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We may have missed out on all the usual Premier League dramaÂlast weekend but the round of World Cup qualifiers combined with the Football League was just enough to cure our top flight withdrawal symptoms.The action kicked off with England’s 3-0 win over Scotland at Wembley, courtesy of goals from Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill, and continued as Northern Ireland trounced Azerbaijan, Wales claimed a score drawÂwith Serbia and Ireland eked out a 1-0 win away in Austria.Meanwhile, Scunthorpe extended their lead at the top of League One, whilst rock-bottom Chesterfield drifted further away from the pack with a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Sheffield United.The footballing world has gone nothing short of statistics crazy over the course of the last few years and we at Football FanCast are no different.With that in mind, here’s a rundown of the best, most shocking and intriguing stats from all the weekend action.

Heading home

England claimed victory over Scotland on Friday night with a hat-trick of headers from Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill, contributing to a rather incredible streak of seven headers from their last eight goals versus the Tartan Army. Clearly a weakness for those north of the border.

Chart-topping Cristiano

Cristiano Ronaldo may be struggling to meet goalscoring expectations at club level this season but a brace against Latvia has taken his international tally to 68 goals from 136 caps. That makes CR7 the highest-scoring player currently involved in international football.

Gareth and George

Here’s one you wouldn’t have expected to hear at the start of Gareth McAuley’s career – the West Brom centre-back now has as many international goals to his name as Northern Ireland legend George Best, on nine apiece.

Legendary Low

As if winning a World Cup hadn’t already etched his name into Germany folk law, Joachim Low is now officially the most successful manager in Mannschaft history following an 8-0 win over San Marino. His win rate stands at a staggering 67%.

Ranger Redemption

Former Newcastle United badboy Nile Ranger has scored just 18 goals throughout his senior career, ten of which came during a single season at Swindon Town. But the 25-year-old managed to break his duck for Southend versus Bury on Saturday, notching up his first league goal in 735 days.

Subordinate Scotland

The 3-0 affair on Friday night made Scotland the second-most defeated side throughout England’s history, only bettered (or should that be worsened) by fellow home rivals Wales.

Drawing Dragons

A late header from Aleksandar Mitrovic saw Wales settle for a point on Saturday evening. Surprisingly, the Dragons have never actually beaten Serbia, losing eight and drawing three from their eleven meetings thus far.

Superb Silva

David Silva’s ability has never been in doubt but recent performances for Spain have highlighted how talented a player the Manchester City maestro truly is, contributing to eight goals during his last five appearances.

Brilliant Bale

To call Wales a one-man team would be unfair but Gareth Bale continues to enjoy talismanic status. The Real Madrid winger netted the first during a 1-1 draw with Serbia, making him in some way responsible for 14 of his country’s last 15 goals in Wales.

Immovable Italy

We all know Italy are a hard team to beat and this statistic proves just that. Azzurri haven’t lost an international qualifier since 2006 – ironically, the year they last won the World Cup.

Away day domination

Back to the domestic action and Sheffield United are the English football’s away day kings. Whilst they’ve only picked up four wins from nine on the road, they’ve scored an impressive 19 goals in the process.

Ageing Aduriz

Aritz Aduriz set a new record for Spain against Macedona, albeit one he’s probably not over the moon about. The Athletic Bilbao icon found the net in a 4-0 win to become his country’s oldest ever goalscorer at just a few months shy of 36.

Beastly Belgium

Belgium may have struggled to meet expectations during their last two major tournaments but the Red Devils’ undefeated qualifying run now spans to 14 games. In that time, they’ve conceded just five goals whilst averaging 2.8 at the other end.

Defiant Depay

Just a matter of hours after Ronald Koeman suggestedÂhe’d like to sign Memphis Depay, the Manchester United forward popped up with his first ever brace for the Netherlands national team. Will that convince Koeman to launch a January swoop?

The good news for Liverpool supporters is that Joel Matip has reportedly returned to training ahead of this weekend’s Premier League clash against West Ham United, but the bad news is that they could lose the defender to the Africa Cup of Nations in January.

The 25-year-old has not represented Cameroon since 2015, and he was widely expected to stay with the Reds rather than play a part in the tournament, which kicks off in Gabon on January 14.

However, manager Hugo Broos has told Belgium’s Voetbal Magazine that he has been given an indication that Matip could change his mind and leave Anfield, alongside his teammate Sadio Mane, who will represent Senegal.

“When I took over as coach I went to see him in Gelsenkirchen and ask him to return to the team, but he said to me ‘nothing is organised properly in Cameroon’,” Broos told the publication.

“I asked him to give me a chance to prove that we could do it better but he was not convinced. But in the meantime I’ve heard that he is now prepared to make a comeback and so I am going to go and see him again.”

If Matip does temporarily leave the Reds during the winter period, it could prove to be detrimental to Liverpool’s season, as his absence was hugely felt during last weekend’s Premier League match against Bournemouth.

The defender missed the match due to a minor ankle strain, and Jurgen Klopp’s side struggled as they let a 3-1 lead slip to record a 4-3 defeat at the Vitality Stadium.

Goalkeeper Loris Karius was heavily criticised for his error-strewn performance, but the centre-back pairing of Dejan Lovren and Lucas Leiva – traditionally a midfielder – posed its own issues down on the South Coast.

The Daily Mail reports that Matip took part in training during Liverpool’s two-day visit to Barcelona, which suggests that he could play against the Hammers this Sunday, but fans have been quick to express concern over the defender’s impending absence.

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Spurs v Chelsea this evening looks like being one of the biggest games of the season.

The Blues travel to their London rivals knowing that a win will earn them a unique piece of Premier League history, as they will become the first team ever in the top tier English football to secure 14 successive victories in a single season.

On top of that, three points will move them eight clear of Liverpool, who drew with Sunderland on Monday, at the top of the division, and solidify their status as favourites for the crown. However, Spurs will be out for revenge after having their own title dreams dashed by Chelsea in cruel fashion last term, with the Stamford Bridge side having come back from 2-0 down to secure a draw that confirmed Leicester’s status as champions.

This is a massive clash, then, and EveryFan have pitted two die-hard supporters of the capital rivals against one another in a series of challenges to see who is the biggest ‘half fan’. Soccer AM’s Tubes (Chelsea) beat his TV show rival Franky Fryer (Spurs) 2-1 courtesy of a bizarre test…

As the video shows, Tubes knew his way blindfolded to Stamford Bridge from the nearest tube station (no pun intended), while Franky… didn’t.

The win put Tubes 2-1 up – they have also clashed in a game of Crossbar Challenge – but the decider will come as the pair host a tournament on EveryFan before kick-off tonight. So download the app and see how this ends…

It was a surprise decision this season when Arsenal elected to let Jack Wilshere go on-loan to Bournemouth, given his importance to the Gunners in recent years, and the England international has impressed so far on the South Coast.

Avoiding the injury problems that have plagued his career in recent years, Wilshere has continued his development finely under the guidance of Eddie Howe and he put in a valiant performance for his loan side at Stamford Bridge today.

Wilshere’s performance in the midfield was impressive but it wasn’t enough for Bournemouth to overcome Chelsea, who fell to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Antonio Conte’s side. However, it did show Wilshere at the best of his ability.

After seeing his performances, Arsenal fans have been asking Arsene Wenger to do one thing- recall the youngster from his spell on the South Coast, as they clearly feel he can do a job within the Gunners ranks.

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West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic has admitted that he is “angry” with Dimitri Payet after the club’s star man refused to play.

In Thursday’s press conference, Bilic revealed that the Frenchman wants to leave the Hammers, but the club are not prepared to sanction a move.

Payet was in fine form last season, scoring nine goals and creating 12 assists in 30 Premier League appearances.

In February, with the hope of keeping the 29-year-old at the club long term, the Hammers tied him down to a new contract, which runs until 2021.

The current season has been a stark contrast to the previous one, with the club laying in 13th place after winning just six of their 20 top-flight games.

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Payet has not been as influential, scoring two goals and providing six assists in 18 league appearances.

The East London outfit find themselves in a tough situation – do they sell now and get a significant fee for Payet, or do they weather the storm and try to convince the Frenchman to change his mind?

As it stands, Bilic has ruled out the notion of selling, but he will not welcome the playmaker back into his team until he alters his mindset.

On a personal level, Bilic has been left hurt by Payet’s decision, telling reporters:

“This team, the staff, we gave him everything, we were always there for him. I feel let down. I feel angry. I expect him to come back and show commitment and determination to the team, like the team has shown to him.

“He’s probably been tapped up by some clubs or whatever. That is usual at this time of year. But until he changes his attitude he is out of the team and he’s not going to train with us. I have a team to manage. But we are not going to sell him, not whatsoever.”

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Plenty of Arsenal supporters vented their fury on Twitter after their team suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat to Watford at the Emirates on Tuesday night.

The Gunners conceded twice inside the first 15 minutes as Younes Kaboul and Troy Deeney got on the scoresheet for the Hornets.

Thirteen minutes into the second half, Alex Iwobi pulled one back for the Gunners in an attempt to inspire a comeback, but it was not to be.

It was a frustrating night in particular for manager Arsene Wenger, who was forced to watch the entire game from the stands due to his four-match touchline ban.

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The Frenchman was punished by the Football Association for appearing to shove fourth official Anthony Taylor during Arsenal’s 2-1 triumph over Burnley around two weeks ago.

Against Watford, Arsenal had a whopping 74% possession and produced 20 shots, but only five were on target.

The result has hampered the club’s chances of winning the Premier League title as they now drop to third, nine points adrift of leaders Chelsea after 23 games.

As expected, plenty of Arsenal fans were disappointing by the result, and some called for Wenger to step down.

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Antonio Conte’s Chelsea failed to move a massive twelve points clear of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, struggling to see off Burnley away from home.Having to settle for a 1-1 draw, the Blues were left frustrated and disappointed they couldn’t pick up all three points as Sean Dyche’s men really took the game to Chelsea.Pedro got the visitors off to a flyer on seven minutes before Robbie Brady produced a wonderful free-kick on his first full start for the club since his move from Norwich City in January.Chelsea had plenty of time to find a winner but just couldn’t get the job done. As this stat from Opta reveals, Conte’s side were massively frustrated in the second half.

Failing to land shots on target is very unlike what has been a rampant Chelsea side this season. It demonstrates just how good Burnley, and in particular their defence, were on Sunday.

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Arsenal may have returned to usual business with a relatively routine 2-0 win over Hull City on Saturday but with their Premier League title bid already over and the seemingly insurmountable obstacle of Bayern Munich on the horizon in the Champions League, the subject of Arsene Wenger’s future continues to linger in the north London air.

No doubt, we’ve been here before with ‘Le Prof’. But his contract is due to expire at the end of the season, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez appear reluctant to commit their futures to the club and Arsenal are almost certain to end their Premier League campaign as also-rans once again, so change feels largely inevitable as the rest of the English top flight moves into a new era.

But, as Manchester United have proved since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Unless the Gunners want to endure a few campaigns in the wilderness, it’s essential they choose the right successor to their generation-spanning gaffer.

With that in mind, we asked our Arsenal readers last week to vote for who’d they’d like to see replace Wenger in the Gunners dugout next season. The results are now in, so here’s a rundown of the top THREE…

3. Thomas Tuchel

Borussia Dortmund aren’t quite the force they were under Jurgen Klopp but by all accounts, Thomas Tuchel has proved a worthy successor to the now Liverpool boss, maintaining their emphasis on energetic, attacking football and developing talented young players whilst producing decent results, his side coming second in the Bundesliga last season. The current campaign hasn’t been quite so kind to the Black-Yellows, however, who are in fourth, which is perhaps why the 43-year-old didn’t come higher in our poll.

2. Diego Simeone

Seen by many as the last remaining superstar manager yet to work in the Premier League, Diego Simeone’s achievements at Atletico Madrid have constituted nothing less than minor miracles. Indeed, he picked the club up in a precarious financial position and has since lead the Mattress Makers to a Europa League title, two Champions League finals and most significantly, the first non-El-Clasico La Liga title in a decade. That’s despite having to sell his best players pretty much every summer. Clearly an incredibly talented manager, but the direct antithesis of the Arsene Wenger philosophy of open, expansive football. Would world football’s greatest opportunist simply bring too much change to north London?

1. Max Allegri

It didn’t take long for Antonio Conte to show what all the fuss was about after moving to the Premier League and many are predicting his successor at Juventus, Max Allegri, to have a similar effect. Although the Italian inherited a title-winning side from his compatriot, that shouldn’t take away from how he’s looked to further improve the Old Lady, maintaining their Serie A dominance with two titles whilst doing what Conte couldn’t – guide the club to a Champions League final. A smart tactician and passionate character, still aged just 49, his widespread appeal has clearly caught the imagination of the Arsenal fan base.

CLICK THROUGH TO THE NEXT PAGE TO SEE THE RESULTS IN FULL

Results

Manchester United supporters have taken to Twitter to criticise former player Paul Parker for accusing Paul Pogba of not respecting his teammates.

The 52-year-old, who spent five years playing for the Red Devils, has given his assessment on the world’s most expensive footballer.

United broke the transfer record by re-signing Pogba from Juventus for £89m last summer, but he has not quite lived up to the mammoth fee.

So far, the France international has made 35 appearances in all competitions, has registered four assists and scored seven goals.

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In an interview with 888sport Parker claimed that Pogba needs to score 15 goals and make 25 others every season in order to justify the money United spent to re-sign him. The retired footballer went on to say:

“The problem is that he’s not playing with the same calibre of players that he had at Juventus, so he’s trying to do too much and holds onto the ball too long. He never had so many touches of the ball at Juve because maybe now he feels he doesn’t have the players around him who he respects.

“Maybe if he kept it simple and began respecting the people around him he’d do more, instead of just flashes.”

Pogba had four successful years at Juventus, winning four Serie A titles, two Coppa Italia crowns and two Supercoppa Italiana trophies.

A large number of United fans have not taken too kindly to Parker’s words, with some opting to unleash personal digs at the ex-professional.

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Visit Britain are looking to find football’s biggest Super Fan, and with the significance of the Premier League certainly on the rise in the United States, they will have no shortage of suitors.

Indeed, the fast improving quality of the Premier League is beginning to take hold across the Atlantic, with some of the sport’s most passionate fans now based in America.

It isn’t just the fans that have found an interest in English football, though, with a host of American players also making the move across the pond.

Some have been successful, others not so much, but the impact that American footballers are having in the Premier League is huge.

Goalscorers often get the credit, but assists are equally as important, and there have been a decent number of American players that have come to the Premier League and been a real help to their teammates – but who has the most assists?

Take the quiz below and see if you can name the top 15 American’s with the most assists in the Premier League.

Let us know how you get on…

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Do you think you have what it takes to be Visit Britain’s biggest Super Fan? Click on the link below to find the details.

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