06/12/2025

SPORTS SATURDAY | DEC 6, 2025

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Slot under spot-light Liverpool’s defensive woes deepen as Arsenal face Villa test

FIXTURES ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

All matches at 11pm Malaysian time unless stated TODAY A. Villa vs Arsenal (8.30pm) B’mouth vs Chelsea Everton vs Forest Man City vs Sunderland Newcastle vs Burnley Tottenham vs Brentford TOMORROW Leeds vs Liverpool (1.30am) Brighton vs West Ham (10pm)

L IVERPOOL travel to Leeds this week end with mounting questions over whether Arne Slot can stop the rot, while in-form Aston Villa take aim at Premier League leaders Arsenal. Slot’s defending champions are showing an alarming vulnerability at the back, with the poor form of captain Virgil van Dijk a growing cause for concern. Mohamed Salah’s faltering form has been a major talking point during Liverpool’s dramatic collapse but Virgil van Dijk is now also firmly in the firing line. The club’s success in tying down two of their modern greats on new contracts in April was seen as a major coup. But there is growing unease over Van Dijk’s displays at the heart of a creaking defence. Former Manchester United and England forward Wayne Rooney said in October that Van Dijk’s body language was a “big concern” and that he had failed to lead the team this season. The Dutchman, 34, gave away a penalty with a handball in Liverpool’s 4-1 home defeat by PSV Eindhoven last week – the third he has conceded in all competitions this season. And he was at fault for Sunderland’s goal in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at Anfield, giving

“He didn’t panic at the start of the season,” Murphy told the BBC . “It has been just terrific coaching and management and the players are responding.” Sunderland are defying expectations and recent Premier League history as they prepare for a tough test at Manchester City. In each of the past two seasons the three promoted teams have gone straight back down to the Championship. Leeds and Burnley, who came up with Sunderland, are struggling but Regis Le Bris’s team are flying high, just five points behind second-placed City. The Black Cats were close to a first win at Anfield in 42 years on Wednesday but had to settle for a 1-1 draw after Nordi Mukiele’s unfortunate own goal. Frenchman Le Bris, in his first season in charge at Sunderland, praised his men. “Our ability to learn is one of the main strengths of this team,” he said. “They are humble and they want to learn. In such a difficult league, if you don’t learn every day then it is impossible to sustain the level.” Only Arsenal and Crystal Palace have conceded fewer than Sunderland’s tally of 14 goals in the Premier League, though the Black Cats face a tough challenge against Pep Guardiola’s free-scoring City.

the ball away before dropping off as Chemsdine Talbi beat goalkeeper Alisson Becker from long range. “Virgil Van Dijk last season couldn’t make a mistake. Every game he was imperious,” former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp said on Sky Sports . “But right now he’s making mistakes and second-guessing himself.” It is a different story for watertight Arsenal but the Gunners face a tricky trip to Unai Emery’s Villa. Emery’s stock is sky-high, with Villa on the charge. The Birmingham club did not manage a single goal in their first four Premier League games of the season but they have won eight of their past nine League matches to climb to third in the table. A major plus for Villa in their 4-3 win at Brighton in midweek was two goals for Ollie Watkins, who had previously found the net just once all season. If they beat Arsenal today they would be just three points behind Mikel Arteta’s front runners. Villa, under former Arsenal boss Emery, have lost just once in their past four meetings with the Gunners. Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy says the Spanish manager’s ability to keep calm under pressure has been crucial.

MONDAY (12.30am) Fulham vs C. Palace TUESDAY (4am) Wolves vs Man Utd

White ready to play his part for injury-hit Gunners BEN WHITE is ready to play his part in Arsenal’s title bid as injuries continue to afflict Mikel Arteta’s side. The defender made his first Premier League appearance since the opening day of the season in the 2-0 win over Brentford on Thursday. White impressed as well, linking up brilliantly with Noni Madueke down the right and setting up the opening goal for Mikel Merino. The 28-year-old’s return to fitness and form looks timely, with Arsenal picking up more injuries against the Bees. The Gunners, already without first-choice centre-halves Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, were dealt a blow when another one, Cristhian Mosquera, limped off just before half time. Then, even more worryingly, key midfielder Declan Rice, who had put in another huge performance, limped off with 10 minutes left with a calf problem. “It was nice,” White told the club website. “Obviously, three points are the most important thing. “Last week was a big week and you need to follow up the following week, so it was really important to win. “It’s like any game that we win, it’s so important for us and we’re just going to take it game by game. I’ve missed it. “Obviously, I had quite a long time out. I had a few issues with my knee. So it was nice to get it done.” Arteta, who sent on Bukayo Saka as a substitute and watched the England winger score a late second, was delighted with White’s return. “Personally, I’m very, very happy for him as a human being,” he said. “I think the rest of the team is the same because he’s a player who has always played for us, and sadly, because of the right reasons, he wasn’t playing that much. “Because Jurrien (Timber) has been excellent, and he was out for a while, and then he needed to earn his place. “But his attitude has been so positive, so good. “Then when you are ready and you’re given the opportunity, you take it like he did. “So I’m very happy that we have him back in the best version of himself as well, and we’re going to need him because he’s a tremendous player.” – The Independent Ű BY ANDY SIMS

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim reacts during yesterday’s Premier League match against West Ham. – REUTERSPIC

Amorim frustrated as Red Devils drop more points

Ű BY SIMON PEACH

team to perform better, the Portuguese said: “It’s working again and trying to win the next one.” Amorim looked the angriest he has ever been in a United press conference, snapping back at some reporters and hitting back at the suggestion United had gone backwards in recent weeks. “It’s not going backwards,” he said. “The results are going backwards. We had some moments. That can happen. “You were talking about when we had that run that team was really perfect and saying we are not that far from being in the perfect moment. We are really inconsistent. “But if you look at the goal, 83 minutes, we have a long ball, we have everything under control and we need to do better.” Amorim plans to debrief his players today when he has cooled down, unlike when he hit

tomorrow and boss Nuno Espirito Santo said: “I think it was a good performance overall. “First half we contain. I think the momentum of the beginning of the game was ours. We combine, we create corners, the energy was there. “Very good second half even though we concede. I think the reaction was very positive. We dominated, we controlled, we went for it and I think it is well deserved that we got the draw. “The game could go both way but pleased with the performance. “I think even when we lost to Liverpool (last time out) we competed well as a team. We got penalised by mistakes. “But I think the reaction and character was there today, so it’s just a little small step in what we need to do to improve a lot of things. With the urgency of the situation it’s hard but we’ll keep it going.” – The Independent

a giant television in the dressing room after a 3-1 loss to Brighton in January. The United boss mentioned that incident after this latest setback, so too October’s 4-2 win against the same opposition when they were made to sweat having looked in control. “In that regard, I’m almost always consistent,” he said. “I had one and you know. Brighton last year. I will talk to them tomorrow. “I always have the feeling – I think everyone has the feeling – that we need to score more goals. “Even with Brighton (in October) we were 3-0 (up) and then suddenly (we conceded twice). We suffer with that, we are inconsistent and we need to improve.” United return to action at winless Wolves on Tuesday but cannot take things for granted after failing to beat the side 18th on home soil. West Ham travel to Brighton

RUBEN AMORIM made his anger and frustration clear after his maddening Manchester United team blew a lead in the Old Trafford draw against struggling West Ham. A promising five-game unbeaten run came to a shuddering halt in their last home outing 10 days ago when Everton eked out a 1-0 victory against the uninspiring hosts. United responded with a 2-1 comeback win at Crystal Palace on Sunday but failed to build on that result back at Old Trafford. Soungoutou Magassa scored from a late corner to cancel out Diogo Dalot’s second-half strike, securing West Ham a point and leaving Amorim furious. “It’s frustrating, it’s angry, that’s it,”he said of his emotions in a curt first answer to the post match press conference. Pushed on how he can get the