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Opening Thoughts

Hello and welcome to another Sunday morning. This is your comprehensive matchday live center, focusing on today's major football fixtures. The Premier League offers fascinating matches featuring the Seagulls and the Hammers as well as the Cottagers and the Eagles. On top of that, a top-of-the-table Scottish Premiership encounter between Celtic and Hearts, coupled with Women's Super League games plus cup second round excitement completes the lineup. As always send us your views and let us know how you'll be following the action. Here we go.

Major Stories from Saturday

Mohamed Salah grabbed the headlines even though he was absent in the Reds' hectic six-goal thriller at Leeds United. Salah delivered an astonishing attack on boss the Dutch coach, accusing him of throwing him “under the bus” following being left out the starting lineup for the third consecutive match. The player stated that he felt singled out for blame for the club's disappointing start to the campaign.

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

Another major top-flight development saw the Gunners' last-gasp loss at Aston Villa, sealed by Emi Buendía's winning goal. This outcome, combined with City's comfortable win over the Black Cats, makes for a incredibly close battle at the top of the standings.

Away from the English football, the Argentine maestro once again played the hero for his MLS side as they triumphed the league championship, beating Vancouver 3-1 in the showpiece.

Sunday's Top-Flight Matches

The Seagulls welcome the Hammers for an 2pm GMT start. The visitors have shown flickers of improvement under the appointment of manager Nuno Espírito Santo. An impressive point at Manchester United means he has overseen a run of only one loss in five games.

Fulham versus Palace is a rematch of last year's cup quarter-final. The Eagles are eyeing a fourth straight victory on the road in the Premier League, having defeated Burnley, Wolves and Liverpool without conceding in their latest travels.

Cup Action Continues

England's famous cup competition round two provided lots of drama yesterday. National League South side the Seagulls made history by advancing to the next round for the first time in their history.

Additional notable outcomes included:

• Swindon hammered Bolton – a league above them – 4-0.
• Cambridge defeated Stockport County on spot-kicks.
• Non-league Buxton were ahead against Cheltenham before finally enduring a 6-2 loss.

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 distinct mini-leagues developing in this campaign's top flight.

1. Championship Contenders: Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa are apparently contending for the championship.
2. The Packed Middle: A incredibly congested section includes Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle and Manchester United, all with aspirations for the top five. Will any string together a consistent form to threaten the top teams?
3. The Fight for Survival: The dogfight to stay up probably concerns several clubs, with Wolves looking especially in trouble. Teams like others could also be sucked into the battle.

Elsewhere in Football

Outside the English top flight 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)

European Football:

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

The Salah Debate Continues

The reaction from Mohamed Salah's explosive interview rages on. There are two clear camps to the debate. On one hand, has Salah earned the right to speak out as a true Liverpool legend? Or is boss Arne Slot justified in doing whatever it takes to try to win games?

Views from supporters appears divided:

“United fan here. If memory serves, Salah was the players' player of the year 6 months ago and now he’s the main target. This is no way to treat a club legend.”

“Perhaps we should take a moment to have sympathy for Mo Salah? He must have overlooked that he is currently 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 damaged. Could he seek a loan to another European club? Might he accept a lucrative offer and move to Saudi Arabia after the Africa Cup of Nations?

Sad News from the Championship

Two second-tier matches were called off yesterday.

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

There is no confirmation on when either game will be rescheduled.