United melted a 2:0 lead and lost 3:2 to Brighton at Old Trafford

Manchester United led 2:0 after ten minutes at home against Brighton, through goals from Shea Lacey and Mason Mount. Then it all collapsed. Charalampos Kostoulas, Pascal Gross and Maxim De Cuyper turned the match into 3:2 for the visitors and United went out of the League Cup in the first round. That is the second heavy blow in a week - at the weekend they lost the derby to City 0:1, even though their rivals played with ten men for over an hour. Six matches, two wins. According to The Athletic, the club is making checks in case it has to replace Michael Carrick, but for now there are no ready alternatives. A familiar story: the board announces nothing while reviewing options at the same time. On Sunday United play away at Fulham - and that trip suddenly looks like an exam rather than a fixture.

Kane let the numbers speak: 73 goals against the campaigns of Mbappé and Yamal

While Mbappé, Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembélé lobby publicly for the Ballon d'Or, Harry Kane replied with a single sentence: "I don't want to talk about myself - the 73 goals speak for themselves." The numbers really are brutal. Sixty-one goals and seven assists in 51 appearances for Bayern in a domestic treble season, then another six goals for England before the World Cup and six at the tournament itself, where England finished third. More than Mbappé, more than Yamal. The vote is on 26 October. What stands out is not who will win, but how openly everyone is campaigning for an award supposedly given on merit - Kane included, whose "I don't want to talk about myself" said a great deal very clearly.

Álvarez is changing agents to force a transfer to Barcelona

According to Mundo Deportivo, Julián Álvarez is seriously considering ending his long-standing relationship with agent Fernando Hidalgo and has already spoken to The Elegant Game agency, founded by the former Argentine footballer Javier Pastore. The same agency represents Enzo Fernández and helped him get out of Chelsea. The summer saga around a move to Barcelona wrecked his relationship with Atlético's supporters, and chief executive Miguel Ángel Gil Marín publicly blamed the player's representatives and Barcelona. Atlético were willing to sell him to anyone except a direct rival at the top. Three matches, zero goals - he has only one assist, against Liverpool this week. Changing agents means one thing: the saga is not closed, only paused.

Shkëndija beat Bashkimi 4:1 to return to the top - and to winning

After two draws, the Tetovo side remember how to win. Shkëndija beat Bashkimi in Gostivar 4:1 in the eighth round of the Macedonian First League. Ndzengue opened the scoring in the 15th minute after an assist from Tamba, Fatih Ismaili equalised in the 40th from a Ribeiro free kick, and then the second half was a one-sided film - Krijeziu in the 46th, Tamba in the 71st and Trumçi in the 87th minute. With 19 points Shkëndija top the table; Bashkimi are ninth with four. A break follows for senior national team duty, and on 9 October Shkëndija travel to Shkëndija Aracinovo. The domestic league rarely produces results like this without someone asking how much is down to the winner and how much to the gap in budgets.

Nestorovski, at 36, came off the bench and turned the match in four minutes

Ilija Nestorovski started the away match at Rudeš on the bench. He came on at the start of the second half and in four minutes scored twice to turn the game around and put Slaven Belupo 1:2 ahead. The Croatian fixture then ended the way these stories usually do - Rudeš won a penalty in stoppage time and levelled at 2:2. The Macedonian striker was the best player on the pitch and ended the evening with a single point. At 36, off the bench, in four minutes, he solved what his team had not solved in 45. The question that asks itself is why he started on the bench at all.