Leicester City won at Arsenal for the first time in 47 years on Sunday, with substitute Jamie Vardy's late close-range header enough to secure victory in the Premier League at The Emirates.
The challenge against champions Chlesea on Sunday is for Manchester United to show that they can replicate the confident and businesslike win that City showed a month ago.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers enjoyed a first ever victory over Everton with a thumping 4-0 triumph in the Merseyside derby on Tuesday but the former Swansea boss maintained the pursuit of a top-four finish meant more to him than regional superiority.
Jose Mourinho's reshaped Manchester United destroyed Premier League champions Leicester City 4-1 with a performance that thrilled Old Trafford on Saturday and justified his decision to leave out Wayne Rooney. The shake-up seemed to liberate Paul Pogba who led the way with a polished display, heading his first goal for the club on 42 minutes and starting the clever move that led to Juan Mata firing home United's second after 37 minutes.
Arsenal missed the chance to heighten the congestion at the top of the Premier League and suffered fresh injury blows when a frustrating 1-1 draw at Norwich City failed to take them alongside leaders Manchester City and Leicester City on Sunday.
The United fans, who celebrated the victory at the end of the game with the manager and players, have not been the source of criticism of Solskjaer -- indeed the Norwegian has enjoyed strong backing from supporters who attend games at Old Trafford and those who travel away.
Barcelona have been linked to a host of forwards during the winter transfer window as they seek experienced backup options for Luis Suarez.
Rediff.com brings a preview of the main matches coming up this weekend in the English Premier League.
A round-up of Friday's action in La Liga, and Bundesliga.
Behind closed doors and with a raft of health safety measures in place, Indian Super League (ISL) will kick off in Bambolin on Friday and become the country's first major tournament to be organised since the enforcement of a COVID-19 lockdown eight months ago.
League leaders Chelsea and Liverpool however won their matches in the Premier League.
Arsenal laboured to their second win of the season with a highly-charged 1-0 victory against 10-man Newcastle United at St James' Park on Saturday.
Leicester City will play Barcelona, Celtic and Paris St Germain in this year's International Champions Cup (ICC), the Premier League leaders said on Tuesday.
Liverpool, level on points with Manchester United, can add to the pressure if they take three points at West Ham United in Saturday's lunchtime kickoff.
Cristiano Ronaldo bagged his first five-goal haul in Real Madrid's 9-1 hammering of Granada while title-chasing Bayern Munich and Chelsea won again in Germany and England.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in his 150th European appearance to give Real Madrid a 3-1 victory at Borussia Dortmund, their first against them in Germany, and make it two wins out of two matches in their Champions League Group H.
IMAGES from Saturday's English Premier League matches.
Chelsea grabbed a late 2-1 win over an unlucky Wigan Athletic on Saturday to boost their push for third in the Premier League after Tottenham Hotspur could only draw while Liverpool also had to settle for a point as their winless run dragged on.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
ManchesterCity cannot afford to make any more mistakes if they hope to launch a serious bid for the Premier League title this campaign, captain Vincent Kompany has said.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard says Sunday's defeat to Arsenal in the FA Cup will not halt his team's momentum as they head into the crucial final stretch of the season.
In Pep Guardiola's 100th match in charge of the Manchester club, captain De Bruyne led from the front as City outclassed the Gunners, who have now suffered six home games without a win. Images from the EPL matches played on Sunday.
While Manchester City can boast an embarrassment of riches, United and the rest of the pursuing pack are feeling the pinch a little with injuries and suspensions testing their squads.
Arsenal scored twice in the opening seven minutes and ended the match as a contest with a third in the 19th as they crushed Manchester United 3-0 to move above them into second place in the Premier League at the Emirates on Sunday.
Big-spending Manchester City maintained their perfect start to the English Premier League season with a 3-2 win at Bolton Wanderers, while Arsenal capped a week to forget with a 2-0 home defeat by Liverpool.
Two big derbies and an eventful weekend of football awaits us all...
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Atletico Madrid took a giant step towards the La Liga title
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The Catalans are overwhelming favourites to win the game and have an outstanding home record in the Champions League, remaining unbeaten at the Nou Camp in the competition since losing to Bayern Munich in 2013.
ManchesterCity manager Pep Guardiola has expressed doubts over whether Manchester United can challenge for the Premier League title but believes they have a realistic chance of finishing in the top four.
The Stamford Bridge clash (2130 IST) is one half of a heavyweight Sunday double bill as Manchester United also visit Manchester City (1900 IST).
Striker Harry Kane will wear the captain's armband for England at next month's World Cup, ending speculation about who would lead Gareth Southgate's squad in Russia.
Champions Chelsea have not enjoyed the best of starts at home this season and face their biggest test yet on Saturday with the visit of free-scoring leaders Manchester City.
Manchester United can challenge for the league title after recovering from their worst start to a Premier League season and rediscovering the art of winning ugly, according to their captain Wayne Rooney.
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