Even though they had waited three years to beat Manchester City at Old Trafford and far longer to do so with such authority, Manchester United's emphatic victory in last weekend's derby was the easy part. Any team, especially one with a new manager who is steeped in the club's glorious history, can get up for a match with their biggest rivals and win it.

If you thought the days of the Ballon d'Or generating headlines were over after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's era of dominance came to an end, then think again. After one of the most closely-fought races for a number of years, Rodri came out on top in 2024, beating Vinicius Jr into second place as Real Madrid dramatically boycotted the ceremony in Paris in protest at their star player missing out.

The annual NXGN lists are back for another year, highlighting 50 of the most incredible talents to have been born after January 1, 2005

The boos that greeted the full-time whistle at Anfield on Saturday were both loud and clear - albeit not to Arne Slot. "In my head," the Liverpool manager said, "it wasn't a boo." And maybe he's right. Maybe the visiting fans were saying 'Boo-urnley'?! Of course, this is no time for clumsy references or silly jokes. The situation at Liverpool is undeniably absurd (has a 12-game undefeated run ever been so poorly received?!), but it's no laughing matter as far as the supporters are concerned.

Mason Greenwood is preparing for arguably the most high-profile match of his Marseille career so far as Premier League champions Liverpool arrive on the south coast of France. But while the Champions League clash will be talked up as an audition for England's World Cup squad in some grubby corners of the internet, the reality is that the damage done to Greenwood's reputation in his homeland is irreparable - regardless of his exploits at Stade Velodrome.

Liverpool are in a mess all of their own making. The Reds knew that they were short on senior centre-backs last summer and had ample time to address the problem before the close of the transfer window - yet they waited until deadline day to finalise a move for Marc Guehi. So, when Crystal Palace pulled the plug on the deal at the 11th hour, Liverpool were left in the very, very precarious position of needing Ibrahima Konate to continue performing at a high level, Joe Gomez to stay fit and teenage summer signing Giovanni Leoni to make an immediate impact at Anfield.

Manchester City got cold feet in the Arctic Circle as they fell to a 3-1 defeat at tiny Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League. A nightmare trip to the far north of Norway got even worse for City when Rodri was sent off in the second half, meaning the Spain international will suspended for their final league phase game against Galatasaray next week, which is now looking like a must-win game for Pep Guardiola's side if they are to qualify automatically for the last 16.

GOAL takes a look at the biggest transfer news and rumours from around the world.