Gareth Southgate confirmed England will take a knee before their World Cup opener against Iran on Monday in a show of solidarity against discrimination.

Premier League teams had adopted the gesture on a regular basis following the death of George Floyd in the United States back in 2020.

It was scrapped as a regular feature ahead of this season, with the Premier League instead announcing the gesture would be reserved for special occasions.

All Premier League games between October 8 and 16 saw players take the knee as part of the 'No Room for Racism' campaign, and it was also confirmed games on Boxing Day, the last weekend of the season and the finals of the FA Cup and EFL Cup will also see its return.

It had been reported that England players were discussing whether to kneel during the World Cup and Southgate confirmed the squad came to an agreement.

"We have discussed taking the knee, we feel we should," Southgate told reporters on Sunday.

"It's what we stand for as a team and have done for a long period of time.

"We understand in the Premier League, teams decided to only do it for the big games, the big occasions.

"We feel this is the biggest.

"We think it's a strong statement that will go around the world to young people in particular to show inclusivity is important."

On a similar note, Southgate and England captain Harry Kane also reiterated their commitment to the latter wearing the OneLove armband throughout the tournament.

England were one of eight teams to pledge their support to the initiative designed to promote inclusion ahead of the tournament in Qatar, where same-sex relationships are illegal.

FIFA launched its own "social campaign" and is urging captains to wear armbands provided by the governing body that promote its own slogans.

Additionally, regulations suggest the wearing of equipment not endorsed by FIFA are outlawed, giving rise to reports Kane could receive an immediate yellow card for donning the armband.

But England plan to stand by their decision.

"I think we made clear as a team, as a staff and organisation that we want to wear the armband," Kane said.

"I know the FA [Football Association] is talking to FIFA at the moment and I'm sure by game time they'll have their decision, but we made clear we want to wear it."

Southgate continued: "There's nothing more I can add to what Harry's said. I know there are conversations going on.

"A number or European countries have spoken and we made our position clear, and hopefully everything will be resolved before the game."

However, there are no plans to make a gesture in support of women in Iran.

The death of 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini – who was arrested for not wearing a hijab properly – in police custody in September sparked mass protests across the country, and it is a backdrop that has dominated Iran's build-up to the World Cup.

Iran showed solidarity with the protestors – 15,000 of whom have reportedly been arrested by the regime – in September when covering up their national symbols before a friendly against Senegal, but Southgate said England are not planning to make any gestures of their own.

"I don't feel informed enough to comment on what's going on in Iran, it's not my place either," he added. "I understand for Iranian players and the manager, they're in a difficult position but they're better informed.

"If we were asked by their team to support in some way, we would have to consider that, but at the moment it hasn't happened.

"We're all focused on the football now. This has been a complicated build-up in terms of many issues, but now our country expects us to focus on preparing the team as well as we can. I don't think people should expect that to be any different for us."

Most people may assume England's World Cup opener against Iran will be a relatively routine one.

The Three Lions reached the semi-finals in 2018 before making it all the way to the final of last year's rearranged Euro 2020 tournament, and breezed through qualifying for Qatar 2022 with the best goal difference in the group stage of European qualifiers, scoring 39 and conceding only three.

Confidence will be high that Gareth Southgate's team can get going with three points, but a potentially tricky obstacle stands in their way on Monday.

Iran had an impressive qualifying campaign of their own, winning eight of 10 games in the third round of Asian qualifying and conceding just four goals.

They also sit 20th in the latest FIFA rankings, putting them above the likes of Serbia, Morocco and Poland.

Far from ideal as part of their preparations was a change of head coach just two months before the World Cup, with Dragan Skocic surprisingly removed and replaced by Carlos Queiroz to lead Team Melli in Qatar, shortly after he had guided Egypt to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations.

This will be Queiroz's fourth consecutive World Cup as a head coach – the longest ongoing run – and third in a row in charge of Iran after taking over for a second spell.

Iran lost 2-0 to Tunisia in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Wednesday, but Queiroz felt it allowed his team to be better prepared for England.

"Of course, the result is not good," he said. "We don't like to concede goals, we don't like to lose but [there are things] we need to correct.

"We had the best opportunities in the game before the penalty, we missed a few chances to score but the most important is the conclusions that we need to make in order to prepare for England."

Iran are one of 20 teams to have featured at each of the last two World Cups in 2014 and 2018 – of those teams, they have had the fewest shots (47), the fewest shots on target (10) and scored the fewest goals (3) in the group stages across those two tournaments combined.

Meanwhile, England's Eric Dier is not concerned about the high temperatures in Qatar despite the time of year, with the game kicking off at 4pm local time.

"I don't know what kind of impact it will have," he said at a press conference on Saturday. "I've never experienced it before, so it's going to be a first.

"This is normally a tournament which is played in the summer. In Russia [in 2018] it was hot. I wasn't there but during the Euros in England it was hot, so I think we're ready for that and we're playing in the same conditions as our opposition, so it's the same for everyone."

England are the only European team to have reached the semi-finals in each of the last two major tournaments, and will be hoping to start on course for another strong showing at the Khalifa International Stadium.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

England – Harry Kane 

England's captain has understandably been integral to their last two runs in the World Cup and European Championship, winning the golden boot at the last FIFA showpiece in 2018, where five of his six goals in Russia came in the group stage.

Kane was also joint-top scorer in European qualifying for this World Cup (12, level with Memphis Depay), and his shot conversion rate of 36.36 per cent was the highest of any player who scored at least six goals.

Iran – Mehdi Taremi

The consensus seems to be that Sardar Azmoun will be the one for England to keep an eye on, which is fair enough given his 40 goals in 63 games for his country to date, though his lack of goals and game time at club level could cost him sharpness, having scored just once in 22 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen since joining in January.

On the other hand, his international strike partner Taremi has 13 goals in 19 games for Porto this season, including five in the Champions League.

Despite only playing six times, no Iran player was involved in more goals during the third round of Asian World Cup qualifying than Taremi (four goals, two assists).

PREDICTION

Despite Iran probably being stronger than many anticipate, England are still justifiably heavy favourites. 

According to Stats Perform's AI model, the Three Lions have a 72.2 per cent chance of opening with a win, while the draw is rated at 18.1 per cent.

It would be a moment to remember should Iran pull off an upset, but Queiroz's men have just a 9.7 per cent chance of victory.

Harry Kane pinpointed David Beckham as his inspiration as the England captain looks to deliver the "ultimate success" at the World Cup.

Tottenham talisman Kane heads to Qatar just three strikes away from breaking Wayne Rooney's 53-goal record for England, who will look to build on recent success in major tournaments by targeting the trophy.

Gareth Southgate's team reached the semi-finals at Russia 2018 before losing on penalties to Italy in the Euro 2020 final.

Kane played an integral role in both those campaigns, and former England star Beckham was the childhood hero who inspired him to achieve his dreams.

"I think I was about five or six years old when I started playing for Ridgeway Rovers, our local Sunday league team," Kane, 29, said in a letter posted on England's official website.

"We were pretty good at that age and it had a good set-up, with good coaches and plenty of good players.

"David Beckham had also played for Ridgeway Rovers growing up and with Beckham being Beckham, growing up he was my idol, and it was the same for a lot of young kids in that area.

"I knew he had played for the same team as me, went to the same local secondary school in Chingford Foundation School, and grew up in the area, so whilst Beckham was obviously a huge figure across the world, for those of us in Chingford, where he came from, that was all people used to speak about."

Kane said it was "an amazing achievement" for this childhood team and school to produce two England captains.

"Seeing Beckham go on to achieve what he did made it seem a little bit more real," Kane said.

Without that factor, Kane said his own career "might have felt it was out of reach or an impossible task".

Grassroots side Ridgeway Rovers have produced numerous English professional footballers alongside Beckham and Kane, including another international in Andros Townsend.

Kane eventually left Ridgeway Rovers to take up academy football with Tottenham. Now, he will hope to fire England to World Cup glory, and Kane says he can relate to supporters after being in their position earlier in his career.

"Before I became an England player, I was an England fan. During most major tournaments we would go to the pub to watch England," Kane said.

"We loved England, we loved watching England and we were big England fans. I remember many tears being shed after we went out on penalties and things like that."

He recalled the exuberant celebrations, too, and said it gave him huge satisfaction that recent England teams have been able to deliver more success than usual.

Kane added: "We have not quite had that ultimate success yet, but to give the young boys and girls, and the men and women, all around the country that happy feeling and those moments, where the beer goes everywhere and you are jumping on each other, is really special."

England start their World Cup campaign on Monday against Iran before also facing the United States and Wales in Group B.

Harry Kane believes England are no longer scared of admitting they can win the World Cup, where he thinks the Three Lions' poor form may work in their favour.

Gareth Southgate's side reached the 2018 World Cup semi-final and lost on penalties to Italy in the Euro 2020 showpiece in what was England's first major final in 55 years.

But they head to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup short of form after being relegated from the top tier of the Nations League following three draws and three losses in Group A3.

Southgate's team have not won since a 3-0 friendly victory over Ivory Coast in March, but captain Kane says the Three Lions will not shy away from outlining their hopes of lifting the World Cup.

"We have to believe we can win it," the Tottenham striker told Sky Sports."I look back at England 10, 15 years ago and it was almost [like] we were scared to say we wanted to win it.

"I think one of the big shifts that we've made over the last four or five years with Gareth is not being afraid to say that.

"Look, we're going to this tournament to win it because we believe we can. It'd be wrong to think otherwise. What's the point of going to a World Cup and not believing that you can bring the trophy home?

"It's going to be tough and we're going to have to work extremely hard, have a little bit of luck and have a lot of things go our way to achieve that.

"But I think it's important not to be afraid to say that that's what we're going there to do."

Pressure has mounted on Southgate after a dismal Nations League showing, yet Kane says the winless run has lowered expectations and may help England in their November 21 opener against Iran.

"The first game's really important, for sure," Kane added. "Of course it hasn't been the greatest period in a long time for England. Since Gareth took charge – we haven't had a spell like we've had.

"But in a way, before a major tournament that can be a really good thing because it allows you not to be carried away, or even the media or the press to get carried away.

"I feel like if we won every game leading up to this tournament it would've been, 'We're guaranteed to win it' and 'We're going to win it', and that can come with a different pressure.

"We feel like being judged on major tournaments is the main thing and the last two we've had have been good."

As for the fitness of Kane, who has been ever-present for Tottenham in the Premier League, the 29-year-old believes the mid-season tournament will help him hit the ground running.

"For sure, I'd rather be going into it playing loads of games where you feel match fit," he continued. "Sometimes after the season in the summer you have a break and then you have to gear back up to play and you haven't played a lot of games.

"You can try and train as much as you can but the bottom line is you need to be ready to have all your energy ready for the game, and that's what I'm trying to do.

"I think major tournaments test you the most in terms of the high pressure. Playing for England is always high pressure but in a major tournament there's always that added incentive.

"The mentality of being away from home, being in camp for five or six weeks but this one is fairly quick because it's during the season. Normally you're away four or five weeks before the tournament and then you're away four or five weeks in the tournament, so it is a long period of time where you're just outside your comfort zone.

"But I guess what separates the top nations and the winning nations from the others is who can deal with that the best."

Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch said he felt "like someone has ripped my heart out" after watching his side implode in Saturday's 4-3 loss at Tottenham.

The visitors took the lead three times in north London and were ahead with nine minutes of normal time remaining, only for Rodrigo Bentancur to score a late double.

Leeds have shipped 26 goals in 14 Premier League games this season at a rate of 1.86 per 90 minutes – only Nottingham Forest (2) and Bournemouth (2.13) have fared worse.

Marsch, who had seen the pressure on him ease following back-to-back league wins prior to the Spurs loss, admits it has been a familiar theme for his side this campaign.

"I'm gutted, I feel like someone has ripped my heart out," he told BBC Sport. "I thought we had control of the match but then we let it slip.

"There's obviously positives in there because in our good moments we look like we have quality, but in our bad, we still look vulnerable and naive.

"We get leads and then we give it away immediately because we don't stick to our principles. If we can then we can be a good team.

"Mentally, the guys have invested so much, there's been ups and downs. We need to gather ourselves, have a break and then come back and keep pushing.

"A little bit of everything needs strengthening, we need to learn to manage the game as a group at all moments."

Crysencio Summerville and Rodrigo both scored for a fourth straight game for Leeds, with the latter netting twice following Harry Kane and Ben Davies equalisers.

But Argentina midfielder Bentancur scored in the 81st and 83rd minutes – his first brace in Europe's top five leagues on his 164th such outing – as Spurs returned to winning ways.

Tottenham have trailed in 14 of their 22 games in all competitions this term, including the past eight in a row, but Antonio Conte was delighted with his side's fighting spirit.

"I think this game made many people very happy," he said at his post-match news conference. "If you're in the stadium you've seen a 4-3 score, with attractive football. 

"In a lot of games we were losing and then we came back. I think we showed great character, desire and great will not to give up, to believe in the win.

"I try every day to transfer this concept. We need to fight and never give up. Never give up is our mantra. This is the positive side.

"The negative side is that we conceded three goals, which is never good. A team that wants to be competitive, to concede three goals is never positive."

Saturday's thrilling victory was Tottenham's 13th game since the beginning of October and their last until Boxing Day, with domestic top-flight football now pausing for the World Cup.

"If you want to reach a good result, you want to show stability," Conte added. "The last period was really tough for everybody, all the clubs, to play 13 games in 43 days is tough.

"It was impossible to work on the pitch on the tactical aspect. For sure, when you don't work on that you are going to lose something defensively."

Spurs have now scored 31 goals in 15 games in the Premier League this term – they have only bettered that tally at this stage of a season on one occasion, with 35 in 2009-10.

England international Kane has been responsible for 12 of those, making this his joint-best start to a campaign at this stage since the 2017-18 season.

"Harry has played a really important role in this period," Conte said. "If we finished this period in the top four and qualified for the top four, I think we have to praise Harry a lot.

"I think Harry honestly deserves great praise because he is always an important player, but in this period there was a lot of weight on his shoulders and he played in a great way. 

"He's arriving at the World Cup with lots of enthusiasm, in a great physical condition and mentally stronger. He's ready. I can see in his eyes he's ready to be the protagonist." 

Rodrigo Bentancur struck twice in the final 10 minutes as Tottenham battled back from behind three times to snatch a dramatic 4-3 victory against Leeds United on Saturday.

Spurs conceded the opening goal in a game for the eighth time in a row when Crysencio Summerville scored for a fourth Premier League match running inside the first 10 minutes.

Rodrigo Moreno matched that scoring streak when scoring either side of equalisers from Harry Kane and Ben Davies to give Leeds a 3-2 lead in the 76th minute.

But Bentancur equalised in the 81st minute and earned Tottenham a thrilling victory two minutes later as Leeds, who had Tyler Adams sent off late on, imploded in north London.

England's all-time leading goalscorer Wayne Rooney hopes Harry Kane smashes his record during the World Cup.

Kane heads to the tournament with 51 goals for the Three Lions, two behind Rooney's record hail, with the pair standing as the only England players to have hit the half-century mark.

Having scored six times in Russia four years ago to win the Golden Boot, Kane will be confident of surpassing Rooney's tally in Qatar.

While others may wish to hold onto such a record, Rooney is fully behind Kane taking a record that is "there to be broken".

"I'm delighted for him, I think he'll go on and smash the record, I think he'll end up on 70-odd goals," Ronney told TalkSPORT.

"He deserves it for the work he puts in. It's a huge honour to have the record but the record is there to be broken and I couldn't think of anyone better to take that record.

"Hopefully, he gets it during this World Cup because it will mean he's doing well for England."

Kane was one of the sure-fire picks for Gareth Southgate's 26-man squad, which was named on Thursday, though the England manager's selection of Harry Maguire has come under some criticism.

Rooney, who took up a coaching role with D.C. United in MLS earlier this year, believes Southgate has made the right choice in picking the Manchester United centre-back, though he questioned the exclusion of Milan's Fikayo Tomori.

"Harry has been great in the last two tournaments. When I was in the squad, Gareth reiterated to me that he is picking players on form and I wasn't playing, so I didn't get picked, but he seems to have gone away from that now," he added.

"There's a couple of players within the squad who haven't been playing but I think Harry is a very good professional, he'll start the games, I have no doubt, and I'm sure he won't let England down.

"The squad is probably as strong as it could be, if I'm being honest. The only one really is Tomori, from my point of view. He was the one who was pushing to be in the squad, and he will be disappointed that he is not. Everything else is really what I expected.

"With Maguire not playing as much as he wants, I think Southgate might go for the protection with three centre-backs and that is obviously why he's gone with Eric Dier ahead of Tomori, because he fits into the back three.

"I hope we go for four [at the back] and get an extra attacker on the pitch but I think he might go for the back three."

England kick-off their group stage campaign against Iran on November 21, then tackle the United States and Wales in Group B.

With little over a week to go until the World Cup begins, this weekend represents fantasy football bosses' final chance to rack up points before the festive period. 

The unprecedented timing of the tournament means uncertainty may reign when players return from Qatar, making a trusted fantasy favourite look appealing ahead of the Premier League season's 16th matchday.

With Harry Kane looking to maintain his fine run of form before jetting off to lead the line for England, can you really afford to overlook the Tottenham talisman?

For those seeking players going under the radar, meanwhile, could the improved form of two Midlands teams provide the answer?

Stats Perform is here to help, delving into the Opta numbers to identify four players to provide your fantasy team with the perfect pre-World Cup boost.

Aaron Ramsdale (Wolves v Arsenal)

Arsenal travel to Wolves looking to remain top of the Premier League for Christmas, and the division's joint-best defence (11 goals conceded, alongside Newcastle United) will be expected to shut out a Wolves side with just eight goals to their name this season.

Ramsdale – who has been included in England's squad for the World Cup – has played a key role for Mikel Arteta's side this campaign, keeping six Premier League clean sheets.

No goalkeeper has recorded more top-flight shutouts (six) than Ramsdale this season (joint with Nick Pope and Ederson), and the Gunners' shot-stopper has kept five of those clean sheets on the road.

Lucas Digne (Brighton and Hove Albion v Aston Villa)

Unai Emery made a dream return to the Premier League last week, leading Aston Villa to a 3-1 home win over Manchester United as Digne got on the scoresheet with an expertly taken free-kick.

Since the left-back made his Premier League debut in August 2018, only four players have bettered his tally of three goals from direct free-kicks in the competition – James Ward-Prowse (12), James Maddison (eight), Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kieran Trippier (both four).

During that same span, Liverpool duo Alexander-Arnold (54) and Andrew Robertson (48) are the only two defenders to better his return of 27 Premier League goal involvements.

Defenders with the ability to contribute in attack are like gold dust in fantasy football, and with Digne unlikely to cost the earth, the Villa man could represent a prudent budget pick.

Harvey Barnes (West Ham v Leicester City)

Leicester City continued their upward momentum by beating Everton 2-0 last week, with winger Barnes scoring his fifth league goal of the season to make the points safe late on.

Barnes has now hit the net three times in his last four league appearances and is averaging a goal every 200 minutes this term – his best rate across a single season in the competition.

This calendar year, meanwhile, only Kane (33), Maddison (22), Ivan Toney (21) and Bukayo Saka (19) have bettered Barnes' total of 17 Premier League goal contributions (nine goals, eight assists) among English players, and he may put out-of-sorts West Ham to the sword.

Harry Kane (Tottenham v Leeds United) 

Finally, Tottenham striker Kane is among the favourites to win the Golden Boot at the World Cup, and he should be expected to continue his strong form against Leeds United.

Kane has scored in each of his last six home appearances in the Premier League – the longest such run of his career, and only Erling Haaland (18) has bettered his tally of 11 top-flight goals this term.

The England captain has averaged a goal every 113 minutes of league action this campaign, a rate he has only improved upon in the 2016-17 (87 mins/goal) and 2017-18 (103) seasons, and Leeds look unlikely to keep him quiet after conceding 22 goals in 13 Premier League games.

Memphis Depay in unsettled at Barcelona, having only managed two league appearances this campaign.

The 28-year-old Dutchman has fallen out of favour under Xavi this term, despite scoring 13 goals last season.

Depay joined the Blaugrana in June 2021 on a two-year contract, with that deal expiring at the end of this season.

TOP STORY – SEVILLA PLOT JANUARY MOVE FOR DEPAY

Sevilla are weighing up a January swoop for Barcelona's wantaway forward Memphis Depay, claims Fichajes.

The Netherlands international has reportedly sought a way out of Camp Nou, with claims he has requested a release letter, enabling him to be signed for free in January.

New Sevilla head coach Jorge Sampaoli is not satisfied with his side's attacking options after their dismal start to the LaLiga campaign.

ROUND-UP

– Napoli forward Victor Osimhen is on Manchester United's radar as they weigh up striker options for next season, according to the Manchester Evening News. Real Madrid are also interested in the Nigerian, claims Sport.

– Benfica's Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez is also garnering interest from Manchester United, reports Record.

– Bayern Munich's hierarchy are split on the prospect of signing Tottenham forward Harry Kane, with concerns raised that he would not suit their style, claims Bild.

– Mundo Deportivo reports Newcastle United are interested in Real Betis' forward Nabil Fekir, but the Spanish club want €50million for him.

– The Evening Standard claims Arsenal are pondering allowing Marquinhos to exit on loan in January. The Brazilian forward has played once in the league this season.

Antonio Conte sympathised with his Tottenham players after they were eliminated from the EFL Cup by Nottingham Forest, citing tiredness in the run-up to the World Cup.

Despite playing 12 games since the beginning of October, Conte decided to make just four changes to the team that lost to Liverpool on Sunday, including starts for Eric Dier and Harry Kane, both ever presents this season.

The Italian blamed a lack of alternative options due to injuries as his team fell to a 2-0 loss at the City Ground thanks to goals from Renan Lodi and Jesse Lingard on Wednesday.

"The performance, I have to be honest, I think maybe tonight the energy was really poor for us" Spurs head coach Conte said.

"Don't forget that it was the 12th game in a really short period. The games that we played in the past, every game was really, really difficult and we lost a lot of mental energy and physical energy.

"I only say thanks to my players because there are players who are really tired. I have to manage the situation with [Pierre-Emile] Hojbjerg and [Rodrigo] Bentancur because they were tired.

"The same for Harry Kane. Until this morning we waited to see if he could start or not. He was the only [fit] striker so again, I can only say thanks to my players."

One positive for Spurs was that they did not go in behind at half-time, as they had done in their previous five games, but they also did not come out in the second half with much energy.

Lodi and Lingard's goals arrived in the first 12 minutes following the break, and even though Forest were reduced to 10 men when Orel Mangala was shown a second yellow card with 15 minutes remaining, Spurs could not find a response, having just two shots on target to the hosts' eight.

Debutant goalkeeper Fraser Forster made six saves to keep the score down, though Conte could at least call on the returning Richarlison from the bench, just a day after he was named in Brazil's World Cup squad.

"I have a group of players who are first men, and then good players," he added. "Another could be selfish to think to himself 'in a week I have to play the World Cup.'

"Instead, Harry Kane showed to be a really good man. Not only him though, the same for Bentancur, Perisic, and Dier is another player who has played a lot of games.

"We faced a situation that is really bad with the injuries. We arrived at the end in real difficulty. Now we have to try to rest and find energy."

The latest Liverpool revival starts here. Those mighty Reds have pulled level on points with Fulham.

Still, you have to start somewhere, and Tottenham are usually ripe for the picking when Liverpool are in town, with Eric Dier this time taking it upon himself to roll out the red carpet and wave Mohamed Salah into the spotlight.

It's nine goals in eight games now for Salah, none of them penalties, and if Liverpool collectively are still far short of where Jurgen Klopp would want them, then at least the manager need not worry about his star forward.

A 2-1 win at Tottenham came as little surprise in many regards, since it means the north London side remain winless in their last 10 Premier League games against Liverpool, drawing three of those and losing seven.

Salah was on the scoresheet the last time Liverpool lost to Tottenham in the league, getting the consolation in a 4-1 humbling at Wembley – Spurs' then temporary home – in October 2017.

That was in the early stages of his first season with Liverpool, and Salah has barely stopped scoring since, though a shaky run of games early this season raised red flags about his form.

Fresh from signing a long-term deal in the close season, and recently turning 30, Liverpool are counting on Salah to remain lethal in front of goal.

Their success under Klopp, that Tottenham can only envy, has come thanks to a host of factors, but Salah's goals have been front and centre.

He was not sure in midweek that he had been awarded Liverpool's opening goal against Napoli, with Darwin Nunez's header having been close to crossing the line before it was nudged out to Salah.

But Salah was in the right place and was given that one, and there was no doubting his claims to Liverpool's two goals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where the visitors finally picked up a first away league win of the season.

The first was another from the Nunez-Salah collection, their partnership blossoming now, with the Uruguayan finding the Egyptian with a short, smart pass in the penalty area and the finish to the bottom-right corner was exemplary.

Desperate defending from Dier presented Salah with the chance to double Liverpool's lead, with the England international looking to nod Alisson's long kick back to Hugo Lloris but getting it all wrong.

Salah's footwork, running at pace onto the loose ball, was magnificent, and the chipped finish over the France goalkeeper was immaculate.

But what of Dier? Can he be trusted to avoid such blunders by Gareth Southgate at the World Cup? That is a third error leading to a shot committed by Dier in all competitions this season. Only one player from Europe's top leagues has had more: Liverpool's Joe Gomez (4).

Two of those mistakes from Dier have led to goals, and only one Premier League player has made as many errors already in 2022-23 that have proved quite so costly. The trouble for Spurs is that player is Lloris, also with two goal-costing errors.

This was the first time Tottenham had hosted Liverpool while above them in the table since that October 2017 win, and you have to wonder how long Spurs will stay ahead of Sunday's visitors.

They remain fourth for now, seven points adrift of a Liverpool side who have a game in hand on them, and they got what proved to be a classy consolation when Harry Kane rifled home a smart finish from substitute Dejan Kulusevski's pass in the 70th minute.

Kane spoke after the game of there being "tension" in the stands, and admitted Tottenham had been "punished" by Liverpool before building any momentum. The hosts hit the goal frame twice through Ivan Perisic, but Salah also had a glorious second-half chance, squandering the opportunity to seal a hat-trick when he fired straight at Lloris from a handy central position.

He has seven goals in 12 Premier League appearances against Spurs now, but it probably should have been eight.

Antonio Conte's Tottenham team selection had looked conservative, with injuries biting but attacking ambition seemingly in short supply. Kulusevski proved a threat on his return from injury, ripe to be used regularly in the coming weeks if there was not the inconvenience of a World Cup on the near horizon.

Kane's fine goal would have cheered Southgate, while Dier's clumsy error does him no favours ahead of the Qatar 2022 squad selection.

Kane became the first player to score in six consecutive home games for Spurs in the Premier League, but he was fighting a lone battle at times. Like Salah, Kane's class remains unquestionable.

Yet a Tottenham side who have lost three of their last four in the league are in need of a revival. Liverpool's wins over Napoli and now Spurs suggest Klopp's team might be in the early throes of one, but then you remember they lost to Leeds United at Anfield barely a week ago.

After the World Cup, these two sides must resolve their personality crises. More fits, starts and false dawns will mean the mid-table likes of Fulham might not be so easily shaken off.

Harry Kane bemoaned the "story of our season" after Tottenham suffered defeat to Liverpool following another slow start.

Liverpool ran out 2-1 winners at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium having taken a two-goal lead in at half-time, the third Premier League game in a row in which Spurs have been trailing at the break, and the fourth in a row where they have been 2-0 down at some stage.

Mohamed Salah's first-half brace was enough for Jurgen Klopp's men despite Kane's goal in 70th minute, and the Spurs striker was not happy with his team giving themselves another mountain to climb.

"It's been the story of our season so far, for sure," Kane told Sky Sports after the game. "We haven't been playing well enough in first halves and got punished.

"It was a fairly tight game for the first 20 minutes, they obviously got their goal... then the mistake [from Eric Dier] for the second goal has really hurt us in a big game."

Spurs were booed off by their own fans at half-time, and Kane insisted it was up to the players to not allow themselves to be affected.

"There's moments where there's tension around the stadium when someone maybe gives the ball away," he said. "But to be a big team and big players you have to be able to handle that and not let it affect you for the rest of the game.

"Our home support has been incredible, you saw them in the second half there really pushing us on. Of course there's going to be times when people make mistakes and I think that's the time people need to be behind us, but you have to be able to handle that as a player."

Kane became the first Spurs player to score in six consecutive home appearances in the Premier League. Only Erling Haaland (13) has scored more goals in home games than Kane (six) in the competition this season.

The England captain was largely tasked with leading the attack on Sunday in the absence of injured pair Richarlison and Son Heung-min, though Dejan Kulusevski returned from his own lay-off to come on in the 68th minute, providing the assist for Kane just moments later.

"We've got players playing in different positions, we've been unfortunate with injuries in the attacking part of our team," Kane added. "But it was great to see Dejan back for 30 minutes, he's been a fantastic player for us.

"Whoever plays we still feel like we can create chances and we did that second half... big moments in big games are what makes the difference and we didn't do well enough on those today."

The World Cup break may be just around the corner, but there remains plenty of life in the Premier League campaign, as another action-packed Sunday showed.

The day was book-ended by two heavyweight clashes, with Mikel Arteta's Arsenal moving back to the top of the table by beating Chelsea in a tense London derby in the early kick-off.

Later on, Liverpool finally clinched their first away win of the Premier League campaign as Mohamed Salah tormented Tottenham.

Elsewhere, Unai Emery made a memorable start to his Aston Villa reign and Newcastle United went third by tearing Southampton apart on the south coast.

Here, Stats Perform looks through the best facts of the day.

Tottenham 1-2 Liverpool: Salah ends Red's dismal away run

Liverpool had failed to win an away Premier League game this season (D2 L3), and needed a result as the prospect of slipping 13 points behind Spurs loomed.

Jurgen Klopp's side may have struggled, but Salah's recent form has been imperious, and he handed the visitors a strong start by drilling home an 11th-minute opener.

Salah then capitalised on Eric Dier's error to double Liverpool's lead, and he has now contributed to 19 goals in 20 games for Liverpool this season (14 goals, five assists). Only last season (28) has the Egyptian recorded more goal involvements in his first 20 appearances of a campaign for the Reds.

Meanwhile, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the 24th different away venue Salah has scored at for Liverpool in the Premier League – only Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen (both 25) have bettered that tally for the Reds.

Harry Kane ensured a nervy finish when he became the first Spurs player to score in six consecutive home Premier League appearances after the break, but Liverpool held firm to claim a huge win. 

Chelsea 0-1 Arsenal: Gabriel earns Gunners another statement win

Sunday's first game saw Arsenal return to the summit with a 1-0 victory against Chelsea, becoming the first team to win 10 away games against the Blues in the competition, and just the second to win on three successive trips to Stamford Bridge (after Blackburn Rovers from 1993-94 to 1995-96).

Gabriel Magalhaes got a touch on Bukayo Saka's corner to decide a hard-fought game – all nine of his league goals for Arsenal have come from corners, and no Premier League player has scored more goals from such situations since he arrived in the division in 2020.

Chelsea looked disjointed throughout, managing just five shots as they slipped to back-to-back Premier League defeats for the first time since December 2020 (under Frank Lampard).

Arsenal, however, look like the real deal. Having beaten Tottenham and Liverpool last month, the Gunners have won three consecutive league games against 'big six' opponents for the first time since April 2012. 

It was a miserable reunion with his former side for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who had just eight touches before being taken off by Graham Potter just after the hour.

Aston Villa 3-1 Manchester United: Emery makes flying start

At Villa Park, all eyes were on Emery as the Spaniard made his Premier League return just under three years after being sacked by Arsenal, and he could hardly have wished for a better start.

Leon Bailey and Lucas Digne put Villa 2-0 up within 11 minutes – the earliest point at which United have trailed by two goals in a Premier League game since October 2018 against Newcastle (10th minute).

Jacob Ramsey's own goal dragged United back into contention before he atoned by making the points safe for Villa, ensuring Emery became just the fourth coach to win his first Premier League game in charge of a team when facing the Red Devils.

On an eventful day for Ramsey, he became the fourth player in Premier League history to record a goal, an assist and an own goal in the same game, after Kevin Davies, Wayne Rooney and Gareth Bale.

United have now lost nine away league games in 2022 – their most in a calendar year since 1989 (12).

Southampton 1-4 Newcastle United: Miggy on the mark again as Magpies cruise

Eddie Howe's Newcastle have arguably been the story of the Premier League season to date, and they continued their stunning form by thrashing Southampton 4-1 at St Mary's.

Newcastle have now scored four or more goals four times in their last seven Premier League games, as often as they did in their previous 226 outings in the competition.

Miguel Almiron opened the scoring, becoming the eighth different player to net in four consecutive Premier League matches for Newcastle, and only the second non-Englishman to do so after Papiss Cisse.

Chris Wood and Joe Willock also got on the scoresheet before Bruno Guimaraes bent a 25-yard effort into the bottom-right corner, scoring his eighth goal in 28 league games for the Magpies, having netted just three times in 56 Ligue 1 outings for former club Lyon.

The result piled more pressure on Ralph Hasenhuttl, with Southampton now winless in their last 14 Premier League games against teams starting the day inside the top four (D5 L9).

Dominic Calvert-Lewin's slim hopes of making England's World Cup squad may be at an end after he went down injured for Everton on Saturday.

Calvert-Lewin went to Euro 2020 as Harry Kane's back-up, having scored a career-high 16 Premier League goals in the prior season.

But the Everton forward appeared for a mere combined 17 minutes across two substitute appearances at the finals and has scarcely been fit since.

Calvert-Lewin was restricted to 15 league starts last season, scoring five goals, while Saturday's match against Leicester City saw him included in the XI for only the fourth time this term.

A sole goal against Crystal Palace meant Calvert-Lewin always faced an uphill struggle to reclaim his place in the England set-up.

His last international cap came at the Euros, since when Tammy Abraham and Ivan Toney have been included in Three Lions squads, while Callum Wilson – another oft-injured striker – is fit and in form.

Another Calvert-Lewin setback on Saturday may represent the final straw, with the striker going down in the second half at Goodison Park and quickly being replaced by Neal Maupay.

Gareth Southgate is set to name his final 26-man England squad for the World Cup next week, having kept his provisional 55-man group private.

It is reported Wilson – seemingly the favourite to serve as Kane's understudy – was included in that initial selection.

Jurgen Klopp believes it is unfair to expect players to engage in political protests at the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

The decision to host the tournament in Qatar – where male homosexuality is illegal – has long been criticised due to concerns about the country's human rights record.

England's Harry Kane will be among eight European captains to wear a distinctive heart-adorned armband at the tournament, in order to raise awareness of the OneLove campaign against discrimination.

Meanwhile, tennis great Billie Jean King has called on players to act as "influencers" in Qatar, but Klopp believes handing down that level of responsibility is unjust.

"I understand 100 per cent that we talk about it," Liverpool manager Klopp told Sky News after receiving the Freedom of the City on Wednesday. 

"But it's not fair to talk now to the players and give responsibility to them, because it's more than 10 years ago that other people decided [to host the World Cup in Qatar], and we all accepted the decision.

"I watched documentaries recently about the election of Russia [in 2018] and Qatar, so it's not about this generation of players to say now that 'we don't go' or 'we don't do that'.

"These are the players. The tournament is in Qatar. The players go there and play the game. 

"The decision was made by other people and if you want to criticise anybody, then criticise the people who made the decision. Not the sport, not the competition and for sure, not the players. 

"It's not fair that we expect from them that they go there and make big political statements or whatever. It's just not fair."

Klopp did offer his support when asked about the OneLove campaign, but reiterated his belief players should not be expected to protest the initial decision to stage the tournament in Qatar.

He said: "That's absolutely fine, but what I don't like is that we expect them [the players] to do something. They go there to play football. The big tournament was organised and planned by other people."

Last week, Australia's players launched a campaign to highlight World Cup host Qatar’s human rights record.