Source: The Guardian Sport
Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, the Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya and the Nottingham Forest head coach, Sean Dyche (from left).Composite: Guardian Picture DeskView image in fullscreenLiverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, the Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya and the Nottingham Forest head coach, Sean Dyche (from left).Composite: Guardian Picture DeskTen talking points from the weekend footballPremier LeaguePremier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s actionArsenal’s run without conceding goes on, Thomas Frank plays down tensions, and Eddie Howe’s gamble backfiresGuardian sportMon 3 Nov 2025 03.00 ESTLast modified on Mon 3 Nov 2025 03.39 ESTShare1Pereira sacking reflects poorly on boardFirst the P45, then the pints. Vítor Pereira could be excused for having a drink on Sunday afterhis departure from Wolves, with the silver lining for the Portuguese being a decent payout. It is the fourth mid-season dismissal this campaign – there have never been more permanent sackings in Premier League history at this stage of the year (3 November). And while Evangelos Marinakis might have something to answer for, trigger-happy owners and directors are becoming increasingly erratic: that Pereira lasted just 45 days into a new three-year contract reflects as badly on the Wolves board as on the manager, just asErik ten Hag’s sacking this time last year, coming less than three months after his own contract extension, reflected badly on the Manchester United hierarchy. Backing a manager and then pulling the rug so quickly is baffling, while a board’s desire for a “new manager bounce” so early in the season stinks of desperation and should be seen as an admission of guilt.Michael ButlerMatch report:Fulham 3-0 WolvesView image in fullscreenVítor Pereira’s time is up at Wolves after picking up two points from 10 league games.Photograph: Wolves/Getty Images2Gunners aiming to match ancient recordArsenal have won their past seven matches in all competitions without conceding a goal. If they keep another clean sheet at Slavia Prague on Tuesday, it will match a 122-year club record. David Raya may currently have one of the easiest jobs in professional sport, able to enjoy all the fine defensive work in front of him asBurnleywere kept at arm’s length. The Spain goalkeeper had next to nothing to do at Turf Moor apart from taking the odd goal-kick and watching a late free-kick hit the post. “It’s incredible,” Raya said of the record. “Not just the defence, I think it’s a collective achievement, if you want to put it that way. It starts from the striker, finishing with the goalkeeper. So, it’s just incredible to have that work rate from everyone, trying to shut teams down and not concede anything. And that’s just credit to everyone.”Will UnwinMatch report:Burnley 0-2 Arsenal3Dyche not banking on magic dust to fix ForestThe cornerstone of Nottingham Forest’s success last season was defensive solidity but it is now 18 top-flight matches since they kept a clean sheet – against Manchester Un…
Published: 2025-11-03T08:00:28
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