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Much of the aftermath of Manchester City's 1-1 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium focused on the cautious tactics of the hosts, somehow ignoring that it was the visitors who resorted to park-the-bus mechanisms in order to try and grind out a win. In the end, neither side truly deserved the victory and a point apiece seemed fair, but the performance from Pep Guardiola's men was strange in several ways.

The Real Madrid attack hummed on Tuesday evening, as Kylian Mbappe bagged a brace and Vinicius Jr also scored to lift Los Blancos to a comfortable 4-1 win over Levante. Xabi Alonso's men have now won six out of six in the Spanish top flight.

Alexander Isak's first goal for Liverpool should have been the story after Tuesday night's 2-1 win over Southampton at Anfield. Instead, it was Hugo Ekitike getting himself stupidly sent off after netting the winner.

Tyrique George saved Chelsea's blushes with a goal and an assist but goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen had a shocker in the absence of Robert Sanchez. The Blues came from a goal down to knock Lincoln City out of the Carabao Cup with a 2-1 third round win but the Club World Cup champions were given a real scare. There will be plenty to ponder for Enzo Maresca, especially after a wretched first half.

As the Uruguayan great's production has declined, he will have a tough decision to make when his contract expires in November

GOAL US writers debate if Dembele deserved the Ballon d'Or and who could be the first American to win the award

EXCLUSIVE: After his a long-awaited USMNT return, the son the former national team coach hopes for more chances to come

When Marcus Rashford was unveiled as a new Barcelona signing in August, he kept coming back to one word: discipline. For a player who had missed training after going on a drunken night out in Belfast a year ago and been forced out of Manchester United by Ruben Amorim for his lack of application, it was an intriguing theme for him to draw upon.

Ousmane Dembele was presented with the Ballon d'Or for 2025 at a typically lavish ceremony in Paris on Monday night, capping a remarkable redemption at Paris Saint-Germain for a player regarded by Barcelona fans as one of the worst signings in the club's history.

It's incredible to think that, four years ago, Aitana Bonmati was the subject of one of the most shocking snubs in Ballon d'Or history. After playing a starring role in Barcelona's first Women's Champions League triumph, the midfielder looked sure to be in the mix for the Golden Ball - and yet, she didn't even make the 20-player shortlist. Did she take it personally? Knowing her focus on team over individual, perhaps not, but she's certainly made herself impossible to ignore in the interim, with Bonmati claiming a third successive Ballon d'Or on Monday.

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in MLS, including Freese's goalkeeping heroics for NYCFC

It is the year 2025 and Ousmane Dembele is a Ballon d'Or winner. It's a reality that might require a little getting used to, as the Paris Saint-Germain superstar's path to this point has been far from smooth, but it is a fitting end point nonetheless.

GOAL US unpacks the main weekend storylines from the Premier League, La Liga and other top competitions in The Euro XI

With an expanding set up, including World Cups and U.S. championships, amputee soccer provides competitive opportunities

GOAL runs the rule over the British players earning a living away from their homeland, with plenty more stars deciding to leave the comforts of Great Britain in search of a better footballing life elsewhere. The Premier League is still obviously one of the world's most entertaining divisions and the Championship can prove fantastic for development, but there are more options out there.

With two Big Six clashes and a Merseyside derby, there was a lot to get excited about in the Premier League this weekend. And with last-minute goals, red cards aplenty and a couple of narrative shifts, it sure did not disappoint. Pep Guardiola did his best Jose Mourinho impression and took his Manchester City side to Arsenal to defend deep and play on the counterattack.

The latest round of action across Europe's elite leagues saw Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Porto maintain their winning starts to the 2025-26 season. However, while everyone expects Bayern to run away with the Bundesliga, Barca are hot on the heels of Madrid in La Liga, while Porto are presently processing the news that the most famous manager in the club's history has just taken charge of their hated rivals Benfica.

Arsenal and Manchester City played out a dramatic 1-1 draw on Sunday, with the two Premier League rivals unable to be separated through 98 or so minutes. Erling Haaland had given the visitors an early lead, before Pep Guardiola remarkably decided to park the bus to try and sneak the win. Those efforts went up in smoke in added time as Gabriel Martinelli scored to clinch a point for the Gunners.

If the voting process for the Ballon d'Or were truly fair, Lionel Messi would have 14 Golden Balls to his name instead of eight. The Barcelona legend was by far the best footballer in the world between 2008 and 2021, but had to concede defeat to Cristiano Ronaldo five times, and Luka Modric once, as the Real Madrid duo were rewarded for spearheading their team's unprecedented success in the Champions League.

Say what you will about the merits of the Ballon d'Or, but last year's ceremony was undeniably dramatic. The event organisers, France Football, have always insisted that "no player or club knows who has won the Ballon d'Or" before the victor is announced on stage - but Real Madrid refused to even turn up after learning hours in advance that Rodri had beaten Vinicius Jr to the men's prize.

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.

In the last few years, it's seemed relatively easy to predict the winner of the Ballon d'Or Feminin. In 2025, though, it feels incredibly tricky, especially after England's win over Spain in the European Championship final.

Ferran Torres showed he can deliver when Robert Lewandowski doesn't and Barcelona's midweek Champions League hero Marcus Rashford continued his good form as Getafe were put to the sword. Torres' brace and Dani Olmo's strike, from Rashford's assist, ensured that the Blaugrana kept the pressure on bitter rivals Real Madrid at the top of La Liga with a 3-0 win.

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including Pulisic's third goal in four Milan matches

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola seemed to take a leaf out of his great managerial rival Jose Mourinho's book with a park the bus-like approach, but it came back to haunt them in a 1-1 draw at Arsenal. Erling Haaland was at his ruthless best but was taken off surprisingly early on Sunday as Gabriel Martinelli cancelled out his opener in dramatic fashion at the death.

Arsenal left it late to secure a 1-1 draw against Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, with Gabriel Martinelli coming off the bench to equalise in added time. The result leaves the Gunners five points adrift of early table-toppers and reigning champions Liverpool having won three, drawn one and lost one of their opening five matches this season.

Arsenal's perfect start to the new Women's Super League season came to an end on Sunday at Manchester United as the Gunners were held to a 0-0 draw in a game they had the better of. Olivia Smith hit the crossbar, Caitlin Foord whistled an effort just wide and Alessia Russo had a decent opportunity through on goal saved as Renee Slegers' side turned the screw in a hard-fought encounter, but the visitors had to settle for a point on the road in the end.

Manchester United dropped their first WSL points of the season when being held to a goalless draw by Arsenal, who had also opened the 2025-26 campaign with back-to-back wins. An emotional afternoon saw tears shed before kick-off as tributes were paid to former Liverpool manager Matt Beard, who passed away on September 20 at 47 years of age.

In-form striker Aggie Beever-Jones scored again as Chelsea made it three wins from three with a tight 1-0 victory over Leicester City in the Women’s Super League on Sunday. The Blues forward maintained her perfect record of scoring in every WSL game so far this season with a well-taken finish against Rick Passmoor’s Foxes, who played well for large periods but lacked killer instinct in the final third.