That concludes the blog for today, with plenty of action to follow in the Premier League, and these two currently live.

Rangers lead Celtic 1-0 in the Scottish League Cup, while Chelsea lead at Manchester United in the WSL.

More on Borussia Mönchengladbach firing coach Eugen Polanski.

“Despite a good pre-season and positive signs, the team failed to achieve the desired results in the Bundesliga,” sporting director Rouven Schröder said. “Recent performances led to the decision to relieve Eugen of his duties with immediate effect. Eugen is a true ‘Borusse’ through and through.”

“It hurts so much that things have turned out this way,” said Polanski, the former Under-23 team coach. “After successfully securing our top-flight status (last season), we made a number of changes for this season. We had big ambitions but failed to put them into practice.”

Telling Opta stat here: “Morgan Gibbs-White has either scored or assisted in each of his last eight Premier League away games (6G, 4A); only Erling Haaland (September 2023), Robin van Persie (May 2011), and Andrew Cole (December 1993) have enjoyed longer runs in the competition (all 9).”

He should have gone to the World Cup.

News from Denmark.

FCNordsjaelland

13 September 2026 9:21am

This comment has been chosen by Guardian staff because it contributes to the debate

Since people sometimes like to share updates on other teams and leagues in these weekend posts, I'll give a summary of Denmark's Superliga, a league I know everybody here follows closely but would be interested in a write-up of anyway.

Sadly, it looks like business as usual is going to be restored at the top. FC København, having finished in the bottom half for the first time since the late 90s last season, are top and in outstanding form. Clear favorites for the title. The club with whom they have typically fought for the title over the past 12 years, FC Midtjylland, currently sit second.

If there are going to be any surprise challengers for the title, it looks like it will be the club in my name, FC Nordsjælland. FCN are a club who quite often have a decent-to-excellent attack, but are porous at the back. This season so far, they have the joint-fewest goals conceded and have looked quite solid defensively. It looks like their best chance in years to grab their second-ever title, though we'll see how they cope with only their third-ever European league/group stage.

Speaking of Europe, Denmark have for the first time since (I think) 2014 improved their coefficient to the point where this season they have two Champions League spots. Sadly, they have no teams in the Champions League or Europa League, but this might be a blessing in disguise, because they have a whole four teams in the Conference League, and they might be able to pick up enough coefficient points to improve their standing.

Last season's shock champions, AGF, are off to a shocking start, sitting second-bottom after seven games and not having yet won a game. After winning their first title in 40 years last season (think Hearts without the heartbreak at the end), nobody really expected them to repeat, but still...

The two promoted clubs, Lyngby and Horsens, are off to good starts. Lyngby are not surprising, they are quite the yo-yo club over the past decade, but spent three straight seasons in the Superliga before going down for a season to the second tier. Horsens' start are more impressive, given that it's their first in the top flight in 13 years.

Not many Mancunians in today’s Manchester derby but Kobbie Mainoo will be one of them.

There has been a spotlight on Mainoo, with some fans wondering how he would react to the suffocation of his World Cup dream; his treatment by Tuchel, who preferred Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice in the deeper midfield positions and, also, at various times, Reece James, Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Morgan Rogers and Nico O’Reilly. Nobody should have worried. Mainoo is made of stern stuff. United regeared their midfield to the tune of £155m during the transfer window, adding Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba. Baleba has not yet played because of injury, but as United prepare for Sunday’s derby at Old Trafford, it is Mainoo who has reasserted himself.

Fulham are among the Premier League’s winless wonders but Alvaro Arbeloa is not panicking, particularly not after that goalless draw at Liverpool.

“I know that when you are not winning games it’s not so easy that your players believe in your ideas. But they believe in the way that we have been working and I am so happy and so proud of the way that we played.

“I want that my players show this character, that they want the ball, they want the ball under pressure. We know what we have to do, how we could beat the pressure of Liverpool and we did so, so well against a team that press so high and so well.

I think there were so many things that we did well, but we have been making mistakes and of course in this league, if you make mistakes, they will punish you. If you have chances, try to take those chances but also to be a little bit more balanced. I think we did better and we realised how important it is to be balanced.”

Nottingham Forest defender Nikola Milenkovic is set for three weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.

The Serbia international suffered the problem on the eve of Saturday’s 2-1 win at Aston Villa and is definitely out of next week’s clash with Coventry. “Nikola is a little bit more serious,” boss Oliver Glasner said. “He will also miss Coventry. We are hopeful that he can be back after the international break. Let’s say this is the first time I feel three weeks without a game is good.” (Press Association)

Join Taha for the latest installment of the eternal rivalry.

Another fun fact: “West Ham have been relegated and played seven Championship games but still scored a Premier League goal more recently than Tottenham Hotspur.”

Join Emilia for WSL action, Manchester United v Chelsea.

Pretty comprehensive list here.

Triani2

13 September 2026 8:54am

This comment has been chosen by Guardian staff because it contributes to the debate

A few thoughts after yesterday's round of games.

Bournemouth really will do well with the amount of chances they are creating. If they can be clinical they will be a dangerous team.
Raya is a wonderful goal keeper. The Sunderland vs Arsenal game was a but of a grim watch.
Hull deserved their point against Chelsea. Martinez is making Sanchez look solid in the Chelsea goal. That Chelsea defence...dearie me.
Villa's defence is also all over the place. Delap sparks to life.
Liverpool are wide open at the back - creating (and not converting) from the front. Fulham are the fun team this season with loads of endeavour but not the results.

My Spurs still goalless. Another grim watch. Whilst we can commend the fact that the defence and midfield is looking better - it's right to be asking much more from Spurs forward players. It's OK to criticise Tel for his decision making - but by that same reasoning what excuse do Marmoush, Solanke and Savio have? Solanke remains a ghost of the player he was. He drifted through this game with zero impact.

Again this highlights the Richarlison folly. Spurs top PL scorer from last season of the players that started against Everton was Van de Ven with 4. No player in the Spurs starting 11 scored more than 4 goals last season. Palhinha and Romero have moved on. If Richarlison said he wanted to leave at the beginning of the summer why did they wait till the end of the transfer window to sell him? Fishy. Richarlison 15 goal involvements last season watching from the stands - illegible to play. Make it make sense. Spurs needed an out and out striker this summer.

To put Spurs goalscoring woes into perspective. If Coventry and Hamburg score today - Spurs will be the only team in Europe's top five leagues not to score a goal. That includes the whole English football divisions.

Patience of course - and small improvements each game - Van Hecke and Tonali really settling in. But goals decide if a season will be a struggle or fruitful.

Rangers v Celtic, Scottish League Cup teams,

Rangers: Pandur, Sterling, Fernandez, Makhanya, Penrice, Neil, Raskin, Minsu, Gassama, Kelsy, Naderi. Subs: Kelly, McCrorie, Godfrey, Dragojecic, Devlin, Chukwuani, Curtis, Bouanani, Movski

Celtic: Johnstone, Donovan, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney, Baur, McGregor, Nygren, Duran, Hogh, Tounekti. Subs: Sinisalo, Lotomba, Trusty, Sorensen, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mheuka, Hassan, Forrest, Murray

Another stat from that Liverpool draw with Fulham, via the BBC: “Isak’s 16 touches in 90 minutes was the second fewest for an outfield Reds player on record, having had the fewest (14) against Forest a fortnight ago.”

This isn’t the Isak we saw at Newcastle, is it? Odd for an Iraola team. At Bournemouth, Evanilson was always involved.

Bundesliga news: Borussia Mönchengladbach have dismissed Eugen Polanski with immediate effect, after their 5-0 loss to Freiburg. Just three games in, too.

More De Zerbi, on his post-match discussion with Mathys Tel: “Yes, I coached him on the pitch. The body shape. He is a striker and the striker can play with the shoulder on the goal.

“If we are playing with Maddison, Kudus and Savio, [Tel] has to play as a striker and the striker has to look at the goal or the cross from Robertson. He has to stay inside because he started as a striker eh? Now he is playing as a winger but he started his career as a striker, but I love Mathys as a player, as a guy and there is not a problem.”

Good morning.

Here’s a decent stat, via Fulham: “Álvaro Arbeloa is the first manager to take points from Liverpool having also played for them in the Premier League.”

Who would that take in? Steven Gerrard? Xabi Alonso yet to face them? Why have so few ex-Liverpool players managed the Premier League? Gary McAllister? ⚪️

And with that, John Brewin is here to continue the build-up to this afternoon’s games.

Got a minute to spare? Why not try our daily Premier League trivia game, On the ball? Every day a star player past or present is hidden behind nine clues. How many will you need to identify them?

Jamie Jackson has previewed today’s Manchester derby. You can give it a read below…

Now, let’s look ahead to the Manchester derby. Is there a clear favourite for this one? I’m not sure there is. I suppose most people would expect City to win, but United pulled off a shock result in this fixture last season.

Here’s a look at the head-to-head results from the last five games:

• United 2-0 City

• City 3-0 United

• United 0-0 City

• City 1-2 United

• City 1-1 United (City win 7-6 on pens in Community Shield)

How the Premier League table looks after yesterday’s results…

In case you missed Mauricio Pochettino’s comments this week, the former Tottenham boss argued that Spurs should be awarded Chelsea’s 2016-17 Premier League title.

He said: “We should win one Premier League, we should have been awarded it. If that [Chelsea’s rule-break] was true, then we deserve to be champions that year, for sure. They were punished, they admitted it? So that’s it. The title should be for the team that was second.

“We can say that they scored goals, they won games. OK. But it’s completely fair to say that we didn’t compete before the start of the season with the same card. Maybe with the same rules, we could’ve signed some players that would have made the team better or scored more goals.”

Read more here:

Dave Estherby has messaged in about Tottenham and their (lack of) goalscoring. He says:

“Re. question of the day (8.44), yes, they will score (a) goal(s) - they will also finally achieve their, er, goal of getting relegated at the third time of asking. New manager, fortune spent, zero difference. Conte and Ange were right, it’s a business not a football club. As long as they can fill that stadium with Jay Z/Jacksonville Jaguars fans all is well.

“The fact Pochettino is now trying to get history re-written is beyond parody.”

And here’s a little roundup of the remaining Premier League reports from yesterday…

Elsewhere, Chelsea were held to a 2-2 draw by high-flying Hull City at Stamford Bridge.

Question of the day: when will Spurs score a goal? Tottenham fans, what do you think has been going wrong so far this season? Be sure to email in or leave a comment below the line.

Roberto De Zerbi says his Tottenham players continue to lack physical fitness and must “unblock” themselves in psychological terms after they drew their latest Premier League blank.

He explained: “There is a word in Italian – sbloccarsi – that literally translates as if we unblock ourselves.

“[It is] a mental block because four games, no wins, no goals scored … it is tough for the players. The team is extremely strong, we can score goals and we can win games. And then we have to respect the history of the players in their careers. Forget Dominic Solanke and Marmoush – the other players … they didn’t score many, many goals in their careers and we have to find these goals. I think we can do so with the quality of our play.”

De Zerbi added: “I said we started this season late for many, many reasons; too late. Many players at the World Cup, many injuries, many problems in Australia. Micky van de Ven suffered an injury in Australia. Domi Solanke the same. James Maddison the same. Mateus Fernandes suffered an injury in Australia. He lost 15 days and it’s not so quick. Sávio and Marmoush, they came 10 days ago. I started to work with this [whole] group not last Thursday but two Thursdays ago. So, I think we have not the right physical condition yet.”

Tottenham’s wait for a Premier League goal continues. It’s now 407 minutes and counting following a 0-0 draw with Everton…

Mikel Arteta was left furious with referee John Brooks last night, despite Arsenal’s 2-0 win against Sunderland.

Before Bruno Guimarães gave Arsenal the lead in a tight match that Régis Le Bris’s team were arguably unlucky to lose, David Raya made a brilliant save to deny Enzo Le Fée from the penalty spot. Arteta, however, did not believe that Ezri Konsa had hauled Dan Ballard to the ground, instead blaming the Sunderland man for pulling down his opponent.

He said: “We had to overcome a really tough opponent in a difficult place. Sunderland can suffocate you and they decided to be really physical and very direct and we also had to overcome a situation that, in my opinion was unacceptable at this level.

“I’m very worried and sad because this can never be a penalty. It’s a judo roll from the opponent. Ezri does nothing. We have to take responsibility to protect the game. Today the game was unprotected and it could have cost us the win and our momentum. I’m really sad. It should never have happened.”

Let’s take a quick look back at last night, when Arsenal earned a 2-0 win against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light thanks to goals from Bruno Guimarães and Bukayo Saka.

Yesterday’s Premier League results

• Liverpool 0-0 Fulham

• Crystal Palace 2-3 Ipswich Town

• Bournemouth 2-2 Brentford

• Aston Villa 1-2 Nottingham Forest

• Chelsea 2-2 Hull City

• Tottenham 0-0 Everton

• Sunderland 0-2 Arsenal