What the papers say

Jadon Sancho has been urged by players at Manchester United to end his dispute with manager Erik ten Hag, according to the Daily Mirror. The Times reports that the PFA has offered to help the England winger, 23, settle his differences with ten Hag.

Arsenal are gearing up to grab Ivan Toney, with the Daily Mirror reporting Brentford have valued the 27-year-old at £60 million ahead of a likely move for him in the January transfer window.

Jesse Lingard has ended his one-month training stint at West Ham to move to Saudi Arabia, with the Daily Mirror reporting club manager David Moyes insisting the club is comfortable with Lingard’s decision.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Chelsea secretly parted ways with Bruno, who joined Craven Cottage under former manager Graham Potter’s watch and was a first-team coach under Mauricio Pochettino.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Romelu Lukaku: Roma are keen to turn the 30-year-old striker’s loan from Chelsea into a permanent move.

Mohamed Salah: Negotiations between Liverpool, Saudi Arabia and the striker’s agent are becoming the subject of a Harvard study.

Hearts head coach Steven Naismith has told his players they have to use the pressure and expectation that comes with playing for the club to spur them on to Hampden.

Naismith faced the wrath of some Hearts fans on Saturday when a 1-0 reverse against St Mirren left them with five defeats in their last six games.

The former Scotland international views Tuesday’s Viaplay Cup quarter-final at Kilmarnock as the perfect opportunity to atone.

“Being at a club like Hearts, when you don’t win on a Saturday, there’s that frustration and that’s something that builds,” the 37-year-old said.

“I’m comfortable and confident that by the end of the week we can look back on it being a good week and that starts on Tuesday night.

“The game at the weekend was small margins, we don’t take our chances and give up a cheap goal.

“This game coming so quickly is good because it gives us a chance to react but the bigger picture is it’s a chance to get to Hampden and one step closer to getting silverware which is something as a squad we are desperate to get. But also that expectation from the club is there, that we should be getting into these positions.

“It’s something you become aware of when you come to the club, it’s not so much any single person letting you know that.

“The crowd that travel to every away game, the crowd that are in the stadium for home games, they are there because they have a right passion for the club and want to see success.

“You could argue that over the last 10-15 years there has probably not been enough silverware.

“In terms of being in the later rounds of competitions, that has been pretty successful over the last five or six years but taking that next step to win something is the most important one and one that us as a squad need to show we are capable of.”

Naismith won six major trophies with Rangers and also played in cup finals with Kilmarnock and Hearts, the latter resulting in defeat by Celtic in one of three Scottish Cup finals Hearts have reached in the past five years.

“We were two or three penalty-kicks away from winning the Scottish Cup and never managed to do it,” he said.

“That element of pressure for me is something I have managed throughout my career to some ways enjoy and push you forward. As players that is what you have to do.

“The week to week, day to day of signing a new contract and of playing x amount of games is one achievement but if you want real success then that’s defined by winning trophies.

“As a player fortunately I managed to do it and I know what it takes, so hopefully us as a squad can do it.”

Hearts have failed to score in four of their past five matches but Naismith believes there are encouraging signs.

“The frustration from my side is that we have picked up injuries to more attacking players,” he said.

“One positive is, in the chances we have created, it’s different players that are getting on the end of them.

“It’s not as if we are relying on one player to get on the end of crosses and through-balls. We are getting plenty of men forward. It’s just converting them really.”

Nathaniel Atkinson drops out through injury for Hearts but Andy Halliday is back.

Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea’s owners must look past their disappointment and back him to implement the plan he was hired to draw up in order to lift the club out of their slump.

Defeat to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Sunday means the team have taken an average of 0.85 points per game over the last 35 matches, three short of a full league season.

Over a single campaign they would have won 32 points, a tally that would have seen them relegated in every Premier League season since the league became 38 games in 1995, and would have left them bottom of the table in five of them.

That run goes back to October 19 last year when the team, then managed by Graham Potter, drew 0-0 away at Brentford.

Pochettino is the fourth manager to have led the side in that period, with Potter having been removed on April 2 and Frank Lampard taking over until the end of the campaign, with a single game in charge for caretaker boss Bruno Saltor.

Despite the turnover of coaches, the Blues have won only six times in the league in the 11 months since, drawing 12, giving them a return of 30 points from 35 games.

The squad assembled by co-owner Todd Boehly’s Clearlake Capital consortium at a cost of more than £1billion over the last 16 months are currently 14th in the table after six games and have not scored in 285 minutes of play.

Pochettino encouraged supporters to keep faith and focus on the quality of recent performances rather than the club’s relegation form over the last year.

“It’s about learning, it’s about the process,” he said after Ollie Watkins’ second-half goal for Villa condemned his side to their third loss of the season.

“We are a young team (in) a process that they need to learn all together. It’s difficult to talk about positives because when you lose it’s difficult, but we need to talk about positive things.

“No doubt that with time the team is going to perform, but of course now we cannot hide the situation. It’s a situation that disappoints all the fans, the club, us and the players.

“They (the owners) are disappointed, they arrive to the club and (were) so excited to build some project. Of course they feel disappointed, but at the same time they need to support the plan.”

If there was a bright spot for Chelsea it was the return of striker Armando Broja after nine months out with an ACL injury.

The Albania international came off the bench in the second half and headed wide in the closing minutes as the team sought an equaliser.

“It was good to see Broja after nine, 10 months,” said Pochettino. “Again I think to have the possibility to have different options is good for the team. But he needs to build his confidence also.”

Watkins’ goal was his first in the league this season and the striker admitted it was a weight off his shoulders.

“The first one is always hard to get,” Watkins told VillaTV.

“I’m delighted to get off the mark now.

“It’s a bit of a relief, really, because the more the games go by, there’s a lot of talk and pressure.

“But I just try and block that out and I back myself in front of goal no matter what anyone says.

“I’m looking forward to the games coming up now and plenty more goals for the season.”

Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel has vowed his side will not be taking lowly Preussen Munster lightly on Tuesday in the DFB Cup.

Tuchel’s side sit top of the Bundesliga and head to third division Munster on the back of last week’s Champions League win over Manchester United and Saturday’s 7-0 thrashing of Bochum.

The Bayern boss recalled the club’s embarrassing 1-0 defeat to German minnows Vestenbergsgreuth at the same stage of the DFB Cup in 1994 when the fourth-tier side caused one of the competition’s biggest upsets.

Tuchel told a press conference: “I remember the name Vestenbergsgreuth. I couldn’t believe it at the time. We won’t underestimate the opponent.

“We’re preparing seriously. We’ll play like Bayern want to play. It doesn’t matter who’s on the other side.

“We’re the favourites. There’s not much for us to win. We want to win. We want to get to Berlin and be in the final. We have to keep winning games for that.”

Bayern have won all 28 of their DFB Cup first-round ties since that defeat to Vestenbergsgreuth – a current record – which included a 4-1 win against Munster in the two sides’ only previous meeting in the 2014-15 season.

“Munster can play without pressure,” Tuchel added. “We want to be dominant, want possession, want to use our individual quality.

“We’re expecting an opponent who fights as a unit for an upset. They’ll probably focus on set pieces. They’ll probably also look to use their fans.”

England captain Harry Kane maintained his fine start to life in Munich in Saturday’s defeat of Bochum, scoring a hat-trick and providing two assists.

Kane has eight goals in nine appearances for Bayern and Tuchel praised his partnership with former Manchester City winger Leroy Sane.


“Leroy speaks fluent English, communicates a lot with Harry,” Tuchel said. “Harry makes his teammates better, with his character, his style.

 

“Leroy is in very good form, with good body language and a very good mindset. Both are combing very well at the moment.”

Tuchel said he expected Portugal midfielder Raphael Guerreiro to return to the squad after being sidelined since mid-July due to a calf injury.

“I haven’t made a decision yet about who’ll play,” Tuchel added. “Matthijs de Ligt is unfortunately out and we need to see with Dayot Upamecano and Min-jae Kim.”

Xavi believes his Barcelona contract extension reflects the faith the club has in his project as he prepares for Tuesday night’s LaLiga clash with Mallorca.

The Barca boss penned a contract extension until 2025 last week before overseeing a dramatic 3-2 win over Celta Vigo that made it five wins and one draw from their six league games this season.

Xavi believes his side did not play well on Saturday, when they scored three times in the last nine minutes to overturn a two-goal deficit, but credited his players for keeping themselves top of the table.

“We didn’t play well against Celta,” Xavi said.

“But we won and put ourselves top of the table and I got to extend my contract, which shows that the club has its faith in our project.”

Barca next travel to lowly Mallorca, who have won one of their opening six matches and lost 5-3 at Girona on Saturday, but Xavi expects a tough test.

“Mallorca is a difficult opponent,” he added.

“They have a lot to offer in defence and work very well for each other. They are physically very strong and have direct approach players like (Vedat) Muriqi and (Sergi) Darder and this won’t be an easy away trip against a team that wants to bounce back after such a big loss as the one to Girona.”

The Catalan giants have started their LaLiga title defence in style, having scored 16 times (joint most with Girona in the league), but Xavi admitted he still wants to improve in attacking areas.

He said: “We are competing well, and in general we’re playing good football. But I’d still like to see more mobility from my forwards and we need to attack spaces better.

“We can get so much more out of this attack, they need to work more on their positioning. But even though we had a bad game against Celta, we are on the right track.

“One of the best things about this squad is its versatility. We have different kinds of player for different positions. Players like Sergi Roberto, Gavi, Joao Cancelo, (Ilkay) Gundogan, Joao Felix, (Jules) Kounde and (Ronald) Araujo who can adapt so well.”

Massimiliano Allegri has called on his “angry” Juventus squad to return to winning ways when they host high-flying Lecce.

Juventus missed the chance to go top of Serie A on Saturday after they slumped to a surprise 4-2 defeat at Sassuolo.

The Bianconeri had claimed 10 points from an unbeaten start, but came unstuck at the Mapei Stadium as Sassuolo battled to a second league win.

“Tomorrow we have to get back to winning ways to immediately move on from the bad loss to Sassuolo,” said Allegri.

“The team are angry and sorry for what happened, but at the same time they’re motivated. There’s a real desire to get back on the pitch as soon as possible.

“We had a bad night, we made mistakes that allowed our opponents to win the game, but we didn’t play badly.

“We didn’t defend well, and individual mistakes cost us. I hope the home support will give us that extra boost against Lecce. We need to have the right attitude, be proactive and, above all, positive. It will be so important to get three points.”

Third-placed Lecce will head to the Allianz Stadium unbeaten from their opening five league fixtures following three wins and two draws.

They sit one point ahead of Juventus, and four back from leaders Inter Milan, who have enjoyed a perfect start to the season.

“Lecce are a solid team, and they’re excellently coached by Roberto D’Aversa,” added Allegri.

“They’re a technical side and it’s not a coincidence that they’re still unbeaten. (Director of football) Pantaleo Corvino has put together a very competitive squad, and even last year too. It will be a good game.”

England boss Sarina Wiegman admits it will be “very special” when her side take on her native Netherlands in Tuesday’s Nations League contest in Utrecht.

Wiegman played for the Dutch national team before overseeing their Euro 2017 win on home soil and finishing as runners-up at the 2019 World Cup in France.

The 53-year-old, who has subsequently matched those managerial achievements with England, told a press conference that being back in her home country with the Lionesses was “very nice, a little bit strange too – of course I have some memories here”.

She added: “I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. It’s just very special to be here and to play the opponents.

“Of course we know each other really well, I know the staff, most of the staff didn’t change that much, or the players. Lots of people will be in the stands that I know.”

The match is England’s second in Group A1 after they beat Scotland 2-1 in Sunderland on Friday, when the Netherlands opened their campaign with a 2-1 loss away to Belgium.

Wiegman said: “We had a good review on the (Scotland) match.

“We want to do a couple of things a little better, and keep doing the things that we did really well, bring that to the next level too – that’s what we talked about, and then tomorrow we go again.

“I think if you look at the stats against Belgium they (the Netherlands) had pretty good stats. You see how the game developed and they were a little bit unlucky, and Belgium took advantage of that.

“Of course they want to do well because their goal also is to come first in the group, so with the first loss they really want to do well tomorrow and have a good result. That is what we expect.”

The Nations League offers two qualification places for the Paris 2024 Olympics, with England the nominated home nations team aiming to secure a spot for Great Britain.

To do that they will need to win their group to advance to the Nations League’s last four, and then reach the final, or come third should France make the final.

Wiegman said she had every member of her squad available for Tuesday’s game, including Alessia Russo, who sat out the Scotland contest – she had joined the group later than others following some recuperation, having played in Champions League qualifying matches for Arsenal earlier this month.

Wiegman was joined at the press conference by Russo’s fellow forward Lauren Hemp, scorer of England’s second goal against Scotland.

The 23-year-old Manchester City player said of the Dutchwoman: “Sarina is a fantastic coach. Ever since she got the job I feel like she’s taken this team to a whole new level, and for me personally I’m learning every single day.

“I feel like I’m getting so much better and feeling so much more confident as the days go by under Sarina. She’s unbelievable.”

Meanwhile, Wiegman has paid tribute to Megan Rapinoe after the two-time World Cup winner, who has been an influential figure in the women’s game both on and off the pitch, played her final game for the United States before retirement, a 2-0 win over South Africa.

Wiegman said of Rapinoe’s legacy: “I think she is one of the most important players. I think the US were the trailblazers in women’s football, and also (for) the position of women in society.

“I think we should be all very thankful for what she leaves behind. I have so much respect for her.”

Of her own players driving change, she added: “I think this group of women are very conscious of society too and using the platform in a positive way to change society.

“They are so outspoken and well spoken, they articulate themselves so well.”

Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton remain without a win since their promotion to the Premier League after the weekend’s games.

It is only the second time a trio of promoted teams have all been winless having all played at least five games and, with those teams making up the current relegation zone, the PA news agency looks at the history of slow starts for Premier League newcomers and what it means for their survival prospects.

Wait goes on after Blades battered

Newcastle set a Premier League record as eight of their players scored in a stunning 8-0 rout of Sheffield United on Sunday, sending the Blades bottom on goal difference, with all three promoted sides on one point each.

Luton opened their account the previous day, albeit with the help of a controversial penalty against 10-man Wolves, while Burnley’s only point came from last Monday’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest. The Blades held Everton 2-2 on September 2.

While the Newcastle hammering was the South Yorkshire side’s sixth game of the season, Luton and Burnley have played only five after their season opener was postponed due to reconstruction work at Kenilworth Road.

Only once before, in 2004-05, have all three promoted teams been winless after five games – and even then, Norwich and West Brom each had three draws on the board, with Crystal Palace trailing on one point.

Palace and Norwich were duly relegated that season, but West Brom survived with victory over Portsmouth on the final day – Pompey’s bitter rivals Southampton were the other team relegated.

Indeed, of 17 promoted teams to go five games without a win before this season, the Baggies are the only one to avoid relegation. Bryan Robson’s side also became the first in Premier League history to stay up having been bottom at Christmas, the position they still occupied going into that final game.

More pain in store?

All three teams are still some way from the record winless start for a promoted team, with Swindon taking until their 16th game to get in the win column in 1993-94.

Town finished that season bottom of the 22-team table with five wins and 30 points from 42 games in what remains their only top-flight campaign.

Norwich took 14 games in the aforementioned 2004-05 season to break their duck, albeit with eight draws along the way, and 11 on their way to another relegation in 2021-22.

Three other teams – Watford in 2006-07, Reading in 2012-13 and Burnley in 2014-15 – went 10 games without a win following promotion.

The early-season form of this season’s bottom three is prompting talk of Derby’s record low Premier League points total of 11 in 2007-08 – indeed, Luton were identified in some quarters as a candidate for the unwanted record before the season even began.

But even the Rams won their sixth game of that cursed season, 1-0 against Newcastle, before failing to win the rest of the way – that ongoing 32-game run remains a Premier League record over 15 years later.

The Blades have already gone longer without a win, while their counterparts may be looking to October 3’s rescheduled meeting to keep their names out of unwanted company.

Chelsea have taken only five points from their opening six Premier League games this season – their worst start to a campaign since 1978.

Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Aston Villa leaves them in 14th and extended their winless run to three games.

Here the PA news agency looks at the reasons behind the west London club’s performance problems.

Is Mauricio Pochettino the right man?

Pochettino’s youthful Chelsea squad have experienced teething problems, with their only league win coming with a 3-0 victory over newly-promoted Luton. Their forwards have been wasteful in front of goal, with striker Nicolas Jackson missing seven big chances in six games with just a single goal to show for it. The Blues have shown signs of promise at times but individual errors and questionable changes to the formation will mount pressure on Pochettino, who is expected to perform after Chelsea’s £1 billion-plus transfer spree since May 2022.

How does Pochettino compare to other Chelsea managers?

Pochettino has struggled to improve a Chelsea slump that started under Graham Potter and continued during Frank Lampard’s woeful temporary return. In Pochettino’s first six Premier League games the Blues have scored only five goals, winning once and losing three times. That is slightly better than Lampard’s second spell at the helm, which saw the Blues score seven goals and take four points in their first six games before finishing 12th. Potter managed nine goals and 11 points in his first six games, while Thomas Tuchel – who won three trophies during his Stamford Bridge tenure – picked up 14 points in his first half a dozen Premier League fixtures. With a lack of goals holding Pochettino’s side back, the 51-year-old will hope that an increase in chances taken can turn the tide.

What about all the money they spent?

Todd Boehly’s Clearlake Capital consortium forked out over £450 million on transfers this summer and have broken the British transfer record twice since January to land midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo. Caicedo has had a mixed start at Stamford Bridge after his £115 million move from Brighton. The Ecuador midfielder had a poor cameo on his debut against West Ham before he gave the ball away for Anthony Elanga’s second-half winner against Forest. Jackson is yet to live to up to his exciting first two games in blue and has missed golden chances which have cost Pochettino’s side. Fernandez, however, is the shining light in Chelsea’s midfield and has shown his quality on the ball.

Are injuries to blame?

Chelsea had 12 players missing through injury for last week’s 0-0 draw at Bournemouth, forcing Pochettino to rotate once again. Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia are yet to make their debuts for the club due to being sidelined and the exciting Carney Chukwuemeka’s knee injury at West Ham was more serious than what was first hoped. Suspensions picked up by Nicolas Jackson and Malo Gusto will add further problems for Pochettino when they face Fulham.

What’s next for Chelsea?

After hosting Brighton in the Carabao Cup and a west London derby at Craven Cottage, the Blues face a tough run that includes Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle in their next eight league games. They will need to find an upturn in form if they do no not want to slip further out of the race for European qualification for a second successive season.

Livingston manager David Martindale believes the club’s new owner will be a “huge positive” – even though he knows very little about him.

The cinch Premiership club announced on Sunday night that Baycup Ltd and sole director John McIlvogue had acquired a majority shareholding.

Earlier this year, McIlvogue led a consortium that saved well-known Glasgow bakery firm Mortons Rolls from the brink of collapse and rescued more than 100 jobs. His other business interests include food and carpet firms.

McIlvogue has negotiated the Livingston deal with chairman John Ward and is set to meet Martindale and the rest of the staff on Tuesday.

The Livi manager said: “I don’t really know anymore than you guys but what I will say is there’s a new owner and it’s got to be a positive for the football club, because where we have been for the past three or four years has not been great.

“I am going to be really honest, it’s been really, really difficult for the staff in the club.

“So to have fresh impetus, a fresh skill-set coming into the building and hopefully upstairs aligned with downstairs and a wee bit of help upstairs for everybody in the club, that’s a huge, huge positive for the club.

“I have not even met these new owners or the new owner, whatever it is. I don’t even know him, but I just know it needed done and hopefully this is the step in the right direction.”

Livingston made pre-tax loss of more than £800,000 for the 2021-22 financial year and projected another loss of about £400,000 for last season.

Martindale said: “There’s been a lot of sleepless nights and sometimes you come into your work, and it’s not just me, it’s probably every member of staff, and you just think ‘I just want to be able to do my own job’.

“I want to be a football manager, I want to be a chief exec, whatever your role is, it’s been really difficult for all the staff because we are all mucking in and trying to keep this club in the Premiership. Sometimes it’s like pushing water up a hill, that’s how it feels.

“I don’t know the owner, but I trust John Ward implicitly and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead because there is going to be a skill-set that helps us face those challenges as a collective unit. Hopefully it’s the start of a fresh beginning for Livingston.”

The share purchase process remains ongoing, but McIlvogue has assumed control from a consortium called OPCCO6, which includes Ward, who is one of two club directors along with chief executive Dave Black.

That vehicle owned 1.3million of close to 2million shares in the club at the last confirmation, but a further 3.8million shares were created in June.

Historic ownership and club finance issues have been the subject of court cases and police investigations.

Martindale said: “It’s public knowledge, there are probably three or four ongoing court cases I have had to take an active part in in terms of sitting in on meetings because I am getting kept up to date with what’s going on.

“These court cases centre around alleged ownership of the football club and alleged loans.

“I hope I don’t need to deal with this on an ongoing basis.

“There’s only three or four of us in the building, there’s only me and Dave here on a daily basis, so generally anything that comes through the door, we have to deal with it.”

Martindale does not expect an immediate uplift in his football budget, but the club hope that McIlvogue can bring in new advertising revenue in his role as chief commercial officer.

“I’m not going to be chapping the door asking for more money in my budget,” he said. “I’ve got the budget, I know what I am working with.

“I think it’s important as a club we look at ways to increase our turnover, which in turn should hopefully lead to an increase in the budget.

“We lost a lot of money last year so I think it was important we got someone who was coming in and was going to underwrite any losses we are going to have this year.

“But that doesn’t mean I’ve not got to be frugal and spend within our means.

“But it’s nice to have that comfort knowing there is someone in the building who has offered to do that, who is in here to help the football club moving forward.”

Rodri will serve a three-match suspension for his sending-off against Nottingham Forest – but how much will Manchester City miss their midfield lynchpin?

Here, the PA news agency looks at the Spaniard’s impact in Pep Guardiola’s side.

“A big miss”

Rodri’s influence has increasingly been recognised over last season and this, peaking with his winning goal and player-of-the-match display in the Champions League final.

Team-mate Phil Foden said after Saturday’s game: “He is one of our most important players and he seems to play all the minutes. He is going to be a big miss.”

While not quite ever-present, Rodri led all City outfielders in playing time last season and had played all but 21 minutes in this season’s Premier League prior to his dismissal for tangling with Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White.

The 27-year-old Spain international leads the Premier League in passes and overall touches of the ball this term, still 67 passes and 87 touches clear of second-placed Brighton defender Lewis Dunk even after his dismissal, and trailed only Dunk in both categories last season.

He is also City’s leader this season and last in tackles and, while the same is true for fouls committed, he had up to now avoided serving a suspension since his arrival at the club in the summer of 2019.

The former Atletico Madrid man had eight Premier League bookings and 11 in all competitions in his first season but has had no more than six in the league or nine overall since then, while Saturday’s was the first red card of his career for club or country.

He ranks third for the club this season in shots and has been outscored by only Erling Haaland in the league and, additionally, Julian Alvarez in all competitions as he seemingly takes on some of the attacking duties left by Ilkay Gundogan’s summer departure.

Call for Kalvin

Gundogan was not the only high-profile player to leave City this summer and, coupled with injuries and now Rodri’s ban, Guardiola’s midfield options are rapidly dwindling.

Kevin De Bruyne lasted 23 minutes of the new league season before aggravating a hamstring injury, with Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic also currently sidelined along with defender John Stones, who excelled in a hybrid role last season.

Summer signing Matheus Nunes and forgotten man Kalvin Phillips could therefore have major roles to play – England international Phillips, who came on in the second half against Forest, has played barely 400 minutes of league football since joining from Leeds last summer.

Foden could also operate in a deeper role but options on the wing are not plentiful either, with Riyad Mahrez and Cole Palmer leaving this summer while Jack Grealish has only just returned from a knee problem. Jeremy Doku has hit the ground running while Alvarez has been used more regularly as a foil for Haaland up front.

James Maddison believes Tottenham are starting to shed their ‘Spursy’ tag after they continued a fine start to the new season with a battling 2-2 draw at rivals Arsenal.

Spurs had lost on their last three visits to the Emirates and not won there in the Premier League since 2010.

Tottenham’s losing streak to Arsenal could have continued after Cristian Romero’s own goal and Bukayo Saka’s penalty twice put the hosts ahead in the north London derby, but Son Heung-min equalised twice – both from Maddison assists – to earn a share of the spoils.

A lengthy trophy drought coupled with frequent collapses on the biggest of occasions contributed towards the ‘Spursy’ tag growing during the past few years, but the club’s new number 10 hit back following another strong showing by Ange Postecoglou’s team.

“We’re not in there celebrating a point, I think there was a few little moments at the end especially in the dying minutes where we could have maybe won it from a set-piece,” Maddison told talkSPORT.

“I think winning late last week and coming back twice (here), when you hear fans and neutrals talk about Tottenham they often say, ‘soft, weak, they’ll bottle it, Spursy’, all that rubbish. I think the last couple of weeks shows that we might be going in a slightly different direction.

“We scored in the 98th and 101st minute against Sheffield United to win late on when it looked like it was going to be one of those days.

“Here we go behind twice at arguably one of the best teams in the world, we pull it back and we’re still fighting right until the end. Hopefully we can continue that.”

Maddison was crucial to Tottenham leaving the Emirates with a point after he set up both of Son’s goals to make it four assists in six league matches since his summer switch from Leicester.

It could have been a different story had Gabriel Jesus made it 2-0 in the 32nd minute when he robbed the ball from Maddison on the edge of Spurs’ penalty area, but the Arsenal forward blazed over.

Postecoglou continued to encourage his team to play out from the back and that bravery was rewarded with a fine display where Tottenham enjoyed 53 per cent possession, a marked improvement on the 35 per cent they had under Antonio Conte at the Emirates last season in a humbling 3-1 loss.

Maddison added: “I was really proud of how courageous the lads were and how brave we were. There were a couple of occasions in the first half, myself included, where we gave the ball away.

“I gave the ball away edge of the box, they nearly scored and it is so easy to sink and not carry on playing the way the manager wants us to play, but that’s what bravery is.

“It is having big b**** to take the ball under pressure. I gave it away but the manager makes me feel so good that I can get it again and if I give it away, it’s OK because that’s how he wants us to play.

“He won’t be cheering if I keep giving it away on the edge of the box, but it was only once and once was enough to remind me to be a bit quicker because these derby games are a rapid pace.

“After that I thought we passed the ball really well and had spells where we dominated.”

Meanwhile, Maddison was happy to give back some stick post-match to England team-mate Saka, who mimicked Maddison’s own darts celebration for both of Arsenal’s goals, but was turned by the Spurs playmaker for Son’s first goal.

Maddison, who was forced off with a slight knee injury, quipped to SpursPlay: “Me and Bukayo had a bit of banter and a bit of trash talking if you like on international duty.

“I got told he did the dart celebration and he must have still been doing it when I turned him for the first goal.”

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta brushed off talk of Manchester City’s growing lead at the Premier League summit, but did admit injuries were already starting to test his squad.

The Gunners were pegged back twice by rivals Tottenham on Sunday and dropped points again following an entertaining 2-2 derby draw.

It left Arsenal already four points off City, who are perfect after six fixtures, with the memory of Pep Guardiola’s side being able to overturn an eight-point deficit in April to clinch title success last season still fresh at the Emirates.

Guardiola’s City visit north London on October 8 but Arteta, when asked about the current points deficit, insisted: “We’re not thinking about this. We have a game every three days, we try to win our games.

“We tried to win our game again and we didn’t manage it for very obvious reasons. That’s it and we have to improve.”

Declan Rice added to Arsenal’s growing injury list when he was forced off at half-time with a back problem.

It makes the England international an early doubt for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie at Brentford, although the ex-West Ham midfielder would likely have been rested in west London anyway.

“He had some discomfort in his back. He was telling us during the first half that he was uncomfortable,” Arteta said of Rice.

“When we assessed him at half-time, he could not continue so we had to change him.

“We have to assess him. It’s strange that a player like him asked to come off because he was uncomfortable. Hopefully not (long-term), but let’s see.”

Arsenal were light of attacking options against Tottenham after Leandro Trossard suffered a muscle problem in the midweek thrashing of PSV Eindhoven and Gabriel Martinelli was absent after picking up a hamstring injury at Everton.

With Jurrien Timber (knee) out long-term and Thomas Partey sidelined for “weeks” with a groin issue, Arteta’s team are being stretched with cup competitions to juggle alongside league commitments.

“It (injuries) was already a test because we missed five big players (for Tottenham), but it’s what we have,” Arteta said.

“As well, it gives opportunities to the other ones. We have a game every three days and that’s the level we have to show, so go for it.”

Fifth-placed Arsenal remain level on points with Tottenham after this draw and, while Arteta praised Ange Postecoglou’s team, he was reluctant to list them as title contenders.

“I think they are a really good side,” he acknowledged.

“They are really well coached. You can feel the spirit in the team, the energy in them, but I think six games is too early for everybody to discuss where we’ll (all) be.”

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe says Anthony Gordon could be on England boss Gareth Southgate’s radar after his fine performance in the 8-0 romp at Sheffield United.

Gordon came on as an early substitute for the injured Harvey Barnes at Bramall Lane and gave the Blades defence nightmares, scoring a fine goal in the second half and also assisting Sean Longstaff’s opener.

The 22-year-old has taken his time to find his feet at St James’ Park following his January move from Everton, but has started the season well.

And having been part of England Under-21s’ successful European Championship campaign, he could now be in contention for a call-up to the senior squad for next month’s matches.

Howe said: “I’m sure Gareth is aware of him and I’m sure he’s been aware of him for a long time.

“All Anthony can do is just keep performing like he has and keep his mentality as strong as it has been. He has been a joy to work with and he is reaping the benefits.

“That is probably his best game for us, I thought he was very, very good. Very direct, I thought his goal was very good. He just looked a real threat, he has got so much ability, so much to give and he has got the attitude to go with it as well.

“He has got desire to improve, I see it every day in training, it is great to see him rewarded with that.”

Gordon and Newcastle ran riot as they inflicted Sheffield United’s heaviest-ever league defeat on them.

The Blades have taken just one point from their first six games following their return to the Premier League and a long season looks on the cards.

They actually started brightly but the way they capitulated set the alarm bells ringing for Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom.

“That is the biggest thing from the game for me, which I spoke to the players about,” he said.

“Is this going to define our season? No. It’s three points we’ve lost but what has happened there is something that while I’ve been here, we’ve never seen before.

“That is what has to be addressed. This is a reminder that if we drop below our levels, that can happen, we are playing against good sides. We need to make sure we need to learn from it, it’s not an easy league. You have to compete and that is what we have to take from that.

“We need everyone to step up and it is an eye-opener for the new boys what we are about.

“Newcastle outran us today and that’s not acceptable.”

Rachel Daly and Sam Kerr have both been named among the favourites to win the Golden Boot for the upcoming Women's Super League season.

Aston Villa's Daly is the current holder of the trophy having led the league with 22 goals last campaign, the joint-most recorded in a single season in competition history.

Kerr, meanwhile, has finished as the division's top scorer on two occasions, one of only two players to do so, winning the Golden Boot in back-to-back seasons in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns with Chelsea.

Ahead of the new season, which gets under way next weekend, a number of Women's Super League players and coaches pointed to Daly and Kerr as the frontrunners to lead the division in scoring.

When asked who will win the Golden Boot, Daly's Villa team-mate Mayumi Pacheco told Stats Perform: "I would love to say Rach Daly, of course.

"I think she had an unbelievable season last year and I think it's going to be tough to replicate, but I know she's got it in her."

Manchester City's Jess Park described Daly as an "unbelievable player" and lauded her "brilliant finishing attributes", while Brighton's Katie Robinson labelled the former West Ham loanee as a "prolific goalscorer".

Daly's manager, Carla Ward, added: "She’s one of a kind, she’s like a kid that just wants to play football. 

"It doesn't matter where you put her on the pitch, she’s happy. She wants to score goals, she’s hungry, she wants success, she wants to be better every day."

Kerr netted 12 goals in 21 outings last season as she helped Chelsea claim a third straight Women's Super League title.

Her Blues team-mate Johanna Rytting Kaneryd is backing her to reclaim the Golden Boot, telling Stats Perform: "For me, it's so easy to play with her. She's unreal in the box.

"Even though it does matter how you cross the ball, it feels like she's always there. She has unbelievable timing and ability to score."

Mary Fowler played with Kerr for Australia as they valiantly battled to the semi-finals of the Women's World Cup on home soil, and is excited to see how her compatriot fares.

"You just can't help but admire some of the things that she does," Fowler said.

"It's just like you wouldn't think of doing that yourself. I'm just excited to see what she does this season."

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