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Pep Guardiola refused to discuss the incident between Kyle Walker and Arsenal set-piece coach Nicolas Jover after Manchester City’s 1-0 loss to the north London side. Following City’s second consecutive Premier League loss for the first time since 2018, the defender was involved in a confrontation with Jover, who previously worked for City. In the footage, it appeared that Jover held out his hand to Walker, who declined the handshake. It is unclear whether words were exchanged in the interim, but an agitated Walker threw his hands up before turning around to talk to the coach. Walker squared up to Jover before teammate Erling Haaland joined them. Multiple members of staff and players from the two teams got involved to try and diffuse the situation. “I know what happened, but I don’t want to say anything, They [Arsenal] know it,” Guardiola said. Bukayo Saka was also seen leading Jover away, while Walker’s emotions didn’t appear to subside as he was led down the tunnel by teammates while still engaging in a heated conversation. Gabriel Martinelli's goal in the 86th minute of the match at The Emirates gave the home side the narrow victory that moved the unbeaten Arsenal into the second place in the table. In addition to last week’s 2-1 loss to Wolves, City move to third. While Guardiola didn’t shed much light on the incident with Walker, he spoke about what City need to do to put themselves back to winning ways. "No team has ever won four in a row," he said. "Defeats can happen, but we are in October. Sometimes it is good going behind. It is not the first time going behind for the contenders. Last season we were much, much behind, but the season is long. It has happened. "In Wolves, it was a difficult game. Congratulations to Arsenal. We know exactly what we have to do and we do it. We recover people coming back and try to break immediately as soon as possible against tough opponents like Brighton and United." Read More Mikel Arteta hails ‘fantastic’ young Arsenal side as they break Man City hex How Arsenal finally ended their winless streak against Manchester City Why Manchester City’s struggles might have only just begun

Leigh Wood dropped and stopped Josh Warrington at the end of round seven to retain his WBA featherweight title in an unforgettable fight in Sheffield. Late on Saturday night, Wood was losing on points, cut and hurt when, with just seconds left in round seven, he connected with six perfect punches to send Warrington down. There was shock and pandemonium in the arena and close to 10,000 fanatics had no idea whether to laugh or cry. Warrington somehow beat the count, stumbled to his own corner as the bell sounded, put his hands on the top rope and turned round too late to satisfy the referee, Michael Alexander; there was a second of deliberation and then Alexander called it off. It was the right decision at that moment; it was also heartbreak and relief in equal measure for the two boxers. Wood started screaming in victory, Warrington complained briefly, but was quickly placed on his stool; he dropped his head forward in bitter disappointment. “I’m devastated,” he told me a few minutes later. He was still in the ring, looking from corner to corner and trying to understand what had gone wrong. Warrington had easily won rounds three, four, five, six and 2:58 seconds of round seven. All three of the scorecards had him comfortably in front at the point of the stoppage. The final, devastating punches came from nowhere, but Wood has a glorious history of salvaging lost causes. “There is no quit in me,” Wood said from the ring, his right eye cut and swollen and his face a blur of developing bruises. It was a hard fight, make no mistake. Back in 2021 Wood won the WBA featherweight world title with a stoppage in the 12th and last round, and was losing his first defence against Michael Conlan before finding the punches to dump Conlan out of the ring for the full count with just 90-seconds remaining in the final round. In Sheffield, he performed one more salvation act and it was dramatic and shocking and wonderful. The pace of the fight was relentless and from the start of round three, Warrington took control and there were moments when all the rumours and talk about the struggle Wood has making the weight looked true; by the start of round seven, Wood was trailing, but more than that, he looked like a beaten man. At the start of round five, with the entire arena standing in admiration and hope, and the signs of the struggle clear on their faces, the pair touched gloves; it was a small, lost and quickly forgotten moment, but it reveals a lot about these two boxers. Pride was the title, respect was the story. There was no sign of the finish as the seconds ticked closer to the bell to end the seventh, and then the combination started; Warrington went down in shattered instalments and Wood just kept throwing. It was a genuine ‘wow’ moment. Wood connected cleanly with six punches, starting with a short right hook. It was a savage and calculating finish, a mix that is not as common as you think. They each left the ring to uncertain futures, and they could, in theory, fight again. Warrington wants a rematch; Wood would make a lot of money from a rematch. However, it will not be at featherweight as Wood confirmed that his battle with the scales is over and that he is moving up in weight. Warrington would be at a considerable size disadvantage in a rematch at a heavier weight. Incidentally, Wood retained his WBA bauble, but in the heat of the moment, that piece of jewellery was ignored. Wood is one of modern boxing’s best fairy tales, a family man, a quiet man and a fighter capable of changing a fight with just one punch. In boxing, that is arguably the ultimate. Read More The sporting weekend in pictures ‘It’s some turnaround’: Leigh Wood relishing late career resurgence Leigh Wood celebrates ‘best win’ as he retains WBA title Leigh Wood stops Josh Warrington with outrageous KO out of nowhere Leigh Wood: I’m Josh Warrington’s last chance to get back into title contention Wood vs Warrington LIVE: Results after vicious KO

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A crucial deflection, and maybe a diversion in the fortune of many of those involved in this growing fixture. Arsenal claimed their first Premier League victory over Manchester City since December 2015, and the first points for Mikel Arteta against his old employers. The Gunners came into the match facing the prospect of 13 losses in a row against the champions, but it was instead Arsenal that enjoyed the luck as the numbers finally changed. City themselves have lost two successive league games for the first time since December 2018, after Gabriel Martinelli’s opportunistic effort cannoned off the head of Nathan Ake and past Ederson for a win that may yet prove significant in the burgeoning title race. That shouldn’t just be dismissed as fortune, though, since Arteta’s side forced it. He had quite a telling intervention himself. At a key moment, the Basque introduced Kai Havertz, who offered a moment that may well prove a turning point in his early Arsenal career. It was the midfielder’s presence of mind and spatial awareness that set up Martinelli. It was also precisely the area that Rodri usually patrols, which ensured that these two league defeats in a row also made it three defeats from three without the defensive midfielder commonly seen as the best in the world now. That in turn made City look less than the European and English champions they are. They can admittedly point to other absences, but Arsenal were themselves missing Bukayo Saka to go with lesser depth. This will give the north Londoners much more substance, certainly from a psychological perspective. They won’t feel inferior any more. That could be seen in Declan Rice’s raucous reaction after the match, having put in a superb individual performance. It was more than deserved. City had never really been at it. Erling Haaland again went without scoring. One of City’s most productive periods of attacking was actually in the opening few minutes, only to be shut down by Rice. That was to become a theme. This moment was much more box-office than all the steadier work he did, as the midfielder headed a bouncing Josko Gvardiol strike off the line. It was in this period that City were closest to the Arsenal goal – if not necessarily any closer to a goal than that – as Julian Alvarez had evidently been instructed to hound David Raya for every touch. One quickfire interception was so close that it seemed like it rippled the inside of the net rather than the side. It felt like something that could end up proving influential, as did Michael Oliver’s first big refereeing decision. Rice and Jorginho did an awful lot to steady the general element of chaos about the Arsenal defending and get their side much higher up the pitch, and that evidently frustrated Mateo Kovacic. The Croatian went in wildly with two challenges. If Kovacic was fortunate the first wasn’t given as a red, it was simply remarkable it wasn’t two bookings. That just summed up how something wasn’t quite right about City. They weren’t always the only team like that, too. For a long time, it felt like it could be destined for a 0-0, amid that sense it was a game between the top two that came that bit too early in the season. There was a lot of frantic action but not that much focus or purpose. It was as if there was initially a subconscious awareness there was so much more football to come, lessening the stakes as well as the intensity. Neither of the managers felt like that, mind. They were watching in increasing agitation, looking to affect something. Arteta did so first. Arsenal did admittedly recover from their erratic start to assert themselves but most of their attacks were Gabriel Jesus or Martin Odegaard trying to dribble through. It was really as if Arsenal were missing Saka’s intensity. With a quarter of the match remaining, Alvarez was taken off for Jeremy Doku but City persisted with getting on Raya any time he got on the ball. Arsenal responded by introducing Havertz. It was to prove inspired, in a subtle way, which was a bit like how to describe the onfield product of that change. On 86 minutes, with the game looking like it was going to peter out in a stalemate but with Arsenal still pushing, the German found a bit of space around the area to also find Martinelli. The Brazilian forward took his chance and the shot, to claim the reward. He got some luck, but he had made that luck. It now completely changes Arsenal’s outlook for the season, as well as the very profile of the title race. Just nine days ago, after all, City had a 100 per cent record and looked like they could just roll to a record four titles in a row. They are now back in third, two behind both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, and one ahead of Liverpool. It is enticingly tight, even if it is still early. Arsenal’s late winner brought that feeling, as well as so much more emotion around the stadium. The significance of this was all too palpable, for the team, as well as so many individuals involved. This time, after that shot, it fell for them. Read More Brighton’s new midfield gem Carlos Baleba stays calm in the chaos of Liverpool draw Gary O’Neil plays down tension after Unai Emery walks away before handshake Substitute Mohammed Kudus earns West Ham a point with late equaliser against Newcastle How did the VAR system fare after a week under the spotlight? Gabriel Martinelli snatches last-gasp victory for Arsenal against Man City Arsenal deal blow to Manchester City, but the significance will only be felt in May

Carlos Baleba finished his first Premier League start in tatters. The 19-year-old had given everything to Brighton’s cause, and in the final minutes, he could be seen bent double, gasping for breath, telling his goalkeeper to keep hold of the ball for a few seconds longer, like a man begging for mercy. By this point, he looked a little disheveled, with his socks fallen down and shorts rolled up. His final act was to chop down Liverpool’s galloping Ryan Gravenberch, for which he was rightly booked. And when the whistle blew on this wild 2-2 draw, he dropped to the grass in relief and stretched out the cramp coursing through his legs. Baleba hobbled over to shake the hands of various Liverpool players, most of whom wouldn’t have known anything about this Cameroonian teenager before their team meeting on Friday. But after a performance full of energy, guile, skill, outrageous confidence and physical dominance in midfield – one that sapped his body dry – they do now. Ask people inside Brighton who will be the next diamond in the rough, the player who will be sold for five times their asking price after doing wondrous things on this Amex Stadium pitch, then you might be pointed to Kaoru Mitoma or Evan Ferguson, Mahmoud Dahoud or Joao Pedro. But those really in the know will point to Baleba. That includes the manager, Roberto De Zerbi, who said without hesitation on Baleba’s signing this summer: “He will be the future of the club.” If that sounded like hyperbole, there was enough evidence in this 100-minute sample to suggest the Italian is right, as he has tended to be about most things in his short Brighton career. After a Carabao Cup start and a couple of league appearances off the bench, De Zerbi showed enormous faith in Baleba with this full Premier League debut against Liverpool, and that faith was repaid in spades. This was Baleba’s kind of match, stretched and full of holes, with little fires popping up all over the pitch that needed putting out. As the defensive shield, he rushed to cover off counter-attacks and snuff out threatening direct balls. He stood in front of his back four checking over his shoulder for Mohamed Salah’s movement, and then cut out the through ball when it came. When Lewis Dunk pressed so high up the pitch that he left a void in Brighton’s defence, Baleba instinctively slotted back and filled the space. In possession, he was calm and composed and occasionally he injected little jolts of energy, like early in the first half, in his own half, where he threw in a stepover before charging away from Liverpool’s midfield and setting Brighton’s attacking players away as the crowd urged him on. Or a few minutes after Brighton had scored their first goal, when he dribbled through the centre of the pitch from the halfway line, jinked away from a defender on the edge of Liverpool’s box and hit his shot just wide. Baleba was a source of calm in what was a wild game. The first half could have been the subject of an art installation simply titled: ‘Get rid’. All three goals were the result of kamikaze passing at the back that went disastrously wrong, enough to boil the blood of proper football men everywhere. First, it was Virgil van Dijk plodding a pass to Alexis Mac Allister, which Brighton’s Simon Adingra (like Baleba, the 21-year-old winger was exceptional) stole and quickly swept past an out-of-position Alisson Becker for Brighton’s opener. Liverpool hit back with two goals of their own, first when Dunk misplaced a pass and Salah finished off a flowing counterattack, and then just before the break when Pascal Gross lost the ball in his own box and hauled down Dominik Szoboszlai, and Salah scored from the penalty spot. Brighton went into the break 2-1 up, so it was a compliment to the Baleba-Gross partnership when Jurgen Klopp brought on Ryan Gravenberch at half-time to stabilise Liverpool’s overrun midfield. It worked, and for a period Liverpool took control, but they failed to score a third and Brighton went hunting for an equaliser, which came late through Dunk’s close-range volley. Baleba never stopped, and his defensive nous regularly kept counter-attacks at bay. “I have to congratulate the club on finding two more amazing players, in Adingra and Baleba,” De Zerbi said after the game. “Baleba is very young and I think this club needs the characteristics of Baleba. He is a great replacement for Caicedo. But we can’t forget Ansu Fati, Mahmoud Dahoud, Joao Pedro.” In other words, there is plenty more where that came from. Why give Baleba his first start now? “I gave him the right steps. He played a part of the game with Bournemouth, played 70 minutes in Stamford Bridge [in the League Cup] in a big stadium. I gave him time to understand the new style of play, the timing of when to receive the ball, the right line of passing: our idea. It is not so easy [to learn] because our style, in the defensive phase we can change depending on the opponent, our build-up play can change. “He’s very young, a very good player with incredible potential, and he can be one of the most important midfielders in Europe in the future.” De Zerbi believes. And after this performance, we’re all Balebas now. Read More Brighton v Liverpool LIVE: Premier League result and reaction Liverpool’s new double-act are surprising even Jurgen Klopp Rumours: Brazilian is Liverpool’s January target and City want Haaland renewal No need for a replay as Liverpool return to normality in Europa League Liverpool vs Union Saint-Gilloise LIVE: Latest Europa League updates PGMOL rejects Ben Foster’s claim that refs pressured Sky into VAR cover-up

The 2023/24 Premier League season is under way and you can follow every game and every goal right here with The Independent. This year sees Manchester City try to defend their crown and claim a historic fourth title in succession. Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City, who also won the Champions League and FA Cup last season, will have to see off Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and the rest to claim an unprecedented sixth league title in seven years. Meanwhile Luton Town are making their first appearance in the Premier League, having risen from non-league in an incredible decade of progress. They followed Championship winners Burnley and second-placed Sheffield United in earning promotion to the top flight. Follow the latest action from the Premier League below.

Arsenal host Manchester City at the Emirates this afternoon, hoping to boost their Premier League title aspirations. In a game filled with tactical chess moves, Mikel Arteta’s side have lost the last 12 Premier League matches against the champions, but the fitness of Bukayo Saka is a big question mark heading into the contest. Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, will be forced into a big midfield decision, with Rodri suspended. “Having success against City is something you have to value, the way we played as well and it gave us confidence and a lift that we can beat them,” said Arteta. “One thing for certain is that we know we will have to be at our best in every department for 100 minutes and then we will have a chance.” Follow live updates from Arsenal vs Man City in the Premier League and get the latest match odds here. Read More The tactical conundrum behind Arsenal’s quest to end absurd Man City streak How do you replace the best holding midfielder in the world? Mikel Arteta gives Bukayo Saka injury update ahead of Arsenal vs Man City

Arsenal host Manchester City in an early meeting of last season’s Premier League title rivals. Mikel Arteta’s side led the title race for the majority of the season but were reeled in by the defending champions, with a crushing 4-1 victory by Pep Guardiola’s team in April leading to a third Premier League in a row for the eventual treble winners. Follow Arsenal vs Man City LIVE The Gunners, though, are tipped to be City’s closest challengers again this season, with just a point separating the sides after seven games played. But to do so, Arteta’s team will have to overturn a woeful recent record against City: Arsenal have lost 12 games in a row against City in the Premier League and have not beaten them in the top-flight since 2015. The Gunners did beat City on penalties to win the Community Shield at the start of the season, however. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of this afternoon’s huge Premier League clash. What time is Arsenal vs Manchester City? The match will kick off at 4:30pm BST on Sunday 8 October at the Emirates Stadium. How can I watch it? It will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage following the earlier match between Brighton and Liverpool. Subscribers can also stream the action via SkyGo. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. What is the team news? Bukayo Saka is an injury doubt after limping off Arsenal’s midweek defeat to Lens in the Champions League with a hamstring injury, but Mikel Arteta said the winger is “in contention” to be available. Arsenal are missing Gabriel Martinelli, while Thomas Partey also remains out. Manchester City will be without Rodri, who continues to serve a three-match suspension, while Kevin De Bruyne remains out. Julian Alvaraz has been City’s main threat in recent weeks - alongside Erling Haaland. John Stones returned to the bench in Wednesday’s 3-1 win at RB Leipzig but Pep Guardiola said he is not available on Sunday. Predicted line-ups Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Rice, Havertz, Odegaard; Jesus, Nketiah, Trossard Man City: Ederson; Walker, Diaz, Gvardiol, Akanji; Kovacic, Bernardo, Foden; Doku, Alvarez; Haaland Prediction Arsenal 1-3 Man City Read More The tactical conundrum behind Arsenal’s quest to end absurd Man City streak How do you replace the best holding midfielder in the world? Pep Guardiola does not think Arsenal clash will have major bearing on title race Mauricio Pochettino believes victory at Burnley will boost Chelsea’s confidence Pep Guardiola says he learned ‘a lot’ from Mikel Arteta ahead of Sunday reunion Pep Guardiola does not think Arsenal clash will have major bearing on title race

Liverpool are taking on Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium today as both sides look to bounce back from chastening defeats in the Premier League last weekend. Liverpool were on the receiving end of that disastrous VAR call which saw Luis Diaz have a goal incorrectly ruled out despite checks confirming he was onside. They enjoyed a Europa League win over Union Saint-Gilloise on Thursday but Jurgen Klopp has warned his side they are facing a dangerous opponent in Brighton. “We expect a really tough game against one of the best sides in the league, the best-coached team in the league, I would say.” Brighton, however, were thrashed 6-1 by Aston Villa last weekend with manager Roberto De Zerbi concerned that his squad are not equipped to play European football alongside domestic duties. They come into this one with several injury concerns, after salvaging a late draw at Marseille in the Europa League in midweek. Follow all the latest score and updates from Brighton vs Liverpool below and get all the latest Premier League betting sites offers here. Read More Liverpool’s new double-act are surprising even Jurgen Klopp

Brighton are hoping to bounce back from a 6-1 mauling by Aston Villa in their last Premier League outing when they host Liverpool at the Amex Stadium this afternoon. Roberto de Zerbi’s men managed to end a run of consecutive defeats when they picked up their first Europa League points of the season in a 2-2 draw against Marseille on Thursday night and will be hoping to impose themselves on Jurgen Klopp’s side. Follow Brighton vs Liverpool LIVE Klopp meanwhile is juggling injuries and suspensions as he attempts to close the gap on league leaders Manchester City. A 2-0 midweek win over Union Saint-Gilloise will bring his team confidence but Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota are missing the game having picked up red cards against Tottenham, though Trent Alexander-Arnold is fit to return. Here’s everything you need to know about today’s Premier League clash: When is Brighton vs Liverpool? Brighton vs Liverpool kicks off at 2pm BST on Sunday 8 October at the Amex Stadium. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage on the channel from 1pm BST. Subscribers can also stream the action via SkyGo. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. What is the team news? Brighton lost Pervis Estupinan to injury last Saturday and the defender is expected to be absent for a while according to boss Roberto De Zerbi. Pascal Gross is fit to feature after starting against Marseille but James Milner and Adam Lallana are doubts. Following their red cards against Tottenham, Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota are suspended for this match. Cody Gakpo came off at half time against Tottenham with what appeared to be a leg injury it is doubtful that he will feature with Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago Alcantara remain absent. Trent Alexander-Arnold is fit again and should start after being named in Gareth Southgate’s upcoming England squad. Predicted line-ups Brighton XI: Steele; Veltman, Webster, Dunk, Lamptey; Gross, Gilmour; March, Fati, Mitoma; Ferguson Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Salah, Nunez, Diaz Odds Brighton to win - 7/4 Draw - 21/10 Liverpool to win - Evs Prediction Roberto de Zerbi’s men will make things difficult for Jurgen Klopp’s men but there should be enough quality within Liverpool’s team to ensure they ease past a Brighton side struggling for form. Brighton 1-2 Liverpool. Read More Liverpool’s new double-act are surprising even Jurgen Klopp No need for a replay as Liverpool return to normality in Europa League Roberto De Zerbi hails ‘incredible’ Brighton reaction to salvage Marseille draw

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