Stories By Jamie Smith

• Sport

  Kane, Messi, Mbappe? The top contenders to win the World Cup’s Golden Boot

  With the World Cup now just around the corner, anticipation is at fever pitch among football fans despite concerns remaining about Qatar’s suitability as the host nation for the competition. While Brazil seem set to kick off as the favourites to lift the Jules Rimet trophy just before Christmas, the race for the Golden Boot seems to be wide open at this stage.

• Sport

  Chelsea v Arsenal: Four of the best stars to play for both teams

  The top game of the coming Premier League weekend is undoubtedly at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea hosting league leaders Arsenal in a match that often provides thrills and spills. Much of the intrigue around the game surrounds Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang coming up against the Gunners.

• Sport

  Fantastic Fulham continue to surprise

  Fulham have been the surprise package of the Premier League season so far, sitting on the shoulders of the top six and a whopping nine points above the relegation zone. In each of the past three years in which Fulham have been a part of the top-flight, they have slipped back down to the Championship.

• Sport

  Steven Gerrard failure shows big names not enough to thrive in management

  That Aston Villa followed up Steven Gerrard’s sacking with a 4-0 win shows that all was not well at Villa Park, with a big victory offering hope they can swiftly climb away from relegation danger.

• Sport

  Kompany making light work of Championship challenge with Burnley

  Many within the football world thought Vincent Kompany was taking a risk when he agreed to take charge of Burnley, but the gamble is paying off with the Clarets top of the Championship. Scare stories surrounding the club’s financial situation were prevalent following relegation from the Premier League, especially after stars like Nick Pope, Dwight McNeil, Nathan Collins and Maxwel Cornet were sold and defensive stalwarts Ben Mee and James Tarkowski left on frees.

• Sport

  Latest sacking could be end of the road for Steve Bruce’s managerial career

  Few managers reach as many milestones as Steve Bruce – but he may have now hit his last.   Bruce’s sacking by West Brom came with the Baggies sitting in the Championship’s relegation zone after a 0-0 draw with Luton Town extended their run of games with no wins to eight.

• Sport

  Cooper contract shows ‘sack race’ guesswork from the media

  Steve Cooper’s new contract at Nottingham Forest came out of nowhere, with media speculation that the Welshman was set for the sack having earlier reached fever pitch. A run of five successive defeats in the Premier League had left Forest sitting in the relegation zone.

• Sport

  Is Mendes’ influence contributing to Wolves drift?

  Bruno Lage never seemed a comfortable fit at Wolves, with his side’s struggles in front of goal meaning it was inevitable he would be shown the door as they slipped down the league table. A 2-0 defeat at West Ham proved to be the final straw for the Molineux board, meaning Wolves had scored just three goals in their first eight games of the new Premier League season.

• Sport

  Which players make it into an Arsenal v Liverpool combined XI?

  The game of the weekend sees Liverpool travel to Arsenal, the surprise leaders of the Premier League after the Gunners won seven of their opening eight matches. Liverpool, meanwhile, are lagging 11 points behind Arsenal’s pace sitting in mid-table and in need of a statement result to kick start their season.

• Sport

  Manchester City v Manchester United: Six of the best Manchester derby goals

  A resurgent Manchester United make the short trip to take on their rivals Manchester City this Sunday, with the reigning Premier League champions yet to hit top gear this season. City won both meetings between the sides in the Premier League last term and Erik ten Hag will be keen to deliver a statement win, the Red Devils having taken 12 points from four games.

• Sport

  6 players with fading England World Cup hopes

  The last England squad before the World Cup had few surprises with Gareth Southgate mainly sticking to a similar set of players he has used regularly over recent years.   Some fans wanted change after a disappointing run of winless fixtures in the Nations League this summer culminated in the low point of the Southgate era, a 4-0 home loss to Hungary.

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