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Beth Mead's early strike secured a vital Champions League victory for Arsenal on Tuesday, as the reigning European champions saw off Twente in a narrow but comfortable 1-0 win. It's a scoreline that doesn't reflect the dominance the Gunners enjoyed as they crept up the league-phase standings, moving to within one point of automatic qualification for the knockout rounds with one game left to play, while securing at least a play-off berth.

Miami got the trophy. But Thomas Muller's Vancouver might have gotten something even more valuable: proof that they’re good enough to win it next year.

GOAL digs deep into the stats and numbers to find which players have performed the best in their positions in the league season so far, as we reach the halfway stage of the campaign for most of the Premier Soccer League teams. It is safe to say, though, that there are a few surprises in this list as several fan favourites miss out.

The Argentine deserved his second straight MVP award, but might face more competition for the honor next year - and Miami, too, could feel the heat

In 1969, at the age of 23, George Best wanted to focus solely on the essentials. Just football, just his job. So he turned his back on his two other great passions, alcohol and women. His sobering conclusion: "It was the worst 20 minutes of my life." A Manchester United legend, that quote sums up Bet's rebellious attitude towards football, and life in general.

Things haven't been easy for Manchester United as of late. The Red Devils went into Sunday's clash with West Ham having lost three of their last four games in all competitions, a run that has seen them fall well behind the pace in the Women's Super League title race and weakened their incredibly strong position in the Champions League, ahead of two very tough final games in the league phase, starting with the hosting of eight-time winners Lyon on Wednesday. The return of Phallon Tullis-Joyce, then, could not have been better timed.

Fifteen years ago, Manchester City were so enamoured with the all-conquering Barcelona that they sought to replicate the same structure. They began by hiring chief executive Ferran Soriano and sporting director Txiki Begiristain, before eventually landing Pep Guardiola to manage the team. All that was missing was Lionel Messi - though they nearly signed the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner at the very start of the Abu Dhabi-led project by mistake!

It's not every day that this version of Arsenal lose. In fact, Saturday's late 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa was just their second defeat of the 2025-26 season, following on from August's 1-0 loss at Liverpool, a result which hasn't aged well at all in glorious hindsight. There's still, however, a feeling that the Gunners are under increasing pressure to deliver this season more than any before under Mikel Arteta.

Neymar's second spell at Santos has, for the most part, been a disappointment. The injury problems that have plagued the Brazilian's career followed him back home, and as a result, he has been unable to build up any proper rhythm. He only featured in 20 of Santos' 38 Serie A games in the 2025 season, scoring eight goals, and is still waiting for a recall to the Brazil national team squad after a two-year absence.

The World Cup draw, which is supposed to be a celebration of soccer, instead turned into a tribute to Donald Trump

Bruno Fernandes was back to his best to guide Manchester United past a sorry Wolves and into the Premier League's top six. The United captain scored twice and got an assist in a 4-1 win at Molineux although it was not a trouble-free night for the Red Devils, who suffered the embarrassment of being the first team to concede a league goal to Wolves since October.

The Soweto giants ended the year on a rather disappointing and frustrating note, and will hope that 2026 brings plenty of improvements and success. In their final match of the year, the Glamour Boys were held to a goalless draw by a determined and disciplined TS Galaxy outfit on Sunday.

Inter Miami claimed MLS Cup, but will face an offseason of uncertainty with a number of key players surely on the way out in the coming months.

In one of the most pivotal scenes during the hit movie 'Moneyball', which tells the story of the Oakland Athletics' ground-breaking, data-led approach in baseball - later copied by the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) at both the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool - the club's general manager Billy Beane has a candid discussion with veteran player David Justice over his role.

GOAL runs the rule over the British players earning a living away from their homeland, with plenty more stars deciding to leave their comfort zones 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.

While the draw for the 2026 World Cup took centre-stage on Friday, all eyes were back on club football over the weekend as title races across Europe took yet more twists. The gap at the top of the Premier League has been reduced, which is in contrast to La Liga, where Barcelona stretched their lead over Real Madrid.

Real Madrid were humbled by bottom-of-the-table Celta Vigo, finished the match with nine men and failed to close the four point gap on league leaders Barcelona following a shock 2-0 defeat at the Bernabeu. Xabi Alonso’s side went behind midway through the second half courtesy of a stunning finish from Williot Swedberg, Fran Garcia and Alvaro Carreras were both shown red cards before Swedberg scored another in time added on to a chorus of boos as the match ended in chaotic scenes.

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, headlined by a goals from two strikers and an assist from a player fighting for a role next summer

Lionel Messi finally got his MLS Cup with Inter Miami, but the Herons will face an offseason full of change as they look to defend the trophy

The Buccaneers winger was named as the best player on the pitch after they defeated Marumo Gallants 1-0 in the final of the Beer Cup at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday. However, his award that comes with R100,000 sparked debate as some fans believed other players performed better than him as the Soweto giants claimed their second trophy of the season.

With two games before the Premier Soccer League takes a break, Amakhosi had a chance to go level with Orlando Pirates. They were held by Chippa United, and the second attempt was to beat TS Galaxy and go level with Mamelodi Sundowns, but they have also squandered that chance. Although Galaxy were reduced, the Glamour Boys failed to take advantage, as they were frustrated at Mbombela Stadium.

Chelsea's record-breaking unbeaten run in the Women's Super League came to a shock end on Sunday as Everton, who came into the game with just one victory in the competition this season, stunned the defending champions, winning 1-0 to deal Sonia Bompastor her first defeat as Blues boss. There were just 12 minutes on the clock when Honoka Hayashi broke the deadlock for the visiting side, giving Chelsea plenty of time to respond, but the hosts couldn't do so as their 34-game unbeaten streak in the WSL was snapped.

Dominique Janssen's sublime free-kick allowed Manchester United to avoid a first-ever three-game losing streak in the Women's Super League on Sunday, with a hard-fought and important 2-1 win over West Ham seeing them bounce back from losses to Aston Villa and Man City. The Red Devils, who have lost significant ground in the title race over the last few weeks, needed to get back on track here and they did exactly that, despite Shekiera Martinez's stunning overhead kick getting the Hammers back on level terms for a while in the second half.

Khadija Shaw's brace secured Manchester City an unconvincing 3-0 victory at a resolute Leicester City to extend their lead at the top of the Women's Super League. The City talisman was so wasteful in front of goal before bagging two late efforts in the last 15 minutes on Sunday. And substitute Kerolin capped off a fine cameo with a smart finish in second-half stoppage time to ensure City's best-ever start to a WSL season.

The World Cup draw yielded a number of fascinating groups - and the hype for the 2026 tournament can truly build

The 8-time Ballon d'Or winner had a hand in all three goals as Inter Miami saw off Vancouver Whitecaps to win its first MLS Cup

Lionel Messi delivered a moment of magic to secure Inter Miami their first MLS Cup title, ending a two-and-a-half-year wait to lift the league's biggest prize.

The Buccaneers waited until late in the second half of the extra time to find a way past Marumo Gallants to secure their second crown in domestic football. The former Morocco international had helped the Sea Robbers win the MTN8 title early in the season with a victory over Stellenbosch, who were determined to spoil the party.

Barcelona secured their third successive victory in La Liga as they beat in-form Real Betis 5-3 on Saturday. Ferran Torres scored a first-half hat-trick and Roony Bardghji also found the back of the net in a rare start as Hansi Flick’s men secured a result which will keep them top of the table, regardless of how Real Madrid fair against Celta Vigo on Sunday.