Premier League

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We asked for your thoughts after Liverpool crashed out of the Carabao Cup against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.

Here are some of your replies:

Jason: Time for Arne Slot to admit he doesn't know what to do. Some great energy from the youngsters in the first half, but mistakes from key players and a lack of purpose and strategy on the field are quickly making Liverpool a laughing stock. Guaranteed no cups this season and the odds are shortening on relegation.

Neil: What was that abysmal performance? An unthinkable starting XI with no first-team substitutes. I was watching Newcastle v Spurs on TV and their fans were laughing at us at half-time! I don't think Slot's unsackable but, knowing Liverpool, they will put all the big guns back in on Saturday against Aston Villa. Milos Kerkez is a rabbit in the headlights and not worth the money. I'm very worried.

Marilyn: This is all very sad. Where has our beautiful, fast-attacking team gone? So many back passes and no inventive ideas - just the same horrid football they played against Brentford, although a totally different line-up. What are you going to do, Arne?

Matthew: For all the criticism that Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak have got for their performances compared with their price tags, it is Kerkez who I think hasn't been good enough. He was bought to be our new left-back but isn't showing enough experience at all.

Liz: Form is temporary, class is permanent. Liverpool have the class players, so we will be back!

Jan: Why do so much damage to our younger players? It is unfair when they are starting out. We are clearly not going to perform in the league, so a strengthened team with seniors on the bench was the way to go. Instead, the 'LFC is failing' narrative will gather momentum. This was an important game to show strength and depth, not give victory away the minute the teamsheet was published.

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Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

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In that operatic final scene on Sunday, Vitor Pereira seemed startled by the volume of criticism directed at him personally as Wolves lost to Burnley. No doubt it was unpleasant to hear, at a moment of high emotion. Yet it is reasonable to ask, although probably a second-order question, whether it is credible for a manager to carry on after being embroiled in a carry-on with supporters like that.

The word quickly went out that his job was not under immediate threat. Nick Mashiter wrote on this page on Tuesday that the club believes Pereira's experience in saving Wolves last season will be valuable in a similar battle this time.

Maybe it will, although if we also accept Pereira and his associates had more influence on assembling the squad than some of his predecessors, that starts to sound like pretzel logic. Better, perhaps, to argue that the man who helped to set the squad up ought to be better-placed than any replacement coach to find the best combinations in it.

That position comes under greater stress with each successive defeat. But, and much worse, there is a resigned feeling at large - a sense that it doesn't really matter if Pereira stays or goes, as the club's problems are deeper than the identity of the coach.

To many, the root causes of failure lie with the ownership as represented on the ground by chairman Jeff Shi - unmoved, apparently, by the reported offer from the serial football investor John Textor, and committed to their policy of self-sustainability.

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On this page back in January, I asked: "Is merely existing in the league, as frugally as possible, enough? And enough for who?" That question is now out of date, having been based on the notion that Wolves could rely on at least being better than the newly promoted clubs in almost every case.

Their position is more perilous than at this point last season in three ways: a year ago, they had played most of the top clubs early in the season; the three promoted sides this year are clearly stronger than last; and the Wolves squad appears fundamentally weaker anyway, even though much of the money raised this summer has been spent.

Wolves won a rollicking victory at Fulham last November. It was a false dawn, and things had to get a good deal darker again before action was taken and relegation staved off.

As they head to back to Craven Cottage this weekend, it will take more than one win to restore faith that just finishing 17th is even possible, never mind acceptable.

Listen to full commentary of Wolves v Chelsea at 19:45 GMT on Wednesday on BBC Radio WM

And tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights

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Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Think of what you could have done had you owned a crystal ball. Investing in Apple or Google when they were start-ups would have made a fortune and putting £100 on Leicester winning the Premier League at 5,000-1 in the summer of 2015 would also have been a nice earner.

‌I think getting a bet on Manchester United being above Liverpool and level with Manchester City with a quarter of the season gone would also have delivered astronomical odds. Even a few short weeks ago, this would have sounded like delusional deranged ramblings.

‌There are a multitude of reasons for this incredible short-term turnaround in the fortunes of both United and Liverpool. United beating Chelsea in a bizarre game a few weeks back helped, but not as much as their 2-1 win at Anfield.

‌This has led to a team spirit finally becoming visible from space, when you couldn't see it from 10 yards with a telescope beforehand. It has given them that other secret ingredient too: confidence.

‌For the opener against Brighton, Benjamin Sesko, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro and Matheus Cunha were flicking balls to each other just outside the Brighton 18-yard box. There is no way they were trying such intricate moves just a few weeks back.

‌Ruben Amorim has to keep the work-rate up and retain that spirit, but if he can keep them as relaxed as they looked against Brighton, the nightmare might just be over for the Red Devils.

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Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton says "there is a worry about Wolves" this season because the squad is weaker and they are leaking goals.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Sutton said: "If there is a crumb of comfort to Wolves fans then it is that they have the same record at this stage of the season as they did last year under Gary O'Neil.

"But that was a disastrous start from him and he got sacked after 16 games. Vitor Pereira came in and tightened up the defence because they were leaking goals and he made a massive difference.

"If you look at this season, they have conceded 19 goals in nine games, so that is over two a game and they are not scoring.

"The difference, though, this season is that the promoted teams are doing well so that is why there is a worry about Wolves."

The Observer's Rory Smith added: "The problem with Wolves is the replacements. It has been a gradual decline.

"They have been doing this for a while now. They seem to sell their players in the summer and then wait until August to sign someone who might be good."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

I wrote an article in September about how Manchester United's performances just prior to that were better than their results suggested, and that they would not "cheat" their xG forever.

And, sure enough, their goal difference now almost matches their expected goal difference over the past 10 games.

This does not mean they should have been winning games all along or that they are really good now - just that they probably deserved more from their earlier games and have probably got more than they deserve in their past two games against Liverpool and Brighton.

On the latest episode of BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, the panel discuss Arsenal's chances of winning the Premier League this season.

Former Premier League striker, Chris Sutton says he believes Arsenal will win the league comfortably, adding that summer recruit, Viktor Gyokeres, will "eventually start firing and will be a good signing."

He also suggested that Liverpool's drop off and Manchester City's reliance on Erling Haarland will help the Gunners over the line.

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

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Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport journalist

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Nuno Espirito Santo guided Nottingham Forest into European football for the first time in 30 years last term.

Yet on this evidence, his ambitions for the present campaign may be limited to trying to ensure his latest employers do not drop into the Championship come May.

Another dispirited performance on the pitch arrived just days after a section of the club's support appeared in open revolt with their owners.

Hope of a new manager bounce has failed to materialise, with Nuno's tenure delivering just one point so far, from the first of his four matches at the helm.

A dreadful return of just four points in total also represents West Ham's joint-worst ever at this stage of a league campaign, with the club replicating that tally in the second tier in 1932-33 and the 1973-74 campaign when they finished bottom.

The decision to start Ollie Scarles, a left-back at right-back, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who favours the right, on the left, appeared bewildering and directly contributed to Leeds' fast start.

And while striker Callum Wilson featured for the first time under Nuno, replacing England Under-20 international Scarles in the 25th minute, there was a disjointed feel to the Hammers' play until well into the second period after several further substitutes were introduced.

With two home fixtures on the horizon against Newcastle and Burnley, the Hammers need to arrest their awful form to prevent a full-blown crisis.

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport journalist

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While a lack of goals had been a major concern for Leeds in their opening eight league games, that issue was alleviated by the visit of the top-flight's worst defence.

Daniel Farke's side brutally exposed West Ham's weaknesses early on with Brenden Aaronson the tormentor-in-chief, scoring his first Premier League goal since August, 2022, and clipping the bar with a deflected effort after a rampaging run.

West Ham's inability to deal with crosses was clearly evident as Joe Rodon's goal was the ninth time they had conceded from a corner this term - the most of any side in the league's history after the same number of games.

Leeds could, and perhaps should, also have had more.

Ethan Ampadu, Noah Okafor and Jack Harrison all had opportunities, while they kept the visitors at bay with dogged defending until the end.

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

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On an escalation ladder of troubles at football clubs, the moment when the away fans turn on either the players or the manager is usually a late-stage, Defcon 2-sort of indicator.

Sometimes these stages are run through very quickly. The change of mood at Wolves has not been as drastic as events at Forest, but it is not so many weeks since Vitor Pereira's name was being sung loudly by the same fans. Now, at Sunderland on Saturday, taking that name in vain.

The man himself saw hope in the second half, at least in the first 30 minutes in which his team did create a few chances, although very few of them were on target.

"We missed one chance, two chance, three chance, but with quality, quality, quality," Pereira told me. "But… 15 minutes before the end, we decide to take risks to try to score a goal.

"Unfortunately, we started to put long balls in the box because we had Tolu [Arokodare] and [Jorgen] Larsen and this was misunderstood by our team."

You didn't want them to do that, Vitor?

"Of course not. I want the team to play and create, to assist the strikers but in a proper way. It's not just to put long balls in the box, and, OK, we'll see if in the second ball we can score a goal. This is not our game."

Some time before the end, it became one of those matches that is less about the actual game in progress than a wider commentary on the medium-term fortunes of the two clubs.

Sunderland, a side with limitations but smart enough to work to its strengths, have energy and momentum. Wolves have energy too, but the gears to turn it into useful product now all seem misaligned.

Pereira's account was that of an operator pulling at levers to find, alarmed, that none of them work.

In previous seasons, changing one part of the machine – the manager, a few players in the transfer window, the sporting director – has made things work well enough to get by.

At Sunderland, the feeling took hold that this time a patch-up job will not do, and the sound of that feeling was what the players and coaches heard from the third tier of the stand.

They will hear it louder still if the game against Burnley, now suddenly a fixture to fear, takes the same course.

Listen to full commentary of Wolves v Burnley at 14:00 BST on Sunday on BBC Radio WM 95.6 FM and DAB

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Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta has revealed that he has spoken to Wilfried Zaha and cleared up any disagreements.

Two weeks ago, Mateta told French newspaper L'Equipe that during his time at Palace, Zaha and others laughed when he said he wanted to play for France - a moment he used as motivation.

Ex-Eagles winger Zaha, now playing for MLS side Charlotte FC on loan from Galatasaray, hit back, calling the claim "disgusting" and denying he ever mocked Mateta's ambitions.

"I spoke with him - everything is good," Mateta said. "We talked in private and that's it."

The 28-year-old made his full senior debut for Les Bleus and scored against Iceland earlier this month to cap a remarkable rise in form at Selhurst Park.

Speaking before Thursday's Conference League game with AEK Larneca at Selhurst Park, the striker said he was "very proud" to represent his country.

"I am very proud obviously and happy, and I think I deserve it because I train very hard," Mateta said. "It's a dream come true and I hope I will get called up again.

"I am a very ambitious guy, and when I take up something, I try to do everything to make it come true."

The forward also spoke about how his background in the Bundesliga system has helped him adapt quickly to Palace boss Oliver Glasner's methods.

"He used to train in Germany, and when he came in [and said] how we need to play, I think I understand because I am from the German league too," Mateta added. "I train hard every day, I want to play every game, and I show him I am ready for him and the team."

Ciaran Kelly
Newcastle United reporter

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Sandro Tonali has not looked back.

It was just 14 months ago that the midfielder returned to action for Newcastle after serving his suspension.

And he has become indispensable.

Eddie Howe's subsequent decision to shift Tonali to the number six role unlocked something in both the Italian and, indeed, this side as they went on to end a 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy and qualify for the Champions League last season.

Though Newcastle have endured a mixed start to the Premier League – they currently lie in 14th place – Tonali has merely picked up from where he left off.

Tonali's athleticism is such that, according to football stats database Fbref, he has carried the ball further – 1,722 yards – than any other Newcastle player this season.

The intelligent Italian rarely loses the ball and only Kieran Trippier has completed more passes, had more touches and hit more progressive passes for Newcastle than the influential midfielder.

Yet Tonali also does the gritty side of the game well, too.

Only centre-back Sven Botman has made more blocks than Tonali (13) for Newcastle, while defenders Malick Thiaw and Dan Burn are the only players to make more interceptions than his 12.

Though others, perhaps, grab the headlines more often, no-one at Newcastle needs reminding about Tonali's importance.

As well as strengthening the side moving forward, Newcastle need to keep hold of their best players, particularly after losing Alexander Isak in the summer, which could lead to discussions over fresh terms.

The Isak saga proved contracts do not carry the weight they once did after the centre-forward went on strike to force through a £125m move to Liverpool despite having three years left on his deal.

But Tonali has long shown his commitment with his actions and his words.

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Josh Sexton
Fan writer

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Here are five ways Arne Slot can fix his Liverpool team before their ambitions run away from them this season...

1. Rotate Mohamed Salah

This is a tricky one for both player and manager, but ultimately no player is bigger than the club. Mo is in a tricky moment and shouldn't be immune from criticism, and therefore should be open to dropping in and out more as he fights alongside his team-mates to find form.

2. Drop Alexis Mac Allister

After some strange injury issues at the back end of 2024-25 bled into the start of this season, it has become clear that Mac Allister is struggling for both form and fitness. He has been brilliant for Slot so I completely understand the loyalty being shown towards him, but he is upsetting the balance of the midfield right now and needs a spell out of the side to allow others in better form to step in.

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3. Leave Milos Kerkez out

The youngster was brilliant at Bournemouth but appears to be struggling with the pressure of playing for a big club like Liverpool, with a more expansive style that leaves him a little less protected. Meanwhile, the manager has continued to persist with him, which has opened him up for criticism. It doesn't have to be Andy Robertson, either. If it can be Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back, why can't it be Joe Gomez (for example) at left-back?

4. Play Hugo Ekitike

Aside from Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravernberch, Ekitike has arguably been the most in-form man this season for the Reds. He made a major mistake in getting sent off against Southampton, one that seems a sliding doors moment more with every passing week and loss, but his energy and surety through the middle makes such a difference.

5. Keep Szoboszlai in midfield

Slot saw success last season in simplifying the roles of a number of his players, especially those who had been struggling previously. Szoboszlai has been great but the toll is starting to become clear and he is being exposed time and again at right-back, as teams figure him out more in that position. Jeremie Frimpong was signed to play right-back and has hardly had a sniff, so why not give him an extended run instead?

Find more from Josh Sexton, external on outlets including The Anfield Wrap, external

Do you agree with Josh?

Or are there any more pressing issues Slot faces?

Tell us here

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

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Sean Dyche will have to hit the ground running at Nottingham Forest and stop the rot after Ange Postecoglou's ill-fated tenure.

Here are four urgent issues the new head coach needs to fix.

Establish a clear playing style

Forest thrived last season by defending deep and breaking rapidly on the counter-attack, but their summer recruitment and subsequent appointment of Postecoglou, demonstrated the club hierarchy wanted a more possession-focused style.

That clearly has not paid off and hiring Dyche is an admission they need to go back to basics.

Decide on his best line-up

Forest used fewer players in the top flight than any other side last season, before spending £193m on 13 new players in the transfer window. It has left them with a bloated squad.

Omari Hutchinson, Arnaud Kalimuendo and James McAtee - signed for a combined £85m - were left out of the matchday squad for Postecoglou's final match against Chelsea.

Historically, Dyche has been reluctant to rotate, averaging just 1.2 line-up changes per top-flight game at Burnley and 1.6 at Everton.

In fact, since making his managerial debut in the Premier League he has named an unchanged side 89 times, comfortably more than anyone else.

If it comes down to a choice between prioritising results and sharing out minutes to keep players happy, he is unlikely to let sentiment affect his selection.

Organise the defence

Forest were a tough nut to crack in 2024-25, but have yet to keep a clean sheet this term and conceded 11 times from set-pieces in their eight games under Postecoglou.

Given the aerial ability of centre-backs Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo, Dyche will surely be confident of improving that dismal record.

Get Chris Wood scoring

The New Zealander netted 20 Premier League goals last season - a total bettered by only three players - but has just two in so far this time around, with both coming on the opening weekend.

While he turns 34 in December, Wood enjoyed plenty of success playing under Dyche at Burnley so could prove a key figure.

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Former Everton and Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend says Anthony Gordon is "one of the best" in the Premier League in his position.

Gordon be came the first Newcastle player to score in three consecutive Champions League games on Tuesday and also registered an assist for Harvey Barnes in the Magpies' 3-0 win over Benfica.

Townsend played alongside Gordon at Everton between 2021 and 2023, but at the time did not see the now 24-year-old developing into the player he has become.

"When I first joined Everton, he was a young lad and you could see he had quality," Townsend told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "He had immense pace obviously but he didn't really work hard enough.

"The modern day winger needs to be the first line of the press and he wasn't doing that. Then it started clicking for him, he started getting in the team, he started getting joy and the fans loved him.

"But even still, by the time Newcastle bought him for £50m, I think Everton fans were thinking they had the better end of the deal.

"Since then however, he's just put it all together."

Gordon started twice and scored once for England during the last international break and Townsend believes he now has the opportunity to nail down his place in Thomas Tuchel's side going into the World Cup next summer.

"He's got the quality, the consistence, the pace and out of possession he works hard," he added. "He's one of the best in the Premier League in his position.

"At the age of 24, he has absolutely everything and the world is his oyster now for club and country going into next summer's World Cup."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

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Nottingham Forest fans never took to Ange Postecoglou - not that they had much time together.

In the 39 days of Postecoglou's reign they turned after just 23, goading him he was going to be sacked during defeat to Midtjylland.

Now, supporters have to get behind Sean Dyche as Forest's third manager in six weeks and if he can do what Postecoglou failed to do in his eight games - win - then it will be a far more harmonious relationship.

Forest, in the Premier League relegation zone, need victories and managers can quickly make friends with three points.

Chief organiser Dyche is expected to quickly bring Forest to order, a side who have conceded 15 and scored just five in the league this season.

Do that and victories should come and once they do any doubters will come on board swiftly enough.

Nuno Espirito Santo - it seems a long time since he started the season as manager - and Steve Cooper had to win over supporters and did it in spectacular style, Cooper earning promotion to the Premier League and Nuno taking the club back to Europe.

One of Dyche's strongest skills is unifying a squad and fanbase and while he may have to win round some supporters, he lives locally and knows the club having been in the academy so he should easily be able to tap into the fans' feelings.

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We asked for your views on Nottingham Forest announcing Sean Dyche as the club's new head coach.

Some of you are thrilled:

Martin: Spot on - should have hired him straight after Nuno. Will get us organised and bring out the best in the star players - and the new players, who must be wondering what they signed up to!!

Patrick: Dyche is a solid appointment given where we are and the other options out there were not great. We have played the 'sexy football' card already with Ange and it turned us into a complete mess. You cannot keep gambling, Forest need to stay in the Premier League.

Amol: Sean Dyche will offer stability that Nottingham Forest need. But, their fans might miss out on the success and the style of football they enjoyed under Nuno.

Chris: Whilst it's not a great appointment. I think it's exactly what Forest need right now to sort the team out and give them the confidence back.

Others are no so happy:

Ben: Will Dyche be the manager to propel Forest on to more than we achieved last year? No. Is he going to steady the ship enough and manage the relationship with the fans better so that we don't have an absolute calamity of a season? I really hope so.

Bill: Sean Dyche is an adequate Premier League manager but his appointment shows a lack of ambition at Forest who are likely to remain a bottom half of the table team under him.

Rob: They must be desperate. Dyche is the most boring manager ever. Nobody else would work for Marinakis.

David: What a joke football is now, especially the Premier league. Managers circulate from club to club. We will never have a Robson or Ferguson again because they never get a chance to bed in and make their mark. The fear of a lack of success is so great.

Will Faulks
Fan writer

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It is a great day to talk about Josh Acheampong.

The defender has been highly rated at Chelsea for years, but his appearances so far have largely been limited to the youth teams and to the Conference League last season, where he made his senior breakthrough.

But a start, and the opening goal against Nottingham Forest at the weekend have brought him to the attention of a broader audience, and his renown is only going to grow if he continues to perform at such a high level.

He is a perfect modern defender - technical, athletic, versatile and intelligent. The Chelsea academy has a well-earned reputation for producing quality players, but it is in defence that they excel in particular.

Why were the Blues not keen to replace (academy product) Levi Colwill with (academy product) Marc Guehi when the former picked up an injury in the summer?

Largely because they had (academy product) Acheampong waiting in the wings. On Saturday, he put in a great showing alongside (academy product) Trevoh Chalobah at the back.

Questioned in the past about when the young defender will get more first-team chances, Enzo Maresca has pointed out Acheampong is already more than just an emergency option. He played in league games last year when senior defenders were available, and it was the same story on Saturday. He started while Tosin Adarabioyo sat on the bench.

The question now is what Acheampong needs to do to become truly first choice for Maresca. Colwill will likely miss the whole season, Benoit Badiashile is out injured again and Wesley Fofana's status is always in question.

The 19-year-old has a superb chance over the next few weeks to continue proving he should be starting even when everyone around him is fit.

On the evidence of what we have seen in his young career so far, we back him to take it.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

Do you agree with Will on Acheampong's future?

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Jordan Chamberlain
Fan writer

Arne Slot won the Premier League for Liverpool last season. That much gives him an entire year to make mistakes without even the threat of losing his job.

But my word, he made some strange decisions against Manchester United.

In the first half, five Liverpool players were standing on United's backline when we had the ball. All three forwards, plus Alexis Mac Allister and Dom Szoboszlai. There was no midfield and, as a result, no chance for build-up.

Mac Allister, who is having a genuinely dreadful season, is not a striker. If you are going to play a midfielder that high up, why would you not use Florian Wirtz? The German was just about Liverpool's only bright spark when he came on for 30 minutes - he created three chances and showed a sublime touch between the lines.

Mac Allister is way, way off it. He scored two for Argentina during the international break, but looks a complete shadow of himself. He is not getting stuck in, he is not controlling play and he is not making any passes. It is very odd.

Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah were in contention for Premier League player of the season last term, with the latter winning it, but he has been very poor, too.

It says a lot when Slot is taking Salah off with five minutes to go. His replacement, Jeremie Frimpong, beat his man and put a cross on a plate for Cody Gakpo, who somehow missed an open goal.

There is an issue with confidence, an issue with coherence and an issue with tactics; there are none. Liverpool have multiple brilliant players but all are playing in slightly odd positions that do not suit them.

Slot has lost four games on the trot with one of the most expensively assembled squads in the history of football. He needs to step it up.

Put yourself in Slot's shoes - what does he need to change to turn Liverpool's form around?

Send us your thoughts here

Find more from Jordan Chamberlain at Empire of the Kop, external

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Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

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Brentford started the day 16th in the table but jumped up to 13th as boss Keith Andrews celebrated his first away Premier League victory as a manager.

He would surely have been surprised by just how easy it was against struggling West Ham, as the visitors to London Stadium had 58% of possession.

Andrews' side were better in every department and just about every statistic. Their 15 shots in the first half alone was their joint highest ever in the Premier League, while the overall total of 22 shots in the match was their highest in this campaign, as was the 451 attempted passes.

With England midfielder Jordan Henderson superb in central midfield, Brentford were outstanding throughout. They were also a constant threat from corners and Michael Kayode's impressive long throws.

Igor Thiago scored just before half-time, but so many other chances were not converted: Nathan Collins headed over, Thiago volleyed against the top of the crossbar, Mikkel Damsgaard had a header saved by Areola, Dango Ouattara twice missed with headers, Kevin Schade headed against the bar and Keane Lewis-Potter curled a shot wide.

Substitute Mathias Jensen's late goal gave the scoreline a closer resemblance to the domination Brentford had enjoyed.

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

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It is hard to imagine how Nuno Espirito Santo's first home game in charge of West Ham could have gone any worse

This was a miserable night on and off the pitch for the hosts.

There were plenty of empty seats amid the latest phase of protests organised by fan group Hammers United, who want chairman David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady to leave.

Those who were there then booed the team off at half-time, most had left long before the final whistle with the few that did stay again displaying their frustration at the final whistle.

The Hammers have now lost their first four home league games, and did not deserve anything from a woeful showing against a Brentford side that had not picked up a point on their travels before coming to London Stadium.

Apart from one bright run from Crysencio Summerville from the halfway line to the penalty area and Jarrod Bowen's low strike being saved, there was little to excite West Ham fans.

This was a painful reality check of how big a challenge Nuno faces as he attempts to keep West Ham in the top flight. On this evidence, the Hammers face a long season and a relegation battle.

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

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In the aftermath of Arsenal's 1-0 win over Fulham on Saturday, there was a picture doing the rounds on social media.

It was not of the goal or of any of the celebrations. Instead, it was an image of defender William Saliba watching Atletico Madrid, the Gunners' opponents in the Champions League, on the team bus leaving Craven Cottage.

There is a quick turnaround between the games with just two days of preparation before Diego Simeone brings his Atletico side to north London.

The Gunners have only conceded three goals this season, keeping eight clean sheets and boss Mikel Arteta says he was happy to see the dedication from members of his squad.

"Very pleased because I didn't encourage it - that came from them. Arteta said.

"We know this will be a tough one, so the earlier we think about it the better. I love that initiative from the players."

Full commentary of Arsenal v Atletico Madrid on BBC Radio 5 Live from 20:00 BST on Tuesday

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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Manchester United's Anfield matchwinner Harry Maguire concedes he does not know if he will still be at the club when they play Liverpool next season.

The United defender's late header secured a first win at United's biggest rivals since 2016 and was his 17th goal in 254 appearances for the club.

It was a notable achievement for the 32-year-old, who joined United from Leicester City seven years ago and therefore was tasting victory at Anfield for the first time.

Maguire's contract expires at the end of the season and while it is understood he and his family are settled in the north west, and he is keen to remain at Old Trafford, there has been no agreement over a new deal as yet.

"I've been here seven years now, so it's been tough not getting that win," he said. "It's been on my mind a little bit, to be honest.

"I'm in my last year now, so this could be the last time I played at Anfield for this club, so it's really important that I've come here and ticked that one off."

Head coach Ruben Amorim said the win was his best in almost a full year since arriving from Sporting as Erik ten Hag's replacement.

Maguire knows it will count for little unless United can overcome an in-form Brighton side on home soil on Saturday. The Seagulls have won on their past three visits to Old Trafford.

"We need to build momentum," he said. "The club will probably get a few plaudits this week because of our resilience and fighting spirit.

"But if we don't perform next weekend against Brighton, it will be exactly the same the following week."

Paul Birch
BBC Sport journalist

Unlike Ange Postecoglou's appointment, Sean Dyche's arrival at Nottingham Forest makes sense as his side's style of play has historically been more tactically in tune with the brand Nuno Espirito Santo employed to bring European football back to the City Ground.

With no pre-season for Postecoglou to impose his unique footballing ideologies, and with a slew of games coming thick and fast at the start of his tenure, the Australian struggled to stamp his authority on a squad so used to playing a certain way.

The appointment of another pragmatic coach similar to Nuno should, on paper, steady the ship and suit Forest's players, who were defensively sound and proved to be devastating on the counter-attack in 2024-25.

As the graphic below shows, both Nuno and Dyche teams are very happy to cede possession and allow the opposition the ball, before attacking at speed when they get it back.

All of which contrasts hugely with how Postecoglou got his players to operate at Tottenham.

Image source, Opta

PPDA is passes allowed per defensive action. It measures how often teams wait until interrupting a spell of opposition possession – whether that's winning the ball back or getting a foot in to concede a throw-in/corner. Teams aggressively trying to win the ball back will have a lower figure – teams prepared to soak up pressure will have a higher figure.

Direct speed is how quickly the ball moves towards the opponents' goal during a sequence of possession, measured in metres per second

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