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A late Berekum Chelsea equaliser denied Asante Kotoko three points in their Ghana Premier League (GPL) showdown on Sunday.

Emmanuel Keyekeh broke the deadlock for the visiting Porcupine Warriors in the 15th minute but Emmanuel Clottey's effort in stoppage time ensured the sharing of the spoils in the matchweek two tie at the Golden City Park in Berekum.

Kotoko and Chelsea have each drawn their opening two games of the season, leaving them seventh and eighth on the league table, respectively.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Issah Ibrahim scored in the third minute of injury time to snatch a 2-1 home triumph for Dreams over Medeama. Joseph Esso opened the scoring for the hosts in the 14th minute before Godfred Kwadwo Asamoah's 74th minute effort drew the away side level.

Aduana Stars' first taste of 2020-21 GPL action, having had their matchday one opener against Hearts of Oak postponed, ended in a 1-1 draw away at King Faisal.

Bright Adjei shot the visitors into the lead two minutes prior to half-time but Boateng Frimpong hit back for the home side after the break. The visitors were reduced to 10 men in the 66th minute when Isaac Kwain was sent off.

Karela United marked their return to the refurbished Crosby Awuah Memorial (CAM) Park with a 1-0 home triumph over Inter Allies, courtesy of a Diawisie Taylor 76th minute effort. The striker has scored in both games played thus far.

On Friday, a 3-0 win over Legon Cities propelled Great Olympics to the top of the league table. Gladson Awako, Maxwell Abbey Quaye and Samuel Ashie Quaye were on target for the hosts at the Accra Sports Stadium.

At the Nduom Sports Stadium, Elmina Sharks were held to a 1-1 draw by Liberty Professionals who, having missed a penalty on the hour mark, drew a 90th minute equaliser from Kwaku Karikari after Benjamin Tweneboah's first-half opener.

Earlier on Saturday, Hafiz Konkoni Wontah's 28th minute goal helped Bechem United to a 1-0 home win over Wafa. The winners are currently third on the league table.

Eleven Wonders are just behind Olympics on the table following their 2-0 home victory over Ebusua Dwarfs. Mohammed Tetteh Nortey and Prince Okraku scored to ensure three points for their side.

On Tuesday, Hearts of Oak will host Ashanti Gold in the last game of matchday two at the Accra Sports Stadium. 

Nicolas Pepe was sent off but Bernd Leno frustrated wasteful Leeds United with a string of fine saves as Arsenal ground out a goalless Premier League draw at Elland Road.

Pepe, who struck the crossbar in th first half, was shown a red card for headbutting Ezgjan Alioski early in the second half on a dismal Sunday afternoon in West Yorkshire.

Toothless Leeds were the better side before Pepe's dismissal but they were unable to claim a first win over the Gunners since 2003, with Leno outstanding and Rodrigo and Patrick Bamford and Raphinha all striking the woodwork.

Arsenal defended well with 10 men to salvage a point, but they have gone over seven hours without scoring a goal from open play in the top flight, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang feeding on scraps after being given the chance to start down the middle.

Aubameyang felt Arsenal should have been awarded a penalty for handball against Liam Cooper late on, but VAR disagreed before Bamford headed against the post in a frantic finish.

Bamford poked tamely at Leno as Leeds warmed to the task after a sloppy start in the rain before a cross from Arsenal winger Pepe came back off the bar

Leno brilliantly palmed away Bamford's volley with the Whites well on top, while Stuart Dallas, Mateusz Klich and Luke Ayling snatched at opportunities to open the scoring before the break.

Arsenal needed to show more intensity, but they were dealt a major blow when Pepe was dismissed by referee Anthony Taylor following a VAR check after clashing with Alioski off the ball.

Leno came to the Gunners' rescue again to turn a rasping drive from Dallas over the bar and Ayling could not sort his feet out when he had a golden chance laid on a plate for him by Raphinha.

Rodrigo replaced Ayling just after that missed opportunity as Marcelo Bielsa threw caution to the wind and the Spain forward smashed the bar with a superb left-footed strike 11 minutes from time.

Cooper was relieved when Aubameyang's effort hit him on the arm in the area but struck his leg first before Illan Meslier superbly denied Bukayo Saka when he raced clear.

Bamford rose to nod against the woodwork with three minutes of normal time to play and Raphinha, making his first start, also rattled the post in stoppage time as Arsenal clung on.

What does it mean? Leeds must be ruthless, Arsenal show steel

Leeds will wonder how they failed to see off the Gunners and Marcelo Bielsa's men have now won just one of their last six matches.

They had 25 shots, but only four were on target, striking the frame of the goal on three occasions as Arsenal were put under immense pressure but showed character to dig in for a point.

Both sides remain in the bottom half, with Arsenal 11th and Leeds 14th.

Leno inspired as Gunners roll their sleeves up

Arsenal have been too fragile in recent seasons, but they showed the sort of battling qualities that have been lacking on a grim afternoon.

Leno has had his critics, but the goalkeeper made superb reflex saves and deserved the fortune that Arsenal benefited from.

Rob Holding and Gabriel made 14 clearances between them and key interceptions, while Dani Ceballos - who this week denied having a training ground bust-up with David Luiz - won 15 duels, showing he was up for the fight.

Aubameyang starved of service

Much was made of Aubameyang being switched to a central role for the clash in West Yorkshire, but the captain was starved of service.

The Gabon international had three shots, but had to fashion opportunities for himself with Leeds dominant for much of the game.

Arsenal have now scored just one goal in their past five top-flight matches and that was a penalty from Aubameyang.

Key Opta Facts

- This was only Leeds United’s third goalless draw in 101 league matches under Bielsa, also drawing 0-0 with Middlesbrough in August 2018 and Sheffield Wednesday in October 2019.- Since Bielsa took charge of Leeds in 2018, the Whites have kept 41 clean sheets in 101 league games (excluding play-offs), more than any other side in the top four tiers of English league football in this time.
- Leeds had 25 shots against Arsenal; only Man Utd v Newcastle (28) and Leeds themselves v Aston Villa (27) have had more in a single Premier League game this season so far, with Leeds’ 25 the most by any side without scoring in a match in the division since Man City’s 26 against Southampton in July.
- Pepe was given the first red card of his career in Europe's top five leagues, in what was his 146th such appearance.
- Since Arteta joined Arsenal in December 2019, the Gunners have received five Premier League red cards, at least two more than any other club in this time.

What's next?

Arsenal travel to Norway for a Europa League encounter with Molde on Thursday before facing Wolves next Sunday, while Leeds take on Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Arsenal legend Paul Merson has criticised the effort of striker Alexandre Lacazette, claiming that the forward does not give his all.

Prior to Sunday’s Premier League clash with Leeds, the 29-year-old Frenchman had scored three times in the top flight this season.

Indeed, he tallied against Fulham, West Ham and Liverpool in the opening three fixtures of the season but has produced nothing since.

Merson says that should be an indication that it is time to try Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang through the centre.

“Lacazette plays like, I watch him and it’s ‘I’m coming off after 70 minutes … so pfft,’” Merson told Sky Sports.

“I just think you’ve got to get Aubameyang (in the middle).

“I played out on the wing in my career for part of it.

“You either have so much of the ball you can’t get enough of it or you never see it for 20 minutes and you’re sitting there doing nothing.

“When you’ve got your most talented player playing out there, he’s too easy to pick up.

“Teams are getting used to him now he gets it out on the left, he cuts in and bends it in the top corner.

“They are stopping that, so they’ve got to get him in the middle of the pitch.”

After a strong start to the Premier League season, which saw the Gunners win three of their first four matches, they have stalled of late.

Indeed, they have just one win in their last five matches after a 0-0 draw at Leeds on Sunday, and have tumbled down to the middle of the standings.

After their clash with Leeds, the Emirates side will travel to Molde for a Europa League clash, with victory sending them through to the knockout stages with two matches to spare.

Thereafter, they will play host to Wolves in the Premier League next Sunday.

The pressure, meanwhile, is mounting on Mikel Arteta’s team as they attempt to get out of their current rut, with forwards Lacazette, Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe bearing the brunt of the criticism as they try to get back up and running again.

Maduka Okoye put up an impressive showing for Sparta Rotterdam as the Castle Lords brushed aside ADO Den Haag 6-0 in Sunday’s Eredivisie outing.

Inspired by two goals each from Lennart Thy and Mario Engels, Henk Fraser’s men strolled past the visitors as they recorded their second win of the 2020-21 campaign.

Abdou Harroui had the first chance at goal but his header off a corner kick by Sven Mijnans rarely threatened the goalkeeper.

Sparta started the game on a dangerous note, although they only got their breakthrough in the 44th minute courtesy of Thy, who fired a low cross from Luuk Koopmans past goalkeeper Luuk Koopmans.

The visitors came back stronger in the second half, however, it was the hosts who doubled their lead through Mijnans in the 53rd minute.

Three minutes later, Bryan Smeets assisted Netherlands youth international of Moroccan descent Harroui before Thy completed his brace in the 59th minute courtesy of Deroy Duarte’s assist.

In the six-goal demolition, substitute Engels completed the rout with a late brace as struggling Ruud Brood’s team returned home with heads bowed low.

Okoye was in action from start to finish for his side, while Harroui was replaced in the 68th minute by Laros Duarte. Cape Verde duo of Lorenzo Fonseca and Jeffry Fortes were not dressed for action by manager Fraser.

Thanks to this result, Sparta Rottedam occupy the 10th spot in the Eredivisie log having garnered nine points from nine games, while ADO Den Haag languish in the relegation zone with just four points from the same number of matches.

Sparta would be hoping to build on this impressive result when they travel to the Philips Stadion on November 29 for their fixture against Ibrahim Sangare's PSV Eindhoven.

On their own part, Den Haag, who have lost their last three league games, welcome Heerenveen to the Cars Jeans Stadium on November 28.

Okoye, 21, who began his career at Bayer Leverkusen, penned a two-year contract with the Castle Lords after impressing at Germany’s Fortuna Dusseldorf.

On the international scene, he boasts of five Super Eagles caps since his maiden appearance in a friendly game against Brazil.

Posta Rangers coach Sammy Omollo will be in the technical area as Gor Mahia play APR Rwanda in the first preliminary round of the Caf Champions League.

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) banned current coach Roberto Oliveira Goncalves for not having Caf A coaching qualification papers. K'Ogalo have now acted and decided to bring onboard the Mailmen tactician as they sort out their issue with the Brazilian.

"Gor Mahia have agreed with a Kenyan premier League coach Sammy ‘Pamzo’ Omollo to be the stand-in coach for the team against APR of Rwanda in a Caf preliminary tie," the club confirmed on Sunday evening.

"This is coming after Caf disqualified head coach Roberto Oliviera for ‘lack’ of required qualification, as per Caf guidelines, to lead the team in any Caf assignment – according to new regulations."

Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier confirmed the former defender joined on a temporary basis as the club settles the problem with their full-time coach.

"We have settled on Sammy Omollo to be the stand-in coach for the team in Rwanda as we try to sort out the current coach’s issue with Caf," the administrator stated.

"That means, Sammy, will lead the technical bench as Robertinho is not allowed to be on the touchline until the issue is sorted." 

Ironically, the two coaches met in a friendly game on Saturday at the Jamhuri Grounds in Nairobi, where Omollo managed to lead his team to victory.

It was the Mailmen who started strongly and their efforts paid dividends when former Ulinzi Stars forward Elijah Mwanzia connected with a rebound. K'Ogalo looked lost and were uncharacteristically off colour.

The new K’Ogalo coach has been in football management for the last 25 years and his arrival was expected to help Gor Mahia launch an advanced Caf Champions League campaign in the 2020/21 season.

The Kenyan champions will leave the country later in the week for Rwanda to play the hosts in Kigali.

The aggregate winner will advance to the next stage of the competition. Gor Mahia have never reached the Caf Champions League group stage. 

Gor Mahia coach Roberto Oliveira Goncalves believes his charges are ready for their Caf Champions League preliminary round against APR Rwanda.

K'Ogalo were involved in a three-team round-robin friendly at Jamhuri Grounds in Nairobi on Saturday. The team went on to score just one goal in the two matches which came against newly-promoted Nairobi City Stars. Kenneth Muguna scored the lone goal from the penalty to cancel out Abdalla Salim's header.

The Kenyan champions went on to lose their second game to Posta Rangers by a solitary goal scored by Elijah Mwanzia.

"We played well, considering the fact that I played a second-string side," Oliveira, who is commonly referred to as Robertinho, told Goal.

"It was a good game, full of chances despite missing my strikers like Tito Okello, Nicholas Kipkirui among others. This should not worry about our fans because we are ready to play APR.

"The two weeks will be vital for us, we need to polish a few areas to ensure we stand a chance of winning the game to advance to the next round."

The 60-year-old tactician refused to speak about his situation with the Confederation of African (Caf) football. The latter has so far denied the Brazilian permission to be on the touchline when they play the Rwandan champions.

"I do not want to talk about the situation right now," Robertinho continued.

"Our main focus currently is on the Champions League and I am preparing the team for that."

The former Rayon Sports tactician arrived to take over the reins after Steven Polack and Gor Mahia mutually ended their one-season association.

Robertinho was in charge of Rayon Sports when they denied Gor Mahia a place in the quarter-finals of the Caf Confederation Cup as he masterminded a 2-1 win at Moi International Sports Complex in 2018.

He takes the K’Ogalo mantle after a number of coaches including Jose Marcelo Ferreira had been linked with the top job. He is expected to link up with the players who have been training in order to start preparations for the Caf assignments.

K'Ogalo are targeting the group stage of the Champions League as well as the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League title.

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does not believe there will be a runaway Premier League champion in the 2020-21 season.

Liverpool powered to the title by a mammoth 18 points last term. The previous season the Reds and Manchester City drew 25 points clear of the rest of the league, while in 2017-18 Pep Guardiola’s City routed the division by 19 points and in 2016-17 Chelsea were well clear in winning the title.

It is early in the current campaign, but only four points separate the top six in the division - and the lead has changed hands on a regular basis.

Solskjaer saw his side leap four places to 10th in the table courtesy of a gritty 1-0 win over West Brom on Saturday, and he feels it will be a tight battle for the title - a sentiment echoed by Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho.

"The league this season is going to be inconsistent with ups and downs," he told BT Sport. "It's unpredictable - we've seen some results today and it's not really settling.

"Like Jose said, one win moves you up the table, one defeat moves you closer to the bottom.

"It's very tight, it's very early on and points are more important than performances sometimes."

The victory over the Baggies courtesy of a twice-taken Bruno Fernandes penalty was United’s first home win of the season, and it came as a relief to Solskjaer.

“Well it's important to get the first win at home," the Norwegian said. "I think a lot has been said and written about it and I think you could see towards the end we were a bit edgy that we needed to hang on to this win. We could have, probably should have, scored a couple more goals to make it an easier finish. At 1-0 you're never sure and it's a tight call both ways.

“It's always tense and it's fine margins. I'm delighted with the clean sheet and we could have made it more comfortable but the international breaks never help.”

While saying that results are more important than performances, Solskjaer admitted that his side will need to improve if they are to be involved in the title race. 

“Three points, home win, no more talk about that but we need to keep consistent performances, better performances than this,” he said. “We know that. If we want to move up the table, we have to play better.”

Simba SC midfielder Bernard Morrison has promised more goals after he opened his club account as they smashed Coastal Union 7-0 in a Mainland Premier League match staged on Saturday.

The Ghanaian midfielder was yet to score a goal for the Wekundu wa Msimbazi in the league since his controversial transfer from rivals Young Africans (Yanga SC0) in the summer window.

Morrison’s move was clouded in controversy as Yanga are still claiming the player had signed a contract with them until 2022, though the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) ruled in favour of his move to Simba.

Heading into the Coastal Union fixture, Morrison was coming back from a ban that saw him miss three matches including the Kariakoo derby.

However, he was drafted into the starting squad against the Coastal-based side and was on the scoresheet as captain John Bocco also grabbed a hat-trick, Clatous Chama scored two goals, the other goal coming from Hassan Dilunga.

Morrison has now told the club’s social media platform he was very happy to open his account with the champions and promised more goals in future matches.

“I'm really happy to have scored my first league goal for the club,” Morrison told the club’s social media pages. With the good players we have, I know I can score more so this is just the beginning of greater things to come.”

The ban by the TFF came about after Morrison was involved in a physical altercation with Juma Nyoso of Ruvu Shooting in a match they lost by a solitary goal.

Apart from the three-match ban which saw him also matches against Mwadui FC and Kagera Sugar, Morrison was also fined Tsh500, 000.

He later apologised to Simba fans by stating on his social media pages: “I'm really sorry for my actions in the previous game, I ask for your forgiveness. We all do things for the love of the club but we sometimes get it wrong.

“I'm with you the fans and the team for the next three games in spirit. All the best team Simba.”

Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe has been slated for his "idiotic" red card against Leeds in the Premier League on Sunday.

Pepe was sent off in the 51st minute of the match after referee Anthony Taylor was alerted to a possible headbutt when Leeds defender Ezgjan Alioski went down. 

Following a VAR review it was clear that Pepe had indeed headbutted Alioski, giving Taylor no choice but to show Pepe a straight red card in a match that was scoreless. Leeds were, however, unable to make the most of their man advantage as the game would finish 0-0.

Pepe was making just his second Premier League start of the season and after his red card, it may be some time before Gunners head coach Mikel Arteta hands him another opportunity.

Naturally, there was plenty of reaction on social media to Pepe's moment of madness. 

Nairobi City stars defender Abdalla Salim, commonly referred to as Shittu, believes his team has what it takes to finish in the top five in the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League.

The former AFC Leopards defender scored as his team drew 1-1 with Gor Mahia in a pre-season friendly played on Saturday at Jamhuri Grounds. Earlier on, Simba wa Nairobi had lost by a solitary goal to Posta Rangers with Ezekiel Okare scoring the lone goal.

Having made a return to the Kenyan top-flight football, the towering defender is confident his new team will make a statement.

"As a team, we are delighted to make it back to the FKF Premier League," Shittu told Goal on Sunday.

"The team is very much prepared and we want to start the season on a high. From the preparations we have had in the pre-season, I am confident we are ready to dine with the big boys.

"The target in our first season is to finish in the top five; it is a realistic target which I am sure we will achieve."

The 26-year-old defender has also expressed his feelings after playing a huge role in helping his team finish top of the National Super League (NSL) and get promotion.

"I am delighted and excited to be back because I believe it is where I belong," Shittu continued.

"I joined City Stars because they were ambitious and their goal matches mine, it was an easy decision. Now that we have achieved our first objective, we want to go all the way and offer a stiff challenge."

Simba wa Nairobi promotion gives a chance to the defender to play against his former team Ingwe.

"I respected their decision to let me go and no hard feelings," the experienced centre-back continued.

"There is nothing to prove, I have a new team right now and my objective is to help them have a better season."

 The FKF Premier League is set to start next weekend. Simba wa Nairobi will be at home against Nzoia Sugar in their first game before they play Zoo FC. 

Bayern Munich head coach Hansi Flick has said that defender David Alaba must “take responsibility” for himself as his contract saga rumbles on.

FCB are trying to tie down the Austria international defender, but he has repeatedly rejected their offers.

Indeed, Bayern have withdrawn their latest offer after it was turned down by the player, who is reportedly being courted by both Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

With his deal set to expire in June, he could move to either of those clubs on a free transfer if no new deal is agreed.

Flick has underlined the player’s importance to his team and told him to have a good think before coming to any conclusion.

“David should take responsibility and decide for himself what is important to him,” he told Die Welt. “David is a very fine person and a brilliant football player. He is very popular with the team and holds them together.”

There appears to be an internal divide at Bayern as to how to cope with the situation. Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has claimed that he does not see how a deal can be done, while CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has indicated that the door is still open to the 28-year-old if he wishes to come back to the table.

Bayern could be looking at a significant reshuffle of their defence in the coming months, with centre-back Jerome Boateng also out of contract in the summer of 2021.

Reports in Germany suggested that Bayern were ready to let the veteran player go at the end of his term, but Flick is not so clear.

“He’s a very important player,” he said. “He’s been with the club for over nine years and has been a treble winner twice during that time.

“You can’t write off such a player.”

Bundesliga leaders Bayern lost some of their cushion atop Germany’s top flight on Saturday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Werder Bremen.

This week, they will tackle Red Bull Salzburg at home in the Champions League before a trip to Stuttgart on Saturday on domestic business.

Cape Town City outsmarted Bloemfontein Celtic to win 4-2 in an enthralling Premier Soccer League (PSL) match at Cape Town Stadium. 

The Citizens were looking to bounce back to winning ways after succumbing to a 2-0 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in their previous match on November 4. 

While Phunya Sele Sele were desperate to secure their maiden victory of the season in the league having suffered to a 1-0 defeat to Orlando Pirates over two weeks ago.

It took 17 minutes for Mduduzi Mdantsane to break the deadlock when he beat Celtic goalkeeper Jackson Mabokgwane to make it 1-0 to City - netting his third goal of the season in the process.

It was soon 2-0 to City, who were awarded a penalty after Fagrie Lakay was fouled in the box and the diminutive attacker dusted himself off and clinically converted the penalty kick to make it 2-0 to City.

Taariq Fielies then conceded a penalty when fouled Celtic striker Victor Letsoalo in the box and Ndumiso Mabena converted from the spot-kick to make it 2-1 four minutes before the half-time break.

However, City restored their two-goal lead through Thabo Nodada to make it 3-1 as he scored with a thunderous long-range shot heading into the half-time break.

Menzi Masuku was introduced by Celtic prior to the start of the second-half and the attacker managed to pull one back in the 69th-minute making it 3-2 as he gave a glimmer of hope to Siwelele.

Nodada had other ideas as the new Bafana Bafana international netted with a header to seal a 4-2 victory over Celtic and the win took City to the fifth spot on the league standings.

While Celtic remained 15th on the league standings and winless, having registered three defeats and one draw this term.

Meanwhile, Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) recorded their first-ever win in the PSL when they edged out Baroka FC in the Limpopo Derby clash at Thohoyandou Stadium.

Tshakhuma had suffered a 2-0 defeat to Swallows FC in their previous match just before the international break, while Bakgaga maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 1-1 draw with Lamontville Golden Arrows on November 4.

The hosts' new signing Thabo Rakhale thought he had broken the deadlock when he beat Oscarine Masuluke with a decent finish, but his goal was disallowed for offside a few minutes into game.

However, TTM were awarded a penalty which was missed by Rhulani Manzini, who ballooned his effort over the crossbar in the 32nd minute and the score was 0-0 at the interval.

TTM continued to dominate the match after the restart and they grabbed a late winning goal through second-half substitute Justin Shonga, who scored in stoppage time to seal a 1-0 win for TTM.

As a result, Tshakhuma climbed up to the 10th spot on the league standings, while Baroka slipped down to the fourth spot on the log after recording their maiden defeat of the season. 

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi says he accepts that mistakes can happen in defence and gave his backing to his captain, Ricardo Nascimento.

Mngqithi was commenting after his team beat AmaZulu 4-3 in a thrilling league encounter at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday.

It was the first time that Sundowns have conceded in four matches in the league this season.

And it was actually AmaZulu who had taken the lead in Pretoria on Sunday, as Lehlohonolo Majoro capitalised on a weak back-pass from Nascimento in the 15th minute before beating Kennedy Mweene with a deft chip.

Themba Zwane then fired in a quickfire hat-trick to put Sundowns 3-1 up, only for Nascimento to again allow Usuthu back into the match when his hand-ball three minutes after the break led to a penalty, which Luvuyo Memela slotted home on the rebound.

“The fact that we got a good result will be a good consolation," Mngqithi told SuperSport TV after the game.

"You kill with a sword, you must also expect to die with a sword. So the mistake that Ricardo made first half for Majoro, is one of those mistakes in football that you say, because we are a team that builds from the back, we are bound to make such mistakes.

"And learn from then. At times the mistakes come with valuable lessons.

"He’s a very strong player, he’s a top international player, highly experienced, we are sure that he will come back stronger.”

The rare defensive off-day for Sundowns also coincided with a return to the team for Kennedy Mweene, who came in for the injured Denis Onyango.

But Mngqithi did not think there was any blame to be apportioned towards the Zambian.

“As for Kennedy I would not really fault him. They were all our own mistakes and I wouldn’t be unfair and say we conceded three goals because it was Kennedy. Because the first goal from Majoro, what could he do,"  Mngqithi added.

"The penalty, what could Kennedy do. And also that header on the far post [AmaZulu’s third goal, via Sandile Khumalo], if we are not picking up.”

The win took Masandawana top of the log. They are next in action against Stellenbosch FC at Loftus on Wednesday night.

Bruno Fernandes has settled comfortably into life at Manchester United since arriving from Sporting in 2020 and the playmaker has endeared himself to Red Devils fans with his exploits.

The Portugal international has taken on a lot of responsibilities at Old Trafford in the short time he has been at the club, with set-pieces and penalty-taking duties now undoubtedly falling under his remit.

Marcus Rashford had been United's go-to man for spot-kicks, but Fernandes' impressive record from 12 yards saw him take over from the England star.

Indeed, despite suggesting that he would happily allow Rashford or others such as Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba to step up for penalties, Fernandes remains Man Utd's first-choice penalty taker.

He has beaten the likes of Kasper Schmeichel, Pepe Reina and Hugo Lloris from the spot, so does Bruno Fernandes have a secret that helps him win the battle of wits?

What is Bruno Fernandes' penalty secret?

Well, according to the player himself, there is no great formula or magic trick to his penalty success. However, if there is a secret, it is preparation and practice - lots of it.

Interestingly, while some players attempt to refine their technique, either in terms of the run-up or way of hitting the ball, Fernandes lets the situation dictate how he hits a penalty.

"I don’t have a secret,” he explained in an interview with UEFA.com.

"I think that I train a lot, I like to train a lot. I always pay attention to what the goalkeepers are doing – how they position themselves, how they best prevent shots on goal.

"Based on that, based on the match, and based on how I’m feeling on the pitch, I decide how to take a penalty.

He added: "I don’t have a specific technique in taking penalties. There’s no certain run-up I take, I just stick to what I feel is most comfortable. 

"If I change it every so often, it might make the goalkeeper uncertain. I change my run-up for how I’m feeling during the match, or how I feel the goalkeeper [will move]."

Bruno Fernandes' penalty record

What sort of record does Fernandes have then? To put it mildly, his record is pretty good.

In 2019-20, he scored eight out of eight penalties for Manchester United across all competitions, including a crucial strike in the Europa League quarter-final against Copenhagen in extra time.

Before that, in two-and-a-half seasons as a Sporting player, he took 17 penalties and missed just one.

Jose Mourinho said that his compatriot was among the best penalty takers in the world when he joked about the number of spot-kicks that had been awarded to Manchester United in 2019-20.

He told Record: "Bruno came in, was fit, played very well, improved the United team and also proved to be a great penalty taker, one of the best in the world, because he had about 20 to score."

However, while Fernandes is clearly adept at beating goalkeepers from the spot, he is not perfect and suffered his first blemish at Man Utd in October 2020, when Newcastle United's Karl Darlow denied him.

It was his 11th penalty for the Red Devils and his first miss. 

"I'm human! I'm human! It happens," Fernandes told MUTV after the miss against the Magpies. "I don't want it to happen again. I didn't want it to happen [against Darlow] but the 'keeper did well.

"I didn't do the right things. I studied the 'keeper but I didn't shoot the ball the way I wanted but the 'keeper deserves credit.

"He saves the penalty, he deserves the credit, but I needed to do much better with the penalty for sure - and the next one I will."

When his next penalty came a week later though, against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, he missed again, with Keylor Navas denying him. 

Or so the Costa Rican shot-stopper thought.

Luckily for Fernandes, VAR spotted an infringement by Navas - he had stepped off his line completely before the ball was struck - and the referee ordered it to be retaken.

Fernandes made no mistake on the second attempt, using the same run-up and going for the same corner.

When it comes to building for the future in Football Manager, the job lies in identifying the best young players who have the potential to become world class.

Unearthing the next Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo requires you to build an efficient scouting network and sometimes you have to cast the net wide in order to discover the next big thing.

There are plenty of wonderkids who possess the potential to reach the top, but they also need to have their talents nurtured through appropriate coaching and, crucially, first-team football.

To help you get started, we've compiled a list of the best wonderkid strikers, midfielders, defenders and goalkeepers on Football Manager 2021.

This list features only players who are aged under 20 in the game, meaning it excludes the likes of Erling Haaland, Joao Felix and Jadon Sancho - who are moving out of the wonderkid category. 

While there are a lot of established stars in the list, we have also included an array of players who are available to buy for a relatively cheap price and players are listed by price.

POS: Position(s)

NAT: Nationality

VAL: Value

*Teams shown are correspond to those in the game, while ages shown are those at the start of the 2020-21 season and players may have more than one nationality.

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Football Manager 2021 wonderkid strikers

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Football Manager 2021 wonderkid midfielders

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Football Manager 2021 wonderkid defenders

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Football Manager 2021 wonderkid goalkeepers

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Chelsea are a "much more talented team" than Tottenham, according to Craig Burley, who says the Blues are more likely to mount a title challenge than their London rivals.

Tottenham jumped above Chelsea to the Premier League summit by securing an impressive 2-0 home win over Manchester City on Saturday.

Spurs are now two points clear of Frank Lampard's side after nine fixtures, with the two clubs poised to lock horns at Stamford Bridge next weekend.

Jose Mourinho is being tipped to bring the Lilywhites' long wait for silverware to an end come May, having added a steely resolve to the squad which had been lacking before his arrival in November 2019.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are being billed more as dark horses for the top-flight crown than outright contenders, despite having just extended their run of successive victories in all competitions to five by beating Newcastle 2-0 at St James' Park.

However, Burley has rejected the notion that the Blues are playing catch-up to Tottenham in terms of their ability, with it his belief that Lampard now has a squad full of world-class talent at his disposal following an extensive summer recruitment drive.

Asked if his old club will finish above Spurs come May, the former Chelsea midfielder told ESPN: "Oh yeah. I think Chelsea are a much more talented team than Spurs. Tottenham have a good squad but Chelsea have an unbelievable amount of attacking players.

"They got great experience in with the signing of Thiago Silva, they’ve got a natural left-back in Ben Chilwell. The rise of Reece James has been meteoric - he’s taking his game to a new level.

"They’ve strengthened their goalkeeper situation and Frank [Lampard] has mentioned that N’Golo Kante is looking like the player he was a couple of years ago.

"I just think Chelsea have better options [than Tottenham]. They’re in as good shape as they can be to mount a title challenge."

Lampard will start preparing his team for a return to Champions League action before their focus shifts to the London derby, with a Group E showdown with Rennes in France scheduled to take place on Tuesday.

Chelsea will benefit from an extra two days rest before playing Tottenham, who are due back in Europa League action against Ludogorets on Thursday.

Christian Eriksen is free to leave Inter in January, club chief executive officer Beppe Marotta has confirmed.

Denmark international Eriksen arrived in Milan last January, billed as the man to provide a creative spark that could prompt a Serie A title challenge at the Giuseppe Meazza.

However, his form has been poor and there has been widespread speculation that manager Antionio Conte is ready to cut his losses and let the midfielder leave.

This has now been confirmed by Marotta, who says Nerazzurri are ready to listen to offers for the former Tottenham man.

“Yesterday, Conte answered in a very comprehensive way,” Marotta told DAZN, with the head coach having already been asked about Eriksen's long-term future.

"I clearly add that we will not hold a footballer back if they ask to be transferred. We will have to make the right evaluations.

“Conte is using [Eriksen] with respect for the player and the club. At the moment no offers have arrived, but at the appropriate time we will try to make the right decisions.”

Marotta claims Eriksen has not caused any problems, nor has he asked to leave, but suggested the best solution may be a parting of ways.

Eriksen has made no impact in Serie A this term, and is now a bit-part player under Conte.

He was once again named on the bench on Sunday, as Inter entertained Torino. 

Eriksen headed into the game with a degree of confidence, as he was on the scoresheet twice for Denmark in their 2-1 win over Iceland in the Nations League during the recent international break.

While it appears time may be up for Eriksen at the club, former Inter defender Riccardo Ferri feels the Dane must step up and show the form that persuaded them to sign him from Tottenham.

“Adaptation period is over,” Ferri told Tuttosport. “We’ve seen nothing so far. He can’t be a normal footballer, he must do more.”

Ahead of the game with Torino, Inter sat in sixth place in the Serie A table - with 15 points to their name from eight games.

To make matters worse, city rivals AC Milan occupy top spot - five clear of Inter - while in Europe they are propping up Champions League Group B.

Andre Onana was at his best in goal while Lassina Traore found the back of the net as Ajax climbed to the top of the Eredivisie table following their 5-0 demolition of Heracles on Sunday.

The Cameroon goalkeeper was handed his ninth start of the season and delivered solid displays to ensure his side kept a clean sheet for the second consecutive game, after a similar showing against Utrecht last time out.

Traore, meanwhile, continued with his sparkling performances on his return from international duty with Burkina Faso.

The centre-forward bagged a brace to help his side secure a victory over Malawi in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying game.

Traore was afforded his fifth start for the Sons of the Gods and replicated his goalscoring performances for Erik ten Hag’s men.   

The 19-year-old opened the scoring as early as the sixth minute, firing home from close range after a deflected cross into the box from David Neres.

Neres scored a goal of his own in the 29th minute to double the Sons of the Gods’ lead and Zakaria Labyad made it three seven minutes later.

Dusan Tadic then registered his name on the scoresheet moments before the hour mark before Labyad completed his brace to seal the victory.

Onana featured for the duration of the game while Traore was replaced in the 70th minute by Klaas Jan Huntelaar

With the victory, the Johan Cruyff Arena outfit climbed to the top of the league table after securing 24 points from nine games.

Traore has now scored six goals in nine league appearances this season and will hope to continue his scintillating form along with Onana in their next game against Midtjylland in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Simba SC coach Sven Vandenbroeck has claimed their huge win in the Mainland Premier League match against Coastal Union was a perfect sign they are destined to do well in the Caf Champions League.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi roared into a 7-0 thrashing of the Coastal-based side in a one-sided match played at the Abeid Karum Stadium on Saturday.

The win came six days before Simba takes to the pitch to battle Nigerian side Plateau United in the preliminary round, first leg match of the Caf Champions League on November 27.

The Belgian tactician has now said the win was a clear indicator that they are ready to do well in the Caf competition.

“The victory against Coastal Union is a great sign to the Champions League campaign,” Vandenbroeck told reporters after the match. “It shows you that we are prepared to take on the best in Africa.

“We needed such a win going into continental football, we know we face a tough opponent but we don’t want to go into the match with a negative mind, or we know it is possible, it can be done, and my boys have shown it after the huge win against Coastal Union.”

In a previous interview, Vandebroeck revealed ways they are working on in order to ensure they pick up wins against Plateau United.

“I am following up on our opponents and I am working on all means available. So far, we have managed to get some video clips on how they play,” Vandenbroeck told IPP Media.

During the match against Coastal Union, captain John Bocco scored a hat-trick, Clatous Chama managed a brace, and goals from Hassan Dilunga and Bernard Morrison handed the champions victory.

Simba got the opener in the seventh minute when Dilunga, who has not been enjoying first-team opportunities in the recent past, scored to stun the home side in the seventh minute of the game.