Manchester United produced arguably their finest display of Erik ten Hag's reign as they beat Tottenham 2-0 at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

The Red Devils were disappointing and often toothless against Newcastle United at the weekend, but Antonio Conte's Spurs were dominated from start to finish.

United tallied 19 shots in the first half alone, which was more than they managed in any previous league game under Ten Hag – although it was still goalless at the break.

That changed within 16 seconds of the restart as Fred's deflected strike found its way in, and Bruno Fernandes' gorgeous finish 21 minutes later wrapped up an impressively comfortable win.

United's first-half superiority began with Antony's speculative long-range effort almost catching Hugo Lloris out, before the Frenchman tipped over Fred's dipping 20-yard attempt.

The post then rescued Spurs in the 10th minute as Antony went close after cutting in from the right, though Lloris was soon busy again.

A fine save down to his right kept Marcus Rashford at bay when appearing destined to score – he then produced acrobatic stops to keep out Luke Shaw's volley and Fernandes' free-kick in a three-minute spell.

Soon after, in the 28th minute, Lloris looked beaten but Casemiro's sweetly struck left-footed drive flew agonisingly wide.

The deadlock was eventually broken at the start of the second half, as Fred's strike deflected off Eric Dier and left Lloris helpless.

Harry Kane smashed straight at David de Gea at the other end with 21 minutes to go, but United went straight down the other end and made it 2-0 – Fernandes guiding a wonderful effort into the top-right corner.

Fernandes had a late second disallowed for offside, but it mattered not.

Chelsea have reportedly identified two major targets for the January transfer window, with plans to secure RB Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku and Lille's Jonathan David.

Nkunku has been in brilliant form over the past 18 months. He netted 35 goals in 52 club appearances last season and was rewarded with his international debut for France in March. Having been equally as brilliant for Leipzig this season, the former Paris Saint-Germain attacker is set for a breakout World Cup campaign with the reigning champions.

David will also be at the World Cup, representing Canada in only their second qualification for a finals, and the country's first since 1986. With Lille, the 22-year-old has nine goals and two assists in 11 Ligue 1 games this season.

Chelsea's interest in Nkunku has been well-established for months, while David is newly on their radar, and both could be wearing blue by the end of January.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA PLAN TO SPLASH THE CASH

News emerged in recent weeks that Chelsea were able to conduct a preliminary medical on Nkunku in the recent transfer window, and despite Leipzig's wishes to retain his services until the end of the season, The Mirror is reporting Chelsea are trying to get a deal done in January for a price in the range of £52million.

Meanwhile, Jeunesfooteux claims it will cost Chelsea at least £60m to tempt Lille into letting go of David, as the Canadian is still under contract until June 2025.

The Mirror's report adds Chelsea are hoping to land Brighton and Hove Albion's Leandro Trossard – who head coach Graham Potter developed an affinity for during his time with the Seagulls. They could face competition from Atletico Madrid, however.

ROUND-UP:

– Calciomercato is reporting Juventus have an interest in Atletico midfielder Rodrigo De Paul and Eintracht Frankfurt centre-back Evan Ndicka.

– According to The Evening Standard, highly desired Serie A talents Milan Skriniar of Inter and Rafael Leao of Milan appear likely to sign contract extensions with their respective clubs.

– Sky Sports Germany claims Bayern Munich remain heavily interested in Tottenham striker Harry Kane, who will have 18 months remaining on his contract when the January transfer window arrives.

– Napoli winger Hirving Lozano is likely to leave the club in January, according to Calciomercato, as his contract demands are said to be more than the Italian side are comfortable with.

– The Guardian is reporting Manchester United are delaying their contract decisions for David de Gea and Marcus Rashford as Erik ten Hag wants to see more before potentially offering extensions.

Erik ten Hag did not take issue with Cristiano Ronaldo's reaction to being substituted against Newcastle United but will not commit to starting the forward when Manchester United host Tottenham.

Ronaldo made just his second Premier League start of the season in Sunday's 0-0 draw with the Magpies but was replaced by Marcus Rashford after having two second-half goals disallowed.

The Portugal great reacted angrily to his 72nd-minute withdrawal and was seen shaking his head after taking his place in the dugout.

However, speaking at a news conference ahead of Wednesday's clash with Spurs, Ten Hag said Ronaldo's drive was crucial to his success.

"I think no player is happy when he comes off, especially not Ronaldo, I understand that," Ten Hag said. "As long as it is in quite a normal way, I have no problem with that.

"Of course, he is convinced he should stay on and score a goal, that's why he is that good."

Ronaldo claimed a hat-trick as United beat Tottenham 3-2 when the teams met at Old Trafford in March and has scored more Premier League goals against Spurs (eight) than he has against any other side.

However, Ten Hag said last season's treble did not mean Ronaldo was a certainty to start, adding: "I know of it [March's hat-trick], and of course, when you make a line-up you count on several facts, but also other facts you take out of [your thinking]."

Ronaldo looks more likely to appear in Ten Hag's line-up after Anthony Martial was ruled out of Wednesday's match, although United could be boosted by the return of Christian Eriksen. 

"Anthony Martial is not available. He is back on the pitch, but not in team training," Ten Hag added.

"Christian Eriksen returned to team training today. We have to see how that works out, how he will recover, and if he has the energy tomorrow. We have to wait for that."

United have won each of their last three Premier League games against Tottenham, who last lost four consecutive league meetings with the Red Devils between April 2009 and October 2010.

Meanwhile, Spurs have lost more Premier League games against the Red Devils than they have versus any other opponent (38), and head coach Antonio Conte has suffered three defeats in as many trips to United – against no club has the Italian lost more away games in his career.

Provisional World Cup squads are expected this week, and Gareth Southgate – despite a few late injury headaches – is likely to have already nailed down the majority of his England group.

There do remain some question marks, however, and perhaps none are more prominent than in attack, where Harry Kane is the established starter but the role of back-up has been shared among an ever-changing cast.

Since Russia 2018, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Ollie Watkins, Callum Wilson and Danny Ings have all played and scored for England. But either form or fitness has deserted each of them.

That would appear to leave three contenders in Tammy Abraham, whose Roma place is no longer assured, Ivan Toney, the recent call-up yet to make his international debut, and Marcus Rashford.

Abraham and Toney were each included in Southgate's latest England squad, although neither featured in games against Italy and Germany where the Three Lions needed goals. Meanwhile, injury robbed Rashford of the opportunity to re-establish himself in the group.

At one stage, Rashford was assured of his place in every international squad, if not necessarily every team.

The Manchester United man has earned 46 caps for England, and all but three of those have come since Southgate's September 2016 appointment.

However, for all those accusations of Southgate defying club form to pick his 'favourites', Rashford has been punished for below-par displays for United, having scored a measly five goals in 32 games last season.

Rashford's last action for England was his missed penalty in the Euro 2020 final against Italy after appearing as a substitute for the final minute of extra time at Wembley. He has not started for his country since before that tournament.

But the 24-year-old has rediscovered something approaching his best form this season, netting five goals and assisting three in 11 matches for United. Rashford is far outperforming Abraham (two goals and one assist in 13 matches) in that regard, although he still trails flavour-of-the-month Toney (eight goals and three assists in 11 matches).

Toney's case is clear then – except Southgate is not looking for a forward to come in and lead the line against Iran on November 21.

Only Jordan Pickford (14 starts, 1,380 minutes) and John Stones (14 starts, 1,324 minutes) have started more matches or played more minutes for Southgate at major tournaments than Kane (13 starts, 1,222 minutes).

Assuming no injury to Kane that would alter the entire conversation, Rashford is auditioning for the position of primary attacking reinforcement – one he has filled twice for Southgate in the past.

Across the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020, no England player made more appearances (10) or played more minutes (205) as a substitute than Rashford.

In 63 minutes from the bench for United this season, Rashford has scored two goals and assisted another. Abraham has yet to contribute to a goal in 91 such minutes for Roma, while Toney has a sole assist in 18 minutes.

As illness reduced Rashford to a substitute role against Newcastle United on Sunday, he showed how dangerous his hard running can prove late in matches.

Both he and Fred passed up huge chances, but only Casemiro (0.45 – 0.01 xG, 0.44 xA) produced more combined expected goals and expected assists in the whole match than Rashford (0.43 – 0.31 xG, 0.12 xA) did in an 18-minute cameo against the Premier League's meanest defence.

On that occasion, Rashford was appearing, as he would in place of Kane, as a centre-forward after being brought on for Cristiano Ronaldo. But his versatility is a key attribute Toney does not possess.

For United this season, five of Rashford's nine starts have come as a lone striker, with the other four as a left-sided winger.

Longer term, his starts through the middle have been far less regular. Rashford's 21 England starts have included 10 from the left, three from the right and eight as a central striker. Of those eight, seven have been as part of a forward pair.

His sole appearance in a Three Lions line-up in the sort of role Kane is used to was in a 3-1 Nations League Finals defeat to the Netherlands, in which Rashford was replaced by Kane at half-time after opening the scoring.

If England are in need of a spark in Qatar – whether from the start or as a substitute – Southgate is likely to turn to a player who can complement Kane rather than replace him, perhaps explaining the watching briefs for Abraham and Toney in September.

Importantly, Rashford has previously supported Kane to good effect, most notably in a 3-2 win against Spain in October 2018, when Kane teed up Rashford for the second goal and the pair each provided a further assist for Raheem Sterling, who is also set to start again at the World Cup.

As Kane and Tottenham visit Old Trafford on Wednesday for the pick of the midweek Premier League action, Rashford will no doubt hope to be restored to the United XI ahead of Ronaldo.

But were he to instead play from the left or come on for the veteran forward later in the match, the England hopeful might provide Southgate a more accurate representation of what he could expect if selected next month.

Newcastle United have reportedly expressed their interest in signing out-of-favour Real Madrid midfielder Marco Asensio.

Asensio, 26, debuted for Madrid back in 2016, racking up 244 appearances and 50 goals across all club competitions in the seven seasons since.

However, despite tallying a career-high 10 LaLiga goals in the 2021-22 campaign, Asensio has been relegated to a bench role this season, and will be a free agent next year if he is not offered a new contract.

TOP STORY – NEWCASTLE HOPE TO LURE ASENSIO TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE

With Asensio in the last year of his contract, Milan have been the team most closely linked with the Spanish international, until Calciomercato added that Newcastle have thrown their hat into the ring.

Despite soon being available on a free transfer, Asensio's contract demands will likely rule out a number of high-profile interested parties, but with Newcastle's new spending power and their inability to land some key targets, he should be well within their financial capabilities.

Asensio is primed to represent Spain at the World Cup, with a report from AS claiming he hopes to earn a new Madrid contract with some impressive performances.

ROUND UP:

– Tottenham target Weston McKennie will be allowed to leave Juventus at the end of the season, according to Calciomercato.

– The 'Here We Go' podcast claims the agent of Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix is exploring options for next season, with Manchester United said to have strong interest in the 22-year-old.

– According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Lazio will look to bring in another striker in January to help cover for injured star Ciro Immobile, with Sampdoria's Francesco Caputo named as a likely target.

– 90min is reporting both Chelsea and Newcastle United are investigating a move for Brighton's Leandro Trossard, with former Brighton and Hove Albion manager Graham Potter at Chelsea and former Seagulls sporting director Dan Ashworth now at Newcastle.

– United, Arsenal and Bayern Munich are all said to be weighing up moves for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, although the Nigerian's manager claims he is happy in Italy.

Antonio Conte allayed fears of Richarlison missing the World Cup, but confirmed he will not be available for Tottenham's game with Manchester United on Wednesday.

Richarlison suffered a calf injury in Spurs' 2-0 victory over his former team Everton and was taken off in the 52nd minute before later being seen on crutches, causing concern he could face a race against time to be fit for Brazil's World Cup opener against Serbia on November 24.

In a tearful interview after the game, Richarlison told ESPN Brazil: "It's kind of hard to say because it's close to the realisation of my dream."

But when questioned over Richarlison potentially missing the World Cup, Conte had an optimistic message.

"The injury of Richarlison, he's [having] a scan and then we will see how long he needs to recover," Conte told reporters. "But for sure against United, he's not available.

"I can confirm that the player is not risking not playing the World Cup, absolutely."

Conte was unsure whether Richarlison's fellow forward Dejan Kulusevski would be fit for Wednesday's game at Old Trafford, after the Sweden international missed the Everton match with a hamstring injury.

"Kulusevski is working, we'll see," Conte added. "We have to go day by day with him.

"The medical department are working a lot to try to recover him, but we don't know about the game against United."

Harry Kane's future at Tottenham is at a curious stage, having become more settled during Antonio Conte's tenure.

Kane has scored 10 goals in all competitions this term, including nine in the Premier League with Spurs starting strongly to sit third.

The England international had pushed to move to Manchester City in mid-2021 but ultimately was convinced to stay.

TOP STORY – SPURS PUSH TO OPEN KANE CONTRACT TALKS

Tottenham are eager to commence talks with Harry Kane on a new deal, but the England forward is holding off, claims Football Insider.

Antonio Conte's future at Spurs is a factor for Kane, with the Italian out of contract at the end of this season.

Bayern Munich have been linked with Kane who signed a six-year deal with Spurs in June 2018, tying him down until 2024.

ROUND-UP

– Fabrizio Romano says Liverpool are not considering a move for Barcelona's unsettled midfielder Frenkie de Jong, following reports to the contrary.

– Napoli are weighing up a potential move for Tottenham's Tanguy Ndombele who is on loan with the Italian club, reports Inside Futebol. The Frenchman's release clause is €30 million, which Napoli are willing to trigger.

– Calciomercato claims Denis Zakaria is set to return to Juventus in January with Chelsea planning to terminate his loan deal, having failed to play a minute of first-team football since joining on deadline day.

– Italian champions Milan may make a move for Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek in January, reports Calciomercato.

Tottenham forward Richarlison tearfully admitted he fears the injury sustained in Saturday's win over Everton could crush his dream of representing Brazil at the World Cup.

Richarlison was substituted early on in the second half of Spurs' 2-0 Premier League victory against his former side Everton at Goodison Park with a calf injury.

The 25-year-old left the stadium on crutches and will undergo an MRI scan on Monday, but he has already been ruled out of Wednesday's trip to Manchester United.

He missed a month of action last season with a similar injury and is now worried about a comparable lay-off, with Brazil facing Serbia in their tournament opener on November 24.

"It's so close to the realisation of my dream," he told ESPN Brasil with tears in his eyes. "I've already suffered a similar injury to this, but I hope it can heal as soon as possible.

"It's hard to talk at this moment, but let's see, I hope to recover. Monday, I have tests to do, but even walking hurts. Let's wait. I have to stay positive if I want to go to Qatar.

"It's all so close, it's about a month to go, and we've been getting ready, working every day so that nothing serious can happen. 

"Unfortunately, I had this calf injury, but now it's just a matter of waiting, doing the treatment every day so that I can recover as soon as possible."

Richarlison has scored just twice in 13 appearances since joining Tottenham from Everton, both of those goals coming against Marseille in the Champions League.

He has been capped 38 times for Brazil and has scored seven times in six appearances this year, making him a certainty to be named in the squad if fit.

Brazil boss Tite, spoiled for options in attack, has until November 14 to name his final 26-man squad – though most competing nations are expected to do so much before then.

Record five-time champions Brazil follow up their opener against Serbia with group games against Switzerland and Cameroon on November 28 and December 2 respectively.

Antonio Conte declared himself proud of Tottenham's development after they closed in on the Premier League summit by beating Everton 2-0 on Saturday.

The Toffees turned in a stubborn first-half display in Conte's 50th match in charge of Spurs, who were fortunate not to fall behind when Amadou Onana and Demarai Gray squandered glorious chances.

However, Tottenham ultimately came good after the break. An injury to former Everton talisman Richarlison led to Yves Bissouma's introduction, and Spurs' change in shape overwhelmed Everton.

Jordan Pickford's blunder gifted Harry Kane a penalty to break the deadlock, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg rounding off the win late on.

Everton failed to muster a single shot in the second half, and did not get one attempt on target all game.

Spurs' win put them level with second-placed Manchester City, who face Liverpool on Sunday, and just one point behind league leaders Arsenal, who travel to Leeds United on the same day.

"We have to be really happy, because we played a good game, created a lot of chances and we had an injury during the game with Richy, for sure this situation could create something negative," Conte told Sky Sports.

"Instead, we found the right solution with three midfielders, I liked the attitude. We started the game very well, maybe in the first half we had to pay more attention because we conceded two counter-attacks, we could do much better, but in the end we deserved the win. We have to continue this way.

"I'm really pleased, despite the difficulty of the game, of the opponent and a bad injury, we were able to solve the situation. 

"It means the players are growing in many aspects, not only tactical but also to face the difficulties. This makes me very proud of my players."

Spurs have lost just one of their last 20 Premier League encounters against Everton (W10 D9), winning more games (29) and scoring more goals (97) against the Toffees than against any other side in the competition's history.

Conte, meanwhile, has won 30 of his opening 50 matches in charge, which ranks him joint-second for Tottenham managers. The Italian has not lost any of his seven Premier League meetings with Everton, seeing his sides keep a clean sheet on each occasion.

"The shape of the team was good, the defensive discipline was good. You have two good chances and you have to take those chances," Everton boss Frank Lampard told BBC Sport.

"We're probably in that middle ground now where people have given us a bit of praise. This season was always going to be about getting better from nearly getting relegated and now we're playing against a Champions League team. Sometimes that shows a little bit."

Tottenham have taken 23 points from their 10 Premier League games this season, their best tally at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 1963-64 (24 – considering three points for a win).

Kane, meanwhile, has scored in each of his last five top-flight appearances, his longest scoring run in the Premier League.

Harry Kane was on target again as Tottenham's fine start to the Premier League season continued with a 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday.

Kane's penalty just before the hour mark at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium means he has scored in each of his last five Premier League appearances for Antonio Conte's side – his longest ever scoring run in the competition.

Wolves edged past Nottingham Forest 1-0, while Fulham and Bournemouth drew 2-2 at Craven Cottage. Leicester City and Crystal Palace, meanwhile, drew 0-0 at the King Power Stadium.

Here, Stats Perform picks out the best facts from the day's Premier League action.

Tottenham 2-0 Everton: Lampard's men punished by Kane again

Tottenham got over the line against a dogged Everton side in the day's late game, meaning Conte's team have now taken 23 points from 10 league games. It is their highest points tally at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 1963-64 (24 points – considering three points for a win).

Kane's opener from the spot was his 14th Premier League goal against Everton, with Leicester the only team he has scored against more often (18).

The England captain has now scored 30 of the 34 penalties he has taken for Tottenham in the Premier League, becoming just the fourth player to score 30+ penalties for a single side in the competition after Frank Lampard (41 for Chelsea), Alan Shearer (37 for Newcastle) and Steven Gerrard (32 for Liverpool).

Everton, who conceded a late second to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, have won just two of their 14 away Premier League games under Lampard (D3 L9), with two defeats at Tottenham (also 5-0 in March).

Wolves 1-0 Nottingham Forest: Hosts come out on top in penalty battle

It was a tale of two penalties at Molineux as Wolves edged out fellow strugglers Forest.

The hosts ended a run of 370 minutes without a Premier League goal thanks to Ruben Neves' second-half penalty kick – only Raul Jimenez (seven) has scored more goals from the penalty spot in English top-flight history than the Portuguese (six).

Brennan Johnson then squandered the chance to level from the spot, becoming the first Forest player to fail to score a penalty in the Premier League since Stuart Pearce against Coventry City in December 1994.

His attempt was saved by Jose Sa, who has now kept out each of the last two penalties he has faced in the Premier League, after conceding nine of the 10 previous spot-kicks he faced in the competition (one hit the post).

Fulham 2-2 Bournemouth: Mitrovic seals point for Cottagers

Fulham ended a run of 18 consecutive Premier League home defeats when conceding the first goal as they played out an entertaining draw against Bournemouth.

Dominic Solanke gave the visitors an early lead, taking his goal involvement to five goals (two goals, three assists) in his last five Premier League games. That already his best such tally for goal involvements in a single campaign in the competition.

Issa Diop pulled the hosts level, before Jefferson Lerma restored Bournemouth's advantage with a cool finish. However, Aleksandar Mitrovic the sealed a point for his side from the penalty spot.

The Serbia international has scored five of his seven Premier League goals this season in his five appearances at Craven Cottage – as many goals as he had scored in his previous 30 home games in the competition combined.

Leicester City 0-0 Crystal Palace: Bore draw keeps Foxes in trouble

A dismal goalless draw at the King Power Stadium means Leicester have only won five points from 10 games in the Premier League this season.

Accounting for three points per win all-time, only in 1983-84 have they had fewer points at this stage of a league campaign (two).

It was Palace's sixth goalless draw in the Premier League under Patrick Vieira. Indeed, they have played out more goalless draws than any other team in the competition since the start of last season.

Tottenham moved to within one point of Premier League leaders Arsenal as Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg secured a 2-0 win over Everton.

Having been frustrated for much of Saturday's match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Spurs went ahead when Kane converted a 59th-minute penalty he won after Jordan Pickford's blunder.

Everton had missed the game's best chances prior to that, Amadou Onana and Demarai Gray profligate in the first half.

And any hope for Frank Lampard was extinguished when Hojbjerg's deflected strike settled the contest late on.

A thoroughly dominant Spurs start proffered only one opportunity, with former Everton talisman Richarlison heading over at the back post.

Yet it was Everton who had a golden chance in the 23rd minute – Gray spinning clear of Rodrigo Bentancur, only to lash over when one-on-one with Hugo Lloris.

Onana had a similarly glorious opportunity, and like his team-mate failed to apply an accurate finish after capitalising on slack Spurs defending, before Richarlison prodded over at the other end.

After Richarlison's meeting with his old side was cut short by a calf injury shortly after half-time, Spurs crafted a clear opening as Pickford superbly kept out Kane's volley.

Yet Pickford was at fault as Spurs finally broke through, with the England goalkeeper adjudged to have brought down Kane after spilling Matt Doherty's effort. Tottenham's striker made no mistake from 12 yards.

Kane almost made it two for Tottenham with a brilliant turn and shot, though Pickford reacted sharply.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin's introduction offered a much-needed target for Everton, though Spurs had the points sealed in the 86th minute as Hojbjerg's 15-yard effort found the right corner.

Antonio Conte claimed he has never been worried about the form of strike duo Son Heung-min and Harry Kane as Tottenham prepare to host Everton on Saturday.

Son endured an underwhelming start to the 2022-23 campaign, failing to score in Spurs' first six Premier League games before hitting a hat-trick in a 6-2 thrashing of Leicester City last month.

While those goals remain Son's only domestic strikes of the season, he scored a brace – including a crashing left-footed volley – as Tottenham earned a 3-2 Champions League win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday. 

Speaking ahead of Tottenham's meeting with the Toffees, Conte said Son's quality prevents him from fretting about any lack of goals, adding he would feel the same if Kane endured a drought.

"I wasn't really worried about Sonny, or maybe last season, if Harry didn't score goals," Conte said on Friday. "We are talking about two important players for us, they work very well.

"It can happen during the season that you have a period where you can't score or are a bit unlucky, but I repeat, we are talking about two important strikers.

"For sure, by the end of the season, I know that they are going to score more goals to help us do our best."

Kane's tally of eight Premier League goals this season is only bettered by Manchester City's Erling Haaland (15), and the England captain has scored 13 goals in 14 league appearances against Everton.

That return includes six doubles – only Alan Shearer has scored multiple goals against a specific opponent more often in the competition (seven times v Leeds United; six braces, one hat-trick).

Kane's form has helped Tottenham cope with the absence of fellow attacker Dejan Kulusevski, who has been ruled out since last month after sustaining a hamstring injury.

Conte pledged not to take any "stupid" risks with Kulusevski's fitness as he ruled the Sweden international out of Saturday's match, adding: "We have the same players from the last game. 

"Deki is still not available for the Everton game. The rest of the players are okay. 

"We need to have a bit of patience with him, and to not take any stupid risks because we play a lot of games between now and November.

"It's important he recovers very well, and in this moment he is not 100 per cent in perfect physical condition. For this reason, it's good to respect the opinions of the doctors."

Conte has seen his sides keep clean sheets in all six of his Premier League meetings with Everton. Should Tottenham shut Frank Lampard's men out this week, the Spurs boss will match Roberto Mancini (seven v Wigan Athletic) for the most games against a single side without conceding in the competition as coach.

Gabriel Martinelli produced another outstanding display in a thriller against Liverpool last weekend and the Arsenal forward can torment Leeds United on Sunday.

If you have overlooked Martinelli for your fantasy team so far this season, now is the time to see the error of your ways and pick the Brazil international before he wreaks havoc at Elland Road.

Tottenham duo Harry Kane and Eric Dier can also rack up the points when they face Everton in the Premier League.

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is enjoying a new lease of life with Graham Potter at the helm and that could continue this weekend.

It's that time of the week when you need to be finalising your fantasy selections and help is at hand, as Stats Perform pick out the Opta data to point you in the right direction.

Kepa Arrizabalaga (Aston Villa v Chelsea)

Chelsea have made a great start to life under Potter and Kepa Arrizabalaga is certainly enjoying a new era at Stamford Bridge.

The Spaniard has taken over from Edouard Mendy as Chelsea's first-choice goalkeeper, and he has not conceded in the Blues' past three matches.

Of keepers who have played at least 180 minutes in the Premier League this season, only Neto (81.82 per cent) has a better save percentage than Kepa's 80. Only Wolves (3) have a lower goal tally than Aston Villa's seven in the top flight in the 2022-23 campaign, so Kepa looks like your man between the sticks this weekend.

Eric Dier (Tottenham v Everton)

Only Ruben Dias (4) has kept more clean sheets among defenders than Spurs centre-back Dier (3) this season.

The England international has also scored twice, with goal always a bonus for defenders in the battle for fantasy football prizes.

Everton have scored just the eight goals in nine Premier League games this season, so you can get a good return from putting Dier in your side.

Gabriel Martinelli (Leeds United v Arsenal)

Martinelli has scored four goals and provided two assists for leaders Arsenal this season.

Both assists have come in his past two matches and he stunned Liverpool with an early opening goal in a 3-2 thriller last Sunday.

Only Kevin De Bruyne (30) and Mohamed Salah (26) have created more chances than Martinelli's 20 this season. He could be too hot for Leeds to handle at Elland Road.

Harry Kane (Tottenham v Everton)

Spurs talisman Kane has scored in four consecutive Premier League games and he was also on target in a midweek Champions League win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Only Erling Haaland (15)  can boast a better goal tally than Kane's eight in the top flight this season, while he is also one of only two players to have both 15 shots on target and 15 chances created (16 and 17). 

Kane's scoring streak can continue when he comes up against the Toffees, who could be up against it in the capital.

Real Madrid had a drawn-out pursuit of Kylian Mbappe earlier this year but ultimately missed out on the France forward.

Mbappe opted to sign a lucrative contract extension with Paris Saint-Germain in May, tying him to the Parisians until 2025.

But earlier this week, Fabrizio Romano reported the situation between PSG and Mbappe had got tense, with the player keen to depart.

TOP STORY – MADRID MOVE ON FROM MBAPPE AMID TRANSFER TWIST

Marca claims that Real Madrid are no longer have interest in signing Mbappe amid reports that he is unsettled at PSG and wants to leave.

The report claims that Los Blancos are observing the situation from afar with no desire to participate in the latest drama.

Romano also said PSG had no intention of selling Mbappe in January amid the speculation he wanted out. PSG director Luis Campos denied the report on Tuesday.

ROUND-UP

– Bayern Munich will turn to Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram should they fail to land Tottenham's Harry Kane , reports TZ. Thuram's Gladbach deal ends at the end of this season.

– Sky Sport's Florian Plettenberg reports that Toni Kroos and Real Madrid are set to commence talks on a new deal running until 2024, with his currently deal expiring at season's end.

– Barcelona will try to lure Chelsea pair N'Golo Kante and Jorginho to Camp Nou as free agents at the end of this season, claims the Evening Standard. The Blues are currently trying to convince both to re-sign.

– 90min claims Manchester City have told Bayern Munich and Inter that defender Nathan Ake is not for sale in January, following speculation about their interest.

– West Ham have joined Roma and Manchester United in pursuing a deal for Sassuolo midfielder Davide Frattesi, according to Calciomercato.

– Football Insider reports Brentford have commenced discussions with England international striker Ivan Toney on a new deal, with Tottenham linked to him.

Son Heung-min's link-up with fellow Tottenham star Harry Kane is purely a "pay-off for hard work".

Son scored twice on Wednesday, either side of a Kane penalty, as Spurs ran out 3-2 winners over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.

Antonio Conte's side moved to the Group D summit after coming from behind to defeat the Europa League holders at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Kane set up Son for the equaliser after the hosts fell behind to Daichi Kamada's early strike, meaning the pair have now combined to score on 50 occasions for Spurs across all competitions.

Kane has teed up 24 goals for Son, who has supplied 26 assists for the England captain. Since the start of last season, Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, the scorer of a record-setting hat-trick in Liverpool's win over Rangers elsewhere on Wednesday, is the only Premier League player with more strikes in all competitions (39) than the Spurs pair (Kane has netted 36, with Son scoring 29).

The South Korea captain paid tribute to his fearsome partnership with Kane, telling BT Sport: "We just understand each other really well. I know what he likes to do, and he's the same.

"The relationship, it's always hard work and good effort. It's always been a pay-off for hard work. [There will be] many more [combinations] to come, I hope."

Son's second goal was the pick of the bunch as he put Tottenham 3-1 up before the break.

Connecting with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's pinpoint cross, the forward unleashed a thumping volley that would eventually prove decisive after Faride Alidou's late header ensured a nervy finish for Spurs.

"The ball was just really clear to me and there was only one option; to take the volley," Son added. "I hit it really clean, I was very happy.

"The last five minutes were really tough. In the Champions League, you never know what will happen. It was uncomfortable sitting on the bench and watching. The most important thing was the three points."

Meanwhile, head coach Conte said "it would have been a disaster" had Spurs surrendered their lead in the closing stages, with Kane missing a stoppage-time penalty to put them home and dry. The 29-year-old has missed two of his last four penalties in all competitions for Tottenham, having previously scored 21 successive spot-kicks for the club.

"We started in a very difficult way, conceding the first goal," Conte said. "We scored three goals and had big chances. In the end, we are leading our group.

"Until the end, we had to stay focused. It would have been a disaster if we drew a game like this."