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Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde has confirmed that he has previously held transfer talks with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

The 22-year-old was one of the stars of the Sevilla team that won the Europa League last season, defeating Inter in the final after eliminating Manchester United.

He has continued that fine form into the present campaign and is quickly being recognised as one of the outstanding young players in his role.

With City looking for solutions in their defence, the former Bordeaux man has confirmed they sounded him out over a move.

“Yes, I spoke with Pep Guardiola. He had him on the telephone,” he confirmed to Canal Football Club. “We spoke in Spanish. Everything went well. I was interested in going there and I had guarantees that I would play. But it didn’t happen.”

Indeed, Guardiola would ultimately move for Benfica centre-back Rafael Dias before the summer transfer window shut.

Meanwhile, Kounde is targeting a role in France’s Euro 2020 squad at the end of the season.

He has previously been capped on five occasions by the nation’s Under-21 side but is untested in Didier Deschamps' senior squad.

“My objective is the European Championships,” he went on to say. “That was the case last year before the tournament had to be postponed.

“It’s something that drives me. It’s something I’m going to fight for. It’s something that is going to guide me every day.”

Kounde has had a disjointed season to date because of a coronavirus infection that laid him up for a couple of weeks, though it was notable that two of Sevilla’s three league defeats came during the period he was absent.

His side have since got back on track and picked up a 4-2 victory over Celta Vigo on Saturday, with Kounde notching the opener with a right-footed shot – his first goal of the season.

In midweek, Sevilla’s attentions turn back to European football with a trip to Russia to face Krasnodar, a side they overcame 3-2 prior to the international break.

Victory in that encounter would likely ensure Sevilla’s progress through to the last 16 of the competition.

Napoli were without Victor Osimhen as Franck Kessie and Ismael Bennacer helped AC Milan secure a 3-1 away victory in Sunday’s Serie A outing.

Osimhen suffered a dislocated shoulder during Nigeria’s 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture against Sierra Leone and he did not recover in time for the encounter at the Stadio San Paolo.

In the absence of the Nigeria forward who has scored two Serie A goals this campaign, Gennaro Gattuso opted to have Dries Mertens lead Napoli's attack while Senegal centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly marshalled the defence.

Kessie and Bennacer produced fine performances in the middle of the park for AC Milan while the latter assisted Jens Hauge to seal all three points for the Rossoneri in the stoppage time.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic opened the scoring at the Stadio San Paolo in the 20th minute, and he later made it 2-0 with his second goal of the night in the 54th minute.

A few minutes after the hour-mark, Mertens reduced the deficit for Napoli but it was not enough to inspire a comeback as they suffered their second straight loss at home.

Bennacer completed the most tackles in the encounter (5) while Kessie managed the best pass accuracy (94.1 per cent) and they were both in action for 90 minutes.

Sunday's triumph stretched AC Milan's dominance at the summit of the Serie A table to 20 points after eight matches as Napoli dropped to sixth with 14 points.

Gattuso will hope to have Osimhen ready for Thursday's Uefa Europa League clash against Rijeka at home, after he missed their last match due to a red card he picked up against Real Sociedad on October 29.

Caleb Ekuban scored the only goal that gave Trabzonspor a 1-0 victory over BB Erzurumspor in a Turkish Super Lig game on Sunday.

Ekuban’s effort in the 23rd minute handed Trabzonspor their first league victory since September 26 and it ended a five-game winless run in the Turkish top-flight.

The Black Stars forward linked up with Abdulkadir Omur before firing a right-footed shot past goalkeeper Kayacan Erdogan.

It was Trabzonspor’s second win of the season after a 3-1 triumph over Yeni Malatyaspor two months ago.

Ekuban was on parade from start to finish, while DR Congo's Benik Afobe and Nigeria's Anthony Nwakaeme were replaced in the 62nd and 86th minutes respectively.

Nwakaeme could not add to his tally of three goals on his seventh league appearance of the season. It was a similar fate for Afobe who did not increase his record of three goals after eight league games since he arrived in Turkey on a season-long loan from Championship club Stoke City in the summer.

The victory fired Trabzonspor to 15th in the Super Lig table with nine points after nine matches, a point above BB Erzurumspor who are 17th in the standings with a game at hand.

Ekuban, Nwakaeme and Afobe will have their sights set on Friday's Super Lig trip to bottom-placed Ankaragucu as they aim to build on Sunday's result and grab their third win of the campaign.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has hit out at British broadcasters for failing to adjust their schedules during the coronavirus pandemic, claiming they don't care about player welfare. 

The Reds are set to play in the Champions League on Wednesday night against Atalanta before being forced to play Saturday against Brighton in the Premier League's midday match. 

Klopp's side are already short on players with the squad plagued by injuries and Liverpool suffered another casualty on Sunday after Naby Keita was forced off in their 3-0 win Leicester City. 

Speaking after that match, Klopp let loose at broadcasters, calling on them to ensure clubs aren't being forced to play so many games in such a short space of time. 

"It was never about us when I talked about it, it was about all the players. If you don't start talking to BT [Sport] we are all done," Klopp told Sky Sports. 

"Sky and BT have to talk because if we keep playing on Wednesday and Saturday [at] 12:30, I'm not sure if we will finish the season with 11 players.

"I know you [the broadcasters] don't care and that's the problem. We've discussed it for a long time and nothing's happened. 

"I don't talk about Liverpool, I talk about all the football players out there. Yesterday, [Gerard] Pique massive knee injury. Today, [Bukayo] Saka, maybe, I'm not sure, a knee injury - he played all three games for England during the international break.

"Now people tell us to rotate players but who? We have some offensive players but the rest are kids. 

"It's a massive problem. Wednesday and Saturday 12:30 is a broadcaster problem and nothing else. We play against Atalanta on Wednesday and then 12:30 [Saturday] against Brighton. It's an early Christmas present. We will show up there shaking. I think about sending the points. That's how it is."

In response to Klopp's charges, the interviewer on Sky brought up the contracts that clubs agreed with broadcasters – a subject that touched a nerve with Klopp.

"Gentlemen, start talking and making decisions. I like the relationship with you. If someone tells me again about contracts I'll go really nuts. Because these contracts aren't made for a Covid season," Klopp continued.

"We all have to adapt. Everything's changed, but the contracts with the broadcasters is still: 'We have this, so we keep this'. What? Everything changed, the whole world changed!" 

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has previously called for early Saturday games to be scraped altogether after his side were forced to play the fixture after the international break.  

Odisha FC take on Hyderabad FC in their 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) season opener at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim, Goa, on Monday. 

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

Odisha FC Possible XI:   

Injured - None
Doubtful - Jacob Tratt, Jerry Mawihmingthanga  
Suspended - None  

Key Players - Marcelinho, Diego Mauricio    

Hyderabad FC Possible XI: 

Injured - None  
Doubtful - Fran Sandaza  
Suspended - None

Key Players - Aridane Santana, Subrata Paul    

AC Milan’s 3-1 win over Napoli on Sunday was soured by a potential injury to leading marksman Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

With 78 minutes of the Serie A encounter gone, the 39-year-old Swede went down clutching his left leg and had to be replaced.

His club will now have to evaluate the severity of what appears to be a muscular problem.

Speaking after the game Daniele Bonera – who was filling in for Stefano Pioli, who has Covid-19 – expressed his hope that the injury wouldn't be a severe one.

“We don’t have much information right now, it looks like a muscular problem, but we have to wait a few days to see the extent of it,” Bonera told Sky Sport Italia.

The timing of the injury could scarcely be any worse as the Rossoneri’s fixture schedule prior to Christmas is packed. Indeed, they have nine fixtures to play in around a month and are already without Portugal international forward Rafael Leao because of a physical complaint.

They are due to travel to Lille in Europa League action on Thursday and will seek to avenge a thumping 3-0 loss to the Ligue 1 side at San Siro.

Thereafter, they will host struggling Fiorentina in the league, while before Christmas they will also have to face the likes of Lazio and second-placed Sassuolo, though the latter of those fixtures does not take place until December 20.

As such, Milan must now cross their fingers and hope the issue does not prove to be anything serious for Ibrahimovic, who has scored 10 goals in just six league outings this season and has already missed four games due to Covid-19.

On Sunday, he was a chief protagonist as Milan earned three points at Napoli that kept them at the summit of the Serie A table.

He had opened the scoring midway through the first half and added a second shortly after the break to propel Stefano Pioli’s side towards the win.

Jens Petter Hauge would later add the third in stoppage time against an opponent down to 10 men.

Milan will have to assess the extent of Ibrahimovic’s injury, but it was a sad way for the Swede to leave what had been a historic match for him.

By finding the back of the net, he became just the fourth player in the modern era of Serie A to have scored in the first six league matches he had played of a season. He joined the likes of Gabriel Batistuta and Christian Vieri in doing so.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is worried the club's injury crisis will continue to get worse, with Naby Keita the latest player to suffer an issue during the 3-0 win against Leicester City.

Keita was forced from the Anfield pitch in the second half of Sunday's match after being seen stretching out his right leg shortly before physios came to examine his complaint.

Despite being boosted by the return of Fabinho, Liverpool's injury list features likely long-term absentees Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, while Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Xherdan Shaqiri are also unavailable currently.

However, the German coach intimated that he faith in his squad and suggested the talent that had come into his training squad had earned the right to be there.

"[Keita] felt his hamstring and was not able to play on," Klopp said in his press conference.

He added to BBC Sport: "It's a tricky situation and when Naby goes off with a muscle injury you know the problems will not get smaller. The boys know when they are allowed to train with us they have the quality to do so, we don't give tickets for training, you have to qualify with talent and aptitude. It is a tough school, there a lot of steps to go.

"We have to make sure we recover but the Naby injury didn't help at all."

Even with a raft of absent players, the Reds had no issues dispatching a disappointing Leicester outfit with Jonny Evans' unfortunate own goal getting the home side off to the perfect start midway through the first half.

Diogo Jota became the first Liverpool player to score in his first four home matches just in the shadows of half-time, before Roberto Firmino put the finishing touches on the content with four minutes to play.

Klopp was delighted with the performance of his stretched squad and singled out emergency right-back James Milner for his efforts before moving back to the middle of the park.

"We scored three goals and didn't concede one, we defended exceptionally well, controlled the game, there were a lot of good things, I can't pick one that pleased me most - maybe the performance of James Milner at right back. He played an exceptional game, first there and then in midfield.

"That is what we expect from ourselves, injuries were a massive shock in that moment but the boys have to offer solutions. We have centre halves, they are really young. They are not experienced, you saw the bench tonight."

Liverpool's victory sees them go top of the Premier League alongside Tottenham on 20 points, but be ranked behind Jose Mourinho's side on goal difference.

Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Mohamed Salah has tested negative for coronavirus and will resume training with Liverpool on Monday.

The Egyptian missed the Reds’ 3-0 win over Leicester on Sunday evening after testing positive for Covid-19 during the international break.

But Klopp revealed after the game that Salah could now return in the Champions League against Atalanta on Wednesday night, with the 28-year-old set to be part of the Liverpool squad which undergoes a round of UEFA testing on Monday.

Klopp said: "That's what I've heard. A negative today. I think from now he is pretty normal in all the testing. 

“Tomorrow [Monday] we have UEFA testing for the Champions League and I am pretty sure he will be in that. He can now train with us tomorrow. 

“There could be Premier League tests the day after? Yes, there are two tests in the next two days so he will be tested, like all of us.”

The news will come as a significant boost to the Reds boss, who saw Naby Keita join a growing injury list on Sunday. Keita lasted just 53 minutes against Leicester before suffering a hamstring issue, which will be assessed at Kirkby.

Liverpool could also be without Xherdan Shaqiri for their upcoming games, with the Swiss star having picked up a problem during international duty.

Klopp said: “Naby felt his hamstring and was not able to play on, otherwise he would have stayed on the pitch.

“Shaq had a muscle injury with the national team which he didn’t really realise. He trained with us, and after that he felt it a little bit. We made a scan and they found that he has an injury from five or six days. 

“Nobody knew about it, not even Shaq, and so he was not able to be involved.”

Liverpool moved level on points with Premier League leaders Tottenham after a dominant display against Leicester, a result which means the Reds set a new club record of 64 home league games unbeaten. 

“It is incredible but all about the boys,” Klopp said. “It is really difficult to achieve something like this but when you think about how tight a lot of the games were the boys had to dig in and they did that. 

“We really enjoy playing here, it is our ground, our home and everything feels like home even when then the people aren't here - which is absolutely b***ocks or bulls**t, whatever the right word is. 

“The boys on the pitch performance-wise are incredible and that is the only reason for the number. It is difficult to set records at this club because our fathers and grandfathers were obviously pretty good. 

“I am happy for the players but it doesn't feel like this in the moment because we play on Wednesday!”

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has warned that his side must be careful as they look to work Sergio Aguero back into the team.

City have made their worst start to a Premier League season for more than a decade following Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham.

Club-record goalscorer Aguero was an unused substitute at Spurs after missing the last month with a hamstring injury.

Guardiola’s side sit 13th in the Premier League table and the City boss, who this week signed a two-year contract extension to keep him at the Etihad Stadium until 2023, says his side need to start winning games quickly.

Aguro could be key to any turnaround, as City have scored just 10 goals from their opening eight Premier League fixtures and just five from their last six matches.

The Argentinian has made just three appearances in the last five months after suffering a knee injury in June and Guardiola says they must carefully manage his return.

“I'm not going to say we don't need Sergio, we need him,” Guardiola said. “But Sergio is 32 and was five months injured with a difficult and dangerous injury.

“He came back, he played 50 minutes and 55 and got injured again. We want and I want Sergio fit because I know how important he is for us and what he has done in the Premier League.

“But we have to be careful, to not get knocked back again and injured again and you have to see the right moment to put him back in the side. Hopefully it can be soon and maintain the regularity to play games.”

Though City could potentially use some tweaks after a poor start, Guardiola has said it is impossible for managers to work on tactics because of the hectic schedule.

With at least two games a week between now and the new year, the 49-year-old says there’s no time to work on changes in training.

“It's impossible,” he said. “But it's the same for all clubs so I'm not saying we're at an advantage or a disadvantage. But it's impossible, there's no time.”

Guardiola insisted it was his responsibility, rather than the players, to solve their issues with City taking just 12 points from their opening eight matches, winning just three and losing twice.

“I never said it was the responsibility of the players, it's my responsibility as a manager to lift them and to give them everything that's possible,” he said.

“Never in my career of 12 years have I complained or pointed at someone that everything is going to solve. I love having Sergio back, I love having Gabriel [Jesus] back, but they are not going to solve all the situations.

“We scored in two seasons, more than 100 goals and 80 or 90 per cent of the players are the same, especially up front.

“Maybe we lost Leroy [Sane] but Leroy didn't play much last season because he was injured all season and we still scored 100 goals.

“We are the same but football is like this. Sometimes one season is completely different to another one. We will find a little bit the way to get better.”

James Milner described Roberto Firmino as the "unluckiest man alive" after seeing the Liverpool forward fail to find the back of the net until the 86th minute in their 3-0 win over Leicester City in the Premier League. 

Jurgen Klopp's side were leading 2-0 at half-time thanks to a Jonny Evans own-goal and a fine header from Diogo Jota, who has continued his strong start to life at Anfield. 

Firmino, who took a game-high six shots across the 90 minutes, then hit the post twice in the second half before finally heading home the Reds' third goal with less than five minutes to play. 

That goal was Firmino's second strike in the Premier League this season with Milner glad to see the Brazilian rewarded for his good work in the final third. 

"Bobby is the unluckiest man alive for the first 80 minutes. He deserved his goal. He was outstanding," Milner told Sky Sports post-match. 

"First half very good, second half not as good. There were a lot of miles in the boys' legs with internationals. We kept the ball pretty well and took the sting out of it.

"It's hard to get that rhythm with all the international breaks but it’s a long wait until the next one.

"It’s impressive we’ve kept it [their unbeaten home run] going without the fans. Hopefully we can keep it going until they can come back."

On making a rare start for Liverpool this season, Milner added: "I want to start as many games as I can - I know that won’t be every game these days."

While Firmino got a deserved goal late in the match, Jota gave the Reds some earlier breathing space as he continued his record run of scoring in his first four home league games for the club. 

The Portuguese star is loving life at Anfield and is determined to continue making an impact. 

"Playing in this team, world champions, means a lot, I just wish we can keep winning matches and I can be important as well, of course," Jota told Match of the Day. 

"We did a great job, offensively, creating chances, as well as defensively. In the end it was a great match.

"Every squad feels the same, everyone can be important, we need everyone physically and mentally ready to help us. It is three points, but they were there near the top, on Wednesday we go again."

Andy Delort scored a brace as Montpellier pipped Strasbourg to a 4-3 victory in Sunday’s Ligue 1 encounter.

Delort found the back of the net twice in the first-half as the hosts grabbed their first win at the Stade de la Mosson since September 20.

The 29-year-old striker doubled Montpellier's lead five minutes after Pedro Mendes opened the scoring in the eighth minute.

The lead, however, was short-lived as Strasbourg earned two quick penalties within four minutes with Kenny Lala making it 2-1 before Senegal's Habib Diallo drew both teams level in the 26th minute.

Delort restored Montpellier's lead in the 31st minute, with his sixth goal of the season but Ludovic Ajorque pegged the visitors back just on the stroke of half-time.

After the restart, the Algeria international assisted Gaetan Laborde to score the match-winning goal in the 68th minute.

Delort played the entire duration while South Africa's Keagan Dolly was later introduced in the 82nd minute for Florent Mollet.

Bafana Bafana star Lebo Mothiba did not make the trip to Montpellier as he continues from a knee injury while Cameroon's Ambroise Oyongo, Ghana's Alexander Djiku and Senegal's Bingourou Kamara are also on the sidelines.

Montpellier climbed to fourth in the Ligue 1 table with 20 points after 11 games while Strasbourg remain unmoved in the 19th spot after suffering their ninth loss of the season, with six points from the same number of matches.

Delort will hope to inspire La Paillade to victory when they host league leaders Paris Saint-Germain in their next Ligue 1 fixture on December 5.

Diogo Jota became the first player in Liverpool history to score in his first four top-flight home matches following his opener against Leicester City on Sunday.

Jota has enjoyed a scintillating start to life at Anfield following his £41 million ($53m) move from Wolves in pre-season.

Before Sunday's visit of Leicester, Jota had scored seven goals in 11 matches for the Reds across all competitions, forcing his way into the team despite the settled nature of their first-choice attack of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.

That haul included strikes in three successive Premier League home games, equalling a club record, and he went one better against Leicester.

Arriving on to Andy Robertson's precise cross from the left, Jota got in front of his marker and sent a glancing header past Kasper Schmeichel in the Foxes' net to make it 2-0 just before half-time.

Firmino would go on to add a third before the final whistle as the champions earned a comprehensive 3-0 win.

Jota was starting in the Liverpool attack in place of Salah, who was ruled out due to contracting coronavirus during the international break. 

His goal came after a sequence of 30 passes; since Opta have this data available from 2006-07, it was the most in the build up to any Premier League goal by the Reds.

Jota, who had his first season the Premier League with Wolves in 2018-19, has regularly terrorised Leicester City since, with his four goals in five appearances against the Foxes the most he has scored against any club.

The 23-year-old's progression in recent months has seen a former coach say the forward will eventually succeed Cristiano Ronaldo as Portugal's talisman - after making the prediction early on in Jota's career.

"Nobody does what Jota is doing now without having real ambition," Jorge Simao told The Athletic, after having worked with the player at Pacos de Ferreira.

"When he signed for Porto [in 2016], I told a Portuguese website that, for me, Jota would be the successor to Cristiano Ronaldo.

"Obviously, that was quite a big claim to make at that time, because Jota had only played for Pacos and had not had a good time at Atletico Madrid.

"When Jota signed for Liverpool, I sent him a message to congratulate him. He replied, five seconds later, with a link to that old article about him and Ronaldo.

"It was the very first thing he sent! He must have had it bookmarked. Incredible! He hadn’t forgotten."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic maintained his scoring run with a goal in each half to help Milan earn a 3-1 win over 10-man Napoli that takes his side back to the top of Serie A.

Sassuolo moved to the summit earlier on Sunday with a 2-0 win at Hellas Verona but Milan responded with an Ibrahimovic-inspired victory at Stadio San Paolo to go two points clear.

The veteran striker headed in from 14 yards with 20 minutes played to score for the eighth league game running before kneeing in an unorthodox second after 54 minutes, but he worryingly limped off late on with a thigh injury.

Dries Mertens had responded for Napoli only for Tiemoue Bakayoko to be sent off 165 seconds later and Milan, without head coach Stefano Pioli and a number of other backroom staff members due to coronavirus, wrapped up the win through Jens Petter Hauge's debut Serie A goal in injury time to maintain their unbeaten start.

Returning Napoli keeper Alex Meret pushed Hakan Calhanoglu's shot past the post and Simon Kjaer shinned wide from the resulting corner as Milan made a positive start.

The visitors did not have to wait long to make the breakthrough as Ibrahimovic got in front of Kalidou Koulibaly and headed Theo Hernandez's left-sided cross away from Meret.

Gianluigi Donnarumma produced fine saves to deny Dries Mertens and Hirving Lozano, either side of Giovanni Di Lorenzo firing against the crossbar, as Napoli initially responded well.

Those missed chances for Napoli would prove costly as Ibrahimovic converted Ante Rebic's floated delivery from underneath the crossbar to give his side some breathing space.

Ibrahimovic had an instant third rightly ruled out for offside and Napoli gave themselves hope when Mertens turned Alessio Romagnoli and beat Donnarumma with his shot.

But a clumsy challenge from Bakayoko on Theo saw the ex-Milan midfielder pick up a second yellow and Napoli failed to create any more clear-cut openings.

Ibrahimovic pulled up in what will be a big concern for the absent Pioli but substitute Hauge squeezed a shot past Meret from a tight angle to seal the three points.

What does it mean?

Milan had shown signs of slipping up before the international break, drawing two of their last three league games and losing 3-0 against Lille in the Europa League.

In the absence of Pioli in Naples, they produced the type of win that suggests they may just last the distance this term.

Despite having only 37 per cent of the ball, Milan hit the target seven times to deservedly earn the win -  their first away at Napoli since 2010-11, the year they won the most recent of their 18 Scudetti.

Ibra-him-again

There is simply no stopping the 39-year-old striker. He scored from two of his three shots and now has 10 goals for the season.

Only Marco van Basten (12 in 1992-93) has scored more for Milan in the opening eight games of a Serie A campaign, but he may now be facing a spell on the sidelines.

Bakay-oh-no

Mertens' strike gave Milan something to think about, only for Bakayoko to pick up what seemed an inevitable second yellow against the team he represented in 2018-19.

Bakayoko turned over possession seven times - only Ismael Bennacer (8) did so more before the midfielder was dismissed - and his absence was keenly felt as Napoli struggled to grab a foothold in the match and conceded a third.

Key Opta Facts

- Ibrahimovic has scored at least 10 goals in a top-five European leagues campaign for the 14th time in his career (eight of these in Serie A).

- In the last 50 years, Ibrahimovic is only the fifth player to have scored at least 10 goals in the first eight Serie A matchdays: Marco van Basten in 1992, Gabriel Batistuta in 1998, Paulo Dybala and Ciro Immobile in 2017, Ibrahimovic in 2020.

- Ibrahimovic has scored a goal in each of his six 2020-21 Serie A appearances. Only three players before the Swede have done so in the three-points-for-a-win era (Batistuta in 1994-95, Christian Vieri in 2002-03 and Krzysztof Piatek in 2018-19).

- He is the oldest player to score at least 10 goals in the first eight Serie A matchdays (before him the record was the Silvio Piola in 1942-43, aged 29).

What's next?

Both sides are in Europa League action on Thursday, with Napoli hosting Rijeka and Milan traveling to Lille.

Liverpool have set a new club record for their longest unbeaten run at home after beating Leicester City 3-0 at Anfield on Sunday. 

Jurgen Klopp's side took the lead after a 21st-minute own goal from Jonny Evans, with Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino also finding the back of the net for the Reds. 

That win means Liverpool have now gone 64 Premier League games without defeat at home - eclipsing their previous record run which was set in December 1980. 

The Reds' last loss at Anfield in the Premier League now dates back to April 2017 when Crystal Palace claimed a 2-1 victory courtesy of a brace from Christian Benteke.

Liverpool brought up their new record in emphatic fashion on Sunday as they dominated at home against Brendan Rodgers' side. The Reds took 24 shots across the 90 minutes and boasted 58 per cent of possession. 

The 3-0 win means Klopp's men have jumped up to second in the Premier League, level on points with leaders Tottenham but with an inferior goal difference. Leicester meanwhile have remained in fourth and are only two points shy of Liverpool and Spurs after nine games of the new season. 

The Reds' 64-game unbeaten run at home in England's top-flight has seen the club claim an impressive 53 wins and only 11 draws as they make the most of playing at Anfield. 

Chelsea hold the all-time English top-flight record for consecutive unbeaten league home matches, with their 86-game run coming to an end in 2008.

Klopp's side can next look to extend their club record on December 5 when they host Wolves in the Premier League. 

New Liverpool recruit Jota is clearly enjoying life at Anfield and is the first player in their history to score in each of his first four home top-flight league appearances for the club.

Roberto Firmino has also found goals easier to come by at Anfield this season with two league goals at the venue to his name this campaign, compared to the one he managed across all of 2019-20. 

The Reds will return to Anfield on Wednesday night when they welcome Club Brugge in Champions League action. 

Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has written himself into Serie A history by becoming just the fourth player to net in their first six league games of the season.

The veteran Swede continues to confound critics with his performances for the Serie A leaders.

At 39, there were those who believed he was too old to be a force in one of Europe’s leading leagues, yet he has started the season in utterly prolific form.

On Sunday, he continued his six-game domestic scoring streak by opening the scoring away from home against Napoli, elevating him into a select club of stars.

The Swede wasn't done after his 20th-minute opener however, as he also netted in the 54th minute to seal a brace in a 3-1 win.

The two goals gave Ibrahimovic another record: He is now the oldest player to score at least 10 goals in the first eight Serie A matchdays.

Previously, there were only three other players to score in their opening six Serie A matches of the season.

Gabriel Batistuta of Fiorentina was the first to complete the feat in 1994-95, before Christian Vieri matched it in the 2002-03 season with Inter. Krzysztof Piatek then did it in 2018-19 under Genoa's colours.

Ibrahimovic’s run started on September 21 when he struck both goals in a 2-0 win over Bologna. His season was then interrupted as he missed a couple of fixtures after being infected by Covid-19.

When he returned to the field, he did so in spectacular fashion. Again, he was on target with a double, this time in the derby against Inter, then versus Roma he bagged another pair in a 3-3 draw.

The run continued into November when he both scored and assisted in a 2-1 victory over Udinese and prior to the international break he scored versus Hellas Verona.

While he has been deadly in Serie A, he has not been quite so effective in European football. He has featured in all three of Milan’s Europa League group-stage matches but has just a single assist against Sparta Prague to his credit on the continent thus far.

Liverpool cruised to a 3-0 win over Leicester City on Sunday to set a new club record of 64 top-flight home matches unbeaten as Diogo Jota continued a remarkable Anfield streak of his own.

Jurgen Klopp was without a host of key men, with Joe Gomez, Jordan Henderson and Mohamed Salah among the latest to join their lengthy absentee list, but they dealt with the threat posed by Leicester with impressive ease considering their circumstances.

Leicester had won all four of their away Premier League games this term prior to Sunday but once they fell behind to Jonny Evans' unfortunate own goal – the sixth of his top-flight career – they never looked likely to end the Reds' run.

Jota made it 2-0 just before half-time, becoming the first Reds player in history to score in his first four Anfield league games, and from there it was plain sailing, Liverpool finally adding a third late on through Roberto Firmino – the Brazilian have previously hit the post twice.

The Reds' positive start belied the depleted nature of their squad, as Sadio Mane headed into the side-netting and Curtis Jones tested Kasper Schmeichel from a tight angle before Evans put into his own net from a corner in the 21st minute.

But they were given a warning soon after when Leicester spurned a glorious chance – Harvey Barnes shooting agonisingly wide of the top-right corner first-time from Jamie Vardy's cut-back.

That was not the start of a Leicester resurgence, however, and Liverpool increased their lead just before the break, Jota glancing an Andrew Robertson cross into the net for his own slice of Anfield history.

Although Liverpool lost Naby Keita to an apparent hamstring problem early in the second half, they continued to dominate and carve out chances.

Schmeichel produced a strong save from the marauding Mane, and then Firmino hit the goal frame with a close-range header.

Firmino, scorer of just two goals in his previous 23 league games, struck the other post again 13 minutes from time in a remarkable sequence that also saw Schmeichel turn a Mane effort on to the woodwork.

But the Brazil international's misfortune finally ended late on when he sent a towering header beyond Schmeichel, as Liverpool ensured they would end the day second in the table.   

What does it mean? Depleted or not, Reds always a force

Producing such a professional and dominant performance – and translating that into a similarly comfortable win against fine opposition – is a real accomplishment for Liverpool.

Much has been made of their general defensive issues this season, yet there was little sign of vulnerability there in spite of such a makeshift back four – Leicester only managed four shots on target in the match.

Similarly, going forward Liverpool gave Leicester's defence so much to contend with, their 24 attempts indicative of the control they exerted.

Robertson rampant on the wing

Scotland star Robertson was a doubt for this game having suffered a knock on international duty – not that you would have been able to tell from his performance. The left-back was menace on the flank, creating three chances and setting up Jota's header with a fine cross. That was his 31st Premier League assist for the Reds – only Kevin De Bruyne (41) has more than him in that timeframe.

The tonic for Firmino's frustrations

It looked like being another infuriating outing for Firmino, who had hit the right post from just a few yards and then the left when one-on-one with Schmeichel. He eventually found the mark with Liverpool's third of the day, only his second Premier League goal of the season.

What's next?

These two turn their attentions back to European football in midweek, as Liverpool host Atalanta in the Champions League on Wednesday and Leicester face a Europa League trip to Sporting Braga a day later.

Mikel Arteta has confirmed Willian and Bukayo Saka picked up injuries during Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Leeds United.

Nicolas Pepe stole the headlines from Sunday’s Premier League stalemate after being sent off for headbutting Ezgjan Alioski, but it was far from the only bad news the Gunners took from the match.

Willian did not appear for the second half and Saka failed to finish the match - being replaced by Ainsley Maitland-Niles - after entering the field from the bench in the 57th minute.

Arsenal have an intense passage of games over the course of the next month, and Saka and Willian will be assessed by the club’s medical staff on Monday.

“He was in pain,” Arsenal boss Arteta told the club’s official website of 19-year-old Saka. “We're going to have to assess with the medical staff how bad it is, but it looked like a pretty bad challenge and he was in pain so we decided to take him out straight away.” 

Commenting on Willian, Arteta said: “He was feeling something muscular and we had to take him off.”

Arsenal travel to Molde in the Europa League on Thursday, and Arteta admits it may be a patched-up side that turns up in Norway.

“We will see what happens in the next few hours,” Arteta said. “But we will put a team there to compete in the way that we do now and every team is going to face challenges with the amount of fixtures we have. Let’s hope that we can get some back.”

Arsenal are struggling for goals at the moment - they have scored a mere nine from their opening nine games in the Premier League - but Arteta feels his side will soon be rewarded for their positive play, provided they are more ruthless.

“That flair, that creativity and that momentum that the players need to make the last action, it's the most difficult thing in football,” he said. “It's not that you're not creating the chances, but we have to create more and we have to be more consistent in the final third with the amount of things that we finish and how we finish them.

"It will come, and the reality as well is that we haven't had much continuity in a lot of the players for various reasons, which is very important to get the understanding right with them.

"We need a lot of goals to win football matches and to be the top team that we want to be - without that it’s impossible. It doesn’t matter how good we are defensively.

"It’s not a lack of attacking players that we have, because we have attacking players on the pitch all the time, but we need some moments where we have to make decisions earlier, better and they have to be more ruthless. But it’s the most difficult thing in football and sometimes we go through these patches and we have to overcome them and I have to help the players to do it as quick as possible."

Arsenal have now managed only nine goals in their first nine Premier League matches – the club’s lowest tally since 1986-87.

Mikel Arteta’s side were again held to a blank on Sunday as they picked up a point in a scoreless draw against Leeds at Elland Road.

It was an encounter in which it took them more than an hour to muster a single shot on target, while their opponents had 25 efforts over the course of the encounter.

The offensive misery that the Gunners endured was summed up by Nicolas Pepe being dismissed for a petulant headbutt early in the second half.

For Arteta’s men, it was the fourth time in five Premier League matches that they had experienced a shutout, with the only goal they have scored during that run a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang penalty against Manchester United at Old Trafford in a 1-0 win.

The season actually started quite brightly for the Gunners in front of goal as they routed Fulham 3-0 then scored another couple goals in a victory over West Ham.

Shortly before the match against the Hammers there had been optimism about Arsenal’s offence, which was in part generated by the new contract that Aubameyang had signed, ending speculation over his future.

The Gabon international, though, has scored only that single penalty since putting pen to paper on the fresh deal.

He has often found himself shunted out to the left wing, however, and there has been a significant push for him to be handed a more central role. Club legend Paul Merson, for example, has called for Alexandre Lacazette to make way for the former Borussia Dortmund and Saint-Etienne forward.

Though Aubameyang did start through the middle against Leeds, he was still unable to find the back of the net.

Arsenal will hope to get back on the goal trail in midweek when they go to Molde in the Europa League. Victory in that match would guarantee their place in the knockout stages with two rounds remaining.

Their next challenge in the Premier League is a home encounter against Wolves next Sunday, with Arteta’s men seeking to move up from their current position of 10th.

Patrice Evra has claimed Ezgjan Alioski was deserving of an Oscar for his part in Nicolas Pepe’s red card, but the former Manchester United man said the Arsenal forward only had himself to blame.

Pepe was shown a straight red card by referee Anthony Taylor for aiming a headbutt at Alioski on 51 minutes of the 0-0 draw in the Premier League.

It was the culmination of a running battle Alioski and Pepe had been involved in for the previous few minutes.

Alioski fell to the ground easily under what looked like minimal contact, but Pepe did thrust his head towards the Leeds United man’s face and can have no complaints.

Evra noted as such, as he told Sky Sports: “Really silly from Pepe.

“You are not playing a lot and Arteta gave you a chance, so do not cry when you play the next game.

“When you do that it is a frustration. It is silly. I think [Pepe] should say sorry to all his team-mates because Arsenal had a plan and of course everything changed."

Evra feels Pepe is being weighed down by the £72 million fee Arsenal paid for him from Lille in 2019.

“I saw him playing in France, he was happy, he was smiling,” Evra said. “You can see, the price tag, the fans are against him.

“A good player but I am really disappointed. I always protect him but I cannot defend him."

Commenting on Alioski’s part in the dismissal, Evra noted: “Alioski deserves an Oscar. He played so well, if I was the Leeds coach I would be so happy with Alioski but come on, he looked like he broke his nose.”

Pepe is now facing up to the prospect of a three-game ban, which is the standard for violent conduct, and he will have a battle on his hands to get back in the side.

Being handed a start at Elland Road on Sunday was viewed as a big opportunity for the Ivory Coast international, and Gunners manager Mikel Arteta looked deeply unhappy with his player when discussing the matter in his post-match interview, so it remains to be seen when another chance emerges for the 25-year-old.