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The Daily Telegraph

We promised you a round-up of today's newspapers. Let's start with the Telegraph, which has run with the Harry Potter theme, adding that Manchester United's co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was left "in despair" as boos rang out around Old Trafford following Sunday's 3-0 defeat to rivals Liverpool.

Image source, Daily Telegraph

Going back to those tables [top; bottom]...the season may still be in its infancy, but they certainly offer up a few talking points.

Take a moment to reflect on those then fire off your questions to BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty, who will be offering up his thoughts on the issues of the day from around 09:30 BST.

Erik ten Hag's Harry Potter quotes got us thinking: if you were to liken your favourite manager or player to a famous film or literary character, who would it be and why?

Send in your suggestions via #bbcfootball on X, WhatsApp 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard rates apply),

Talking of Erik ten Hag, here is that story we promised you about his magician quotes.

"It is not like I am Harry Potter," said the Manchester United manager after Sunday's 3-0 defeat at home to Liverpool. "You have to acknowledge that.

"For three players it was their first start of the season.

"Manuel Ugarte did not play one minute - he needs to build his fitness. Then we have to build him into the team. I am sure he will contribute to our team. It will take a couple of weeks, maybe even a month. That is the same for a lot of players."

There is no doubt it was a bad day for Ten Hag, given his starting line-up included six of his signings.

His latest, £50.5m Uruguay midfielder Ugarte, was introduced to the fans before kick-off having been registered after Friday’s 12:00 BST deadline to play in the game.

As mentioned, United are 14th in the table with just three points from their opening three games.

• Read more on that story here.

Everton's place at the bottom of the table, with Saturday's alarming collapse at home to Bournemouth adding to their opening two defeats, will be a cause for concern for Toffees fans.

And Erik ten Hag may well be feeling a little uncomfortable with his Manchester United side down there in 14th place...

It might be early days for Arne Slot at Liverpool, but the Dutchman could not have hoped for a better start.

For what it is worth, here is the Premier League table, starting with the top half, which, already has a familiar look about it...

Image source, Getty Images

It has been said that Arne Slot has a tough task to replace Jurgen Klopp, but while successive Manchester United managers since Sir Alex Ferguson have shown it is indeed difficult to follow in the footsteps of a club legend, Bob Paisley managed to build on the foundations put in place by Bill Shankly to take Liverpool into a period of unprecedented success.

Paisley won six league championships between 1976 and 1983, three European Cups between 1977 and 1981 and the Uefa Cup in 1976.

Liverpool also won three League Cups under Paisley, from 1981 to and 1983, and he was awarded top-flight manager of the year six times.

Slot couldn't replicate that, could he?

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool's win was masterly, outclassing Manchester United to leave the so-called "Theatre of Dreams" an empire of empty seats long before the final whistle, a result and performance perfectly designed to ensure Arne Slot instantly wins the hearts of his new supporters.

Three wins without conceding a goal does that for any new head coach.

And it looked and sounded exactly like that after the final whistle as Slot's name rang around the small corner of Old Trafford inhabited by the Liverpool fans, with the 45-year-old's understated but appreciative response an insight into his character and style.

Slot was concentrating so fiercely during the game that he did not respond to chants from Liverpool's fans and, at the end, there was none of Klopp's fist-pumping histrionics that would have followed such a result. He simply delivered a wave, a clenched fist and then returned applause before marching towards the Stretford End in business-like fashion.

It is very early days but so far Liverpool's transition from Klopp to Slot has been seamless, the Dutchman's task made so much easier by the groundwork of his great predecessor, allied to the quality of the squad bequeathed to him.

Slot is the first Liverpool manager to win his first game against United since Bob Paisley in November 1975 and the second to do so away from home after George Kay in November 1936.

He is also only the third manager to win each of his first three Premier League games without conceding a goal after Jose Mourinho at Chelsea in 2004 and Sven-Goran Eriksson at Manchester City three years later.

• Read Phil McNulty's full column here, and don't forget to send him your questions for this morning's Q&A - get in touch via #bbcfootball on X, WhatsApp 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard rates apply).

Right, we promised you some startling stats.

Let's start with Mohamed Salah, who has now scored in each of Liverpool's opening three games this season and enjoyed a record-breaking afternoon at Old Trafford:

• Salah has either scored (11) or assisted (6) 17 of Liverpool's last 23 Premier League goals against Manchester United. The Egyptian has more goal involvements versus the Red Devils than any other player in the competition.
• He has scored 10 goals in nine appearances at Old Trafford for Liverpool in all competitions. He is only the second player to score 10+ goals at a single away ground for Premier League clubs since 1992-93, after Alan Shearer (10 at Elland Road).
• Salah is the first player to score in five straight away appearances against Manchester United in the Premier League.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

You may have noticed another couple of stories on the back page of the Sun.

One with a catchy Harry Potter-inspired headline following some quotes from Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, which we will get to shortly, and another on Manchester City's appeal to the Football Association to release Phil Foden from England duty.

You can read more on that story here, after City manager Pep Guardiola said it was unlikely that Foden would join up with the England squad for their upcoming Nations League games because of illness.

The 24-year-old has only played 45 minutes this season, as a substitute for City against Chelsea two weeks ago.

He was named in England interim boss Lee Carsley's squad for their Nations League second-tier games against the Republic of Ireland and Finland.

"I don't think so right now," said Guardiola about Foden linking up with England.

"I think he will not go but I don't know. He doesn't feel well. But national teams, they decide."

The Sun

We will look at those newspaper headlines shortly, but just to give you a flavour of how Mohamed Salah's comments have been treated by the red tops, here is the Sun's take on it:

Image source, The Sun

Image source, Getty Images

Back to Old Trafford and a story that dominates the back page of many of today's national newspapers.

Mohamed Salah said after scoring in Sunday's 3-0 win over Manchester United that it was his "last year" at Liverpool and nobody at the club had talked to him about a new contract.

The 32-year-old, whose current deal at Anfield is set to expire next summer, said after starring for Arne Slot's Liverpool that he had treated the match like it was his last at Old Trafford.

"I was coming to the game, I was saying, 'look, it could be the last time'," he told Sky Sports.

"Nobody in the club talked to me yet about contracts so I was just like, 'OK, I play my last season and see at the end of the season'.

"I feel I am free to play football – we will see what happens next year.”

• Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne says he did not hold talks with any other clubs about leaving the Etihad this summer.

The Belgian had said he was "open to everything" and spoke to his family about possibly leaving City after being linked with a move to Saudi Arabia at the end of last season.

The 33-year-old joined the current Premier League champions in 2015 from German club Wolfsburg, one year before Pep Guardiola's appointment as manager.

Guardiola insisted in recent months that De Bruyne would not be sold and the Belgian playmaker says he never held discussions with potential buyers about a transfer.

"I haven't spoken to anyone, to be honest," De Bruyne told BBC Radio Manchester.

"There has been a lot of noises and news. I said in the summer I expect a quiet summer and that's actually what happened. I've been on holiday for four weeks, came back and started training. That was it. Nothing to tell.

"I've not been entertained by anybody or spoken to anybody."

• Read Mike Minay's full story here.

OK, those reports bring you up to speed with the football action, but what about the fallout from the weekend's games?

We will hear from the managers, assess analysis from the pundits and bring you all of the reaction, including a round-up of today's newspapers, over the next couple of hours.

But first, we have some news of contract talks - or the lack of them - for two of the Premier League's biggest stars...

Image source, Getty Images

Celtic reinforced the recent Old Firm derby pattern with a routine Scottish Premiership win against Rangers.

Coming in as strong favourites and on their own patch, the champions withstood Rangers' spiky start before reasserting their familiar dominance.

Daizen Maeda guided in a close-range finish from Alistair Johnston's cross, as Rangers were manipulated all too easily from a throw-in.

By that point Kyogo Furuhashi had already had a goal ruled out for offside against Nicolas Kuhn, but the Japanese striker would soon add to his bulging derby tally with a precise finish from the edge of the box.

Rangers were fortunate not to be further behind by half-time and started the second period with more urgency, but Cyriel Dessers tamely shot at Kasper Schmeichel when a clinical finish was needed to reignite the contest.

There were chances for both sides in a more low key second period, with Kyogo surprisingly finding the side-netting when played through, and Ross McCausland and John Souttar missing for Rangers.

But Callum McGregor ended the contest with a belting finish from the edge of the box to move his side five points clear of their great rivals with only four league games played.

• Click here to read Thomas Duncan's full report.

Eberechi Eze scored a superb equaliser as Crystal Palace drew with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues, who thrashed Wolves 6-2 last week, were the better side in the first half, with Cole Palmer firing just wide and Dean Henderson saving superbly from Noni Madueke before Nicolas Jackson broke the deadlock.

The forward finished off a fast counter by Chelsea, tapping in Palmer's cross at the near post.

Palace were fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men when Will Hughes, on a booking, escaped punishment for a foul on Palmer.

And the Eagles were celebrating soon after when Eze curled a fine strike beyond Robert Sanchez in the Chelsea goal.

Sanchez did superbly to push away Daichi Kamada's stinging drive and prevent Palace taking the lead, but Jackson could have won it in stoppage time for Chelsea after going through on goal, but his shot was saved by Henderson.

The draw got Crystal Palace up and running for the season after back-to-back losses, while Chelsea have four points from their three games so far.

• Read Gary Rose's full report here.

Image source, Getty Images

Elsewhere in the Premier League, Newcastle maintained their unbeaten start to the season as they defeated Tottenham in a thrilling match at a packed and atmospheric St James' Park.

The hosts took a 37th-minute lead when Harvey Barnes superbly controlled a tricky side-footed finish after Lloyd Kelly had done well down the left and pulled the ball back.

But Tottenham levelled in the 56th minute. After Pedro Porro's shot had been deflected on to the crossbar moments earlier, half-time substitute Brennan Johnson had his shot sliced into his own goal by Newcastle defender Dan Burn.

Keeper Nick Pope then tipped over James Maddison's curled effort and Johnson fired over as Spurs piled on the pressure.

However, against the run of play, Newcastle regained their lead with 12 minutes left.

Joelinton started the move with excellent work in midfield and he released substitute Jacob Murphy who ran at the defence and crossed low for Alexander Isak to net the winner.

• Click here to read Michael Emons' full report.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Radio 5 Live

The manner of the defeat for Manchester United at home to fierce rivals Liverpool will put the spotlight back on manager Erik ten Hag, according to United fan Kim Burdett, who was speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast this morning:

"We’ve seen previous managers be sacked for games like yesterday.

"A lot is going to depend on what happens in the next few weeks, if it continues like this.

"It can’t carry on like this."

Liverpool maintained their flawless start under new manager Arne Slot as they outclassed woeful Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The visitors were on a different level to United in a win so comprehensive that it will bring renewed scrutiny on Slot's fellow Dutchman Erik ten Hag, who survived a summer review to win a new contract following last season's FA Cup win.

Liverpool have barely missed a beat since Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp, recording three straight Premier League wins now without conceding a goal, and this was the most impressive display so far.

Trent Alexander-Arnold had already had a goal disallowed for offside before Luis Diaz struck twice in quick succession just before the interval to put Liverpool in complete command.

Casemiro, who endured a first-half nightmare before being replaced, was the culprit twice as he conceded possession, with Diaz heading home Mohamed Salah's cross at the far post after 35 minutes before sweeping in the Egyptian's pass in front of the Stretford End seven minutes later.

Salah, inevitably, got in on the act with his 12th goal in 15 appearances against United after 56 minutes, beating Andre Onana from Dominik Szoboszlai’s pass.

United had opportunities, mainly through Joshua Zirkzee, but there were only occasional moments of anxiety for Liverpool as they put Ten Hag's side firmly in their place.

Read Phil McNulty's full report here.

Image source, Getty Images