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Preamble

Hello and welcome on this weekend morning. This is your comprehensive matchday coverage hub, highlighting the day's key soccer action. The Premier League offers intriguing contests featuring Brighton & West Ham and Fulham & Crystal Palace. On top of that, a crucial Scottish Premiership encounter sees Celtic and Hearts, alongside Women's Super League games plus cup second round drama completes the lineup. As always send us your views telling us your plans for watching the action. Here we go.

Major Stories from Saturday

Mohamed Salah commandeered the headlines despite not featuring in the Reds' thrilling 3-3 draw at Elland Road. He launched an stunning critique on boss Arne Slot, accusing him of tossing him “to the wolves” after being left out the starting lineup for the third straight match. The player stated feeling made a scapegoat for the club's poor beginning to the season.

“It's unbelievable … I’m sitting on the bench for 90 minutes,” the Egyptian reportedly said. “The third time on the bench, perhaps for the first time in my career. I am extremely disappointed.”

Another major Premier League development was Arsenal's last-gasp loss at Villa Park, courtesy of by Emi Buendía's winning strike. That result, combined with Manchester City's comfortable win over Sunderland, makes for a incredibly close race at the top of the table.

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

Sunday's Top-Flight Matches

Brighton host West Ham in a 2pm GMT kickoff. The visitors have displayed signs of life under the arrival of head coach Nuno. An impressive point at Manchester United means he has overseen a run of just one defeat in five games.

Fulham against Crystal Palace is a rematch of last season's cup last-eight tie. The Eagles are eyeing a fourth straight victory on the road in the league, having defeated three opponents to nil in their recent travels.

Cup Action Continues

England's famous cup competition round two delivered lots of excitement on Saturday. National League South side Weston-super-Mare made history by advancing to the third round for the first time ever.

Additional notable outcomes included:

• Swindon hammered Bolton – a division above them – 4-0.
• Cambridge defeated Stockport County on penalties.
• Non-league Buxton led against Cheltenham Town before finally suffering a 6-2 defeat.

Today's cup schedule features:

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

Developing Mini-Leagues

There seems to be three separate battlegroups developing in this season's Premier League.

1. The Title Race: The current leading pack are seemingly vying for the top prize.
2. The Mid-Table Scramble: A incredibly congested section includes several big names, all with designs on the top five. Can any put together a consistent form to challenge the top teams?
3. The Relegation Battle: The scrap to avoid the drop probably concerns several clubs, with Wolverhampton Wanderers appearing especially vulnerable. Teams like others could also be sucked into the battle.

Elsewhere in Football

Outside the English top flight and FA 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)

European Football:

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

The Salah Debate Continues

The fallout from Mohamed Salah's explosive interview continues. There are two distinct sides to the argument. On one hand, has Salah earned the right to speak out as a true Liverpool legend? Or is manager Arne Slot right in doing what he believes is necessary to try to win matches?

Fan opinion seems split:

“United fan here. If memory serves, Salah was PFA Player of the Year 6 months ago and now he’s chief scapegoat. Not the way to treat a legend of the club.”

“Perhaps we should pause to have sympathy for Mo Salah? He's probably overlooked that he is presently Liverpool's highest ever earning player... Someone hard done by, Mo, you are not.”

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

Sad News from the Championship

A pair of second-tier fixtures were called off yesterday.

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

At this time, there is no confirmation on when either game will be replayed.