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Opening Thoughts

Hello and welcome to another Sunday day. We bring you your comprehensive matchday coverage center, highlighting today's major soccer fixtures. The Premier League offers intriguing contests featuring the Seagulls and the Hammers as well as Fulham & Crystal Palace. On top of that, a top-of-the-table Scottish Premiership clash sees the Hoops and the Jambos, alongside Women's Super League games and FA Cup round two drama rounds out the lineup. As always share your thoughts telling us your plans for watching the action. Let's get into it.

Yesterday's Headlines

Liverpool's Egyptian star commandeered the spotlight despite did not play in the Reds' thrilling six-goal thriller at Leeds United. Salah delivered an stunning critique on boss the Dutch coach, claiming him of throwing him “under the bus” after being left out the starting lineup for the third consecutive match. He expressed feeling made a scapegoat for the team's poor beginning to the campaign.

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

Another significant top-flight development was Arsenal's injury-time defeat at Villa Park, courtesy of by Emi Buendía's winning goal. That result, coupled with City's comfortable victory over the Black Cats, makes for a incredibly close battle at the summit of the table.

Outside English leagues, Lionel Messi once again wrote the script for his MLS side as they triumphed the MLS Cup, beating Vancouver 3-1 in the showpiece.

Sunday's Top-Flight Matches

Brighton welcome West Ham in a 2pm GMT kickoff. The visitors have shown flickers of improvement since the appointment of head coach Nuno Espírito Santo. A creditable point at Manchester United means he has presided over a run of just one defeat in their last five.

Fulham versus Palace is a repeat of last year's FA Cup last-eight tie. Crystal Palace are aiming for a fourth straight away win in the Premier League, having beaten Burnley, Wolves and Liverpool without conceding in their recent travels.

The FA Cup Second Round

The FA Cup second round delivered plenty of excitement yesterday. National League South side Weston-super-Mare created a historic moment by advancing to the next round for the first time ever.

Additional notable results included:

• Swindon hammered Bolton Wanderers – a league above them – 4-0.
• Cambridge defeated Stockport on penalties.
• Non-league Buxton FC led against Cheltenham before eventually suffering a 6-2 loss.

Sunday's FA Cup schedule features:

• Slough Town v Macclesfield (12.30pm GMT start)
• Boreham Wood v Newport County
• Gateshead v Walsall
• Blackpool v Carlisle United

Developing Mini-Leagues

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 seemingly vying for the top prize.
2. The Packed Middle: A incredibly congested group includes several big names, all with aspirations for the top five. Will any put together a consistent form to challenge the elite?
3. The Fight for Survival: The scrap to stay up probably concerns several clubs, with Wolves appearing particularly vulnerable. Clubs such as others could also be sucked into the fight.

Elsewhere in Football

Outside the English top flight and FA Cup, today's fixtures 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)

Ongoing Discussion About Liverpool's Star

The fallout from the Liverpool forward's explosive interview rages on. There are two clear camps to the debate. On one hand, has Salah done enough to speak out as a true club icon? Or is boss Slot justified in doing what he believes is necessary to try to win matches?

Views from supporters 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 club legend.”

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

What next for the Egyptian king, then? Speculation suggests his relationship with the club may now be burned. Could he move on loan to another European club? Might he take the pay day and move to Saudi Arabia after the Africa Cup of Nations?

Matches Abandoned

A pair of Championship matches were called off on Saturday.

• The match 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's game against Sheffield Wednesday was also paused and abandoned due to a waterlogged pitch at Ewood Park. Torrential rain – for the second time this season at the ground – rendered the pitch unsuitable.

There is no word yet on when these matches will be replayed.