Dani Alves will become Brazil's oldest World Cup star after earning a recall for Qatar 2022, while Roberto Firmino has missed out on Tite's final squad, with Gabriel Martinelli preferred.

Alves is now 39 and made his international debut in 2006, but he is heading to his third World Cup this year.

The former Barcelona right-back will make Selecao history, with Djalma Santos – 37 at the 1966 World Cup – previously their oldest player at a finals.

Alves is not necessarily a hugely popular choice, but Tite responded to the veteran's critics.

"I didn't come here to please people on Twitter, which I don't even know what percentage of the Brazilian people represents," the coach said.

"I respect differing opinions and I'm not here to convince everyone. I just want to give information so that people democratically form their own opinion.

"Now, everyone has their opinion and everyone has my respect."

Alves' inclusion was the standout news from Tite's squad announcement on Monday, although the coach also had a big call to make in attack.

Arsenal pair Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus each made the cut, but Liverpool's Firmino did not due to the wealth of alternative options at Tite's disposal.

Firmino does not return after being named in the Brazil squad at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, although nine members of that group are included again.

Alisson and Ederson remain among the goalkeepers, while defenders Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Danilo all return.

Manchester United pair Fred and Casemiro are unsurprising choices in midfield, as Neymar again joins Jesus up front amid a sensational season with Paris Saint-Germain.

Brazil World Cup squad in full:

Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Manchester City), Weverton (Palmeiras); Alex Sandro (Juventus), Alex Telles (Sevilla), Bremer (Juventus), Dani Alves (UNAM), Danilo (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Thiago Silva (Chelsea); Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United), Casemiro (Manchester United), Everton Ribeiro (Flamengo), Fabinho (Liverpool), Fred (Manchester United), Lucas Paqueta (West Ham); Antony (Manchester United), Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain), Pedro (Flamengo), Raphinha (Barcelona), Richarlison (Tottenham), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid).

Jurgen Klopp said Liverpool's defeat at Nottingham Forest was inexplicable as he condemned the finishing by his players at the City Ground.

After back-to-back 1-0 wins over Manchester City and West Ham in the Premier League, Liverpool went down by the same scoreline on Saturday, with former Anfield reserve Taiwo Awoniyi getting the only goal.

Klopp pointed the finger of blame at Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk for spurning great chances, as the Merseyside club lost to a team who began the day at the foot of the table.

A third league loss in their opening 11 games was a jolt for a Liverpool team who had been looking to close an early-season gap to the top four.

"The performance I can kind of explain, the result not," Klopp told BT Sport. "I never saw a game where one team has four or five no-brainers from a set-piece, where we have to finish it off.

"The way they defend, we were perfectly prepared for that. We had always a free player: Bobby in the first half, Virgil two or three times – they have to put the game to bed."

Forest's goal also came from a free-kick, with Awoniyi firing in from close range after Liverpool gave away the set-piece near the halfway line, described as "a big mistake" from his players by Klopp.

"Apart from that, all the chances they had we gave them, because we kept playing the wrong passes in the centre," Klopp said.

"Result-wise, we should have showed consistency today. Result-wise, we could have had it by finishing the situations off."

Regarding Forest, Klopp was frugal in his appreciation, saying: "Giving a team six clear-cut chances after a set-piece, I am not sure where I should put the praise on.

"They're a great team and Steve [Cooper] is a fantastic manager, but for us we had to win here. We didn't, so credit to him and Nottingham.

"In the situations, it was us against the goalie or us against ourselves, and not us against Nottingham Forest, because nobody defended Bobby in these moments and nobody defended Virgil in these moments.

"They were just free, but we didn't use it, so if we used all of them you would be asking a different question."

Match-winner Awonyi revelled in giving Forest a second league win of the campaign.

He said: "I think it's a good game for my team. We had a plan to play compact and at the end to find a way to get a goal. At the end we won and I'm very happy about it.

"I'm honoured to get a game against Liverpool because they brought me to football. They signed me when I was 18. It was an emotional game for me. As a team we stick together as our own family, and we have to thank the fans. We just have to keep on going."

Man of the match Ryan Yates, a key figure in Forest's midfield, said: "It's what we needed. We've been putting in good performances in recent weeks and not been getting the results we wanted, but we thoroughly deserved that today.

"It's got to be [a turning point]. We've got to build on this. If we can beat Liverpool, we can beat anyone."

Roberto Firmino was not supposed to be Liverpool's go-to man this season. If widespread reports were anything to go by, Firmino himself did not even envisage himself being at Anfield this campaign.

And yet here we are, midway through October, and no Liverpool player – not even the £350,000-a-week Mohamed Salah, despite his record-breaking six-minute hat-trick against Rangers – has played a part in more goals in all competitions this season than Firmino's eight.

Far from being the odd man out following the arrivals of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez this year, Firmino has regularly stepped up for the Reds this season and is surely in contention to start Sunday's Premier League showdown against Manchester City.

Liverpool quite simply have to win at Anfield, where Firmino will come face-to-face with Europe's hottest striker in Erling Haaland, a player boasting 20 goals – six more than anyone else in Europe's top-five leagues – from his 13 appearances for City and feeling refreshed after a midweek rest. 

Ahead of the meeting between the Premier League's two most dominant forces over the past four seasons, Stats Perform looks at Firmino's figures in more detail and just why he may hold the key to Liverpool getting the better of the champions.

KLOPP'S FAITH PAYS OFF

Amid all the noise surrounding Firmino's future heading into the 2022-23 campaign, with Juventus said to be in advanced talks to sign him, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp branded the forward "the heart and soul" of the team.

No wonder the German thinks so highly of the 31-year-old, with no Liverpool player playing more games (332), featuring for more minutes (23,899) or registering more assists (70) during Klopp's seven years in charge.

The arrivals of Diaz and Nunez, plus the impressive form of Diogo Jota, looked as though it would curtail Firmino's playing time, but he started three of Liverpool's opening four matches of the campaign, including the Community Shield win over City.

Firmino failed to register a single goal or assist in any of those matches, yet he retained the faith of Klopp – albeit helped by Jota being injured and Nunez suspended – and truly kick-started his campaign in the 9-0 thrashing of Bournemouth at the end of August.

In that game, a joint-record winning margin for a side in Premier League history, Firmino became the first Liverpool player to be directly involved in four goals in the first half of a match in the competition en route to scoring two and assisting three. If a reminder was needed of Firmino's qualities, this was very much it.

An important equaliser followed in Liverpool's next match, a late 2-1 win over Newcastle United; two goals to drag Liverpool back from two goals down in a 3-3 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion; another equaliser, this time in defeat to Arsenal; and then another two-goal and an assist showing in the 7-1 midweek Champions League rout of Rangers.

Those 12 goals and assists in all competitions is level with Salah's tally for the season, and double that of next-best Diaz, who has started three games more than the Brazil international. Per minute, no Liverpool player is performing better this season in an attacking sense.

FIRMINO THE FOCAL POINT

Perhaps most remarkable of all as focus turns to Liverpool's meeting with City, Firmino is only one goal short of Haaland's tally for October (five goals compared to six). Across clubs from Europe's top-five leagues, when taking all competitions into account, Monaco's Wissam Ben Yedder is the only other player with five or more goals this month.

Firmino's five goals have come from an expected goals (xG) value of 1.43, incidentally, compared to six from an xG of 3.03 for Haaland – a difference of 3.57 and 2.97 respectively, suggesting the quality of Firmino's chances have been lower than those teed up for Haaland.

That is not to say Firmino is in the same league as Haaland right now – who is? – but on a personal level this is by some way his best start to a campaign for Liverpool. His eight goals after 11 games is at least two more than he has managed in his previous seven seasons at Anfield, while only in 2019-20 has he had more assists than his four this term.

But exactly why is that? Playing against a Bournemouth side unable to defend any balls into the box has admittedly skewed the figures somewhat, though it is clear to see that Firmino's game has also changed this season compared to last.

Just under 11 per cent of his touches of the ball in the Premier League this season have come within the width of the goal inside the penalty area, which is an increase on a figure of six per cent last time out. It was further back last season, and more towards the right, that he more occasionally touched the ball.

Indeed, all eight of his goals this season have come from that central zone inside the box – one via his head, three with his left foot and four with his right. 

Another interesting aspect of Firmino's game this season has been his movement, or more specifically his off-the-ball runs into the penalty area. He has made 89 of them in the Premier League in his 468 minutes on the field, which is the most per 90 minutes (17.1) of any player, followed by Haaland (14.1).

That may well be a tactic Liverpool will aim to take full advantage of against City, a side in which Firmino has scored or assisted against seven times in 14 top-flight appearances – only versus Arsenal (13 combined) does he have a better record against among top-five clubs.

So while plenty of the build-up to Sunday's showdown will – justifiably – be centred around Haaland and his remarkable scoring run, Liverpool will have born-again Bobby to call upon in a game they simply must win if they are to keep alive any hopes of challenging for the title.

Jurgen Klopp hailed a "special" performance from record-breaking Mohamed Salah as Liverpool roared to a sensational 7-1 Champions League win over Rangers on Wednesday.

Salah came off the substitutes' bench to fire home a hat-trick in just six minutes and 12 seconds – the fastest ever in Champions League history.

A Roberto Firmino brace and a fine strike from Darwin Nunez had earlier overturned Scott Arfield's opener for Rangers, while Harvey Elliott added a seventh after Salah's quick-fire treble.

The win means Liverpool need just a point from their final two Group A games against Ajax and Napoli to qualify for the knockout stages, and Klopp was delighted with his side's display.

"We had a really positive half-time talk. We wanted more in the second half. Clearly, it worked out," he told BT Sport.

"It was special, particularly Mo. It was very important how we adapted to the positions, to the line-up. Everyone who started tonight played really well. Fabio [Carvalho] and Harvey, really good.

"It's the best we could have asked for. I'm really pleased.

"I really think the first half prepared the second half. When we are on it, we can be a really good football team. We built on the good things from the first half, we kept them moving and obviously they had to change the centre-half.

"The goals we scored were exceptional. It's a night where things worked out for us. It changes the mood definitely, and that's good.

"We all know who is coming on Sunday [Manchester City]. That will be different, but it's better to go in with the feeling from tonight."

Rangers, meanwhile, were left to a rue a fourth consecutive defeat in this season's competition.

They sit rock bottom of Group A, three points adrift of Ajax, with boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst left to lament his side's inability to stem the Liverpool tide in the second half. 

"It was a very disappointing result. We played well first half and were in the game," he said.

"The second goal, we know their strength. When you lose the ball in the middle of the pitch they are so fast on transition. We got caught a couple of times.

"We conceded too many easy goals. It went pretty quickly after that. We tried to push, but after the 3-1 you could see we were struggling. They upped the tempo and we weren't accurate in our passing."

Mohamed Salah scored the quickest hat-trick in Champions League history as Liverpool thumped Rangers 7-1 to put one foot in the last 16.

It started badly for Jurgen Klopp's side at Ibrox when Scott Arfield scored his first Champions League goal with a crisp finish past Alisson from outside the penalty area.

Liverpool pulled level soon after, though, when Firmino headed home a corner from close range, before the Brazilian and Darwin Nunez put the Reds 3-1 up. 

That set the stage for Salah to come off the substitutes' bench and complete a hat-trick in just six minutes and 12 seconds to leave Liverpool, who added a seventh late on through Harvey Elliott, needing just a point from their final two games against Ajax and Napoli to progress to the knockout stages.

Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League as Bukayo Saka's 76th-minute penalty sealed a pulsating 3-2 win over Liverpool on Sunday.

Mikel Arteta's side were usurped at the summit by Manchester City on Saturday, but an eighth win in nine top-flight games this season helped them reclaim top spot.

The Gunners went ahead after just 58 seconds when Gabriel Martinelli stole in behind Trent Alexander-Arnold to clip past Alisson, although Liverpool drew level 11 minutes before half-time through Darwin Nunez.

Saka restored Arsenal's lead just before the break and the England international slotted home from the spot after Roberto Firmino had drawn Jurgen Klopp's side level for a second time early in the second half.

Arsenal went ahead within a minute of kick-off as Martinelli slotted past Alisson for his fourth league goal of the season after being slipped in by Martin Odegaard's sumptuous pass.

Ramsdale denied Nunez shortly after the midway point of the first half, but there was little the Arsenal goalkeeper could do to stop the Uruguayan pulling Liverpool level in the 34th minute as he prodded home Luis Diaz’s right-wing cross from close range.

Arsenal restored their advantage deep into first-half stoppage time, though, when Saka stole in at the back post to divert Martinelli's cross home.

Liverpool again pegged their hosts back eight minutes after the interval when Firmino, who replaced the injured Diaz in the first half, latched onto Diogo Jota's pass and fired across Ramsdale into the bottom-right corner. 

Arsenal went ahead for the third – and final – time in the 75th minute courtesy of Saka's successful spot-kick after Gabriel Jesus had been fouled by Thiago Alcantara.

What does it mean? Young guns keep marching on

If some had doubts this young Arsenal side were the real deal then consecutive Premier League wins over Tottenham and Liverpool might have dispelled them.

This latest triumph lifted the Gunners a point ahead of City at the top of the table, while Liverpool remain in 10th after just two wins in eight top-flight games this season.

Superb Saka

Saka has enjoyed a stunning start to the season and his double here saw him become the second-youngest player to reach 20 Premier League goals for Arsenal at the age of 21 years and 34 days, after Nicolas Anelka (20y 41d).

Quickfire Martinelli

Martinelli's goal after 58 seconds was Arsenal's quickest in a Premier League home game since October 2011 when Robin van Persie scored after 29 seconds against Sunderland. It was also the quickest goal that Arsenal have ever scored against Liverpool in the Premier League.

What's next?

Liverpool are away to Rangers in the Champions League on Wednesday, while Arsenal visit Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League a day later.

Sandwiched between two rounds of European fixtures, this weekend's Fantasy Football selections will be giving managers one serious headache.

The Premier League big boys look set to continue rotating their squads during a gruelling period, leaving plenty of guesswork for those of us on the outside.

That is not to mention a growing list of injuries and suspensions, which could force many to opt for their wildcard at this still-early stage of the campaign.

But fear not as, with the help of Opta data, Stats Perform has picked out four names we not only expect to start this weekend but also accrue some valuable points.

Emiliano Martinez (Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa)

Aston Villa's form has improved of late with two draws, including against Manchester City, and a victory in their past three league outings.

A large part of that has been down to becoming more stable at the back, with goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez helping his side to back-to-back clean sheets.

After keeping out Southampton and Leeds United, albeit with just two shots on target faced, he is seeking a third successive Premier League shutout for the first time since March.

Conor Coady (Everton v Manchester United)

Everton have looked to improve at the back this season and boast the best defensive record at this stage, having conceded seven goals across their opening eight matches.

Their new-found defensive resilience has coincided with the arrival of Conor Coady on loan from Wolves.

Coady was also on target in the win over Southampton last week, making him the fifth Premier League defender this term to score, assist and register a clean sheet.

James Maddison (Bournemouth v Leicester City)

Leicester City midfielder James Maddison caught the eye again with his double in the 4-0 win against Nottingham Forest, strengthening calls for him to be part of England's World Cup squad.

Maddison has been involved in 40 goals (25 goals, 15 assists) since the start of the 2020-21 campaign, a tally only Kevin De Bruyne (50) and Bruno Fernandes (48) can better.

He has five goals and two assists this season, accounting for 50 per cent of Leicester's goals – only Wolves winger Daniel Podence (67) and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland (59) have been involved in more of their side's goals.

Roberto Firmino (Arsenal v Liverpool)

In what has been a difficult campaign to date for Liverpool, the form of Roberto Firmino – who many predicted to depart Anfield – has been particularly surprising.

Not only has Firmino been Liverpool's best attacker with five goals and three assists, only Haaland (17) and De Bruyne (nine) have been involved in more in the division.

The Brazil international will look to continue that form on Sunday as he has scored more league goals (nine) and been involved in more (12) against Arsenal than any other side.

Gabriel Jesus is setting the standard that is driving Arsenal's early-season charge at the top of the Premier League, and he came up trumps in his first north London derby.

Arsenal's win over Tottenham came in Saturday's early game and was followed by plenty of drama later, as Liverpool were held by Brighton and Hove Albion in a rip-roaring match at Anfield featuring a Leandro Trossard hat-trick.

Newcastle United earned a second win of the season, brushing off Fulham at Craven Cottage, while Graham Potter's Chelsea had substitute Conor Gallagher to thank for their late winner at Crystal Palace.

With goals and drama in abundance, here Stats Perform unpacks the pick of the data.

Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham: Ton up for Kane, but it's Partey time for Arsenal after derby win

Harry Kane became the first Premier League player to reach 100 away goals in the competition, but that was scant consolation for Tottenham after this derby defeat.

Arsenal were able to celebrate a third successive home league win over Spurs – the first time that has happened since 2013 – and they are unbeaten at home in this fixture for 12 games now (W8 D4).

It was a win to savour for Arsenal, with Thomas Partey's opening goal rounding off a 21-pass move, going down as the Gunner's sixth goal since December 26, 2019 to have come from a sequence of 20 or more passes. Only Liverpool and Manchester City have had more in that time. 

Jesus restored the Gunners' lead after Kane's penalty brought Spurs level, with Arsenal's close-season signing from City having managed five goals and three assists already in the Premier League. Only Erling Haaland (12) has had more goal involvements in the early weeks of this season.

It fell to Granit Xhaka to put the seal on the win, after Emerson Royal was sent off. The Arsenal midfielder grabbed his second Premier League goal of the season, with this the first campaign where he has managed more than one league strike since he netted four times in the 2018-19 season.

Liverpool 3-3 Brighton and Hove Albion: Trossard heroics stun Reds

Leandro Trossard became just the third opposing player to score a Premier League hat-trick at Anfield, joining former Coventry City winger Peter Ndlovu and ex-Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin in that curious club. Arshavin famously hit four in a 4-4 draw in April 2009, the highest-scoring Premier League draw at Liverpool's home ground.

Saturday's feat meant Belgium international Trossard became the first Brighton player to score a Premier League hat-trick, and it left Liverpool four points behind the Seagulls after seven games each, with this game quite the baptism for new boss Roberto De Zerbi.

Liverpool have just two wins from seven games, and they were thankful for Roberto Firmino's sharp finishing as he scored twice, taking his tally for the season to five Premier League goals, all coming at Anfield. He scored five across the 2021-22 season, all away from home.

Mohamed Salah remains stuck on two goals in this campaign but he marked his 200th Premier League appearance with a 50th assist when he set up Firmino to trim Brighton's lead to 2-1 in the first half. Salah becomes just the third African player to reach 50 assists in the competition, after Didier Drogba (55) and Riyad Mahrez (51).

Crystal Palace 1-2 Chelsea: Gallagher returns to rock Eagles

Conor Gallagher came off the bench to deliver a 90th-minute knockout blow with Chelsea's winner against the side they loaned him to last season.

It meant Crystal Palace's losing run against Chelsea extended to 10 Premier League matches, and also boosted the Blues' record to nine wins in their last 10 away London derbies against all teams.

New Chelsea boss Graham Potter watched on in his first Premier League game since joining from Brighton, and he saw former Barcelona and Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang mark his league debut for the visitors with a first-half equaliser. Aubameyang also scored in his first game for Arsenal (against Everton in February 2018).

Odsonne Edouard's opener in the seventh minute was the earliest goal Chelsea have conceded in a Premier League away game since January 2021, when Wilfred Ndidi scored for Leicester City in the sixth minute.

Fulham 1-4 Newcastle United: Magpies take flight thanks to Almiron's capital double

Miguel Almiron had been Newcastle's home boy of late, with his last seven Premier League goals coming at St James' Park, so Saturday's double at Craven Cottage bucked a trend.

A fine volley followed by a close-range finish from the Paraguayan helped Newcastle to their joint-biggest victory under Eddie Howe in the Premier League (also 3-0 vs Norwich City in April), and a biggest league win in London since beating Fulham 4-0 in May 2019.

Almiron last scored away from home in the Premier League in another 4-1 win for Newcastle – against Howe's Bournemouth in July 2020.

Fulham were hindered by a red card for Nathaniel Chalobah after seven minutes and 26 seconds, the earliest a player has been sent off for the club in the Premier League since Ian Pearce against Palace in October 2004 (sixth minute).

Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi reflected on a "crazy game" after seeing his team draw 3-3 with Liverpool in his first Premier League match in charge.

De Zerbi replaced Graham Potter after the latter joined Chelsea last month and a Leandro Trossard hat-trick ensured Brighton left Anfield with a deserved point.

His side could have gone home with all three, with Alisson on hand to deny Trossard and Danny Welbeck further punishing a ramshackle Liverpool defence.

Trossard's third strike ultimately only proved enough to snatch a draw after Roberto Firmino's double and Adam Webster's own goal cancelled out the Belgium international's early brace, and De Zerbi was full of pride at his team's display.

De Zerbi told BBC Sport: "A crazy game. I am happy and proud for my players and my club.

"There was a possibility to win the game but Liverpool is a fantastic team. I knew before the game it could be difficult and it was very difficult.

"Of course, the point for us is really important because Liverpool at the end of the day are Liverpool but we had a lot of chances to score the goals and if we had won the game I wouldn't have felt like we had stolen anything here.

"In that moment, I didn't think we had to win the game. It is 90 minutes plus additional time at Anfield."

Brighton had only six shots, though all of them were on target. Despite the overall performance and a positive result, De Zerbi sees room for improvement.

"We have to learn how to improve with the ball possession and to increase our ball speed and it is up to us to decide it," the former Sassuolo boss added.

"It is really hard to control the game in the Premier League - only Manchester City is doing that. Our target is to start to control much more of the game."

Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi reflected on a "crazy game" after seeing his team draw 3-3 with Liverpool in his first Premier League match in charge.

De Zerbi replaced Graham Potter after the latter joined Chelsea last month and a Leandro Trossard hat-trick ensured Brighton left Anfield with a deserved point.

His side could have gone home with all three, with Alisson on hand to deny Trossard and Danny Welbeck further punishing a ramshackle Liverpool defence.

Trossard's third strike ultimately only proved enough to snatch a draw after Roberto Firmino's double and Adam Webster's own goal cancelled out the Belgium international's early brace, and De Zerbi was full of pride at his team's display.

De Zerbi told BBC Sport: "A crazy game. I am happy and proud for my players and my club.

"There was a possibility to win the game but Liverpool is a fantastic team. I knew before the game it could be difficult and it was very difficult.

"Of course, the point for us is really important because Liverpool at the end of the day are Liverpool but we had a lot of chances to score the goals and if we had won the game I wouldn't have felt like we had stolen anything here.

"In that moment, I didn't think we had to win the game. It is 90 minutes plus additional time at Anfield."

Brighton had only six shots, though all of them were on target. Despite the overall performance and a positive result, De Zerbi sees room for improvement.

"We have to learn how to improve with the ball possession and to increase our ball speed and it is up to us to decide it," the former Sassuolo boss added.

"It is really hard to control the game in the Premier League - only Manchester City is doing that. Our target is to start to control much more of the game."

Harry Kane remains at the centre of significant transfer speculation after the Tottenham striker failed to secure a move to Manchester City last year.

The England star appears more settled under Antonio Conte but has been linked with Bayern Munich recently.

Kane has started this Premier League campaign strongly, netting six goals in seven appearances.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA PLOTTING KANE-LUKAKU SWAP

New Chelsea boss Graham Potter wants to bring Harry Kane across town from Tottenham, claims Calciomercato.

The Blues boss is ready to offer Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, currently on loan at Inter, as part of an exchange for Kane. The England forward's contract at Tottenham expires in 2024.

Chelsea are at the start of a new era after Potter replaced Thomas Tuchel, while they are set to appoint Salzburg's Christoph Freund as their new sporting director.

ROUND-UP

– Fichajes reports Atletico Madrid are desperate to add a versatile attacker to their squad next year, with Manchester United's Marcus Rashford, Brighton and Hove Albion's Leandro Trossard and Liverpool's Roberto Firmino on top of their wish list.

– Calciomercato claims Liverpool are considering a move for Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk. Newcastle United, Sevilla, Bayer Leverkusen and Ajax are also tracking the Ukrainian, according to CBS' Ben Jacobs. TalkSPORT reports that the Reds are also keeping an eye on Flamengo midfielder Joao Gomes .

– Manchester City are interested in a big-money move for Milan winger Rafael Leao next year, according to the Manchester Evening News.

– Football Insider reports West Ham have informed Manuel Lanzini he is free to leave the club in January.

– Former Italy international Fabio Cannavaro is close to a return to management with talks to take over at Serie B club Benevento progressing well, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Liverpool equalled the Premier League record for the biggest win after putting Bournemouth to the sword with a 9-0 victory at Anfield – becoming only the fourth side to score nine goals in a game in the competition after Manchester United, Leicester City and Tottenham.

Striker Roberto Firmino opened his account for the season with a brace to hit a landmark 100 goals for Liverpool, while elsewhere in England's north west Manchester City won a Premier League game after being 2-0 behind at the break for the first time, beating Crystal Palace 3-2.

Manchester United secured a second win in a week with a 1-0 win against Southampton, ending a run of seven-consecutive away defeats in the Premier League, and 10-man Chelsea beat Leicester City 2-1 – which saw back-to-back dismissals for the Blues, the first time since under Jose Mourinho in 2014.

Elsewhere, Brighton maintained their fine start to the season with a 1-0 win against Leeds United, Brentford held Everton to a 1-1 draw and Arsenal came from behind to beat Fulham 2-1.

Stats Perform has taken a dive into Opta's data pool to present a number-led review on the best of the day's Premier League action.

Liverpool 9-0 Bournemouth: Reds run riot to equal Premier League record

Jurgen Klopp's men saw plenty of records fall their way as they picked up a first Premier League victory of the season at the fourth time of asking, equalling a club record for their biggest margin of league victory – when beating Crystal Palace 9-0 in 1989 and Rotherham Town 10-1 in 1896.

A first-half blitz saw the Reds score five in the first half of a Premier League game for the first time, while it was the first occasion they had scored five in the first half of a top-flight match since October 1927 against Portsmouth.

Firmino was undoubtedly the star of the show, becoming the first Liverpool player to be directly involved in four goals in the first half of a single Premier League match (one goal, three assists), and a second goal after the break saw the Brazilian become just the third Liverpool player to have a hand in five goals in a single Premier League match after Mohamed Salah against Watford in March 2018 and Luis Suarez versus Norwich in December 2013.

It was also a day for the next generation, with goals from Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho, both 19, seeing Liverpool have two different teenagers score in the same Premier League game for the first time in their history.

For Bournemouth, the loss hands Scott Parker's side an unwanted record having conceded 16 goals in the first four games in the Premier League, more than any other side, while their aggregate score against Liverpool in the past seven Premier League matches stands at 28-1 against.

Manchester City 4-2 Crystal Palace: Haaland hits hat-trick as champions break tradition

Falling 2-0 down in the first half, it appeared City were set for another surprising home defeat to Crystal Palace, but a valiant response after the break saw Pep Guardiola's side break tradition – coming back from a two-goal deficit at the break to win a Premier League match for the first time ever, having drawn two and lost 51 of the previous 53 occasions.

Performances will be concerning, however, with City falling two goals behind in four of their past six Premier League matches, as many as in their previous 84 matches combined.

Both goals came after 21 minutes, marking the earliest City have been two behind at home in the Premier League since December 2010 against Everton (2-0 down after 19 minutes).

City have been formidable when falling behind, though, and a quick start for Haaland to life at City will be extremely encouraging, netting his fourth hat-trick in Europe's big five leagues and becoming just the fourth player to score six-or-more goals in their first four Premier League appearances after Diego Costa, Sergio Aguero and Mick Quinn.

Palace can at least be encouraged by the performance of Eberechi Eze, who is just the third player to provide an assist in three consecutive away appearances for the Eagles after John Salako in 1992 and Christian Benteke in 2018.

Arsenal 2-1 Fulham: Gunners grind out result to maintain 100 per cent record

For only the third time in Premier League history, Arsenal have won each of their opening four matches in a season. The Gunners have not managed that feat since 2004-05, when they went on to finish runners-up, and in 2003-04, when they won the title.

Mikel Arteta's side showed they were made of sterner stuff, conceding first in the second half and going on to win for the first time since Boxing Day 2013 against West Ham. It marked the manager's 100th league match in style, with Arteta picking up 100 points in his second 50 games (W32 D4 L14) after accruing 75 in his first 50 (W21 D12 L17).

Gabriel's winning goal was his eighth strike in the Premier League since the start of 2020-21, more than any other central defender, while Martin Odegaard scored his third in three matches, as many as he netted in his previous 24.

For Fulham, a poor record in London derbies was maintained as the Cottagers have won just one of their past 26 in the Premier League, drawing five and losing 20, though Aleksandar Mitrovic netted his 100th goal for the club in all competitions – only Mohamed Salah (133), Harry Kane (121) and Ivan Toney (106) have scored more in England's top four tiers in that time.

Chelsea could finally be set for a transfer breakthrough after reportedly agreeing to meet Leicester City's demands of around £70million for centre-back Wesley Fofana.

Fofana, 21, has been a key target for Chelsea in their bid to replace Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, who departed for Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona earlier in the transfer window.

While the Blues have already spent £33m to secure 31-year-old Kalidou Koulibaly – who has started all three of their Premier League fixtures this season – Fofana is yet to enter his prime and could provide defensive security for the next decade.

TOP STORY – LEICESTER ACCEPT CHELSEA'S NEWEST BID FOR FOFANA

According to L'Equipe, Chelsea's successful bid for Fofana includes add-ons which could make him the most expensive defender in the history of football, surpassing the £80m Leicester received from Manchester United for Harry Maguire.

Leicester had been publicly declaring Fofana was not for sale, but the situation was accelerated by the defender missing a training session, leading to him being told to train with the Foxes' under-23s.

Fofana is yet to receive his first senior cap for France, but the increased visibility that will come with a move to Stamford Bridge could tee him up for a breakthrough World Cup campaign in Qatar.
 

ROUND-UP

– Ajax star Antony has engaged in a stunning interview with Fabrizio Romano, declaring his time in the Eredivisie has run its course amid strong interest from Manchester United.

– Marca are reporting Cristiano Ronaldo has decided his best option is to return to Sporting CP, where he began his career, despite the need to take a significant pay cut should he leave United.

– According to Calciomercato, Liverpool are considering including Roberto Firmino in their offer to Paris Saint-Germain for 28-year-old midfielder Leandro Paredes.

– Sky Sports claim West Ham have had an offer in the vicinity of £51m accepted by Lyon for their 24-year-old creator Lucas Paqueta.

– Chelsea are set to trigger the £12.6million release clause for Dynamo Moscow's 19-year-old midfielder Arsen Zakharyan, per the Daily Mail.

Roberto Firmino does not want to leave Liverpool, seemingly dispelling any suggestion he could join Juventus.

Serie A giants Juve had been linked with making a move for Firmino, who has just one year remaining on his deal at Anfield.

Previously a guaranteed starter for Jurgen Klopp, Firmino's place in Liverpool's starting XI is no longer assured, with Diogo Jota having excelled since his arrival from Wolves and Darwin Nunez signing from Benfica.

Sadio Mane also filled in centrally for much of last season, with Luis Diaz having taken up a place on the left, but the Senegal forward has now departed for Bayern Munich.

With Jota sidelined through injury, Firmino – who scored just five league goals last season – started in Liverpool's Community Shield clash with Manchester City on Saturday, which the Reds went on to win 3-1.

Afterwards, Firmino told TNT Brazil he has no intention of leaving Liverpool.

"I love this team, city and [the] fans," the 30-year-old said. "I'm here at Liverpool, and I want to stay, of course."

Firmino played 59 minutes against City at the King Power Stadium, having one shot and creating one chance. 

He was replaced by Nunez, who played a pivotal role in Liverpool's victory, winning a penalty that Mohamed Salah converted to put the Reds back in front after Julian Alvarez's equaliser, before scoring late in stoppage time.

Nunez became the fourth player under Klopp to net on his Liverpool debut – after Mane, Salah and Virgil van Dijk.

Klopp had previously emphasised Firmino's importance, saying on Thursday that the former Hoffenheim attacker was "the heart and soul of this team".

Jurgen Klopp said it is "essential" Roberto Firmino stays at Liverpool amid reports he could join Juventus.

Juve are said to have targeted the Brazil international as they look to rebuild under Massimiliano Allegri, with Paulo Dybala having left on a free transfer to Roma.

Firmino has become a fans' favourite at Anfield after joining the Reds from Hoffenheim in 2015, but the 30-year-old is in the final year of his contract.

Liverpool manager Klopp dismissed talk that Firmino could be on the move ahead of the Community Shield showdown with Manchester City on Saturday.

"Bobby is crucial for us," Klopp said during a press conference on Thursday. "Bobby is [the] heart and soul of this team.

"The way we played in the last few years was only possible because of Bobby. That's why I’m really happy he could train the majority of the time here in the pre-season so far and everything looks really good.

"I am absolutely fine and, for me, there's no doubt about his quality. All the rest, we will see how this year goes, but yes, he is essential for us."

Firmino played 35 times across all competitions last season for Liverpool, scoring 11 goals. For the past five years, he has been a crucial part of the Reds' fearsome attacking trident alongside Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Yet that trio is no more, with Mane having left for Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, though Klopp has no complaints over the prolific Senegal forward's decision to move on.

"We lost Sadio who was a fixed member of the line-up for six years, he told us he wanted a new challenge," Klopp added.

"He told us early enough and we accepted it. We had time to prepare that and that's what we did."

Klopp revealed goalkeeper Alisson and forward Diogo Jota will miss the clash with City due to injury.