Whenever United play Palace these days, I always find myself thinking of the loyal Irish Examiner reader out in Clonakilty once described to me as “the only Eagles fan in Ireland”. (Hello there, James.)

Just about the only piece of good news for Manchester United on Saturday evening was that they do not have to wait long for their next match. Jose Mourinho’s players will hope to use a Champions League meeting with Swiss side Young Boys to quickly get a dire goalless draw with Crystal Palace out of their system.

West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini endured a miserable afternoon as former club Manchester City scored three times in the first 34 minutes of a 4-0 win at the London Stadium.

Simon Peach Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has refused to “play the game” and expand on comments made in a recent interview where he appeared to suggest some of his players lacked character.

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has refused to "play the game" and expand on comments made in a recent interview where he appeared to suggest some of his players lacked character.

There's nothing like the restorative powers of an international break - niggling injuries that kept players immobile for a fortnight miraculously disappear as a new round of league fixtures approach.

In the aftermath of a drab, scoreless draw against Denmark on Monday, Martin O’Neill assured the media that his players would be ready for the “big stuff” in March.

A special trust fund of €1m has been set up for Liam Miller’s family from the funds generated by last month’s tribute match at Páirc Ui Chaoimh for the late Man Utd and Celtic soccer star.

Chelsea's record goalscorer Frank Lampard returns to his former stomping ground of Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night with his Derby side taking on the Blues in the Carabao Cup fourth round.

Sunday’s 5-1 La Liga Clasico hammering at Barcelona was the final act of Julen Lopetegui’s disastrous and short spell as Real Madrid coach — but the Bernabeu outfit may now remain in limbo, as talks with former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte broke down yesterday.

Those of us who had been wondering all season just how good United really are may feel this past week has summed it up. Good enough to squeeze past mundane Premier League sides like Everton at home; bad enough to be totally schooled by any classy European side that may come along.

Tomorrow brings the first La Liga Clasico without either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo since December 2007 — but that is not even close to the strangest talking point ahead of the game.

Tottenham will not move into their new stadium until 2019 after the club said “critical safety systems” must be sorted out at White Hart Lane.

Jose Mourinho believes striker Romelu Lukaku is about to vent his goalscoring frustrations on an unlucky opponent.

So how was your Gameweek 9? If your honest answer is 'Meh', you've done exceptionally well.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek fired a hat-trick for his first Chelsea goals in 30 months to seal the Blues’ 3-1 Europa League win over BATE Borisov at Stamford Bridge.

Jose Mourinho has suddenly found the secret formula to beating team full of high quality, big-impact stars who play at a higher level than his own side, just in time for a similar test against Manchester City in the Premier League.

Paul Pogba allayed talk of a Manchester United exit on his return to Juventus, with the midfielder insisting he is happy under Jose Mourinho and has no regrets about re-joining the Old Trafford giants.

Football’s ability to protect players from crowd abuse and to respect their freedom of expression is being called into doubt after James McClean became embroiled in yet another controversy over his choice not to wear a poppy.

Hallowe’en didn’t have much impact on Fantasy Premier League managers this week - we had enough scares already in GW10.