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Liverpool’s Slot bans title talk, Palmer makes history, what happened overnight in sport

Manchester City’s title rivals make hay after defending champions can only draw with Newcastle, South Africa seal Rugby Championship

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Ibrahima Konate celebrates scoring his first ever Premier League goal for Liverpool in the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux Stadium. Photo: dpa

Managers from Manchester and Arsenal have a history of antagonism, although it’s normally involved the red side of the former. No one would ever have accused Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger of being friends.

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Are Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta heading down the same route? Not if the latter has anything to say about it. But a good row always adds something to a title race, and Arteta can’t have been the only one who rolled his eyes when Manchester City players bleated about the “dark arts”.

The 2024-25 season then is still in its infancy, but if Saturday’s action is anything to go by, there are already hints of a classic finish ahead. So, here is what happened while you were sleeping.

No pleasing some people

Liverpool manager Arne Slot is obviously not an easy man to please. A 2-1 win over Wolves took his side top of the Premier League, but that barely raised a smile from the Dutchman.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot urges his players to think during their game against Wolves. Photo: Reuters
Liverpool manager Arne Slot urges his players to think during their game against Wolves. Photo: Reuters

Goals from Ibrahima Konate and Mohamed Salah, either side of a Rayan Ait-Nouri’s equaliser at Molineux was Liverpool’s fourth win in all competitions in less than two weeks.

Any talk of titles was quickly shut down too. “We have to prove that we can compete in the Champions League and the Premier League,” Slot said. “After 19 games, it’ll tell me something but not after six.”

He was also less than impressed with the news that Konate, who was in large part responsible for the Wolves goal, had been named man of the match. “The reason we conceded was he wasn’t there and it was avoidable,” Slot said.

Mind the gap

Given the opportunity to close the gap on Manchester City, who drew 1-1 with Newcastle in the day’s first game, Arsenal nearly fluffed their lines completely.

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