's and Leeds' credit. After Fernandinho decided to go to Brazil, the rest is history.

"We were looking for a holding midfielder and we thought he was perfect for us."

Phillips helped Leeds to a ninth-placed finish upon their return to the Premier League in the 2020-21 campaign, and started every match for England as they fell narrowly short of victory at Euro 2020 last year.

And the City boss is confident he will provide stern competition for Rodri in the City midfield immediately, adding: "We don't have doubts, he is a national-team England player, he was working with Marcelo Bielsa, he's British, that helps in the Premier League a lot, too. 

"Last season he had injuries and you have to be careful right now with the little disturbances he had last week, to try to avoid it in the future. I am sure he is going to adapt.

"Of course he is going to have to know some things we are doing, now is the step forward for him in that position. 

"When September starts it is a game every three days, we will need him and he will prove how valuable he is – we don't have doubts. 

"We know he is an exceptional person; that helps a lot. We knew Kyle [Walker] and John [Stones] for the feel of the English national team players, so he has settled perfectly and so quick."

Bournemouth boss Scott Parker said his team's performance was "unacceptable" after they fell to a 3-0 defeat against Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Cherries, back in the top flight after promotion from the Championship last term, were dominated in their own back yard by a freewheeling showing from Mikel Arteta's side.

The hosts were so off the pace of their opponents that they failed to register a single shot or touch in the opposition penalty area during the first half, just the second time a home side has blanked in such a way since 2008-09 in the Premier League.

That first such occasion saw Bournemouth as the lacklustre team involved too, before Parker's time, against Manchester City in 2019.

Former Fulham boss Parker was stinging in his criticism after the full-time whistle.

"The first half was unacceptable from us in many ways," he told Sky Sports. "We needed to have humility in terms of understanding the dynamics of the game and what we were up against.

"I thought in terms of our body language and our dynamics, we were nowhere near it. Without that, when you're a team like us, there's no disgrace losing to Arsenal, but what is not acceptable is how we went about it in the first half.

"I didn't expect to see what I saw in the first half. I expected them to show a certain ingredient which we didn't show and it was far too easy in terms of recovery runs, getting back into shape and the quality we were playing against.

"There's some big learning to do regarding this game, which is a good thing, but we need to learn from that."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is confident that Gabriel Jesus can reach an even higher level following his magnificent start to life at the club.

Having scored twice and contributed two assists in a 4-2 win against Leicester City a week ago, the Brazilian was back at it in the Gunners' routine 3-0 victory over Bournemouth, playing a key role in the opening goal before teeing up Martin Odegaard's second.

While Arsenal's number nine was unable to get on the scoresheet, seeing a second-half effort chalked off after a VAR review, his all-round display offered further encouragement to the Gunners' supporters.

Arteta is understandably delighted with the contribution of his new leading man, but believes he still has room to improve.

"Those individual actions make the difference in football and Gabi is doing that week in, week out. He didn't score today but he was involved in the goals and his contribution to the team was outstanding," he told Sky Sports.

"He's still 25-years-old so he can still improve his level a lot. He's hungry enough and he has got a huge desire to get better and better, to be the best that he can be and that is what he needs to do."

Arteta's praise of Jesus was echoed by club captain Odegaard, who described playing with the Brazilian as "amazing".

"He is not just about the goals, he gives us so much in the play as well, he drops back to combine and he is brilliant in a lot of places in the game. It's amazing to play with him and we're really lucky to have him here," Odegaard said.

Arsenal have also seen Oleksandr Zinchenko settle quickly following his own arrival from City, while Fabio Vieira has returned to fitness following an injury setback and is awaiting his first-team debut.

Further signings may still be on the cards for the Gunners though, with Arteta confirming he has his eyes on additional recruits.

"We will try to the end, the transfer window is tricky at the moment. We would like to do something else but let's see what we can do," he declared.

Mohamed Salah believes under-fire Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is "a top coach", while the Liverpool forward acknowledges there is already "a little bit of pressure" on Liverpool heading into Monday's clash with their old rivals.

Jurgen Klopp's Reds make the trip to Old Trafford this weekend seeking a first win of the new Premier League campaign, having so far been held to draws by Fulham and Crystal Palace.

Liverpool are still in a better position than United, though, with new manager Ten Hag suffering consecutive defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford.

United's only goal under Ten Hag to date was a Brighton own goal, while their defensive failings have been ruthlessly exploited.

Despite those issues, Salah still believes United present a formidable proposition for Liverpool, shutting down suggestions their encounter could be an easy one for the visitors while pointing to Ten Hag's pedigree.

"I don't look at this game like that, because they're still a top team with top players," the attacker told Sky Sports. "They've not had a great start, but they want to win against us.

"So from my side, I have too much respect for them, and I'm sure they want to fight with all they can to win that game as well. It's not going to be easy, and I'm not thinking I'm going to score one, two or three goals.

"I know it's going to be a really tough game. They have top players, they have a top coach, so it's not going to be easy at all."

Liverpool could be seven points behind champions Manchester City by the time they play on Monday, with Pep Guardiola's men visiting Newcastle United on Sunday in pursuit of a third straight win.

And even at this early stage, Salah acknowledges that would be a significant gap, even if he backs the Reds to recover.

"It could be a little bit of pressure if we're seven points behind City, but I think it's too early to think about that," Salah said.

"Last season, we were behind by about 10 or 11 points, and we came back. So, it's too early to think about that."

Arsenal went top of the Premier League with a 3-0 win at Bournemouth – and for the first time since 1972 they lead the way concurrently with Manchester United sitting bottom of the pile.

Gunners captain Martin Odegaard scored his first double in a top-flight league game since he was 15 years old and playing in his native Norway, while Arsenal's north London rivals stayed in close touch with the leaders after Harry Kane reached a Premier League goals record in a win over Wolves.

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard watched his side slide to a 3-1 defeat at Crystal Palace – a sixth loss in seven games in London for Villa since the start of last season – while Fulham were 3-2 winners in their derby against Brentford. That was a first home victory for the Cottagers in a Premier League London derby since January 2014, ending a 12-game wait.

Elsewhere, Southampton came from behind to take a 2-1 victory at struggling Leicester City, and Everton and Nottingham Forest duked out a 1-1 draw.

Stats Perform has rummaged through Opta's data trove to present numbers-led angles on the day's top Premier League action.

Tottenham 1-0 Wolves: Harry's game as Kane writes more Spurs history

It was up there with the easiest of finishes, but they all count and Harry Kane's close-range header was his 185th Premier League goal for Tottenham – thereby making him the highest scorer for a single club in the competition's history.

What's more, it was Kane's 250th goal in all games for the club, and Tottenham's 1,000th at home in the Premier League. Only Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea had previously totted up 1,000 goals at home since the league's 1992-93 launch.

Even if the performance left room for improvement, Tottenham are unbeaten in their opening three games. The same applied last season when they won three out of three under Nuno Espirito Santo. Five defeats in the next seven cost Nuno his job, and Spurs will hope to avoid any such slide now.

With Antonio Conte in charge, a Spurs collapse seems unlikely. This was head coach Conte's 70th win in the Premier League from 107 games, the bulk of which came across his two seasons at Chelsea. Among managers or head coaches with at least 70 Premier League wins, only Manchester City's Pep Guardiola (74 per cent) has a better win percentage than Conte's 65 per cent.

Bruno Lage's Wolves are without a win in their last 10 league games, spread across this season and last. They have only had one previous double-digit streak of winless Premier League games in their history – a 17-game sequence that spanned a relegation campaign in 2011-12 and the start of the 2018-19 season on their return to the top flight.

Bournemouth 0-3 Arsenal: From teenage kicks to picking off Cherries, Odegaard doubles up again

Odegaard was already grabbing the attention of Europe's elite clubs when he scored twice for Stromsgodset against Lillestrom in October 2014. Three months later, he would sign for Real Madrid.

Almost eight years down the line, he has finally netted another double in a league game, leading by example and helping Arsenal hit top spot for now.

It was August 22 in 1972 when Arsenal last sat top and great foes Manchester United were propping up the rest in the English top flight, but that is once again the scenario. In this third round of the 2022-23 season's fixtures, United play Liverpool on Monday.

Arsenal have won their opening three league games for the first time since 2004-05, the season that followed their 'Invincibles' campaign. Boss Mikel Arteta has named the same starting XI for their first three games, and that last happened with Arsenal in the famous 2003-04 campaign that saw them complete a league programme undefeated.

William Saliba became the 21st Frenchman to score a Premier League goal for Arsenal – only Newcastle United (also 21) have had as many different French goalscorers – while Bukayo Saka played his 100th Premier League game. At 16 days short of his 21st birthday, it made Saka the youngest player to do so since Raheem Sterling in September 2015.

Arsenal's win percentage against Bournemouth stands at 77 per cent after this 10th win in 13 meetings. Among teams they have faced at least 10 times, they only have a better win ratio against Reading (100 per cent, won 14/14) and – you'll never guess – Glossop North End (86 per cent, won 12/14).

Everton 1-1 Nottingham Forest: Gray day as Toffees scrape a point

After defeats to Chelsea and Aston Villa, coming from behind to draw against promoted Forest represents some sort of progress for Frank Lampard and Everton.

Yet their one point from three games is the fewest Everton have achieved at this stage of a season since 2010-11 (also one point), and the Toffees have stumbled on an obvious early-season problem against newcomers. They have won none of their last eight matches against promoted clubs in August (D5 L3) so might be glad they have Brentford and Leeds United in their remaining league games this month.

Jordan Pickford became the first Everton goalkeeper to assist a Premier League goal since Joel Robles in December 2016 against Leicester City, with a long kick creating the opening for Demarai Gray to snatch the 88th-minute equaliser. The goal ended a barren run of 21 league games for Gray, who had last netted against Arsenal in December.

Brennan Johnson's opener seven minutes earlier took him to 20 goals since the beginning of last season, the most by any Forest player. He thought it was a winner, but the ending of Gray's drought brought a little cheer for the struggling hosts.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is confident that Gabriel Jesus can reach an even higher level following his magnificent start to life at the club.

Having scored twice and contributed two assists in a 4-2 win against Leicester City a week ago, the Brazilian was back at it in the Gunners' routine 3-0 victory over Bournemouth, playing a key role in the opening goal before teeing up Martin Odegaard's second.

While Arsenal's number nine was unable to get on the scoresheet, seeing a second-half effort chalked off after a VAR review, his all-round display offered further encouragement to the Gunners' supporters.

Arteta is understandably delighted with the contribution of his new leading man, but believes he still has room to improve.

"Those individual actions make the difference in football and Gabi is doing that week in, week out. He didn't score today but he was involved in the goals and his contribution to the team was outstanding," he told Sky Sports.

"He's still 25-years-old so he can still improve his level a lot. He's hungry enough and he has got a huge desire to get better and better, to be the best that he can be and that is what he needs to do."

Arteta's praise of Jesus was echoed by club captain Odegaard, who described playing with the Brazilian as "amazing".

"He is not just about the goals, he gives us so much in the play as well, he drops back to combine and he is brilliant in a lot of places in the game. It's amazing to play with him and we're really lucky to have him here," Odegaard said.

Arsenal have also seen Oleksandr Zinchenko settle quickly following his own arrival from City, while Fabio Vieira has returned to fitness following an injury setback and is awaiting his first-team debut.

Further signings may still be on the cards for the Gunners though, with Arteta admitting he has his eyes on additional recruits.

"We will try to the end, the transfer window is tricky at the moment. We would like to do something else but let's see what we can do," he declared.

Arsenal maintained their 100 per cent start to the Premier League season with a comfortable 3-0 victory at Bournemouth.

Captain Martin Odegaard struck twice inside the opening 11 minutes to put the Gunners in control on Saturday, with Bournemouth failing to register a single touch in the Arsenal box in the first half.

William Saliba netted his first goal for the club to extend that lead in the second half, while the influential Gabriel Jesus saw a strike ruled out for offside. 

The win gives Arsenal the enviable record of being the only Premier League side so far to win their opening three matches of the season, although Manchester City can join them on nine points with victory at Newcastle United on Sunday.

Arsenal came flying out of the blocks with former City man Jesus skipping through the Bournemouth defence and teeing up Gabriel Martinelli, who was denied by Mark Travers, only for Odegaard to tap in the rebound.

Odegaard struck again six minutes later, smashing in with his left foot to cap off another fine move that saw Jesus touch Ben White's cutback into the Arsenal captain's path.

The Gunners extended their advantage swiftly after the restart, with Martinelli's deep cross knocked square by Granit Xhaka to Saliba for a curling first-time finish into the top-right corner from just inside the box.

Jesus thought he had got into the act but was denied by the VAR, shown to be narrowly offside following Odegaard's pass, and only his goal was missing as Arsenal remained on the front foot right through to the final whistle.

Brendan Rodgers explained Chelsea target Wesley Fofana was "not in the right frame of mind to play" after leaving the defender out for Leicester City's 2-1 Premier League defeat to Southampton.

Chelsea have been strongly linked with a move for Fofana since missing out on Jules Kounde to Barcelona last month, with the Blues reportedly seeing  several advances for the 21-year-old rebuffed.

Leicester manager Rodgers insisted Fofana was not for sale as recently as Friday's pre-match news conference, but he shifted to a back four on Saturday and left out the centre-back as Daniel Amartey started alongside Jonny Evans as a Che Adams double fired Southampton to a comeback win.

Speaking after Leicester slipped to just their second defeat in 11 home Premier League matches, Rodgers revealed his concerns about Fofana's state of mind.

"In terms of Wesley, it was a young player who is not in the right frame of mind to play at the moment," he said.

"There's a lot going on behind the scenes, which I understand. It's a difficult moment for him. He's a good kid who has been great for us while he's been here. 

"You can't afford to be around your team-mates and playing a Premier League game if you're not fully focused."

Youri Tielemans, who has also been linked with a move away from the King Power Stadium, was only introduced as a 65th-minute substitute, but Rodgers claimed that was a purely strategic decision. 

"Youri, it was a tactical one really," Rodgers added. "The two eights had done really well. James [Maddison] scored again. Ki [Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall] played well in the game. That's why he was on the bench."

Leicester fell to a demoralising defeat after opening the scoring through Maddison's free-kick, meaning only opponents Southampton (32) have dropped more points from winning positions in the Premier League than the Foxes (26) since the start of last season.

And Rodgers admitted the negative atmosphere surrounding the club has impacted their ability to hang on to leads.

"I think it's a number of things. It's a bit of desperation," he added. "We played well for the first hour of the games here at home, and then we become a little bit anxious and desperate to get the three points. 

"Maybe it's a case of the feeling around the club. We have to forget the noise and focus. 

"We haven't got the results in the two home games; we played well enough to. We've got to sustain it. We've got to turn 60 minutes into 90 minutes. I'm pretty confident these players will do that."

Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic has described the prospect of signing Cristiano Ronaldo as "the biggest rumour" in the club's history.

The Manchester United striker has been linked with a host of clubs since it became apparent he was unhappy at Old Trafford, with Dortmund among the most recent to be touted.

Their Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich last month scotched the idea of signing the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, while the likes of Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Sporting CP have also been suggested as possible next destinations for Ronaldo.

Ronaldo is said to be eager to play Champions League football, which United cannot offer after a dismal sixth-placed finish in last season's Premier League.

Dortmund also need a striker after losing Sebastien Haller, who has undergone surgery and faces chemotherapy after a malignant testicular tumour was discovered shortly after his arrival from Ajax.

Yet Dortmund have cast doubt on the idea of them signing 37-year-old Ronaldo, who was United's 24-goal top scorer last season.

Terzic told German broadcaster Sky on Saturday: "It is clear that Cristiano Ronaldo is the biggest rumour of all time at BVB. We have commented on it and I'm not commenting on rumours."

All the same, Terzic said he was a Ronaldo fan, explaining: "He's one of the best footballers I've ever seen play live."

Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke on Friday poured cold water on the growing rumours that moves were afoot to bring Ronaldo to the club, even if, like Terzic, he professes to being a big fan of the former Real Madrid and Juventus forward.

"Cristiano Ronaldo and Borussia Dortmund? That's very charming at first glance. He is one of the greatest players the world has ever seen," Watzke said.

"The only catch is that there is no contact at all between the parties involved and certainly no transfer."