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Opening Thoughts

Hello and welcome on this Sunday morning. We bring you your comprehensive football live hub, highlighting today's key football fixtures. England's top division offers intriguing contests between Brighton & West Ham as well as Fulham & Crystal Palace. Additionally, a top-of-the-table Scottish Premiership encounter between the Hoops and the Jambos, alongside WSL action and FA Cup second round drama rounds out the lineup. As always get in touch and let us know your plans for watching today's games. Without further ado.

Major Stories from Saturday

Mohamed Salah grabbed the spotlight even though he did not play in the Reds' thrilling six-goal thriller at Elland Road. Salah delivered an remarkable critique on boss Arne Slot, accusing him of tossing him “under the bus” following omission from the starting lineup for the third consecutive game. He expressed that he felt singled out for blame for the club's poor beginning to the campaign.

“It's unbelievable … I am sat on the bench for 90 minutes,” the Egyptian reportedly said. “This is the third match on the bench, I think for the first occasion in my career. I am extremely disappointed.”

The other major Premier League development saw the Gunners' last-gasp loss at Villa Park, sealed by Emiliano Buendía's decisive strike. This outcome, coupled with City's comfortable victory over Sunderland, has left a very tight race at the summit of the standings.

Outside the English leagues, the Argentine maestro as ever played the hero for Inter Miami as they lifted the league championship, defeating Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in the showpiece.

Today's Premier League Fixtures

Brighton welcome West Ham in a afternoon kickoff. The visitors have displayed signs of life since the arrival of manager Nuno. An impressive point at Manchester United means he has presided over a run of only one loss in five games.

Fulham against Crystal Palace is a repeat of last season's cup quarter-final. Crystal Palace are aiming for a fourth successive away win in the league, having beaten three opponents without conceding in their recent away fixtures.

Cup Action Continues

England's famous cup competition second round delivered lots of excitement yesterday. National League South side Weston-super-Mare made history by reaching the next round for the first time ever.

Other notable outcomes featured:

• Swindon hammered Bolton Wanderers – a division above them – 4-0.
• Cambridge United beat Stockport on spot-kicks.
• Sixth tier Buxton FC were ahead against Cheltenham Town before eventually enduring a 6-2 defeat.

Today's cup schedule includes:

• Slough Town v Macclesfield (early kickoff)
• Boreham Wood v Newport County
• Gateshead v Walsall
• Blackpool v Carlisle United

Developing Mini-Leagues

There seems to be a trio of separate mini-leagues forming in this season's Premier League.

1. Championship Contenders: Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa are seemingly vying for the top prize.
2. The Mid-Table Scramble: A very tight group includes several big names, all with designs on the top five. Can any put together a winning run to challenge the elite?
3. The Fight for Survival: The dogfight to avoid the drop likely involves several clubs, with Wolves looking especially in trouble. Clubs such as others could also be sucked into the battle.

Other Matches Today

Away from the English top flight and domestic cup, today's schedule feature:

Women's Super League (WSL): (All 12pm GMT unless stated)

• Leicester City v Manchester City
• London City Lionesses v Brighton & Hove Albion
• Manchester United v West Ham United
• Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa
• Chelsea v Everton (2.30pm GMT)

European Football:

• Real Madrid v Celta Vigo (8pm CET)
• Borussia Dortmund v Hoffenheim (4.30pm CET)

Ongoing Discussion About Liverpool's Star

The fallout from Mohamed Salah's comments rages on. Opinion is split into two distinct sides to the argument. Has he done enough to speak out as a bona fide Liverpool legend? On the other, is boss Slot justified in doing whatever it takes to attempt to win games?

Fan opinion seems split:

“As a Manchester United supporter. If memory serves, Salah was the players' player of the year 6 months ago and now he’s chief scapegoat. Not the way to treat a legend of the club.”

“Perhaps we should pause to have sympathy for Mo Salah? He must have forgotten that he is presently Liverpool's highest ever earning player... A victim, Mo, you are not.”

The big question for the Egyptian king, then? Many think his bridges at Liverpool may now be burned. Will he seek a loan to another European club? Or will he take the pay day and move to Saudi Arabia after the Africa Cup of Nations?

Matches Abandoned

Two second-tier fixtures were called off on Saturday.

• The match between Charlton Athletic and Portsmouth at The Valley was paused in the 12th minute after a supporter was taken ill. It was later announced the fan died in hospital.
• Blackburn's game against Sheffield Wednesday was also paused and abandoned due to a waterlogged pitch at Ewood Park. Heavy rain – for the second occasion this season at the ground – made the pitch unplayable.

There is no word yet on when these matches will be rescheduled.