And here’s our last match report from these five games: the story of a drama in which Igor Thiago went from hero to villain. That’s my cue to go and get some fresh air. Thanks for your company, correspondence and strong views on Arne Slot. I’ve had no emails about Sean Dyche, but the afternoon most definitely belonged to him.
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“Just wondering,” says Roy Everitt. “When did Liverpool last sack a manager?”
I think it was about this time 10 years ago – Brendan Rodgers. Liverpool were 10th in the Premier League. Right now, they are 11th, and they will slip to 12th if Everton win at Old Trafford on Monday night. But Slot has won a league title, whereas Rodgers had only a near-miss in the bank.
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And another. Fulham are back in business as Sunderland remember to play like a promoted club.
Another match report for you: how Callum Wilson put West Ham 2-0 up at one of his old clubs and didn’t leave with a win.
“Perhaps,” says Chris Harrison, “Arne Slot’s Dad wasn’t wrong?” Ha.
“On behalf of Liverpool fans everywhere,” says Peadar de Búrca, “I’m currently having a panic attack.”
Another view of Arne Slot’s troubles. “Not sure why anyone is surprised by Liverpool’s recent capitulation,” says Dave Estherby. “The signs were there from the summer; the goalkeeper isn’t up to it, they’ve sold their best player, been sold an absolute pup by Newcastle, the captain’s legs have gone, Wertz is even worse than Nunez, and as for Mo ‘best player in the world right around contract renegotiation time’ Salah...
“They do have mitigating circumstances with the tragedy of Jota, but Slot basically took Klopp’s team to the title last year. The minute he started messing around with it, it all fell apart.”
Next match report for you: Rob Edwards’ first game in charge of Wolves, which went well for an hour before reverting to a familiar script.
The first match report is in. And it’s the big one.
If your name is Erling Haaland, you may want to have a look here before you take the field at St James’ Park. Igor Thiago is now only five goals behind you!
A word in defence of Arne Slot. “The idea of sacking Slot is still premature,” says Rupak Pramanik. “What if the club gets in a downward spiral like Man Utd? It is Slot’s team, under progress, he has enough credit in his bank to get this full season.”
You mean you wouldn’t want Ruben Amorim?
The last time Liverpool lost 3-0 twice in a row in the league was in 1965. That’s according to my sources close to BBC 5 Live, which didn’t exist at the time.
“I think Slot is still a good coach,” says Andy Harper, “but he’s clearly not coping well with a downturn. He is showing his inexperience in these situations. Chucking six forwards on to salvage games all the time just isn’t a sustainable tactic, it’ll only work a couple of times a season, he’s doing it nearly every week.
“Unfortunately pressure is building, and it looks increasingly likely he will pay with his job. Bottom line Liverpool cannot be 11th having lost 6 PL games before December.”
Good points, but doesn’t a league title in your first season win you some extra patience?
FULL TIME! Brighton 2-1 Brentford
The good-housekeeping derby is won by the team playing at home. Igor Thiago converted one penalty and missed another as Brighton came from behind through good old Danny Welbeck and young Jack Hinshelwood.
FULL TIME! Fulham 1-0 Sunderland
Fulham shake off their autumn slump, dominating the game (24 shots to four) and eventually winning it through Raul Jimenez. But Sunderland are still in the top six.
FULL TIME! Bournemouth 2-2 West Ham
Nuno’s Hammers aced the first half with two goals from the rejuvenated Callum Wilson (aged 34). But Bournemouth are unbeaten at home this season and they showed why in the last quarter of the game, with a penalty from Tavernier and an equaliser from Udal.
FULL TIME!!! Liverpool 0-3 Forest
They won at Anfield last year, when it was unthinkable. And now they’ve done it again, in style, when it’s more thinkable but still not easy. Xavi Alonso went to Liverpool and lost; Sean Dyche has gone there and won, hands down.
PENALTY SAVED! Brighton 2-1 Brentford
Igor Thiago, who scored a penalty to put Brentford ahead, has now fluffed one when he had the chance to equalise. Verbruggen dived to his right and saved.
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FULL TIME! Wolves 0-2 Palace
So no new-manager bounce for Rob Edwards, yet. Wolves did keep a clean sheet for an hour, but then Palace’s class told with goals from Munoz and Pino.
“I am a Liverpool fan,” says Bilal Ahmed Shariff, “and we need to change the manager as soon as possible. Zero excuses accepted for this performance. The team keeps sinking to a new low every week.”
The last time Forest won at the home of the reigning league champions was in 1994, when they beat Man United at Old Trafford.
As it stands … Palace are fourth, Brighton fifth, Sunderland sixth, Bournemouth seventh. And Liverpool 11th!
If the Forest fans aren’t singing “You’re getting sacked in the morning,” that’s very polite of them.
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GOAL! Brighton 2-1 Brentford (Hinshelwood 84)
Jack Hinshelwood comes off the bench, picks up a rebound from Yankuba Minteh’s shot and scores what could well be the winner. Brighton are so good at home – it just took them 70 minutes to show it today.
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To lose one league game 3-0 may be considered a misfortune, especially if it’s at the Etihad. To lose the next one 3-0, at your own fortress, looks like carelessness. Liverpool have fallen apart again and Forest are in heaven.
GOAL! Fulham 1-0 Sunderland (Jimenez 84)
Fulham’s dominance finally shows up on the scoreboard.
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GOAL! Bournemouth 2-2 West Ham (Unal 81)
From 2-0 down, suddenly Bournemouth are level! And it’s Unal who does the trick, a minute after coming off the bench.
GOAL!!!!! Liverpool 0-3 Forest (Gibbs-White 78)
It’s a rout! Gibbs-White, first time, left foot, game over. “Thoroughly deserved” says the commentator on 5 Live.
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Game of the day in the Bundesliga, says Kári Tulinius. “Stuttgart’s visit to Dortmund looked like it would be a home win, first when the Prussians went in two goals to the good at half-time, and then when Adeyemi scored to make it 3-2 in the final minute of regulation. But Brighton old boy Deniz Undav, who’d scored two brilliant strikes, then completed his hat-trick. How the Seagulls could use him now. A real thriller.”
The Prussians! That may be the acceptable face of elegant variation.
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“So far, as a Liverpool supporter,” says Joe Pearson, “I am not impressed by Slot’s sophomore album.”
The table is mildly absurd at the moment. That goal from Danny Welbeck has sent Brentford from fifth to 12th, as it stands. And Liverpool, without managing a goal, have crept up to ninth.
GOAL! Brighton 1-1 Brentford (Welbeck 71)
One home goal brings two! And Danny Welbeck can’t stop scoring. Someone must have told him that Callum Wilson had got two.
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That penalty from Tavernier was the first Premier League goal today from anybody playing at home. After five lots of 70 minutes and one of 90, so something like 440 minutes.
Remember Bayern Munich going 2-0 down early on, at home to Freiburg? They’re now 6-2 up. And yes, Harry Kane has got his obligatory goal.
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GOAL! Bournemouth 1-2 West Ham (Tavernier pen 70)
Evanilsen wins a penalty from Max Kilman. Marcus Tavernier hits it down the middle and Bournemouth are back in it.
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GOAL!! Wolves 0-2 Palace (Pino 69)
One brings two! And it sounds like a worldie from Yeremy Pino.
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So that’s yet another away goal. Does anyone still do the Pools?
GOAL! Wolves 0-1 Palace (Munoz 63)
Wolves held firm for an hour … but then there was a Palace corner, a shot from Adam Wharton, a block and a simple chance for Daniel Munoz.
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The 5.30 game is a tasty one – Man City, looking ominous, visiting St James’ Park, still a hard place to win. Do join Scott Murray to see the teams picked by Eddie Howe and Pep Guardiola.
Liverpool 0-2 Forest What’s Slot got? He’s got Hugo Etitike, who is coming on … for Konate.
Still not a single home goal in the Premier League today. Seven from the away teams, led by Chelsea with two at Burnley, West Ham with two at Bournemouth and Forest with two at Anfield, of all places.
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If you like a hit parade, have a glance at our list of PL top scorers. You know who’s top – Norway’s answer to Bryan Adams – but below him, Igor Thiago and Callum Wilson are on manoeuvres.
As it stands … Liverpool are 10th. Forest are out of the bottom three, where they should never have been in the first place. Brentford are up to fifth, Palace to seventh, and Sunderland are still fourth.
GOAL!!! Liverpool 0-2 Forest (Savona 46)
Forest deserved to be 2-0 up before half-time and now they are, just afterwards. It’s one full-back to another as Williams’s cross finds Savona, who finishes like a striker. What have you got, Arne Slot?
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Wondering what happened earlier today in the Championship? Our friends at PA Media can help.
HALF-TIME! Brighton 0-1 Brentford
Brighton are hard to beat at home, but they’re 1-0 down after Carlos Baleba gave away a penalty by fouling Igor Thiago, who scored from the spot.
HALF-TIME!! Liverpool 0-1 Forest
They did it last year, when it was almost impossible, and they’re threatening to do it again this year, when it’s still not easy as long as the game is at Anfield. Liverpool have had 10 shots to Forest’s four, but only a controversial call from the refs has saved them from going 2-0 down.
HALF-TIME! Bournemouth 0-2 West Ham
It’s the Callum Wilson show. We’ve only had four goals in these five matches so far, and he’s scored two of them.
HALF-TIME! Fulham 0-0 Sunderland
Another stalemate, so far, at Craven Cottage. It looks as if Fulham have been well on top, with 10 shots to Sunderland’s one. Are Sunderland finally beginning to behave like a promoted club?
HALF-TIME! Wolves 0-0 Palace
A minor triumph for Rob Edwards: his team have kept half a clean sheet.
Liverpool 0-1 Forest Liverpool have gone behind in eight games this season and lost seven of them. But they’ve just had what may have been a stroke of luck. The consensus among the ex-players on the BBC’s Final Score, is that the ball his Jesus’ ribs, not his arm.
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Bournemouth 0-2 West Ham It was a free kick that led to the ball bobbling about in the box. Wilson got it under control, jinked his way into a pocket of space and thumped the ball into the top corner. At this rate, he’ll be going to the World Cup.
GOAL! Bournemouth 0-2 West Ham (Wilson 35)
Callum Wilson has done his old club again!
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DISALLOWED! Liverpool 0-1 Forest
Yes, it’s handball. So Van Dijk and Konate, who conspired to let Jesus in, are off the hook.
GOAL!!?? Liverpool 0-2 Forest (Jesus 33)
Another one … but the VAR is on the case, as there may have been a handball from Jesus before his classy finish.
GOAL!!! Liverpool 0-1 Forest (Murillo 32)
Wow. Forest win a corner which is taken by Elliot Anderson. He’s mostly been defending this afternoon but now he sends in a fine ball to Murillo, who plants it in the corner.
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Half an hour gone in all five games and so far no home team has scored. The only goals have come from Callum Wilson of West Ham at Bournemouth and Igor Thiago of Brentford with that penalty at Brighton.
GOAL! Brighton 0-1 Brentford (Thiago pen 29)
He wins it, he converts it! Thiago sends Verbruggen the wrong way to score his seventh goal in seven games.
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Brighton 0-0 Brentford Thiago bounces back to win a penalty! For a foul by Baleba...
Brighton 0-0 Brentford Thiago has a goal disallowed for Brentford. He’s so far offside that he even gets flagged by the linesman.
Fulham 0-0 Sunderland Fulham have turned up at their own party with two counters. Harry Wilson, fresh from a hat-trick for Wales, shoots just wide; then Kevin is one-on-one with Roefs, who wins the duel. “A fine save,” says Tim Sherwood on Sky’s Soccer Saturday.
Liverpool 0-0 Forest It’s the 20th minute, so Anfield breaks into its customary round of applause for the late, lamented Diogo Jota.
Over in Munich, Bayern went 2-0 down at home to Freiburg … but now, at half-time, it’s 2-2. Amazingly, neither of the Bayern goals came from Harry Kane. Michael Olise made the first (for Lennart Karl) and scored the second.
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Liverpool 0-0 Forest Mo Salah beats three defenders with a twisty run. There’s a VAR check for a possible penalty, but it’s not given.
GOAL! Bournemouth 0-1 West Ham (Wilson 11)
The first goal of the afternoon comes from Callum Wilson against one of his old clubs. It was route one – a long kick, and an assist, from Areola. The other keeper, Petrovic, seems not to have covered himself in glory as Wilson’s low shot made it way past him. That’s a big moment for Nuno.
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Brighton 0-0 Brentford Two early chances for Brighton: Wieffer has a shot saved by Kelleher, and from the resulting corner Rutter heads over the bar. The supplier in both cases was Minteh.
Liverpool 0-0 Forest Liverpool are on top now. Mac Allister has not one but two chances, the second a rasping shot that is superbly blocked by Elliot Anderson.
Wolves 0-0 Palace Marc Guehi, just back from injury, already has a yellow card for a late tackle.
Fulham 0-0 Sunderland The first half-chance of the game falls to the mighty Sunderland, but Wilson Isidor can’t get a touch to Bertrand Traore’s cross.
Liverpool 0-0 Forest First glimmer from Forest at Anfield: the excellent Morgan Gibbs-White wins a free kick with a deft spin, but Murillo can’t convert it.
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All five games are under way. No goals yet, for some reason.
Farewell to a fellow pro. I’ve got the radio on and Mark Chapman is paying tribute to Pat Murphy, who is at Molineux, covering his last game for the BBC. He has said he will retire this evening after 51 years. Quite an innings.
“You’ve probably just heard the plangent ditty of Hi Ho Silver Lining,” says Pat. “I was here when they first played it in 1974.”
So Chelsea go second, for now. They have 23 points from 12 games, which is three fewer than Arsenal and one more than Man City (both from 11). City play at 5.30 today at Newcastle and Arsenal have the North London derby, at their place, in tomorrow’s teatime game.
For Burnley, it’s the third defeat in a row after a decent start to the season. They will sink into the bottom three this afternoon if West Ham can get a point at Bournemouth or Forest pinch a win at Anfield – which is what they did last season.
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In the lunchtime game at Turf Moor, Chelsea have beaten Burnley 2-0. And they didn’t even need to bring on Moises Caicedo. Here’s Will Unwin with our report on the whistle.
“Shouldn’t your caption,” asks Jeremy Boyce, “read ‘Liverpool fans slather...’ given that they are both stuffing their faces with UPFs?” Harsh!
“Leeds fan here, we’re on/losing tomorrow. Clearly we have previous with the Wearsiders (see Wembley, FA Cup, Jim Montgomery, Bob Stokoe), but like everyone else I’m looking at Sunderland with admiration and envy, wondering when the wheels will come off, or whether they can actually go all the way. To the top four.
“Why not the title? Let Pep and Mikel pick each other off, and sneak in under the radar.” Bold!
During the international break, the place to be was Hampden Park. And our Scots correspondent, Simon McMahon, is still talking about it. “Afternoon Tim. Scotland’s game of the day is a full rerun of Tuesday night’s classic at my house with a case of whisky at Tannadice, where Dundee United welcome Falkirk looking to leapfrog their visitors and return to the top six after falling to seventh before the international break. Falkirk have done what United did last season and taken the step up from the Scottish Championship in their stride. They currently sit fifth, two points ahead of their hosts. It should be a cracker. The other 3pm games are Hibs v struggling Dundee, Kilmarnock v Motherwell and Rangers v Livingston.”
Teams: Wolves v Palace
Rob Edwards seems to be sticking with Wolves’ shape while changing half the cast. He brings in Emmanuel Agbadou, Toti Gomes and David Moller Wolfe at the back, Marshall Munetsi in midfield and Tolu Arokodare upfront. Oliver Glasner welcomes Marc Guehi back and also summons Yeremy Pino.
Wolverhampton Wanderers (5-3-2) Johnstone; Tchatchoua, Agbadou, Krejci, Toti Gomes, Wolfe; Munetsi, Andre, Joao Gomes; Strand Larsen, Arokodare.
Subs: Jose Sa, Hugo Bueno, Santiago Bueno, Arias, Mosquera, Hoever, Bellegarde, Lopez, Hwang.
Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1) Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Pino; Mateta.
Subs: Benitez, Lerma, Uche, Clyne, Hughes, Canvot, Sosa, Devenny, Nketiah.
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Teams: Fulham v Sunderland
Régis Le Bris, after that thrilling late equaliser against Arsenal, sees no reason to change a drawing team. Marco Silva, who has to cope without Sasa Lukic, shifts Alex Iwobi back into the pivot and brings in Josh King.
Fulham (4-2-3-1) Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Sessegnon; Berge, Iwobi; Wilson, King, Kevin; Jimenez.
Subs: Lecomte, Castagne, Cairney, Cuenca, Kusi-Asare, Chukwueze, Reed, Traore, Smith Rowe.
Sunderland (5-4-1) Roefs; Hume, Mukiele, Ballard, Geertruida, Mandava; Traore, Xhaka, Sadiki, Le Fee; Isidor.
Subs: Patterson, Neil, Talbi, Mayenda, O’Nien, Alderete, Adingra, Masuaku, Brobbey.
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Teams: Brighton v Brentford
Brighton have one big name suspended: their manager, Fabian Hürzeler, who won’t be pacing the technical area after collecting three yellow cards. The impetuosity of youth.
Brighton (4-2-3-1) Verbruggen; Wieffer, van Hecke, Boscagli, Kadioglu; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, Rutter, Gomez; Welbeck.
Subs: Steele, Dunk, Gruda, Veltman, Tzimas, Hinshelwood, Kostoulas, De Cuyper, Coppola.
Brentford (4-2-3-1) Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, van den Berg, Ajer; Henderson, Yarmolyuk; Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago.
Subs: Valdimarsson, Hickey, Henry, Pinnock, Jensen, Nelson, Onyeka, Lewis-Potter, Janelt.
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Teams: Bournemouth v West Ham
No sign of Antoine Semenyo, who, according to his manager Andoni Iraola, has “aggravated an issue”. Haven’t we all, at times.
Bournemouth (4-2-3-1) Petrovic; Cook, Diakite, Senesi, Truffert; Adams, Scott; Brooks, Tavernier, Junior Kroupi; Evanilson. Subs: Dennis, Soler, Christie, Smith, Jimenez, Adli, Hill, Unal, Milosavljevic.
West Ham (3-4-3) Areola; Todibo, Igor, Kilman; Wan-Bissaka, Fernandes, Potts, Diouf; Bowen, Wilson, Luis Guilherme.
Subs: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Fullkrug, Rodriguez, Magassa, Soucek, Irving, Earthy, Mayers.
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Teams: Liverpool v Forest
Arne Slot, who welcomes Alisson back in goal, opts to play Alexander Isak from the start even though he has very few minutes under his belt and has been a lot less impressive than Hugo Ekitike. He also has Szoboszlai and Kerkez as his full-backs, a decision that could have the Forest wingers licking their lips.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1) Alisson; Szoboszlai, van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Isak, Gakpo.
Subs: Mamardashvili, Gomez, Robertson, Nyoni, Endo, Ramsay, Ngumoha, Chiesa, Ekitike.
Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1) Sels; Savona, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Dominguez; Igor Jesus.
Subs: John Victor, Morato, Boly, Kalimuendo, Hutchinson, Yates, Hudson-Odoi, McAtee, Jair Cunha.
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Preamble
Afternoon everyone. Are you old enough to remember when Saturday at 3pm was the moment you looked forward to all week? Well, it’s back, just for one day. From 3 till 5, we have half the weekend’s Premier League action. And as there are no dull teams this season, all five games are appetising…
Bournemouth v West Ham Bournemouth were second in the league at Hallowee’en, but then they got spooked, losing to Man City and Villa and slipping to ninth. Still, they’re only one point off the top four and at home, where they have four wins out of five, they should be too strong for West Ham, even allowing for the Nuno bounce.
Brighton v Brentford It’s the well-run derby! And a tussle between two mid-table neighbours. Both are on 16 points from 11 games and both have been much better at home, so Brighton are the favourites.
Fulham v Sunderland Fulham are on the slide, with five defeats from their last six league games. Sunderland are living the dream, fourth in the table and fresh from drawing with Arsenal. To be fair, Fulham’s home form has been respectable – but the last time Sunderland made the long trip to West London, a month ago, they beat Chelsea.
Liverpool v Forest On form, both these teams are very beatable. Liverpool have scraped only three points from their last six league games, Forest four. But both did emerge from a losing streak in October – Liverpool with a win over Villa (before they got battered by Haaland), Forest with a draw against Man United and a win over Leeds as Sean Dyche got them sorted. Liverpool remain formidable at home, but can they walk through this storm?
Wolves v Palace When I said no teams were boring this season, I nearly made an exception for Wolves, but let’s face it, they’ve been so bad that they’ve been riveting. At a time when everybody bar Arsenal has blown hot and cold, it’s quite a feat to have collected only two points from a possible 33. And now they’re even more interesting because they have a new manager. In his heart of hearts, Rob Edwards might settle for a point today, and Palace may oblige as they are hard to beat (only two defeats in the league) but easy to match (five draws).
Kick-off, as you know, is at 3pm GMT, and I’ll be back soon with a heap of team sheets.
