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Opening Thoughts

Morning everyone to another weekend morning. We bring you your comprehensive matchday coverage center, highlighting today's key football action. England's top division presents fascinating matches between the Seagulls and the Hammers as well as Fulham & Crystal Palace. On top of that, a top-of-the-table Scottish Premiership encounter sees the Hoops and the Jambos, coupled with WSL games and FA Cup round two excitement rounds out the lineup. Feel free to get in touch telling us how you'll be following the action. Let's get into it.

Major Stories from Saturday

Mohamed Salah commandeered the spotlight despite was absent in Liverpool's thrilling six-goal thriller at Leeds United. He launched an remarkable critique on boss the Dutch coach, accusing him of tossing him “under the bus” after being left out the starting lineup for the third consecutive match. He expressed that he felt made a scapegoat for the team's disappointing start to the season.

“I can’t believe … I am sat on the bench for 90 minutes,” Salah stated. “This is the third match on the bench, I think for the first occasion in my career. I’m very, very disappointed.”

The other significant top-flight development was the Gunners' last-gasp defeat at Villa Park, sealed by Emi Buendía's winning goal. This outcome, combined with City's comfortable win over the Black Cats, has left a incredibly close race at the top of the standings.

Away from English leagues, Lionel Messi as ever wrote the script for his MLS side as they triumphed the league championship, defeating Vancouver 3-1 in the final.

Today's Premier League Fixtures

The Seagulls host the Hammers in a 2pm GMT kickoff. The visitors have shown flickers of improvement under the appointment of manager Nuno Espírito Santo. An impressive midweek draw means he has presided over a run of just one defeat in their last five.

Fulham versus Palace is a repeat of last season's cup last-eight tie. Crystal Palace are eyeing a fourth successive away win in the league, having beaten three opponents to nil in their recent away fixtures.

The FA Cup Second Round

England's famous cup competition round two provided plenty of drama yesterday. National League South side Weston-super-Mare created a historic moment by advancing to the third round for the first time in their history.

Additional standout outcomes featured:

• Swindon thrashed Bolton – a league above them – 4-0.
• Cambridge beat Stockport on spot-kicks.
• Sixth tier Buxton FC were ahead against Cheltenham Town before eventually suffering a 6-2 defeat.

Today's FA Cup schedule features:

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

The Premier League's Three Tiers

It appears a trio of separate mini-leagues forming in this campaign's top flight.

1. The Title Race: Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa are apparently contending for the top prize.
2. The Packed Middle: A incredibly congested group contains several big names, all with aspirations for the European places. Can any string together a winning run to challenge the elite?
3. The Relegation Battle: The scrap to stay up probably concerns several clubs, with Wolves appearing particularly in trouble. Clubs such as others could also be sucked into the fight.

Other Matches Today

Away from the Premier League and domestic cup, Sunday'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)

Around the Continent:

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

The Salah Debate Continues

The reaction from the Liverpool forward's comments continues. There are two clear camps to the debate. On one hand, has Salah done enough to speak out as a bona fide club icon? On the other, is manager Arne Slot justified in doing whatever it takes to try to win games?

Fan opinion seems divided:

“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. This is no way to treat a legend of the club.”

“Perhaps we should take a moment to feel sorry for Mo Salah? He must have overlooked that he is currently Liverpool's best-paid player... Someone hard done by, Mo, you are not.”

What next for Mo Salah, then? Many think his bridges at Liverpool may now be damaged. Could he move on loan to a club abroad? Might he take the pay day and move to the Saudi Pro League following the AFCON?

Sad News from the Championship

Two Championship fixtures were abandoned yesterday.

• The game between Charlton and Portsmouth at The Valley was paused in the early stages after a fan was taken ill. It was later confirmed the supporter passed away in hospital.
• Blackburn Rovers's game against Sheffield Wednesday was also stopped and called off due to a waterlogged pitch at Ewood Park. Torrential rain – for the second occasion this season at the ground – rendered the field unplayable.

At this time, there is no word yet on when these matches will be replayed.