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Leeds United saw their unbeaten charge in the league come to a halt on Saturday following defeat against Birmingham City at Elland Road.

The loss handed Marcelo Bielsa his first taste of defeat in the Championship and allowed Middlesbrough to pull level on points at the top of the standings, showing that a fierce battle is due to take place over the course of the coming months.

The Peacocks now have a few days to prepare of their trip to face Sheffield Wednesday on Friday evening, where Bielsa has been urged to make changes by some fans on social media who want Ergjan Alioski to be dropped.

26-year-old Alioski scored his first goal for Leeds in a month in the defeat against Birmingham but his overall performance attracted criticism, with some stating that he should be out of the side as soon as Pablo Hernandez returns from injury.

On the back of a poor performance, changes are necessary but dropping Alioski, who has three goals and two assists this season, would be a harsh call from Bielsa and they may require his cutting edge to overcome the Owls.

Do you agree Leeds fans? Have your say in our poll below…

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Daniel Sturridge’s current contract with Liverpool expires at the end of this season. This means that if new terms can’t be agreed then the 29-year-old will be able to leave Anfield as a free agent in the summer.

The striker has not been a first team regular for the Reds since the 2016/17 season, and spent a brief and unsuccessful spell on loan to West Brom last season. The reason for the 26-cap England international’s fall down the pecking order can largely be attributed to injuries. The forward has had a relentless string of fitness concerns in recent years.

However, Sturridge is fit at present and back amongst the goals for Jurgen Klopp’s side. If he can maintain his fitness, there’s no doubt that he still has plenty to offer at the top level. Any new contract, though, is a gamble upon the forward’s body holding up long enough to see a return on the investment in him.

Many Liverpool fans still believe Sturridge is worth keeping in the squad though. When we asked whether or not they wanted to see him handed a new deal, 77% said yes. See the full results below.

[ad_pod ]Many Arsenal players turned in impressive performances as the Gunners demolished newly-promoted Fulham by a 5-1 scoreline at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon. Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang both bagged braces whilst Aaron Ramsey rounded off a delightful team move to notch an early contender for goal of the season.Alex Iwobi was another of Unai Emery’s men to catch the eye. The 22-year-old has been in fine form in recent weeks and looks to be progressing well under the guidance of the new manager. If he can maintain his current performance levels then the 21-cap Nigeria international will be a fixture in the first XI at the Emirates Stadium before long.Against Fulham, the powerful winger was clearly brimming with confidence and did not hesitate to run at and take on his opponents. Up until he was taken off in the 66th minute, the Arsenal academy graduate had been one of the Gunners’ most effective and reliable attacking outlets.After the match, many Arsenal fans took to Twitter to praise Iwobi for his latest strong showing…

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Arsenal avoided a potential slip up in the Europa League with a comfortable 3-0 win over Qarabag.

Sokratis got Unai Emery’s side off to the best possible start when he bundled home Nacho Monreal’s cross after just four minutes. There was a moment to remember for 18-year-old academy graduate, Emile Smith Rowe, who netted his first Arsenal goal after the interval. A late strike from Matteo Guendouzi sealed all three points for the Gunners.

After a dismal start to the season, the Arsenal squad have really taken to Emery’s methods, and the Spaniard is slowly transforming his side into potential title challengers. Despite their form, their team lacks the strength of Manchester City and Liverpool. Further reinforcements in January should be a must.

One man they need to target is Napoli wizard – Lorenzo Insigne. Valued at £54m by Transfermarkt, the 27-year-old has blossomed into one of Italy’s finest wingers during his time with his hometown club. The Italy international enjoyed a sensational season last year and already has five goals to his name in the Serie A this term. Insigne also popped up to score the winning goal against Liverpool last week.

Blessed with blistering pace, Insigne also possesses expert dribbling ability which makes him a nightmare for defenders to deal with. His intelligent runs in behind would be a dream for Mesut Ozil and add another dimension to the Arsenal forward line. Alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the Gunners would have one of the deadliest duos in the world.

Bringing the Italian to the Premier League would be costly and persuading him to leave Napoli could also prove difficult. However, if Arsenal are serious about competing for the title again, Insigne can be the man to take them to the next level.

Arsenal fans, thoughts?

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Leeds fans have been discussing potential January signings, and nearly two thirds of fans want to make a move for Brentford attacker Ollie Watkins.

Leeds started the season brilliantly, but the lack of squad depth has started to rear its ugly head in recent weeks.

Pablo Hernandez and Kemar Roofe have both been missing since the last international break, and Patrick Bamford is out until January with a knee injury.

Jack Harrison will of course return to Manchester City next summer, and with Hernandez turning 34 before the end of the season the Whites will have to be on the lookout for some new attacking talent in 2019.

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Brentford meanwhile have just lost their manager to Aston Villa, and the Bees do have a habit of signing gems only to sell them on for a huge profit within a couple of years.

They could do exactly that with Watkins, and the pacey Englishman could be the perfect fit in Marcelo Bielsa’s free-flowing attack.

The 22 year-old can play any of those three attacking positions behind the striker, and has scored four goals and added two assists so far this season.

64 per cent of Leeds fans are backing a move, and you can view the full poll results down below…

Everton left it late to secure a third consecutive Premier League win on Sunday, eventually breaking the deadlock in the 87th minute before doubling their lead shortly after to tally up a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace.

Substitutes Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Cenk Tosun grabbed the goals to get the Toffees over the line at Goodison Park, but where did their performances rank amongst the rest of Marco Silva’s side? Football FanCast issue player ratings for Everton’s three best and three worst against the Eagles, and then give Toffees fans the chance to have their say…

Who Disappointed?

Andre Gomes – 5.5: Perhaps a little harsh considering the Portuguese playmaker was making his Everton debut after only just returning from injury but his impact was largely limited to crisp yet largely sideways passing. He was also dispossessed three times in central midfield – the joint-highest amount of any Everton player.

Bernard – 5.5: The winger kept getting himself into useful positions but poor decision making and lack of output were the key frustrations. He could have squared the ball to Theo Walcott to give Everton the lead much earlier but didn’t get his head up and was eventually snuffed out by James McArthur. That summed up the Brazilian’s underwhelming afternoon.

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Gylfi Sigurdsson – 6: By no means an abysmal performance but a disappointing one considering the standards the Iceland international has set himself this season. With Palace sitting so deep, Sigurdsson should have taken control of the match but a few wild swings at goal from distance were all he could muster up. He also suffered the most unsuccessful touches of any player on the pitch, a staggering six.

Who Impressed?

Ademola Lookman – 7: The young winger looked electric the moment he walked onto the pitch and his impact was felt just five minutes after when Lookman’s dipping cross found the head of fellow substitute Calvert-Lewin. With Bernard below par, Lookman will feel he deserves to start away at Old Trafford next time out if Richarlison continues as the centre-forward.

Idrissa Gueye – 7.5: Everton’s defensive midfielder was his usual relentless self in the middle of the park, chalking up a whopping five tackles and five interceptions to snuff out those threatening Crystal Palace counter-attacks. He also completed 92% of his passes and ranked only behind Lucas Digne for touches during an incredibly productive afternoon.

Michael Keane – 8: Having played a pivotal hand in not only Everton’s clean sheet but also their second goal by sweeping the ball over the top to substitute Tosun, Keane takes our Man of the Match award. With Yerry Mina on the substitutes bench, both Everton centre-halves appeared keen to impress and the England international certainly delivered with a commanding display that saw him win nine headers, make eight clearances and three tackles.

So, Everton fans, who impressed and disappointed you most against Palace? Let us know by taking part below and giving each player a performance rating out of ten…

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Calciomercato recently reported that Arsenal are interested in signing Ajax left-back Nicolas Tagliafico.

Arsenal’s current first choice left-back, Nacho Monreal, has been a wonderful servant to the Gunners since his arrival from Malaga in January 2013. However, at 32-year-old, the 22-cap Spain international’s days of playing week in week out at the highest level must surely be numbered.

The back up option to Monreal at the Emirates Stadium, Sead Kolasinac, has failed to impress since his arrival in North London and defensively does not look up to the required standard. Unai Emery would be better served by returning to the market to find the long-term heir to Monreal.

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Tagliafico would be the perfect candidate to take up the Spaniard’s first team role. The 26-year-old Argentina international is defensively solid, boasts a great deal of pace and technical skill and can also produce end in the final third. What’s more, the Ajax man still has his best years ahead of him and ought to represent an affordable option given his Transfermarkt valuation is just £14.4 million.

Many Arsenal fans certainly seem keen on signing the full-back, with 79% voting in favour of Emery launching a move for Tagliafico. See the full results below.

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During the summer, one of the biggest questions surrounding Liverpool was who should partner Virgil van Dijk in defence.

The Dutchman transformed the backline following his move from Southampton in January.

However, at the time, the potential centre-back partners of Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and Ragnar Klavan were not up to par.

At the start of the season manager Jurgen Klopp threw Joe Gomez into the fray, switching the England international from right-back to the heart of defence.

The 21-year-old slotted in well alongside Van Dijk and so far has impressed for club and country this season.

Interestingly, though, in the last few fixtures Gomez has been one of the players that Klopp has chosen to rotate.

Last weekend, the young defender dropped to the bench to make way for Dejan Lovren, who played well during the Reds’ 4-1 victory over Cardiff City.

On Saturday, the Merseyside outfit will come up against Unai Emery’s Arsenal at the Emirates.

Should Gomez be reinstalled to the line-up, or will Lovren’s experience be more vital against the Gunners?

Let us know by voting below.

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been running the rule over the weekend’s action, and they’re fuming at how easily Southampton rolled over for Manchester City.

Liverpool have had their joint-ever best start to a Premier League season, but the Reds are not even top of the table due to the incredible form of their title rivals.

Chelsea moved above them on goal difference after their win over Crystal Palace, but it’s Manchester City that look truly unstoppable.

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Much like how teams would play at Old Trafford when Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge, Premier League teams now arrive at the Etihad expecting to lose by several goals.

Mark Hughes’ Southampton were on the end of a 6-1 mauling on Sunday, and it’s no less than they deserved after some truly horrific defending.

One clip in particular has annoyed Liverpool fans, as the Saints’ defenders seemed to just chase around aimlessly as the Cityzens knocked the ball around in their opponent’s penalty box.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Sporting in the Europa League on Thursday night must be seen as a poor result for the Gunners. However, with qualification from their group assured, Unai Emery will be far more concerned with the condition of Danny Welbeck.

The 27-year-old fell awkwardly in the first half and it quickly became clear that the situation was serious. Anxious teammates gathered round as the 42-cap England international was given lengthy treatment on the pitch before being stretchered off.

What’s the latest?

After the match, Emery confirmed that the initial prognosis was serious and that the forward had been removed to hospital with a potential ankle break, as reported by the club’s official website.

The manager said:

“It’s the worst news tonight, this injury. It’s clear that we are with him in these minutes… Yes, now he is at the hospital. The news is that we are going to wait – but we think it’s a serious injury.”

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Welbeck has five goals to his name so far this season and has proved himself to be a valuable and versatile squad member to Emery.

The Spanish coach’s thoughts may already be considering how to cope without the striker for what will surely be a lengthy absence.

A chance the youngster must take

At this stage, the club’s fourth-choice centre-forward may have just become the third in line. 19-year-old Eddie Nketiah is yet to feature so far this season but has appeared on the bench on numerous occasions and impressed for the club during pre-season.

The England U21 international made his senior debut last season but truly made a mark in his second appearance. Coming on as a late substitute in an EFL cup tie, the teenager’s match-winning brace saw the Gunners complete a dramatic comeback at the Emirates Stadium.

By the end of the campaign, Nketiah had featured for the north London club’s first team 10 times in all competitions, including three Premier League outings.

The youngster may be in line for some more game time now, though, in light of Welbeck’s unfortunate injury. With Welbeck’s contract with the club set to expire at the end of this season too, Nketiah has a golden opportunity to stake a claim for being the ex-Manchester United man’s long-term replacement as well.