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Bernd Leno admits Arsenal have spent “too long” toiling against the ‘Big Six’ away from home, with the hope being that a 1-0 victory over Manchester United will act as a springboard for the Gunners.

An unfortunate run stretching back to 2015 was finally brought to a close at the 30th time of asking on Sunday, with Mikel Arteta’s side collecting a narrow win on their latest visit to Old Trafford.

That venue has not been a happy hunting ground for the Gunners in recent times, with their last triumph on the red half of Manchester coming way back in September 2006.

With that sequence snapped, along with the struggles endured against fellow members of the Premier League elite, optimism is building again in north London.

Consistency will be required if Arsenal are to hit their ultimate targets, with those at Emirates Stadium determined to force their way back into the top four, but Leno sees signs of progress as the Gunners become a tougher nut to crack.

The German goalkeeper told the club’s official website on the back of a welcome clean sheet and three much-needed points against United: “First of all it was a very important win for us when you look at the table.

“It's been a long time since we won away against a team from the big six, and as well at Old Trafford. It's been 14 years I think, so too long but finally we've done the job.

“It was a very collective, strong performance from us. Our players were brilliant and I think everybody had the right attitude and mentality to win. It was very hard for Man United to create chances.
 
“At the end of the day, this is the key. The collective performance and defensive work were really important and I think we've worked on that. You can already see that it's much more impressive than it was one or two years ago.
 
“It's a long, long process and we still have a lot of work ahead of us. We need consistency. This season we've had a lot of good games but also some games where we could have done better. We'll keep working on that though.
 
“We're all doing a great job and the most important thing is that we stay grounded, we know where we come from and hopefully it goes in the same direction.”

Arsenal will be back in Europa League action on Thursday against Molde, before then playing host to Aston Villa in their next domestic fixture.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must be given time to fulfil the potential he has shown at Manchester United, according to Mark Bosnich, who has urged the Red Devils to publicly back the under-fire manager.

United have endured their worst start to a Premier League season since David Moyes' failed 10-month reign at Old Trafford in 2013-14, with only seven points recorded from a possible 18 to date.

Solskjaer has yet to see his side pick up a home victory, with a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday marking their third defeat of the campaign.

Crystal Palace and Tottenham have also recorded comfortable wins at United, while Chelsea earned a point in Manchester last week, with the Red Devils' only victories coming away at Brighton and Newcastle.

They now find themselves down in 15th in the Premier League standings, nine points behind reigning champions and current pace-setters Liverpool, who have played one game more.

United have picked up two impressive wins in the Champions League over Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig, but domestic woes are undermining their efforts in Europe at the moment, with a tough trip to Everton up next on November 7.

Rumours of former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino being lined up as Solskjaer's replacement have resurfaced in recent weeks, but Bosnich thinks his old club would be wrong to make such a drastic change at this stage.

The former Red Devils goalkeeper believes the Norwegian has had a positive effect on the squad since his return to the club in December 2018, and has called for patience from the board and supporters, with the current season still very much in its infancy.

"You're always going to get talk surrounding the manager when things don't go well. As far as the club is concerned, I'd come out and say he's our man it's simple as that," Bosnich told Sky Sports.

"We've backed him in the transfer market as much as we possibly can and we're going to back him now in terms of giving him time.

"You can't keep chopping and changing managers every couple of seasons and expect things to go nice and smooth. I don't really know from the angle where these people are coming from saying get rid of him right now. 

"If you're going to bring someone else in, he'll have his own clear-out and will take another one to two years to make his own team, then still there's doubt over if they can reach the next level.

"At least Ole's been there for a period of time and he knows the club inside out, he's putting together a good squad.

"You've got to give him that time to fulfil the potential he's shown in his first 18 months, two years [in charge]."

Kalidou Koulibaly has called on his Napoli teammates to aim to win their upcoming games after they fell to a 2-0 defeat against Sassuolo in Sunday’s Serie A fixture.

Second-half goals from Manuel Locatelli and Maxime Lopez did the damage for Sassuolo at the Stadio San Paolo as the hosts suffered their second loss in the Italian top-flight this season – the first being a 3-0 forfeit for not honouring their away game against Juventus in October.

Gennaro Gattuso's side created the most chances in the encounter but they were unlucky not to find the back of the net for the first time in a league match in this campaign.

Koulibaly who played the entire duration – his fifth league appearance, apologised for Sunday's loss and urged the Parthenopeans to shift their focus to Thursday's Europa League away match against Croatian club Rijeka and their next Serie A trip to Bologna on November 8.

“Tonight, we wanted to win but we didn’t. We’re sorry for the defeat. If we stop at this defeat, we won’t improve,” Koulibaly was quoted by Football Italia.

“We can’t use last Thursday’s game as an alibi. We need to think about winning this Thursday’s game against Rijeka and on Sunday in the League against Bologna, let’s think big.

“We created many opportunities to score, but we didn’t grab them.”

Napoli dropped to fifth in the Serie A table after the loss with 11 points after six games.

Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen also played the entire duration on Sunday, but he won’t be available for selection in the Europa League on Thursday after he received his first career red card in their 1-0 win over Real Sociedad last week.

Diogo Jota has become a serious threat to Roberto Firmino’s place in Liverpool’s starting XI, says Peter Crouch.

A Brazil international forward has been virtually untouchable throughout Jurgen Klopp’s reign at Anfield.

Firmino embodies what his manager is all about, with tireless running and a willingness to sacrifice his own end product for the good of a collective cause marking him out as a key man.

Few have been able to emulate the South American when it comes to leading the line on Merseyside.

Summer signing Jota has, however, offered enough through the early weeks of his spell at Liverpool to suggest that he could do a similar job.

The Portuguese is also outperforming Firmino at present when it comes to making a telling contribution.

Jota has registered four goals through nine appearances, including a run of three in as many outings of late, with match-winning efforts recorded in meetings with Sheffield United and West Ham.

As a new arrival flourishes, an established part of the fold is floundering.

Firmino has just one goal to his name this season, and only two in his last 19 games across all competitions, with his position as Liverpool’s go-to No.9 no longer as secure as it was once.

Former Reds striker Crouch admits as much, telling the Daily Mail of a selection poser that Jota is now posing: “I was of the opinion Firmino was one player who would never be dropped by Jurgen Klopp but, given their respective form, there is now a big decision for Liverpool's manager.

“I have been so impressed by Jota. He took his goal brilliantly against West Ham and looks like he will make a difference every time he is on the pitch.

“He has given them an element of unpredictability and has made his transfer fee look very shrewd business.

“He warrants a start in a game of that magnitude against City but I wouldn't forget about all Firmino has done. It would be a big, big shout if he didn't start next Sunday.”

Liverpool have a Champions League meeting with Atalanta to take in on Tuesday before returning to domestic action.

Attention will, however, be starting to drift towards a crucial clash with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium and the big decisions that may need to be made in that contest.

Former Premier League star Jamie Redknapp said Thomas Partey reminds him of some great midfielders who played at Arsenal after his man-of-the-match performance in the Gunners' 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The Black Stars midfielder was a strong force in Arsenal's midfield on Sunday with the most dribbles (4) in the match, and he completed the joint-second highest tackles (4) with Alexandre Lacazette.

After praising the Gunners’ overall display in Manchester which earned them their first league win against a ‘big six’ club since January 2015, the former Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder described Partey as an ‘incredible signing’ who can do everything.

"He's a bit of a throwback. I don't look at him as just a No. 6, a No. 8 or a defensive midfielder, I just think of him as a really good midfield player that can do everything,” Redknapp told Sky Sports .

“I think back to the likes of Patrick Viera and Emmanuel Petit - that was the golden era.

“Arsenal had a desire and energy to get the ball back. They were better in every department. Gabriel was magnificent and Partey was the best player on the pitch. He looks like an incredible signing."

Partey has featured in three Premier League games and one Europa League match since he joined Mikel Arteta’s side on a four-year deal with the option of an additional year in October.

In his assessment of Partey's performance, Keane likened his displays to Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira and tipped him to match the Frenchman’s feats at the club.

“He was outstanding. He's obviously no mug having played in big games,” Keane said. “When you watch a player live that's when you can judge a player and the more I look at him the more I wish he was in the United midfield.

“He's big, strong and aggressive - and he can pass it forward. He can deal with the ball.

"I had my battles with Vieira and I think this kid has got a chance of matching what Patrick used to do."

Simba SC head coach Sven Vandenbroeck has revealed striker Meddie Kagere and midfielder Gerson Fraga will miss the Mainland Premier League tie against rivals Yanga SC.

Yanga will host Wekundu wa Msimbazi on November 7 for the first 2020/21 Premier League Kariakoo Derby at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium as the league champions have serious injury concerns to worry about.

Kagere is expected to be missed due to a knee problem while the Brazilian midfielder will be out for over six months due to a knee issue too.

“It is sad to miss [Meddie] Kagere but even sadder news that I have is the team will also miss Fraga as he is expected to be out of the field for no less than six months,” Vandenbroeck told Mwanaspoti. “So, that means they will not be part of the squad that will play Yanga.

“We are also waiting for medical answers on [Chris] Mugalu and for now we are not sure whether he will be ready for Yanga or he is going to miss out like Kagere and Fraga.

“Simba will miss the three players but our ultimate goal is to get three points from Yanga. Getting those points will help us bridge the gap that they extended when we lost two consecutive matches.”

The club’s doctor Yassin Gembe said they are working hard to ensure Kagere and Fraga are getting proper medication for quicker recovery.

“The two are now undergoing intensive medication so that we can have them ready within the recommended time,” Gembe told Mwanaspoti too. “Having them all recovered will be great because we need them to resume their normal duties.”

Simba will face Yanga sitting third with three fewer points after losing against Tanzania Prisons and Ruvu Shooting. Vandebroeck stated their main objective was to beat Mwadui in the last match in order to lessen pressure.

Simba went on to record a 5-0 win against Mwadui on Saturday.

“We all agreed it was more important to beat Mwadui than anything else and that was evident even in the way we played,” the coach concluded.

“We played with discipline in order to make sure we were not losing as we did in the previous two matches. I am happy for the players because they did exactly what I had asked them to.”

The last time the Kariakoo rivals met was during the Azam Shield Cup semi-final tie which Simba won 4-1.

Arsenal have ended any debate regarding their away record against fellow members of the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’, says Ian Wright, with Mikel Arteta considered to have ushered in a “different era”.

The Gunners have seen their efforts undermined by struggles on the road for a long time. Prior to their meeting with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, the north London outfit had gone five years without success on the road against another English top-flight heavyweight.

That run was finally snapped at the 29th time of asking, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s second-half penalty securing a narrow 1-0 win.

Arsenal have shown that they are capable of collecting notable scalps away from Emirates Stadium, with some shrewd transfer business making them a different proposition in 2020-21.

Wright expects positive progress to continue under Arteta’s guidance, with the Spanish tactician having offered plenty of cause for optimism during the first year of his tenure.

“It’s a massive win for Arsenal,” Gunners great Wright told Premier League Productions after seeing United downed in their own backyard. “The thing is that since Mikel has been there, there has been progress.

“He has got the players he’s got to work with and it’s changed in terms of defensively, intensity, the culture and what he’s trying to do.

“We saw as well with some of the players – Gabriel, on a booking in the first half and the way he played was brilliant, [Thomas] Partey as well. He’s slowly going to integrate the players he wants to play the system he wants to play.

“What we’ve seen is the organisation of Arsenal, something that people have spoken about when it comes to a lack of intensity and lack of drive. We aren’t seeing that anymore.

“People can say whatever they want about the big six and the records, but under Mikel I haven’t got a problem now playing any of them because we are more organised and know what we’re doing.

“We have got a guy up front [Aubameyang] who if he gets chances will finish them and it’s a whole different structure at Arsenal. They can talk about not beating that top six as much as they want, we are going into a different era.”

Consistency has still been an issue for Arsenal in 2020-21, despite the signs of progress, with the Gunners yet to record back-to-back victories in the Premier League since opening the season with wins over Fulham and West Ham.

The Tanzania Premier League Board (TPLB) has banned the use of seven stadiums owing to their sub-standard nature.

The Board has been cracking the whip on bad pitches this season as it aims at providing better playing facilities for the players. Recent communication has seen several pitches suspended until they are renovated.

"TPLB has suspended [seven stadiums] from hosting any competitive matches owing to their poor maintenance as required by the law on the state of stadiums in the country," read a statement from the Board obtained by Goal.

"The stadiums that have been suspended are Majimaji Stadium in Songea, Njombe's Sabasaba Stadium, Ali Hassan Mwinyi stadium based in Tabora, Mkwakwani Stadium in Tanga, Mbeya's Kipija Stadium.

"Other stadiums that have been locked out are Mtwara's Nangwanda Sijaona and Jamhuri which is based in Dodoma."

TPLB has communicated to respective managements to make their stadiums eligible to be used again in the near future.

"Renovations should be done on the playing surface, the technical bench area, and the dressing rooms.

"The TPLB Licensing Board will assess the stadiums once renovations are done to determine whether the suspension will be lifted."

Meanwhile, Yanga SC moved joint top of the league table after defeating Biashara Mara United by a solitary goal last weekend.

It was not an easy task for either side in the first 45 minutes. The hosts defended with zeal and tried to attack the 27-time champions through counter-attacks. However, they could not find a way past the defenders.

Cedric Kaze's charges came back stronger in the second half in their bid to get the opening goal. Their push for a goal paid dividends in the 68th minute when Ghanaian Sarpong, who joined the team at the beginning of the season from Rayon Sports of Rwanda, managed to find the back of the net.

A good cross from the right found the towering striker in a good area, and he rose highest to head the ball in.

It was the only goal the former champions needed to record their seventh successive win in the league.

Wananchi are now level with Azam FC, who are on 22 points, but with a superior goal difference. However, the Ice-cream Makers have played a game more. Simba are third on 16 points.

World football governing body Fifa, African football's governing body Caf and African music icon Sarkodie are among a host of top entities to celebrate Asamoah Gyan's return to Ghana's domestic football after 17 years away.

The 34-year-old, Africa's highest scorer at the World Cup as well as Ghana's most-capped player and all-time top scorer, signed for Premier League (GPL) side Legon Cities on local Transfer Deadline Day on Saturday.

He joined The Royals on a one-year deal and will be expected to make his debut when the club faces Berekum Chelsea on matchweek one of the 2020-21 GPL season on November 14.

"Here we go. I’m back home to continue my career with Legon Cities FC. I’m happy to join this club because they have a future plan for Ghana football. Don’t blink when the season starts. Follow my new club for every detail of the club. Thanks for your support," Gyan posted on Twitter on Sunday.

Ghanaian rapper and BET award winner Sarkodie quote-tweeted the striker's post,  saying: "Ou! It’s true !!!!! Big up my brother, congrats on this one .... really respect you for this ... now our local games are gonna be exciting".

Fifa also quote-tweeted Gyan's post with well-wishes: "The highest scoring African in World Cup history has returned to Ghana. Good luck at Legon Cities FC, Asamoah."

Caf, meanwhile, kept it simple, quote-tweeting a photo of Gyan in Ghana colours with the tag "Bay Jet is coming home!"

Caf deputy general secretary and former Ghana international Anthony Baffoe was not left out.

"Asamoah Gyan congratulations. I pray this will be a stepping stone for something big in the GPL! Well done Legon Cities FC and good luck Capitano Asamoah Gyan. It always seems impossible until it’s done," the ex-Fortuna Dusseldorf man posted.

Gyan returns to the Ghana Premier League for the first time since leaving Liberty Professionals for Italian Serie A side Udinese in 2003. In his time away, he also played for French outfit Stade Rennais, Sunderland in the Premier League, Al Ain and Al Ahli Dubai in the UAE, Shanghai SIPG in China, Turkish side Kayserispor and most recently NorthEast United in India.

Before joining Legon, he was highly linked to Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko for whom he holds a personal desire to line up before calling time on his professional career. 

Eder Militao will miss Real Madrid's Champions League clash with Inter after testing positive for coronavirus.

Militao has been diagnosed with Covid-19 after the club's latest round of medical checks, having played the full 90 minutes of a 4-1 victory over Huesca on Saturday.

The 22-year-old will now be forced to self-isolate for the next 10 days, but Madrid have confirmed that he is the only member of the first-team squad to have contracted the illness.

"Real Madrid CF announces that our player Eder Militao has given a positive result in the Covid-19 tests carried out yesterday Sunday morning," a statement on the Blancos' official website reads.

"All the other players and the coaching staff of the first team, as well as all the club employees who work directly with them, gave negative results in that same test. 

"Likewise, it is confirmed once again that all of them, with the exception of Eder Militao, have given negative results in the antigen tests carried out this morning."

Militao will also sit out Madrid's trip to the Mestalla to face Valencia on Sunday, and will have to post a negative test before their next La Liga clash against Villarreal on November 21 in order to return to Zinedine Zidane's line-up at El Madrigal.

The reigning Spanish champions paid £44 million ($57m) to sign the Brazilian defender from Porto in the summer of 2019, tying him down to a six-year contract.

He has since struggled to hold down a regular place in Zidane's starting XI, with Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos still the Frenchman's first-choice centre-back pairing, but he produced a solid display against Huesca at the weekend.

Madrid are second in the Liga standings after their latest victory, one point behind leaders Real Sociedad having played a game less, but will have to make do without Militao when they resume their latest European campaign on Tuesday.

Zidane has seen his side drop to the bottom of Group B after losing at home to Shakhtar Donetsk and drawing away at Borussia Monchengladbach, but they can move into second if they beat Inter at Santiago Bernabeu.

The Italian giants are also still looking for their first win in this season's Champions League, and have been struggling for form in Serie A, with a 2-2 draw against Parma last time out leaving them sixth in the table.

Former Juventus centre-back Medhi Benatia has rated Inter Milan defender Achraf Hakimi as one of the five strongest full-backs in Europe at the moment.

According to the 33-year-old who currently plies his trade in the Qatar Stars League with Al Duhail, Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold is at the top of the ranking but he backed his compatriot to upstage the England international in a matter of time.

Following his permanent switch from Real Madrid in the summer, Hakimi heralded his arrival in Serie A in style by producing two assists and a goal in his first two matches for Antonio Conte’s side.

Benatia who played with the 21-year-old in the Moroccan national team before his retirement in October 2019, also described the two-time Caf Youth Player of the Year as the leading light of talents the North African country is developing.

“Hakimi is perhaps the spearhead of the generation of talent that is growing up in Morocco,” Benatia told Calciomercato.

“Already now he is among the five strongest full-backs in Europe, in a couple of years he will compete for the first place on the podium with Liverpool’s Alexander-Arnold.

“Right now, but only at this moment, the Englishman is a little bit stronger.”

Hakimi has played in every of Inter Milan's Serie A matches so far, and they are placed sixth in the league table with 11 points after six games.

He played for 78 minutes in their 2-2 draw against Parma on Saturday and he is in contention to feature when the Nerazzurri travel to Spain to battle his former club Real Madrid in a Champions League fixture on Tuesday.

Joel Matip is poised to hand Liverpool a timely fitness boost as they navigate their way through a centre-half injury crisis, but Thiago Alcantara is yet to return to full training.

The Reds have seen their options at the back decimated by a series of untimely knocks.

Virgil van Dijk is the biggest miss for the defending Premier League champions, with the Dutch defender having been forced to undergo knee ligament surgery.

Matip is among the cover options to have been forced onto the treatment table, along with makeshift defender Fabinho. Jurgen Klopp has had to get creative as a result, with Nat Phillips making his Premier League debut in the 2-1 victory over West Ham.

It could be that the 23-year-old drops straight back out for the midweek Champions League action, with Matip coming back into contention for the meeting with Atalanta on Tuesday.

Naby Keita could also figure in that contest, having shaken off a knock of his own, but playmaker Thiago may be forced to miss out as Liverpool seek to avoid taking any unnecessary risks.

Klopp told the Reds’ official website: “Naby and Joel trained yesterday [Sunday] with the team, full, Thiago didn’t. So, that’s the situation.

“I have really no idea what I do with this information in the moment because yes, they trained, that’s good, it’s better than if they don’t train, but we have to see what we do with it.

“We have another day to make these decisions. A lot of players will be on the plane hopefully, and so decisions will be made late, late, late.”

Klopp added when asked if there is any further fitness news: “A lot, [but] I’m not sure about a new one. We have to see.

“Yesterday was recovery for some and normal training for the others, so now we have to see how the boys feel today. It’s pretty early now and I have not all the information, but I hope nothing serious.”

Liverpool will be wary of taking any gambles against Atalanta, having already opened their European campaign for 2020-21 in positive style, with it possible that key men will be held back for a crucial Premier League clash with fellow title hopefuls Manchester City on Sunday.

Last season's finalists Chennaiyin FC have made quite a few striking changes to their foreign player contingent ahead of the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) season. 

They have retained only two overseas players from last season and have brought in five new faces. Among them, the one who will be tasked with replacing the goals scored by Nerijus Valskis, who left for Jamshedpur FC, will be Jakub Sylvestr. 

The Slovakian forward, who can play across the frontline, comes to India with the experience of plying his trade in a variety of European leagues including the top tiers in Slovakia, Croatia, Israel and Denmark. 

He has also played for reputed German clubs like Nurnberg and Paderborn, though during a period when the clubs were in the German second division.

Trophy-laden start 

The 31-year-old made his professional debut for Slovakian outfit Slovan Bratislava in the 2007-08 season before going out on a six-month loan to fellow Slovakian top-tier club Petrzalka in January 2009. However, he still won a Slovak Super Liga medal after Bratislava won the league that season.

He also scored for Bratislava in their UEFA Champions League second qualifying round match against Zrnjski. But the team could not qualify for the group stages of the European elite competition. 

Next season, Sylvestr was an important part of the team and helped them win the Slovak Cup. He was soon spotted by Croatian outfit Dinamo Zagreb who brought him in for a deal worth €1.4 million. 

He spent two seasons in Croatia. Though his goalscoring record was not very impressive, he played a part as the club won the league and cup double in both seasons.

The striker subsequently moved to German second division club Erzgebirge Aue on loan from Zagreb in the 2012-13 season. A decent campaign where he scored eight league goals saw Erzgebirge make the move permanent. Sylvestr delivered for the club in the 2013-14 season, scoring 15 goals to become the top scorer of the German second division. 

That performance saw FC Nurnberg splash almost €1.6 million to secure his services. He had a decent first season with Nurnberg before struggling for game time. And after a loan move to Paderborn SC, Sylvestr moved to Denmark to join Aalborg BK in January 2017.

He had a fantastic start to his career in Danish Superliga, scoring on league debut and following it up with a hat-trick in the very next match. He was voted 'Player of the Month' in February 2017, thanks to those performances. 

He would end up leaving Aalborg in January 2018 and spent time in Israel before moving to Chennaiyin FC.

International football

Sylvestr was a regular in the Slovakia U19 and U21 teams during his early years. He was impressive for the U21 team in the qualifying rounds for the 2011 UEFA U21 championship. He scored six goals in 10 matches during the qualifying but Slovakia could not make it into the final tournament. 

Sylvestr made his debut for the Slovakia senior national team in a 2012 UEFA Euro qualifier against Macedonia as a 90th-minute substitute. The striker went on to make six appearances for Slovakia but is yet to score a goal for them. 

His final appearance for Slovakia came in a friendly against Malta in 2014 where he played against former Chennaiyin forward Andre Schembri. He was on the bench, however, when Slovakia played England in a 2018 World Cup qualifier at Trnava, in September 2016. England won the match 1-0. 

Last stint

For the last two-and-a-half years, Sylvestr has played for four clubs in Israel. In around 67 league appearances, the striker has scored 20 goals for the various Israeli clubs he has represented. 

His final stint was with Hapoel Haifa whom he joined in January 2020. He scored five goals in 17 appearances for them before opting to join Chennaiyin FC.

Mason Mount says Hakim Ziyech is "a joy to play with" and has hailed his new Chelsea team-mate as "world-class".

Chelsea reached an agreement to sign Ziyech for an initial fee of €40 million (£36m/$47m) from Ajax in January, and he joined up with Frank Lampard's squad at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.

Supporters were made to wait before seeing the 27-year-old in action as he struggled with fitness issues, but have been rewarded for their patience over the past week.

Ziyech scored a fine individual goal on his first start for the Blues in a 4-0 Champions League win over Krasnodar on Wednesday, and retained a place in Lampard's line-up for a trip to Turf Moor three days later.

The Moroccan doubled his account in a Chelsea shirt with a strike to open the scoring against Burnley, and produced a superb pass to set up a goal for Timo Werner with Kurt Zouma also finding the back of the net in an impressive 3-0 victory.

That result saw Lampard's men move up to sixth in the Premier League, four points behind leaders and reigning champions Liverpool after seven fixtures.

The Blues are now being billed as potential title contenders, and Mount thinks Ziyech has added a new dimension to the team in the final third of the pitch.

"We know what he can do on the ball and what he brings to the team," the England international said of the ex-Ajax star after the win at Burnley. "[He's a] World-class player, obviously coming in and scoring the other night [against Krasnodar] and scoring on his Premier League debut. He’s a brilliant player.

"He’s a joy to play with, very clever on the ball, he brings a lot to the team. He’s a very good player."

Lampard also heaped praise upon Ziyech, telling a post-match press conference: "I expected a lot of him because I was very aware of his qualities and how important they can be to the club.

"He brings a different property to us, with an eye for a pass, his receiving, crossing and assist-making. His work-rate off the ball is very, very good as well. He has brought those qualities and comes with real confidence. He has given us a big boost."

Ziyech's next chance to shine will likely come when Chelsea play host to Rennes in another Champions League group stage clash in midweek, before their attention switches to a meeting with Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge on November 7.

Azam FC winger Salum ‘Sure Boy’ Abubakar has remained confident they are on the right track to win the Mainland Premier League title.

The Chamazi-based giants have enjoyed a good start to the 2020-21 campaign managing seven straight wins before they were beaten 2-1 by Mtibwa Sugar.

Again they could not pick up maximum points as they had to come from behind to force a 1-1 draw against JKT Tanzania in their last league match at Azam Complex.

Despite the latest results, Abubakar has maintained they have already set their sights on winning the title and nothing has changed.

“Nothing has changed yet, because our plan is to win the league title,” Abubakar is quoted by Sokaletu. “We all know the competition in the league is tough, but we have set our own plans, we are looking at what we want to achieve.

“We are confident the squad we have will achieve the targets we set before the season kicked off, we knew we can reach the targets and that is why we set them, we will continue to battle until we reach our goals at the end of the season.”

On Saturday, Azam, who are sitting at the top of the 18-team league table, confirmed the return of monthly awards to boost their players in the quest to win the title.

In a separate interview, Azam information officer Thabit Zakaria told Goal the reason to re-introduce the awarding system is aimed at improving the team’s performance as they chase for the league title which they last won in the 2013-14 season.

“We want to make sure that our playing unit is well motivated and hence the decision to have the awards,” Zakaria told Goal. “We want to compete and achieve our targets this season, we have to play our part at the office and motivate the players, and that is what we have done.

“For the players to perform, you must support them,” Zakaria continued. “We are still on top of the table, we want to continue playing and getting points, we don’t want to let go of the position, and we must now win our next match to remain on course.”

Azam will next face promoted Dodoma Jiji on Saturday.

Victor Wanyama and Montreal Impact lost their third straight Major Soccer League (MLS) game after going down 1-0 to Orlando City SC on Sunday at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey.

Daryl Dike scored the only goal of the encounter as Orlando City kept pace in the race for the third place in the Eastern Conference. The goal is Dikes’ third in as many games and his seventh of the season.

The goal, which Dike scored in the 39th minute, gave the Lions some great boost as they chase a place in the playoffs but it added more pressure on Wanyama and his teammates going into the final matchday.

The goal came as a result of a clever move by Mauricio Pereyra that broke Montreal Impact’s backline and got a good pass to Dike for the opener. Dike found himself through on goal and had an easy task of beating an isolated Clement Diop in goal.

The scoreline would have been huge had goalkeeper Diop failed to make key saves against the resilient opponents. Diop made four vital stops in the first half and two others in the second half when Tesho Akindele and Junior Urso were likely to score from counter-attacks.

Thierry Henry made two changes in an attempt to alter the scoreline just a few minutes after the half-time. The Frenchman sent Anthony Jackson-Hamel and midfielder Amar Sejdic for Jorge Corrales and Emanuel Maciel respectively but the duo had little impact.

Pedro Gallesse denied Montreal Impact an equaliser in the last stages of the game and the Peru goalkeeper was alert enough to deny Bojan Krkic a goal after he attempted to find the top corner with a fierce shot from outside the box in stoppage time.

Orlando City confirmed their victory despite having key stars Nani and Chris Mueller not available for the New Jersey trip.

Wanyama’s side remained above the playoffs line despite their fifth defeat in six games and was further saved by D.C United and Miami losses.

DC United will face off with Montreal Impact for the last matches for both sides on Sunday.