Virgil van Dijk admits Liverpool's "confidence is creeping away" after making their worst start to a Premier League campaign in a decade.

Liverpool's 3-2 loss to Arsenal in Sunday's contest at Emirates Stadium leaves them with 10 points from eight games – their lowest return since the 2012-12 season (nine).

The Reds have conceded 16 goals across their past 12 league matches and kept just two clean sheets, while conceding the opening goal of the game on 10 occasions.

And centre-back Van Dijk, who has come in for criticism for his performances this campaign, accepts a lack of belief is playing a part in Liverpool's disappointing run of form.

"Confidence is definitely a thing that plays a part. We're all human beings," he told Sky Sports.

"Sometimes you need a bit of confidence in certain moments. If it's not as high, it won't help in certain situations.

"Every human being needs confidence to perform at the highest level. If you're not winning, confidence is creeping away.

"We know we can turn it around but we have to work hard. That's the only thing to do and the only way forward as well."

Liverpool twice drew level in their enthralling contest with Arsenal, only for Bukayo Saka to claim victory for the home side with a 76th-minute penalty.

The spot-kick was awarded after Thiago Alcantara was adjudged to have fouled Gabriel Jesus, but Van Dijk does not believe it should have been given.

"Obviously it was a very tough game for both sides. We had good moments, we had bad moments," he said.

"Then it got decided by a penalty that from my point of view wasn't a penalty. But it goes so quick, I haven't looked in slow motion. 

"Unfortunately we couldn't get the points to bring with us back to Liverpool."

Liverpool are 10th in the table, 14 points adrift of pacesetters Arsenal with a game in hand, after failing to win any of their opening four league games for the first time in 12 years.

In contrast to their opponents' slow start, Arsenal have won at least eight of their first nine league games for only the fourth time in their history.

"We know they're in the best moment of their lives," Van Dijk added. "They've had a great season and we knew it was always going to be tough.

"But I think we had good moments and created good chances at times. It's hard to lose it by a penalty in my opinion, but it's the case, so we have to deal with that."

Liverpool switch focus back to the Champions League on Wednesday with a trip to Rangers, before hosting Manchester City on their return to league action next weekend.

Bruno Guimaraes has revealed Real Madrid were interested in signing him during the transfer window, but the Newcastle United midfielder is happy to stick with what he believes will be "one of the best projects in the world" at St James' Park.

Guimaraes has been outstanding for Newcastle since joining from Lyon in a £35million January deal.

Eddie Howe's side were in the Premier League relegation zone at the time, but they finished 11th last season and are now up to sixth.

Since Guimaraes' debut in early February, Newcastle have earned 48 points from 26 games, with only Manchester City (59), Arsenal (57), Tottenham (55) and Liverpool (54) picking up more.

In that time, Guimaraes has scored seven goals, more than any Newcastle team-mate.

But he is not merely a goalscoring midfielder, also leading the Magpies in tackles (65) and ranking second in recoveries (129) and successful dribbles (31).

"I never doubted the project. I believed it in the beginning," Guimaraes told the Mirror, adding: "This will be one of the best projects in the world."

Such dominant displays might understandably attract the attention of Europe's elite, including Champions League winners Madrid.

Los Blancos have started to move away from their hugely successful long-time midfield three of Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.

Casemiro, Guimaraes' Brazil team-mate, was sold to Manchester United, and new man Aurelien Tchouameni already has a key role.

Guimaraes could have joined the France international in the centre of the pitch at the Santiago Bernabeu, but he is happy on Tyneside.

"I feel at home here," he said. "Real Madrid is the best team in the world. It is nice. It was just a conversation, but it is nothing."

Zac Taylor expects fortune to favour the Cincinnati Bengals eventually after they again came up just short in Sunday's 19-17 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens.

The Bengals went to the Super Bowl last year but have a losing 2-3 record through Week 5 in 2022.

However, each of their three defeats have seen Cincinnati lose by a field goal on the final play of the game, going down 23-20 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime in Week 1 and 20-17 to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2.

It was little surprise Justin Tucker similarly punished Taylor's team, with the Ravens kicker executing an NFL-record seventh game-winning field goal with time up.

Of those, this was the fourth – another record – to come with his team losing, as the Bengals failed to protect a late lead having been tied against both the Steelers and the Cowboys.

"It's tough," said coach Taylor. "We've lost three games now on the last play of the game, that's what I told the guys.

"We just have to keep taking our shots, and these things have a way of balancing out, and we are going to get some of these wins in these situations."

That the Bengals were within three points of winning was particularly painful given a hapless third-quarter series from which they failed to score any points.

Cincinnati had first-and-goal from the Baltimore two, but Taylor called two trick plays, seeing wide receiver Tyler Boyd sacked running the Philly Special on second down before Joe Burrow's attempted shovel pass up the middle to Stanley Morgan on fourth down was batted away.

"We felt good about some stuff we called, but obviously it didn't work," Taylor said.

He added: "I felt comfortable with our package going in. When it doesn't work, you wish you would have done something different."

Ja'Marr Chase, whose 12-yard catch brought the Bengals back to the two-yard line after Boyd's sack, said: "It's pretty frustrating.

"We've got to know how to execute coming into that and know which play is going to give us the right play. I don't think we did that."

Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon would later run in a touchdown from the one-yard line in the fourth quarter, but he was pass blocking on both the Philly Special and the shovel pass.

"I'm just running the play that's called," Mixon said.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford needs help, according to head coach Sean McVay.

The Super Bowl LVI champions suffered their third loss of the season, with Stafford and the offense struggling again in a 22-10 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

The Rams have managed only one touchdown in their past nine quarters, with Stafford finding wide receiver Cooper Kupp in a 75-yard catch and run against the Cowboys.

Stafford has also been left banged up with the Rams' offensive line cursed by injuries, allowing five sacks on Sunday, for a total of 21 for the season. The QB was also pressured 20 times by the Cowboys defense, the equal second most in a game for Stafford's career.

"I love Matthew Stafford," McVay told reporters. "He is competing and doing everything in his power for this team. He needs some help. We've got to be able to help him."

McVay had no quick fixes for his side's offensive line issues, while he continued to back Stafford.

"I think he's doing everything he can," he said. "I think he needs more help. Guys got to play better around him.

"We've got to be able to help him be able to give himself a chance to sit on his back foot, just past even a hitch on some things.

"I'll ride with that guy to the end of time. And he's continuing to do everything in his power to try to help our team move the football, score points and we've got to be able to help him out more."

Stafford completed 28 of 42 attempts for 308 yards with one interception against the Cowboys, showing that he has been able to play through pain after copping so many hits.

"I feel OK," Stafford said. "It's part of the game."

"We've got to find a way to get the ball in the end zone. Got to do a better job sustaining some drives, giving ourselves some more manageable situations and find a way to get more points."

Tom Brady called on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to improve after he equalled an NFL record by moving to 11-0 in his career meetings with the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Brady shook off a shoulder injury to help the Bucs to go 3-2 for the season with a 21-15 home win over their NFC South rivals, cutting a two-game losing streak.  

The 45-year-old's 11th straight win against Atlanta saw him equal the record for most wins by a quarterback without losing against a single NFL opponent, matching John Elway's 11-0 return against the New England Patriots and Andrew Luck's perfect record against the Tennessee Titans.

Speaking after the win, however, Brady said he was simply focused on halting the Bucs' alarming slide following recent defeats to the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs.

"Yeah, it's obviously tough to lose straight at home, right? And we didn't deserve it, but that's football, you've got to earn it," Brady said.

"There's no easy games, you've got to play good. Certainly, five games in, we've got a lot of work to do.

"We need a lot of people to step up. We've got to get people out there, healthy, playing consistently, we've got to keep practicing, make the corrections and continue to improve."

Brady threw 52 passes throughout Sunday's game, completing 35 for 351 yards and a touchdown.

However, the Bucs were pegged back after storming into a 21-0 lead, and Brady acknowledged they failed to maintain their standards in the second half, adding: "We just had a lot of three and outs, we just weren't very good. 

"Bad execution and it wasn't our best in the second half. We've got to learn from it and get better."

Brady was aided by a questionable roughing the passer call against Atlanta's Grady Jarrett late on, when a third-down sack would have given Atlanta the ball with a chance to steal victory late on.

But the Bucs star was unwilling to get involved in debates surrounding the controversial call, simply stating: "I don't throw the flags."

Erik ten Hag is confident Cristiano Ronaldo will hit his stride after scoring his 700th club goal – and his first of the 2022-23 Premier League season – in Sunday's 2-1 win at Everton.

Ronaldo had endured a frustrating campaign prior to his outing at Goodison Park, a ground on which he had never previously scored a Premier League goal, but he proved decisive after entering the fray in the first half. 

Antony cancelled out Alex Iwobi's opener before Ronaldo replaced the injured Anthony Martial, and the 37-year-old quickly made his mark by firing a left-footed finish beyond Jordan Pickford.

That strike was Ronaldo's 700th in club football and his 144th across two spells at Old Trafford, and ensured United bounced back from last week's derby thrashing by Manchester City.

Speaking at a post-match news conference, Ten Hag congratulated Ronaldo on his landmark and backed him to hit a rich vein of form in the coming weeks.

"That is really impressive, when you score 700 goals," Ten Hag said. "It's a huge performance, I'm really happy for him. 

"I congratulate him on that performance and I'm also happy it's his first goal this season in the Premier League. He had to wait for it and I'm sure there will be more goals.

"I think every player needs it, even when you are the best in the world, you need it, you need the goals.

"I worked with many goalscorers, especially them, they need goals in every season to have that feeling, to have the confirmation of their intuition. 

"Once they have some goals, they come in the flow and games go easier. That will happen with him as well."

United had lost eight of their previous 10 away league games ahead of their trip to Merseyside – including last Sunday's dismal loss at the Etihad Stadium, and Ten Hag was pleased with the improvements on display.

"First of all, criticism is normal when you have a defeat, especially in a big game, in a derby, so we have to deal with that and you learn lessons," Ten Hag added.

"In this moment, we collect the points, it's not looking at the table, we have to win every game – it's our aim. 

"We have to improve every game, we have to improve the process, we have to prepare every game 100 per cent and we demand from the players that in every game they give their best.

"You see in this game, the spirit is really good in the squad – it's not only the 11 players. 

"Again, a sub coming on and scoring a goal, you see Victor Lindelof, Scott McTominay and Raphael Varane coming in, so we use more than 11 players and I am happy with that process."

United goalkeeper David De Gea also praised Ronaldo following the win, hailing him for maintaining a professional attitude despite starting just one league game under Ten Hag.

"He's never been in this situation before, but the way he works and trains, it's just unbelievable," De Gea told BT Sport. "It's not easy times for him, but he showed he's a great player."

With De Gea's United contract expiring at the end of the season – although the club has an option for an extra year – the Spaniard also revealed he would like to commit his future to the club.

"I'm just very focused on the games, helping the team as much as I can," he added. "Of course, I would like to be here for more years, so let's see what happens in the future. I'm really, really happy here."

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 700th goal in club football as Manchester United came from behind to beat Everton 2-1 at Goodison Park on Sunday.

Ronaldo reached the latest landmark of his spectacular career after coming on as a first-half substitute for the injured Anthony Martial, ensuring United returned to winning ways in the Premier League after the dismal derby defeat to Manchester City.

Elsewhere, Arsenal's young guns continued their stunning start to the season as Bukayo Saka's double and Gabriel Martinelli's early strike secured a thrilling 3-2 win over Liverpool at Emirates Stadium.

Crystal Palace came from behind to beat Leeds United 2-1 at Selhurst Park, while West Ham roared back to overcome Fulham 3-1.

Here, Stats Perform picks out the best data from another day of mouth-watering Premier League action.

Everton 1-2 Manchester United: Ronaldo hits yet another landmark

Ronaldo did not start on United's visit to Merseyside, but a first-half injury to Martial paved the way for him to create yet another slice of history.

The 37-year-old, who has also scored a record 117 international goals, has now taken his overall tally for United to 144 across two spells at Old Trafford, adding to a combined tally of 556 from his time at Sporting CP, Real Madrid and Juventus.

United had started sluggishly at Goodison Park and fell behind early on to Alex Iwobi's superb strike from 25 yards. The Nigerian has either scored or assisted in three consecutive Premier League appearances for only the second time in his career (also April 2016).

The Red Devils levelled soon after when Antony latched on to Martial's pass and beat Jordan Pickford, the Brazilian becoming the first United player to score in each of his first three appearances in the Premier League for the club.

Ronaldo then ensured United became the first team in Premier League history to have won 100 games after conceding the first goal.

Arsenal 3-2 Liverpool: Young guns pile on misery for Reds

This stirring victory meant Arsenal have won at least eight of their first nine league matches in a top-flight campaign for only the fourth time, after 2007-08, 2004-05 and 1947-48.

This latest triumph helped them sit atop the table nine or more games into a season for the first time since December 2016 (15th game).

Their three goals came from Saka (2) and Martinelli, who are both 21 years old. The Gunners have now scored 54 goals courtesy of players aged 21 and under in the Premier League under manager Mikel Arteta – 22 more than any other side since the Spaniard's first game in charge.

Liverpool are yet to win away from home in the Premier League this season (D2 L2); this is the first time since 2010-11 under Roy Hodgson that they have failed to win any of their opening four away games in a Premier League campaign.

With 10 points from eight games so far, it is their worst return at this stage of a Premier League campaign since 2012-13 (nine points), when they ultimately finished seventh.

Crystal Palace 2-1 Leeds United: Eagles bounce back as Yorkshiremen continue to struggle on the road

Eberechi Eze's fine strike helped Palace earn their first Premier League win since August (3-1 v Aston Villa), another game in which they conceded first. In this one, Pascal Struijk put Leeds ahead, but Odsonne Edouard soon got the Eagles back on level terms.

Palace have now won as many Premier League home games when conceding first this season as they did across the 2019-20 and 2021-22 campaigns (two). 

Leeds, meanwhile, are winless away from home in the Premier League this season (D1 L3), losing each of the last three in a row.

It is the second time in 2022 that the Whites have lost three consecutive away games, with the previous occasion coming in March.

West Ham 3-1 Fulham: In-form Scamacca strikes again for the Hammers

West Ham recovered from conceding Andreas Pereira's early strike to make it back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since January, having beaten Wolves last time out.

Jarrod Bowen pulled the Hammers level from the penalty spot, before Gianluca Scamacca put them ahead with a cool lofted finish over Bernd Leno.

The Italian became the ninth player to score in both of his first two home starts in the Premier League for West Ham, and the first since their move to the London Stadium, with Diafra Sakho the previous player to do so at Upton Park in October 2014.

Michail Antonio added a late third to move level with Carlton Cole as the top scorer for West Ham in London derbies in the Premier League (14).

Mikel Arteta lauded Gabriel Martinelli's "outstanding performance" after the Brazilian scored and created another in Arsenal's 3-2 win over Liverpool on Sunday.

Martinelli set the Gunners on their way after just 58 seconds with a cool finish, before teeing up Bukayo Saka after Darwin Nunez had levelled for the Reds.

Roberto Firmino equalised again for Jurgen Klopp's side, but Saka scored from the spot 14 minutes from full-time to seal an eighth win in nine Premier League games for a resurgent Arsenal.

Martinelli has now been directly involved in 10 goals in his last 14 appearances in the Premier League (five goals, five assists), and Arteta was full of praise for the 21-year-old.

"He's a great player," the Spaniard said in a press conference. "I think today he had an outstanding performance against a top defender and a top team and he made a difference in the game as well as the other players.

"That's the next level, to step up in these games and make things happen to win it."

Asked if Arsenal will try to tie Martinelli down to a long-term contract, Arteta responded: "We don't get directed by an individual performance. Gabby doesn't have to show me whether he plays well or not well.

"What is clear is his hunger, his determination and his love for this game. You don't know where he's going to reach because he's always asking and willing for more."

Arsenal have won at least eight of their first nine league matches in a top-flight campaign for only the fourth time, after 2007-08, 2004-05 and 1947-48.

This latest triumph lifted them back to the Premier League summit after Manchester City had usurped them on Saturday, with Arteta's side now holding a one-point lead.

It sparked jubilant scenes at the Emirates Stadium, and Arteta said the support from the stands has been crucial to his side's success this season.

"Just thank you so much to the boys and our supporters for experiencing an afternoon like this," he added. "It's what our profession is about to live days like this and I really enjoyed it. Especially the way we won.

"I've never seen it like this [the atmosphere]. You cannot imagine how much it helps the players and how much it gives them.

"One of the nicest things we've done since we are together here is to unite everybody and make them feel like when you go are you going to experience something together."

Arsenal are next in action on Thursday when they face Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League, before they visit Leeds United in the Premier League on Sunday. 

Bruno Fernandes credited Cristiano Ronaldo's hunger after his fellow Portugal international scored his 700th club goal in Manchester United's 2-1 win at Everton on Sunday.

Ronaldo was introduced as a first-half substitute for Anthony Martial, who suffered a back injury, and brought up the landmark by firing under Jordan Pickford after racing onto Casemiro's pass.

Alex Iwobi's long-range strike had initially handed Everton an early lead, but Antony became the first player to score in his first three Premier League games for United to level the scores.

Ronaldo's 700th goal in club football arrived 20 years and two days after his first (for Sporting CP against Moreirense on October 7 2002), and saw him get off the mark for the Premier League season.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner had endured a frustrating campaign prior to his outing at Goodison Park, only starting one league match under Erik ten Hag, and Fernandes was delighted to see him find the net.

"It is tough still counting goals for Cristiano because every week it seems like a new record," Fernandes told BT Sport.

"We're really happy because he has been working hard to get this goal, we saw it last Thursday, it was tough for him. Today he got the goal and the win.

"That's most important for Cristiano, I think, that the team wins, and obviously as a striker he wants to score goals and we are really happy for that."

United's comeback makes them the first team to win 100 Premier League games after conceding first, and Ten Hag was impressed by the Red Devils' response to Iwobi's fifth-minute strike.

"We were quickly 1-0 down but the reaction of the team was good," Ten Hag told BT Sport. "One of our aims is to deal better with setbacks and they stayed composed. It was quite impressive from our side.

"In the first half we were pressing well. Everton did not come out and it was difficult for them to get a lot of crosses in, we didn't allow them and I am happy with that.

"Casemiro will anticipate quickly, and we saw during the game how important he is, winning a lot of balls. He also played the ball for the goal from Cristiano Ronaldo. He grew into the game.

"Once again, we were happy with all the subs, Ronaldo coming on and getting the winning goal, and Rapha [Varane] showed his importance with his organisation and heading capacity."

United's victory moved them into fifth in the Premier League table, while their total of 38 wins against Everton in the competition is now their joint-most against any opponent (also Tottenham).

Pedri was the hero for Barcelona as they saw off a LaLiga challenge from Celta Vigo to take an unpersuasive 1-0 win on Sunday.

Despite a bright, almost bombastic start from Xavi's side, the Blaugrana gradually faded once again in defence of an early lead, ultimately escaping with all three points intact.

A week on from a similar performance against Mallorca, questions may be lingering about Barca's prowess, even as they sit top of the table.

Yet after the sting of a Champions League loss to Inter in midweek, the Catalans were at least back to winning ways, while Celta were left to rue their difficulty in securing a draw.

A dominant start from Barcelona hinted at a blowout scoreline, and Pedri's poacher's finish following a deflection in the 17th minute certainly whet the appetite.

But a subsequent struggle to find a second goal before the break did little to dispel a nervous air around Camp Nou, especially with just under a dozen chances otherwise squandered by the hosts.

That gnawing unease manifested itself in a markedly scratchier start to the second half, during which Celta gradually began to impose more of a threat.

Such pressure seemed to tell when Jorgen Strand Larsen headed home with 20 minutes left, but the offside flag spared Barca's blushes, and from there they held on all the way for a less-than-convincing result.

Cristiano Ronaldo's 700th goal in club football helped Manchester United come from behind to beat Everton 2-1 in the Premier League on Sunday.

Ronaldo, introduced as a first-half substitute following an injury to Anthony Martial, found the net with a low, left-footed strike at the end of a back-and-forth opening period at Goodison Park.

Alex Iwobi had earlier taken advantage of Casemiro's error to put Everton ahead with a long-range strike, with Antony levelling to maintain his fine start to life in England. 

Erik ten Hag's men produced a controlled display following Ronaldo's intervention, keeping Everton at arm's length to go fifth in the Premier League table, one point adrift of the top four.

Casemiro's first Premier League start turned sour when he was caught in possession by Amadou Onana five minutes in, allowing Iwobi to curl a brilliant effort beyond David De Gea and into the top-right corner.

Everton's lead lasted just 10 minutes, however, as Antony darted onto Martial's well-timed pass to tuck a neat finish into the bottom-left corner.

An injury to Martial led to Ronaldo's introduction shortly before Casemiro squandered a golden opportunity, heading wide when racing onto Bruno Fernandes' in-swinging cross.

Casemiro did register an assist on the stroke of half-time, but the plaudits will go to Ronaldo after he coolly fired between Jordan Pickford's legs to bring up his landmark.

Marcus Rashford was denied a late third goal following a VAR review when he appeared to handle the ball before rounding Pickford, before De Gea kept Joe Garner's effort out with a stunning fingertip save to secure the win.

What does it mean? United bounce back from derby blues

A run of four consecutive Premier League wins appeared to have given lift-off to the Ten Hag era at United ahead of last week's trip to Manchester City. However, the Red Devils were a distant second-best in an emphatic 6-3 defeat at the Etihad Stadium, and they looked to be experiencing a derby hangover when Iwobi struck.

However, United showed the necessary composure to respond to that setback, earning just their third win in their last 11 away Premier League games and ending the Toffees' six-match unbeaten run.

Another landmark for indomitable Ronaldo

Ronaldo's struggles this season have been well-documented; following his failure to secure a move away from Old Trafford, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner entered Sunday's match having scored one goal in all competitions this campaign – a Europa League penalty against Sheriff.

However, he led the line effectively following his early introduction on Merseyside, scoring the 700th goal of his club career 20 years and two days after the first, in what was his 945th club appearance.

Ronaldo will now hope to kick on after opening his Premier League account for the season – on a ground at which he had never previously scored in the competition (in seven appearances).

Antony makes United history

Although Ronaldo stole the headlines with his strike, Brazilian winger Antony continued his strong start to life in the Premier League on Sunday, cutting inside to bend home a crucial leveller.

The former Ajax man's goal makes him the first player to score in each of his first three Premier League appearances for United in the competition's history.

What's next?

United host Cypriot outfit Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League on Thursday, while Everton travel to Tottenham for their next Premier League match on Saturday.

Mikel Arteta hailed Gabriel Martinelli's "outstanding performance" after the Brazilian scored and created another in Arsenal's 3-2 win over Liverpool on Sunday.

Martinelli set the Gunners on their way after just 58 seconds with a cool finish, before teeing up Bukayo Saka after Darwin Nunez had levelled for the Reds.

Roberto Firmino equalised again for Jurgen Klopp's side, but Saka scored from the spot 14 minutes from full-time to seal an eighth win in nine Premier League games for a resurgent Arsenal.

Martinelli has now been directly involved in 10 goals in his last 14 appearances in the Premier League (five goals, five assists), and Arteta was full of praise for the 21-year-old.

"He's a great player," the Spaniard said in a press conference. "I think today he had an outstanding performance against a top defender and a top team and he made a difference in the game as well as the other players.

"That's the next level, to step up in these games and make things happen to win it."

Asked if Arsenal will try to tie Martinelli down to a long-term contract, Arteta responded: "We don't get directed by an individual performance. Gabby doesn't have to show me whether he plays well or not well.

"What is clear is his hunger, his determination and his love for this game. You don't know where he's going to reach because he's always asking and willing for more."

Arsenal have won at least eight of their first nine league matches in a top-flight campaign for only the fourth time, after 2007-08, 2004-05 and 1947-48.

This latest triumph lifted them back to the Premier League summit after Manchester City had usurped them on Saturday, with Arteta's side now holding a one-point lead.

It sparked jubilant scenes at the Emirates Stadium, and Arteta said the support from the stands has been crucial to his side's success this season.

"Just thank you so much to the boys and our supporters for experiencing an afternoon like this," he added. "It's what our profession is about to live days like this and I really enjoyed it. Especially the way we won.

"I've never seen it like this [the atmosphere]. You cannot imagine how much it helps the players and how much it gives them.

"One of the nicest things we've done since we are together here is to unite everybody and make them feel like when you go are you going to experience something together."

Arsenal are next in action on Thursday when they face Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League, before they visit Leeds United in the Premier League on Sunday. 

Call it a coming of age if you like, or was this just a ringing endorsement of Pep Guardiola's verdict?

Either way, Arsenal are a thrill-seeker's delight at the top of the Premier League.

It used to be said that a 21st birthday marked a 'key to the door' moment, a moment of growing maturity and responsibility.

A new level of trust was what it signified, and perhaps Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka can now be trusted to deliver on their promise for Arsenal. Their abundant talent has never been in question, but now it's about consistency, being a grown-up in a grown-up's league.

Sunday's 3-2 win against Liverpool only served to show that Martinelli and Saka, who have both celebrated that landmark 21st birthday since the end of last season, are not merely giddy talents now but stars who deliver.

The clearing of the decks by Mikel Arteta took a while, and Arsenal's power-brokers trusted the manager while many lost faith. The manager's vision, shared by the club, was of afternoons such as this, where their young guns picked apart last season's Champions League finalists and double cup winners.

Guardiola's view, if you missed it, was that Arsenal's position at the top of the Premier League was far from false, even while his Manchester City team take most of the early-season plaudits.

The City manager said on Friday: "We cannot forget one thing, ladies and gentlemen: there is one team that has been better than us. This is the reality. Arsenal have been better than us so far."

Arsenal don't have an Erling Haaland; in fact, their centre forward is a City cast-off, Gabriel Jesus.

But here they had Martinelli, Saka, a 23-year-old captain in Martin Odegaard, a centre-back partnership of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba – 24 and 21, respectively – and young full-backs in Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White, too.

Thirty-somethings Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette have left the building, so too for now the underachieving Nicolas Pepe, and Arsenal have not looked back.

It was quite a day for American football in north London, with the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants in action at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and the Arsenal Gunners and the Liverpool Reds on parade at Emirates Stadium.

Scoff at that all you like, but the globalisation of the Premier League means these two US-owned teams, along with Todd Boehly's Chelsea and the Glazer family's Manchester United, are vying to challenge Abu Dhabi-run Manchester City.

The beautiful game dictated that it was a Brazilian who brought the stadium to life in just 58 seconds.

Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool used to be the swarmers in this fixture, buzzing in intimidating numbers, searching for that sweet, sweet nectar of early goals. Liverpool have stung Arsenal teams of the past with such strikes, from Robbie Fowler to Roberto Firmino.

Arsenal served them a dose of that medicine this time, with Saka finding Odegaard who fed Martinelli and he slammed past Alisson. Trent Alexander-Arnold lost the runner, with Arsenal scoring their earliest goal against Liverpool in the history of the Premier League.

Darwin Nunez bundled in a 34th-minute equaliser after Luis Diaz's cross, but Arsenal were back in front before the break, this time with Jesus freeing Martinelli on the left, and he dashed from the halfway line into the penalty area before passing low from the left to give Saka a tap-in.

Alexander-Arnold was replaced at half-time, supposedly due to injury, but the second Arsenal goal had come from a raid down his flank too, and the Gunners plainly had his number.

Firmino cracked a throughball from Diogo Jota beyond the reach of Aaron Ramsdale for a second Liverpool equaliser, but you doubted they would have a third in them if Arsenal regained the lead.

That was Firmino's 10th Premier League goal in 14 games for Liverpool against Arsenal, making him the outright top scorer in this fixture since the league's 1992-93 inauguration, one ahead of Fowler.

When Thiago Alcantara nibbled at Gabriel Jesus in the 73rd minute, Arsenal had a penalty and trusted Saka with it.

He was practically a boy when he missed for England in the Euro 2020 final shoot-out, but this is Saka the man, and he picked out the bottom-left corner with the utmost confidence.

Martinelli is the youngest Arsenal player to score and assist against Liverpool in the Premier League, Opta said. He has been involved in 10 goals in his last 14 appearances in the competition.

Arteta's win rate across all competitions has crept just above 57 per cent with this win in his 142nd game at the helm, and he stands mere decimal places behind Arsene Wenger (57.2 per cent from 1,235 games).

Having won just one of their last 14 Premier League games against Liverpool before this one, Arsenal have not merely stopped the rot.

They have started something they clearly intend to finish.

Key to the door? This team hold the key to there being any sort of title contest this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo reached another milestone as he scored his 700th goal in club football during Manchester United's Premier League clash with Everton on Sunday.

Ronaldo hit the latest landmark of his glittering career after coming on as a first-half substitute for the injured Anthony Martial, racing onto a ball from Casemiro before firing past Jordan Pickford to give United a 2-1 lead at Goodison Park.

The Portugal captain has struggled to find his best form this season and this was just the second goal of a campaign in which he has been starved of regular game time, having netted his 699th club strike from the penalty spot during a 2-0 Europa League victory over Sheriff on September 15.

He had failed to score in eight games before then, his longest run without a goal in all competitions at club level since a run of 10 matches between March and May 2006.

The 37-year-old, who has also scored a record 117 international goals, has now taken his overall tally for United to 144 across two spells at Old Trafford, adding to a combined tally of 556 from his time at Sporting CP, Real Madrid and Juventus.

Ronaldo's 700 goals, club by club

Ronaldo's most prolific spell came at Madrid, where he scored an incredible 450 goals in 438 appearances to become Los Blancos' all-time leading marksman.

His best individual season also came with Madrid, netting 61 times from an expected goals (xG) value of 47.9 in 54 games across all competitions in 2014-15. In that campaign, Ronaldo registered the best minutes-per-goal ratio (76.1) of any player from Europe's top five leagues to have scored at least 10 across all fronts.

Across his nine-year stint in the Spanish capital, Ronaldo hit the 60-goal mark twice (2011-12, 2014-15), with his lowest-scoring campaign coming in the 2009-10 season, his first at the club. He still managed 33 goals in 35 appearances.

Prior to becoming a legend at Madrid, Ronaldo of course made his mark at United. His best season in England was in 2007-08, when he scored 42 times across all competitions.

Playing predominantly as a winger for Alex Ferguson, and dovetailing with the likes of Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney, Ronaldo left United in 2009 having found the net on 118 occasions for the club, having previously scored five times for Sporting.

His time at Juve did not yield the Champions League title he was bought to help the Bianconeri win, though they still won Serie A twice, and the Coppa Italia. Ronaldo plundered 101 goals in 134 matches during his three years in Italy, averaging one every 114 minutes.

Ronaldo made a flying start back in England last year, scoring twice on his second United debut against Newcastle United. Though he went on to score a further 22 times across all competitions, the Red Devils could only manage a sixth-placed finish.

Gabriel Martinelli hailed the "family" feel in Arsenal's squad as they returned to the Premier League summit with a swashbuckling 3-2 win over Liverpool on Sunday.

Martinelli put the Gunners ahead after just 58 seconds, while Bukayo Saka restored their advantage after Darwin Nunez had equalised for Jurgen Klopp's side.

Roberto Firmino pulled the Reds level for a second time shortly after the interval, yet Saka sealed an eighth win in nine Premier League games this season with a penalty 14 minutes from full-time.

Arsenal sit atop the table nine or more games into a season for the first time since December 2016 (15th game) – something Martinelli attributes to the positive feeling in the squad.

"It means a lot for us," the Brazilian told Sky Sports. "We have been working hard and we deserve the win and we need to keep going because the season is long and we want to achieve good things.

"We are running for each other and we are a family, everyone is on their toes.

"It doesn't matter your age, it's your heart and how much you want to achieve in football and life. That is the most important thing.

"We need to believe and go game by game trying to win all of them."

Saka has now scored 20 goals and provided 19 assists for Arsenal in the Premier League, with his 39 combined goal involvements second only to Cesc Fabregas (63) for the Gunners in the competition before turning 22.

And the England international believes victory over Liverpool proves how much progress they have made this season.

"In the past two or three years, Liverpool have been a team we have struggled against," he said. "To win in front of our fans is special and it shows how much we are progressing.

"It gives us more confidence because they are a fantastic team and we have a lot of respect for them. I feel like we deserved to lead at half-time so to get that goal was crucial. I want to score more now."