The first heavyweight tussle of the new year in the Premier League did not disappoint as Chelsea and Liverpool played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues were held at home for the fifth time in six league games, a run that includes three straight draws in the top flight for the first time since February 2016.

But Thomas Tuchel's side can be happy with a point after recovering from two goals down as they extended their unbeaten run against the Reds in the league to four matches.

While there was nothing to separate the sides sitting second and third, Brentford, Brighton and Hove Albion and Leeds United were all victorious on Sunday.

Here, Stats Perform unpacks the pick of the Opta data from another eventful day in the Premier League.

Sadio Mane opened the scoring in a Premier League game for the 37th time since joining Liverpool in 2016-17 – only Tottenham's Harry Kane (40) has done so on more occasions.

However, some will argue that Mane was fortunate to be on the field at that point after catching Cesar Azpilicueta with his elbow after just six seconds.

Mane was instead issued a yellow card with 15 seconds on the clock, making it the earliest booking in a Premier League game since Opta started recording such data in 2006-07, nine seconds faster than the previous quickest caution for Scott McTominay against Newcastle United in December 2019.

Mohamed Salah went on to double Liverpool's lead with his fourth league goal against Chelsea, which is the joint-most any player has scored against the Blues after playing for them, along with Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne.

Chelsea responded brilliantly with two goals in the space of 245 seconds through a Mateo Kovacic stunner and Christian Pulisic's well-taken strike, ensuring they remain a point above their opponents having played a game more.

This was the fourth occasion in this season's Premier League that a side has failed to win a game in which they have led by two goals, with Liverpool accounting for two of those occasions, having also drawn 2-2 with Brighton in October.

Leeds United 3-1 Burnley: More Maxwell magic not enough

Leeds scored three times in a Premier League game for the first time this season on their way to ending a four-game run without a victory, putting distance between themselves and Burnley in the final relegation spot.

Previously with just one win to their name in the competition since the end of October, Jack Harrison squeezed home for Leeds to open the scoring at Elland Road before Maxwell Cornet equalised through Burnley's first direct free-kick goal since Boxing Day 2017.

That was Cornet's sixth Premier League goal in 10 appearances, the most by an African player in their first 10 games since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for Arsenal in April 2018 (also six).

Stuart Dallas restored Leeds' advantage on his 250th appearance for the club in all competitions, becoming the first United player to reach that tally since Lucas Radebe in November 2003.

The much-needed victory was sealed by Daniel James in added time, meaning Leeds are unbeaten in 10 Premier League games against sides starting the day in the relegation zone (W8, D2) since returning to the top flight last season.

As for Burnley, they have now won just one of their last 20 Premier League matches and are winless in 11 on their travels, their worst such run on the road since 17 without a victory between August 2016 and April 2017.

Everton 2-3 Brighton and Hove Albion: Mac Allister inspires soaring Seagulls

The highest-scoring game of the day in the Premier League took place at Goodison Park, where Everton suffered defeat in their opening league game of a calendar year for the fifth year running, their worst such streak since a run of seven between 1957 and 1963.

Brighton's opening goal via Alexis Mac Allister after two minutes and 43 seconds was the Seagulls' fastest-ever away from home in the competition, and their third-fastest overall.

Dan Burn doubled the visitors' lead on Merseyside, shortly before the returning Dominic Calvert-Lewin became the 22nd different player to miss a Premier League penalty for the Toffees – only Arsenal (23) have more.

Anthony Gordon scored his first senior goal to give Everton a bit of hope, only for Mac Allister to register for a second time as Brighton moved to 27 points after 19 games – their joint-best return at this stage of a top-flight campaign alongside 1981-82.

It was another afternoon to forget for Rafael Benitez, however, with Everton having now picked up only 19 points from 18 games, which is their worst return at this stage since accruing 17 from 18 matches in 2005-06.

Brentford 2-1 Aston Villa: Bees bounce back again

Comeback experts Brentford hit back to beat Villa late on thanks to goals from Yoane Wissa and Mads Roerslev after Danny Ings had opened the scoring in west London.

Only West Ham (12) and Everton (11) have won more points from losing positions in the Premier League this term than Brentford, who have now recovered nine points in total.

That is in complete contrast to a Villa side that have lost more games in the competition since the start of last season after scoring first than any other side (eight).

Ings has now opened the scoring in more different English top-flight games since the start of 2019-20 than any player (18), but that early strike was not enough for Steven Gerrard's men.

Wissa's equaliser was Brentford's first Premier League goal from outside the box and full-back Roerslev, who set up that strike, completed the turnaround to become the second Bees player to score and assist in the same game in the competition for the club after Ivan Toney.

Thomas Tuchel gave no guarantees that Romelu Lukaku has a future at Chelsea after dropping the club record signing for Sunday's 2-2 draw with Liverpool.

The European champions were this week rocked when Lukaku stated in an interview with Sky Sport Italia, recorded in December, that he is not happy with the situation he finds himself in at Chelsea.

Tuchel reacted by leaving the striker out of his squad for the Premier League battle between second and third at Stamford Bridge.

The Chelsea head coach stated before the game that he axed Lukaku because the issue had "got too big and too noisy".

Tuchel did not reveal whether the Belgium international has apologised and says no decision has been made over whether he stays at the club.

The German told Sky Sports: "He's our player. There is always a way back, but we will clear this in Cobham [Chelsea's training facility] behind closed doors and once we have made a decision; club, coach and once Romelu knows, then you will know as well and not before.

"This is not to be discussed now, let's wait some days."

Chelsea stormed back from two goals down after Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah had put Liverpool on course to go second, Mateo Kovacic reducing the deficit with a sublime volley and Christian Pulisic equalising in first-half stoppage time.

Tuchel says Mane should have been sent off by referee Anthony Taylor for catching Cesar Azpilicueta in the face with his arm after only six seconds. 

He said: "If you remember the first game with the same referee and how quick it was to give a red card to us, I am not a friend of early red cards. I hate to say it because I love Mane and he is a nice guy and top player, but it is a red card.

"The elbow is in the face; it doesn't matter if you do this after 20 seconds or 20 minutes. We come from a game against Brighton where we miss VAR calls in the box and suddenly VAR is checking a goal against Kovacic."

Chelsea are 10 points behind leaders Manchester City, with Liverpool a further point back but with a game in hand.

It was a breathless game at Stamford Bridge on Sunday as Chelsea and Liverpool played out an entertaining 2-2 draw that saw Manchester City emerge as the biggest winners.

An exciting encounter that many will say was a great advert for the Premier League was in reality more an example of why there is unlikely to be any excitement in this year's title race.

Both teams showed immense quality at times, especially in scoring their goals, but also evidenced numerous weaknesses that simply do not exist at City, or at least not to the same extent, though it must be said that both were missing key players through suspension, injury and/or COVID-19 – or were just dropped for talking too much.

The headlines were already being written as the visitors took a 2-0 lead in the first half, with the Blues' star striker Romelu Lukaku missing from the squad after recent comments that displeased his manager Thomas Tuchel.

But Chelsea came back to level up before half-time without the Belgium international to prove that perhaps they are actually better off without him.

It is something that bears exploring more broadly across the game. Is the impact of number nine's slightly overrated? Tottenham have been unable to win a trophy despite having Harry Kane in their ranks, while Borussia Dortmund seldom look like troubling Bayern Munich even though they have the much sought after Erling Haaland to call on.

Also, for all the talk about how desperately they needed a superstar striker in the summer after Sergio Aguero left, City sit ten points clear at the top of the table with only Gabriel Jesus as a recognised number nine in their ranks, and he rarely plays there himself these days anyway.

Kai Havertz played the role of striker for Chelsea here, as he did for much of last season when they won the Champions League, and though he did not have much impact himself, Tuchel's fluid formation seemed to enable Mateo Kovacic and N'Golo Kante to dominate on the ball from deep in a way they sometimes struggle to when Lukaku is leading the line.

Chelsea have played 13 league games with Lukaku this season and eight without. While their win percentage is better with him (61.5) than without (50), they score 2.5 goals per game when he is not there compared to 1.9 when he is.

Despite two goals going in against Liverpool, they still only concede 0.5 goals per game on average when Lukaku does not feature, and 0.9 per game when he does.

When the former Everton and Manchester United striker said that Tuchel does not play in a way that suits him, it is almost certainly correct given how the team overall appears to function better without the striker, but also calls into question why Chelsea decided to spend close to nine figures on him in the first place.

As for Liverpool, boss Jurgen Klopp will have been watching from home after testing positive for COVID-19 satisfied with the score after 26 minutes, but concerned to see that once again, his men were unable to hold onto a lead.

It was the fifth time in the league this season that the Reds have dropped points from a winning position (also against Brentford, Manchester City, Brighton and Hove Albion and Tottenham) and it almost certainly extinguished any faint hopes they will have had of pegging City back in the title race, now sitting 11 points behind with a solitary game in hand.

Liverpool allowed 15 shots at their goal, with Irish stopper Caoimhin Kelleher making some excellent saves to keep his team in it after stepping in for Alisson Becker (COVID-19), and although Chelsea's goals from Mateo Kovacic and Christian Pulisic were expertly taken, they felt like they had been coming such was the visitors' inability to put their foot on the ball and calm things down.

This was something that set them apart when they ran away with the Premier League title in 2019-20, their penchant for killing a game off once they went ahead. They missed the influence of the injured Thiago Alcantara in the midfield, and arguably still have a bit of a Georginio Wijnaldum-shaped hole after the ever-reliable Dutchman left for Paris Saint-Germain at the end of last season.

Up top, they were looking as good as ever, with early goals from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah seemingly putting them in control. Mane did well to round Edouard Mendy and fire home seconds after Mason Mount had failed to do the same at the other end, while Salah was sumptuous as he dribbled past Marcos Alonso and caressed the ball in at Mendy's near post to make it two.

Klopp will undoubtedly miss the dynamic duo as they now head off to the Africa Cup of Nations, with Salah in particular in the form of his life, getting his 16th league goal of the campaign and his 150th in all competitions in English football.

Mane actually ended a dry spell here, having gone nine games without a goal in all competitions. Senegal will be pleased at least that he seemed to have his spark back at Stamford Bridge, but with back-ups Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi currently injured and Roberto Firmino out with COVID-19, Klopp will perhaps have to get quite creative to fill the huge void Mane and Salah will leave for the next few weeks.

Both managers have selection headaches on the horizon, but after another weekend in which everything possible went the way of Pep Guardiola, the likelihood is that those selection headaches will only be in an effort to ultimately clinch second spot in this year's Premier League.

Liverpool assistant coach Pep Lijnders insists the Reds deserve credit for their determination in challenging circumstances following the 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Sunday.

The visitors claimed a share of the spoils after an entertaining encounter at Stamford Bridge, despite the hosts recovering from 2-0 down before half-time.

Lijnders took charge of the 2019-20 Premier League champions in the absence of manager Jurgen Klopp, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday.

Alisson, Roberto Firmino and Joel Matip also missed the trip to London for the same reason, while Andrew Robertson was suspended.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane – who both netted for the Reds – were playing their final match before linking up with Egypt and Senegal respectively at the Africa Cup of Nations.

And Lijnders hailed the character demonstrated by his players.

"It is never boring with us. [There was] incredible intensity from the start with both teams," he told Sky Sports.

"We would have wanted more control. We had so many good counter-attacks, but it was just missing the last pass. 

"Overall, for the public, it must have been an unbelievable game. The situation we are in, it is a big compliment for the team. We could have made a lot of excuses for today, but our boys fought hard with all the heart they have.

"We want to approach each game like it is a final. In each game we play, whoever is wearing the shirt or on the bench, we are showing this character."

Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson concurred that his team-mates can be proud of their efforts against the Blues.

"Chelsea are a good team, and we gave it everything," he told Match of the Day. "The lads showed heart in defending and nearly got the reward towards the end on the counter-attack.

"We are disappointed with the two goals close to half-time.

"We reacted the right way in the second half; we dug in, defended well as a team and on another day, we might have found a winner.

"Stamford Bridge is always a difficult place to come, so we take a point and move on." 

Cesar Azpilicueta says Liverpool forward Sadio Mane should have been sent off for catching the Chelsea captain in the face just six seconds into the 2-2 draw on Sunday.

Mane was shown a yellow card by referee Anthony Taylor after his arm struck the Blues defender as they attempted to jump for a header at Stamford Bridge.

Forward Mane went on to score the opening goal following a mistake from Trevoh Chalobah and Mohamed Salah put the Reds 2-0 up in the Premier League battle between second and third.

Chelsea were back on level terms just before half-time following two goals in the space of four minutes, Mateo Kovacic reducing the deficit with a sublime volley and Christian Pulisic equalising.

Neither side could conjure up a winner in a pulsating contest, so Manchester City hold a 10-point lead over the Blues and Liverpool are a further point adrift with a game in hand.

Azpilicueta is in no doubt Mane was fortunate not to be given his marching orders in what was his last game before departing for Africa Cup of Nations duty.

The defender told Sky Sports: "A clear red. I don't mind if it is five seconds into the game, it is a red. I don't understand – we have had these kind of decisions the other day.

"It is a clear red card. We are getting these decisions against us and it can change the way of the game.

"I watched the replay but I didn't need this because live I knew it was a red.

"We had to fight our way back. We left everything on the pitch but it was not enough.

"Both teams had their moments. When they were 2-0 up they think they have a clear chance to score a third and maybe that could kill the game but after that we played well.

"We were 2-0 down, we fought hard to come back. We wanted more of course. We never lost the trust. We felt in the second half we could push for the third goal but we didn't score."

Azpilicueta acknowledges it was a great day for reigning champions City as their two nearest rivals slipped up again.

He added: "They are the ones at the top. The more points we are behind the happier they will be. They have been setting the standards really high.

"It was up to us to close the gap. We know they are a quality team – they have been playing together for a while. We are on our way but until now we didn't reach that level of consistency that would keep us at the top."

Senegal have accused Watford of blocking Ismaila Sarr from linking up with the national team ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.

Sarr has not played for Watford since November 20 due to a knee ligament injury and is not expected to return to fitness until the end of this month at the earliest.

Despite still being out injured, Senegal named the 23-year-old in their squad for the tournament, which runs from January 9 until February 6.

However, Watford informed Senegal earlier this week that Sarr will not be allowed to travel.

It is the second Africa Cup of Nations row Watford have been embroiled in after Nigeria accused the Premier League side of "baring fangs" after objecting to Emmanuel Dennis being named in the squad.

The Senegalese Football Federation's general secretary Victor Seh Cisse believes the reasons given by Watford for objecting to Sarr's call-up are not justified.

"By mail on Friday, December 31, Watford notified on the basis of arguments equally specious as fallacious its decision to block the player Ismaila Sarr, who has expressed his desire to join the Senegalese selection for the next Cup of Nations in Cameroon," a statement read.

"The Senegal Football Federation wishes to express with this communication its deep condemnation of the disrespectful, pernicious and discriminatory behaviour of Watford's hierarchy who look by all means to prevent a player from playing with his national team."

Clubs have until Monday to release players called up by their national teams for the delayed competition, which has been pushed back by a year due to coronavirus.

Senegal, who finished runners-up to Algeria in 2019, added they will take the matter up with FIFA should it not be resolved. 

Responding to the allegations, Watford released a statement on their official website on Sunday that read: "Ismaila Sarr suffered a knee ligament injury on November 20 in the match against Manchester United and has not been fit to play for Watford FC since that date.

"In early December, the club wrote to the Senegal Football Federation outlining the clinical diagnosis of Ismaila's injury and immediately followed that up by supplying the MRI scans detailing the extent of the injury. 

"After further consultation with medical experts, we informed the federation of Ismaila's rehabilitation process and likely timeframe of recovery.

"Within the past 10 days, the club has reiterated to the Senegal Football Federation the player's current medical status and recovery schedule.

"The Hornets have also invited the Senegal Football Federation to instruct their own independent surgeon to confirm the diagnosis and rehabilitation period."

Mateo Kovacic scored one of the goals of the season as Chelsea fought back to draw 2-2 with Liverpool in a pulsating Premier League encounter.

Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah had given the Reds a two-goal lead at Stamford Bridge on Sunday in their final game before departing for Africa Cup of Nations duty.

Chelsea were not lacking firepower in the absence of dropped record signing Romelu Lukaku as they roared back with two goals in quick succession late in the first half, Kovacic reducing the deficit with a sumptuous volley and Christian Pulisic equalising.

Both sides had their chances to come out on top in the battle between second and third, but it was leaders Manchester City who were the big winners as they hold a 10-point advantage at the summit.

Mane may have been fortunate to only be shown a yellow card when he caught Cesar Azpilicueta in the face with his arm just six seconds into a game that saw the introduction of safe standing at Stamford Bridge.

Pulisic wasted a great chance to open the scoring early on, rounding Caoimhin Kelleher – starting with Alisson out due to a positive COVID-19 test – after Trent Alexander-Arnold's attempted clearance struck Mason Mount and left the United States forward with only the Reds' stand-in goalkeeper to beat.

Mane made no mistake in the ninth minute, capitalising on a bad mistake from Trevoh Chalobah by rounding Edouard Mendy and finishing with his left foot.

Salah then struck against his former club 26 minutes in, exquisitely controlling a brilliant pass from Alexander-Arnold and beating Mendy at his near post with a clinical finish after darting beyond Marcos Alonso in the penalty area.

Chelsea stormed back with two goals in the space of four minutes to go in at the break on level terms, Kovacic's sublime 20-yard volley going in off the right post before Pulisic raced clear and coolly tucked home in stoppage time.

The two title hopefuls continued to pose a huge threat going forward following the interval and Mendy had to dive at full stretch palm away out Salah's lob when he spotted the Blues keeper off his line.

Kelleher showed sharp reflexes to keep out Pulisic's half-volley and Mount tested the Irishman from long range, but both sides had to settle for a point.

Thomas Tuchel says leaving Romelu Lukaku out of Chelsea's squad to face Liverpool was a "difficult decision" but one he had to make.

The Belgium international was omitted from the Blues' 20-man group for Sunday's crucial clash at Stamford Bridge between the sides sitting second and third in the Premier League.

Tuchel made the big call after Lukaku sparked controversy when an interview conducted with Sky Sport Italia earlier this month was aired on Thursday and Friday.

In the wide-ranging interview, Lukaku said he "is not very happy with the situation" he finds himself in at Chelsea and expressed his desire to one day return to Inter.

Addressing the comments on Friday, Tuchel said Lukaku's comments bring "noise we do not need" at Chelsea ahead of such an important match.

And, after leaving the 28-year-old out of his squad to face the Reds, Tuchel explained he did not want his other players to be distracted.

"The issue got too big, too noisy, so close to the match, so I decided to protect the preparation for the match, so that is why he is out," he told Sky Sports. 

"Of course we have spoken, twice to the main players, but after that we had to realise it was too close to the match, it's too big.

"We delayed the decision over what to do, but while are delaying we have to protect the preparation for the match, we have a big game to play. 

"Full focus, which is hard to get even without this decision, was easier in my opinion if he is not in the squad, and that is why we did it. 

"It was a difficult decision, but in my opinion it was the decision to take."

Lukaku scored 24 times for Inter in Serie A last term and has scored seven goals in 18 appearances since returning to Chelsea in a campaign blighted by an ankle injury and a positive test for coronavirus.

The former Manchester United striker had scored in Chelsea's last two games prior to facing Liverpool.

Alisson, Roberto Firmino and Joel Matip will all miss Liverpool's trip to Chelsea on Sunday after they returned positive COVID-19 tests ahead of the clash at Stamford Bridge.

It follows the announcement on Saturday that manager Jurgen Klopp will also be absent from the game for the same reason.

The Reds are already without Thiago, Takumi Minamino, Divock Origi, Nat Phillips and Harvey Elliott with injuries, while Andrew Robertson misses the game through suspension.

Caoimhin Kelleher replaces Alisson in goal, with the Ireland international set to make just his fourth Premier League appearance, while Ibrahima Konate comes in for Matip and Diogo Jota continues up front with Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, who both play their last Premier League game before heading off for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are without Romelu Lukaku after the Belgian striker was dropped for recent comments in the media that displeased his boss Thomas Tuchel.

Thiago Silva and N'Golo Kante come back into the side after neither started the 1-1 draw with Brighton on Wednesday, while Marcos Alonso replaces the injured Reece James and Kai Havertz comes in for Lukaku.

Both sides will be desperate for a win to stay as close as possible to league leaders Manchester City after Pep Guardiola's men snatched a late victory at Arsenal on Saturday to go 11 points clear of second-place Chelsea.

TEAMS

Chelsea: Edouard Mendy, Trevor Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta, N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Marcos Alonso, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic. Subs: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Malang Sarr, Lewis Hall, Jorginho, Saul Niguez, Ross Barkley, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Harvey Vale, Hakim Ziyech. 

Liverpool: Caoimhin Kelleher, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Kostas Tsimikas, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota. Subs: Adrian, Marcelo Pitaluga, Naby Keita, Joe Gomez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones, Owen Beck, Neco Williams, Tyler Morton.

Ralf Rangnick says Edinson Cavani will "definitely" not be allowed to leave Manchester United during the January transfer window.

Cavani has only started three games for the Red Devils this season, but came into the side for the Premier League defeat of Burnley last Thursday after his strike at Newcastle United rescued a 1-1 draw.

The Uruguay striker has been linked with the likes of Barcelona and Juventus, having become frustrated with a lack of opportunities at Old Trafford.

But interim boss Rangnick has told Cavani, who is under contract until the end of June, he wants him to stay at United. 

"He knows that I will definitely not let him go," said the German.

He added: "I told him from the very first day that, for me, he is a highly important player. He is probably the only one who can play as a striker back to goal and face to goal.

"And, as I said, his professionalism, his work ethic is just amazing and I told him that I desperately want him to stay until the end of the season. He knows that. He also knows how highly I rate him and how highly I respect him.

"We will definitely need Edi. I would rather have another Edi on top of that but for me it's clear that Edi has to stay."

One player who is expected to be on his way out of United is Anthony Martial, who has told the club he wants to leave.

Sevilla are reported to have had a loan offer for the forward rejected and Rangnick says he will only be allowed to move if the deal is right for all parties.

"He made it very clear that he wants to leave and, in a way, I can understand his wish to leave and to try to play more regularly somewhere else," Rangnick said.

"But, again, it's a question not only of what he wants to do but it's also a question of which kind of clubs are interested in him and do they meet the demands of the club, so we have to wait and see."

United will look to extend their unbeaten run to nine matches when they entertain Wolves in the Premier League on Monday.

Romelu Lukaku has reportedly been dropped from Chelsea's squad to face Liverpool following an interview where he expressed unhappiness with the role he is playing at the Blues.

Belgium striker Lukaku returned to Stamford Bridge in a club-record £97.5million deal in the last transfer window, ending a two-year stay at Inter where he won the Serie A title last season.

He has since scored seven goals in 18 appearances in a campaign blighted by an ankle injury and a positive test for coronavirus.

However, Lukaku sparked controversy when an interview conducted with Sky Sport Italia earlier this month was aired, in which he said: "Physically I'm doing great. I'm just not very happy with the situation, but that's normal.

"I think the boss has decided to play a different formation, but I have to stick at it and get on with it professionally. I'm not happy with the situation, but it's my job and I mustn't give up."

The Athletic has now reported Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has opted to omit Lukaku from the squad to face Liverpool in what is viewed as a must-win game amid flagging title hopes, with the Blues 11 points adrift of leaders Manchester City.

Addressing the comments pre-game, Tuchel said he has no issue with Lukaku but questioned his reasons for giving the interview, saying the striker had "brought noise we do not need".

"You have a quote from another match, another direction, and he said he had a chat with me. And then the suggestion comes that he was not happy," Tuchel said.

"Managers have chats with lots of players, where we want them, where he should be, when to arrive in spaces.

"This is a super normal chat and we had it with Romelu, and before he played we had a discussion about him being on the bench because other players suited more the style of play.

"Romelu played when he came, then he got injured, then he caught COVID and when he came back he played with no training against Aston Villa and then against Brighton.

"There is zero going on. I do not have to understand why he did it, it does not make it better, but it is not my situation - I will not enter into finding reasons now to understand the interview.

"I don't want to, I don't have to, and I don't have a reason to. We have zero problems. He gave an interview, if he has problems, he has to speak about them."

In the same interview, Lukaku went on to express his desire to one day return to the Nerazzurri.

"Now, I think it's right to talk because I have always said I have Inter in my heart. I'll go back to play there, I really hope so," he said. "I love Italy; this is the right time to talk and let people know what happened without speaking badly about people, because I'm not like that.

"I want to say a big apology to the Inter fans because I think the way I left should have been different. I should have talked to you first because the things you've done for me, for my family, my mother, my son, are things that will stay with me for life.

"I really hope, from the bottom of my heart, to return to Inter. Not at the end of my career, but while I'm still at a good level to hope to win more."

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's future is unclear having become frozen out.

The Gabon striker was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy last month and dropped by the club for disciplinary reasons and has not played since.

Aubameyang's future is a hot topic as the January transfer window opens.

TOP STORY - NEWCASTLE IN FOR JANUARY AUBA MOVE

Big-spending Newcastle have got in touch with Arsenal about a loan deal for outcast striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang claims The Mirror.

The Magpies want to sign 32-year-old Aubameyang on loan for the remainder of the season.

Newcastle would also look to sign Aubameyang, who is away at the African Cup of Nations, on a £20million off-season permanent deal.

ROUND-UP

- Teenage US international Ricardo Pepi is on the verge of joining Bundesliga club Augsburg claims Fabrizio Di Romano. The 18-year-old netted 13 goals for Dallas in the 2021 MLS season and is set for a medical on Sunday.

- Eddie Nketiah is being pursued by Bayer Leverkusen on a free transfer from Arsenal when his contract expires at the end of this season, reports The Sun.

- Sport reports that Brazilian giants Palmeiras are not interested in signing forward Philippe Coutinho as Barcelona try to shop him around in January.

- Axel Tuanzebe will join Napoli on loan from Manchester United until the end of the season, claims the Manchester Evening News. Tuanzebe is currently on loan at Aston Villa.

- The Sun claims that Manchester United's pursuit of Declan Rice has been boosted by West Ham's recent slide outside the Premier League top four.

Louis Saha dreams of Manchester United appointing Zinedine Zidane but insisted the club's players must respect whichever manager is in place if they are to succeed.

United have underwhelmed in the first half of the Premier League season, sitting in seventh under the interim management of Ralf Rangnick after the dismissal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Former RB Leipzig coach Rangnick has overseen three wins and a draw in his opening four league games, but is only in temporary charge until the end of the season when the potential for a two-year consultancy role will come into play.

United have already confirmed they will seek out a long-term replacement at the end of the season, which could still end up being the German manager, with the likes of Zidane and Mauricio Pochettino being proposed by many as the leading candidates.

Saha placed his backing in fellow Frenchman Zidane, who has been without a club since leaving Real Madrid last May, as the former United striker outlined the sort of appointment he believes the club requires.

He told Stats Perform: "I feel like anyone who has proved in some way in some capacity, I think Pochettino is one of them.

"But anyone who has proved that you can build a team and make them improve in a way to win the Premier League as [Jurgen] Klopp has done, I think will have the job.

"We need to have the right manager who is able to really give that boost. We've seen this with Ralf on the touchline, that kind of energy, those guys, especially when you have three-quarters of the squad that is quite young – you need to have someone with that kind of energy. 

"I don't want to put Pochettino above anyone. In my dream, I think about Zidane. There are definitely good names that I've heard in the last few weeks. 

"But yes, those are names and the most important is the fit where there is a project. Whoever is coming is not coming for two years because you want to attach his name to a big club."

Saha knows what it takes to win at Old Trafford, given he collected two Premier League titles and a Champions League triumph during his time in Manchester under Alex Ferguson between 2004 and 2008.

Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of United's key figures this campaign, but the pair were labelled as "whingebags" negatively influencing their team by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville following a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United.

Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes quashed any talk of discontent within the Red Devils dressing room as he stated his client's happiness on Friday and Saha believes United's managerial success will be built on respect.

"The formula I've seen that works is because you show respect and you have a very strong man-management," he added. "Ferguson at the time when I've seen that he had so many challenges because you get so much ego in the team. 

"People with a lot of trophies like Roy Keane, like Gary Neville, [Paul] Scholes or [Ruud] van Nistelrooy and you have the youth come in and have that sense of urgency, they want to win, they want to play and all those things. 

"You have to really show as much respect as strength and at the same time, humility. It's a very odd combination, but it's very important you have to really show that you are confident, strong.

"You need the support of everybody because the project is a team thing. So those are the ways to manage because everyone will give them respect. If you miss this thing. You're in trouble."

Asked whether Saha thought that was United's current problem with leadership, he responded: "Yeah, definitely. That's not a problem about talent. That's not a problem about not winning. 

"They want to win, but they don't have the formula, the people around who give them the right indication."

Antonio Conte remains hopeful that Tottenham and Hugo Lloris will be able to reach an agreement over a new contract for the Frenchman.

Lloris, 35, has entered the final six months of his contract and is now able to discuss an end-of-season free transfer with foreign clubs.

One of those he has been linked with is boyhood club Nice, where Lloris came through the academy and then spent three years in the first team before making the move to Lyon in 2008.

Lloris joined Spurs in 2012, and helped the club become a regular in the Champions League under Mauricio Pochettino, who guided them to the final of that competition in 2018-19.

The shot-stopper was made Tottenham captain in 2015, while he has worn the armband for his country since 2012, leading Les Bleus to World Cup glory in 2018.

But while Lloris has previously been maligned for being error prone, he does appear to have improved in that regard in the past few seasons.

Between 2015-16 and the end the 2018-19 Premier League season, Lloris' 25 errors leading to shots equated to 0.18 per 90 minutes – among goalkeepers to play at least 3,500 minutes in that time, only Asmir Begovic averaged more errors (0.2) each game.

Since then, he's only committed three and none of those have been this season – indeed, his eight clean sheets in 2021-22 is bettered by just Ederson (11), Aaron Ramsdale and Alisson (both nine), though Lloris' five since Conte's first game in charge is not improved on by anyone.

This season, only five goalkeepers (minimum 200 minutes played) boast a better save percentage than Lloris (71.01 per cent), and Conte is convinced an agreement can be found to take him into an 11th year at the club.

Speaking after Spurs' dramatic late 1-0 win at Watford, Conte told reporters: "You can see the level of the keeper in these circumstances, when, for the whole game, [Lloris] didn't make a save, but he continued to be focused for the team.

"For me, that's very important. The 'keeper has to follow the game and not only stay on the goal line to make saves.

"Hugo showed [on Saturday] that he's top and he's always focused.

"For us, he's very important, and I'm sure that in a short time he can find a [contract] solution with the club, because he loves Tottenham and Tottenham loves him."

Lloris is already the goalkeeper with the most Premier League appearances for Spurs (316), 76 more than Ian Walker.

Jurgen Klopp likened Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane's mindset to that of basketball legend Kobe Bryant as he assured his players will keep attempting to respond to adversity.

Salah netted against Newcastle United in December as he equalled Jamie Vardy's Premier League record of scoring and assisting in 15 consecutive games, but followed that up with blanks against Tottenham and Leicester City in the league.

Liverpool were held 2-2 by Antonio Conte's side before a 1-0 loss to Leicester, in which Salah missed his first penalty in 16 top-flight attempts and headed the subsequent rebound onto the crossbar with the goal gaping.

In the same game at the King Power Stadium, Mane wastefully blasted over a glorious chance with the scores still level, with that miss coming back to haunt Liverpool when Ademola Lookman struck later.

But Reds manager Klopp insisted that neither Salah, nor Mane, will rest on their laurels and feel sorry for themselves as he pinpointed their persistent attitude as a key to their success.

"We don't have a lot of experience of Mo dealing with crisis or whatever, because he doesn't usually have to," Klopp told reporters.

"Missing a penalty is tough, especially after the rebound going against the crossbar, that was unlucky there's no doubt about that.

"But that's it pretty much, they are top-class players who deal constantly with failure. That's how our lives work, even in some of the best games the boys play many situations don't work out.

"And then you deal with it in the game, and that's what you learn as a footballer pretty quickly. Whoever you are, no matter how good you are, often you will constantly fail in a decisive moment.

"None of us have ever succeeded in all difficult situations. It is what it is, I'm not sure but I think Kobe Bryant is still the one player with the most missed situations in the NBA history.

"He is one of the greatest players ever, you have to try it and you have to come in these situations; if you fail, no problem just go again and everything will be fine – that's pretty much the mindset Mo, and Sadio, is in."

Salah has been in fine form this league campaign, recording 15 goals and nine assists in 19 appearances, but the same cannot be said of his frontline partner Mane.

The Senegal international started the 2021-22 term brightly, netting seven times in his opening 12 top-flight outings, but has since struggled – failing to find the net in each of his last seven games.

He is also the worst-performing Liverpool forward in terms of finishing. Mane has underperformed his expected goals (xG) tally of 8.88, which is perhaps best explained by the fact he has only converted 11.86 per cent of chances - Diogo Jota the second-lowest among the same group with (19.23), followed by Salah (19.74).

However, Klopp highlighted the importance of Mane's all-round influence on his Liverpool side as the most important aspect of the forward's work, despite a lean run of form in front of goal.

"Sadio has no problem with confidence, but of course the momentum is not there finishing wise at the moment," he added.

"He has been playing really well, actually my analyst made a video to show Sadio how much he contributes to our game, how good he is in certain moments and situations.

"Obviously, the intention was to show that he should not be worried about the finishing not being there and that he is still an incredibly important player for us.

"As a striker, pretty much of all of them go through these kinds of things – it's happened to Sadio before and I'm positive that he will have some good chances to score again on Sunday.

"He is too important for us to just think about these kinds of things, you have to take these situations from time to time and then after he will be good again – we work on it football-wise, but there's no point talking about it and making it bigger than it needs to be."

Liverpool sit 12 points behind league leaders Manchester City, who edged past Arsenal 2-1 on Saturday, heading into their visit with fellow title contenders Chelsea on Sunday.