Soccer Rumour Room

No doubting Man City boss Guardiola's passion, says Toure. Check the complete story below 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

Kylian Mbappe tops 2025/26 Champions League scoring charts

After Raphinha and Guirassy shared the spoils as the Champions League's top scorers last season, the race is on to find Europe's next leading marksman in 2025-26. Following his four-goal haul against Olympiacos, Kylian Mbappe now leads the way.
The Champions League, the world's premier club competition, not only elevates teams into the pantheon of history but also serves as a platform to catapult individual careers. The rise of the then-unknown Erling Haaland, who burst onto the scene with Salzburg in the 2019-20 edition, is a prime example.

Therefore, the top scorer award is more than just another accolade. It propels its winner into the global football spotlight, securing their place in history.

Last season, Raphinha and Guirassy jointly claimed the trophy, both netting 13 goals. The quest to find their successor is already underway.

Naturally, the usual suspects like Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Lewandowski, and Salah are in the mix, but there's always room for less-expected names to join the race.

Raphinha, maximo goleador de la Champions 24-25 junto a Guirassy

Champions League Top Scorers
- With 9 goals: Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)

- With 6 goals: Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray).

- With 5 goals: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) and Erling Haaland (Manchester City).

- With 4 goals: Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Harvey Barnes, Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal) and Vitinha (PSG).

Eze treble fuels Arsenal's derby rout of Spurs

Arsenal midfielder Eberechi Eze showed Tottenham what they missed out on with a brilliant hat-trick in a 4-1 north London derby demolition that bolstered the Premier League leaders' title charge on Sunday.

Mikel Arteta's side were too strong for timid Tottenham as Leandro Trossard and Eze netted in the first half at the Emirates Stadium. Eze, who spurned Tottenham's advances to join Arsenal in the close season, struck again in the second half.

Richarlison's incredible long-range goal reduced the deficit, but it was no consolation as Eze completed his superb treble to fire the Gunners six points clear at the top.

It was only the fourth north London derby hat-trick after Ted Drake, Terry Dyson and Alan Sunderland. Arsenal's 10-match winning streak was ended by Sunderland's late equaliser in a 2-2 draw before the international break.

But Eze's best performance since his £60 million ($78 million) move from Crystal Palace erased that bitter taste as Tottenham were put to the sword at the Emirates yet again.

The Gunners - unbeaten in the last seven north London derbies - have lost just once in 33 home meetings with their bitter rivals from the other end of the Seven Sisters Road.

Arsenal's biggest win over Tottenham since 2012 was the perfect start to a crucial period featuring a visit from Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday before a trip to second-placed Chelsea next weekend.

Arsenal's unbeaten run in all competitions has reached 15 games, ensuring they took advantage of Manchester City's 2-1 defeat at Newcastle on Saturday. With City spluttering and champions Liverpool in turmoil, Arsenal have a golden opportunity to end their wait for a first English title since 2004.

Tottenham arrived with the Premier League's best away record, but the limp end of their five-game unbeaten run on the road raised fresh questions about boss Thomas Frank's negative philosophy.

The absence of injured Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes had been highlighted as a potential weakness for Tottenham to exploit. Yet Tottenham rarely got close enough to the Arsenal penalty area to test that theory.

Frank urged Tottenham to embrace the "controlled chaos" of a "madhouse" derby. But the Dane has struggled to win over Tottenham supporters with his conservative style and his decision to use five defenders backfired to such an extent that the only chaos was in his overwhelmed rearguard.

Eze makes his point
Tottenham were determined to take the sting out of the game, wasting time at throw-ins and goal-kicks. But Arteta's men, superior in their passing and movement, deservedly took the lead in the 36th minute.

Mikel Merino was again deployed as a makeshift striker in the absence of the injured Viktor Gyokeres, but the Spain midfielder dropped deep into more familiar terrain to set up Trossard's goal.

Caressing a sublime pass over the Tottenham rearguard, Merino picked out Trossard, who was played onside by the dozing Kevin Danso. Trossard smartly twisted and turned to find space for a shot that deflected past Guglielmo Vicario from 10 yards.

If Tottenham had their way in the summer, Eze would be turning out for them, but Arsenal hijacked the deal with Palace to sign the England star at the 11th hour. Frank had joked: "Who's Eze?" when asked this week about the failed move.

Eze had the perfect riposte in the 41st minute as he took Declan Rice's pass in stride and weaved through to drill a fine low finish past Vicario. Frank sent on Xavi Simons for Danso at the interval, but the introduction of the forward Tottenham signed instead of Eze made no difference.

Eze struck again just 35 seconds after half-time, punishing Tottenham's flat-footed defence with a predatory finish from just inside the area. Richarlison briefly silenced the crowing Arsenal fans when he lobbed David Raya with a majestic effort from 35 yards in the 55th minute.

But that was Tottenham's first shot of the game and Eze, picked out by Trossard's pass, put a fitting seal on his masterclass with a blistering strike from 12 yards in the 76th minute.

Van Dijk urges Liverpool to 'look in the mirror' after Forest thrashing

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was visibly angry after the painful 3-0 defeat at Anfield against Forest, urging his teammates to “look in the mirror” to correct their poor form.

Liverpool continue their poor run this season and the Reds were completely exposed by Forest at Anfield this time, suffering a 3-0 defeat by the Tricky Trees, the Merseyside side's heaviest home defeat since a 4-1 loss to Manchester City in 2021.

Reds captain Virgil van Dijk was disappointed with his team's performance and quite angry, urging the team to work hard to get back on track.

"We concede too many easy goals," said Van Dijk. "They scored obviously from a set piece again. You can ask if he was in front of Alisson, but it counted, so we're 1-0 down. We were not good in terms of battles, challenges, the fight, too rushed. It's a very difficult situation at the moment. There was nervousness after we conceded, but not before.

"We tried to rush things, and that's human when you're in a difficult moment. We cleared the ones before, and in the end, we're in a very difficult moment. We don't get out of it by just speaking about it. It will take a lot of hard work.

"It's a problem. Everyone in the team has to take responsibility as well. Football is a team and everyone has to take responsibility. We have to digest this and take it on the chin. We need to work harder. We have to keep going. Everyone is disappointed, like they should be, because losing at home to Nottingham Forest is, in my eyes, very bad.

"That's the least I can say about it. Those goals we conceded are far too easy, and we all have to look in the mirror," he concluded.

Odegaard on World Cup qualification and derby buzz

Before every game at Emirates Stadium, Martin Odegaard lifts the lid on the mood in the camp via his captain’s notes published in the matchday programme.

Ahead of today's game against Tottenham Hotspur, he discusses the buzz before the derby, his joy at seeing Norway qualify for the World Cup and how his injury rehab is going Here is a snippet:

This is the perfect game for the squad to come back to after the international break. It's a special fixture, always a big one, and everyone wants to play in it. Everyone is excited for this game, it’s always an incredible atmosphere, and you just can’t wait to get out there after the build-up during the week.

It’s special for the supporters, but you can feel it inside the club as well. It means a lot to everybody, and I think it makes it easier for the players coming back from internationals to face a game like this. We know there is no option but to be completely on it from the very first second. That’s what you want.

We've got a few new players this season and I know they are all looking forward to this game too. This rivalry is something you feel when you arrive here. I remember my first derby and people talking about it inside the club. We’ve got people here who have been at the club for a long time and are massive Arsenal fans so they will tell you straight away!

A lot of the players were away for internationals last week, and I was back with Norway to be with my teammates, even though I couldn’t be on the pitch. We had two massive games so for me personally, I wanted to be there. It was unreal to qualify for the World Cup like that. It was unbelievable from start to finish in qualifying. We won all the games, and the way we won them, the amount of goals we scored, and barely conceded – it was solid from start to finish.

Norway celebrate qualifying for the 2026 World Cup
It hasn't always been the case for us to do this well. We've failed to qualify a lot of times, and we’ve had a lot of hard moments for the team, so it means a lot. For me personally, I've been in the team since 2014 and during that time we haven't qualified for a major tournament, so to finally get there is huge. It’s one of my biggest dreams to go to a tournament with Norway, and to be able to go to a World Cup with this group of players is an unbelievable feeling.

Lewandowski will remember scoring first goal at new Camp Nou 'forever'

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski said he will remember scoring the first goal at the team's rebuilt Camp Nou stadium "forever" after a 4-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday in La Liga.
The veteran striker opened the scoring after four minutes to get Barca's inauguration party started after two-and-a-half years playing away from their home stadium. Barca had planned to reopen Camp Nou a year ago but the date was pushed back several times amid construction problems and other issues.

"Today was a special day, not only for me but for everyone. Because of this I'm very happy that I could score the first goal, coming back to Camp Nou," Lewandowski told Barca One. "I have so much experience playing in different stadiums, but here is something special. I'm very proud of myself and also of the team because we did a great job today and we won.

"I think this first goal for me is something that I'm going to remember forever." The win took Barca level on points with Real Madrid at the top of La Liga and was an improvement on the team's recent performances.

"I already felt two, three days ago when I came back from the national team to the club, I felt special emotions, that something special (is going to happen)," continued Lewandowski. "We all know this game is going to be something that we're going to remember long-term."

Vancouver 6-5 Los Angeles: Son's brilliant free kick can't save LA
Game is over and the final score is Vancouver Whitecaps 6-5 Los Angeles. Vancouver made it to the western finals by beating LA through penalty shootout.

Fulham bring Sunderland back down to earth as Raul Jimenez scores late winner

Fulham 1-0 Sunderland: The Black Cats’ four-match unbeaten run came to an end in West London

Fulham secured a late victory at Craven Cottage
Fulham secured a late victory at Craven Cottage
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Surprise package Sunderland were undone by Raul Jimenez’s late winner as Fulham eased clear of the Premier League drop zone with a hard-earned 1-0 win at Craven Cottage.

In a game of plentiful good intentions but few clear-cut chances, the Black Cats – superbly marshalled by midfield anchor Granit Xhaka – looked like hanging on for a point in a West London monsoon.

But six minutes from time, 34-year-old Mexican striker Jimenez beat Sunderland defender Dan Ballard to substitute Samuel Chukwueze’s teasing cross to prod home his third goal of the campaign.

In the week when head coach Marco Silva was reportedly offered a new three-year contract, Fulham’s perseverance in testing conditions was just the tonic after a worrying start to the season.

Fortified by their tenacious 2-2 draw with leaders Arsenal which left them fourth, the Black Cats were determined to extend their unbeaten run to five games – but they were caught napping at the death.

Forest run riot at Anfield as Liverpool slump continues

Liverpool's Premier League woes deepened as Nottingham Forest delivered a ruthless 3-0 defeat at Anfield on Saturday, leaving the Reds further entrenched in their poor run of form.

The spluttering champions fell behind in the 33rd minute when Murillo's fierce strike punished their failure to deal with Elliot Anderson's corner.

Reds boss Arne Slot was fuming that the goal was allowed despite Forest's Dan Ndoye appearing to obstruct Liverpool keeper Alisson Becker - an offence that led Virgil van Dijk's equaliser to be disallowed in the 3-0 loss at Manchester City before the international break.

Sean Dyche's side doubled their lead after 46 minutes when Nicolo Savona slotted home from Neco Williams' cut-back. With Liverpool's defence in disarray, Morgan Gibbs-White scored Forest's third from the rebound after Omari Hutchinson's shot was saved in the 78th minute.

Beaten by Forest at Anfield for a second successive season, Liverpool have lost eight of their last 11 games in all competitions, including six of their last seven in the top-flight.

It is the first time Liverpool have lost consecutive league games by a three-goal margin since 1965. Slot admitted on Friday that Liverpool's players are still affected by the tragic death of Diogo Jota in a crash in Spain in July.

And once again, they were devoid of inspiration and energy in another lethargic display that left them languishing in 11th place, eight points behind leaders Arsenal. Liverpool's stunning decline comes after a summer spending spree of over £400 million ($523 million).

Alexander Isak was hauled off in the second half of his fourth league start for Liverpool following a British record move from Newcastle that has failed to live up to the hype. Sweden striker Isak has yet to score for the Reds in the top-flight.

Elsewhere, West Ham blew a two-goal lead in their 2-2 draw at Bournemouth. Former Cherries forward Callum Wilson put West Ham in front after 12 minutes and produced another fine finish in the 35th minute.

But Marcus Tavernier's 69th-minute penalty, awarded for Max Kilman's handball, sparked a Bournemouth fightback that climaxed with Enes Unal's 81st-minute equaliser.

New Wolves manager Rob Edwards suffered a 2-0 debut defeat against fourth-placed Crystal Palace at Molineux. Edwards has been tasked with saving Wolves from relegation after arriving from second-tier Middlesbrough to replace the sacked Vitor Pereira.

But Edwards, who played over 100 times for Wolves, was unable to spark an immediate revival from his bottom-of-the-table team.

Daniel Munoz gave Palace a 63rd-minute lead and Yeremy Pino netted six minutes later to leave Wolves, beaten in 10 of their 12 league games, sitting nine points from safety.

Brighton came from behind to defeat Brentford 2-1 at the Amex Stadium. Brentford's Igor Thiago scored a 29th-minute penalty, but Danny Welbeck bagged Brighton's 71st-minute leveller and Jack Hinshelwood netted in the 84th minute.

Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen saved Thiago's stoppage-time penalty to preserve the win. Raul Jimenez's 84th-minute goal gave Fulham a 1-0 victory against Sunderland at Craven Cottage.

Barcelona go top of La Liga after crushing Athletic in Camp Nou return

Barcelona provisionally sit atop La Liga, level on points with Real Madrid, after the Catalans claimed a 4-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao on their return to Camp Nou two and a half years later.
FC Barcelona celebrated their return to Camp Nou two and a half years later in style. The 'Cules' are provisionally top of La Liga, tied on 31 points with Real Madrid after claiming a crushing victory over Athletic Club.

The Catalan giants came out all guns blazing, with Robert Lewandowski continuing his fine form in front of goal, having scored a hat-trick against Celta before the international break. The Polish striker lit up the return to Camp Nou with an early goal in the 5th minute after capitalising on a mistake by the Basque side in their build-up play and beating Unai Simon with a low shot to the near post.

The match was frantic in the first half, with Barca constantly creating chances when in possession but also looking slightly fragile against the visitors' quick attacks, who tried to take advantage of Hansi Flick's team's high line.

In fact, failed Barca signing Nico Williams came within inches of finishing off a move by Berchiche from the left wing and restoring parity, something they would regret minutes later.

Just when it looked like the Catalans were going to go into the break with one-goal lead, a great counterattack finished off by Ferran Torres doubled the home side's advantage. Lamine Yamal received the ball on the left wing and, with his iconic trivela pass, left the Spanish striker in a one-on-one situation with Unai Simon, beating the goalkeeper with a classy finish to add a second.

The home side started the second half in the same vein as the first. Fermin played a great one-two with Eric Garcia on the edge of the box before firing a low shot into the bottom corner to beat Unai Simon and add a third.

The problems mounted for the visitors, who saw Sancet sent off for a hard tackle on Fermin after the referee had to be called over by VAR to review the foul on the monitor after initially showing a yellow card.

The victory and three points were not the only good news for Barca fans that night, who applauded from the stands as they watched Raphinha make his return from injury two months later, replacing Dani Olmo in the 80th minute.

Ferran Torres put the icing on the cake by adding a fourth after beating Unai Simon in a one-on-one situation, which he found himself in after being assisted by Lamine Yamal.