ANFIELD ALERT: NUNO'S WEST HAM FACE HIGH-STAKES LIVERPOOL CLASH TO ESCAPE THE RELEGATION ZONE
Liverpool vs West Ham. Get the report on Nuno Espirito Santo’s counter-attacks and the fight to escape relegation.
West Ham are heading to Anfield on Saturday, and you can bet they’ve got one thing in mind: finally beating Liverpool there, something they haven’t pulled off since 2015.
Sure, the Hammers only managed a 0-0 draw with Bournemouth last weekend, dropping a couple of points at home. But the silver lining? They’ve managed to close the gap on Nottingham Forest in 17th to just two points. Not bad, all things considered.
Next up is Arne Slot’s Liverpool, a team that's been all over the place this season. Just look at that wild 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, who were sitting 19th at the time, back in November. Liverpool rarely loses twice at home to teams starting the day in the relegation zone; the last time was way back in the 1992-93 season.
But with Nuno Espirito Santo in charge, West Ham look dangerous, especially because they tend to come out flying in the first half. If Liverpool start slow, like they often do, West Ham could punish them.
Here’s what West Ham needs to do: keep up that strong start. They’ve picked up 11 points from their last six games, mainly thanks to their first-half performances. In fact, 59% of their Premier League goals this season have come before halftime, the highest proportion in the league.
Liverpool, on the other hand, barely gets going until after the break. Only 31% of their goals come in the first half, which is the lowest share in the division. Remember when West Ham struck first against Chelsea, Tottenham, and Sunderland? They ended up winning two of those three matches. If they can do the same at Anfield, Nuno’s counter-attacking setup might just cause Liverpool some real headaches.
But here’s where things get tricky. Liverpool never know when they’re beaten, and some of their wildest games have come down to the wire this season. More goals have been scored in the 90th minute (and stoppage time) of Liverpool’s matches than any other team’s. Nine of those late goals have changed the result from last-gasp winners to heartbreaking losses. Just last Sunday, Alexis Mac Allister scored in the 97th minute to snatch all three points against Nottingham Forest.
So, if West Ham do grab the lead, great. Nuno’s plan is working. But fans shouldn’t get too comfortable. If they sit back and try to protect that lead, things could get tense. Liverpool loves a dramatic finish, and they never stop coming.
SUNDERLAND CONDEMNS "VILE" RACIST ABUSE AIMED AT BRIAN BROBBEY AFTER SPURS WIN
Brian Brobbey targeted online! Sunderland and the Premier League unite against "vile" discrimination after Spurs win.
Sunderland called out the racist abuse aimed at Brian Brobbey on social media and made it clear they stand fully behind him.
Brobbey was targeted online right after Sunderland’s 1-0 win over Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday. On Monday, the club released a statement: “Sunderland condemns in the strongest possible terms the racist abuse directed at Brian Brobbey on social media following Sunday’s fixture against Tottenham. We stand firmly with Brian and offer him our full and unwavering support.”
Sadly, this isn’t the first time Sunderland players have had to deal with this kind of abuse this season. After February’s match against Fulham, Romaine Mundle received hateful messages online, and last month the Tyne-Wear derby had to be paused when someone in the crowd reportedly aimed abuse at Lutsharel Geertruida.
The club’s statement continued: “This isn’t an isolated event. The recent abuse aimed at Romaine Mundle and Lutsharel Geertruida shows just how often and how unacceptably this keeps happening, both at matches and on the internet. We’ve reported this latest incident to the Premier League, the social media platforms, and the police, and we expect them to act quickly against the people responsible. Racism is vile, and it doesn’t belong in football or anywhere else. We’ll keep calling it out, clearly and without hesitation, every time it happens. Football should be safe and welcoming for everyone, no exceptions.”
The Premier League is backing Brobbey as well. In a post on their X account, they said they’re “disgusted by the ongoing discrimination” players keep facing online. “We stand alongside Sunderland in strongly condemning the online racist abuse Brian Brobbey has received and have offered our full support to him and the club. We are disgusted by the ongoing discrimination players are facing on social media and are committed to working with clubs, authorities, law enforcement, and social media companies to address this issue, as well as supporting investigations to bring those responsible to justice.
Anyone found guilty of discrimination will face the toughest possible punishments: jail time, football bans, and even a criminal record.”
DAVID MOYES REVEALS "NERVES" AS EVERTON HUNT HISTORIC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFICATION SPOT
David Moyes admits Everton's Champions League hunt is nerve-wracking. See the latest on the Toffees' battle for Europe.
David Moyes admits the idea of Everton making the Champions League this soon in their rebuild actually makes him “shake a wee bit.”
You look at the club now, and it's hard to believe where they were just 14 months ago. When Moyes returned, Everton looked beaten down from years of fighting to stay up. Suddenly, with only seven games left, they’re sitting eighth. That spot could mean Europa Conference League football, but after their win against Chelsea before the break, they’re now just three points off fourth. It’s wild to even talk about the Champions League, but it’s right there in reach.
Reporters put the question to him how does it feel to be this close? With Europe’s spots possibly extending down to fifth (or maybe even further, depending on how other English clubs do), Moyes wasn’t hiding his nerves: “It’s probably the best shot we’ve had in a long time. But when I hear ‘Champions League’? Makes me shake a wee bit, honestly. I’ve been lucky to manage in Europe’s other competitions lately, and if we do make it, I’m sure we’d be able to hold our own at certain stages. Still, the Champions League is just on another level.”
Everton’s next match at Brentford looks huge for their European dreams. Brentford beat them earlier in the season, and right now, both teams are level, separated only by goal difference.
Moyes is clearly enjoying this chapter. “Listen, Europe’s Europe. If someone had said at the start, ‘You’re going to get European football,’ we’d have snapped their hand off. It could be the tiddlywinks European cup, and we’d be up for it. Evertonians want the club back in those conversations. We’re getting attention for the new stadium, we’ve got a couple of England internationals getting noticed more, it’s a good time. If we do sneak into the Champions League, it’d be an unbelievable achievement. But honestly, no matter which competition we make, it’s still a big step forward for us.”
