We are ten weeks into the new Premier League season, and the table makes ugly reading for Sunderland fans. The Black Cats still sit at the foot of the table following their latest defeat at the Stadium Of Light at the hands of Arsenal, who put four past them on Saturday in the early kickoff.

Propping up the other nineteen Premier League clubs in the standings, Sunderland have accumulated just two points this season, without winning a single game in the opening ten games. The only points that the Black Cats have picked up have been in 1-1 draws with Southampton and West Brom. This form needs to improve if they are even think about beating the drop when May comes around next year.

Sunderland have been very poor this season, but David Moyes will surely come away some games feeling that his side should have grabbed at least a point in. Take a look back at the game at home against Everton in September. The game was finely poised and looking pretty much even an hour into the contest. However, things took a turn for the worse on the hour mark when Romelu Lukaku fired Everton into the lead. Up until this point, Sunderland looked good for at least a point against a strong, at the time, unbeaten Everton side.

After the goal, the heads of the Sunderland players dropped significantly. Lukaku went onto score an eleven-minute hat-trick as Everton left the Stadium Of Light with all three points. The mentality of the players and their resilience must have been something that David Moyes will have been striving to improve following that defeat.

A few weeks on and Sunderland looked to be heading for their first victory of the season when they went 2-0 up at home against Crystal Palace through a Jermain Defoe double. All that they needed to do was stay tight at the back and see the game through. However, they let Palace back into the game just one minute later, and then conceded an equaliser with fourteen minutes to go. The heads of the players had dropped once again and a shaky and nervous back line conceded a third goal at the death as Sunderland once again left the Stadium Of Light empty-handed.

Finally, and most recently, a Jermain Defoe spot kick put Sunderland level against a dangerous Arsenal side. They just had to see out the next five or ten minutes and secure a point, and perhaps look for a quick break and maybe snatch all three points. However, they were unable to do this and fell behind again just six minutes after equalising. The heads dropped again and Arsenal were ruthless and went onto score two further goals and secure a 4-1 win.

To conclude, David Moyes needs to look to try and improve the mentality of the players and think of a way of how to avoid conceding silly goals in games that his side should be taking points from. This is something that he must do if the Black Cats are to even think about retaining their Premier League status.

The case of Henrikh Mkhitaryan gets stranger and stranger. A player signed for a considerable £26m over the summer by Jose Mourinho has been more or less frozen out of the first team picture this season.

Former Borussia Dortmund man Mkhitaryan has started just once this season for the Red Devils this term, and that only lasted 45 minutes as the Armenian international was taken off at half-time after a below-par first half performance. Mkhitaryan has not featured for United since.

Jose Mourinho has insisted that the 27-year-old has no injuries and is fully fit, and Mkhitaryan would have no doubt been surprised not to be have been included in the starting lineups for the games against Fenerbache and perhaps Manchester City as Mourinho looked to chop and change in the different cup competitions.

However, Mkhitaryan could have in fact joined Premier League rivals Arsenal over the summer according to the Daily Mail. Maybe if he had joined Arsene Wenger’s side, things might have turned out differently in Mkhitaryan’s debut Premier League season.

Arsenal were in line to sign the Armenian from Borussia Dortmund for around £16m, but United came in with a bid of £26.3m, making Mkhitaryan the latest player that Arsenal have missed out on as a result of being outbid by rival clubs. Something that Arsenal fans will be far from delighted about.

But would things have been different at Arsenal? Theo Walcott has been in good form recently for Arsenal playing on the right, but it is more than likely that Mkhitaryan would have started over the England international should he have completed a move to North London over the summer.

It is clear that Mkhitaryan has the talent and the potential to succeed in the Premier League. The United player managed a solid 11 goals in the Bundesliga last season. In addition to this, he chipped in with a further eleven assists. The 27-year-old has shown his creative talent in the Bundesliga over the years, especially last season. He created 82 chances for his teammates and made 67 key passes in 31 league games last term.

The stats show that Mkhitaryan certainly has the creativity to warrant the £26m transfer fee that he moved to Manchester United for over the summer transfer window. However, for whatever reason, he has been frozen out of the first team picture for a large part of this season.

So what should the United winger do next? Mourinho has said that he is confident that Mkhitaryan will succeed in the Premier League for Manchester United, so at some point will surely give him an extended run in the first team. The former Dortmund man can do one of two things. He can either work his hardest in training and wait for his run in the first team, or he can try and force through a January transfer window move away from United. I am sure that clubs will be queuing up for a player of his quality should he become available.

Manchester United edged past local rivals Manchester City in the fourth round of the EFL Cup, courtesy of a Juan Mata goal in the second half. United fans were delighted with the Spaniard’s performance with many calling on Jose Mourinho to start him on a more regular basis in the Premier League.

The first half was extremely even at Old Trafford, but United started to take control of the game in the second half. Zlatan Ibrahimovic played a nice ball through to Paul Pogba, who hit the post after Willy Caballero saved his shot.

The breakthrough for Manchester United came shortly after. Ibrahimovic was involved again as his square ball was converted into the bottom corner to give the Reds the lead.

The home side had to withstand some late Manchester City pressure, who introduced Sergio Aguero midway through the second half, but Mourinho’s men had more than enough to get over the line and into the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup.

Juan Mata marked his return to the starting line-up with the decisive goal in the derby, and impressed many with his performance in the derby. Fans took to social media to heap praise onto the Spaniard, also hailing the performance of Michael Carrick in the midfield.

Thank you Mata. We really needed that win after that rough weekend #MUFC

— Kelvin Mathea (@KelvinMathea) 26 October 2016

Some day he’ll understand when he starts Mata we win 👏🏻🔴⚪️

— Ryan Nolan (@RyannNolann) 26 October 2016

We play so much better with Mata and Carrick in the side, not sure why they don’t start more often

— Lee Webb (@LeeWebby) 26 October 2016

Someone explain to me how Mata is droppable but Zlatan isn’t? #MUFC

— Ryan McDermott (@Banners_Up) 26 October 2016

Good game, and again mata starts and we don’t lose, mourinho should read between the lines. #mufc

— E.C.E (@Elvis_corp) 26 October 2016

Carrick and Mata can’t be left out of another United team this season if fit, surely? ??

— Michael Noone (@MichaelNoone4) 26 October 2016

It’s proven yet again, when mata starts we win

— MITHUN GARCIA (@MithunCher) 26 October 2016

Juan Mata hasn’t always been Jose Mourinho’s favourite man, just look back at when the two were at Chelsea to see what I mean. However, Mata’s performances have been immense for United this season, and generally when he starts, the Red Devils come away with a positive result, and fans have been calling for Mata to become a regular starter in Jose Mourinho’s starting elevens.

Michael Carrick has also been knocking on the door for an extended run in the team, but has so far been unsuccessful, with Mourinho preferring Ander Herrera alongside Paul Pogba or Marouane Fellaini in defensive midfield.

However, the Portuguese boss went with Herrera and Carrick in the defensive midfield, and after this positive result, Mourinho may explore the option of starting the two together in the midfield on a more regular and consistent basis.

Liverpool made their way into the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup with a 2-1 win over Premier League rivals Tottenham, Daniel Sturridge bagging a brace under the lights at Anfield.

It was Jurgen Klopp’s side that made a fast start, capitalising on a slip from Spurs summer signing Georges-Kevin N’Koudou, and Sturridge was there to take full advantage of another slip from Vorm to fire Liverpool into an early lead.

Spurs enjoyed a good period of play in the first half, with Vincent Janssen’s header at the back post being their best chance in the first period. However, Liverpool went into the break with the lead.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side continued to look for the equaliser, but it was Liverpool creating the better chances in the second half, and it was no surprise to see Daniel Sturridge double the Red’s advantage midway through the second half.

Spurs brought on Erik Lamela and Victor Wanyama either side of the second Liverpool goal, and they both had positive impacts on the game, with the former being brought down in the box for a penalty. Vincent Janssen stepped up and halved the deficit, setting up a nervy last fifteen minutes.

Youngster Sheyon Harrison had a good chance on his debut to put Spurs level, but couldn’t get his first touch spot on as Liverpool held on to advance to the quarter-finals.

Daniel Sturridge was of course the standout player for Liverpool, bagging a brace, but it could have been many more if the striker had been in a more clinical mood in front of goal. Here is how fans on Twitter reacted to Sturridge’s two goals against Spurs.

Good win for us, great to have Sturridge scoring again, into the next round!! #LFC #LIVTOT #EFLCup

— Callum (@Callum_Kennedy) 25 October 2016

Very good match for the young guys , and a great match for Sturridge scoring twice .
A well deserved win 🔴👏👏#LIVTOT #EFLCup

— Hened Collaku (@nedcolned) 25 October 2016

#LIVTOT That was proper cup tie, 2-1 end to end. #LFC deserved the win. Sturridge playing like his old self again. pic.twitter.com/mHqVlPvwj9

— Mike Kavanagh (@Mikekgh) 25 October 2016

Good to see Sturridge back at it!
Also, hats off to Origi. Brilliant performance! #LIVTOT #LFC

— Mujtaba Morshed (@MujtabaMorshed) 25 October 2016

As league cup games go that was decent. #LIVTOT sturridge stand out performance, should of had 4! Welcome back @IngsDanny 👍🏻

— James beast Puncher (@james666puncher) 25 October 2016

Great win tonight,and good to sturridge back amongst the goals #LIVTOT #COYR

— Andy Shortt (@shortt_andrew) 25 October 2016

#LIVTOT was a very entertaining game. Sturridge definitely mom. All youngsters did well

— SteveM (@Grumpynuts) 25 October 2016

Liverpool fans will be glad to see Sturridge back amongst the goals, and they will be keen to see him carry the form he showed against Spurs into the Premier League, where they will need his goals. The England international has not scored in the Premier League since 23rd April last season, and Liverpool fans will be glad to see him finally hit the back of the net.

Following a 4-0 humiliation at Stamford Bridge on Jose Mourinho’s return, United host bitter local rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.

Eric Bailly picked up a knee ligament injury at Stamford Bridge, and therefore is out. He is joined on the list of absentees by Marouane Fellaini, also injured at Chelsea, and Wayne Rooney is a doubt. Here is the United predicted line-up to face City.

Goalkeeper: David De Gea

Many were left surprised yesterday that David De Gea did not make his way onto the 30-man nominee list of the Ballon D’or considering how many times he has saved United over the course of 2016. He should start here.

Defence: Matteo Darmian, Chris Smalling, Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo

After conceding four at the weekend and falling apart, Jose Mourinho will be expecting a much changed performance at the back if they stand of beating Manchester City. With Mourinho unable to keep the core of his defence with Eric Bailly out, I think that Daley Blind will slot in alongside Smalling in the heart of the defence. That will allow Marcos Rojo to start on the left, with Matteo Darmian coming in for Antonio Valencia on the other side.

Defensive Midfield: Michael Carrick, Paul Pogba

To be perfectly honest, I think for Mourinho, Pogba is a little untouchable. I simply do not think that he will drop the Frenchman, but it must have crossed the Portugese manager’s mind at some point in the last couple of days. Ander Herrera has looked good for that last few games and weeks, but I think he will be rested, and this will be a good opportunity for Michael Carrick to impress Mourinho and give him a chance of breaking into the first team.

Attacking Midfield: Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Juan Mata, Anthony Martial

This attacking trio is much changed from Saturday. Mkhitaryan has hardly played for United since his high-profile £26m move from Germany, and this will be a good chance for him to perform if he starts against in the derby. Mata came on at half-time at Stamford Bridge, but had a minimal impact. Having only played 45 minutes he will still be fairly fresh ahead of Wednesday night. Martial has been in good form recently and could get his chance on the left.

Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

The Swede needs to start scoring, and fast. He has missed a lot of good chances over the course of the season, especially two decent headed chances in big games against Chelsea and Liverpool. Despite this I think that he will continue as a lone striker against Manchester City.

Manchester City were seemingly cruising in the Premier League just a few weeks ago. They held a 100% record in the league after six weeks and sat proudly at the top of the table with eighteen points out of eighteen.

That was until they ran into Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Mauricio Pochettino’s men took a leaf out of Celtic’s book and pressed City high up the pitch just as the Scottish outfit did on the previous Wednesday. The Lilywhites came away with all three points in an impressive 2-0 win.

Manchester City haven’t won since their 3-1 away win over Swansea in September having playing out successive 1-1 home draws in the Premier League against Everton last week, and Southampton most recently.

Earlier on in the season, after six weeks of league action, City were scoring on average three goals per game, and winning most comfortably. However, Pep Guardolia’s side have kept just one clean sheet this season, and that came at home against Bournemouth in a 4-0 win.

This defensive record was previously covered up by an on-fire Manchester City attack, but now the goals have dried up for City, the defensive unit has come under scrutiny over the last couple of weeks. You can analyse as much as you like how the Manchester City defence work together, but mistakes have cost Guardiola’s side dear this season.

Looking back at the game against Tottenham, Aleksander Kolorov’s howler of an own goal put Spurs into the lead, and had the deficit been just the single goal, City may have come out of the game with a point, or maybe even more.

Moving away from league action, the Fernandinho slip was unfortunate, but Manchester City were still slightly in the game against an underperforming Barcelona side in midweek, and if Claudio Bravo hadn’t committed footballing suicide at 1-0, it might have been a different story at the Camp Nou.

Finally, most recently, John Stones, purchased from Everton over the summer for £47.5m couldn’t even lay the simplest of passes back to his goalkeeper, allowing Nathan Redmond to fire the Saints into the lead. These are all mistakes that shouldn’t be happening at the top level, and really are crippling Manchester City at the moment.

City also look uncomfortable when being pressed high, especially in the defence. The players either need to show that they are capable of dealing with the high press and playing it out of the back, or Pep Guardiola needs to have a serious tactical rethink.

To summarise, teams are going to come and set up shop at the Etihad playing for a point or a 1-0 win, and City may only be able to put one goal past these extremely well-drilled defences and to give City the best chance of winning, the defence needs to start keeping clean sheets on a regular basis. A good step towards doing that would be to completely irradiate all of the silly errors we are seeing in the City back line.

Manchester United fell to a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Antonio Conte’s Chelsea on Sunday afternoon, and fans were quick to criticise a certain member of the Manchester United midfield.

World-record signing Paul Pogba started the match in an advanced midfield role, playing just behind lone striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but his role slightly changed when Jose Mourimho introduced Juan Mata into the game, meaning that the Frenchman took up a deeper role alongside Ander Herrera.

Jose Mourinho would have been keen to take something away from his return to Stamford Bridge, where he spent many successful years managing Chelsea. However, the game started in a disastrous fashion from a United point of view as Pedro raced onto a through ball before rounding David De Gea and firing Chelsea into the lead after just 30 seconds, the quickest goal in the Premier League so far this season.

Chris Smalling failed to stay tight to his man, and this proved costly as Gary Cahill thumped home Chelsea’s second midway through the first half as the ball broke to him six yards out.

Manchester United started to pose a threat at the other end of the pitch, and had a couple of good chances before the break. Mourinho’s men started the second period in a similar fashion as they ended the first, but Chelsea caught them on the break, Eden Hazard exchanging passes with Diego Costa to put the Blues out of sight.

The afternoon just got worse for Jose Mourinho when N’Golo Kante was allowed to walk through the United midfield and defence to finish into the corner and secure the three points for Chelsea.

One player that was subject to much criticism for Manchester United was world-record signing Paul Pogba, who put in yet another under-par performance in the Premier League, failing to build on his pleasing display in the Europa League on Thursday night.

The Frenchman completed 90% of his passes and won 100% of his aerial duels in the game against Chelsea, but playing in that advanced role, he must pose much more of an attacking threat. The 23-year-old failed to create a single chance for his teammates in the 4-0 hiding.

Here is how Twitter reacted to Pogba’s latest Premier League performance.

Paul Pogba:

Overrated and the biggest waste of money we’ll ever see on these shores.

— Ryan K. Davidson (@_RyanDavidson) October 23, 2016

the way pogba is playing cost u 89 mil? i can do that for free! SIGN ME UP @ManUtd

— fiq (@afiqrosss) October 23, 2016

Paul Pogba: nicking a living.

— 7amkickoff (@7amkickoff) October 23, 2016

Pogba and Ibrahimovic need to be dropped next match

— UtdInterest (@UtdInterest) October 23, 2016

Pogba doesn’t deserve any sympathy or time to settle. Really really average player.

— . (@alexburns1088) October 23, 2016

Does Pogba still play football or does he just get cool haircuts and dance in adidas commercials nowadays?

— Young Cast Iron (@jstnbradley) October 23, 2016

Perhaps if Pogba started worrying less about haircuts, handshakes and dabbing he’d be able to actually perform against a decent side

— Matthew Sheerin (@SheerinMatthew) October 23, 2016

On Jose Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge, he left empty-handed as Chelsea run away with the points in a 4-0 demolition job of Manchester United in South London.

Things went from bad to worse for Mourinho on Sunday afternoon as he saw his team 1-0 in the first thirty seconds of the game, before seeing goals added to Pedro’s opener by Gary Cahill, Eden Hazard and N’Golo Kante.

There was one Chelsea player that stood out throughout the game, and that was Eden Hazard, scorer of the third Chelsea goal. The way he exchanged passes with Diego Costa before slotting the ball past David De Gea was exquisite, and he earned himself the Man of the Match award.

Since the defeat at Arsenal, Chelsea have won their last three playing under a new system that has allowed Hazard to put in his best performances of the season. Conte has pressed on with plans to setup his Chelsea side with a back three, and over the last few weeks has been able to make this a success.

The new system adopted by Chelsea with wing-backs has allowed Eden Hazard to concentrate more on his attacking work rather than his defensive work, and this change in mindset has enabled the Belgian to really excel over the last week games and weeks.

The 25-year-old seems to be back to his best after an extended string of poor performances, but showed us all today what he is capable of once again, playing a big part in the taking apart of Mourinho’s Manchester United.

Hazard, in addition to his goal, completed 84% of his passes and delivered four crosses on his way to picking up the Man of the Match award as well as creating one further chance for his teammates.

Fans took to Twitter to heap praise onto the Belgian, who played extremely well in the 4-0 win.

Hazard’s goal was superb. What movement.

— Siddhu (@cheekyponnama) October 23, 2016

Hazard is underestimated but he doesn’t fail to prove himself time and again. He’s spectacular when he wants to be #CHEMUN #ChelseaFC

— Nate (@NateNwajei) October 23, 2016

Hazard has tore Utd to shreds, superb footballer

— Pilib de Brún (@Malachians) October 23, 2016

Brilliant Eden Hazard. Get in. 👏

— Costa’s Son (@Nuwaha17) October 23, 2016

No shame in admitting hazard is better and more efficient than neymar . #CHEMUN #Chelsea

— Azhar Khan (@shah_azhar_shah) October 23, 2016

perfect motm eden hazard 💪👏👏 #CHEMUN

— rdza (@shahrdza_) October 23, 2016

Hazard has been superb tonight. Deserved to be on the scoresheet 👏🏻

— Husen Chopx (@chopxhusen) October 23, 2016

Eden Hazard is once again becoming an influential and integral part of the Chelsea side, causing defences up and down the country huge problems. He will be key if Chelsea are to make a push for the Premier League title this season in Conte’s debut campaign. Are Hazard and Chelsea up to the task?

Celtic were condemned to another painful Champions League defeat, this time at the hands of Borussia Monchengladbach as centre-back Kolo Toure had an absolute shocker in a 0-2 defeat at Celtic Park.

Brendan Rodgers and his side will have seen the game at home to Monchengladbach as a good opportunity to get their first Champions League group stage win of the season, but the loss means that Celtic are now the only team without a win in Group C, sitting bottom of the group on one point, picked up against Manchester City in an entertaining 3-3 draw a few weeks ago.

Despite dominating proceedings in the first half, the game was level at half-time, but the hosts had a good chance to take the lead, but Scott Sinclair was unable to convert a decent chance from close range.

However, the German side started to turn their dominance into a lead at Celtic Park, capitalising on two mistake from Kolo Toure, who had an absolute nightmare in the third group stage game of the season.

Firstly, Andre Hahn won back possession from Toure, who attempted to shield the ball out for a goal-kick, and played the ball to Lars Stindl, who was able to fire Monchengladbach into the lead. As if his evening wasn’t bad enough already, Toure then gave the ball away again, this time with a poor pass. It was Hahn again who was able to take advantage of another Toure howler to double the German outfit’s lead.

Here is how Twitter reacted to Toure’s fatal errors, with some urging him to retire.

Kolo Toure needs to retire 🙄 #CELBMG #ChampionsLeague

— stripey nigel (@stripey_nigel) 19 October 2016

Kolo Toure.

Calamity at every club.

Time to retire bruh

— EmmyKeyz™ (@Emmykeyz) 19 October 2016

Kolo Toure was awful for @celticfc tonite. He should just retire!

— KloppLfc (@mantsepaa) 19 October 2016

Kolo Toure needs to retire now, it’s enough…

— Mr Dambuza (@ItsJustSihle) 19 October 2016

Kolo Toure should retire. Goodness me he’s gifted Monchengladbach 3 points.

— Luis Amor Ovaldinho (@OvaldinhoLuis) 19 October 2016

kolo toure must retire from football, two error cost his team 2 goals

— DAVID MALUNGILA (@kilodelta123) 19 October 2016

Kolo toure should just retire after tonight champions league match…

— adedeji ogunrinde (@BlackDarkSwag) 19 October 2016

However, some Celtic fans were full of praise for the Ivory Coast man, who came and spoke to the press post-match, and accepted responsibility for the defeat.

Fair play to Kolo Toure to come out post match and accept the blame and explain himself.

— Séan Walsh (@walshybhoy) 19 October 2016

Respect to Toure for fronting up for a post match interview. #Celtic

— James Doleman (@jamesdoleman) 19 October 2016

Despite conceding twelve goals in just three group stage matches, Kolo Toure and the rest of the Celtic defensive unit have look solid in the Scottish Premier League, conceding eight goals in eight games. Although they may not have a realistic chance of qualifying into the knockout stages, three good performances in the remaining group games would be much appreciated by the demanding Celtic faithful, who are desperate for Champions League success. Toure will need to pick himself back up and perform in those games if the club are to come through, they desperately need his experience.

Pep Guardiola’s decision to ditch Joe Hart over the summer and sign Claudio Bravo at Manchester City was met with some opposition, but City’s summer signing didn’t so himself any favours this evening at Barcelona…

Manchester City fell to a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Barcelona, and manager Guardolia shocked all of us by deciding not to play Sergio Aguero from the start in what arguably was City’s biggest game of the season so far.

City made a bright start to proceedings, but fell behind after sixteen minutes in unfortunate circumstances. Fernandinho slipped inside the box, and Lionel Messi of all people was there to pounce and fire the hosts into the lead.

It was at 1-0 where Claudio Bravo made his costly error. In the second half, the 33-year-old came out a long way to retrieve the ball and set City onto the front foot, instead, he gave the ball to Luis Suarez, who attempted the chip, which Bravo handled outside of the box. The Chilian was shown a straight red card for his troubles.

Willy Cabellero came on his place and managed to save a Neymar penalty, but was unable to stop Messi from scoring two more and Neymar adding a Barcelona fourth goal.

Joe Hart did make a couple of errors over the summer in goal for England at Euro 2016, but nothing worthy of him being dropped by new manager Guardolia, looking solid in between the sticks for domestically for Manchester City.

Despite making some quality saves, Guardolia favoured a goalkeeper that could play it out from the back, and chose Claudio Bravo to succeed Joe Hart in goal. However, he might be questioning his decision at the moment after Bravo’s latest performance.

Bravo has not made the fastest of starts to life in the Premier League, and has been criticised by some for recent performances in the Premier League, with some fans seriously questioning the decision of Pep Guardolia to get rid of Hart over the summer.

Fans took to Twitter to express their views on Claudio Bravo’s performance against Barcelona, who made a good double-save in the first half, but unsurprisingly, this did not get a mention as fans slammed the goalkeeper off the back of his red card at the Camp Nou.

Dont think Hart would have done that…poor by Bravo. #mcfc

— Billo (@Billo20Four7) 19 October 2016

Bravo was always going to cost #mcfc more points than he wins them. Easier to train good keeper to pass short, than a poor keeper to improve

— Elder Grizzly (@ElderGrizzly) 19 October 2016

That’s awful goalkeeping from Bravo 😳

— Andrew Oates (@AAOates1) 19 October 2016

Bravo really is awful 😂😂 It’s a crime that’s he’s replaced Hart at City!

— Sam Watts (@Watts18Sam) 19 October 2016

What a horrible mistake by Bravo. Ridiculous. Awful. Disastrous.

— Anis Tabet (@AnisTabet23) 19 October 2016

Bravo has always been a disaster waiting to happen, Pep made a big mistake to get rid of Hart. He’ll laughing at him now…

— anderson allan (@amaniswirv) 19 October 2016

What a comedy of errors, Bravo. Awful decision making.

— Nikhil Saglani (@Nikhil_Saglani) 19 October 2016

Liverpool and Manchester United played out a goalless draw on what had been dubbed ‘Red Monday’ by Sky Sports. The game was seen by many as an largely underwhelming affair, but there was one player that stood out for Manchester United.

Jose Mourinho tried to stop the fast start that was expected to be made by Liverpool, and his team were successful in doing this, but they were unable to capitalise and take all three points away from Anfield.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Phillipe Coutinho and Emre Can all had chances to break the deadlock, but it was Ander Herrera who stood out in the midfield more Manchester United, putting in a Man Of The Match display for Jose Mourinho’s side.

The Spaniard completed 74% of his passes playing in his deeper role in midfield, this time alongside Marouane Fellaini instead of record-signing Paul Pogba, who played in a more attacking role on ‘Red Monday’.

Although Herrera created no chances, he stayed strong in the midfield and provided an excellent shield in front of the back four. The 27-year-old won 80% of his aerial duels, and completed five take-ons during then goalless draw. In addition to this, Herrera made a total of 11 interceptions, more than any player in the Premier League this season in a single match.

Here is how fans on social media reacted to the superb performance of Herrera in the Manchester United midfielder.

Match was boring. Mou came to take a point and not win the game. Waste of time. Herrera was spectacular.

— domi (@DomiBeats) 17 October 2016

Ibra was shocking, Herrera immense, Felliani was Felliani, Tony V class, Bailly and Smalling decent, Blind poor, Pogba meh, Young pashun

— MH (@dyballocks) 17 October 2016

A special mention for Herrera. Defensively spectacular. Plays that holding role to perfection! #FullTimeSween

— Full Time DEVILS (@FullTimeDEVILS) 17 October 2016

So happy Herrera has finally got the games to prove how good he is. Has quickly become one of our most important players. Rightly MOTM.

— Hayley B (@Hayles_101) 17 October 2016

Thought Herrera was fantastic tonight. Brilliant time for him to get a run in the team a few weeks ago to prove himself capable for this.

— Scott Patterson (@R_o_M) 17 October 2016

Herrera man of the match again. He’s been brilliant this season

— jb8521 (@jb_8521) 17 October 2016

On the day dubbed ‘Red Monday’ by Sky Sports, Liverpool and Manchester United played out a rather underwhelming 0-0 draw at Anfield in front of a packed house, and left many disappointed, taking into account the pre-match build-up.

Jose Mourinho came to Anfield to stop Liverpool’s early game surge, something that he did successfully in the first half. His team stayed strong at the back, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic should have done much better from an exquisite Paul Pogbs cross from the right wing, but the Swede could only head across goal.

David De Gea managed to produce top-quality saves to keep Emre Can and Phillipe Coutinho out during the second half before Antonio made an excellent last-ditch tackles in the last ten minutes as the game ended goalless.

The game included sixteen shots in total, nine for Liverpool and seven for Mourinho’s men, but neither side could convert any of the total twelve chances that were created during the team. Between the sticks, David De Gea made four saves, and Karius made two.

It was a good tactical battle to watch at Anfield, but a game that offered very little in terms of chances, and fans of Liverpool, Manchester United, and neutrals, were disappointed to say the least with the Monday Night Football offering. They took to Twitter to voice their opinions.

If ever a game has made you realise it’s time to get rid of Sky Sports, this is it! #LIVMUN

— BermondseyBoy (@Bermondsey1885) 17 October 2016

What a wasted 90 mins of my life #LIVMUN 💩⚽️

— 🍴🍷Adam Brooks 🍷🍴 (@EssexPR) 17 October 2016

thanks for nothing #LIVMUN

— Fabi (@NaibafW) 17 October 2016

Thanks for wasting everyone’s time, we appreciate it ❤ #LIVMUN

— baeyonce dicapriyolo (@NaadieA) 17 October 2016

So much hype before the game, players were anxious & edgy, frustrating performances from most. Disappointing night 😔 #LFC #LIVMUN

— Helen (@Helen_LFC) 17 October 2016

What a pile of absolute rubbish that was #LIVMUN

— Tasha (@TashaEverall) 17 October 2016

Manchester United will have the happier set of fans on the night after picking up a point away against a team that is on great form currently. The way United played should not surprise United fans and under Mourinho they can expect many similar performances. It will be interesting to see if that satisfies the United fans in the long term though as many were disgruntled by Louis van Gaal’s management, even when the team were winning games. The fans and manager must be on a similar wavelength for their relationship to last the long haul.

As a result of the crushing 3-0 defeat away at Arsenal, Antonio Conte decided that it was time for a change at Chelsea following a defensive horror show at the Emirates that saw the game all-but over in the first period.

In different managerial jobs, for example Juventus and Italy, we have seen Conte setup his teams with three at the back, and up until after the game away at Arsenal, Chelsea had been playing with four at the back.

Conte’s three at the back system made its Chelsea debut away at Hull City, where the Blues recorded a solid 2-0 win and went away with all three points. Three defenders were also deployed against Leicester City at the weekend, and it was another win for Chelsea, this time with a strong 3-0 victory over the champions at Stamford Bridge.

In short, Conte’s system has had an almost instant impact since the change with two wins from two. The switch has certainly benefited winger Eden Hazard, and Conte will be glad to see the Belgian playing some of his best stuff again.

However, in the two games that Conte has played his three at the back system, Chelsea have come up against a couple of teams that are seriously under-performing. For starters, we saw Hull concede six away at Bournemouth on Saturday as their defensive woes continue. They look far from the team they were in the first few games of the season.

Then we look at Leicester, who are somehow managing to defend their title worse than Chelsea did last season under Jose Mourinho. Losing Kante over the summer was a huge blow for Ranieri’s side, and they look far from the title-winning side that they were last season. To be perfectly honest, a 3-0 win in the Blues’ favour was something that I was not surprised at all by.

On Sunday, Chelsea come up against Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United in the Portuguese manager’s return to Stamford Bridge. Although United have not been at their best this season, I feel that they will be a lot more disciplined and a lot harder to break down that Hull and Leicester.

You get the feeling in the build-up to the match that Mourinho will set his team up in a slightly negative fashion that will look to catch Chelsea on the counter-attack, inviting Chelsea pressure. I feel that it is only after we have observed what happens in the match against Manchester United that we can judge how successful the formation change at Chelsea has really been and whether it really is the way forward.

Having gone into the international break off the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw with Stoke at Old Trafford, Manchester United will be keen to return to league action with three points. However, they face an uphill task to do this as they face an in-form Liverpool side who have a 100% record from two games at Anfield this season.

In terms of team news, Phil Jones is the only absentee for Jose Mourinho’s side for the Monday night clash, whereas Luke Shaw and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are back in contention to start. Here is our Manchester United predicted line-up to face Liverpool.

Goalkeeper: David De Gea

The Spanish stopper has been very good for United this season, making some very important stops so far. He will have to be at his very best on Monday night to keep a clean sheet against a clinical and vibrant Liverpool attack.

Defence: Antonio Valencia, Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling, Daley Blind

The Manchester United defensive unit will have its hands full all evening. Antonio Valencia will have to keep Coutinho quiet if he resumes his position on the left, and Daley Blind will have an equally as difficult job, having to deal with either Roberto Firmino or Sadio Mane, whoever starts on Monday night.

If Sadio Mane does play down the middle, then his pace looking to get in-behind will terrorise either Chris Smalling or Eric Bailly at the back. The pair’s positioning will have to be perfect if they are to keep the Liverpool attack quiet, and the centre-back duo will for sure look to put in some early strong tackles and set the tone from the start.

Defensive Midfield: Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera

The role of the defensive shield will be key to United if they are to come away from Anfield with a result. Ander Herrera will most likely sit deeper again, whereas Paul Pogba will look to push forward when given the opportunity. However, the Frenchman will need to be very disciplined against Liverpool, but Pogba’s strength on the ball will be key for United to quickly turn defence into attack.

Attacking Midfield: Marcus Rashford, Juan Mata, Anthony Martial

If Manchester United are to come away from Merseyside with anything at all, they will need to attack with pace and make the most of their opportunities, and I feel that the trio of Rashford, Mata and Martial are the right men to do this. Martial and Rashford will provide the pace and the runs down the wings, whereas Mata in the middle will pick out the crucial passes.

Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

I said that United would have to attack with pace, and the former Swedish international is far from the paciest player in the Premier League, but he will be a great target man. He can hold the ball up whilst others join the attack, and he can try and get on the end of any crosses delivered by the likes of Martial and Rashford on the wings.

Who will prevail from the battle at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool or Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United?

Last week, Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane confirmed to the media that record-breaking signing Paul Pogba could have in fact signed for Los Blancos instead of Manchester United over the summer transfer window.

Madrid are currently in second place in La Liga, and will be looking to sneak into top spot ahead of their Madrid rivals over the coming weeks after the international break, and speaking last week, Zidane did mention that the Frenchman could have put pen to paper for Real Madrid, saying:

“It could have happened. There were conversations, but it didn’t go ahead.”

However, Zidane saw Pogba sign for Manchester United for a fee of around £89m, but he been worth the investment?

In the opening weeks of the Premier League season, we have seen Pogba deployed in a deeper midfield role with a number of partners such as Marouanne Fellaini, but now Ander Herrera plays alongside the Frenchman. This has worked better and Manchester United are now well set for their weekend game against Liverpool - get the best football tips ahead of that huge fixture.

Pogba has usually been the man to push forward and look to cause more of an attacking threat for United while Herrera sits back, and the partnership seemed to be effective against Leicester City, but United could only manage a 1-1 draw with Stoke at Old Trafford a week on.

Looking at his statistics alongside those of his defensive midfield partner Ander Herrera, Paul Pogba wins more of his total duels, but only just. The Frenchman wins 52.58% of his total duels, whereas the Spaniard wins 50%. On the other hand, Herrera wins 75% of his aerial duels, and Pogba wins 59.09% of his aerial duels.

Herrera also makes more interceptions per game than Pogba. The Spanish international makes 3.38 per ninety minutes, but Pogba makes on average just 1.33 interceptions per game. Herrera also makes more tackles per game than his French teammate. Pogba makes on average 1.33, and Herrera makes 2.25.

However, the story is a little different when going forward, which is effectively what Pogba is there for. The Frenchman on average creates 1.83 chances per game, and makes the same number of key passes per ninety minutes. Herrera on the other hand makes just 0.56 per game of each.

We have seen flashes of brilliance from Paul Pogba since he joined Manchester United in the summer, but nowhere near so far what £89m should get you. In short, no, Pogba has not so far been worth the huge amount of money invtested in order to bring him to the club, and needs to up his game after the international break.

French defender Djibril Sidibe was left with a choice of two clubs in the summer transfer window just gone, and decided to stay in France and secure a move to Monaco from Lille, passing up the opportunity to move to Premier League club Arsenal.

The defender says that the main reason he didn’t move to Arsenal over the summer was that he was unsure whether he would be a regular starter in Arsene Wenger’s side, and whether he would get the playing time he wanted at Arsenal.

However, Sidibe hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a move to Arsenal next summer, saying that he will be targeting a move to the Premier League at the end of the season, saying, “I chose to stay in Ligue 1 and then leave for the Premier League next year because it is a competition that greatly appeals to me.”

The Gunners managed to strengthen their defence with the signing of Shkodran Mustafi over the summer for £35m, and could be looking to strengthen even further over the coming transfer windows.

Speaking of his potential playing time at Arsenal, the Frenchman said, “I would have played maybe 25 games this season, including the cups. They also wanted to use me on the left whereas I want to establish myself on the right.”

With the 24-year-old keen to make himself useful on the right-hand-side of the defence, would he be able to challenge Hector Bellerin for a starting spot if he were to sign for Arsenal next summer?

The French defender in Ligue 1 makes more tackles per game than Bellerin. Sidibe wins on average 2.26 tackles per game, whereas Bellerin weighs in with just 0.57 tackles per game on average. However, Arsenal’s current right-back loses 0.86 tackles per game, but Sidibe loses 3.08 per ninety minutes.

Bellerin is known for posing a huge threat going forward, bombing down the right wing, and has managed to create one chance per game for the Gunners this season, but the stats say that Sidibe is more of a threat going forward for Monaco. The right-back has created 1.85 chances per game for the French side this term, and has made 1.64 key passes per game. Bellerin has made 0.86 passes per game in contrast.

In terms of interceptions and blocks, the pair are pretty similar, and they same goes for total duels won, Bellerin 49.06% with Sidibe winning 42.31%. Also, Bellerin commits less fouls per game than Sidibe.

To conclude, Arsene Wenger is a huge fan of Bellerin, and would be reluctant to drop the Spaniard at any stage if he continues the form he is in. However, the stats certainly show that Sidibe could easily challenge Hector Bellerin for a regular starting spot if he makes the move to Arsenal next summer that he so nearly made last summer.

Next season could be a good time for Sidibe to arrive as Wenger may lose all three of Mathieu Debuchy, Carl Jenkinson and Kieran Gibbs - as the trio are all seeking more game time than they are likely to get at The Emirates. Sidibe can cover at both right and left back and with Monreal moving into his 30’s, there could be plenty of game time opportunities for him should he join.

Liverpool have made a successful start to the season, and have established themselves early on as title contenders going into the second international break of the campaign in October sitting in fourth place, trailing third-placed Arsenal only by goal difference and find themselves just two points off the pace after seven games.

We all know that Liverpool under German manager Jurgen Klopp like to play possession football, avoiding the use of long ball unless deemed absolutely necessary. That style of play not only requires a team that can keep the ball extremely well with few misplaced passes, but a central midfielder that can pull the string for your team, and Jordan Henderson has been the man that has managed to do that for the boys from Anfield so far this season.

He has completed the most passes per game out of anybody in the league this season, and has featured in all seven of Liverpool’s opening Premier League fixtures up until this point. The England international has managed to complete on average 84.1 passes per game in midfield, the most in the league by far. His nearest competitor is Santi Cazorla of Arsenal, who has completed on average a still impressive 71.9 passes per game. He is closely followed by Manchester United’s record signing Paul Pogba, who has weighed in with an average of 71.2 passes per game.

Henderson has put in a string of quality performances from deep midfield this season for Jurgen Klopp’s side, with the highlight being the wonder-goal he scored at Stamford Bridge back in September. In addition to his remarkable amount of passes, the Englishman also has a pass completion rate of 90%.

In the league this season, Henderson has made on average 1.32 key passes per game, and has assisted one goal. As well as his good work on the ball, Henderson has done his fair share of good work off the ball. He has won on average 2.79 tackles per game, and has won 60% of his total aerial duels.

Henderson has been very good in the midfield for season, but can he and his teammates under the management of Jurgen Klopp lead Liverpool to the Premier League title this season?

Sitting seventh going into the international break, the Chelsea’s start to the season has been fairly unsatisfactory, and it has been reported that manager Antonio Conte is planning a major overhaul of the squad over the next couple of transfer windows.

The Telegraph report that Roman Ambramovic is willing to give Conte the funds he needs to complete this squad overhaul, including funding a spectacular £60m move for Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci, who they will attempt to land in the January window.

Chelsea fell to a disappointing 3-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal a couple of week ago, in what was nothing short of a defensive horror show from a Chelsea point of view, sparking the plans of a major squad overhaul. The Blues kept a clean sheet at Hull at the weekend in a 2-0 win, but the former Juventus and Italy manager is still set to go ahead with his plans.

The Telegraph also claim that Juventus and Inter Milan officials were in London this week, but they are unsure whetehr this was regarding the transfer of Bonucci and Marcelo Brozovic, who Chelsea also have eye on.

Conte fielded a team with a back three on Saturday, and it is understood that this is system Conte will want to play in the long run at Stamford Bridge, but feels that he has to dip into the transfer market and acquire the players that will suit this system.

Leonardo Bonnuci has previously worked with Conte on two occasions, once while Conte was at the helm at Juventus, and also when he took charge of the Italian national team. The Juventus man is more than used to playing Antonio Conte’s three at the back system, and would be viewed by Conte as one of the best possible signings Chelsea could make.

So how does Bonnuci compare in the statistics department to other defenders at Chelsea? Looking at the stats from this season of Bonnuci, Gary Cahill, David Luiz and John Terry. The latter has won the least tackles with just 0.25 per game, followed by Bonnuci, who makes 0.8 successful tackles per game. Gary Cahill makes a fraction more with 0.86 per game, but David Luiz makes the most with 1.33 per game.

Bonnuci wins the least of his total duels with 40.63%, then come David Luiz and John Terry with 42% and 48% respectively. Gary Cahill leads the way, winning 61.9% of his total duels.

Cahill also tops the pile in tackles lost, losing just 0.57 per game. Luiz and Terry lost around 1.3 per game, and Bonnuci loses the most tackles, on average, 1.60 lost tackles per game.

However, Bonnuci does make the most interceptions per game than the rest of the defensive quartet. He makes on average three per game, whereas Luiz makes two, Cahill 1.57, and Terry just 0.5.

Looking at those statistics, is Bonnuci worth £60m? Certainly not in my opinion. However, his experience of working with Conte could prove to be invaluable as the manager looks to guide Chelsea to domestic and continental success in the next few season.

Would signing Bonnuci at £60m be a good move for Chelsea?

Having spent £150m over the summer, Manchester United haven’t had a terrific start to the season that many expected them to have. They sit 6th in the Premier League table after seven weeks, and as we head into the October international break, Jose Mourinho may have one eye on the January transfer window. Here are three players he could potentially bring to Old Trafford in the New Year

1) Danny Drinkwater

The United defensive midfield may not look like it needs strengthening, with Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera, Michael Carrick, Morgan Schneiderlin and Marouane Fellaini battling for first-team places, but according to The Sun, Jose Mourinho wants to add to his midfield options with the acquisition of Danny Drinkwater.

The Sun claim that Mourinho is willing to pay up to £30million in order to land his January target, which would see the Englishman return to the club that turned it’s back on him just four years ago.

Drinkwater featured alongside N’Golo Kante last season in Leicester City’s title-winning season, and having seen Kante move to Chelsea over the summer, Claudio Ranieri won’t be keen on Drinkwater also leaving the club.

Mourinho is reportedly keen on making another defensive midfield signing not only to bolster his options in that area, but to also allow Paul Pogba to feature in a more attacking role in the midfield, implying that the Portuguese boss is not content with the current defensive unit protection of Ander Herrera, who has featured in that role for United this season.

Comparing the two, Danny Drinkwater has won more tackles than Herrera, winning on average just under three per game, with Herrera winning just 2.25 per game. However, Herrera makes almost two more interceptions per game, wins a higher percentage of total duels, makes more clearances, and just about loses less tackles per game.

Looking at those facts, is Drinkwater really worth the reported £30m investment?

Michael Owen has made a bold claim by stating that Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin is not good enough to be a regular starter under Jose Mourinho. Owen is quoted by the Metro on BT Sport saying, he expects the former Saints man to start after the international break against Liverpool away from home, but says that he is not enough to be a regular in the starting eleven.

When speaking about United’s potential line-up at Liverpool, Owen said, ‘I think it should be Michael Carrick or Morgan Schneiderlin, although I don’t think he’s quite good enough to be a Manchester United regular’.

The midfielder may have only played five minutes of League football this season, but is Michael Owen right in saying that he is not enough to be a regular starter at United?

Back in July 2015, Manchester United paid £24m for Schneiderlin, hoping that he would be the next major replacement for the likes of Paul Scholes and the more recent Darren Fletcher in the middle of the park.

He made 29 appearances under Louis van Gaal last season, but now faces increased competition for a starting spot in the midfield. Ander Herrera has dropped into a deeper role, Paul Pogba is the big-money signing of the summer, and Marouane Fellaini has previously been preferred in the middle, as has Michael Carrick.

Looking at the stats from last season (excluding the stats of Paul Pogba because he was not in the Premier League so this season’s stats have been used), Schneiderlin had the highest pass completion rate out of his competition with 89%, but has made the least successful passes per game apart from Fellaini, making an average of 52 successful passes per ninety minutes, Carrick making the most with just over 60 per game.

But what do we look for in a holding midfielder? We look for one of two roles. The more defensive of the two, the strong tackler doing the dirty work, and the more attacking role, who looks to go forward and make more important passes.

Ander Herrera played in a more attacking role last season, but his stats still showed that he could play in the defensive role he plays this season. He made an average of 2.62 tackles per game last season compared to Schneiderlin, who made just over two per game. The Spaniard also won a higher percentage of his duels winning 45%, 11% more than Schneiderlin. The stats show that Herrera should start ahead of the 26-year-old, and this is without even considering the competition of Michael Carrick.

With Herrera looking on top of Scheiderlin in the pecking order for the more defensive role, we turn to the more attacking role, currently occupied by Paul Pogba, who looks undroppable from a Mourinho point of view after spending £90m on the Frenchman, already making getting in front of him an uphill struggle for the former Saints midfielder.

However, Pogba’s stats from this season show that he can do his defensive work and win tackles as well as go forward. In addition to making 1.83 key passes per game this season, the Frenchman has also won 52% of his total duels in midfield.

Looking at the stats, at the moment, there is seemingly no space for Schneiderlin in the starting eleven. However, what form did he show at Southampton that attracted the interest of Manchester United?

At Southampton in the season 2014-15, Schneiderlin made an average of 3.25 tackles per game, and he won 44% of his duels, much better than the figures he has mustered up at Manchester United. The midfielder also made more key passes at Southampton.

In response to Michael Owen’s claims, I don’t think that Schneiderlin is not enough to start for Manchester United full stop. In his current form, he is nowhere near a regular starting spot, but if he can convince Jose Mourinho that he can show the form he did at Southampton out on the pitch then he may be considered for regular appearances in the starting eleven.

Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs were at their very best on Sunday as they managed to brush aside previously unbeaten table-toppers Manchester City in a thrilling game at White Hart Lane.

An own goal from Aleksandar Kolorov sent Spurs into the lead early on in the piece before Spurs doubled their lead later on in the first half with a low Dele Alli strike past Claudio Bravo. Erik Lamela had the chance to make it 3-0, but missed from the spot in the second period.

Spurs looked to press City from the start in the knowledge that playing out from the back is the Pep Guardiola way, particlulary looking to press Claudio Bravo in the Manchester City goal as he looked for a pass.

The high pressing helped Spurs to take all three points at White Hart Lane, as the team covered 118.8km throughout the ninety minutes, working tirelessly for the win.

One player that stood out for me as well as Spurs fans across Twitter was Victor Wanyama in the midfield, with many taking to Twitter to voice their opinions on Wanyama’s outstanding performance.

The Kenyan midfielder made some excellent tackles in the midfield on his way to earning the Sky Man Of The Match award on Sunday afternoon. He pressed the City midfield extremely well and his strength shone through in the 2-0 win.

Wanyama won six tackles as well as two aerial duels in his Man Of The Match performance, also racking up an 84% passing accuracy in Spurs’ fifth win of the season. The Kenyan also made one interception and recovered the ball nine times. Here is how fans reacted on Twitter to the midfielder’s performance.

Legitimately thought Wanyama would just be a squad player but the guy is incredible, how did he barely get any plaudits while at Saints?

— Yidvids (@YidVids) 2 October 2016

Wanyama is an animal. Steal at 11m .

— TottenhamTalk (@tottenhamtalk1) 2 October 2016

What a win! Couldn’t be prouder, fantastic from start to finish. Back 4 brilliant/ Wanyama absolute class. Unbeaten&1 point off top #COYS

— Abbi Grace Summers (@abbi_summers) 2 October 2016

All of them put their body on the line today. Rose phenomenal considering 6 games out. Wanyama superb. Hard to fault any. In fact you can’t.

— Paul O Keefe (@pokeefe1) 2 October 2016

Let’s face facts here. Is there any holding midfielder in the past 70 years better than victor wanyama? I don’t think so

— ㅤ (@Youngerweireld) 3 October 2016

Superb from Spurs. Every player delivered. Great intensity in the first half, pure resilience in the second. Wanyama activated beast mode.

— Ewan Roberts (@EwanRoberts) 2 October 2016

Feels a lot better. Thank you Spurs! Ps. Wanyama is a beast!

— Lisa Johnson (@girlmanutd) 2 October 2016

After maintaining their 100% record in the Premier League, Manchester City travelled to Celtic Park in the Champions League, where they played out an extremely entertaining 3-3 draw, after being behind three times in the match. Here are how the Manchester City players performed.

Claudio Bravo- 6

Made some good saves to weather the early Celtic storm, but will be disappointed on the night to let in three goals.

Pablo Zabaleta- 5

Looked to get forward more as the game went on, but had a minimal impact. He had his hands full for most of the night anyway with having to deal with the threat of Scott Sinclair down the left.

Nicolas Otamendi- 5

Not a great defensive night all round, and Otamendi will be looking to lead his the defence to a better record in the Premier League

Aleksandar Kolarov- 5

Got the nod to start ahead of John Stones to the surprise of some. A horrible attempt of a clearance that allowed Dembele to score his second. Not a great night for Kolarov.

Gael Clichy- 5

Fernandinho- 8

Played really well in the midfield for Manchester City, making some good tackles in the holding roll, and looking to carry the ball forward with purpose. A good night and performance from him, not to mention his equaliser early on.

Ilkay Gundogan- 7

Played down the middle, in a similar position to the one taken up by David Silva. He showed some flashes of what he can do, providing the Celtic defence with something to think about when he had the ball.

David Silva- 7

A great performance from David Silva. He looked to spread the play well, and provided those short intricate passes, playing an excellent ball through to Sergio Aguero in the build-up to the third goal.

Raheem Sterling- 8

Had a tremendous game down the right-hand side. He recovered well from his own-goal to fire City level with a composed finish, and looked a huge threat to the Celtic defence every time he got the ball.

Nolito- 7

Aimed to cause problems down the left-hand side, and often looked to cut inside onto his right foot to cause trouble. Took his goal in the second half well to fire City level for the third time in the game.

Sergio Aguero- 6

Was left isolated up top for most of the game in a most uncharacteristic performance. As a result, the Argentine had to take up slightly unnatural positions, and should have tucked away his chance in the second half. Little did it matter as Nolito was there to score from the follow-up. Slightly under par from Aguero on the night.

Subs: John Stones, Fernando N/A

After being humiliated 7-0 at the Camp Nou against Barcelona, Celtic returned to Champions League action at Celtic Park against Manchester City, with the two team playing out a high-tempo, exciting and entertaining football match, that ended in a 3-3 draw and a point-a-piece. Here are how the Celtic player performed.

Craig Gordon- 6

Solid game from the goalkeeper making some good saves, especially a crucial stop at the end, will not look good on the statistics as he concedes three goals in the ninety minutes.

Mikael Lustig- 6

Did not look to get forward as much as his other full-back, and looked to focus on his defensive work and battle against Nolito. A good block on the line from Nolito’s shot in the second half from the right-back.

Kolo Toure- 6

Not a great night for either defence, both letting three goals, and Toure will look to improve on Celtic’s defensive record in the Champions League

Erik Sviatchenko- 6

In my opinion had a better game than his centre-back partner, and played some lovely balls into the midfield from the back. Also made a pivotal block from a Sergio Aguero header in the second period.

Kieran Tierney- 7

A really good performance early on in what was a really interesting battle down that flank. It was a great run for the second goal, but he struggled to keep Raheem Sterling quiet at times.

Nir Bitton- 7

Played really well in the midfield showing his range of passing as well as strong tackling. A strong performance from the Celtic man.

Scott Brown- 7

One of the veterans at Celtic and in the midfield. He showed his skills in the midfield breaking up the play making some really strong tackles throughout.

James Forrest- 7

Made a clever run for the first Celtic goal from the free-kick, but struggled to make a big impact after that, but stepped up to provide that quality early on to give Celtic the dream start.

Tom Rogic- 7

Looked a talent in the midfield in the first half, and played an excellent ball through to the left-back in the build-up for the second goal. Struggled to have a similar impact in the second half, and was withdrawn in the second half.

Scott Sinclair- 7

Looked a huge threat for Celtic down the left-hand side, and it for him was a night to prove himself, and caused the Manchester City defence some problems throughout.

Moussa Dembele- 8

Managed to bag two goals on the night, and played really well as a target man up front. He pressed the ball well from the front and his second goal was a spectacular one.

Subs: Stuart Armstrong, Stuart Roberts, Lee Griffiths

Jurgen Klopp appeared as a pundit on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football where Watford visited Turf Moor to play Burnley. Whilst making his appearance on Sky alongside David Jones and Jamie Carragher, he spoke very highly of a Manchester City player, dubbing him his favourite non-Liverpool Premier League player.

Speaking on Sky’s show, the Liverpool boss revealed that his favourite non-Liverpool player was David Silva from Manchester City, and the German had some kind words for the Spaniard.

I like David Silva. I like his style of play. He is a wonderful player, he’s everywhere, he’s so skilled and he has a wonderful attitude. Even though I don’t hear his name too often after the wonderful start by Man City and I’m pretty sure he has his role and I like his style of play.

The tricky attacking midfielder is a huge threat to any team when he is in-form, but has yet to get off the mark this season having made five Premier League appearances under new manager Pep Guardiola, but has scored in the Champions League this campaign.

The 30-year-old is know for his tremendous technical ability, but what if the left-footed winger were to be installed into Jurgen Klopp’s side.

From performances this season as well as last season, Liverpool love to play teams away from home, and have made a name for themselves under Jurgen Klopp catching teams on the break, playing an extremely exciting style of play away from home, full of pace and attacking flair.

The pretty football is followed by favourable results, most recently the 2-1 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and on the first week of the season the 4-3 win away at Arsenal. However, last season, inconsistent results have let the Reds down, and they have done this season to a certain extent, the 2-0 loss at Burnley being the result that sticks out like a sore thumb.

For me, David Silva would fit perfectly into a Jurgen Klopp side. The way that Liverpool catch teams on the break would fit Silva’s style of play perfectly. The Spaniard can show the pace required to catch teams on the counter-attack, and would far from look out of place in a Jurgen Klopp starting eleven.

Not only can he show the pace needed to fit the bill in a Klopp squad, Silva also has the technical ability to break open a tight defence at Anfield, where teams have been known to come and ‘park the bus’.

So how does Silva compare to Liverpool’s key man, Philipe Coutinho? Silva provided 11 assists in the Premier League last season, compared to Coutinho, who made just five goals. The Spaniard also made eleven more key passes than Coutinho last season, Silva making a total of 55 over the course of 24 games, Coutinho completed 44 key passes in 26 games. The Manchester City man also created seventeen more chances than the Liverpool midfielder, creating a total of 66 chances.

Although Coutinho scored six more goals than Silva last season, who would you rather have in the squad?

Having lost their opening group stage game against Monaco in front of a record crowd of 85,000 at Wembley Stadium, Spurs travel to Russia to face CSKA Moscow in their second game, desperate to get some points on the board. We give you the lowdown on Spurs’ latest Champions League opponents.

CSKA Moscow Factfile

The Russian club have been involved in the group stages of the competition six times since 2004, progressing through to the knockout stages on two occasions. English clubs have visited CSKA Moscow four times in the Champions League, with each of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City visiting once. Arsenal are the only team to lose in Moscow, losing 1-0 in 2006. The new Arena CSKA holds 30,000 people and by no means an easy place to visit as Spurs prepare to face Leonid Slutsky’s side. The Champions League match-up will be only the third competitive game played in the new stadium.

How They Made It Into The Champions League

CSKA Moscow were drawn out of Pot 1 in the Champions League group stage, and made their way into that pot by winning the Russian league last season, their third domestic title in just four seasons, meaning that they didn’t have to participate in any qualifying rounds to get to this stage.

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Spurs’ Champions League opponents on Tuesday night are currently unbeaten in the Russian Premier League having played eight games of the 2016/17 league season. With five wins and three draws, the Russian side sit second in the league with 18 points. Moscow last played on Saturday, but they could only manage a 1-1 draw at home to FC Krasnodar. They will be a tough side to break down for sure, letting in just three goals over the course of this league season. The Russian side drew their opening group game 2-2 with Bayer Leverkusen, recovering from being two goals down early on.

Key Man

Scoring ten goals in the league this season, CSKA Moscow have no real standout player, with their top scorers being midfielder Roman Eremenko, bagging three goals this season, and the forward Lacina Traore, also scoring three goals. The striker will most likely lead the line for Moscow on Tuesday night, and having scored in the league at the weekend, the forward will be ready to give the Spurs defence a torrid time. So I am going to go for him at Moscow’s key man.

Following a poor and stuttering couple of weeks for Manchester United in the Premier League, the Red Devils responded well, taking apart Leicester City in a 4-1 win at Old Trafford where Jose Mourinho’s men looked unstoppable.

They looked like a team playing at the top of their game as goals from captain Chris Smalling, Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and new record signing Paul Pogba saw United easily see of Leicester in a blistering first half.

For me, three players stood out in the thumping home win. Ander Herrera, Paul Pogba and Juan Mata. The three midfielders stood out, and in a team that Jose Mourinho is constantly tinkering with, the three highlighted showed us exactly why they should regularly feature in the United starting eleven.

Ander Herrera started in the defensive midfield on Saturday, and had an excellent game playing alongside Paul Pogba. The midfielder completed 88% of his passes and won 67% of his tackles playing in that deeper role, and really excelled in that position. The Spaniard also made six interceptions and made three clearances in his quality display.

The excellent performance in the defensive midfield from Ander Herrera allowed Paul Pogba to push forward a little more. His distribution and range of passes was much improved on previous games and the Frenchman looked a lot more threatening going forward. The record signing took two shots, one being his headed goal, completed 87% of his passes, and created three chances in the 4-1 win.

Finally, Juan Mata produced a tremendous performance against Leicester and was pivotal to the team’s attacking threat in the first half. The attacking-midfielder took two shots, one being his excellently-taken goal in the first period, delivered four crosses and won all of his aerial duels.

The Spanish attacker started ahead of Wayne Rooney, who have been subject to a lot of cristcism over the past couple of week as the Englishman dropped to the bench for the game against Leicester.

What looked different about Manchester United on Saturday was that they looked much more like a team at Old Trafford rather than a group of individuals, which I haven’t quite seen in recent weeks from Mourinho’s men.

It was an impressive and commanding performance from United as they blew Leicester away on Saturday afternoon, and in my opinion Jose Mourinho would be stupid to tinker anymore with the United starting line-up in the next Premier League match-up. The team should stay the same after an outstanding performance like that.

Following losses against Manchester City, Feyenoord in the Europa League, and Watford, United recovered well in midweek against Northampton and against Leicester. They look like they are finally starting to click as a team under Jose Mourinho. The win against the Premier League Champions takes the Red Devils into 6th place as they look to push on and challenge for the Premier League title.

Chelsea fell to a disappointing 3-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal on Saturday evening, in what was one of the worst performances Antonio Conte’s side are likely to put in all season.

Conte and Chelsea game plan was clear from the very start of the game. They sat deep and allowed Arsenal pressure. With Alexis Sanchez leading the line for the Gunners, there was minimal aerial threat from Arsenal’s strike force. So naturally Chelsea were more than happy for Arsene Wenger’s side to play the ball around and eventually lob a ball into the box, which would be relatively easy for the Chelsea back line to deal with.

On paper, this sounds like a very good plan, when executed correctly. However, a little over ten minutes into the game, a mistake from Gary Cahill let Sanchez in to put Arsenal ahead. This was an absolute disaster for Conte’s men, conceding so early on.

The game plan was not likely to change as Chelsea looked to weather the early Arsenal storm, but they were unable to do this when Theo Walcott doubled the Gunners lead. When setting up as Chelsea did, the wingers must track back and do their defensive work. This is precisely what Eden Hazard didn’t do. He failed to track the run of Hector Bellerin, who made his way in behind the Chelsea defence before slotting the ball square to Walcott, who was left with an easy finish.

Two goals down away from home in under fifteen minutes, Chelsea had to change something. They abandoned their defensive, and slightly negative tactics and started to attack a little more. The third goal for Arsenal was scored with pace and power and on the counter-attack, exactly what Chelsea were defending against in the first place.

There was nothing wrong at all with Antonio Conte’s tactics and how he set up his team at the Emirates, but there were some serious problems with how the Chelsea players executed their manager’s plan.

The fact that Gary Cahill didn’t win a single tackle throughout the ninety minutes was an absolute disgrace, and how he was caught in possession by Alexis Sanchez just ten minutes in was also a disgrace, and was not the first time he has been caught on the ball this season.

Eden Hazard has never been the most hard-working player in the Premier League, but if he had tracked back to cover left-back César Azpilicueta, the second goal could have been easily prevented.

If Conte wants to set up the way he did, he needs everybody on board and needs to have 100% confidence in all eleven players that they will do their jobs, and if he even has the slightest of doubts that one of his players is going to let him down, they must not start.

On the subject of the defensive setup, we have seen Chelsea manager Antonio Conte use a back three in his jobs at both Juventus and Italy. With wing-backs, they can provide a huge threat offensively, but they can drop in to change into a back five when needed, seemingly perfect when Conte wants to setup his team similar to what he did at the Emirates.

So far at Chelsea, Conte has used a back four, and the arrival of David Luiz sparked speculation that Conte may start to field a back three with wing-backs at Chelsea. He started to use this tactic a little at Arsenal in the latter stages of the game, but after the shambolic performance at Arsenal, Conte could have a defensive shake-up over the next few weeks.

To summarise, Chelsea can only have themselves to blame for the defeat at Arsenal and cannot turn to their manager and his tactics for somebody to blame. Also, Conte may need to revert to a back three, or tinker in someway with the defence in response to the shocking display at the weekend if they are to challenge high up in the Premier League table this season.

Chelsea were condemned to defeat for the second time in a row in the Premier League, responding poorly from their home defeat at the hands of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool last week.

They travelled to the Emirates Stadium without a win in two games and Antonio Conte keen to get back to winning ways and keen to keep pace with Premier League pace-setters Manchester City, who he had earlier seen win 3-1 at Swansea.

However, things went horribly wrong for the Blues, and they went 1-0 down just eleven minutes into the contest. Gary Cahill was caught in possession by Alexis Sanchez, who used his pace to pick up the lose call before calmly chipping the ball over Courtois and into the back of the Chelsea net.

It was 2-0 to the Gunners just a few minutes later when Eden Hazard failed to track Hector Bellerin, who found himself in-behind the defence. He produced a low cross to Theo Walcott, who finished the move off well.

Chelsea did come into the game a little more after going two goals down, but they were caught on the break by Arsenal shortly before the break. Alexis Sanchez delivered the ball over to Mesut Ozil, whose slightly scuffed shot found its way into the back of the net.

Gary Cahill produced one of his worst performances of the season in the 3-0 defeat at Arsenal, and fans have taken to Twitter to express their anger at his and the rest of the back four’s performances at the Emirates.

Cahill having a awful season so many errors no bandwagon blaming Luiz please we all new a world class centre back was needed #cfc #chelsea

— Dave Spicer (@smsdjcs) 24 September 2016

kante-matic combination is as terrible as luiz-cahill combination

— Adedayo (@Okladee) 24 September 2016

Cahill was dropped in our title winning season by January, How has the club stood by him? This isn’t new that he’s been terrible

— EL PATRON (@StringerFooty) 24 September 2016

Antonio Conte thought he could change Gary Cahill into Andrea Barzagli. But Gary Cahill turned Antonio Conte into AVB 😭

— Gau (@ConteBeBothered) 24 September 2016

Cahill and david luiz is a terrible combination especially with a catastrophic ivanovic i hope conte learns from this @ChelseaFC

— BOYSTONER (@boystoner_music) 24 September 2016

Time to bench Ivanovich for good. Kante was awful along with Cahill and Matic.

— Arpit Roy (@Roy_C4L) 24 September 2016

I do feel sorry for Conte looked like he wanted to cry in second half if Cahill was a race horse he’d be shot

— Luke cfc Thompsett (@LukeThompsett) 24 September 2016

Cahill was of course caught on the ball and at fault for the first goal, and his display looked shaky throughout. Despite winning 67% of his aerial duels, Cahill managed only two clearances in the whole ninety minutes.

The most shocking thing of all, especially for a centre-back, was that he didn’t win a single tackle. 0% of his tackles were won, nor did the Englishman make one interception.

It was an afternoon to forget for Gary Cahill, and he will be hoping that he is not dropped by Antonio Conte in the near future.

Arsenal took advantage of a calamitous first half from a lacklustre Chelsea to claim all three points in a big London derby at the Emirates Stadium, running out deserved 3-0 winners.

Chelsea looked to sit back and defend and eventually catch Arsenal on the break in the early stages, but their plan took a turn for the worse when Gary Cahill was caught on the ball by Alexis Sanchez, who ran through and finished to put the Gunners one goal to the good.

Conte’s side were caught out shortly after when Hazard didn’t track back to mark Bellerin, who was allowed by the Belgian to make a run in behind the defence before sliding a ball over to Theo Walcott, who doubled Arsenal’s lead.

As a result, Chelsea had to come out a bit more, and were brutally punished by Arsenal just before the break. Sanchez and Ozil quickly broke before Sanchez fed the ball over to the German. His contact with the shot was far from clean but bounced onto the post and into the back of the net to send Arsenal into the break 3-0 up.

Alexis Sanchez led the line for Arsenal, starting ahead of Lucas Perez and Olivier Giroud. The Chilean put in a terrific performance, and opened the scoring for the Gunners a little over ten minutes in before playing the ball across to Mesut Ozil, who added a third just before half-time.

The forward was extremely effective on the break for the Gunners, creating two chances throughout the game and taking four shots, one of which being the opener.

Sanchez also pressed the ball extremely well throughout the game, forcing the error from Gary Cahill before bursting onto the lose ball to delightfully chip into the back of the net over Courtois. The 27-year-old managed to win 50% of his tackles and made two further interceptions. The goalscorer rarely made a misplaced pass, completing 81% of his attempted passes.

Arsenal fans took to Twitter following the thumping win over Chelsea to heap praise onto the forward and fellow teammates.

People can’t say Ozil and Sanchez aren’t big game players. Today they bossed Chelsea

— Alex Ellis (@alexellis35) 24 September 2016

Reminiscing Sanchez’s brilliant composure… What a great chip against Courtois

— Kevin (@kelvinbesa10) 24 September 2016

Alexis Sanchez has been outstanding upfront 💯 #ARSCHE

— Mo (@moslick11) 24 September 2016

Sanchez is not a striker, Sanchez is not a striker, Sanchez is not a striker…. Sanchez is really good as a striker.. #wengerknows

— arsénal (@seaneyboy1984) 24 September 2016

Sanchez motm! Great win!!!

— Abu Dzar Ahmadi (@abudzar_ahmadi) 24 September 2016

@Alexis_Sanchez mad baller, great goal and assist #WorldClassPlayer #AFCvCFC #COYG

— Pillah Josemaria (@tivnande) 24 September 2016

Arsenal were way too good. Really great football from them. Ozil, Iwobi and Sanchez were unplayable. Congrats. #EtisalatFootball

— Ivan Dougan (@ivanlotti) 24 September 2016

Manchester United managed to avoid their third straight defeat at home to Leicester City, but did more than just avoid defeat - they took full advantage of a Leicester first-half capitulation to go into the break four goals to the good.

Chris Smalling opened the scoring for United midway through the first half before further goals were added by Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba before half-time to brush the Premier League Champions aside.

Demarai Gray managed to pull one back for Leicester in the second half with a tremendous strike, leaving David De Gea no chance in the Manchester United goal.

However, this had no serious impact on the game as United enjoyed their second victory of the week following their EFL Cup victory over Northampton. Outstanding performances came from Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera and Juan Mata as United ran riot at Old Trafford.

Manchester United fans took to Twitter to react to these amazing performances from their midfielders.

SURELY this is the end of Rooney starting. We look freakishly more fluid and dangerous without him. Pogba and Herrera world class together.

— Jaydn_MUFC (@JaydnMUFC) September 24, 2016

People gonna be talking about Pogba but Mata just ran the game assisted scored did everything he’s the reason United was so good today

— Conte’s Son (@Lottery0404) September 24, 2016

Mata, Pogba & Herrera been great for us today.

— Bz (@staybalanced_) September 24, 2016

Herrera, Pogba and Mata compliment one another so well! Lingard and Rashford’s energy on another level. Positivity all round 🔴🔴🔴🔴

— MUFC Content (@mufcontent) September 24, 2016

Mata been unreal, midfield with him, Pogba and Herrera should start every game

— H 🍿 (@Harry_Gibson_13) September 24, 2016

Pogba can only get better after this. Mou must know by now that he works best with Herrera and Mata. And maybe even Carrick.

— Lorena (@LoreBarros) September 24, 2016

Great performance from the team today, great result… team looks balanced with Mata in the hole and Herrera next to Pogba

— Matt Lee (@MrMattyLee) September 24, 2016