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Simba SC coach Sven Vandenbroeck has insisted they have not finished their job yet after managing to secure a vital 1-0 away win in the Caf Champions League against Plateau United on Sunday.

Clatous Chama scored the only goal of the game for the visiting Tanzanian giants 10 minutes into the second half and they held on to beat their Nigerian counterparts in the preliminary match, first leg contest staged at the New Jos Stadium, in Abuja.

It was a fine start for the Wekundu wa Msimbazi, who have made it clear they want to reach the semi-finals of the competition this term, but their Belgian tactician has warned the job is half done and they must be ready to complete the job when the two sides clash in the return leg at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, in Dar es Salaam on December 5.

“It was a tough game, against a very strong opponent who tried all tricks technically to find a goal but I congratulate my players because all 90 minutes were running to prevent them from scoring,” Vandenbroeck is quoted by the club’s social media after the match.

“I think we need to be very happy with the victory, it is a very great result [considering we won away from home] but we still haven't finished the job yet, because next week we have 90 minutes.”

As the Nigerian champions, Plateau came into the match with high hopes of profiting from home advantage against the visitors, who appeared in this year's competition as Tanzania's kings.

The Peace Boys made a fine start against Simba and almost got an early lead through Dennis Nya but goalkeeper Aishi Manila halted the attempt in the fourth minute.

Three minutes later, the visitors won a free-kick on the edge of the box when Isah Ndala brought down Aishi Manila but John Bocco headed the resulting effort from Mohamed Hussein wide.

The hosts continued to threaten Vandenbroeck’s side's defence but goalkeeper Manila stopped Oche Ochewechi's shot in the 13th minute before punching Nda's header away seconds later.

After the break, Plateau coach Abdul Maikaba brought on Ovoke Benard as a replacement for Saheed Jibrin as the hosts aimed to make the best of their promising attacks after a wasteful first half.

Against the run of play, Chama broke the deadlock for Simba, with a rebound after Plateau goalkeeper Adamu Abubakar parried Miquissone's effort into his path in the 54th minute.

Simba will now need a draw of any kind in the return leg to advance to the next stage of the competition.

SC Villa coach Edward Kaziba has promised club fans they will play entertaining football when the 2020-21 Ugandan Premier League (UPL) season kicks-off on December 3.

According to Kaziba, the Jogoos, who are the record winners of the Uganda league with 16 titles, have bonded well and trained enough.

“The club’s target this season is to entertain and win with style,” Kaziba said as quoted by the club’s official website. “We finished third last season, an improvement from the previous season, and as a progressive club, we must aim higher this season, we are Sports Club Villa.”

On the club’s new signings, Kaziba said: “We have added in some young talented players whom we think will easily grasp the technical team’s tactics so that together we can propel the club to the highest level.

“They are blending in very well and fast although it takes time to catch up with the playing style of the team. We cannot wait to unleash what we have been working on in the pre-season.”

Kaziba, however, admitted some of his key players are down with injuries including left-back Derrick Ndahiro but remained confident of a good start in this campaign.

Villa will begin their campaign by visiting top-six rivals BUL FC on Friday, December 4, 2020, at 4:30. It will be the first time Villa face BUL on the opening day since their promotion to the Uganda Premier League.

Villa’s first home game of 2020/21 will be against Mbarara City FC while the first Kampala Derby of the new season will take place in mid-December when Villa host KCCA 11 days later, after visiting URA FC on December 12, 2020.

In the closing game of the first round of the 2020/21 campaign, the Jogoos will be hosted by Bright Stars FC on Tuesday, March 16, 2021.

Meanwhile, defending champions Vipers SC will open their 2020/21 campaign at home to newcomers Myda FC according to the draft fixtures.

The new season's tentative date for kick-off remains Thursday, December 3. Thirteen-time league champions KCCA FC, who lost last season’s title to Vipers, will be in action away to Soltilo Bright Stars in the day’s only other game.

However, the venue for the KCCA-Bright Stars game is yet to be confirmed as the latter need to confirm their home ground.

Roy Keane believes the Arsenal are being hindered by having inadequate players who are "too soft" after they were defeated 2-1 by Wolves at home.

Pedro Neto gave Wolves the lead 27 minutes into the clash in north London, only for Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes to pull his side level shortly afterwards.

But Daniel Podence dealt the crucial blow shortly before half-time when he knocked past Bernd Leno, which proved to be enough to seal the three points for Nuno Espirito Santo's team.

While Gunners coach Mikel Arteta admitted it was a "really bad result" as his side suffered a fifth loss in 10 matches in the Premier League this season, he said his side had a "great reaction" in the second half and was pleased with the "desire" on display.

Keane, however, did not see as many positives from the home side's performance and he believes the Spanish manager should be more concerned with his team.

"I think a lot of the players aren't good enough, I think there's a softness there," the former Manchester United midfielder said on Sky Sports .

"A few weeks ago all the cheerleaders were out when they had a decent performance at United. They've had one point since then, lost the other two games.

"I think they look soft. They're probably lacking a bit of confidence. I didn’t see that real fight that the manager was talking about. I didn’t see that desire and determination to get a result.

“You can have an off-night of course, but you still find a way to get a result.

“At this moment in time I don’t see it with this group of players. I think they look a bit soft.”

Arsenal's next match is against Rapid Wien in the Europa League and return to domestic action with a clash with fierce rivals Tottenham, who are top of the table.

Keane believes it may be the right time to come up against Jose Mourinho's team as expectations will be low.  

"They all seem big at the moment, don't they? Maybe that might be the best game for them to have next week, a derby with no supporters there," he said.

"Going away, maybe less pressure than at home. They'll have enough to stay up, I think. They'll be strong enough to stay in the division."

Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne said Diego Maradona's death hurts as the city suffers after the Serie A side donned Argentina-style shirts to honour the club great in their 4-0 rout of rivals Roma.

Maradona – arguably football's greatest ever player who led Napoli to their only Scudetto honours in 1987 and 1990 – died of natural causes at the age of 60 on Wednesday.

After beating Rijeka in the Europa League on Thursday, Napoli played their first Serie A match since Maradona's passing on Sunday and it was an emotional occasion at the Stadio San Paolo.

Napoli sported a Maradona-themed jersey, which consisted of light blue and white stripes instead of the iconic all-blue shirt and it proved an inspirational strip as the Partenopei equalled their largest margin of victory against Roma in Serie A, having also routed the capital club 4-0 in 1980 and 1971.

Insigne – born and bred in Naples – opened the scoring with a free-kick on the half-hour mark before reaching for a Maradona shirt and kissing it as he celebrated.

Fabian Ruiz, Napoli's all-time leading goalscorer Dries Mertens and Matteo Politano were also on target.

"The atmosphere certainly gave us extra motivation, as we wanted to pay homage to our idol," Insigne, the only player since 2012-13 to score at least one goal and assist at least one in each of the past nine seasons, told Sky Sport Italia.

"It hurts and we cared more than ever tonight to put in a great performance for him and the city that is suffering."

Napoli moved up to fifth position in Serie A, six points adrift of unbeaten leaders AC Milan.

Gennaro Gattuso also earned his 50th career victory as a head coach in the Italian top flight, while becoming the first Napoli boss to win his first two Serie A encounters against Roma.

"There is a sense of sadness, but at this moment I think the city must also show common sense," Gattuso said. "I am seeing too many people going around without their masks.

"Maradona is a legend, everyone knows that, and I understand the desire to express that affection, but I hope from tomorrow the city will get back to being sensible, or we'll all pay the consequences later."

Mikel Arteta is determined to rouse Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from his scoring slump after the Arsenal captain continued to fire blanks in the Premier League defeat to Wolves.

Arsenal head coach Arteta said Aubameyang's form is his "biggest concern", pointing to how important the Gabon international's goals have been to the Gunners, who lost 2-1 at home to Wolves on Sunday .

Aubameyang took five shots and had nine touches in the opposition penalty area against Wolves – both personal highs for the season – but only one of those shots was on target.

The 31-year-old has not scored in open play in the Premier League since Arsenal began their campaign by easing past Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage in September.

Aubameyang's penalty allowed Arsenal to beat Manchester United at the start of November, but the familiar dependable flow of goals from the former Borussia Dortmund star has been stemmed this season.

Asked if he was worried, Arteta said: "I think we all are because the main goalscorer of the club at the moment isn't scoring goals, so my biggest concern is how to help him more to score goals because we need his goals.

"How important Auba has been for this club in the last two years and how the goal sheet has been shared among the squad tells you his importance.

"He needs to be scoring goals if we want to be successful."

Aubameyang scored 22 of Arsenal's 73 goals in the 2018-19 season as they finished fifth in the Premier League, then fired another 22 from a meagre 56 Gunners goals as they trailed home eighth last term.

Arteta will want goals to come from all areas of his team, but the reality is that they have been reliant on Aubameyang's consistency in recent seasons, and with his input declining the team are struggling.

Arsenal sit 14th in the Premier League with 13 points from 10 games, having lost three successive home games in the competition, and are eight points behind the leaders, who happen to be their north London rivals Tottenham.

The points tally is their lowest from the first 10 games of a campaign since a slow start in 1981 , when Arsenal mustered a mere 12 points from their opening 11 matches before winning six in a row.

Arsenal travel to Tottenham on Sunday, and to get the better of Jose Mourinho's side they may need Aubameyang to rediscover his shooting prowess.

If Arsenal need any reminder of how a line-leading striker can perform for his team, they need look no further than Tottenham's Harry Kane, whose league-high 16 goal involvements (seven goals, nine assists) have helped Spurs edge ahead of champions Liverpool on goal difference at the summit.

Aubameyang's two goals and one assist is a meagre return, given he has started every game, with his minutes-per-goal average declining from one every 142.64 last season to a dismal one every 448.5 this term.

Tottenham's Son Heung-min, who has netted nine times in the Premier League this term, has got those at one every 91.22 minutes, with Kane not far behind with a goal every 127.71 minutes.

With an off-key Aubameyang, it could make for a grim derby day for Arteta.

Vincent Aboubakar scored twice as Bernard Mensah’s Besiktas defeated fierce rivals Fenerbahce 4-3 away in an ill-tempered Super Lig roller-coaster on Sunday.

Aboubakar’s double inside the opening 20 minutes, with the second goal assisted by Algeria’s Rachid Ghezzal, gave visiting Besiktas the perfect start away at Fener in the evening kick-off.

However, Senegal’s Papiss Demba Cisse pulled one back for the hosts—following Marcel Tisserand’s assist—in the 34th minute as Fenerbahce battled back into the contest.

Despite losing Canada’s Cyle Larin to a 50th-minute red card during the tempestuous showdown, Besiktas extended their lead via Necip Uysal in the 53rd minute but there was still more drama at the Ulker Stadyumu.

Ozan Tufan again reduced the arrears for Fener in the 68th minute, before Congolese wideman Fabrice N’Sakala netted Besiktas’s fourth in the 88th minute—only two minutes after replacing Ghezzal—after being set up by Franco-Cameroonian wideman Georges-Kevin Nkoudou.

Tufan netted from the spot in the sixth minute of stoppage time to give Fener feint hope of an equaliser, but the visitors ultimately saw out the tempestuous contest which saw 11 cards being issued among the playing staff and technical benches.

Aboubakar’s influence waned before his 91st-minute withdrawal, but he nonetheless took his tally up to four in seven Super Lig goals for the season, already equalling his league haul across the last two seasons combined for FC Porto.

Considering his three goals for Cameroon during the recent international break, the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations winner now has six goals in his last four games for club and country, and is returning to the form he demonstrated before the injury-ravaged last few years.

Ghana playmaker Mensah had a much quieter outing before being replaced by Nkoudou in the 71st minute, struggling to find openings and failing to create a single goalscoring opportunity during the contest.

The win is Besiktas’s fourth in their last five league games, taking them up to 16 points—now only four behind Fenerbahce—after nine matches.

They’ve played one game fewer than Galatasaray and Fener—in second and third—but the same as unlikely leaders Alanyaspor, who are three points clear (on 23) at the top of the table.

Arsenal fans would have been forgiven for taking an inquisitive look at goalkeeper Bernd Leno against Wolves, as he took to the field in an outfield shirt.

Leno’s shirt of choice this term has been a luminous green affair, but he stepped on to the pitch in a white away kit in the Premier League game at the Emirates on Sunday.

The reason for the strange choice of shirt was Leno’s opposite number at Wolves, Rui Patricio, arriving at the ground with an identical coloured jersey.

Premier League rules state goalkeepers cannot wear the same coloured shirt, despite being at opposite ends of the pitch. The thinking possibly being that it could lead to confusion if one of the keepers ventured forward for a corner.

The responsibility sits with Wolves as the away team, but they arrived at the ground with no second option - meaning Leno donned the white outfield top.

Arsenal confirmed the switch of kit , but there is no word on why Leno pulled on an away outfield top as opposed to an alternative goalkeeping option.

The Arsenal shop has a picture of Leno sporting a black goalkeeping top, but he pulled on the white away kit. The referee Michael Oliver was in black on Sunday.

Leno, a signing from Bayer Leverkusen in 2018, is the undisputed number one for Arsenal and has kept three clean sheets in the Premier League so far this term.

That record was not extended to four, and it may be the white shirt is not a positive one for the German, as he was beaten by Pedro Neto on 27 minutes and again by Daniel Podence.

Arsenal went into the game without the injured Thomas Partey, who is making progress from the thigh strain he picked up against Aston Villa on November 8.

Nicolas Pepe has been forced to sit out the game on account of the suspension he picked up for headbutting Leeds United’s Ezgjan Alioski last week, while Sead Kolasinac is out after testing positive for Covid-19.

Mohamed Elneny had been absent after testing positive for coronavirus while on international duty with Egypt, but he produced a negative test and was given the green light to take his place on the bench against Wolves.

Raul Jimenez was stretchered off the field in the early stages of Wolves' Premier League match against Arsenal after suffering a head injury.

The striker clashed heads with Arsenal centre-back David Luiz during an aerial challenge in the Wolves box after a corner from Willian.

The incident happened just five minutes into the encounter, but a lengthy delay followed as the players received treatment.

The 29-year-old seemed unresponsive as medical staff checked on him and the Mexico international had to be carried off the field 10 minutes later and was replaced by Fabio Silva. 

David Luiz, meanwhile, received treatment for his injury and was able to keep playing, but the Brazilian defender was still bleeding late in the first half.  

Jimenez has been a key player for Wolves this season, scoring four goals in nine matches before Sunday's match against the Gunners.

Nuno Espirito Santo's team took the lead at Emirates Stadium after 27 minutes when Leander Dendoncker's header struck the bar and Pedro Neto was there to knock it past Bernd Leno.

Arsenal managed to pull level three minutes later, however, when Gabriel Magalhaes rose to meet a cross from Willian and head past goalkeeper Rui Patricio.

With three minutes left of the first half, Daniel Podence put the visitors back in the lead when Leno parried a Neto shot into the attacking midfielder's path and managed to knock it into the net.

Wolves had won just one of their last four matches in the Premier League heading into Sunday's encounter against Mikel Arteta's men.

Nuno's team were 11th in the table with 14 points before kick-off, seven adrift of leaders Liverpool and Tottenham.

Their north London opponents sat a point behind heading into the match, having collected just four points from their last five matches in the English top flight.

African legends Samuel Eto'o and Sunday Oliseh have joined the rest of the world in mourning former Senegal star Papa Bouba Diop, who died on Sunday.

Diop scored the memorable goal that helped Senegal stun France 1-0 at the 2002 Fifa World Cup opening game.

Aside from his feat for the Teranga Lions, the 42-year-old enjoyed a nomadic career in Europe with stints at Fulham, Portsmouth, AEK Athens, Lens, West Ham United and Birmingham City.

Tributes have started pouring in from every corner of the world following the demise of Diop, who was nicknamed 'the Wardrobe'.

"The death of Papa Bouba Diop is a great loss for Senegal. I pay tribute to a good footballer, respected by all for his courtesy and his talent, proudly reminding us of the Lions saga in 2002. I offer my heartfelt condolences to his family and to the football world," President of Senegal, Macky Sall tweeted.

Zambia star Rachael Nachula has revealed that the desire to make their country proud inspired Saturday's 2-1 victory over Chile.

Before Saturday's first match of their international friendlies against La Roja, the Copper Queens were smarting from their title miss at the 2020 Cosafa Women's Cup in South Africa, where they settled for bronze earlier this month.

Second-half goals from Barbara Banda and Nachula helped the Copper Queens come from a goal down to condemn the South Americans to the first defeat against an African team, in Santiago.

And the striker, who returned to the national fold for the first time since helping the team to qualify for the Olympic Games in March, believes the win over the South Americans was a huge morale boost.

"It's a good win for us. We came with an ambition to make Zambians proud against Chile," Nachula told Goal.

"Everyone felt there are a lot of players back to the team, who did not play at the Cosafa Cup and were expecting a lot from us. 

"We did not underrate them [Chile] because we never met them before. We just told ourselves before the match to go all out and prove our worth as we know competing at the Olympic is not a child's play. And we did it. 

"I am happy and the whole team are very proud of what we achieved on the pitch. We are very excited to have started our preparation for the Olympic very well, especially for some of us that were not part of the Cosafa tournament. 

"We are done with this game and will not for any reason get carried away by the victory because it's already in the past. Although we won, there are many areas we made mistakes which we will do well to correct before Tuesday's match."

The ex-sprinter has continued to silence her doubters since dumping athletics for football despite enjoying huge success on the track, including an Olympic Games appearance at Beijing 2008.

In 2019, she inspired the Copper Queens to a first-ever final appearance at the Cosafa Cup, scoring 10 goals to claim the golden boot and the feat earned her a first professional contract at Zaragoza.

Despite scoring twice in four competitive games for her Spanish outfit this season, the 34-year-old has opened up on the significance of her match-winning header against Chile.

"I am really very excited about our victory and more importantly It was the first goal I will score with my head in 2020," she added.

"It has been a huge year for me. I helped the country to the Olympics and also got the deal with Zaragoza. Scoring with my head against Chile was a big deal for me. 

"I have to thank [Barbara] Banda for the giving such a good cross and my teammates for providing me with such huge support always. I hope to continue to give my best always."

After the win, Nachula aims to help Bruce Nwape's team do a double against the South Americans in the second leg on December 1.

After an encouraging first performance as a wing-back for Everton against Fulham last weekend, Alex Iwobi was brought crashing down to earth against Leeds United on Saturday.

The Nigeria international has struggled to assert himself within Carlo Ancelotti’s plans this season, but after being reconfigured as a right wing-back against Fulham, he delivered one of his finest performances of the season, completing six dribbles in a showing that barely suggested he was operating in an unfamiliar role.

Against Leeds, however, it was a different story, as the wideman—this time positioned on the left with Tom Davies on the right—looked much less comfortable and struggled to deal with Raphinha and Luke Ayling.

If Iwobi is planning to re-invent himself as a wing-back on a longer-term basis, he could do a lot worse than to cast his eyes over to Russia, where Victor Moses is continuing his fine work in similar role.

The 29-year-old’s career was going nowhere at Chelsea before Antonio Conte arrived at the club, with the wideman having struggled to impress a series of managers after arriving from Wigan Athletic.

Time on loan away from Stamford Bridge did little to help Moses’s position in West London, until he too was reconfigured into a wing-back by Conte.

Moses, like Iwobi, won over many doubters in the way he adapted seamlessly to a new position and a new role, and he was influential as Chelsea won the Premier League title in the 2016-17 season.

Indeed, it was the finest spell of Moses’s career, as he also reached the FA Cup final in 2017 before winning it 12 months later.

Now on loan at Spartak Moscow, having been deemed surplus to requirements by Blues boss Frank Lampard, Moses is again demonstrating the qualities in a wing-back role that Iwobi would do well to take note of.

Against Rotor Volgograd on Sunday, the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner starred in a left wing-back role—again, like Iwobi, having been switched to the opposite flank—and played his part in a 2-0 victory for Domenico Tedesco’s side.

Despite playing in a nominally deeper role, Moses was a key attacking threat—he created one goalscoring opportunity and hit the target with both of his shots—and also completed two successful dribbles as Volgograd struggled to contain him.

“Great performance from the boys and a massive three points today,” the master of reinvention wrote on his Twitter handle after the match, and he’s clearly enjoying life in Russia where—not for the first time in his career—he’s tackling a new challenge head on.

Iwobi, so celebrated early in his career as he came through the ranks at Arsenal, arguably has more natural talent and a higher ‘ceiling’ to his game than Moses did, but he would do well to look to his former international colleague as an example of how to embrace change when things aren’t going your way.

Iwobi had a tough time of things against Leeds, but his performance against Fulham suggests that—for now at least—this experiment is one worth persevering with for Ancelotti.

Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne celebrated a fine free-kick on Sunday by pulling out and kissing a Diego Maradona shirt in an emotional tribute to the Argentine legend. 

Maradona past away on Wednesday from a heart attack at the age of 60 with the football world quickly paying their respects. 

Having steered Napoli to two Serie A titles, plus three other pieces of silverware, Maradona secured iconic status at the Stadio San Paolo with talks the venue could now even be named after him. 

The Italian side donned No.10 shirts in honour of their legend on Thursday in their 2-0 Europa League win over Rijeka and Insigne made sure to celebrate his strike on Sunday against Roma in special fashion. 

After the game was stopped during the 10th minute, where players stopped and applauded in honour of Maradona, Insigne would then step up in the 30th to fire home a delightful opener and made the most of his celebration. 

Prior to the match, the Napoli captain was also pictured placing flowers at a section of the San Paolo that donned a picture of Maradona. 

Tributes for Maradona have come from all over the world in recent days but perhaps the most high-profile tribute was made by Lionel Messi on Sunday after he scored in Barcelona's 4-0 win over Osasuna. 

Messi, who was managed by Diego Maradona during his stint in charge of the national team, celebrated his 73rd minute strike by revealing a Newell's Old Boys jersey with Maradona's number on the back. 

Antoine Griezmann admitted after the match that Messi had kept his planned gesture a secret.

"We didn't know what Messi had prepared to honour Maradona," Griezmann said. "It was a beautiful surprise."

Taking to social media after Maradona's passing, Messi was quick to point out that the Argentine legend will never be forgotten. 

"A very sad day for all Argentines and for football. He leaves us but does not leave, because Diego is eternal," Messi posted on Instagram.

"I keep all the beautiful moments lived with him and I wanted to take the opportunity to send my condolences to all his family and friends."

Wolves recovered from the shock of a sickening injury to top scorer Raul Jimenez to claim a 2-1 Premier League victory at Arsenal.

Jimenez appeared to be knocked unconscious following a fifth-minute clash of heads with David Luiz and received oxygen on the field during almost 10 minutes of treatment before being taken to hospital.

In the absence of their top scorer, Wolves hit the front through Pedro Neto and, although Gabriel briefly headed Arsenal level, the visitors claimed a deserved three points through Daniel Podence's superbly taken 42nd-minute winner.

The result moves Wolves up to sixth in the table, with Arsenal languishing in 14th.

Following the long delay and amid a fog of deep concern over Jimenez's wellbeing, Wolves took a 27th-minute lead.

Adama Traore got the better of Kieran Tierney down the Arsenal left and Neto was on hand to convert when Leander Dendoncker's header came back off the crossbar.

The visitors' advantage did not last long, with Gabriel powering home Willian's cross from a well-worked short corner.

Opportunism and poor Arsenal defending were again evident when Wolves made it 2-1 - Podence deftly lifting a bouncing ball over Gabriel and finding a finish after Bernd Leno saved Neto's deflected strike with his legs.

Traore was influential during the build-up once more and then slashed a stoppage-time attempt into the side netting.

The direct running of Wolves' attackers continued to cause Arsenal problems after the break and Hector Bellerin needed a last-ditch block to deny Podence with an hour played.

Wolves' superiority appeared to encourage sloppiness inside the final 20 minutes, with chances offered up to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Reiss Nelson.

Aubameyang remains without a Premier League goal in open play since the opening weekend of the season and headed wastefully over from Bellerin's 82nd-minute delivery.

What does it mean? Arsenal mark Emery anniversary in unfortunate style

Exactly a year on from Unai Emery being relieved of his duties at Emirates Stadium, Arsenal seem no closer to once again being a Premier League force. The congested nature of the early-season table means their lowly position should not cause huge concern, but they have now won one and lost four of their past six league matches, scoring just twice in that period.

Blood-stained Luiz gives football questions to answer

Having been a blameless participant in the horrific Jimenez accident, it is hard to imagine what an ordeal playing on must have been for David Luiz. However, it feels like there is a much more straightforward conclusion when it comes to whether or not he should have been allowed to continue.

To take an example from another sport, where concussion substitutes have recently been introduced, Australia cricket star Steve Smith passed an initial concussion test after being struck by a Jofra Archer bouncer, but was withdrawn from the remainder of last year's second Ashes Test when he failed a subsequent examination the morning after.

Luiz may not deteriorate similarly but it felt wrong for him to be allowed to play on, with Arsenal eventually replacing him at half-time. Once again in the area of concussion, football's protocols appeared unfit for purpose.

Wolves attackers dazzle

Nuno Espirito Santo's recent switch from his trusted 3-4-3 formation to a 4-2-3-1 had the key impact of unleashing Wolves' talented support attackers here.

Even without Jimenez as their focal point, goalscorers Neto and Podence and the relentlessly menacing Traore caused Arsenal no end of problems. Podence's five dribbles even outstripped Traore's four, while Neto matched the Spain winger for a game-high three key passes.

Arsenal have lost three consecutive Premier League games at the Emirates for the second time since the start of last season (also December 2019); before this, they had never previously suffered three consecutive home defeats in the competition.

Key Opta facts

- Wolves have amassed 17 points in this season’s Premier League (W5 D2 L3) - their most productive first 10 games of a top-flight campaign since 1979-80 when they would have had 20 points under a three-points-for-a-win system.
- Arsenal’s tally of 13 points is their lowest after their opening 10 matches of any league campaign since the 1981-82 season when they had 12 at this stage.
- During 2020, only Manchester United (nine) have won more Premier League fixtures away from home than Wolves (seven – level with Liverpool, Manchester City and Southampton).
- Arsenal have lost five of their last eight Premier League games (W2 D1), having only lost five of their first 22 such matches under Mikel Arteta (W11 D6 L5).
- Pedro Neto has scored as many goals (three) in Wolves' 10 Premier League games this season as he managed in 29 such appearances last term. He has also scored in back-to-back matches for the very first time in the competition.

What's next?

Arsenal entertain Rapid Vienna in the Europa League on Thursday before facing the short trip to Tottenham for the north London derby on Sunday, when Wolves face a similarly tricky assignment at Liverpool.

FC Goa and NorthEast United will be involved in a round three tie in the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) at the Fatorda stadium in Goa, on Monday evening. 

TV CHANNELS & LIVE STREAM

The Star Sports Network have the exclusive broadcasting rights of the ISL in India.

Commentary will also be available in vernacular languages across India.

TEAM NEWS

FC Goa Possible XI:   

Injured - None
Doubtful - Ishan Pandita
Suspended - Redeem Tlang    

Key Players - Igor Angulo, Jorge Ortiz     

NorthEast United Possible XI: 

Key Players -  Kwesi Appiah, Idrissa Sylla    

Wolves captain Conor Coady says his side are praying that Raul Jimenez is okay after the striker was stretchered off in the early stages of his side's 2-1 win against Arsenal on Sunday.

The Mexico international had to be substituted after he clashed heads with Arsenal centre-back David Luiz in the Wolves box when they jumped to challenge for a cross from a corner.

While Luiz was able to continue after being bandaged up, Jimenez was not moving as the medical team checked on him and had to be taken off.

The visitors went on to secure the three points in north London, but Coady said the players were more concerned about their team-mate's condition than celebrating the win.

He said to Sky Sports: "The first question we asked when we went in was: 'How is Raul?"

He added: "We were massively worried when it happened. We knew straight away it was a horrible clash of heads.

"But we just hope and pray everything is OK. I was at the front just behind him when it happened. It's something we never want to see.

"The most important thing is that both players are OK. But he is with the right people now and that's the most important thing. He is in hospital and by all accounts he is awake and breathing."

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo confirmed that the 29-year-old regained consciousness and is having tests done to measure the severity of the injury.

"Raul Jimenez is doing a scan now. He's conscious. He's OK inside the gravity of the problem," he said.

"You start hearing code red. It's serious. It was a bad moment for everybody. You see panic in their [medical staff] eyes and you start thinking how is he? We are worried.

"He speaks, he's aware. We have to have a proper assessment. He's in good hands."

The manager was delighted with the way his team responded to the shock of seeing the attacker go off, as they went on to take the lead through Pedro Neto. 

Gabriel Magalhaes equalised for the hosts three minutes later, but Daniel Podence restored Wolves' advantage just before half-time and it proved to be enough to clinch the points.

"Amazing. I'm very proud today. This team showed heart today - a belief in the way they ran and worked was very good to see," he added.

"We want to grow. We want to improve. We did things very well. There were many things not OK.

"We have to improve. We want to become not so predictable. We'll never let go of our foundation, our idenity. We can grow inside of the game and improve our game and have more players involved."

Neto said he is proud of the way his side played and wished his team-mate well in his recovery. 

"I was a little bit worried. I didn't see the impact but I heard it. I hope that he is OK and can recover to come back with us," he said.

"We had to try and focus on the game. We were focused and wanted to win. The way we played was unbelievable."

Nigeria captain Ahmed Musa and Abdullahi Shehu have condemned the killings of tens of civilians by terorists in Zabarmari town situated in Jere local government of Borno State.

According to reports, labourers were attacked and killed while working on their rice farms on Saturday afternoon.

Immediately after the killings described as 'senseless' by Nigerian government, a mass burial for 43 bodies was monitored by the Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum. 

Saddened by the callous incident, Musa took to social media to express his grief and urged Nigerians to embrace peace. 

"The change we want has to start with us," the former Leicester City forward wrote on Instagram. 

"If we truly love one another, things like this won't be happening I pray that this would be the last of its kind and we begin to experience the peace we should truly enjoy in the land." 

Shehu also expressed his sympathy with the victims and government of Borno State.

"I'm heartbroken, sad to read about the sad incident in Zabarmari, Borno State. I sympathize with the victims," the Omonia Nicosia defender said.

Mikel Arteta has conceded Arsenal's 2-1 loss to Wolves on Sunday was a "really bad result" with the Gunners now sitting 14th in the Premier League after 10 matches. 

In a match that was overshadowed by a serious head knock suffered by Raul Jimenez, Wolves claimed all three points thanks to goals from Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence. 

While the Gunners did claim a rare goal from open play via Gabriel in the 30th minute, they managed to get just two shots on target across the 90 minutes despite boasting 57 per cent possession. 

Arteta's side have now won just one of their last six matches in the Premier League, while the Gunners' current tally of 13 points is their lowest after their opening 10 matches of any league campaign since the 1981-82 season.

With pressure beginning to mount on the Arsenal manager, he conceded the club must find a way to turn their fortunes around and start scoring freely again. 

"It's a really bad result," Arteta admitted to Sky Sports. "We had our moments. We had a great reaction in the second half. The team showed desire but the goal didn't arrive. There are no excuses, we have to improve."

Speaking to BBC Sport, Arteta added: "They had two shots on target in the first half and scored twice. The team showed a real resilience, togetherness and belief to try to win in the second half. We generated the chances but didn't score.

"We need more goals to win football matches. We need to keep supporting the players. All players go through [tough] periods. We're creating chances but struggling to score goals. That's the difference between winning and losing.

"When you lose matches the confidence goes down because they believe things can happen again. You need to win after a defeat. We've been doing this in my time here. This is the first time since we've been here [that they've had a losing run]."

Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock struggled to identify exactly what's going wrong at the Emirates but is determined to see his side bounce back quickly. 

"It's not one thing we can put our finger on. We're not flowing at the moment. We have to sort this out very quickly as a team. We need to perform better. It's not good enough," Willock said post-match. 

"It's nothing that we can't change. We want to bounce back from this game and continue to stick together and get back to the flow we ended last season in.

"I don't think the incident is why the flow stopped. We're not good enough at the moment. We need to sort it out in the group. We're a big team and we want to compete for things. We have to regroup and talk about it tomorrow and bounce back ASAP."