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Defending champions Chelsea were taught a harsh lesson as Women's Super League leaders Manchester City took a huge step towards claiming the title with a 5-1 victory over the Blues on Sunday. Kerolin struck an impressive hat-trick while Khadija Shaw and Vivianne Miedema also got in on the act, with Alyssa Thompson merely able to register a consolation which did little to change a devastating result for Sonia Bompastor's side.

Manchester City have one hand on the Women's Super League trophy after opening up an 11-point gap at the top of the table on Sunday by beating Chelsea, the six-time reigning champions, 5-1. Blues boss Sonia Bompastor admitted last week that she felt the title race was already over and this result only strengthened that feeling, as a Kerolin hat-trick and goals for Khadija Shaw and Vivianne Miedema gave the Cityzens what is surely an unassailable lead with just eight games remaining.

Manchester United's winning start to life under Michael Carrick continued in dramatic fashion as Benjamin Sesko's stoppage-time strike secured a 3-2 win over Fulham on Sunday. Goals from Casemiro and Matheus Cunha had the Red Devils cruising towards victory, only for late strikes from Raul Jimenez and Kevin to pull the visitors level. Sesko, however, had the last laugh when he lashed his shot into the top corner.

A late, if rather fortuitous, Kylian Mbappe penalty bailed out Real Madrid as they edged Rayo Vallecano, 2-1, on Sunday. Los Blancos were poor for most of the game, but a spot-kick deep into second-half stoppage time, converted by Mbappe, handed them a narrow win to stay within a point of Liga leaders Barcelona. Vinicius Jr also found the net in what was an unconvincing victory at the Bernabeu.

Manchester United moved - at least temporarily - up to second in the Women's Super League as Lisa Naalsund's double helped Marc Skinner's side beat Liverpool 3-1 on Sunday. The Norwegian midfielder struck either side of Alice Bergstrom's equaliser before Fridolina Rolfo bagged a late third to help United pick up their third win in a row and put pressure on Chelsea before the Blues' clash with Manchester City.

The two forwards were on the scoresheet for Barcelona again, as Hansi Flick's side extended their lead at the top of La Liga to four points courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Elche. Yamal was in inspired form to score one and set-up another as Rashford bagged his second for the Catalans in a matter of days in a confident win for the defending Spanish champions.

Wirtz and Ekitike stepped up for Arne Slot as the big-money summer signings helped fire Liverpool to a comeback victory against Newcastle. When the Magpies took a deserved lead, the French forward took the game by the scruff of the neck and scored a quickfire brace to flip it on its head. The Reds then pressed home their advantage and ran out worthy 4-1 winners.

Chelsea recovered to win a Premier League match from two goals down for the first time in their history as Enzo Fernandez's strike in stoppage time broke West Ham hearts in a dramatic 3-2 victory for the hosts at Stamford Bridge. The Blues recovered from a woeful opening 45 minutes to cancel out Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville's first-half strikes and hand manager Liam Rosenior a sixth win from his opening seven games in charge.

Arsenal ended their run of three Premier League games without a win with a dominant 4-0 win at Leeds United to move seven points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, silencing those critics who have suggested their title hopes were about to collapse. The visitors suffered a major blow in the warm-up when they lost star man Bukayo Saka to injury, with Noni Madueke being drafted in off the bench to replace him, but it was the former Chelsea man who proved to be the difference in the first half as Mikel Arteta's superb squad again began to flex its muscle.

Arne Slot complained about the "noise" around Anfield ahead of Wednesday night's Champions League clash with Qarabag - and one could understand why. As well as being distracting, some of it has been disrespectful. Indeed, Slot had even been asked a question about Xabi Alonso, the favourite to replace him as Liverpool boss, in his pre-match press conference.

The last time Bruno Fernandes faced Fulham the whole football world was laughing at him. The Manchester United captain skied his penalty in the 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage in August and partly blamed the miss on referee Chris Kavanagh bumping into him. He explained: "As a penalty-taker, you have your own routines. It upset me because the referee didn't apologise."

GOAL looks at the biggest storylines among Americans Abroad, including Pulisic looking to get back to his best.

Dayne St. Clair was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year after a career-best season for Minnesota United, yet surprised many when he left the club that drafted him to suit up for Inter Miami. But he has no regrets.

With some Americans potentially on the move, and a few surprises in store, GOAL's writers take a look at the state of the transfer window.

With the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly now disappearing into the rearview mirror, the battle for the Ballon d'Or hasn't felt so open for the best part of 20 years, with countless players beginning the campaign believing they have a chance of claiming the most prestigious individual prize football has to offer. Ousmane Dembele emerged from a career plagued with inconsistencies to win the Golden Ball in 2025, and he was among a crowded field of contenders as the 2026 race got going.

Another transfer window and another highly-rated prospect is on their way to Chelsea. The club's youth policy has struck again, with the west Londoners landing 17-year-old full-back Yisa Alao from financially troubled Sheffield Wednesday. Despite his very limited experience at senior level, the teenager provoked a transfer tug-of-war between three Premier League giants, but it is the Blues who have emerged victorious.

When the Women's Super League fixtures for the 2025-26 season were released, this Sunday's clash between Manchester City and Chelsea was pinpointed as a big one. That feeling only intensified through the first few weeks of the campaign, as the two teams in blue marked themselves out as the best in the division, winning 12 of their first 14 games combined to sit in the two spots at the top of the table. However, what has transpired in the last three months has made this weekend's meeting feel much less decisive.