Premier League Picks Of The Week 13

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 13

The 13th week of the Premier League action saw:

22 goals - most by Southampton = 4
221 shots - most by Tottenham = 24
62 on target - most by Palace, Bournemouth, Tottenham, Man City & Everton = 5 each
92 corners - most by Tottenham & Chelsea = 8 each
199 fouls - most by Swansea = 18
27 yellow cards - Swansea & West Brom = 4 each
1 red card - van La Parra for Huddersfield
2 penalties - 2 scored (Sánchez for Arsenal, Agüero for Man City)

What a game! David Moyes claimed his first point as Hammers boss thanks to Cheikhou Kouyaté's headed equaliser off a corner after Marc Albrighton's early opener for the Foxes. Claude Puel has a win, two draws and one defeat in his four City games. The Friday night draw showed both sides' weaknesses, West Ham staying in the bottom three whilst Leicester remain in the bottom half. More below.
Jürgen Klopp surprised everyone with the Liverpool line-up against Chelsea in the late kick-off on Saturday. But it was less of a surprise seeing the full-time scoreboard, Mohamed Salah giving the Reds the lead with his 15th goal of the season and Willian grabbing a late equaliser that was definitely an intended cross that fluked its way in over Simon Mignolet and nicked a point for the Blues. Both sides created and gave away a lot of chances. Deja vue for the home side to throw away a lead, click here to read my full LFC match report. But with this draw, Liverpool have only lost two of their last 34 home games in the Premier League. Boom.

What a team! Huddersfield and Burnley were up for it on Sunday, unlucky to lose against Manchester City and Arsenal respectively. Sergio Agüero and Raheem Sterling completed the comeback for the league leaders after the Terriers were ahead thanks to a Nicolás Otamendi own goal to make it eleven consecutive wins for Pep Guardiola's men and take them eight points clear at the top. Clarets boss Sean Dyche was left fuming after Alexis Sánchez netted a very soft injury-time penalty at Turf Moor. It was the third consecutive time the Gunners had grabbed a stoppage time winner against Burnley, this one taking them back into the top four.
At the other end of the table, Everton continued their poor form after being taken apart 4-1 at Southampton. Caretaker manager David Unsworth took responsibility saying "things have to change quickly", the Toffees having won just once in seven under him, staying stuck in 16th, just two points clear of the relegation zone.

What a man! Former Derby midfielder Will Hughes has scored in back-to-back league games for the first time in his career giving Watford the lead at Newcastle with a lovely finish. B(l)oom! DeAndre Yedlin diverted the ball into his own net to add to the Magpies' misery before the break. And Andre Gray sealed the deal making it 0-3 with just under half an hour to go. It could have been 5 or 6 or 7 by then. Rafael Benítez's men were well and truly beaten, broken, too open at the back, suffering their fourth successive defeat. No discrediting Marco Silva's side, just wow! They have won more away league points in their seven matches this season (13) than they did in all 19 games on the road last season (12). Impressive.
A great double-save by Brighton keeper Mathew Ryan at Old Trafford denied Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku just before the break and kept his side in the game and United disappointed and frustrated. The Seagulls impressed at the back and front, fighting and surprising the Red Devils. It took an evil deflection off Lewis Dunk to see Ashley Young's powerful shot from just outside the box into the top right corner to break the stubborn deadlock. Lucky. Harsh on Brighton who did so well, even José Mourinho conceded that much in the post-match interview. But that's football. It takes United's unbeaten run at home to 39 games in all competitions, the last defeat being against Man City in September 2017, 441 days ago!!!

What a goal! Swansea's Wilfried Bony was not a happy man seeing his low curler into the bottom corner disallowed just before the break as referee Stuart Attwell felt Jordan Ayew fouled Bournemouth defender Nathan Aké in the build-up. Harsh. Softer than soft. It stayed goalless and luckless for the Swans. More to that match below.
West Brom's opener at Tottenham was an odd one, Salomón Rondón taking advantage rolling the ball into the far corner, beating a sleepy defence early on in the game (4'). The managerless side defended well, keeping Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen oh so quiet in the first half. A penny for Tony Pulis' thoughts at half time... Kane spoilt the upset equalising with a simple touch through Ben Foster's legs. With that leveller, the striker has scored 40 goals for Spurs in 2017 and been involved in 100 Premier League goals in his 128 league games - 87 goals, 13 assists. Wow. Still, a point is a point, not bad for the visitors at Wembley, Mauricio Pochettino going as far as saying the draw took his side out of the title race. Ouch.
And Crystal Palace were made to rue Christian Benteke's miss, Xherdan Shaqiri powering past three defenders before firing the ball in to give Stoke the lead at Selhurst Park. But not for long as 2:31 minutes later, Ruben Loftus-Cheek tapped in the equaliser at the far post as the Potters forgot how to defend. An action-packed couple of minutes in not the most entertaining nor top-quality game... Mamadou Sakho nicked a last-minute winner for Roy Hodgson's hard-working men, only their second win of the season, closing the gap from the bottom to safety. It's Palace's first 90th minute winner at home in the PL since Clinton Morrison against Sheffield Wednesday in May 1998. Rare. But deserved.

What the hell?! How did Ryan Shawcross miss that sitter to make it 1-2 for Stoke, a yard or two away from the goal-line?! His defending was just as miserable as his side ended up losing 2-1 to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, as mentioned above.
Swan Ki Sung-yueng got a lucky to escape with just a yellow card after some daft pushing and fighting, including the referee!!! Manager Paul Clement was more than right to criticise the referee as mentioned above, but his side benefited from the bad refereeing in this incident, evening out the errors going for and against them.
And André Ayew's penalty appeal was an absolute waste for West Ham, if he would have stayed up he would have had a golden chance to get the Hammers ahead. But no, dive and whine instead. Waste. I hope the FA will have a look at it and punish him.

My Predictions - Actual Results
West Ham 1:2 Leicester - 1:1
Crystal Palace 1:1 Stoke City - 2:1
Man United 2:1 Brighton - 1:0
Newcastle 1:2 Watford - 0:3
Swansea 0:1 Bournemouth - 0:0
Tottenham 3:1 West Brom - 1:1
Liverpool 1:1 Chelsea - 1:1
Southampton 2:0 Everton - 4:1
Burnley 0:0 Arsenal - 0:1
Huddersfield 0:4 Man City - 1:2

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

All pictures, stats and facts were taken from the BBC match reports, Twitter and SFR match coverage.

Willian Nicks A Late Point For Chelsea At Anfield

Sports - Football - Premier League - LFC 1:1 CFC

Substitute Willian grabbed a point for Chelsea late on, Liverpool failing to hang on to a lead once again after Mohamed Salah put them ahead, the much anticipated Premier League clash ending 1-1 at Anfield.

Liverpool started strong, dominant in possession, in control but didn't produce much danger, not giving Thibaut Courtois much to do.

Halfway through the half saw a block by Simon Mignolet one-on-one against a dangerous Eden Hazard and then seconds later the Belgian keeper put Davide Zappacosta's attempt out for a corner, followed by ping pong in and around the box, tense, tense, tense, first real chances and pressure by the Blues, or either side actually.

Chelsea were all over the Reds in those crazy ten-ish minutes, Marcos Alonso's 25-yard free kick going over the wall but bending just about a yard wide. And breath.

A threatening Salah created most for the home side, putting a left-footed shot just wide a few minutes before the break, still no shots on target for the Reds though, Courtois looked beaten but remained unthreatened.

The referee Michael Oliver ignored a penalty shout against Hazard bringing down Philippe Coutinho in the box as an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain threat was cleared. It would have been harsh.

It stayed goalless at the break, Liverpool with more of the ball, but Chelsea with more chances and closer to breaking the deadlock.

Chelsea were on top after the interval, Hazard tumbling into the box a bit too over-dramatic, nothing given.

Seconds later Courtois spilled Daniel Sturridge's cross/shot, the ball squirming under the keeper and out for a corner, Liverpool's first of the match. The second followed shortly after, both were cleared.

A daft kick out by Tiemoué Bakayoko against Coutinho conceded a free kick, which the Brazilian took and saw blocked out for a corner. Joel Matip wasted that set piece out for a goal kick.

The first attempt on target for the Reds came in the 55th minute, skipper Jordan Henderson with a shot, easily collected by Courtois.

Another penalty shout came with just under an hour gone, this time against Gary Cahill, Sturridge's ball, arms by his side, nothing in it, game on.

Chelsea threatened a couple of more times with Zappacosta and Alvaro Morata before Liverpool mounted threats and chances of their own with Coutinho and Salah.

The Egyptian former Chelsea man then finally found the breakthrough, nicking the ball off Bakayoko in the box and putting it past Courtois and in, 1-0 with 65 minutes gone. Cheeky, too easy, his 15th of the season, BOOM!

Jürgen Klopp took off Sturridge straight after LFC took the lead, Georginio Wijnaldum replacing the under-fire striker with just under 25 minutes to go.

The game slowed down a lot after that. Chelsea needed changes, made changes, more attacking after falling behind.

Substitute Wijnaldum saw a shot deflected out for a corner by Cahill, before some poor decision making by Chelsea conceded another counter by the Reds which won them a corner.

So, both sides kept threatening, Alonso missing the biggest sitter right in front of goal, kicking the ball high in the sky with his left foot.

The Reds did look nervy at the back, it's surprising they had only conceded once at Anfield in the Premier League this season.

That was until Willian stunned and fooled everyone with a cross/shot from the right edge of the box, the curl and turn lifting over and beating Mignolet to make it 1-1 with five minutes to go.

Five very tense minutes, plus three added on which saw a late double-change for the Reds, Adam Lallana returning from injury and coming on with Sadio Mané, and a great save by Courtois denying Salah late on.

It ended a goal and point each, the Reds throwing away a lead once again, disappointing, but showing much more strength, fight and threat against the Blues, who will be much happier with the point, Antonio Conte's reaction said it all.

Much in contrast to that, Mané was not happy with Klopp after the match, no surprise there. Everyone was caught out by the German's changes and too late substitutions, he blamed it all on the referee in the post-match interview. Harsh.

With this draw Liverpool remain unbeaten in their last six Premier League meetings with Chelsea.
However, the Blues haven't lost any of their last six Premier League visits to Anfield.

One point gained, but two points dropped in the chase for the top four, especially annoying after Tottenham also dropped points against managerless strugglers West Brom earlier in the day.

No rest for the wicked as Liverpool will travel to Stoke on Wednesday.

Liverpool Goal: Salah 65'.

Chelsea Goal: Willian 85'.

HT Stats: LFC 0-0 CFC
Possession: 64%-36%
Shots: 6-7
On target: 0-2
Corners: 0-5
Fouls 5-4
Yellow cards: 0-0

FT Stats: LFC 1-1 CFC
Possession: 53%-47%
Shots: 16-11
On target: 4-3
Corners: 7-8
Fouls: 10-7
Yellow cards: 0-0

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 18 Moreno, 17 Klavan, 32 Matip, 12 Gomez; 7 Milner, 14 Henderson (c), 21 Oxlade- Chamberlain (19 Mané 89'); 10 Coutinho (20 Lallana 89'), 15 Sturridge (5 Wijnaldum 66'), 11 Salah. 4-3-3
Substitutes not used: 1 Karius, 9 Firmino, 26 Robertson, 66 Alexander-Arnold.

Chelsea Team: 13 Courtois; 24 Cahill, 27 Christensen, 28 Azpilicueta; 7 Kanté; 3 Alonso, 14 Bakayoko (11 Pedro 77'), 6 Drinkwater (4 Fàbregas 74'), 21 Zappacosta (22 Willian 83'); 10 Hazard; 9 Morata. 3-1-4-1-1 or more like 8-1-1
Substitutes not used: 1 Caballero, 2 Rüdiger, 15 Moses, 30 David Luiz.

Referee: Michael Oliver
Man of the match: Mohamed Salah
Ground: Anfield
Attendance: 53,225

Click here to read my previous LFC match report.

All pictures, stats and facts were taken from the BBC match report, Twitter and SFR match coverage.

3 Goals & A Point Each In Seville

Sports - Football - Champions League - SFC 3:3 LFC

It was a Champions League group game of two halves in Seville, Liverpool bossing the first half going three goals up thanks to Roberto Firmino's double either side of Sadio Mané's header, but vanishing after the break letting the home side grab three goals and a point back, with Wissam Ben Yedder netting twice and Guido Pizarro equalising in the dying moments.

The Reds couldn't have asked for a better start, finding the breakthrough not even two minutes into the game, silencing the stunning Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, where no visitors have won for over a year.

88 seconds gone, unmarked Firmino swept in Georginio Wijnaldum's flick-on off Philippe Coutinho's corner, LFC's second fastest goal in the competition.

Mané doubled the lead 20 minutes later, Firmino the provider this time off another Coutinho corner, the Senegalese striker powering home his first goal for the Reds since 27 August to make it 0-2.

Sevilla had a couple of chances, cup keeper Loris Karius did well denying Nolito before Ben Yedder put an easy chance wide.

And with just half an hour gone, man of the match Firmino made it 0-3 with an easy tap in after Mané's attempt deflected its way to the Brazilian, Liverpool completely bossing the show.

Whatever both bosses said at the break, it completely reversed the game.

Los Rojiblancos came out running all over Liverpool, holding their opponents back completely, pushing, pressing and were soon rewarded for it. The team was back. The fans were back.

Six minutes into the second half, Ben Yedder pulled one back for the home side, Alberto Moreno conceding a free kick which Éver Banega whipped in for the French striker to glance home. And it got much worse for the former Sevilla defender.

Just under an hour gone, the Spaniard conceded a very soft penalty, which had to be retaken to add to the drama, but eventually gave Ben Yedder the double and reduced the hosts' deficit to just one goal.

Jürgen Klopp tried to resuscitate the visitors with a double change, James Milner and Emre Can replacing Moreno and Coutinho respectively, and a bit more organisation did return, but no control.

Captain Jordan Henderson looked a very unhappy and frustrated figure throughout, getting nowhere near the opposition, just no control.

Defenders Ragnar Klavan and Joe Gomez did well under the circumstances, but the main culprit Moreno had already done the damage and was rightly taken off. Just. Not. Good. Enough.

Sevilla totally made the most of Liverpool's weaknesses, just like happened vice versa in the first half. And it could have been much worse.

Substitute Franco Vazquez fired straight at Karius before Sergio Escudero's smacker hit the underside of the bar before rebounding to safety after the Reds keeper got his hand to it.

But in the dying seconds Pizarro netted the equaliser and banked the point for Eduardo Berizzo's side, unmarked in the centre of the box off a corner.

So, the best and worst from both sides, three goals and a point each, a fair result in the end which keeps the Reds top of the group and Sevilla second, a point separating them with one final group game to go.

It was the first time since May 2014 Liverpool let a three-goal lead slip in a competitive match (v Crystal Palace in the Premier League, also 3-3).

37-18 attempts between the two sides in the two games, Liverpool recording more than double as many shots as Sevilla but scoring and conceding the same (5-5).

The Reds have scored as many goals in the last three Champions League games (13) as they have in the previous 14 combined.

Klopp said he doesn't doubt his side's mentality, calling what happened a misjudgement.

It's a bit more than a misjudgement to throw away a three-goal lead! And the contrast between the two halves was just too shocking to overlook.

Yes, a point at Sevilla is good, but the way the Reds dropped the two points was just shambolic!

Klopp cannot ignore that! Especially with Chelsea next on the fixture list, the German boss will have to fix the problem and fix it quickly, mental or not mental, otherwise they'll be in for another thrashing like against Tottenham!

Sevilla Goals: Ben Yedder 51' & pen 60' & Pizarro 90'+3.

Liverpool Goals: Firmino 2' & 30' & Mané 22'.

Sevilla Team: 1 Sergio Rico; 18 Escudero (c), 5 Lenglet, 12 Geis, 25 Mercado (booked 54'); 14 Pizarro, 10 Banega (booked 45'), 15 N'Zonzi (22 Vazquez 45'); 24 Nolito (20 Muriel 73'), 9 Ben Yedder (11 Correa 81'), 17 Sarabia. 4-3-3
Subs not used: 2 Corchia, 7 Krohn-Dehli, 13 Soria, 16 Navas.

Liverpool Team: 1 Karius; 18 Moreno (booked 38') (7 Milner 63'), 17 Klavan, 6 Lovren, 12 Gomez; 10 Coutinho (23 Can 63' (booked 82')), 14 Henderson (c) (booked 68'), 5 Wijnaldum; 19 Mané, 9 Firmino, 11 Salah (21 Oxlade-Chamberlain). 4-3-3
Subs not used: 15 Sturridge, 22 Mignolet, 29 Solanke, 66 Alexander-Arnold.

FT Stats: SFC 3-3 LFC
Possession: 70%-30%
Shots: 11-13
On target: 6-7
Corners: 6-7
Fouls: 10-19
Bookings: 2-3

Referee: Dr. Felix Brych (GER)
Man Of The Match: Roberto Firmino
Ground: Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan
Attendance: 39,495

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match report, Twitter and beIN Sport match coverage.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 12

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 12

The 12th week of the Premier League action saw:
32 goals - most by Bournemouth, Man United & Chelsea = 4 each
247 shots - most by Liverpool = 22
92 on target - most by Liverpool = 8
116 corners - most by Man United & Huddersfield = 11 each
136 fouls - most by Everton = 26
34 yellow cards - most by Arsenal & West Ham = 4 each
1 red card - Simon Francis for Bournemouth (second yellow)
1 penalty - 1 scored (Leighton Baines for Everton)

What a game! Arsenal surprisingly impressed recording their first league win against Tottenham since 2014 in the early kick-off on Saturday. Shkodran Mustafi headed the Gunners ahead in the big London derby from Mesut Özil's controversial free kick in the 36th minute. Alexis Sánchez doubled the lead five minutes later lashing in from Alexandre Lacazette's square ball. Both goals looked offside, close calls though. Arsène Wenger has now beaten 10 of the 11 Spurs managers he has faced in the Premier League, the only exception being Christian Gross in 1997-98. It was the first time Harry Kane failed to score in this bitter derby and was subbed off in the 75th minute, with Dele Alli, Son Heung-min and Fernando Llorente replacing them. Mauricio Pochettino was surely bitterly disappointed with the officials and his side, but his away record looks very dire, winning just once in the last 15 visits to top six sides. Everton came back twice against Palace, the game ending 2-2 with a point each. The two worst defences fought hard, how the match ended up last on MOTD shows how action-packed, eventful and entertaining the day was! Who can start a petition to get rid of international breaks, please?!!!

What a team! Manchester City recorded their 16th consecutive win in all competitions, 34 points in the opening 12 league games - equalling the Premier League record they set under Roberto Mancini in 2011-12. Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring from close range and Kevin De Bruyne added a breathtaking smacker that could be heard hitting the back of the net. The league leaders were lucky with some decisions though, see more below. Manchester United set a club record of their own going 38 games unbeaten after thrashing Newcastle 4-1. Dwight Gayle gave the Magpies the lead early on in the game, giving neutral viewers the hope they could be up for an actual contest. But it went all downhill from there at Old Trafford, Rafael Benítez's side conceding four including Paul Pogba netting on his return from injury. Burnley! Boom! Boom! The Clarets moved within a point of the top four after an impressive 2-0 win against struggling Swansea. Sean Dyche would be more than daft to leave this strong position for any of the shaky job vacancies going around at the moment... More to that below!

What a man! I doubt Tony Pulis will keep his job much longer after Chelsea hammered his side West Brom 0-4 at the Hawthorns, making it 2 wins in the last 21 for the Baggies. And as I am editing this, the news breaks of his sacking. It's the second Premier League week in a row that's happened, the Welshman is already the fifth sacking of the season after Slaven Bilić was sent packing before the international break and it's not even December yet!
Callum Wilson's hat-trick more than helped ten-man Bournemouth thrash Huddersfield 4-0. The Cherries are flying up the table, but the Terriers were more than up for the f(l)ight, working and fighting hard despite the scoreline.
Watford stopper Heurelho Gomes starred with breathtaking/double/triple saves!!! A super keeper on the only Super Sunday match! 22-year-old former Derby County midfielder Will Hughes scored with his first ever shot in the Premier League and Brazilian Richarlison doubled West Ham's misery after the break. Who wants to be David Moyes, ey?! The former Everton and United boss lost his first game as Hammers manager and 500th in the top-flight. The Hornets meanwhile impressed and went up to eighth.

What a goal! There was some top quality team play produced by both Chelsea and Man City in all their goals, both men of the matches Eden Hazard and De Bruyne starring for their sides respectively. Mohamed Salah scored two on the day to help Liverpool beat Southampton 3-0, the Egyptian star's ninth league goal of the season to make him top scorer and 14 after 18 games in all competitions. The last LFC player to score more than 14 goals in a season was none-other than Luis Suárez. And it's only November. On. Fire. The win meant Liverpool have now won by three or more goals in four consecutive games for the first time since Bob Paisley's Reds in 1980. Double BOOM!

What the hell?! Referees!!! City defender Vincent Kompany  had a lucky escape after a late tackle felling down last man Jamie Vardy. And what is offside again?! The Citizens and Gunners were both very lucky with those decisions respectively, but deserved the wins looking at the performances and general displays. The Cherries were just as fortunate with a few decisions as well before their first couple of goals. Fouls and offsides were missed again, I think the officials need to google both. But Eddie Howe's men doubled that score thrashing Huddersfield 4-0 despite going down to ten men, killer goals, killer score, killer points. Terriers boss David Wagner was rightly very unhappy about those decisions that went against his side. The officials at the Amex didn't cover themselves in glory either, where Brighton extended their unbeaten league run to five games as they drew 2-2 with Stoke, but could and should have done better after being denied a blatant penalty in a frantic first half. Referees, ey. What's their job again? Hm. Who knows. They don't seem to have a clue!

My Predictions - Actual Results
Arsenal 1:1 Tottenham - 2:0
Bournemouth 2:1 Huddersfield - 4:0
Burnley 1:0 Swansea City - 2:0
Crystal Palace 1:1 Everton - 2:2
Leicester 1:2 Man City - 0:2
Liverpool 4:1 Southampton - 3:0
West Brom 2:1 Chelsea - 0:4
Man United 4:1 Newcastle - 4:1
Watford 1:1 West Ham - 2:0
Brighton 2:1 Stoke City - 2:2

Click here for my previous Premier League Picks Of The Week.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, MOTD, Twitter and SFR live match coverage.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 11

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 11

The 11th week of the Premier League action saw:
24 goals - most by Liverpool = 4
213 shots - most by Chelsea = 18
74 on target - most by Chelsea = 8
118 corners - most by Newcastle = 11
226 fouls - most by Man United = 20
30 yellow cards - most by Arsenal = 6
1 red card - Christopher Schindler for Huddersfield
3 penalties - 2 scored (Sergio Agüero for Man City, Leighton Baines for Everton, Tom Cleverley missed for Watford)

What a game! All the buildup to the Super Duper Sunday was bound to disappoint. Tottenham just about scrambled through to a win over bottom side Crystal Palace. Manchester City had some help from the officials to down the fighting Gunners and don't get me started on the refs at Stamford Bridge! Chelsea number 9 Álvaro Morata had all the space in the world to head the home side ahead after Manchester United were lucky to still be in the game. More to all that below. All eyes were on Antonio Conte and José Mourinho and their Blue history, pre-match, during the match and post-match. But in the end the top game was Everton's comeback against Watford from two goals down at Goodison Park, would you believe it!!! Or top half should I say, as all goals came after the break. Leighton Baines scored a club-record 24th penalty for the Toffees and won the game in injury time, 90 + 1!  That wasn't all though. Ten minutes later, the Hornets got the chance to draw level from the spot, yep, in the 101st minute, and Tom Cleverley missed it, putting the penalty wide. Yes, you read right, it stayed 3-2, handing David Unsworth his first win as Everton's caretaker. And the temp boss can take a lot of credit as all the changes he made ended up crucial in all goals and completing the perfect unbelievable turnaround. Oh, and by the way, that was the only game on Sunday that was NOT live on telly. FFS.

What a team! Burnley shot up to sixth in the table (at least temporarily) after substitute Sam Vokes' late header was enough to beat Southampton at St Mary's. Sean Dyche's side withstood all of the pressure and Saints chances, their keeper Nick Pope making some excellent stops. Liverpool snatched that sixth spot back in the table in the late kick-off on Saturday, after beating West Ham 1-4 at the London Stadium thanks to Mohamed Salah's double on Sadio Mané's return. You can read all my match notes here. Or my full LFC match report here. Has Jürgen Klopp handed Slaven Bilić his final notice? With the Hammers dropping into the relegation zone after Sunday's results and the international break coming up, I will be very surprised to see the Croat again... Plus David Moyes being interested in the job... And as I was editing this blog, both got confirmed, the prior's sacking and the latter's interest and likely appointment. Surprise surprise.

What a man! Huddersfield keeper Jonas Lössl was hugged and kissed by everyone after some acrobatic saves late on in the match and win against West Brom! Dutchman Rajiv van La Parra produced the stunning 20-yard winner, curled into the top corner just before the break, increasing calls against Tony Pulis. The Yorkshire side were down to ten men after defender Christopher Schindler received a second yellow card with just under an hour gone but fought on hard to hang on to the win which took the promoted side into the top half of the table. Glenn Murray gave Brighton victory at Swansea, eleven of his 15 Premier League goals coming in away fixtures. It was a gift though as Federico Fernández ducked out of the way of a cross, condemning the Swans to their fifth defeat from six home league games this season and seeing them slip into the relegation zone. The Seagulls meanwhile are up to ninth after back-to-back away wins in the top flight for the first time since 1981 and only the second time in their history.

What a goal! Peter Crouch headed home Xherdan Shaquiri's corner to make it 2-2 for Stoke and grab a point from Leicester. It's the 36-year old's Premier League record 52nd netted header and 15th goal coming off the bench - only Jermain Defoe (23), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (17) and Nwankwo Kanu (17) have scored more as a sub in the PL. Both sides had more chances, both keepers were busy, so, faire result in the end, a thrilling draw. The late Bournemouth winner headed in by defender Steve Cook was fully deserved after all the chances and pressure they produced at Newcastle. Rafael Benítez's men wasted a lot of chances and then ran out of steam, the visitors pouncing and bouncing out of the relegation zone with the win at St James' Park.

What the hell?! How did Wilfried Zaha miss that chance?! The Palace forward cost his side three points as minutes after he put a sitter wide, Son Heung-min swept the one and only goal in from 20 yards. Tottenham will be very relieved after another win at Wembley from a less than convincing performance. And how the hell did the linesman not see goalscorer Gabriel Jesus AND David Silva were BOTH offside when the official was exactly on the same line as the players when the cross came in?! The error made it 3-1 to City at the Eithad and destroyed any kind of competition or chance of a late comeback by Arsenal, who enjoyed a much better second half after not offering much before the break. Although, Arsène Wenger's men were also unlucky to concede the penalty in the first half, Raheem Sterling making the most out of nothing, which gave Sergio Agüero his record 179th City goal from the spot and the home side a two-goal lead. Harsh. And seeing a spectacular Phil Jones own goal disallowed for an alleged push by Morata just added more crap creme on the horrendous refereeing cake of the weekend!!! Lucky Mancunian buggers!!!

My Predictions - Actual Results
Stoke City 1:2 Leicester - 2:2
Huddersfield 1:0 West Brom - 1:0
Newcastle 2:1 Bournemouth - 0:1
Southampton 1:1 Burnley - 0:1
Swansea 1:2 Brighton - 0:1
West Ham 2:3 Liverpool - 1:4 or my match notes & match report
Tottenham 2:0 Crystal Palace - 1:0
Man City 4:2 Arsenal - 3:1
Chelsea 1:1 Man United - 1:0
Everton 1:2 Watford - 3:2

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, MOTD, Twitter and SFR live match coverage.

LFC Break Hammers At London Stadium

Sports - Football - Premier League - WHU 1:4 LFC

Mohamed Salah's double helped Liverpool to their first consecutive league win since August, thrashing West Ham 1-4 at London Stadium on Sadio Mané's much awaited return from injury.

Click here for my FT Notes on the match.

The opening goal came off a killer counter from West Ham's first corner in the 21st minute, Mané with the break, run and pass to his right, where Salah gratefully collected, controlled and tapped in the ball with his left boot, Joe Hart well beaten. Exemplary.

Two minutes and 37 seconds later, Salah took Liverpool's first corner of the game, Hart punched away skipper Mark Noble's block, nearly conceding an own goal, for Joël Matip to net the rebound with his right boot and make it 0-2 to the Reds.

The visitors were happy to play kick-about in the middle of the park after that, frustrating the hell out of the hosts, manager Slaven Bilić and co-owner David Gold no happy men.

To many Reds fans' surprise, Simon Mignolet captained the visitors in Jordan Henderson's absence due to injury, and showed too many shakes and nerves once again.

Andy Carroll was brought on for the Hammers after the break, replacing Edimilson Fernandes, but the former Redman just added to the frustrations and booking list.

Manuel Lanzini pulled one back ten minutes into the second half, off the chest, onto the right foot and into the right corner, nice one.

But seconds later, the bubbles were still blowing, former Gunner Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain restored Liverpool's two-goal cushion with his first league goal for the club, netting the rebound after Hart blocked and denied his first attempt, nicely set up by Roberto Firmino.

Lanzini came close again seconds later in an action-packed few minutes with just over an hour gone.

Salah made it four and sealed the deal for the Reds with 15 minutes to go, Mané in the build-up again, running, stumbling, getting back up again, running on, providing the Egyptian with the perfect ball into the box, which he netted with the left foot.

The double took Salah just one league goal behind a certain Harry Kane totalling seven in the league and twelve in total for the Reds this season.

London Stadium emptied very quickly, YNWA echoing around with the boos at the full-time whistle, LFC manager Jürgen Klopp all smiles.

It was much needed goals, a much needed win, much needed points for the Reds. A big blow for the Hammers.

The win takes Liverpool closer to the top four whilst West Ham dropped down dangling into the relegation zone.

Their points total after 11 games equals their 2010-11 season when they were relegated from the top flight.

I will be very surprised if Bilić stays in the job, especially with the international break giving the owners time to look around and David Moyes showing interest.

Klopp and Co meanwhile, will be much happier going into the international break after their fourth consecutive win in all competitions, scoring 17, conceding just one.

West Ham Goal: Lanzini 55'.

Liverpool Goals: Salah 21', Matip 24', Oxlade-Chamberlain 56' & Salah 76'.

West Ham Team: 25 Hart; 21 Ogbonna, 8 Kouyate, 2 Reid (booked 47'); 3 Cresswell, 16 Noble (c) (booked 37') (Arnautovic 61'), 10 Lanzini (booked 90'), 14 Obiang, 31 Fernandes (9 Carroll HT); 17 Hernandez (15 Sakho 72'), 20 Ayew. 3-5-2
Substitutes not used: 13 Adrian, 23 Haksabanovic, 26 Masuaku, 41 Rice. 

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet (c); 18 Moreno, 17 Klavan, 32 Matip, 12 Gomez; 5 Wijnaldum, 23 Can, 21 Oxlade-Chamberlain (6 Lovren 87'); 19 Mané (7 Milner 77'), 9 Firmino (29 Solanke 77'), 11 Salah. 4-3-3
Substitutes not used: 1 Karius, 15 Sturridge, 16 Grujic, 66 Alexander-Arnold.

HT Stats: WHU 0-2 LFC
Possession: 43%-57%
Shots: 2-3
On target: 0-3
Corners: 1-2
Fouls: 5-6
Yellow cards: 1-0

FT Stats: WHU 1-4 LFC
Possession: 48%-52%
Shots: 6-15
On target: 1-7
Corners: 2-3
Fouls: 9-13
Yellow cards: 3-0

Referee: Neil Swarbrick
Man of the match: Mohamed Salah
Ground: London Stadium
Attendance: 56,961

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match report and SFR live match coverage.

FT Notes: West Ham 1-4 Liverpool

Sports - Football - Premier League - WHU 1:4 LFC

Biggest pre-match news: Sadio Mané starts for Liverpool after long absence!!! And stopper Simon Mignolet skippers the Reds in Jordan Henderson's absence due to injury.

2' West Ham keeper Joe Hart blocks Roberto Firmino after an early Liverpool free kick, Alberto Moreno brought down loud and painful.

6' Hammers play the ball too far and out for a throw a second time they look close to pushing forward, Obiang with the overhit this time.

9' Ayew hits the post after breaking clear and collecting Lanzini's ball over the top, looking to curl the ball around and past a hesitant Mignolet, Liverpool caught sleeping and running behind.

13' Hernandez goes to ground a little too over-dramatic there, ref doesn't give anything, Bilić is furious. A couple of minutes break as Hernandez receives treatment.

15' Lanzini takes a free kick from about 25 yards out, cleared by the Reds.

16' A lot of tumbles and falls, appeals for free kicks, the ref's whistle on high demand, the visitors winning the call this time in their own half.

18' Offside flag up against Hernandez, Hammers pushing more as the Reds keep losing the ball.

21' Fernandes wins the first corner of the game, on the right, off his throw, the home side on top at the moment. As I write that, the corner is cleared, Mané and Salah break clear, KILLER COUNTER, 0-1! Mané runs and runs and passes to his right, Salah gratefully collects, controls and taps it in with his left, Hart well beaten. BOOM!

24' Salah corner, first for the Reds, Hart punches away NOBLE's block, nearly an own goal there, but MATIP NETS the rebound with his right boot, wham, bam, thank you ma'am, 0-2.

Liverpool are on their way to their first back-to-back league wins since August.

There were just two minutes and 37 seconds between the two LFC goals. West Ham co-owner David Gold does not look impressed.

34' Liverpool happy to play kick-about in the middle of the park, comfy with the two-goal lead, West Ham growing more and more frustrated.

37' First booking goes to West Ham skipper Noble for diving, cheeky one the French commentators say, stupid one I say!

40' Some harsh tackling, but Klopp and Bilić are going more mental than anyone else at the moment, great entertainment on the sideline, like a dance choreography between the two managers.

44' Roadrunner style, Salah breaks on the right, wins a corner, second for the Reds, Hart collects.

45' Mané gives away a free kick, soft one, the home side looking for anything and everything, desperate.

Two minutes added on before the break, loud boos echoing around London Stadium, the Hammer fans are not happy.

Mignolet comes out of the box, unable to clear the ball against Ayew on the right, flappy, floppy, needless.

But I'm happy, nothing comes off that little slip up, Liverpool stay two goals up at the break, West Ham drawing a much more sloppy and frustrated picture!

HT Stats: WHU 0-2 LFC
Possession: 43%-57%
Shots: 2-3
On target: 0-3
Corners: 1-2
Fouls: 5-6
Yellow cards: 1-0

Andy Carroll is brought on for West Ham at the break. Surprised to see Fernandes is the one replaced, who had a lot of influence and power in the first half, the little the Hammers created.

47' Reid booked for foul on Mané, cynical one.

49' Mané shot wide, goal kick for the Hammers.

51' Carroll elbows Matip, concedes a free kick, but avoids a card, very lucky escape there.

54' Flag goes up against Lanzini, clearly offside.

55' Mané goes down again, nothing given, lucky not to end up in the books... LANZINI, chest, right foot, right corner, cheeky, pokey one! 1-2 AND GAME ON!

56' OXLAAAAADE right foot, blocked and denied well by Hart, BUT CHAMBERLAIN NETS THE REBOUND with his left foot!!! 1-3 thanks to Oxlade-Chamberlain, the former Gunner's first league goal for the Reds, just when the Hammers thought they were back in it!!! Hart looks devastated, Bilić can't believe it! Nicely set up by Firmino by the way.

59' LANZINI AGAIAIAIN, this time high, tight angle again, so close. I. Can't. Keep. Up.

60' Mignolet gets the ball, Lanzini goes down, soft, softer, the softest, nothing given, game on.

61' Bilić has had enough, brings on Arnautovic in place of Noble. The skipper is injured actually. My mistake.

62' Free kick for the Hammers on the left, Lanzini takes, Chicharito heads it high.

64' Lanzini flagged offside again, close one this time. Hammers edging closer, Mignolet takes the kick.

65' Free kick given against the Ox, a bit late there, and nowhere near the ball, faire enough.

66' Mignolet catches, Carroll and Can are down after a collision.

69' Hernandez heads high, claims push, nothing given, goal kick. Firmino puts a shot across goal and wide on the other side.

72' Last change for the Hammers, Javier Hernandez is replaced by Diafra Sakho with just under 20 minutes to go.

75:01 SALAH MAKES IT FOUR!!! Sadio Mané with the build-up, runs, stumbles, falls over a challenge, gets back up again, runs on, provides Salah with the perfect ball into the box, edge of the box, the Egyptian takes and nets with the left foot! 1-4, a lot of fans are heading for the exits.

Salah is just one league goal behind a certain Harry Kane totalling seven in the league and twelve in total for the Reds this season.

77' And James Milner replaces Sadio Mané, Klopp is taking no fitness risk here.

81' Salah left-footer from the centre of the box, Hart catches.

84' Liverpool attack again, Salah shoots again, blocked by Hammers defence this time, for a change.

86' Milner shot wide, had all the time and space in the world, with a couple of team mates, a bit selfish there by the sub.

86' Liverpool on the attack again, Firmino shot goes high.

87' Second Liverpool change, Dejan Lovren comes on for the Ox. And last change at the same time, Solanke replaces Firmino, hug from the German coach.

89' Chance after chance for the Reds, the visitors win a corner, Milner cross, blocked, free kick to the Hammers, Matip fouled Reid.

90' Lanzini is booked and free kick goes to the Reds near the middle-line.

Three minutes added on, YNWA echoes around the London Stadium. Klopp is all smiles with the fourth official.

Kick-about for the Reds near the centre circle, Hart clears the ball eventually.

Goal kick to the Hammers, the whistle and boos go eventually, Bilić gutted, the ground is empty already.

Klopp is pushing and sending his team out onto the pitch, with many thanks I hope and think.

Much needed goals, much needed win, much needed points for the Reds.

The win takes them up to sixth, level on points with Chelsea and Arsenal in fourth and fifth respectively, who face Manchester United and Manchester City respectively tomorrow.

West Ham drop down to 17th, one point off the drop zone, where Everton and Palace have a game in hand.

Their points total after 11 games matches their 2010-11 season when they were relegated from the top flight.

I will be very surprised if Bilić stays in the job... The international break giving more time to find a replacement...

FT Stats: WHU 1-4 LFC
Possession: 48%-52%
Shots: 6-15
On target: 1-7
Corners: 2-3
Fouls: 9-13
Yellow cards: 3-0

West Ham Goal: Lanzini 55'.

Liverpool Goals: Salah 21', Matip 24', Oxlade-Chamberlain 56' & Salah 76'.

West Ham Team: 25 Hart; 21 Ogbonna, 8 Kouyate, 2 Reid (booked 47'); 3 Cresswell, 16 Noble (c) (booked 37') (Arnautovic 61'), 10 Lanzini (booked 90'), 14 Obiang, 31 Fernandes (9 Carroll HT); 17 Hernandez (15 Sakho 72'), 20 Ayew. 3-5-2
Substitutes not used: 13 Adrian, 23 Haksabanovic, 26 Masuaku, 41 Rice.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet (c); 18 Moreno, 17 Klavan, 32 Matip, 12 Gomez; 5 Wijnaldum, 23 Can, 21 Oxlade-Chamberlain (6 Lovren 87'); 19 Mané (7 Milner 77'), 9 Firmino (29 Solanke 77'), 11 Salah. 4-3-3
Substitutes not used: 1 Karius, 15 Sturridge, 16 Grujic, 66 Alexander-Arnold.

Referee: Neil Swarbrick
Man of the match: Mohamed Salah
Ground: London Stadium
Attendance: 56,961

All facts and stats were taken from the BBC website and SFR live match coverage.

HT Notes: West Ham 0-2 Liverpool

Sports - Football - Premier League - WHU 0:2 LFC

Biggest pre-match news: Sadio Mané starts for Liverpool after long absence!!! And stopper Simon Mignolet skippers the Reds in Jordan Henderson's absence due to injury.

2' West Ham keeper Joe Hart blocks Roberto Firmino after an early Liverpool free kick, Alberto Moreno brought down loud and painful.

6' Hammers play the ball too far and out for a throw a second time they look close to pushing forward, Obiang with the overhit this time.

9' Ayew hits the post after breaking clear and collecting Lanzini's ball over the top, looking to curl the ball around and past a hesitant Mignolet, Liverpool caught sleeping and running behind.

13' Hernandez goes to ground a little too over-dramatic there, ref doesn't give anything, Bilić is furious. A couple of minutes break as Hernandez receives treatment.

15' Lanzini takes a free kick from about 25 yards out, cleared by the Reds.

16' A lot of tumbles and falls, appeals for free kicks, the ref's whistle on high demand, the visitors winning the call this time in their own half.

18' Offside flag up against Hernandez, Hammers pushing more as the Reds keep losing the ball.

21' Fernandes wins the first corner of the game, on the right, off his throw, the home side on top at the moment. As I write that, the corner is cleared, Mané and Salah break clear, KILLER COUNTER, 0-1! Mané runs and runs and passes to his right, Salah gratefully collects, controls and taps it in with his left, Hart well beaten. BOOM!

24' Salah corner, first for the Reds, Hart punches away NOBLE's block, nearly an own goal there, but MATIP NETS the rebound with his right boot, wham, bam, thank you ma'am, 0-2.

Liverpool are on their way to their first back-to-back league wins since August.

There were just two minutes and 37 seconds between the two LFC goals. West Ham co-owner David Gold does not look impressed.

34' Liverpool happy to play kick-about in the middle of the park, comfy with the two-goal lead, West Ham growing more and more frustrated.

37' First booking goes to West Ham skipper Noble for diving, cheeky one the French commentators say, stupid one I say!

40' Some harsh tackling, but Klopp and Bilić are going more mental than anyone else at the moment, great entertainment on the sideline, like a dance choreography between the two managers.

44' Roadrunner style, Salah breaks on the right, wins a corner, second for the Reds, Hart collects.

45' Mané gives away a free kick, soft one, the home side looking for anything and everything, desperate.

Two minutes added on before the break, loud boos echoing around London Stadium, the Hammer fans are not happy.

Mignolet comes out the box, unable to clear the ball against Ayew on the right, flappy, floppy, needless.

But I'm happy, nothing comes off that little slip up, Liverpool stay two goals up at the break, West Ham drawing a much more sloppy and frustrated picture!

HT Stats: WHU 0-2 LFC
Possession: 43%-57%
Shots: 2-3
On target: 0-3
Corners: 1-2
Fouls: 5-6
Yellow cards: 1-0

LFC Goals: Salah 21' & Matip 24'.

WHU Team: 25 Hart; 21 Ogbonna, 8 Kouyate, 2 Reid; 3 Cresswell, 16 Noble (c) (booked 37'), 10 Lanzini, 14 Obiang, 31 Fernandes; 17 Hernandez, 20 Ayew. 3-5-2
Substitutes: 7 Arnautovic, 9 Carroll, 13 Adrian, 15 Sakho, 23 Haksabanovic, 26 Masuaku, 41 Rice.

LFC Team: 22 Mignolet (c); 18 Moreno, 17 Klavan, 32 Matip, 12 Gomez; 5 Wijnaldum, 23 Can, 21 Oxlade-Chamberlain; 19 Mané, 9 Firmino, 11 Salah. 4-3-3
Substitutes: 1 Karius, 6 Lovren, 7 Milner, 15 Sturridge, 16 Grujic, 66 Alexander-Arnold.

Referee: Neil Swarbrick
Ground: London Stadium

All facts and stats were taken from the BBC website and SFR live match coverage.

LFC Move Closer To CL Last 16

Sports - Football - Champions League - LFC 3:0 NKM

Liverpool got one step closer to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages for the first time since 2008-09, topping the group after beating NK Maribor 3-0 at Anfield, in not the most riveting and convincing victory on Wednesday night.

Click here for my full LFC ByTheMin match coverage.

The first half was the only goalless half of the night in Europe, agonising to watch the Reds dominate the ball, creating chance after chance, Maribor's keeper Jasmin Handanović and defensive back line of eight frustrating the hell out of the home side.

Ragnar Klavan and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were the two changes for the Reds since the two sides met in Slovenia a couple of weeks ago, replacing Dejan Lovren and Philippe Coutinho due to lack of form and fitness respectively.

It didn't help when Liverpool were forced to make their first change, Georginio Wijnaldum getting injured with just over 15 minutes played, to be replaced by Jordan Henderson.

Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino created most chances for the Reds, but it was still goalless at the break, the home side unable to break the deadlock despite 12 chances and 84% possession in the first half alone!

The atmosphere reflected the frustration and disappointment, the Maribor fans making themselves heard at Anfield more than once or twice.

Momo finally found the breakthrough shortly after the interval with a cheeky back-footer, Joël Matip winning the ball back near the centre-circle, passing to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who found the Egyptian in the box.

Salah registered his 10th goal in all competitions, plus three assists, that's more goal involvements than any other LFC player.

Seconds later, the Reds were awarded a penalty after Bobby was wrestled to the ground by Aleksander Rajčević, who was booked for his wrestling/judo skills.

Skipper James Milner's spot kick was soft and predictable, Handanović able to glove it onto the post and clear.

With that miss, Liverpool have messed up five out of their last seven penalties!

Salah missed more sitters, Firmino was denied by Handanović, the crowd died down and shut down more and more in silence.

Even Jürgen Klopp showed less tantrums and more composure than usual. Worrying. Disappointing.

Emre Can finally doubled the lead with just under half an hour to go, banging the ball from the centre of the box with his right foot into the back of the net off Milner's pass.

Loris Karius did not have much to do, but the couple of times Maribor did attack, the keeper showed full attention and good focus, stopping and saving well.

Substitute Daniel Sturridge made it three in the final minute, waking up Anfield with a nice first touch and then strong volley with his left foot, capitalising off another Red corner and sleepy defence in the box.

It was a very one-sided game, but the visitors can be very happy the way they frustrated the hell out of the home side. Patience is a virtue. One more and more LFC fans seem to lack...

It is a win for the Reds which sees them top of Group E, a point ahead of Sevilla in second, plus a clean sheet, but it was nowhere near the quality, glory and entertainment of other European clashes.

On a more positive note, Liverpool have kept four clean sheets in their past five games in all competitions, after managing none in the seven games before that, and have scored 14 in the last five matches. 14!

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Liverpool Goals: Salah 49', Can 64' & Sturridge 90'.

Liverpool Team: 1 Karius; 18 Moreno, 17 Klavan, 32 Matip, 66 Alexander-Arnold; 5 Wijnaldum (14 Henderson 16'), 23 Can, 7 Milner (c); 11 Salah (15 Sturridge 73'), 9 Firmino (16 Grujić 85'), 21 Oxlade-Chamberlain. 4-3-3
Substitutes not used: 22 Mignolet, 12 Gomez, 26 Robertson, 29 Solanke.
Coach: Jürgen Klopp

NK Maribor Team: 33 Handanović (c); 4 Šuler, 26 Rajčević (booked 53'), 3 Billong; 28 Viler, 8 Kabha, 6 Pihler, 22 Milec; 39 Bohar (booked 23') (20 Bajde 69'), 27 Mešanović (9 Tavares 58'), 10 Hotić (7 Ahmedi 81'). 3-4-3
Substitutes not used: 69 Obradović, 5 Vrhovec, 12 Vršič, 29 Palčič.
Coach: Darko Milanoč

HT Stats: LFC 0-0 NKM
Possession: 84%-16%
Passes: 459-91
Shots: 12-1
On target: 2-0
Corners: 9-0
Fouls: 2-4
Yellow cards: 0-1

FT Stats: LFC 3-0 NKM
Possession: 75%-25%
Shots: 23-5
On target: 9-1
Corners: 17-2
Fouls: 7-9
Yellow cards: 0-2

Referee: Ivan Kružliak (SVK)
Assistants: Martin Balko & Tomaš Somolani (SVK)
Additional assistants: Peter Kralović & Filip Glova (SVK)
Fourth official: Branislav Hancko (SVK)
UEFA delegate: Danilo Filacchione (ITA)
Man of the match: Emre Can
Ground: Anfield

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match report, Twitter and beIN sport live match coverage.