NUNO ESPIRITO SANTO FACING WEST HAM SACK AFTER BRIGHTON AND WOLVES CLASHES
West Ham are in the relegation zone and winless in seven. Discover why Nuno Espirito Santo could be replaced by Slaven Bilic soon.
Looks like Nuno Espirito Santo's time with West Ham United is almost up.
The Hammers are stuck in the Premier League relegation zone, five points away from safety as we approach the middle of the season.
Nuno is facing major pressure to get fired, with the team losing three games in a row and not winning in their last seven.
The fans aren't behind the Portuguese coach anymore, and soon West Ham's leaders will be forced to make a tough choice.
Nuno Espirito Santo won't make it if they lose to Wolves.
West Ham isn't expected to win against Brighton on Tuesday night, and the atmosphere at the London Stadium will be awful if they lose again.
After that, the team plays Wolves on January 3rd, and that game could decide Nuno's future.
Martin Lipton wrote in The Sun that if West Ham is the first team to lose to Wolves this season, the bosses will probably fire Nuno.
Lipton said, "After tonight’s home game with Brighton, it's two of Nuno's old teams, Wolves and Forest, before the FA Cup game with QPR."
If the Hammers become the first team to lose to Wolves, you've got to think he'll be out.
Rob Edwards' team only has two points, so it's hard to imagine Nuno surviving a loss like that.
West Ham has a replacement ready if Nuno Espirito Santo goes.
If West Ham decides to fire Nuno, they'll need someone to step in right away.
The January transfer window could be key for the Hammers, so they'll want a manager in charge.
Slaven Bilic is reportedly willing to take the West Ham job until the end of the season if Nuno leaves, giving David Sullivan and the others a real option.
Bilic was mentioned as a possible replacement when Graham Potter was fired and is still available.
Bilic managed West Ham from 2015 to 2017 and played 48 league games for the club.
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.
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.
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.