Football/Soccer 24-Hour Briefing
×Last updated: October 24, 2026, 10:40 PM ET
Champions League & Europe
Chelsea were beaten 2-0 by Tottenham at Stamford Bridg after a horror night skysports.com that saw Mike Penders punch the ball into his own net and Cole Palmer sent off. Tottenham's second-ever Premier League win espn.com at Chelsea was greeted warmly by Roberto De Zerbi, who called his side "the complete team." The result lifts Spurs to 12th, their highest league position in a long stretch, as the BBC notes bbc.co.uk.
Napoli and Roma shared six goals espn.com in a 3-3 Derby del Sole, with Scott McTominay scoring twice in a stuttering start to Napoli's Serie A campaign.
Premier League
Manchester City lost for the first time espn.com this season, going down 2-1 at Aston Villa, where Nicolas Jackson struck twice bbc.co.uk to revive his start at the club. Attention has turned to City's leaky defence bbc.co.uk and the struggles of Gianluigi Donnarumma and Marc Guehi. Arsenal, meanwhile, are level on points espn.com with City at the top.
Michael Carrick insists Manchester United bbc.co.uk can be managed effectively despite the turmoil, while Senne Lammens says the squad is united behind Carrick skysports.com. Burnley sacked Nicky Hayen bbc.co.uk after just 14 games, following a 4-1 defeat to Lincoln.
La Liga & Clásico
Barcelona host Real Madrid in El Clásico, and Hansi Flick has outlined how his side espn.com intends to contain Kylian Mbappé. José Mourinho backed himself espn.com to deliver trophies at Real Madrid ahead of the fixture. Julián Álvarez scored his first home LaLiga goal in 11 months, helping Atlético espn.com close the gap on Barça, and he later apologized to Atlético fans espn.com over his attempt to force a move to Barcelona.
MLS & Americas
Nashville SC clinched the 2026 Supporters' Shield espn.com with a 2-0 win, its first title in the competition. Messi came off the bench in Miami's defeat, as a Casemiro own goal sank Inter Miami espn.com against the Red Bulls. Joe Scally also helped Gladbach espn.com avoid a record-breaking Bundesliga start.
Transfers & Other News
Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Barcelona are all chasing Brighton's Luka Vuskovic espn.com, with Liverpool also reported as interested. Bayern boss Vincent Kompany remains stable in hospital bbc.co.uk after collapsing at training, with recovery expected to take weeks. Gianni Infantino has claimed the "vast majority" espn.com of football backs his FIFA re-election bid. AC Milan condemned racist abuse espn.com directed at goalkeeper Mike Maignan after his red card against Bournemouth.
In the Women's Super League, Arsenal beat Tottenham 2-1 skysports.com in the north London derby, ending a five-game winless run.
Coming Up
Barcelona and Real Madrid meet in El Clásico espn.com on Sunday. Manchester City are set to have Erling Haaland back espn.com for Saturday's fixture. The Ballon d'Or is due to be presented espn.com on Monday.