Archive November 1, 2025

Arsenal fans have a lot of hope for the title game, but it’s frequently been shattered as a result.

However, this season has a different feel.

With a 2-0 victory over Burnley on Saturday, they moved seven points clear of the Premier League, despite having won more games than some of those in the bottom six. This is their fifth straight win in a row.

The victory also put pressure on traditional rivals Liverpool, who face second-placed Bournemouth on Sunday in the league game against Manchester City, and Manchester City, who are nine points behind.

Although it is still early, could Arsenal’s reign come to an end after 22 years of waiting and finishing second for the first three seasons?

With just 16 goals conceded in 46 games, Burnley earned promotion to the Championship last year, demonstrating how determined they can be. They also had a strong defensive record.

Set-pieces became crucial once more when Mikel Arteta’s men were confronted with disciplined and organized defensive lines that made scoring from open play challenging.

With their eighth consecutive win in this category against Arsenal, the most a team has ever had in its first ten games of a campaign, coming from a corner, at Turf Moor.

The top flight’s dead-ball team has scored 12 of their 18 league goals this season, which is the highest ratio by any team in a single Premier League season. More than any other team has scored in this number.

Former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer told BBC Sport, “I can’t see a weakness.”

When Arsenal last conceded, they must go back to their previous game against Newcastle, which they did 2-1.

In the seven games since then, they have allowed one goal, but they did manage to end that run when Burnley’s Marcus Edwards hit the post from a free kick in the closing seconds.

With a 2-0 victory, Arsenal had kept a clean sheet for the first time since March and April 1999 (also a run of seven) with a run of clean sheets in all competitions.

On Tuesday, Slavia Prague will host them in the Champions League. Only the second time in the club’s history will they have kept teams out for eight games straight if they can avoid conceding again, having previously managed to get it back in 1903, so it will only be the second time.

Arsenal teams from recent seasons might have been bullied in a physical battle at Burnley away, but they are now able to face such odds.

Nedum Onuoha, a former defender for Manchester City, said: “Arnswer Arsenal’s biggest flaw is that they are a bit soft-centered, you could almost bully them. When I first started doing punditry in 2021,” he said.

Now let’s take a closer look at how they play. It will be a fight if necessary. A footballing game can be one when it is necessary.

This summer, Arsenal spent about £250 million on improving their squad, and they are beginning to realize the advantages of having more depth.

With the long-term absences of Martin Odegaard and Noni Madueke, they already have a sizable injury list, with forwards Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz among them.

The Gunners have taken the pressure off the Gunners by putting pressure on them, but the players who have stepped in have more than made that happen.

According to Onuoha, “The depth that they have, is that if someone drops out, it’s the next person up.”

Boss Arteta has previously cited timing as a factor in Arsenal’s Premier League demise since he took over in 2019.

He pointed out that Liverpool won the Premier League last year with fewer points than the Gunners had managed the previous two campaigns in May.

However, they seem to have the right opportunity this term given their strong start to the season while their rivals have struggled.

Liverpool have now lost their final four games, but they have already won five Premier League games in a row.

Meanwhile, Manchester City hasn’t won in five games, three losses, or a draw thus far.

None of the teams that have been successful in this regard have won the title in the previous six seasons, despite what Arsenal supporters may begin to believe.

Gary Neville, a former defender for Manchester United, said on Sky Sports, “Arsenal are trustworthy, you can trust them.” Arsenal, this is your job title. It’s so early in the season, but it really is [yours]; I’ve never really felt that way.

Quilter Nations Series

Scotland 85 (45)

Trys: Smith, Van der Merwe, Van der Merwe, Graham, Dobie, McDowall, Horne, and Richardson.

Cons: Horne 5, Hastings 5, and Horne 5.

In a one-sided autumn test, Scotland defeated the United States to record their biggest victory in Murrayfield’s 100-year history, with the help of Darcy Graham and Jamie Dobie scoring hat-tricks.

Duhan Van der Merwe led the team, scoring two tries in his 50th cap as Scotland dominated an underpowered and disjointed USA side.

Van der Merwe, Graham, and Dobie all crossed twice in a blistering 40 minutes as Dylan Richardson opened the scoring with a five-minute crash over.

After a few minutes into the second period, Graham scampered in to add a treble to his hat-trick, moving to level with Van der Merwe, and late on, Dobie, who had moved to the wing, was also able to score a treble.

In the second half, Kyle Rowe, Stafford McDowall, George Horne, and Ollie Smith each scored in a late burst against a shell-shocked USA team that gave Scotland an 85-point lead.

No one who visited Murrayfield anticipated a different outcome, despite the size of Scotland’s victory, which was their third-largest victory.

Due to the game being played outside of the Test window, some of the players on both sides lost out on the opportunity to shine.

After only a few club games, Edinburgh back row Liam McConnell was given his debut, and it was obvious how intense he was.

Van der Merwe’s first run and passing performance in a basketball game resulted in his second, and Graham’s lineout steal came to an end with Graham receiving Rowe’s wonderful pass.

Dobie also excelled in a typically hectic display, moving from scrum-half to the wing when Graham was replaced with his hat-trick.

Graham’s silky chip over the top made it possible for him to retrieve the ball and sprint under the posts while Graham’s clever support line made another profit from McDowall’s line break.

Rowe scored a second-half try first, but Dobie missed out on Van der Merwe’s pass to clinch the win.

Another entertaining sideshow features Graham and Van der Merwe continuing to compete for the title of Scotland’s all-time top try scorer.

Scotland know next week against the All Blacks will be a completely different level of Test match than against a USA team without players and with a club game in crisis, despite having every right to take away from a blistering performance.

We repeatedly asked for physicality and effort, and we did it for the majority of the game, both when the ball came in contact and when we had to defend. In the end, we were aggressive and disciplined.

“The players really put forth a lot of effort for one another.” There was a huge audience tonight, which is fantastic because they saw our strengths. We have undoubtedly some very talented members on our team.

Jamie Dobie, a Scotland back, says, “Fun is one of the words to describe that. We didn’t go off the script, which is why we scored 80 points because we followed the plan.

The most enjoyable aspect of keeping them scoreless is. Prior to the game, and even more so after halftime, it was a significant focus.

Morris, McBeth, Walker, Samuel, Williamson, Bradbury, Horne, and Thompson are their replacements.

United States: Storti, Wilson, Besag, Boni, Fricker, Hilsenbeck, De Haas, Lindenmuth, Geiger, Davis, Redelinghuys, Damm (c), Helu, Daniel, Ryan, and others.

Before Saturday’s rugby league match against England, a pitch invader who gathered with the Australia team was arrested.

As the teams lined up for the national anthems shortly before Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium’s kick-off, Daniel Jarvis, a well-known internet prankster who uses the name “Jarvo 69” on social media, made their way onto the field.

On the end of the line of Australia players wearing a green and gold team shirt with the number “Jarvis 69” on the back, Jarvis was spotted on BBC One’s television coverage.

Following an incident at Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool this afternoon on Saturday, November 1, 2019, officers have detained a man, according to Merseyside Police.

The 37-year-old man from Gravesend, Kent, was detained just before the England vs. Australia rugby league game started.

He has been taken to a police station for questioning on suspicion of having articles for use in fraud and fraud using false pretenses.

When BBC Sport reached them, neither Everton nor the Rugby Football League made a comment.

However, it is understood that an internal review of the event will be conducted by RFL.

The new Everton stadium’s first non-football game was played on Saturday, marking its first since it opened earlier this year.

Since September 2018, Danny Welbeck hasn’t played for England. He is in his best form and has the potential to make the most unlikely international comebacks in seven years.

Welbeck is the most prolific English scorer in the competition this season and his close-range goal came in Brighton’s 3-0 win over Leeds on Saturday. His sixth goal came in 10 Premier League games.

The 34-year-old has scored in 17 different Premier League games in his last three games, which is the longest streak of his career.

The German has a reputation for selecting players based on form, and Thomas Tuchel will announce his England squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania later this month.

Welbeck, who will be 35 when the 2026 World Cup will begin in June, has every right to feel confident in bolstering his 42 caps and 16 international victories, but he has remained wary about it.

Welbeck stated on Saturday’s BBC Final Score program, “I’m feeling good.” I’ve been achieving the goals more frequently than I have in the past.

“I could have had better performances, but I may not have scored.” I feel strong and well, and all will work out for me. The only thing I can control is what, and that’s it.

“I’m really enjoying my football, and I’m looking forward to my next game against Brighton.”

Welbeck appears to be using that approach. Since his five league games debut on September 27th, he has scored six goals this term, making him the top scorer in the Premier League.

Former Premier League player Nedum Onuoha described him as “a timeless wonder” by BBC Sport.

Welbeck is on pace to surpass the career-high 10 top-flight goals he scored last season, who had six goals from seven shots on target.

In recent years, Harry Kane has played second fiddle to a number of different strikers, but none are currently enjoying Welbeck’s purple patch.

There aren’t many obvious stand-ins for Harry Kane, according to Alan Shearer, who looked at the forward options in Tuchel’s previous squad.

Any English striker with Premier League goals will be discussed because Anthony Gordon, Jarrod Bowen, and Bukayo Saka aren’t going to fill those positions, and Ollie Watkins hasn’t been firing for Aston Villa.

Welbeck won his last cap in 1977, but Tuchel is not concerned about his future. There’s no reason Welbeck couldn’t be involved if he keeps scoring and stays injury-free during the six weeks of the World Cup.

Welbeck’s career has been hampered by injuries, which have arguably prevented him from winning any of his 42 England caps, but he has now found it advantageous to be able to contribute goals on the pitch and leadership off it.

Welbeck added, “I’m loving it here at Brighton, I’ve been very important, integral, both on and off the pitch.”

I’m enjoying the senior position as well because I understand how significant it was for me as a youngster when senior members were available to offer advice.

“I’m here to give advice to children and assist those around me because it’s come full circle now.” Getting into this role has been fairly straightforward.

Welbeck recently claimed that England’s “door is always open” and is available on BBC Radio 5 Live.

He continued, “I know that if I’m called upon, I’d love to do the job, but honestly, it doesn’t come into my mind right now. I’m just focused on winning games and getting points in Brighton.

Onuoha, who has previously played against Welbeck, believes he knows Tuchel will be interested in him, even though Welbeck has downplayed his chances.

You almost claim that he has never played for England before. He has previously performed that task, Onuoha claimed.

Clive: Welbeck is being questioned by many people, but only 7.4% of fantasy footballers include him. Bring him to a sharp.

Josh: With Kane in his current form, I would choose Welbeck over any other English striker for England.

Bob, we need to be bringing in younger strikers, not searching clubs looking for tired players who are having a good season.

Harry: I believe that Welbeck’s longevity is largely due to his limited focus on the league. I believe that if Brighton made Europe and we drafted him into the England squad, he would experience some struggle. I’m not sure why I love the man, though.

Sean Dyche, manager of Nottingham Forest, described the decision to give Manchester United a corner ahead of Saturday’s visitors’ opener at the City Ground as “farcical.”

Bryan Mbeumo’s delivery was headed out of play when Nicolo Savona’s clearance caught him off guard and the Italian full-back chased after his own header, appearing to stop the ball from crossing the line.

However, Akil Howson, the lineman, signaled that the ball was out of play, prompting the referee to give Casemiro’s side the lead in a game that ended 2:3.

Even if a corner leads to a goal, the video assistant referee (VAR) is unable to review decisions that involve awarding a corner instead of a goal-kick in accordance with current laws.

Dyche remarked, “Two in two weeks is ridiculous. You might receive one of those [decides] once per season.

You can argue about how to handle it, of course, but the point is that we made the wrong choice. Even worse, the assistant referee gave it from behind the goal, which is 75 yards away. He appears to be able to see it.

The ball hangs over the line in a clear way. It’s not out, regardless of whether it’s three quarters or not. Really disappointing, really.

Morgan Gibbs-White and Savona scored two goals in three second-half minutes to set up Forest’s first victory under new manager Dyche.