Following three successive losses, West Ham finally got their first win of the season against AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday night.

The Hammers won 3-1 but in truth, they were made to work for the victory and were benefitted by Wimbledon being reduced to 10 men.

Moreover, West Ham had to come back from 1-0 down and for parts of the first-half looked as though they wouldn’t be able to break through.

Thanks to Issa Diop’s thumping header and late goals from Angelo Ogbonna and Chicharito, West Ham managed to get their first win of the season.

However, it was a massive struggle and once again the West Ham forwards failed to have much of an impression on the game.

Indeed, only Felipe Anderson and Marko Arnautovic have shown any real threat in front of goal so far this season.

Following West Ham’s win, Pablo Zabaleta rightly criticised the club’s inability to convert their chances.

The Breakdown

Against Arsenal, Anderson and Arnautovic created plenty of chances and realistically should’ve scored more against an Arsenal defence that contained Shkodran Mustafi and Hector Bellerin.

Moreover, with the attacking talent the club possesses, they should be providing much more going forward.

While it will take time for the squad to bed in and adjust to Manuel Pellegrini’s methods and tactics, they need to be converting more chances and quickly.

If Arnautovic is injured for a prolonged period of time, there’ll be an even lesser chance of them scoring from their chances.

West ham must get scoring if they have any chance of getting into the top-half this season.

West Ham fans agree?  

Aaron Ramsey is not the only member of the Arsenal first team currently in the final year of his contract with the club. England international striker Danny Welbeck is also less than 12 months away from being a free agent.

The 27-year-old joined the Gunners on transfer deadline day in the summer of 2014, when the North London club prised him away from Manchester United for £16 million. Since then, though, the forward has been beset with injury issues and has failed to develop into as prolific a striker in front of goal as many hoped he might.

In over 200 Premier League appearances, Welbeck is yet to register a half-century of goals. The man with 40 senior international caps should be judged on more than his goals-to-games ratio though. Whilst his lack of end product can be criticised, Welbeck’s work rate and ability to defend and press from the front cannot be ignored.

Despite his profligacy in a goalscoring sense, the Manchester-born attacker is a very useful squad member to have at the Emirates Stadium who can still contribute a lot to the side. He deserves a contract extension at his current club, and 83% of the Arsenal fans we polled agree.

See the full results below. 

Towards the end of last season, Dejan Lovren was regarded as Virgil van Dijk’s centre-back partner at Liverpool.

Van Dijk was head and shoulders above the rest of the pack when he signed from Southampton in January.

However, the Dutchman’s presence breathed confidence into the rest of the team, including Lovren.

After reaching the World Cup final with Croatia, it was largely thought that the centre-back would return to Liverpool’s first XI, but injury has halted that.

Instead, Joe Gomez, who last season played at right-back, has been installed centrally alongside Van Dijk for the Reds’ four Premier League matches of the campaign.

The club have won all of their top-flight fixtures and Gomez has been a solid figure at the back.

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With that in mind, we asked you if Lovren – valued at £18m by Transfermarkt – should remain out of the team for the time being, and the majority of fans polled believe that Klopp should not change the back line.

Tottenham Hotspur failed to sign a single player during the summer transfer window but the early indications suggest that Mauricio Pochettino is keen to ensure his side does not suffer the same issues in the new year.

Spurs face a stern test to retain their spot inside the Premier League’s top four and their task is intensified by their imminent move to the rejuvenated White Hart Lane, which has been delayed indefinitely – adding further financial concerns to the club.

Despite this, the Lilywhites have found themselves regularly linked with two top-class Premier League players in the form of Ryan Sessegnon and Anthony Martial, the latter of whom is said by The Daily Express to be involved in a transfer tug of war behind Spurs and Arsenal.

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Meanwhile, Sessegnon is one of the hottest prospects in English football after catching the eye during Fulham’s promotion push last season and has been a target for Tottenham for a while – and there is no reason why Spurs should change their tune now to pursue Martial.

So, Tottenham fans, do you agree that Sessegnon is the best target of the pair? Or should Pochettino set his sights on Martial? Share your thoughts in our poll below…

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Mohamed Salah was Liverpool’s hero last season as he scored 44 goals in all competitions, helping the club reach the Champions League final, as well as secure a top-four place.

Since dislocating his shoulder in the showpiece clash against Real Madrid in Kiev back in May however, the Egyptian international has struggled to find form.

Even though he has scored twice in six outings in all competitions, Salah has lacked sharpness and that clinical touch in the final third.

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Against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night in the club’s Champions League opener at Anfield, Salah struggled to find his feet and was eventually substituted in the 85th minute.

It was a dramatic end to the match as Roberto Firmino struck the winner one minute into added time to give the Reds a 3-2 victory.

TV cameras scanned over to manager Jurgen Klopp during the celebrations, and in the background, Salah could be seen throwing his water bottle to the ground while sat on the bench.

It sparked a discussion on social media over whether the attacker was reacting in frustration or celebration.

A Liverpool fan on Reddit has tried to calm the furore by posting a screenshot of Salah lifting his arm in celebration before his bottle hit the ground.

To everyone stupid enough to think Salah was angry about the goal, here’s a still of him celebrating right before the “bottle throw” from r/LiverpoolFC

Plenty of Liverpool fans have now had their say.

Comment from discussion To everyone stupid enough to think Salah was angry about the goal, here’s a still of him celebrating right before the “bottle throw”.Comment from discussion To everyone stupid enough to think Salah was angry about the goal, here’s a still of him celebrating right before the “bottle throw”.Comment from discussion To everyone stupid enough to think Salah was angry about the goal, here’s a still of him celebrating right before the “bottle throw”.Comment from discussion To everyone stupid enough to think Salah was angry about the goal, here’s a still of him celebrating right before the “bottle throw”.Comment from discussion To everyone stupid enough to think Salah was angry about the goal, here’s a still of him celebrating right before the “bottle throw”.Comment from discussion To everyone stupid enough to think Salah was angry about the goal, here’s a still of him celebrating right before the “bottle throw”.Comment from discussion To everyone stupid enough to think Salah was angry about the goal, here’s a still of him celebrating right before the “bottle throw”.Comment from discussion To everyone stupid enough to think Salah was angry about the goal, here’s a still of him celebrating right before the “bottle throw”.Comment from discussion To everyone stupid enough to think Salah was angry about the goal, here’s a still of him celebrating right before the “bottle throw”.Comment from discussion To everyone stupid enough to think Salah was angry about the goal, here’s a still of him celebrating right before the “bottle throw”.Comment from discussion To everyone stupid enough to think Salah was angry about the goal, here’s a still of him celebrating right before the “bottle throw”.

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West Ham have struggled to find their footing so far under Manuel Pellegrini this season but relieved the pressure on their shoulders with a fine 3-1 victory over Everton at the weekend.

The result saw the Hammers pick up their first points under the Chilean boss but, despite spending over £100m in the summer, there are still question marks surrounding particular areas of Pellegrini’s squad.

One of those is in the attacking third, where West Ham continue to lack a top-class striker that is capable of being clinical in front of goal – with Javier Hernandez failing to impress since his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen last year.

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An intriguing prospect has been raised amidst reports that Chelsea could look to send Alvaro Morata on loan in January after his struggles in West London and West Ham are said to have monitored the Spain international in the summer.

While Morata’s record in front of goal for the Blues has been poor, scoring 12 goals in 35 matches, that tally is the sort of return that West Ham are searching for in the final third and he would prove to be a fine addition to the squad.

Do you agree West Ham fans? Have your say in our poll below…

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Liverpool had the ideal start to the season as they won seven games in a row in all competitions.

For the first time in years, Jurgen Klopp’s side have looked capable of launching a serious title challenge.

At the moment, the Reds sit at the top of the Premier League table with a two-point lead and have the upper hand in their Champions League group, but they suffered their first defeat on Wednesday night.

Klopp fielded a new-look starting XI to take on Chelsea in the third round of the EFL Cup, but they were unable to keep the Blues at bay.

For the majority of the game at Anfield, Liverpool were in control and they were rewarded with the lead when Daniel Sturridge struck just before the hour mark.

Emerson managed to find an equaliser for Chelsea, and Eden Hazard ended up being the hero for the visitors as he scored the winner in the 86th minute.

Liverpool will have to recover quickly as they take on the West London outfit at Stamford Bridge this Saturday in what is arguably a more important fixture.

Despite the midweek loss, there is plenty of optimism among some Liverpool fans.

Comment from discussion Klopp – “I’m disappointed, but not bitter. We learned something more about Chelsea, for the weekend’s match.” (post-Chelsea interview).Comment from discussion Klopp – “I’m disappointed, but not bitter. We learned something more about Chelsea, for the weekend’s match.” (post-Chelsea interview).Comment from discussion Klopp – “I’m disappointed, but not bitter. We learned something more about Chelsea, for the weekend’s match.” (post-Chelsea interview).Comment from discussion Klopp – “I’m disappointed, but not bitter. We learned something more about Chelsea, for the weekend’s match.” (post-Chelsea interview).Comment from discussion Klopp – “I’m disappointed, but not bitter. We learned something more about Chelsea, for the weekend’s match.” (post-Chelsea interview).Comment from discussion Klopp – “I’m disappointed, but not bitter. We learned something more about Chelsea, for the weekend’s match.” (post-Chelsea interview).Comment from discussion Klopp – “I’m disappointed, but not bitter. We learned something more about Chelsea, for the weekend’s match.” (post-Chelsea interview).Comment from discussion Klopp – “I’m disappointed, but not bitter. We learned something more about Chelsea, for the weekend’s match.” (post-Chelsea interview).

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FootballFanCast.com’s Fixture In Focus coverage is brought to you by 5p0rtz. Try 5p0rtz’s Beat the Streak Predictor and you could win £1million! Click here to play.

Liverpool host Manchester City this Sunday at Anfield in the first meeting of the season between the two title favourites.

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Both sides are coming into this one with unbeaten records in the Premier League so far. However, the Reds’ recent results in all competitions don’t make for comfortable reading. Jurgen Klopp’s men will certainly have to be back to their best on Sunday if they’re to stand any chance of avoiding their first league defeat of the season at the hands of the reigning champions.

For the home side to thrive, they need their attacking contingent to produce the scintillating football they’re capable of and the Citizens certainly ought to be wary of the threat that Liverpool’s front three pose.

For that reason, Guardiola should not be tempted to select club legend Vincent Kompany in his starting XI. As fine a servant as the captain has been to City, the 32-year-old has looked to be past his best so far this season. 

Nicolas Otamendi should be tasked with the responsibility of marshalling the backline in the Belgian’s stead. The Argentine has grown into a calm, confident and authoritative Premier League defender under Guardiola’s tutelage and can now lay claim to being amongst the finest centre-backs in the division.

Alongside the Argentine, the City boss has a tough call to make in selecting between Aymeric Laporte and John Stones. He should, however, favour the Englishman for this clash. Stones’ greater experience of the Premier League and ability on the ball will serve City well in avoiding too much pressure when the Reds push up the pitch.

What do you think, City fans – who would feature in your ideal centre-back pairing to face Liverpool?

The majority of West Brom fans that responded to our recent poll backed Sam Field to start in central midfield against Sheffield Wednesday during the midweek round of Championship matches.

So far this season, boss Darren Moore has favoured Chris Brunt in the middle of the park alongside Jake Livermore, who is one of the first names on the teamsheet at the Hawthorns. However, 37-year-old Gareth Barry started in the 3-2 win over Preston North End on the weekend that saw the Baggies take the top spot in the Championship from Leeds.

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The results of our poll were convincing though, with just four per cent of the Baggies fans that voted wanting Brunt to regain his place for Wednesday’s clash. A huge 80 per cent voted for 20-year-old England U20 international Field, who has only made two late substitute appearances in the league so far this season.

The youngster has had to rely on the Carabao Cup for his starts during this campaign and even then he has been used in a back three, displaying his versatility, but Baggies fans now want to see him start at Hillsborough. Check out the full results below.

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Jamie Shackleton will likely fill in at right-back for Leeds while Luke Ayling is suspended, but should the youngster be given an extended run?

Ayling was sent off in the closing stages of Leeds’ 1-1 draw against Brentford, meaning the 27-year-old will miss the trip to Blackburn after the international break.

While the possible return to fitness of Gaetano Berardi could impact the decision, one would expect Marcelo Bielsa to show his faith in Shackleton once again.

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The boss has already shown he trusts the 19-year-old, handing him three starts during the defensive injury crisis earlier in the season.

Shackleton can play as a right-back or a midfielder, and his pace and ability on the ball has fans wondering if he should take over from Ayling permanently.

Ayling is a fans’ favourite due to his passion for the shirt and tireless work rate, but his performances this season have not been up the level of those before last season’s injury.

So, Leeds fans, do you think Shackleton should get a run? Is he a better fit for Bielsa’s system? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…