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LEEDS STORM TO STATEMENT WIN, LEAVING WEST HAM IN CHAOS

West Ham's crisis deepens with a 2-1 loss to Leeds, marking their 7th defeat. Nuno Espirito Santo's experimental tactics & inverted full-backs failed again, leaving the Hammers just 4 points off the bottom in a looming relegation battle.

Leeds Storm to Statement Win, Leaving West Ham in Chaos
Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United reacts after his side concedes a second goal during the Premier League match between Leeds United and West Ham United at Elland Road on October 24, 2025 in Leeds, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Tonight at Elland Road, the Hammers lost their seventh Premier League game of the season, capping the first quarter of a campaign that is already on the verge of collapse.

Nuno Espirito Santo's team is now firmly entrenched in a relegation battle with 29 games remaining after tonight's 2-1 loss in Yorkshire. They are currently only four points ahead of winless Wolves in the league and have had the worst start to a Premier League season.

Some may ask why it has taken so long, as Santo, who took Graham Potter's post less than a month ago, wore his predecessor's disturbed countenance. tonight as he walked uncomfortably along the touchline.

The 51-year-old will now be fully aware of the magnitude of the challenge at hand, as in his four games in command, he has only managed one of those points, against Everton, led by former manager David Moyes.

However, there may not be much sympathy for West Ham's new head coach after he confused many supporters with yet another experimental lineup that continued to use inverted full-backs (Scarles and Wan-Bissaka), which, like against Brentford 96 hours prior, proved to be an absolute disaster. Jarrod Bowen, as a central striker and Malick Diouf, as a left winger, were also used.

With Aaronson and Rodon taking gifts from West Ham's generous and, to be honest, poor defence, the players appeared to be equally confused with Santo's tactical intentions. They fell by one goal after just three minutes and then two after fifteen.

With just one goal under Santo, the game was all but over. At least for the manager's strategy, as he substituted frontman Callum Wilson for the regrettably injured Scarles (shoulder) within ten minutes, presumably realising the foolishness of using a young player in such an unfamiliar role.

On the plus side, substitute Mateus Fernandes gave the Hammers a chance to win something at the end of normal time by flicking home a tease from Jarrod Bowen, giving the travelling, long-suffering supporters something to cheer about at least.

The loss puts West Ham seven points behind tonight's opponents, Leeds, who go up to 13th, and three behind Burnley, who are in 17th position.

VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE

Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.

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Antoine Semenyo’s clumsy challenge handed Chelsea a vital lifeline

Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.

This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.

What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.

VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."

VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.

At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.

Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.

The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.

Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.

A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.

Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth

Referee: Sam Barrott

VAR: Craig Pawson

What: VAR check for a foul in the box

When: 11th minute

BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW

Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.

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Emery snubs Arteta's handshake

Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.

This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.

Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.

Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.

Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.

After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.

It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.

“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.

“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”

About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.

“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.

“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.

“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.

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