Trent Alexander-Arnold had to be substituted in the 55th minute of Real Madrid's 3-0 victory over Athletic Club after appearing to sustain an ankle injury. The former Liverpool right-back had finally picked up his first assist in La Liga when he set up Kylian Mbappe's early opener but had to be replaced early in the second half after receiving treatment.
Trent picks up agonising injury
Alexander-Arnold had enjoyed one of his more positive outings in a Madrid shirt on Wednesday night, finally picking up his first assist in La Liga since signing for the club in the summer from Liverpool. His long pass forward was brilliantly controlled by Mbappe, who sped through Athletic's midfield and produced an impeccable finish to send Los Blancos into the lead. Alexander-Arnold had also looked secure enough at the back despite being up against the lively Nico Williams, but he was soon down on the turf receiving treatment before he had to be withdrawn, with Raul Asencio coming on as his replacement. It's another worry for manager Xabi Alonso, who is already without first choice right-back Dani Carvajal due to injury, and he'll now have to await the results of tests to see how long the new man could be absent for.
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TAA finally ends assist drought
Alexander-Arnold's diffcult start to life at Santiago Bernabeu has been widely reported, with the Spanish press taking a pop at the England international after his previous performance in the 1-1 draw with Girona. He had been labelled "clueless" by a prominent journalist, having failed to convince many Madrid fans with his displays during his first few months at the club. However, he now finally has another assist to add to his first in Madrid colours which he picked up during the Club World Cup in the summer. It wasn't a trademark assist, with Mbappe doing a lot of the work to finish the job, but it certainly would have done the 27-year-old the world of good if he hadn't been struck down by a fitness issue later on. It comes just short of three months after he suffered a hamstring problem at the start of the season which caused him to miss six matches.
Second injury ruins Alonso's positive night
It wasn't just Alexander-Arnold's injury that Alonso now has to worry about. Eduardo Camavinga, scorer of Madrid's second goal on Wednesday, also received treatment before coming off. The Frenchman seemed to pick up a muscular issue, having suddenly pulled up off the ball, and he alongside Alexander-Arnold now faces an anxious wait as medical examinations are conducted and results are gathered. Camavinga suffered a severely disrupted 2024-25 season, making only 15 appearances over the course of the campaign, and a further setback would be devastating for the versatile midfielder. Alonso is already without some important players, namely Carvajal, David Alaba, Dean Huijsen and Ferland Mendy, and another injury would further restrict the options at the former Bayer Leverkusen boss' disposal.
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What comes next for Alexander-Arnold and Real Madrid?
Alexander-Arnold will undergo tests over the next few days to learn the severity of his injury. It seems unlikely that he will be available for Madrid's next fixture, which comes on Sunday when they host Celta Vigo, while he may also be missing for the huge Champions League clash with Manchester City. After that, Los Blancos have fixtures against Alaves and Sevilla before a short break over the Christmas period. Their victory in Bilbao did alleviate some of the pressure building on Alonso's shoulders, with the former Liverpool and Bayern Munich midfielder facing criticism after a run of three La Liga games without a victory. They remain a point behind leaders Barcelona, who impressively beat Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night, and a strong run of form is now essential if Los Blancos are to wrestle the league title back off their famous rivals.
Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke is looking to follow in Marcelo Bielsa’s footsteps by steering the club clear of relegation in their first season back in the Premier League.
After a run of four straight losses, the Whites have picked up four points and scored six goals in two matches against Chelsea and Liverpool in the top-flight, which has pushed them out of the bottom three.
Farke has needed his players to step up in recent games to climb back out of the relegation zone, and several stars have shown that they have what it takes to deliver in the Premier League.
Ranking Leeds United's top performers this season
Joe Rodon, who has started all 15 games, has proven to be a reliable option at the heart of the defence, winning 69% of his ground duels in the top-flight, per Sofascore.
Gabriel Gudmundsson, signed from Lille in the summer, has also caught the eye at left-back, with 3.1 tackles and interceptions and 1.3 dribbles completed per game, per Sofascore, whilst exciting fans with his bombing runs down the left flank.
£17.4m signing Anton Stach has been one of the top three performers for the Whites, though, with his return of two goals and two assists as a box-to-box midfielder.
1
Ethan Ampadu
2
Sean Longstaff
3
Anton Stach
4
Gabriel Gudmundsson
5
Joe Rodon
As you can see in the ranking above, we have placed Sean Longstaff in second place. He leads the team in ‘big chances’ created (six), but he has also only started ten of the 15 league games, per Sofascore.
That leaves the captain, Ethan Ampadu, in first place as Leeds United’s best Premier League performer since they sold Kalvin Phillips to Manchester City in 2022.
Why Ampadu is Leeds United's best Premier League player since Phillips
After Phillips was sold to City for £45m, after emerging as an England regular at Elland Road, the Whites were relegated from the top-flight in the 2022/23 campaign. No other player was able to step up and save them from trouble.
The English star was particularly impressive with Marcelo Bielsa, as shown in the graphic above, and he averaged 3.9 tackles and interceptions per game in midfield in his last Premier League season with Leeds.
Ampadu, now, is looking like the club’s best top-flight performer since Phillips departed. He was judged as an “indispensable” part of Leeds’ midfield in the words of scout Jacek Kulig when promotion was being eyed up, and since moving up a division, he has been a rock on the pitch in the middle of the park. It’s safe to say he could be the first player to lead the team to safety since the Man City midfielder was at the club.
Off the pitch, teammate Karl Darlow described him as a “brilliant” person who has “handled the pressure” of captaining Leeds in the Premier League, which speaks to the qualities that he provides as a leader within the group, and perhaps explains how the team pulled off the last two results despite such a poor run of form that preceded them.
On the pitch, his performances have been impressive. Ampadu lined up in the middle of the park in the games against Chelsea and Liverpool and caught the eye with his defensive nous.
Minutes
90
87
Pass accuracy
86%
87%
Tackle success rate
100%
100%
Duels won
6/11
3/6
Interceptions
2
1
Dribbled past
0x
0x
As you can see in the table above, the Wales international was perfect in his tackles and did not allow an opposition player to dribble past him a single time, which shows how combative and reliable he was in midfield.
Ampadu has started all 13 of his appearances in the Premier League this season, per Sofascore, and averaged an eye-catching 3.7 tackles and interceptions per game, which is just shy of the 3.9 that Phillips averaged in his final season with the club.
The former Chelsea starlet offers a similar presence to the England international at the base of the midfield for Leeds, sitting in front of the back four and screening play, making vital defensive interventions to regain possession and start attacks for his side.
He has won 60% of his ground duels and 53% of his aerial duels, per Sofascore, whilst only being dribbled past 0.6 times per match, which shows that Ampadu has been efficient and reliable in the middle of the park for Farke, as an ever-present when fit.
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Overall, the Welshman may well be the club’s best Premier League player since Phillips, not just for the quality that he clearly provides as a holding midfielder, but also for his leadership skills and how he handles the pressure of leading a Premier League side.
Mohamed Salah has come in for huge criticism following the bombshell post-match interview, where he took aim at Liverpool boss Arne Slot and accused the club of "throwing him under the bus", but Egypt national team boss Hossam Hassan has posted a message of support for his star forward. Salah was an unused substitute in the 3-3 draw with Leeds, the third match in a row he has been named on the bench.
Damaging draw too much for Mo
Leeds United secured a dramatic draw in a match Liverpool led twice, with Hugo Ekitike scoring a quickfire second-half brace, but were pegged back both times. Dominic Calvert-Lewin's penalty and Anton Stach's goal made it 2-2, Dominik Szoboszlai restored Liverpool's lead and the Reds looked like they had sealed the three points, but Ao Tanaka's 96th-minute equaliser sealed a point for the home side. And while there was high drama on the pitch, the main headlines came after it, following an extraordinary rant from Salah.
Speaking to reporters, Salah said: 'I can’t believe it, I’m very, very disappointed. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season. Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.'
He added: 'I got a lot of promises in the summer and so far I am on the bench for three games, so I can’t say they keep the promise. I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden, we don’t have any relationship. I don’t know why, but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn’t want me in the club. This club, I always support it. My kids will always support it. I love the club so much, I will always do. I called my mum yesterday — you guys didn’t know if I would start or not, but I knew.'
AdvertisementGetty Images SportPundits queue-up to slam Salah
Danny Murphy and Chris Sutton have strongly criticised Salah for his explosive post-match interview. Murphy labelled the Egyptian's timing as poor, arguing such issues should be handled internally, stating: 'Salah is making it all about him when the focus should be on Liverpool's draw. That just creates more problems.'
And Sutton posted to X on Saturday night: 'Embarrassing from Mo Salah and disrespectful to his team-mates and his manager. Salah is no different from any other player … if a player’s form drops as Salah’s has he is the same as anyone else and has to accept being benched… but he thinks he’s too good to be benched sadly…'
Egypt boss shows support
While pundits formed an orderly line to criticise Salah, he found support in the shape of his national boss, Hassan. Salah will join-up with his national team later this month to participate in AFCON and could miss as many as eight games for Liverpool. Hassan posted a picture of himself and Salah on Instagram, with the caption (originally in Arabic): 'Always a symbol of determination and strength.'
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Getty Images SportMilan showdown next up for Reds
Liverpool head to Italy for a Champions League clash with Inter Milan on Tuesday and fans will wait with baited breath to see the team sheet, and specifically whether Slot has included Salah. The Reds are desperate for victory after the damaging 4-1 home defeat by PSV Eindhoven in their last match and need wins in their remaining league phase matches to stand a chance of automatic qualification through to the knockout stage.
At home, India have not lost both the Test and ODI series of a tour since 1986-87
Sidharth Monga05-Dec-20253:38
ten Doeschate: A different start time could bring down dew effect
Big picture – Can India end rotten luck with the toss?
The last time India lost both the Test and ODI series as part of the same bilateral tour was in South Africa in 2021-22. At home, though, India haven’t lost both the series of a tour since Pakistan beat them 1-0 in Tests and 5-1 in ODIs in 1986-87.South Africa go into Vishakapatnam with a chance of achieving that rare double. It is evident by now that it could well come down to the toss. The dew anyway plays a big part in ODIs in India, which is now getting accentuated by use of only one ball from overs 34 to 50. The side bowling in the afternoon gets the advantage of using an older, softer ball, which gets nullified in the dew in the night. South Africa won the last ODI despite being 35 behind India at the 34-over mark, which is when the fielding side gets to choose one of the two balls to bowl the rest of the innings with.Given such a premium on the toss, India will be desperate that they finally win one after 20 straight losses. The last time India won a toss in ODIs was in the semi-final of the last World Cup, and we are already talking about combinations for the next World Cup.The teams will have no option but to maximise the new ball in the afternoon and go for an above-par total for the conditions they are batting in. And then maximise the new ball in the evening before it stops moving. India managed to do both of those things in Ranchi, but only one in Raipur. It will be interesting to see if South Africa have capability to do both, but for that India will have to win the toss.
Form guide
India: LWWLL South Africa: WLLWLMarco Jansen is staking claims to becoming a genuine allrounder•Associated Press
In the spotlight: Virat Kohli and Marco Jansen
Virat Kohli has gone back to back with centuries 11 times in his career. He has converted one of those into a hat-trick. Three centuries in one week. One of them came at his favourite venue, Vishakapatnam, where he comes back with four ODI hundreds and one Test ton to his name. He averages 97.83 there in ODIs at better than a run a ball. He has also scored 299 Test runs there for three dismissals. The form that he seems to have hit, you won’t want to bet against another hat-trick of ODI hundreds.Marco Jansen, who is staking claims to becoming a genuine allrounder, will still want to do more in his core discipline of bowling than four wickets at an average of 34.75 and an economy rate of 6.95. If Nandre Burger doesn’t recover in time, he could get the new ball and look to play a role in controlling Kohli and Rohit Sharma.Related
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India will have no reason to make any changes in the XI that has won one and narrowly lost the second despite losing both tosses. Especially after Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a hundred that almost matched Kohli shot for shot. Prasidh Krishna is going at 8.48 an over, but India don’t have a replacement bowler in the squad. And they won’t replace a specialist bowler with an allrounder.India (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 5 KL Rahul (capt. & wk), 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harshit Rana, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Prasidh KrishnaSouth Africa had two players go down with hamstring injuries in the second ODI. Neither of them played any further role in the match. Hamstrings don’t heal this quickly so expect Burger and Tony de Zorzi to be replaced by Ottneil Baartman and Ryan Rickelton.South Africa (probable): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Temba Bavuma (capt.), 4 Matthew Breetzke, 5 Ryan Rickelton, 6 Dewald Brevis, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Corbin Bosch, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Ottneil Baartman
Pitch and conditions
The last two ODIs represent the extreme of the conditions in Vishakapatnam. India went from scoring 387 against West Indies in December 2019 to being bowled out for 117 against Australia in March 2023. With no weather challenges in the pitch preparation, expect more of the former. The temperature should be warmer than Ranchi and Raipur, but still pleasant for cricket.
Stats and trivia
Kumar Sangakkara holds the record for more centuries in consecutive ODI innings: four. A host of others, including Kohli, have managed three in a row.
The last team to beat India in India despite losing the toss was South Africa in October 2022.
As we approached 2025, the fear was that Liverpool would lose their talisman, an all-time great in the form of Mohamed Salah, on a free transfer.
Well, the Egyptian signed a new deal and closed out an enthralling individual season for the Reds. He led Arne Slot’s team to title glory, taking home the Premier League title back in May.
The foundations Slot had built during his maiden campaign in English football were remarkable but it’s all petered out in frantic fashion throughout the ongoing term.
A year on from uncertainty surrounding Salah’s future, a different sense of uncertainty lingers heading into 2026.
This time around it feels unlikely that he’ll be staying around at Anfield for much longer. It’s a sad end for one of the Premier League’s modern-day greats.
Why Mohamed Salah could leave Liverpool
The winger had an enthralling 2024/25 season, ending the year with a whopping 34 goals and 23 assists in 52 outings. However, this term has not been a pretty one for the Egyptian who has only bagged five times in 19 appearances for Liverpool.
Slot’s side have been in a rotten run and Salah’s poor form has coincided with that. He’s been so poor, however, that the Dutchman has taken the decision to select him on the bench across the last three games. As Salah himself said post-game, it’s unheard of.
However, there lies the problem. What Salah said after the game. He launched a stunning attack on Slot after Liverpool drew 3-3 with Leeds and it has thrown his immediate future in Merseyside into doubt.
“I’m very disappointed, Salah began. “I’ve done so much for this club – everyone can see that – over years, especially last season, sitting on the bench I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That’s how I feel it.”
The forward continued: “It’s very clear that someone wants me to get all the blame. Club promised me a lot in summer. So far I I’m on bench three games, so can’t say they have kept those promises.
“I say many times I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden we don’t have any relationship, I don’t know why. It seems like someone does not want me in the club.
“But again this club, I always support it. my kids will always support it. I love the club so much and I will always do. I called my mum yesterday because I knew I wasn’t going to start and told my mum and dad to the Brighton game [next Saturday].”
The latest on Mohamed Salah's future at Liverpool
It’s thought that one of Salah’s main suitors continues to be Saudi Arabia and it would not be a surprise if he heads off to the Middle East before too long.
That’s because he’s now been totally excluded from the matchday squad for Liverpool’s clash with Inter Milan in the week.
According to Football FanCast sources, Richard Hughes and Co met after Salah made those comments and while it initially looked like he could just miss the clash with Inter, he has officially been removed from selection for a ‘short period’.
Sources suggest that the decision has been taken in consultation with manager Slot in the best interests of the player, the squad and the club. It’s thought that the boss has given the decision his full support.
Whether that means that Salah will miss Liverpool’s next league game against Brighton next Saturday remains to be seen but considering the attacker is due to head off to AFCON after that, it’s likely this is the last we’ll see of him in a Liverpool shirt, at least this year.
What the future holds in the long term is currently unknown but it’s certainly not looking good for either player or manager right now.
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Mo Salah is unhappy with life at Liverpool right now.
Mikel Arteta has got a lot right in the almost six years he has spent in the Arsenal dugout.
He has generally got rid of the right players at the right time, he’s changed the culture for the better and reconnected the club with the fans.
However, he has also overseen his fair share of dud signings, with Raheem Sterling’s loan move last season perhaps being the worst.
Arsenal have made more good signings than bad over the last six years, but it looks like new Sporting Director Andrea Berta may have already made his own Sterling-type addition to Arteta’s side.
Sterling's forgettable Arsenal spell
To describe Arsenal’s transfer dealings in the summer of 2024 as disappointing would be an understatement.
Yes, the club did sign two excellent players in Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori, but they also failed to sign the lights-out attacking star the team were so clearly crying out for.
It might have been this lack of forward signings that led the club to go out at the last minute and bring in Sterling on a season-long loan.
During his announcement, the Chelsea loanee told the Emirates faithful they would “see the best” of him, but that was as far from what actually happened as possible.
The former England international certainly tried to make a mark in North London, but he looked miles off the pace and was limited to minor appearances throughout the campaign.
Sterling’s Arsenal record
Competition
EPL
UCL
FA Cup
EFL Cup
Appearances
17
6
1
4
Minutes
496′
297′
80′
270′
Goals
0
0
0
1
Assists
2
2
0
1
Goal Involvements per Match
0.11
0.33
0.00
0.50
Minutes per Goal Involvement
248′
148.5′
N/A
135′
All Stats via Transfermarkt
In fact, the multiple league winner played just 1134 minutes for the Gunners across 28 appearances, of which only 13 were starts.
The Kingston-born Premier League legend left N5 with a single goal and five assists to his name, and unfortunately, a total, undeniable flop.
Now it looks like Arsenal might have another Sterling situation on their hands with a Berta signing.
Arsenal's new Sterling
Unlike last year, it would be hard to call Arsenal’s summer anything other than a roaring success.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Berta and Co signed the likes of Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Mosquera, Piero Hincapie and Viktor Gyokeres.
However, unfortunately, there is one summer addition who could potentially fall into the Sterling category: Christian Nørgaard.
Now, before the pitchforks come out, nobody is saying that the Danish international will be as big a problem for the club as the Englishman was, in terms of wages and blocking a loan slot.
Nor is he likely to be as noticeably off the pace compared to the rest of the team as the Chelsea man was.
However, what is also undeniably true is that at the moment, it’s hard to see where he is going to get any game time at all.
The 31-year-old joined the club in July, and at the time of writing, has made just seven first-team appearances, totalling 302 minutes, of which three have been starts.
Worse still, he has played just 14 minutes of Premier League football this year, with 13 minutes of those coming against Burnley.
It’s a bizarre situation, as the 39-capped international captain of Brentford last season and ended the campaign having made 34 league appearances for them, totalling 2830 minutes.
Now, nobody expected the veteran midfielder to be even a semi-regular starter for the Gunners, but it seems like Arteta has no trust in him whatsoever, refusing to bring him on when Declan Rice came off against his old side.
There may be light at the end of the tunnel in the shape of the FA Cup for the summer signing, but even then, it feels like the manager will turn to someone else.
Ultimately, Nørgaard didn’t cost much, is a consummate professional, isn’t a media focus, and, in that way, isn’t really a problem for Arsenal.
However, it does feel like Arteta doesn’t really fancy him, and, like Sterling last season, his stint in North London will be short-lived.
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