IN ENGLAND
Arsenal broke Nottingham Forest’s resolve as a second-half strike by Noni Madueke earned the defending champions a sixth Premier League win of the season.
The Gunners looked in danger of being held to their first draw of the campaign as they struggled to break down the home side’s defence.
A dreadful first half did not feature any shots on target from either side, which is only the second time that has happened in the Premier League this season.
Arsenal, meanwhile, remain second in the Premier League, three points behind leaders Manchester City.
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Manchester United’s winless run extended to six games as Leeds United denied Michael Carrick a much-needed Premier League victory at Elland Road.
A trip to the home of long-standing bitter rivals Leeds provided a stern test of Manchester United’s mettle under head coach Carrick, at the end of a tumultuous week in which defender Lisandro Martinez was fined for criticising the club’s hierarchy.
Manchester United’s only goal was scored by Bryan Mbeumo while Leeds United’s only goal was scored by Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
It meant Manchester United, 13th in the table, went a sixth game without a win in all competitions for the first time since the end of the 2018-19 campaign.
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Brighton star, Diego Gomez has scored a sensational goal from the halfway line as Brighton hammered rivals Crystal Palace five-nil.
With the Seagulls already one-nil ahead because of Jaydee Canvot’s fourth-minute headed own goal, Gomez scored one of the goals of the season three minutes later.
Data provider Opta said the goal came from 51 metres out, the furthest long-range Premier League goal since Wayne Rooney scored from fifty-eight metres in Everton’s four-nil win over West Ham in November 2017.
Yasin Ayari, Charalampos Kostoulas and Jack Hinshelwood scored a goal each for Brighton.
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Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage says he felt shame at the Eagles’ performance during their five-nil thrashing by Brighton and did not know whether he would be given time to save his job.
Sage had a tough start at Selhurst Park since he arrived after guiding Lens to the French Cup and second in Ligue 1 last season.
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Bournemouth have lifted themselves out of the relegation zone as goals from Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson secured their first Premier League win of the season while Sunderland’s struggles continued.
Both teams began the day in the bottom three after poor starts this season on the domestic front despite winning their opening two Europa League games.
Bournemouth boss Marco Rose got his first three points as a Premier League manager as Sunderland remain winless on the road this season and without a league victory since beating Fulham on 30th August.
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Manchester City manager, Enzo Maresca has provided an update on Erling Haaland after the striker limped off following a brace in the team’s three-two victory against Ipswich Town at the Etihad Stadium.
The Norwegian star took a blow to the foot late in the match and appeared to be struggling as he left the pitch.
While awaiting the results of medical assessments, Maresca remains hopeful the issue is minor.
The Italian manager revealed that Haaland was not the only casualty, with a wave of players picking up late knocks.
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Chelsea goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez says he will be back in a few weeks after breaking his jaw in the two-nil Premier League win at Everton.
The 34-year-old Argentina international and Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite clashed heads in the second half at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Martinez was taken to hospital, where Chelsea said he had successful surgery.
Mike Penders, who replaced Martinez to make his Premier League debut, looks set to play in Chelsea’s next three matches at least.
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Chelsea women have secured their fifth consecutive Women’s Super League win with victory over Tottenham in manager Sonia Bompastor’s 50th game in the competition.
Two goals each from Lauren James and Ellie Carpenter, along with strikes from substitutes Sjoeke Nusken and Maika Hamano, helped the Blues claim three points.
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IN NIGERIA
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have suffered another setback in their quest to return to the FIFA Under-seventeen World Cup after failing to qualify for the 2027 edition.
Their hopes were dashed following a defeat to Niger Republic and a draw against Côte d’Ivoire in Group B of the 2026 WAFU Zone B Under-seventeen Championship.
The latest disappointment adds to a growing list of missed opportunities for the Golden Eaglets a team that once set the standard in youth football.
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El-Kanemi Warriors has played out a two-all draw against Moroccan giants Raja Casablanca in the first leg of their CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round tie at the Remo Stars Sports Complex in Ikenne.
The return leg is scheduled to take place in Casablanca on Friday, 23rd October, with both sides aiming to secure a place in the next round of the competition.
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Sporting Lagos have secured their second away win of the season with a hard-fought three-two victory over Plateau United at the New Jos Stadium.
Aliyu Baba gave the visitors an early lead in the 10th minute, but Plateau United fought back, with Victor Dawa scoring twice before the break to put the hosts ahead.
Sporting Lagos restored parity eight minutes into the second half through
Victor Samuel and Jacob Aondona scored a goal each for Sporting Lagos.
Nasarawa United recorded a comfortable two-nil victory over Inter Lagos, while Kano Pillars edged Katsina United one-nil, and Niger Tornadoes claimed a two-one win over Ikorodu City.
Meanwhile, nine-time champions Enyimba were held to a goalless draw by Warri Wolves in a closely contested encounter.
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Super Eagles star Moses Simon is in action for Paris FC, who survived a late scare to beat Rennes four-three at the Stade Jean Bouin.
The win means Paris FC, now on fourteen points, go level on with league champions Paris Saints-Germain (PSG) at the top of Ligue 1.
Simon, who named among the substitutes, was brought in with 11 minutes left to play.
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Bayer Leverkusen came from behind to beat Freiburg two-one at the BayArena to extend their winning run and move into the top four of the Bundesliga.
Victor Boniface was an unused substitute while his Nigerian teammate Nathan Tella was brought on in the 59th minute.
While Boniface has played just one league match, it was Tella’s second appearance.
The win means Leverkusen won their last three league matches and have recorded four wins and one draw in five league fixtures.
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Fifteen of Africa’s most promising young table tennis players have secured places at the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 in Senegal.
The athletes are among the sixty-four competitors selected for the table tennis event, which will take place from 31st October to 5th November 2026 in Dakar.
A total of forty-one National Olympic Committees, from across the five continents will be represented in the table tennis competition, with thirty-two male and thirty-two female players set to battle for honours in the Senegalese capital.
Table tennis at Dakar 2026 will feature three medal events: men’s singles, women’s singles and mixed doubles.
The singles competitions will each feature thirty-two players, while twenty-three Committees will be represented in the mixed doubles event.
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Also, Africa’s representatives reflect the continent’s growing strength in the sport and will be led by Algeria’s Aylan Goudjil in the boys’ category.
Joining him are Nigeria’s Matthew Kuti, Benin Republic’s Ganiou Abdourahaman, Egypt’s Abdelmalk Elsayed, Senegal’s Amador Ferrer, Tunisia’s Youssef Aidli and Uganda’s Joseph Sebatindira.
In the girls’ event, Nigeria’s Favour Ojo headlines a strong African contingent that also includes Algeria’s Tania Morice, Egypt’s Yara Elbadawy, Ghana’s Joanita Borteye, Madagascar’s Tina Andriantahina, Senegal’s Marieme Diallo, Tunisia’s Ela Saidi and Uganda’s Jemimah Nakawala.
According to the International Table Tennis Federation, the player list highlights the sport’s expanding global reach.
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OTHER LEAGUES
Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has scored his 10th and 11th goals of the season as Real Madrid beat Sevilla four-one to remain six points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Mbappe’s eleven goals have come in just eleven games in all competitions as his excellent start to the season continued.
Arda Guler and Yan Diomande scored a goal each for Real Madrid, while Sevilla’s only goal was scored by Manu Bueno
This was a crucial three points for Real Madrid as up next for them in La Liga is El Clasico at Barcelona on 25th October.
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Celtic ominously has moved four points clear in the Scottish Premiership after an astonishing seven-one goals spree humiliated last season’s runners-up and this term’s putative title rivals Hearts in Glasgow.
The defending champions found the net seven times, running riot in a first half in which they scored five, hit a post and drew two fine saves from bewildered visiting goalkeeper Beau Reus.
Forward Callum Osmand celebrated his first Celtic start with a quickfire double to put Martin O’Neill’s men four goals up inside forty minutes in front of a raucous, disbelieving Parkhead crowd.
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OTHER SPORTS
In Tennis, Britain’s Sonay Kartal has missed out on what would have been the biggest title of her career as she faded in a gripping Wuhan Open final against French Open runner-up Maja Chwalinska.
Kartal was bidding to lift the trophy in only her third event since returning from a six-month absence caused by a back injury.
But an extraordinary week in China seemed to catch up with Kartal as she ran out of steam, physically and mentally in a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 defeat.
Kartal was playing in just the 10th match of her impressive comeback and was attempting to become the first Briton to win a WTA 1,000 title since Johanna Konta in 2017.
On Monday, she will climb to 50th in the world rankings just below her career high – and become the British number one for the first time.
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In Golf, Eugenio Chacarra has won the DP World India Championship by two strokes to move top of the Race to Dubai standings ahead of Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy.
Spain’s Chacarra finished on 21 under, with American Reed and world number two McIlroy well off the pace by the final round of this event.
The win was Chacarra’s third of the season as he looks to emulate Jon Rahm and Seve Ballesteros to become the third Spaniard to top the season-long standings on the DP World Tour.
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In Rugby, Northampton became the only English side to win in the opening round of the Champions Cup by battling past Cardiff.
Saints, quarter-finalists last season, scored four tries at Franklin’s Gardens in a nervy Pool Four encounter.
The English champions led 14-0 at half-time thanks to efforts in tricky conditions by James Pater and Toby Thame.
Tenacious Cardiff struck back through Harri Millard and Mason Grady to make it a two-point game in the final quarter.
George Hendy and Fraser Dingwall responded as Northampton got off to a winning start, albeit without a bonus point.
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In Cycling, Emma Finucane said she will come back fighting for gold medals after narrowly missing out on the top step of the podium for the third time at the Track Cycling World Championships, external in Shanghai.
Finucane was forced to settle for bronze in Sunday’s keirin after being pipped to the finish line by neutral athlete Alina Lysenko and Lea Friedrich of Germany after leading into the home straight.
She finished just fourteen thousandths of a second off top spot, with her bronze adding to silver medals won in the team sprint and individual sprint both won by Chinese cyclists.
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
