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As APR confirmed support for head coach Mohamed Adil Erradi, the Online Fan Club president Pierre Muragijimana has blamed goalkeeper Umar Rwabugiri for their early Caf Champions League elimination by Gor Mahia.

There were rumours the Rwandan champions were set to fire the Moroccan tactician after a 3-1 defeat in Nairobi in the second game but the speculation was finally dismissed by the club.

“APR FC administration confirms the continuation with our coach Mr Mohammed Adil Erradi as well as the great confidence that we have in him and his quality work despite the elimination of the Caf Champions League,” APR confirmed.

However, Muragijimana explained why he places all the blame on the Rwandan goalkeeper after the club were knocked out despite winning the first leg in Kigali 2-1.

“I don’t have a problem with a coach but the goalkeeper,” Muragijimana said as was quoted by The New Times.

“We have often doubted the quality of the goalkeeper. For years, the best goalkeepers in the league always belonged to APR FC, but it is now the opposite.

“If you can’t rank among Rwanda’s top five goalkeepers or make it into at least the national team’s squad, it’s simple for people to question your performance.”

The fans president also called upon the APR management to ensure the goalkeeping issue is looked into in order to ensure they get good results in future.

“The only problem we have is a goalkeeper and I believe the club’s management will address it if we are to perform well in continental competitions,” he concluded.

“And if the policy of playing homegrown players doesn’t materialise, we can also start thinking about foreign players.”

On his part, Gregoire Gisa said the struggle seen at APR against their continental rivals will spill over to the national team.

“Only the best in the league has to come to APR FC and if the coach got the best out of them, the club and even the national team will, sooner or later, bear fruit for both of them,” the fan added.

The army side will now focus on domestic duties with the biggest task being the league title defence. They will be hosted by Sunrise FC on December 14 after two of their Premier League actions were postponed to give them time to engage in the Champions League.

Gor Mahia will face CR Belouizdad of Algeria in the second preliminary round of the Caf Champions League.

The Kenyan champions qualified for the next phase of the competition after they managed to secure a 4-3 aggregate win against APR of Rwanda in a two-legged affair.

The Rwandan champions came into the return leg with a 2-1 advantage from their first leg meeting in Kigali, but could not sustain the pressure as Gor Mahia scored two quick goals in added time to win 3-1 and advance.

On the other hand, CR Belouizdad of Algeria reached the next round after a 4-0 aggregate win against Al Nasr of Libya. The Algerian champions won the first leg away in Tripoli 2-0 and returned home to complete the job with another 2-0 win and will now face K’Ogalo.

According to the Confederation of African Football (Caf), the first leg will be played on December 22 or 23 in Algeria, with the return leg planned for January 5 or 6, 2021 in Nairobi.

The last time Gor Mahia played against an Algerian opponent was in 2019 when they were drawn to face USM Alger in the same competition.

USM Alger came to Nairobi and beat K’Ogalo 4-1 and returned home in Algiers to win the return leg 2-0 and advance to the next round with a 6-1 aggregate scoreline.

The two teams also met in the Confederation Cup in the 2018 season with the first leg staged in Kenya ending in a 0-0 draw before USM Alger won the return leg 2-1 at home to advance 2-1 on aggregate.

In 2019, Gor Mahia was also drawn to face Algerian side Hussein Dey in the Confederation Cup, and they won the first leg staged in Nairobi 2-0 but lost away 1-0 to claim a 2-1 aggregate win.

Meanwhile, Tanzania champions Simba SC will take on FC Platinum of Zimbabwe in the second round of the competition.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi qualified for the next phase after securing a 1-0 aggregate win against Nigerian outfit Plateau United.

Simba won the first leg played in Abuja 1-0 courtesy of a Clatous Chama goal and claimed a 0-0 draw in the return leg played at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Saturday.

On the other hand, Platinum made it to the next round on a 4-1 aggregate win after eliminating Costa De Sol of Mozambique. The Zimbabwean champions won the first leg played in Maputo 2-1 before claiming a 2-0 win in the return leg played in Harare on Saturday.

The first leg of the Simba vs Platinum will be played on December 22 or 23 in Zimbabwe with the return leg planned for Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on January 5 or 6, 2021.

Uganda will have no representative in the second round of the competition after champions Vipers SC were eliminated by Al-Hilal of Sudan 2-0 on aggregate.

Karl Toko Ekambi got a double as Olympique Lyon silenced Metz 3-1 in Sunday’s Ligue 1 encounter.

The Cameroon international got a second-half brace as the Kids left Stade Saint-Symphorien with all points at stake.

Unbeaten in their last nine games across all competitions, Rudi Garcia’s men locked horns with the Maroons, who were aiming to banish the memories of their home defeat to Brest their last time out.

The visitors lived to pre-match hype launching an unrelenting attack after the blast of the referee’s whistle.

Even at that, it was the hosts who were presented with a golden chance to take the lead after Senegal’s Opa Nguette was brought down in the box by on-loan Juventus defender Mattia De Sciglio.

Nevertheless, goalkeeper Anthony Lopes turned in a moment of inspiration to save the ensuing penalty taken by Farid Boulaya.

Seventeen minutes into the game Memphis Depay handed Lyon a well-deserved lead after hitting a one-time shot from Toko Ekambi past goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja.

Despite efforts from Frederic Antonetti’s team to produce a comeback, the first-half ended 1-0 in favour of the Groupama Stadium giants.

Things looked bright for the visitors as Toko Ekambi doubled Lyon’s lead just two minutes into the second-half – blasting an assist from Houssem Aouar into the net 

The 28-year-old found the net for the second time on the hour mark with a cool finish after he was released by Depay.

In the 75th minute, Boulaya reduced the deficit for the home team after firing in an assist from Nguette from close range.

Sadly, their ambition of a comeback was dented in the 87th minute after Ghana international John Boye was sent off by referee Karim Abed for elbowing Brazilian defender Marcelo.

On the stroke of 90 minutes, Lyon were also reduced to 10 men as substitute Rayan Cherki was given his marching orders for serious foul play.

After the final whistle, it was the Kids who reigned supreme as they moved to third on the French top-flight log after accruing 26 points from 13 games played so far in the 2020-21 campaign, while the Maroons occupy the 13th position with 16 points from the same number of games.

Newly-signed Baroka forward Leonardo Afonso had an eventful first taste of top-flight action in the Premier Soccer League (PSL).

After being signed last week, the South African born Afonso was in the squad for Bakgaga's clash against Chippa United at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The home side won 2-1, despite Chippa having been the better team for the first hour or so of the game.

It was on the hour mark that former Sundowns youth team player Afonso came on for his PSL debut, replacing Tshediso Patjie.

Yet Afonso was himself taken off 30 minutes later and replaced by defender Matome Kgoetyane.

However, according to Baroka coach Matsemela Thoka, the change was by no means an indication that the newly-signed player was out of his depth.

"Afonso this was his first game," Thoka told SuperSport. "I like his intentions. Because we need to attack more. But after we got the second goal [the winner was scored by fellow substitute Richard Mbulu in the 76th minute] we sacrificed him, because the energy was out.

"It's his first game and we want to protect the boy, very good boy, intelligent player. But we needed something to balance the team and we saw [Chippa player, Nyiko] Mobbie was trying to attack us on the right side, so I put on a defensive player so I could balance that side."

Chippa had led at the interval through Sandile Mthethwa's 41st-minute strike. But the Limpopo team got stronger as the match went on an equalised through Evidence Makgopa in the 66th minute before Mbulu secured maximum points 10 minutes later.

The victory took Baroka to third on the table, just three points behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.

"Massive win for the boys," Thoka said. "I'm very happy for the boys, the character shows, the fighting spirit, that's what I want from them. I told them second half, I said 'boys it's not over, we still have 45 minutes to go'. We scored and we scored again, finally we got it."

The Limpopo team’s next league match is on December 16, away at Bloemfontein Celtic.

Young Africans (Yanga SC) coach Cedric Kaze has explained how his side managed to beat a stubborn Ruvu Shooting 2-1 in a Mainland Premier League match on Sunday.

The Jangwani giants were forced to use every means in the book to beat the administrative side, who had threatened to snatch a draw from the match played at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

Yanga took the lead in the 30th minute through Michael Sarpong and after a string of missed chances, Shooting equalised in the 60th minute through David Richard but an own goal by Cassian Ponera six minutes later enabled Yanga to take home maximum points.

Coach Kaze has now admitted Ruvu Shooting gave them a difficult game and explained how they turned it around to remain unbeaten in the 18-team league table.

“One thing I like about my players is that they play according to instructions,” the Burundian tactician told reporters after the match.

“It was not an easy game because they really pushed us, they threatened from all angles, they are a good team and the composure of my players, and listening to me when I shout from the touchline, helped us to carry the day.

“The positive thing from the game is we picked maximum points, at some point it looked like we might miss on three points because Ruvu never gave up, I now know what kind of a team they are, a team which never gives up and I want to thank my players to containing them and managing to come out with a win.”

Kaze, who is yet to lose a match since joining the Jangwani giants to replace fired Serbian Zlatko Krmpotic, further thanked the club fans for pushing the team to get a positive result.

“Our fans have also been giving us the support we want, without them we cannot achieve what we have achieved so far, and I want to encourage them not to stop, they should continue attending our matches and supporting us, we need them to achieve our targets for the season.”

After 14 games, Yanga are enjoying an eight-point gap on top of the table since they are on 34 points, while Azam FC are second with 26. The ‘Ice-cream Makers’ will face Gwambina FC on Monday hoping to get maximum points and close the gap.

Champions Simba SC are third on the log with 23 points after 11 games and they were not involved this weekend owing to their participation in the Caf Champions League, where they eliminated Plateau United of Nigeria on a 1-0 aggregate win.

Yanga will next face Mwadui FC as they continue to push for the league title they last won four seasons ago.

Simba SC midfielder Bernard Morrison is confident the team will go far in the Caf Champions League this campaign.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi secured their place in the next phase after managing a 1-0 aggregate win against Plateau United of Nigeria on Saturday.

Simba won the first leg played in Abuja courtesy of a Clatous Chama goal and battled to a 0-0 draw against the same opponent in the return leg staged at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Saturday.

With the result, Simba have now booked a date with FC Platinum of Zimbabwe in the next round. Platinum made it to the next round on a 4-1 aggregate win after eliminating Costa De Sol of Mozambique.

The Zimbabwean champions won the first leg played in Maputo 2-1 before claiming a 2-0 win in the return leg played in Harare on Saturday.

Morrison, who joined Simba from rivals Young Africans (Yanga SC), has now said the team’s main target is to make sure they go as far as they can in the competition.

“I have seen our fans are happy to see the team progress to the next stage and it is the same case with the squad, we are very happy we have moved to the first round,” Morrison said as quoted by Sokalabongo.

“Our main target now is to make sure we improve and keep fighting so as we can go as far as we can in the competition, we must increase our efforts because this is a knockout competition and not a league, where you fight for points.”

The Ghanaian continued: “Our main target now is to reach far, I know it is possible, I don’t know how far is far, but we are determined to reach as far as we can, and for now we want every player to play their part, make sure we are in the right frame and ready to represent the team.”

Last season, Simba failed to make it to the group stage after they were eliminated by UD Songo of Mozambique.

The first leg of the Simba vs Platinum will be played on December 22 or 23 in Zimbabwe with the return leg planned for Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on January 5 or 6, 2021.

Bengaluru FC picked up their first win of the Indian Super League (ISL) season against Chennaiyin FC last time out, courtesy a Sunil Chhetri penalty. They were not entirely convincing going forward, however, their defence did the job. 

Now, they take on an unbeaten NorthEast United side who are making a name for themselves with disciplined defensive performances. And Carles Cuadrat knows that a daunting task lies ahead of his team if they are to claim another three points on Tuesday. 

"We have been working on the tactics. It will be a tactical game. It will be interesting how they are going to approach the match and how we respond to that and get the three points. NorthEast are very compact in defence. They have been waiting for opportunities to attack. It will be our work to break them down," stated the coach. 

He informed that there are no injuries to his side and there are not selection headaches for him.

The former ISL champions have roped in Cleiton Silva and Kristian Opseth to bolster their attack but the two foreign signings are yet to find their feet in the new surroundings. But Cuadrat is hopeful that his team will find the scoring boots once again as they have been working on this aspect in training. 

"When you are not good enough to score from open play, you work in training and have a plan (to change that). You also work from setpieces. But obviously, I don't tell to score only from setpieces. The previous game was pretty close. It is only about the last pass. We are working on it. Sometimes it doesn't happen. Maybe because of the physical state of the players or a bit about confidence. But we are being consistent," reasoned the Spaniard. 

Bengaluru FC had the most number of clean sheets last season and their backline has continued to be resolute. 

"In three games we have two clean sheets. We are showing consistency in defence. We had a short bad situation against Goa. Apart from that, it has been fine. All the teams have a match plan. Since I have taken over as coach we have lost once against Chennaiyin FC and have never lost against Goa. We are good tactically. But we have to improve in certain aspects. The second goal is also important. If you don't get a comfortable (goal) difference, you can get into trouble in ISL. The team is showing consistency," signed off Cuadrat. 

Manchester United summer signing Facundo Pellistri is still building towards his first-team debut, according to reserves head coach Neil Wood, who says "he is progressing nicely".

After following Pellistri's rise to prominence at Uruguayan club Penarol closely for a number of years, United made their move for the winger on deadline day.

The 18-year-old completed a £9 million ($12m) move to Old Trafford on October 5 but although the teenager was initially announced as a senior signing, he has spent his first three months in Manchester working with the U23s.

Pellistri has featured in four Premier League 2 games to date, with his latest outing coming in a 3-1 home win over Southampton on Friday.

The former Penarol star opened his scoring account for the Red Devils with a well taken late strike against the Saints, and will hope to force his way into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first team as the season progresses.

Wood admits the Uruguayan is still adjusting to his new surroundings at the moment, but he is certain that the talented attacker has the right mentality to succeed.

"He's still settling in," the United coach told Manchester Evening News. "He's been training with us this week and it has probably helped him being out on the pitch because he's got a better relationship with the players on the pitch and he understands their game more because he's training more with them.

"That can only help him. I thought he showed an improvement again [against Southampton] with his performance and he probably could have had another goal after he hit the crossbar. He said it bobbled up, next time he scores it.

"He is progressing nicely but I don't want to put too much pressure on him. He is working hard, trying to take in as much information as he can."

Red Devils reserve goalkeeper Paul Woolston also heaped praise upon Pellistri when asked why he neglected to join in the celebrations following the Uruguayan's first goal for the club.

"I was contemplating it, but thought it was a bit far too run!" said the 22-year-old. "He's deserved it. He has worked really hard. You can see when he gets the ball he is really positive which is brilliant to see.

"It is totally different for him than what he was used to, but he is doing really well. The goal today, he deserved it.

"You can see from his first game he has settled in a lot more. You can tell around us he feels good and it just shows in training when he comes down in games like that. He is working really hard and doing really well."

Another day, another dominating performance by Sergio Lobera’s Mumbai City as they registered their third consecutive win of the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) season, this time over Odisha FC on Sunday.

After outclassing East Bengal in their last match, Mumbai City were brimming with confidence against a shaky Odisha FC side who are also languishing in the bottom half of the league table without a win in four games.

With Mumbai playing three matches in the space of eight days, Lobera decided to rotate his squad. Adam Le Fondre was named on the bench and instead Bartholomew Ogbeche was handed a start. Hernan Santana picked up a knock in the last game against East Bengal and hence, was given a rest. Mehtab Singh was afforded an opportunity to start alongside Mourtada Fall in defence.

Mandar Rao Dessai wasn't available for selection due to personal reasons and so, Lobera deployed Bipin Singh as a left winger. 

It must be noted that the Indian players in whom Lobera had put trust upon didn't disappoint. Vignesh Dakshinamurthy followed up his solid performance against East Bengal with another resolute display at the back. Lobera had highlighted on the importance of having a strong squad which plays an important role in winning the league. 

“It is very important to have a very good squad. When you have some problems with some players, for example, in the case of Mandar who has a personal problem but we can use another player in place of him and he played very well. I am very happy with the performance of Vignesh. I agree that this was a very good example of having a good squad.”

Mumbai’s foreign contingent is versatile and not short of firepower. However, it must be mentioned that their Indian players too have stepped up and grown in confidence. Against Odisha, Bipin Singh and Rowllin Borges were amongst the most impressive players. Bipin had a stellar outing on the flanks and even provided an inch-perfect cross from which Borges netted the second goal.

The 25-year-old Manipuri winger would get occasional starts under former coach Jorge Costa but Lobera has used him a lot more so far in the season. 

On the other hand, Borges was simply outstanding in the midfield alongside Ahmed Jahouh. It is not easy to outshine a player like Jahouh who once again stamped his authority on the game. The Moroccan completed 93 passes in the entire match but it was just another day in the midfielder’s office. Borges too anchored the midfield well and was all over the pitch. He completed 62 successful passes and had also scored the second goal for his team with a clinical header.

There is still a long way to go for Mumbai City this season and the team has just started to settle in. Next up will be a game against Chennaiyin FC on Wednesday and one can expect more rotation from Lobera in order to keep his players fresh.

Kerala Blasters allowed FC Goa to take control of the game and score a goal in the first half of the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) fixture on Sunday. 

Igor Angula's clever run to beat the Blasters defence and latch onto Saviour Gama's lob was as delightful as the chip to beat an out-of-place Albino Gomes that followed. As beautiful as that move and finish were, the defence should have done a lot better to deal with Angulo's threat and they couldn't.

The Hooper Dilemma 

As Igor Angulo dropped deep, drifted wide, turned, passed and placed his shots on target, Gary Hooper had a torrid time at the other end. Ivan Gonzalez and James Donachie allowed him no space in and around the box. And with Sergio Cidoncha out injured and Sahal Abdul Samad absent from the matchday squad (due to a niggle, as later revealed by Kibu Vicuna), there was nobody in the Kerala Blasters midfield who could play an incisive through ball and unlock defences.

Whenever Blasters moved forward, they seemed to be confused when forced down the middle and the flanks were locked. Vicente Gomez did reasonably well to spray the ball around but his counterpart Edu Bedia had more control and chemistry in the centre of park. 

Brandon the Best 

After missing out on a start in the first few matches, Brandon Fernandes showed the country why he is currently India's best attacking midfielder. Juan Ferrando used an apt word after the game to describe him as a player - 'fantastic'.

The second goal was made by Brandon Fernandes - his 17th assist in ISL, the most by an Indian player, third overall only behind Hugo Boumous (19) and Marcelinho (18). A beautiful pass from the edge of the box cut open the Blasters defence and found Jorge Ortiz. The Spaniard found the net to double his team's lead.

Blasters once again displayed their cluelessness and lack of control on the game. It is an understandable argument that the team had a short pre-season and it will take time for them to adapt to a new style of play. However, it is a 11-team league and if other teams continue to pick up points, the waiting period won't last long. 

Putting it on a plate

With Prabhsukhan Gill and Bilal Khan waiting in the wings to make an appaerance in between the sticks, Albino Gomes may have thrown away his position in the team as the first-choice goalkeeper. Right at the end of the game, he accidentally put the ball on a plate - quite literally - for Angulo who gleefully scored and thanked the Goan for an early Christman present. 

Coach Kibu Vicuna will have to turn to the drawing board and make some changes because as it stands, they are losing ground in the race for the play-offs and the situation may soon get out of control, as Blasters supporters well and truly know from the last few seasons. 

Franck Kessie was on target as AC Milan defeated Sampdoria 2-1 in Sunday’s Italian Serie A clash.

The 23-year-old Ivorian converted from the spot to hand Stefano Pioli’s men a first-half lead before substitute Samuel Castillejo got the winning strike with 13 minutes left to play.

Although Albin Ekdal pulled one back for the determined hosts in the 82nd minute, it could not halt the Red and Blacks from picking up their third successive victory.

Looking for their first win since October, Sampdoria started the encounter strongly and enjoyed the first chance in the eighth minute after a header from Lorenzo Tonelli forced an acrobatic save from goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

After that early scare, the visitors almost found the net four minutes later with Alex Ferrari getting in a last-ditch block to repel a shot from Ante Rebic. They had another chance in the 18th minute with Brahi Diaz setting up Rebic but his strike was saved by goalkeeper Emil Audero.

In the 44th minute, the Rossoneri were handed a penalty kick after a handball decision against Jakub Jankto, with Kessie converting the ensuing kick.

Nine minutes after the hour mark, Claudio Ranieri’s side missed a chance to level matters after Morten Thorsby’s header went over the crossbar. Nevertheless, they were two goals down in the 76th minute through Castillejo.

The 25-year-old Spanish winger finished well finished well following a low cross from Rebic just seconds after coming off the bench for Alexis Saelemaekers.

Three minutes later, the hosts pulled one back Ekdal. The Swede had another chance in the closing stages to equalise but Pioli’s side hanged on to leave Stadio Luigi Ferraris with all points at stake.

Kessie who has now scored three Serie A goals so far this term was in action from start to finish while Algeria’s Ismael Bennacer was not listed for the encounter.

For the hosts, Gambia international Omar Colley was brought in as a replacement for Bartosz Bereszynski after 20 minutes. Whereas, on loan Monaco forward Keita Blade was expected not to feature as he is still nursing a muscle injury.

With this result, AC Milan maintain their lead in the Serie A log haing accrued 26 points from 10 outings, while Sampdoria occupy the 12th spot with 11 points from the same number of games.

Mohamed Salah’s first-half strike against Wolverhampton Wanderers has seen the Liverpool attacker extend his Premier League goal tally at Anfield to 52.

With just 24 minutes into the encounter, the Egypt international gave Jurgen Klopp’s men the lead after profiting from a slip from captain Conor Coady.

Jordan Henderson fired a direct pass forward from the back as Coady miscontrolled the header towards the path of the Egyptian who slotted past goalkeeper Rui Patricio.

Overall, he is third behind Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski in the ranks of players scoring more at a single venue in the big-five European leagues.

Also, the former Chelsea and FC Basel man has scored or assisted 111 times in the English elite division since his return to England – scoring at least 20 times than Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane.

Salah, who now boasts of none goals from 10 outings in the 2020-21 English topflight season, has been a dependable performer for the Red since joining the Anfield side from AS Roma in the summer of 2017.

Thanks to Sunday’s 4-0 win, his team moved to second in the log with 24 points, albeit, they are behind leaders Spurs on goal difference.

His efforts helped the Anfield outfit win the 2018 Champions League title and end their 30-year wait for the Premier League diadem last season.

The 28-year-old forward has won several individual accolades following his impressive displays for Klopp’s team, including the two Premier League Golden Boot awards as well as two African Footballer of the Year prize.

Salah is among the final shortlist for the 2020 FIFA The Best Men's Player of the Year award with Lewandowski, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammate Sadio Mane all nominated for the prize.

After Sunday’s tie against Nuno Espírito Santo’s men, he would be expected to feature prominently when the 2018-19 European champions travel to the MCH Arena for Wednesday’s dead-rubber Champions League tie with Frank Onyeka’s FC Midtjylland.

Regardless of the outcome against Brian Priske’s Danish Superliga side, Liverpool finish as Group D winners while Atalanta and Ajax will slug it out for the second place.

Liverpool celebrated the return of fans to Anfield with a 4-0 victory over Wolves on Sunday.

Sitting three points off the summit of the Premier League following Tottenham's win over Arsenal earlier in the day, the Reds responded by claiming a typically hard-earned victory over Nuno Espirito Santo's side.

Goals from Mohamed Salah, Georginio Wijnaldum and Joel Matip, along with an own goal from Nelson Semedo, ensured they drew level with Spurs on points to move second by virtue of goal difference.

Perhaps buoyed by their returning supporters, Liverpool started the brighter, and went close when Sadio Mane headed over after a slick one-two with Andy Robertson.

But they were quickly reminded of Wolves' threat at the other end as Daniel Podence drew a fingertip save from Caoimhin Kelleher with a wonderfully inventive chip.

Both sides looked relatively comfortable defensively otherwise and, as such, it was no surprise that, when the opening goal came, it was thanks to an error rather than a moment of invention.

Jordan Henderson's ball over the top looked primed for a headed clearance but, in trying to chest it down, Conor Coady simply set up Salah for a left-footed finish into the right-hand corner.

The visiting captain looked to have redeemed himself when he was awarded a penalty on the stroke of half-time, but replays showed he had in fact not been touched by Mane before going down in the box, leading to a VAR turnover.

Despite Liverpool's lead, the second half continued in nip-and-tuck fashion, with both sides fashioning half-chances but remaining wary of committing too much to attack.

However, the game was eventually taken away from Wolves on the hour mark thanks to Wijnaldum who, arriving on the break and using Coady as a shield, curled a beauty into the Kop-end top corner.

Matip quickly followed that with a third, the defender heading in a delicious inswinging Salah cross from the right wing after finding himself at the top end of the pitch for a corner.

And a memorable night for the 2,000 supporters allowed into Anfield was capped with a fourth goal with a quarter of an hour still to go, Semedo inadvertently putting through his own net in attempting to block a Mane effort.

What does it mean? Champions keep Spurs in sight

Despite their season having been largely defined by an injury crisis that is far from over, Liverpool continue to show they are more than capable of retaining their Premier League title.

As for Wolves, who stay 10th, defeat serves to somewhat temper the excitement that has surrounded their fine start to the campaign, particularly in the aftermath of that win at Arsenal last time out.

Tireless Robertson shines again

He may have played more football than any other Liverpool player this season, but Robertson just gets better and better.

The Scot took 87 touches (bettered only by Curtis Jones and Jordan Henderson), put in eight crosses, and regained possession on seven occasions as he starred for the hosts.

Coady struggles on Anfield return

A boyhood Liverpool fan and a product of the club's academy, Coady is always keen to impress when he heads back to Anfield.

But the defender endured a night to forget, losing possession nine times – most crucially in teeing up Salah's goal – and completed just 61.5 per cent of his passes into the opposition half.

He was also perhaps fortunate not to pick up a yellow card for an overturned penalty win late in the first half.

Key Opta Facts

- Liverpool have won 31 of their past 32 home league games (D1), scoring 93 goals while conceding just 25 in this time.
- Wolves have lost eight consecutive league meetings with Liverpool, conceding 19 goals and scoring just twice in this run.
- Since Liverpool's first match after Virgil van Dijk's injury against Everton (Ajax in October), the Reds have conceded just six goals in 11 games in all competitions, keeping six clean sheets in the process.
- Mohamed Salah has 52 Premier League goals at Anfield for Liverpool. Only Lionel Messi at Camp Nou (63) and Robert Lewandowski at the Allianz Arena (59) have more at a single venue in the big-five European leagues since the Egyptian joined the Reds in 2017.
- At 22 years and 13 days, Caoimhin Kelleher became the third youngest Liverpool goalkeeper to keep a Premier League clean sheet, after Scott Carson (19y 211d) and Chris Kirkland (21y 234d), and youngest to do so on his first such start for the Reds.

What's next?

Liverpool visit Denmark on Wednesday for a Champions League dead rubber against Midtjylland before visiting Fulham four days later. Wolves, meanwhile, head to Aston Villa next Saturday for an early kick-off.

Mikel Arteta blamed his misfiring stars for Arsenal's north London derby defeat to Tottenham in the Premier League.

Goals from Son Heung-min and Harry Kane gave Jose Mourinho's side a 2-0 victory on Sunday as Spurs provided a clinical edge that the Gunners missed.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was unable to register a single effort on goal while strike partner Alexandre Lacazette had just two.

This was despite Arsenal enjoying more possession – 69.2 per cent to Tottenham's 30.8 per cent – and delivering their most crosses (32) in open play since February 2016.

It has been a season of struggle for Aubameyang and Lacazette, who have managed a paltry five Premier League goals between them.

By way of comparison Kane and Son have 18 goals and 13 assists together and both got their names on the scoresheet again.

"You look at all the stats, they're in our favour, but at the end of the day it's about putting the ball in the net," Arteta told a media conference afterwards.

"We had the chances. We had generated probably more than ever this season, put the ball in the box more than ever, had the numbers there.

"But at the end of the day we have to score the goals, and when they had a half chance they scored, and at the moment we haven't. To build something, you need results.

"I take a lot of positives for the way we played, when we come here in this moment and play with the personality, the courage, the passion, the energy and the belief the boys showed.

"At the end it's a football match and you have to win it, and we lost again today."

When asked how Arsenal, who are now 15th in the table and 11 points behind table-topping Spurs, might turn around their results, Arteta went back to the same theme.

"By scoring goals, very simple," he said. "We need to score goals. If not, it's unsustainable. It doesn't matter what we do in other departments of the pitch, if we don't score goals we can't do nothing.

"A cross doesn't mean just an aerial cross. There were a lot of good parts where we penetrated the penalty box on numerous occasions.

"Just to find the last pass or the final ball and the goal came through, we didn't hit it, they blocked it - it was a lot of things to happen.

"If we generate it every week we will win football matches. At the moment it looks like we need to do a lot to score a goal. We need to put the ball in the net, urgently."

Milan strengthened their grip on top spot in Serie A with a 2-1 win over Sampdoria on Sunday thanks to goals from Franck Kessie and Samu Castillejo.

Ivory Coast midfielder Kessie gave the Rossoneri the lead from the penalty spot after Jakub Jankto handled inside the area.

Spaniard Castillejo scored with his first touch of the game to notch Milan's second before Albin Ekdal ensured a tense finish when he bundled in from a corner.

Milan are now five points clear of second-placed Inter after 10 games, with Napoli and Juventus a further point behind in third and fourth.

Gianluigi Donnarumma was called into action early on when a Sampdoria corner presented Lorenzo Tonelli with a header from close range, which the Milan goalkeeper pushed over the crossbar.

Milan slowly discovered their rhythm and Sandro Tonali sent Brahim Diaz clear, but he hesitated in a good position and instead teed up Ante Rebic whose finish was weak.

Without the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Milan often lacked spark in attack, although only a brilliant piece of defending kept out Rebic. The Croatian chased a high ball over the top into the box and nudged it beyond goalkeeper Emil Audero, only for Tonelli to slide back and hook off the line.

Milan were awarded a penalty on the stroke of half-time when the referee deemed Jankto's arm had been away from his body as he attempted to block a Theo Hernandez header, and Kessie duly converted from the spot.

Stefano Pioli's side struck the woodwork just after the interval when Tonali finished off a slick passing move with a shot against the post which Audero recovered to gather.

Sampdoria eventually sparked into life and pinned Milan in their own half, but despite forcing three corners the Blucerchiati were unable to seriously trouble Donnarumma.

Tonali did well not to react to provocation from Antonio Candreva, who twisted his ear in a bizarre incident on the hour from which the on-loan Inter midfielder was fortunate not to have been booked.

Pioli threw on Castillejo for Alexis Saelemaekers with 13 minutes left and the Spaniard made an immediate impact as he fired home from Rebic's cross.

Sampdoria pulled a goal back when Ekdal managed to scramble the ball in from a corner, deemed to have crossed the line by goalline technology despite Donnarumma's efforts to haul it out.

Ekdal had a chance to equalise at the death when he met Candreva's cross but could only plant his header wide from close range.
 

What does it mean? Milan formidable on the road

Milan have now won their last seven away league games and have only managed to string together so many successes on the road twice before in their history in Serie A: in 1993 under Fabio Capello (nine away wins in a row) and in 1964 under Nils Liedholm (seven wins).

If Pioli's side are to go the distance, and put themselves in the reckoning to win their first Scudetto since 2011, then continuing to churn out hard-fought victories away from San Siro will need to continue.

Kessie keeps his cool

Kessie looked anxious before taking the spot-kick but then audaciously struck it high down the centre of the goal as Audero committed himself.

Milan are now unbeaten in 18 Serie A games where Kessie has found the net (won 16, drawn two) as they set a new club record by scoring in 30 consecutive league games, eclipsing a 29-game streak between 1972 and 1973.

Quiet game for Quagliarella

Milan are the side Sampdoria captain Fabio Quagliarella has faced the most times in home Serie A games (15) without ever finding the net.

Quagliarella had another difficult game up front against the Rossoneri as he failed to make an impact, managing no shots on target in the entire contest.

What's next?

Milan travel to Sparta Prague for their final Europa League group game on Thursday while Sampdoria head to Napoli in Serie A next Sunday.

Harry Kane expressed his delight with Tottenham's performance in their North London derby victory over Arsenal, lauding his teammates' effort in a smash-and-grab victory that sent them back to the Premier League summit.

Jose Mourinho's hosts ran out 2-0 victors against Mikel Arteta's Gunners despite notching just over half as many shots as their visitors and holding only 30 per cent of possession throughout the encounter.

Goals from Kane and Son Heung-min - who took their total league combinations to 11 for the season and moved second outright on the all-time list - dealt the damage in the first half to return them back to first place.

Despite their defensive exertions however, Kane only had positive words to say on his side's performance, hailing their collective showing as Spurs welcomed supporters back to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time this season.

"[It was] fantastic," the 27-year-old told Sky Sports News. "[It was] exactly what we set out for.

"We played well in the first half; the second half was a bit of a grind, but both teams defended well. They didn't create too many clear-cut chances, so we're delighted with the win.

"It wasn't comfortable. We could have had more of the ball in the second half – it wasn't how we wanted to play – but sometimes games turn into situations where you just have to adapt, and that was what happened today.

"Arsenal played well, kept the ball well and we couldn't really get out of our half, but they didn't really create too many chances, so it shows our defensive capabilities."

Having already engineered a similar result against Pep Guardiola's City last month with around a third of the ball once again, Kane paid tribute to his side's defensive mettle, stating that he is happy to drop deep and play his part in weathering any storms.

"I'm delighted with the result [defensively]," he added. "The boys dug deep and the defence from crosses was fantastic.

"It's one of them, a season where we're all pulling in the right direction, everyone on the pitch is willing to defend, attack and do what it takes to win the game.

"Set-pieces are a massive part of it, they had a lot today and the role I play in that is vital for the team, to try to clear as many as possible. I'm happy to do it."

Kane's double-act with Son has fast emerged as the most prolific partnership of the season, and their haul today has moved them within five of the all-time Premier League combination record held by Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.

The England man refuses to get carried away however, adding: "We're just feeling good. We're both at an age now where we're coming into our prime maybe in terms of understanding the game, understanding each other.

"When I'm passing it through and he's cutting inside and whipping them in the top bins, it's an easy game for me."