The Dugout Gazette, 2 November

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The Monday edition is here: a weekend that shook up all four leagues, an Anfield quiet, a Milan derby headline in Serie A, and a fantasy desk already looking at Friday's deadline.

Weekend briefing

  • Arsenal went top of the Premier League with a statement 1-0 win at Anfield, Kai Havertz heading the winner past Liverpool on Sunday.
  • Brighton stun Manchester City 1-0 at the Etihad, the result of the Saturday slate, while Chelsea beat 10-man Manchester United 2-0.
  • In La Liga, Barcelona answered their Clasico defeat in the loudest way possible: 6-1 against Alaves. Real Madrid replied with a 3-0 win at Racing Santander, a sixth straight league victory.
  • Serie A has a new leader: Lazio beat Cagliari 2-1 and Inter lost 3-1 to AC Milan, the champions' first league defeat of the season.
  • PSG stay top of Ligue 1 after a 5-1 demolition of Le Havre, powered by an Achraf Hakimi hat-trick from right-back.
  • In the Championship, West Brom won 3-1 at West Ham to move into the top four, and the pressure on Nuno Espirito Santo grows by the week.

Results board

  • Premier League: Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal; Chelsea 2-0 Manchester United; Manchester City 0-1 Brighton; Tottenham 2-0 Crystal Palace; Bournemouth 2-0 Leeds; Brentford 2-0 Nottingham Forest; Aston Villa 1-1 Fulham.
  • Championship: West Ham 1-3 West Brom; Middlesbrough 3-0 Charlton; Southampton 4-1 QPR; Coventry 3-1 Sunderland; Hull 2-2 Ipswich.
  • La Liga: Barcelona 6-1 Alaves; Racing Santander 0-3 Real Madrid; Real Betis 2-1 Malaga.
  • Serie A: Lazio 2-1 Cagliari; AC Milan 3-1 Inter; Como 1-0 Venezia.
  • Ligue 1: Le Havre 1-5 PSG, with wins for Marseille, Lyon, Strasbourg and Paris FC around them.

Key decisions

  • Havertz over everything at Anfield: Arsenal's win came from set-piece pressure and patience, and the German's header settled a game neither side dared lose.
  • Milan took the derby to Inter and won it 3-1, handing their rivals a first league defeat of the season and lifting Lazio to the top in the process.
  • Hakimi delivered a hat-trick from full-back. When your right-back is your most reliable matchwinner, you are usually having a very good month.
  • Barcelona's response to defeat was total: six goals and a reminder that one Clasico does not decide a title race.

Table and form notes

  • Premier League: Arsenal lead on 24 points from Manchester City (21) and Brighton (19). Brighton's away wins keep coming, and Bournemouth and Brentford are quietly stacking results too.
  • La Liga: Real Madrid's six-match winning run keeps pace with a Barcelona side that needed exactly this kind of afternoon.
  • Serie A: Lazio top, Inter's invincible tag gone, and Como have crept into the top four after beating Venezia 1-0.
  • Ligue 1: PSG on 20 points, Lille chasing on 18, with Lyon and Paris FC on 17. The chase is closer than usual this season.
  • Championship: West Brom's win at West Ham puts them in the top four, Middlesbrough and Southampton both kept pace with emphatic home wins.

Fantasy desk

  • Gameweek 10 deadline: Friday 6 November, 18:30 UK.
  • Captaincy: Haaland remains the safest pick given his 78.9% ownership, but the models like Arsenal's Gabriel and Kai Havertz for strong returns this week.
  • Differentials under 10% ownership: Ayari (Brighton), Hill (Bournemouth) and Barry (Everton) all project solid value.
  • Injuries to respect: João Pedro and Bukayo Saka are both out with thigh injuries and no return date yet. Get them out of your plans, not just your XI.
  • Flags to watch: Calafiori and Rice are both rated 75% to play. Check the Friday press conferences before locking your squad.

Manager's view

The busiest managers in the league this week were the physios. Saka and João Pedro are thigh injuries with no timetable, so fantasy managers and their real clubs are making the same call: don't rush them back for a November fixture list. At Arsenal, the Calafiori and Rice fitness flags mean Arteta may shuffle his midfield even on the back of a win at Anfield. And at West Ham, the 3-1 home defeat to West Brom means Nuno Espirito Santo heads into the international break with questions he can't defer much longer.

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