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Pierre Sage lost to his former side as Crystal Palace fell to a 3-2 defeat to Lyon in the Europa League Lyon raced into a two-goal lead thanks to goals from Corentin Tolisso and Ernest Nuamah either side of the first half and looked comfortable while ahead, with Palace offering little in the form of a response without a shot on target. Sage, facing the club that sacked him in January 2025, sparked a reaction after the interval with Yeremy Pino pulling a goal back with his fine strike at the near post in the 50th minute. Pavel Sulc's flick to divert Keito Nakamura's shot looked to have ended any hopes of a comeback until Daichi Kamada, who had already seen a strong claim for a penalty waved away despite contact from Nuamah, halved the deficit with under 10 minutes to go. The resurgence ultimately fell short and means Palace suffered defeat to the team that cost them their place in the Europa League last season due to John Textor's involvement in the Ligue 1 side. The Eagles will now look to bounce back when they face rivals Brighton, live on Sky Sports , this Sunday before a tough trip to Besiktas in their next European outing. 8: GOAL! Lyon take an early lead after Tolisso reacts first in the box to sweep home following lacklustre Palace defending. 45+2: GOAL! Nuamah doubles the lead for Lyon just before the break after guiding his effort into the back of the net. 21: GAME ON? Pino pulls one back with fine strike into the roof of the net following Adam Wharton's fine pass into the box. 68: PENALTY CLAIM! Daichi Kamada goes down inside the area after being bundled over by Nuamah but play is waved on and VAR clears the incident. 76: GOAL! Sulc flicks Keito Nakamura's shot into the back of the net to restore two-goal lead. 81: COMEBACK ON? Kamada sparks hopes of a comeback after halving the deficit with under 10 minutes to go.

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Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has issued an apology for his outburst after Tuesday's Champions League loss at Atletico Madrid. Martinez launched an extraordinary attack on the club's hierarchy after the 2-0 defeat in Spain, as he criticised the lack of summer investment in the squad and said he expected more from "upstairs" after he singled out technical director Jason Wilcox. In a statement released on Thursday night, the defender said: "Today I met with the club's leadership and the manager. "It was a very positive conversation, where we were able to exchange views and speak openly about what happened after Tuesday's game. "Everyone knows that I am a passionate person and that I live football with great intensity. "The frustration of the defeat led me to express how I felt at a time and place that perhaps were not the right ones, and for that I want to apologise. How to stream Sky Sports flexibly with NOW "Our club is at its best when we are all united, and I recognise that my words in that moment did not help with that. "I know that every single person at Manchester United is doing everything possible to achieve our shared ambition: bringing the success that this club and its supporters deserve. "With this situation now behind us, we are fully focused on winning together." The club now consider the matter closed as they prepare for Leeds on Sunday, live on Sky Sports. On Wednesday, Martinez issued a statement to clarify his outburst, but did not apologise. Manchester United will focus on revamping their defence in the next transfer windows and have the formal option to prolong Martinez's stay for a further year. It is also understood that there is no pressure on Wilcox internally regarding his position. Martinez has been keen on a move away from Old Trafford for some time. In the summer, he pushed for a move to Atletico Madrid, the side that beat United in the Champions League on Tuesday night, to follow his good friend and international team-mate, Cristian Romero, who left Spurs for Spain. No suitable bid for Martinez came in for Manchester United to consider. The 28-year-old made similar explosive comments about his bosses when at Ajax in 2022. Martinez, who again wanted a move away, called their sporting director Gerry Hamstra a "nobody".

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Very few successes ever come easy. Whether it's title wins or top three finishes, every WSL season is becoming harder to predict - and plenty of clubs, including Tottenham, have their eyes on the prizes. Spurs started the 2026/27 season with statement wins against Crystal Palace and Aston Villa, winning by an aggregate of 11-0 - but they came crashing back down to earth with a 6-1 defeat to London City Lionesses before the international break. It would have offered Tottenham boss Martin Ho and his players a sharp reminder about the task they have on their hands if they want to finish in the Champions League spots this season - and it does not get any easier with Chelsea and Arsenal to come in the next two games, starting at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, live on Sky Sports . But the ever-pragmatic Ho will not have forgotten that. Spurs have gone from relegation contenders to European consideration in less than 18 months under the former Brann boss, but any route to the top will not be straight forward. Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports , he said: "You're always optimistic that it can go well, but I'm also realistic that you don't just have this long-term success. It's not linear, there's going to be ups and downs, but I know if you want long-term consistency, you're going to have to have this. "We can't just go from being a team that's been fighting at the bottom of the table to go and challenge for the [WSL] trophy and make that successful and consistent over years to come. There's a process to that but the ambition is always to be at the top of that table. "Since coming in, I've tried to push standards, push the expectation with staff and players to give us a platform that can give us an opportunity to progress. "The players deserve a lot of credit for that because they take the information and run with it. They play with courage, bravery, with personality which is what I asked for and their commitment and willingness is first class. "Maybe there were times early on when I thought it was going to take a lot longer to get to where we want to be identity-wise, but the players deserve the credit because they've enabled us to maybe accelerate a little bit quicker than what I probably thought." Part of that has come through shrewd recruitment, particularly this summer. Spurs signed Champions League winners Victoria Pelova and Alice Sombath from Arsenal and Lyon respectively, Caitlin Dijkstra also joined from Wolfsburg in just a few of the impressive incomings. It all follows Ho's plan of bringing in different experiences from league, European and international levels to strengthen the squad and add a steel they were perhaps missing in his first year. "We felt like we needed certain qualities in certain positions and those players that have come in have allowed us to do that," Ho said. "They've also been in environments where they've been competing in different ways, they'll bring those experiences here which was important for us that we have a diverse environment and culture. "You also want to make sure you get a balance also between the youth and experience of the squad. You want to get a balance of where you feel relationships can be built and where they can be long-term on the pitch. "Alice [Sombath] was one of those in that position where she's had such wonderful experiences at Lyon of winning titles, but also internationally, she's got really good credibility at such a young age. The opportunity to bring her in was huge for us and someone we have followed for a while. "Then people like Victoria [Pelova], who's coming off the back of a long-term injury. She was maybe low of confidence and wasn't in a place where she felt her football could go forward. The opportunity to bring her here after having those conversations was important. Victoria Pelova is the WSL's joint-top scorer this season (5) along with Man City's Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw and Birmingham's Oceane Hurtre. "She's been part of a winning culture and a winning environment and those environments are what we want to bring to the club, which she can share and we can lean on those experiences from her. "But since she's come in, she's been outstanding in terms of giving her the enthusiasm again to play football, but giving her the confidence and belief she can achieve what she wants in terms of own ambitions." On October 24, Pelova will be reunited with her former Arsenal team-mates in the north London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It is the site of Spurs' only win against the Gunners in any competition, and given their rivals' own dismal start to the season, might be sensing another. Before that though, a resurgent Chelsea - and another insight into whether this Tottenham team have what it takes to compete against the WSL's best. "You have to show a willingness to compete in those games first," Ho reflected. "You go in with the mindset and the objective is always to win the game, but we have to look at the process behind that first and the performance has to allow you to be in that position psychologically. "Are they going to be tough games? 100 percent, but they're the games you want to play and I want to play in as a coach, the players want to play in. The commercial interest is big in those because they're London derbies so you have to embrace them as a player. "But they're the ones where you will really see the character and belief of the group, they're the ones where you'll really see the development and the progress of the team, but one game doesn't tell you if you're a good team or a bad team. "It maybe gives you some answers in terms of where we need to go and the direction we need to go in, but it doesn't define you." After a bruising defeat nearly two weeks ago, Spurs will have a point to prove in their next two games. While they might not define them as a team, it could go some way in defining where they finish come May.

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His expression of regret for not telling the council about his plans earlier was not good enough for European football leaders, including FA chair Debbie Hewitt, who still want him to resign. It was expected council members would also quiz Infantino on a number of controversial issues at the meeting. As well as the World Cup sell-off plan, Infantino faced scrutiny on the decision to suspend the one-match ban of USA striker Folarin Balogun during the World Cup, the FIFA Peace Prize and why it was given to USA President Donald Trump, and the reasons for an additional £1.3m fee he received in 2024 on top of his FIFA salary. After this summer's World Cup, Infantino abandoned a controversial plan to sell a stake in future World Cup profits to private equity investors after fierce opposition from football's governing bodies. Infantino had then given football associations until September 19 to back his proposals to sell off part of FIFA to private investors with a £30.1m incentive to accept. But the controversial proposals received fierce criticism from UEFA, CONCACAF (the North American, Central American and Caribbean association) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Analysis by Sky Sports News chief correspondent Kaveh Solhekol: "It's not enough for European football leaders, because make no mistake, they have had enough of Gianni Infantino, they want him out. "They just think this is the final scandal in a long list of scandals - and don't forget what Infantino was doing this summer behind the backs of the FIFA Council, who are effectively the FIFA Board. "He was negotiating to sell a stake, not just in the World Cup, but all future FIFA tournaments forever more. A 20 per cent stake, he was going to set up a new company, and the company was valued at just $20bn (£15m) when the World Cup this summer made $15bn (£11bn). "So, European football leaders are convinced he was trying to sell off the World Cup on the cheap. They have gone to the courts to try and force him to release all documents about this plan he had come up with. They are saying today [Thursday], including the chair of the FA, Debbie Hewitt, that basically sorry is not good enough, we need to see the documents, we want to see all the figures, you've got to be transparent, you've got to release all these documents. "And I think the reason they are so desperate to get their hands on those documents is because they know it will be a massive scandal if they have the evidence to prove the FIFA president was selling off a stake in FIFA tournaments to people with close ties to President Trump for a knockdown price. That would be a big, big story." Infantino is hoping to be re-elected for a fourth term next year, without facing a challenger for the third election a row. Arsene Wenger, Luis Figo and Michelle Kang have been mentioned as potential candidates but it remains to be seen whether any of them are prepared to challenge Infantino. Anyone who wants to take on Infantino has until 18 November to declare their candidacy. It may be in the best interests of challengers to declare their intention to stand as late as possible in order to give Infantino and his supporters less time to prepare for taking on a rival. Former Arsenal manager Wenger is respected around the world but he has shown no interest so far in leading FIFA. He has been happy working as FIFA's global football development chief since 2019, although he did release a statement in August criticising Infantino's plan to sell off a stake in the World Cup. He was appointed to his role by Infantino and has supported some of the FIFA president's most controversial projects, such as a biennial World Cup and an expanded Club World Cup. Luis Figo has launched a scathing attack on Infantino in a newspaper column, calling for his resignation in the wake of the World Cup sell-off scandal. The former Real Madrid and Barcelona star has the profile to pose a challenge, but his role as a UEFA adviser since 2017 could make it harder to secure the votes he would need from football associations around the world to replace Infantino. Lyon, London City Lionesses and Washington Spirit owner Kang has also been mentioned as a potential challenger but there have been no indications that she is preparing to take on Infantino. The FIFA Council has 37 members made up of:

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Our top tipster Lewis Jones, aka Jones Knows, provides his analysis and betting insight for a busy weekend of Premier League action. Set pieces could be where this game is won and lost - and the numbers suggest Chelsea are there to be got at. Everton under David Moyes have built a clear identity around dead-ball situations, using their physicality and aerial presence to turn corners and free kicks into genuine scoring opportunities. Chelsea, meanwhile, have developed a rather less convincing reputation in this department. They have already conceded seven goals from set pieces this season - more than any other Premier League side. And this is not simply a short-term problem. Chelsea are conceding set-piece goals at a rate of 0.53 per 90 minutes since the start of last season, the highest ratio of any Premier League team over that period. So, who better to target in the goalscorer market than James Tarkowski. The Everton defender is a major weapon at attacking set pieces, leading the way among the club's defenders for touches in the opposition box and shots. His recent record offers further encouragement. Tarkowski has scored three times across his last 15 games, including a goal against Bournemouth this season. At 14/1 with Sky Bet, the price is big enough to tempt me. Week 6 @SkySportsPLPredictions & Best Bet results:Leif Davis to score or assist 3/1 ❌0-0 half-time Arsenal vs Leeds 9/4 ✅Jarrad Branthwaite to be fouled Evs ✅Over 3.5 cards Palace vs Forest ✅P+L +3.25Season P+L +0.505/10 correct results1/10 correct scores pic.twitter.com/TArRJ9ug7m Andoni Iraola has a miserable record against Brentford, going seven meetings without a win and losing five of them. Brentford's direct approach has repeatedly caused problems for his footballing philosophy, finding ways to bypass the press and turn matches into the sort of physical, second-ball contests that can leave his teams exposed. Of course, Iraola now has a higher calibre of player at his disposal than he did at Bournemouth. But better players do not automatically solve tactical problems, particularly when the opposition know how to exploit them. Brentford have shown they can make life difficult for this style of football. Liverpool's early-season numbers also make uncomfortable reading. Liverpool have scored just six non-penalty Premier League goals, the sixth-fewest in the division. More concerning is the lack of quality chances they are creating. They have manufactured only nine Opta-defined big chances, the joint-lowest total alongside Aston Villa and Coventry. Brighton, by comparison, have created 27. Therefore, the under 3.5 goals element also appeals. At 11/10 with Sky Bet, backing Brentford on the double chance alongside under 3.5 goals offers a route in. The betting market still appears reluctant to trust Hull City whatsoever, with their long-standing underlying data seemingly carrying too much weight in the assessment of their chances. But football matches are not played on historical spreadsheets. And what Hull are producing right now suggests they deserve considerably more respect. They have lost just one of their six Premier League matches this season, against Newcastle - and even that defeat came with a significant caveat: Hull won the expected goals battle. They also came out on top in that metric during their 2-2 draw at Chelsea. Hull are proving capable of competing with established Premier League sides while carrying a genuine threat of their own. They look a dangerous proposition for a Fulham side who have looked alarmingly fragile when games have begun to turn against them. The collapses against Ipswich and Crystal Palace, having been in winning positions, are difficult to ignore. Against an opponent willing to keep asking questions, that defensive vulnerability could become costly. At 6/5 with Sky Bet, Hull on the double chance is the bet of the weekend. The market is still judging Hull on what they were rather than what they are. I'm happy to take advantage while that gap in perception remains. Manchester City are winning football matches at a rate that their underlying numbers simply cannot justify. That is not necessarily a reason to oppose them but it does make me question whether the market is giving enough consideration to the chances their opponents are creating. No team has overperformed its expected-goals numbers more than City, with the expected-points model suggesting they should have collected around seven fewer points than they have. That gap deserves scrutiny. It is not just about City's ruthless finishing at one end, it is also about the opportunities they are allowing at the other. Look at Sunderland, who generated 2.97 expected goals from 17 shots against City. Coventry also managed 12 shots in their 1-0 defeat at the Etihad. That opens the door for Ipswich to contribute to the scoring here. At 4/5 with Sky Bet, both teams to score is the angle. City's results may be sparkling in the Premier League but their underlying defensive numbers tell a less comfortable story. Johan Manzambi could be one of the Premier League's breakout stars this season. Under Unai Emery, the young Swiss forward has been given a prominent role playing off the central striker, and the early signs are that he is ready to make the most of it. The shot volume is what really catches my eye. In his last three starts, Manzambi has registered 13 shots, with four hitting the target and two finding the net. When that kind of volume is combined with a favourable fixture, the goalscorer market starts to look interesting. And Newcastle are about as favourable a defensive opponent as you could ask for. If the Magpies concede here, they will set a new club record for consecutive home games in all competitions without keeping a clean sheet (16). Their defensive record at St James' Park this calendar year is particularly damning, conceding 36 goals and keeping just two clean sheets across 20 home matches in all competitions. So I am happy to trust Manzambi's recent shooting numbers. At 3/1 with Sky Bet, I'm happy to play him to score. Bournemouth and Sunderland have managed just one win between them across their six matches this season. That sort of start can change the psychology of a football match. Confidence becomes fragile and avoiding defeat can feel more important than chasing victory. That makes under 2.5 goals at Evens an interesting proposition with Sky Bet. Bournemouth's historical goal numbers might tempt you towards another open, entertaining contest. Across their last 50 matches, the average total has been 3.1 goals per game. But I would be wary of leaning too heavily on that data in this spot. After shipping five goals in a single game at Chelsea, it is only natural for a team to take stock. Defensive security can become the priority. That is where the draw becomes an interesting possibility which rows alongside a low-scoring game. Neither side has done enough so far to inspire complete confidence and a cagey contest in which both teams are reluctant to play too risky would hardly be a surprise. Pascal Gross has been one of the Premier League's outstanding performers this season. He is the player who makes Brighton tick. But he carries a serious goal threat, too. Four goals already this season underlines that point. Add the fact he is on penalties and there are multiple routes to a goal. The market appears to be anticipating a comfortable win for Brighton with their expected goal output approaching three. That creates an interesting opportunity in the player goalscorer markets. If Brighton are expected to score freely, why are we being offered 7/2 with Sky Bet about one of their most influential players finding the net? That feels large. Gross has the technical quality to arrive in dangerous positions, the composure to finish chances and the added advantage of penalty-taking duties. In a fixture where Brighton are expected to create plenty, those qualities make him an appealing candidate to get on the scoresheet. It doesn't exactly take a Tony Bloom-like figure to work out that Leeds are a bet at these prices with 13/10 being offered by Sky Bet. Sometimes the noise surrounding Manchester United can become so deafening that it distorts the betting market but the chaos at Old Trafford right now makes the odds-against price about a Leeds victory particularly appealing. This is a nightmare fixture for a United side who look fragile, disjointed and incapable of dealing with opponents who bring relentless intensity. Leeds will make this an uncomfortable afternoon where turning the atmosphere at Elland Road makes home advantage key. United have shown this season that they struggle when opponents take the game to them physically and emotionally. Leeds have collected 45 points from 31 Premier League games since the start of December 2025 - a tally bettered by only five teams. Their home form is even more persuasive. Leeds have taken 29 points on their own patch over the same period. Only Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United have collected more. In what is the same old story, the market appears to be giving Manchester United too much credit for their name and not enough weight to their current shortcomings. Back Leeds to bring the intensity and take the points. Arsenal remain one of the Premier League's elite defensive sides but there are signs that the absence of William Saliba is having a marginal impact on their ability to shut teams out. It is a subtle shift rather than a dramatic decline, yet subtle shifts matter when the market continues to price a defence as though it is operating at its absolute best. With Gabriel and Saliba paired together, Arsenal have averaged just 0.65 expected goals against per game. This season, that figure has risen to 0.9. It is hardly a collapse in defensive standards but it is a meaningful increase. Arsenal have conceded five goals across their last four Premier League games, too. It does suggest there may be more opportunities for opponents to find a breakthrough than the market assumes. Nottingham Forest are an interesting opponent in that regard. Their recent attacking performances have deserved more reward with Forest averaging 1.88 expected goals per 90 minutes. That is a healthy level of chance creation and it suggests their goal threat is stronger than their actual returns might indicate. At 10/11 with Sky Bet, both teams to score is the play. Arsenal remain formidable but their defensive numbers have edged in the wrong direction while Forest are creating enough chances to suggest a goal is coming. There is a disciplinary angle worth following with Roberto De Zerbi's attacking approach creating the conditions for opponents to find themselves making fouls and being shown cards. Since De Zerbi took charge, opposition teams have averaged 2.3 cards per 90 minutes against Spurs. That is an interesting trend particularly when you consider the type of wide players Tottenham have. Savio and Mohamed Kudus are dangerous one-vs-one operators who thrive on committing defenders. Savio has drawn a card every 154 minutes of Premier League action in his career while Kudus won 21 bookings off the opposition in his final season at West Ham, ranking third for cards drawn per game that campaign of all Premier League players to have played more than 1,000 minutes. Coventry full-back Milan van Ewijk is in the firing line then. Van Ewijk has already been booked twice this season, giving us some evidence that he is not immune to getting stuck in. At 7/2 with Sky Bet, the price offers an appealing return for a player who could be under sustained pressure.

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Harry Kane has agreed a new deal in principle with Bayern Munich until the summer of 2029. The England captain and his family are said to be enjoying life in Munich. It's understood the Bundesliga club are now finalising the paperwork on his contract extension. Kane has scored a phenomenal 154 goals in 156 matches since moving from Tottenham to Bayern in 2023. His 73 goals for club and country last season - including the World Cup with England - have put him in strong contention for the men's Ballon d'Or. During his time at Bayern, he has won two Bundesliga titles - the first in 2025 acting as the first major trophy of his career - as well as last season's German Cup and the German Super Cup in the last two years. In the last three years, Kane has also won the European Golden Shoe twice - given to the top scorer on the continent - and has won the Bundesliga Golden Boot in each of his three seasons at Bayern. Kane also took England to the Euro 2024 final during his time with the German giants, as well as leading the Three Lions to their best World Cup finish since 1966 earlier this summer. Earlier this month, he equalled Peter Shilton's England appearance record by winning his 125th cap, which he will hope to beat in next month's Nations League matches. Kane set the record to become the fastest player to 100 goals in the history of the Bundesliga earlier this month. He didn't just set it, he smashed it, reaching his ton in 98 games - 31 faster than the previous holder, Dieter Muller, whose record had stood for almost half a century. That was underpinned by the most prolific scoring season of his entire career in 2025/26, netting 36 goals in 31 Bundesliga matches as well as 14 in 13 Champions League matches and, if that wasn't enough, a further 12 strikes for England including six at the World Cup. Already the best No 9 in the world, Kane has somehow found a way to hit new heights even in his 30s. Scoring 73 goals in 65 games is, simply, mindblowing. And a fitting reward for maintaining his fitness better than he ever has before - having arrived at previous international tournaments already clearly burnt out. Others may have picked up bigger team honours but for an individual award, there has been no player in better form on the planet. And what better time to pick up the award than in his home town when the winner is crowned at the London Palladium later this month?

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Welcome to The Radar , a Sky Sports column in which Nick Wright uses a blend of data and opinion to shed light on need-to-know Premier League stories. This week: 🔺Manzambi's big impact at Villa 🔺Janelt's excellent defensive work 🔺A glimmer of hope for Arbeloa?🔺A player to watch this weekend When Sky Sports strand Between the Lines conducted a study of transfer valuations relative to fees paid at the end of the summer, Johan Manzambi came out as one of the best-value signings, below only Marcos Senesi and Harry Wilson, two players signed for free. Manzambi, who had a market-adjusted value of £74.8m at the time of his £47m move from Eintracht Frankfurt to Villa Park, arrived with a knee injury and had to wait until mid-September for his debut. But he has wasted no time in making a positive impression. The 21-year-old produced a goal and an assist on his full debut against Spurs and found the net for a second time in Villa's Champions League thrashing of Fenerbahce on Wednesday, having set up their second goal four days earlier against Brentford. He is averaging 1.27 goal involvements per 90 minutes in all competitions, making him one of the most productive players in the Premier League in the early months of the campaign. It is of course a small sample size. Manzambi has only played 284 minutes in all competitions. But he has a history of impacting games. Most notably, there were two goals in 19 minutes as a substitute in Switzerland's win over Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Cup. Manzambi finished the tournament with three goals and two assists in 200 minutes, with Villa subsequently pipping Newcastle, their opponents on Saturday, live on Sky Sports , to his signing. Manzambi can show his old suitors what they are missing at St James' Park. Watching him, it is easy to seen why he was coveted. Manzambi is a whirlwind of activity in the final third, capable of moments of immense quality and undeterred when things don't come off. Against Brentford, he had seven shots, the second most by any player in a Premier League game this season, and created three chances, giving him the second-highest combined total, too, behind only Bruno Fernandes' 11 in Manchester United's win over Ipswich. His versatility was another part of his appeal to Unai Emery. Manzambi started off the left against Brentford but has otherwise been used as a No 10 and can also play deeper. Against Fenerbahce, he floated between the lines, in the areas vacated by Morgan Rogers following his departure to Chelsea, and combined effectively with fellow summer signings Ibrahim Mbaye and Nicolas Jackson, his team-mates in a new-look front three. Manzambi has big shoes to fill given the size of Rogers' contribution but he brings a broad range of qualities to the role. Just before the half-hour mark on Wednesday night, in what was his first appearance at Champions League level, he could be seen picking the ball up on the left wing, muscling his marker to the turf, then dribbling infield, away from another defender, before threading a perfect through-ball into the path of a sprinting Mbaye. It was all there in the passage of play: speed and strength but also guile and incision. Passes like the one for Mbaye have become a feature of Villa's play. According to Opta, Manzambi is top among Villa players for line-breaking passes leading to shots this term, despite playing fewer minutes than most of his team-mates. He is also intelligent in his movement. Manzambi's goal against Fenerbahce, scored with the help of a deflection, came after he had calmy walked into a pocket of space in the box as the corner came in, away from the throng of bodies in the six-yard box. His goal against Spurs, converted from close-range, came in similar circumstances after he pulled off the shoulder of Rodrigo Bentancur, giving himself room to dispatch Boubacar Kamara's cross-shot. That knack for finding space in the box is another attribute which should help Villa as they aim to put a difficult start to the season behind them. It is no coincidence that their recent improvement coincides with Manzambi's introduction to the starting line-up. Villa will hope he continues to look like one of the best-value signings of the summer against the club he spurned on Saturday. Aston Villa are not the only side hoping to use a big Champions League win to build momentum. Liverpool are in the same position after putting six past LASK. But their trip to Brentford, whose midfield is being expertly anchored by Vitaly Janelt, will be tough. Janelt has made a superb start to the season. "The levels that he's produced at this level, in the toughest league in the world, have been pretty remarkable," said Brentford boss Keith Andrews, speaking after the 28-year-old had earned a first Germany call-up from former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp in the recent international break. Janelt made his debut as a late substitute against Serbia and will now look to pick up where he left off back at Brentford. He has contributed two goals during their unbeaten start to the campaign, beating his total for each of the last three seasons in the process. It is out of possession, though, that he is most valuable to the side. Janelt has made the most tackles and interceptions in the Premier League this season, his total of 38 putting him seven clear of any other player. He ranks third for distance covered behind only Brighton's Pascal Gross and Leeds's Anton Stach. The numbers are impressive and so is the quality of his defensive work, according to Gradient Sports , who grade players based on the quality of their execution rather than raw outcomes. Their data for 'challenges' shows he grades above the league average for players in his position this season in duels, one-vs-one defending, aerials, 50-50s, tackling and defending dribbles. His 50-50 execution grade of 84.2 out of 100 is the highest of all players. Together with the addition of Mamadou Sangare in the summer, Janelt's form helps to explain how Brentford have become so difficult to beat, conceding only six goals in their first six Premier League games of the season, with Liverpool next. Alvaro Arbeloa's comments after Fulham's defeat to Ipswich last weekend, a version of "do you know who I am?", if you missed them, did not go down well with fans. Their head coach's illustrious past matters little to them with the side bottom of the table. The late collapse at Portman Road continued their winless start and put them on eight points lost from winning positions. Saturday's visit of newly-promoted Hull already has the feel of a must-win game for Arbeloa, who has work to do to change the mood. While results have been poor, he might take some encouragement from the underlying performance data. Fulham have actually outperformed their opponent in three of their last four games for expected goals. Their xG difference is roughly similar to Everton, Chelsea and Leeds, who sit fifth, sixth and seventh respectively. In other words, their performances may not have been as bad as their results suggest. It is something to cling to for Arbeloa. But it doesn't lessen the importance of taking three points on Saturday. Ipswich face a daunting trip to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday but they have a young player to watch in 20-year-old Abdoul Ouattara , who scored his first goal for the club against Fulham from right-back following his summer arrival from Strasbourg. Six Premier League games are live on Sky Sports over the weekend, starting with Newcastle United vs Aston Villa on Saturday evening. On Super Sunday , Bournemouth vs Sunderland , Brighton vs Crystal Palace and Leeds United vs Man Utd kick-off at 2pm, before Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal at 4.30pm. Tottenham vs Coventry City then rounds off the live action on Monday Night Football , kicking off at 8pm. Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin was the focus of the last column before the international break. There was also analysis of Brian Brobbey's outstanding hold-up play before his hat-trick for Sunderland against Manchester City.

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Bournemouth's steadfast refusal to sell Alex Scott is softening, with the England midfielder continuing to refuse offers to sign a new contract at the south coast club, Sky Sports News has been told. If a big offer came in for him in January, it is something the club would have to consider. While Scott will not agitate for a move, he is ambitious and keen on exploring his options with bigger clubs. Chelsea and Liverpool retain a serious interest in the 23-year-old, as did Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham before they strengthened their midfield with other options in the summer, after being told by Bournemouth Scott was not for sale. Scott's existing contract expires in just over 18 months, and Bournemouth are aware that his value will only shrink further as time passes. While they do not want to sell him, we have been told they may be open to offers for him in January if the club is practically safe from relegation. Bournemouth have yet to win a Premier League game so far this season, and lost 5-1 at Chelsea last weekend. Sources have suggested to Sky Sports News an offer in excess of £80m with add-ons would have to be taken seriously by Bournemouth in January. Scott faces many more weeks on the treatment table after exacerbating a thigh tendon injury whilst away with England, when he made his full senior debut. Bournemouth head coach Marco Rose has insisted Scott is committed to the club despite talk growing about a January exit. Asked about Scott's future on Wednesday ahead of Bournemouth's Europa League game with Sturm Graz, Rose said: "We just closed the other transfer window and we're now talking about the next one. "We are just focused on the game [against Sturm Graz] and the upcoming game in the Premier League - and not commentating on rumours that show up right after the last transfer window closes. "It's not frustrating anyway for us. I told you that Alex Scott was going to stay in the summer. We got questions after questions in press conferences for I don't know how many weeks. "He's a player of our club and now he's injured, we are looking forward to having him back in a couple of days and weeks and we'll continue with Alex Scott. "And he's quite committed, everyone can see it from the first games [of the season]."

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“It has just broadened my horizons again,” Omer Riza tells Sky Sports . He is reflecting on his recent coaching role with Cesena in Italy where he assisted former England international Ashley Cole. But Riza’s experiences are already vast and varied. Over the course of an evening, the former Cardiff City boss opens up about many of them. The highs and lows of managing in the Championship, how he once received a global ban from football, and even a recent broken ankle in a charity game. "Silly tackle!" As a player, he started out at Arsenal, his connection to Cole dating back to when they were just boys. But his league debut came in the Netherlands on loan at Den Haag and he later spent five years in Turkey, including playing European football for Trabzonspor. As a coach, he has worked with England's age-group sides and managed Cardiff City in the Championship. Cesena was a chance to get back on the grass. "I had that hunger to get going again." Now, after that adventure, he is eager to return to the Football League. "Italy was a good opportunity, working with Ashely who I have known for so long, and getting to experience a different style of football. The target at Cesena was to change the approach, change the mentality, and that is what we did in a short space of time." Riza explains: "Italy can be quite defensively minded, low blocks and counter-attacks. They are quite happy not to have the ball. Our mentality was to try to have the ball, to control the game, to provoke the opposition to open up spaces further up the pitch. "The players were used to a 5-3-2 and defending their box so to go press high and step on to the opposition to stop them playing and win it right up the pitch to cause them problems, that was a big change, not just for the players but for the fans as well." Cole decided to call time on the Cesena project in the summer when it became clear that the club's ambitions did not match his own. "I honestly believe we would have done really well this year if we had been allowed to bring in the players we wanted," says Riza. But he is backing his old pal to succeed somewhere else. "He has worked hard at his coaching, he is diligent and he has his head screwed on." Assisting him in the next role is an option. "We have spoken about it." But Riza's real aim is to be a head coach again. His first taste of it came at Leyton Orient back in 2017. That was no gentle introduction. "There were five managerial changes that season. The owners were not paying the players and the fans were up in arms. It was really tough." But he saw out the season. Now 46, there have been so many obstacles since. "I applied for hundreds of jobs after that and finally found a job with Watford. I started part-time on £20 an hour and worked my way up from the under-15s to become first-team assistant. And then I got sacked." That one still grates. It was "a kick in the behind" to discover that his future was tied to departing head coach Valerien Ismael who had only been brought in that summer. "I had been there for five years, I was a Pro Licence coach." But Riza had to start over again. At Cardiff, in the autumn of 2024, he was trusted with the top job on a caretaker basis after Erol Bulut was dismissed for taking one point from the first six games of the season. The turnaround under Riza was swift and impressive enough to be given the job permanently. "I got nominated for manager of the month," he recalls. The first of two such nominations in five months. "Taking over after a start like that, it is like you have been deducted points. You are trying to survive. We nearly managed it." Unfortunately, a dip in the spring saw him sacked with three games to go, just one point from safety. "It became harder to play with freedom and we drew 15 games, too many." Cardiff won none of the three games after he left and they finished bottom of the Championship, despite the fact that they were 19th during the 37-game period that he was in charge. There are fond memories. A 5-0 win over Plymouth. "Wayne Rooney was in charge then." And two draws with Coventry. "I went up against Frank Lampard, who I played with at West Ham. It was nice to do that." But the derby win over Swansea remains bitter-sweet. This is the unseen side of the game. "I was up and down the motorway because it was, 'It is your dad, you need to come back.' I would go and sit with my dad until two or three in the morning and then need to be back ready for training the next morning." That could be a three-hour drive. "It was a very emotional period but I just love what I do and my father would have wanted me to carry on. It was tough but I just knew that." Cardiff beat Swansea 3-0 that weekend. "To get that result for the fans, it was special." There is pride at the players that he helped to develop. "Yousef Salech is doing very well now. Will Alves and Sivert Mannsverk also did well when they came in." But he accepts that mistakes were made too. Calling out the fans for their criticism is a regret. "It is not just about what you do on the grass," Riza points out. "You are representing the football club. That is so important. I have learned a lot from the experience, massively. But then, I have had so many different experiences now as a player and as a coach." How have those experiences shaped his ideas about the game? As a youngster, he was coached by the great Don Howe at Arsenal, often hailed as a visionary. "He was very good at establishing what exactly you were good at as a player and developing it." Having worked as a head coach, an in-possession coach and an out-of-possession coach in various roles, what is Riza’s philosophy on football? “You cannot be so single-minded in how you want your team to play that it negatively impacts results. Flexibility is key. If teams overplay, you want to be aggressive in your pressing. At other times, you might want to press in a mid-block or play counter-attack. “The game has changed so much that it is systems within systems now. You can start in a 4-2-3-1 but you might create a back three to get more bodies on the top line or a box in midfield. The game is being broke down into pieces now. Tactically, it has evolved a lot.” There was a season training with the first-team at Arsenal, working up close with Arsene Wenger. The Gunners boss did not say too much but every morsel of information was taken in. "When you get that one little moment of detail, it can sink in a bit deeper." At Turkey, he added to his knowledge. "I remember our full-backs stepping into holding midfield." This was years before Pep Guardiola popularised the tactic. Those seasons with Trabzonspor brought some of the best moments of his career - and the worst. "Playing in Europe was a highlight." There is an image of him with his top off celebrating a goal in the UEFA Cup. "As a Turkish-Cypriot, scoring against APOEL, a Greek-Cypriot side, was a fairytale story, really." But his time at Trabzonspor ended on a sour note. "I ended up getting banned for five months. I left because they had not paid me but the Turkish Federation found me guilty. I had a ten-year battle in the courts, CAS, FIFA, European Court of Human Rights. I won the case but I did not win the pecuniary damages." The experience damaged his career and his finances. "I spent a lot of money trying to get that but I have helped other people along the way. They had to change the rules. It was a long and painful process and my dad had to go through that too, all my family." His playing career was not quite the same after that. "No one would sign me because the ban would kick in." He did play on down the pyramid. "That is just how it unravelled." But he considered working in another industry, walking away from the game that he loved. "In my mind, I was going to come out of football. I remember telling my dad I did not want to do it anymore. But he reminded me I had been doing it since I was six years old, travelling all over the world, so I should try to stay in football. It just progressed from there." Inspired by his father, and perhaps driven by a player career that did not quite deliver all that it had promised, Riza continues to push for the next opportunity. "It has all made me stronger, made me more resilient," he explains. "I am more than ready for the next chapter."

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Mamadou Sangare could have been playing Champions League football this week. After all, the signs point to him being an elite-level player. Not only did the midfielder star for RC Lens last season - playing a key role as they finished as Ligue 1 runners-up and French Cup champions - but there were major European clubs eyeing up his signature over the summer. And not just major clubs, the elite of the elite. Yet he turned those bigger clubs down for a Brentford team without European football this season. "Yeah it's true," he tells Sky Sports from Brentford's training ground about that interest. "But I'm not going to give any names, out of respect. "There were a lot of clubs. For me, the most important thing was to know where I could progress. And Brentford was the best place for my development. "A coach who really wanted me was something that was important to me. That's why I chose Brentford." It is fair to say Sangare had earned a big move. As well as his club success with Lens, he was also named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year at the age of 24, pipping Paris Saint-Germain duo Joao Neves and Fabian Ruiz to a midfield spot. So was it hard to say no to some of the major European clubs? "No, it wasn't difficult," he replies. "Just because a big club comes calling, it doesn't mean you have to say yes to it. You have to see a lot of different aspects. "I'm a little different from other players because I see things differently. For me, Brentford was the best option - as a young player, as a player who still has to prove himself at a high level. "I think that choosing Brentford was the best option for me to progress and to reach my best potential." If Sangare wasn't a coup for Brentford when he joined, he was definitely one after his Premier League debut. He got two assists as the Bees hammered Tottenham on the opening weekend, but the way he strutted around with ease in his first Premier League game made him a star for the future already. "He can play for a top four club," said Jamie Redknapp after that display. And the big question everyone had was: how do Brentford keep on spotting then securing future gems in the making? The key is in the preparation when it comes to Brentford, who pitch the club to incoming players via a very detailed presentation. Bryan Mbeumo recently revealed how thorough Brentford's pitch can be. The Bees watched him 28 times for Ligue 2 side Troyes before approaching him in 2019, then presented him with all his strengths and weaknesses on a screen. Because of this presentation, he had a clear idea of where he'd fit in, where he'd improve - and seven years later, he was sold to Manchester United for £71m. He had gone from a French second-division player to scoring 20 Premier League goals in a single season for the Bees. And for Sangare? "It was exactly the same," he says about the presentation that Brentford gave him over the summer. "It was incredible. It was the first time I've ever seen something like that. I've been at a few clubs, but I've never seen an approach like that. "Brentford has a well-placed structure. It was something I've never seen before - it really pushed me to choose this club. "I had a positive, detailed discussion with the coach. He showed me his style of play and what he expected from me. "He also showed me the tools which could allow me to improve. He showed me my weaknesses and what I needed to work on. I'm a young player, I really liked that. "When a coach speaks to you like that, it shows that he wants to see you improve. It was really important for me." However, not all roads are straightforward in football. Despite being the new darling of Brentford, he has started the last two games against Chelsea and Aston Villa on the bench. There is no injury. Instead, he is competing with the trustworthy pair of long-term servants Vitaly Janelt and Mathias Jensen for a midfield starting spot. Yehor Yarmoliuk is another up and coming option in that position and scored at Villa. Sangare has had to wait his turn after such a high-profile start. "I haven't spoken much about that with the coach," Sangare says about his recent appearances on the bench. "He's the coach, he's the boss. I'm a player like so many others. It's not only about me here. "The most important thing is the team. That's what counts. Whether I start or not, as long as they need me, I'll be there. "It's up to me to work even harder to get my place back, even though I wouldn't say that I lost it. It's up to me to keep working and to do even more than the others. We'll see how it goes." Despite his limited appearances in recent weeks, Sangare has still shown his worth. He averages the most tackles out of any Premier League player per 90 minutes, while only Man City's Elliot Anderson has won more duels on the ground than the Mali midfielder. With the calibre of player like Sangare in the team, it makes Brentford such a hard team to beat. They are still unbeaten in the Premier League this season, having beaten Chelsea and Tottenham and drawn with Aston Villa. Liverpool are up next at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday, having been stung by Keith Andrews' side in this fixture last season. Even though they have never played a European match before, Brentford are a continental club in the making. Sangare managed to defy all the odds at Lens last season, taking them to Europe and winning them a cup. That would be the perfect tonic for Brentford fans this season - who have never won a major trophy in their history. But with Brentford sitting fourth in the table after six games, Sangare's message is clear: Europe is not enough. "The goal is to reach Europe and win as many games as possible," he says. "We know that Brentford has never played a European game before. "Why can't we also reach the top four, or the top two? Why can't we cause a real surprise? Because we're a good team in the league. We have a very good team with very good players, with a great coach as well." Those are the team's ambitions. What about his own? After his performances for Brentford already this season, many have branded him as the next player off the conveyer belt, after the Bees brought in nearly £200m for Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa, Ivan Toney and David Raya. "I saw some comments about that," says Sangare about transfer rumours linking him with a move away already. "I don't think too much about it. I just want to work and help the team to reach their goals. "They put a lot of money in me. They trusted me. It's up to me to do everything to make it happen - by winning games, by improving the team. "These are the things I have to put in my head, not transfers or anything like that. I have to focus on the team. This is what we have to do. Win games and improve the team by getting our goals."

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The top stories and transfer rumours from Thursday's newspapers... Senior Manchester United players share the same concerns as Lisandro Martinez over the club's direction and future - The Telegraph Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler is among the candidates to replace Michael Carrick should he be sacked by Manchester United - The Sun Former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and ex-Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann are also believed to have admirers at Old Trafford - TalkSPORT Aston Villa striker Nicolas Jackson has been encouraging Lamine Camara to make a move to the Premier League and has been helping the midfielder get over the disappointment of his failed move to Chelsea - The Sun Former Wolves and Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira is eyeing a Premier League return with struggling Fulham - TalkSPORT A club representative from Manchester City was invited on a government-backed trade delegation to India this week despite guilty verdict surrounding serious financial breaches - The Guardian Newcastle forward Jacob Murphy is close to a new contract at the club - Daily Mail Paper Talk is a review of the sports headlines from the national newspapers, every Monday to Friday, live on Sky Sports News from 10.30pm. Missed the show? Catch up on the latest news with the Paper Talk podcast.

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Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has clarified his outburst after Tuesday's Champions League loss at Atletico Madrid in a statement - but stopped short of an apology. Martinez launched an extraordinary attack on the club's hierarchy after the 2-0 defeat in Madrid, as he criticised the lack of summer investment in the squad, said he expected more from "upstairs" and singled out technical director Jason Wilcox. But 24 hours on from his astonishing post-match interview, the Argentina international released a statement on Instagram on Wednesday night to clear up his comments. He said: "Following everything that has been said about my comments yesterday, I want to share some thoughts on what I said and how I feel. "After the match, I spoke out of anger and frustration at not getting the result we all wanted. "Those who know me know how I live football, with passion, commitment and a huge desire to win. And when things don't go our way, it hurts, especially when representing a club with the history and stature of Manchester United. "My words reflect how I feel and how much I want to see this club competing for the biggest honours. Those high standards are part of how I see football and the responsibility that comes with wearing this shirt. "When I talk about wanting more, I'm talking about the ambition we must all have as part of this club. To keep growing, to become stronger and to have everything we need to compete at the highest level. These are standards we must all hold ourselves to, starting with me. "I know that, first and foremost, it's us, the players, who have to deliver, and I put myself at the front of that responsibility. We need to demand even more of ourselves and work together to take Manchester United back to the top. "I believe in my team-mates, our manager and everyone working to help this club move forward. I'm convinced that the way forward is to keep working together, with ambition and commitment. "My goal has been the same since day one, to win, to compete at the highest level and to give everything I have for this badge." There are real doubts about whether Martinez's contract will be extended when it expires in the summer. United will focus on revamping their defence in the next transfer windows and have the formal option to prolong Martinez's stay for a further year. United's bosses have yet to decide whether to discipline Martinez for his comments, when he said: "I expect more from our technical director [meaning director of football, Jason Wilcox]. We expect more from the top, from upstairs, to bring in more players to compete." It is also understood that there is no pressure on Wilcox internally regarding his position. The implication that Martinez doesn't think his team-mates are good enough to compete has not gone down well with other players. Martinez has been keen on a move away from Old Trafford for some time. In the summer, he pushed for a move to Atletico Madrid, the side that beat United in the Champions League on Tuesday night, to follow his good friend and international team-mate, Cristian Romero, who left Spurs for Spain. No suitable bid for Martinez came in for Manchester United to consider. The 28-year-old made similar explosive comments about his bosses when at Ajax in 2022. Martinez, who again wanted a move away, called their sporting director Gerry Hamstra a "nobody". Martinez remains a key part of Michael Carrick's squad and United's bosses know they have to handle this situation carefully.