Tom Bellwood

There was heartache for Mohamed Salah who missed his shootout penalty as Egypt finished fourth at the Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday. The Egyptian icon’s spot kick was saved after his side drew 0-0 draw in the third-place play-off against Nigeria, which the Super Eagles won 4-2 on penalties. Salah was one of two Egyptian players to miss his penalty alongside Omar Marmoush.

Bayern Munich thumped RB Leipzig 5-1 with Harry Kane scoring the second goal for the Bavarians, helping to spark an epic second-half comeback. Leipzig took a 1-0 lead into half-time, but high-flying Bayern were rampant in the second period, scoring five unanswered goals and Kane was at the heart of the thrilling turn around as their unbeaten season continued.

Michael Carrick’s announcement as the new Manchester United manager had a stunning, instant impact in one of the most important matches of the season and Lisandro Martinez has revealed how the new boss inspired the 2-0 win over Manchester City on Saturday. Carrick issued one clear message to his players, who responded with their best performance of the season.

Chelsea supporters staged a mass protest at Stamford Bridge, demanding the return of previous owner Roman Abramovich and the reinstatement of recently-sacked boss Enzo Maresca. Chants of "BlueCo Out!" and "We want Roman back!" echoed around the ground in a direct challenge to the club's American owners. A recent string of poor results pushed hundreds of fans, organised by a group called "Not a Project CFC", to share their anger.

Liverpool were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by relegation-threatened Burnley after Dominik Szoboszlai missed a penalty in a match where Arne Slot’s side squandered numerous opportunities to win at Anfield. Florian Wirtz fired the Reds in front, but it was a brilliantly-taken strike from Marcus Edwards which earned the second-bottom side a precious point.

Manchester United players have jumped onto social media channels to thank Ruben Amorim and wish him well for the future after he was sacked in dramatic fashion during an early-morning meeting with club bosses. And while there was clearly lots of warmth towards the exiting manager from most of the squad, there was silence from a few other notable United stars.

Portuguese full-back Joao Cancelo is on the cusp of rejoining Barcelona, with the proposed deal now given the 'Here We Go!' tag by transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano. The highly-rated Al-Hilal defender, who spent the 2023-24 season on loan at the Catalan club, has made a return to the Camp Nou his top priority, cutting short a difficult spell in Saudi Arabia.

Liverpool fans will have to wait a little longer to see Mohamed Salah back in the famous red jersey after the Egyptian icon scored for his country to extend their stay at the Africa Cup of Nations. Salah was on the scoresheet in the thrilling 3-1 victory over Benin and now face a quarter-final clash on Saturday, with the Reds due to face Premier League leaders Arsenal this week.

Manchester United are searching for a long-term replacement to Ruben Amorim after sacking their boss, and they are also considering their options for who'll lead the club in the short-term until a permanent manager is found. With Darren Fletcher in charge for now, United are weighing up bringing another club legend back to Old Trafford for the rest of the season.

Just hours after he was sacked by Manchester United, Ruben Amorim put on a brave face and shared a few words with photographers after heading out for a wintry walk with his wife Maria Joao Diogo. The Portuguese boss was given the boot following an explosive attack on United hierarchy and came less than 24 hours after another poor performance in the draw with Leeds United.

Ruben Amorim was sacked by Man United on Monday morning following a disappointing draw with Leeds, but it may have been the Portuguese boss's behaviour leading up to it which prompted his untimely exit from the Old Trafford hot seat, rather than results alone. Amorim sensationally fell out with United chiefs and caused tactical confusion within the squad before the decision to relieve him of his duties.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has hailed "world class" Declan Rice, who shrugged off injury to score two goals in a man-of-the-match performance as the Gunners beat Bournemouth 3-2 at the Vitality Stadium. Arsenal now enjoy a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League table and Arteta has singled out Rice for the highest praise as his title challenge continues to gather momentum.

Barcelona opened up a seven-point lead at the top of La Liga courtesy of late strikes from substitutes Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski in a hard-fought 2-0 Catalan derby win over Espanyol. And there were also two world-class saves from former Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia to help secure the three points in what was a thrilling clash at the RCDE Stadium.

Arsenal beat Bournemouth 3-2 to open up a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League table, a victory which puts them on a superior trajectory to the legendary Invincibles of the 2003-04 season. The Gunners landed the title that season and the stats are adding up very favourably for Mikel Arteta’s side as they bid to land the club’s first league title in 22 long years.

Liverpool star Alexis Mac Allister has issued a frank assessment of Liverpool’s season so far and revealed he believes the club made too many changes too quickly, which has caused the club to make a dreadful start to the defence of their Premier League title. And while the Argentina star has written off title hopes, he still believes his team can still enjoy success this season.

Enzo Maresca may be out of a job, but has been tipped to bounce back at another high level club following his surprise early departure from Chelsea. Maresca exited Stamford Bridge after a run of just one win in seven, but Premier League all-time top goalscorer Alan Shearer believes the Italian could walk into another top job in England or elsewhere as his reputation remains high, despite the troubled end to his time in west London.

Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso has confirmed the club still don’t know when Kylian Mbappe will return after the France superstar was diagnosed with an injury to his left knee. Mbappe picked up a knock in training and is expected to miss forthcoming crunch clashes with Real Betis and Atletico Madrid, and Alonso isn’t able to put an exact date on when he’ll be back in the side.

Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso has revealed Endrick’s ambition was behind the decision to allow him to join Lyon on loan for the remainder of the season. The Brazil star has been frustrated at his lack of playing time at the Bernabeu and has been granted his wish to leave in a bid to secure a place in the squad for this year’s World Cup in North America, Canada and Mexico.