Who is in line to take over at Sunderland?

Club chairman Ellis Short is keen to speak to former West Ham boss Sam Allardyce, among others, as he seeks a replacement. 

Allardyce has been out of the game since leaving the Hammers at the end of last season.

Former Leicester manager Nigel Pearson and Burnley's Sean Dyche are also in line as are Karl Robinson of MK Dons and Burton's Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

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Turns out former Liverpool defender and BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson was right, when, after Rodgers appointment three years ago, he described it as a major gamble.

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"It's a great appointment for him and the biggest gamble the club have taken in a long time," Lawrenson said in June 2012.

"Liverpool supporters will give him a chance. They will give him time. But it's a different challenge for Brendan, the club will be expected to win every game.

Rodgers who got into coaching after injury cut short his playing career at the age of 20, got the Liverpool job on the back of leading Swansea to 11th place in the Premier League in the 2011-12 campaign.

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Chelsea Ladies are celebrating after becoming Women's Super League 1 champions for the first time after beating Sunderland 4-0.

It gives Emma Hayes's side a domestic double after they won the FA Cup in August.

England striker Fran Kirby netted twice after Ji So-Yun's opener, before Gemma Davison's late fourth.

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Meanwhile, over in South Wales, Tottenham extended their unbeaten Premier League run to seven games as two superb free-kicks from Christian Eriksen earned them a point at Swansea.

Andre Ayew's header gave the Swans the lead before Eriksen levelled with a swerving effort from 25 yards.

Tottenham's Harry Kane sliced Jonjo Shelvey's corner into his own net to restore Swansea's advantage.

But Eriksen found the top corner from range to lift Spurs to within two points of the top four.

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Elsewhere in the world of footie, Arsenal produced a sensational opening 20 minutes of football against Manchester United on Sunday, scoring three goals and wrapping up victory by half-time.

United had no answer to Arsenal's opening burst as Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil scored twice in 74 seconds while Sanchez added a third from 18 yards as the Gunners beat United for just the second time in 14 league meetings - moving above the Reds into second place.

You can find all of the goals in less than a minute in the In Short section of the 5 live website.

It is fair to say it hasn't been the most inspiring of campaigns so far for the Reds.

They have won only four of their 11 games in all competitions this season, including victory on penalties against League Two Carlisle at home in the Capital One Cup.

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Rodgers said this week that he was "not worried" about the possibility of the sack, despite Liverpool's poor start to the season.

After the draw with Everton, he spoke of a "constant rebuilding" job and highlighted the impact of losing "four real catalysts" of his side.

Little more than an hour later, the club announced the Northern Irishman had been sacked.

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It's the end of the Brendan Rodgers era at Liverpool - a time which promised much but delivered little. 

So how did it go so wrong for a manager who seemed to have a glittering Anfield future in front of him?  

BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty looks at why Liverpool have sacked their manager.

And one from someone who we're guessing isn't a Liverpool supporter...

As well as the news of the end of the Rodgers reign (well, it would have been a serious turn up for the books had they not mentioned it really...), The Guardian reports on England's Rugby Union World Cup exit and Frankie Dettori's win on Golden Horn in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

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Dick Advocaat's departure from Sunderland means chairman Ellis Short is looking for his seventh head coach in as many years.

The American also revealed that the 68-year-old had gone without any financial settlement.

"I am truly saddened by Dick's decision, but I respect him for his honesty and for doing what he feels is right for the club," he said. 

"He is a man of integrity and a true football person. He was hugely respectful of the club in taking this decision and he acted 100% in our best interests." 

Mike Hughes
Reporter, BBC Radio Merseyside Sport

"A last opportunity for him to stake a claim for his new way forward came in the shape of four successive home games. Liverpool only won one of them and the die was cast.

"Yet the much-maligned Rodgers was the LMA manager of the year a little over a year ago and was awarded a new big money contract on the back of it.

"There's no denying that the continuing departure of at least one world class talent each season, served to undermine his attempts to build a new Liverpool. However, the brutal truth is that this season there were few signs if any, of a realistic challenge for honours or a top-four finish."

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Mike Hughes
Reporter, BBC Radio Merseyside Sport

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"Brendan Rodgers was playing a high-stakes game after another summer of change at Liverpool. Despite an £80m summer spending spree there wasn't enough of a discernible improvement in performances or results.

"The Northern Irishman was given a stay of execution by FSG at the end of last season, despite a campaign that faltered disastrously in the final few months.

"Liverpool's American owners made it clear that an improvement was expected. Not only financial backing for a number of high profile summer signings, but also a radical overhaul of the coaching staff.

"Colin Pascoe and Mike Marsh paid for last season's failure with their jobs. Sean O'Driscoll, Gary McAllister and Pep Lijnders were brought in to replace them. But a lack of any noticeable improvement in either results or playing style almost painted Rodgers into a corner."

The Daily Star goes for a pun-tastic Rodgers and Out headline on its back page and - and you may have spotted this is becoming a common theme - says Jurgen Klopp is lying in wait to take over...

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A photo of a thoughful-looking Brendan Rodgers features large in the Independent and it backs the common view that Jurgen Klopp is favourite to take over at the Anfield club.

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The Express reports that Klopp is in line to replace Rodgers and in other football managerial news, says that Burnley's Sean Dyche is in line to replace Dick Advocaat at Sunderland.