Diogo Jota's third straight Anfield goal in the Premier League got Liverpool out of jail with a 2-1 comeback victory against a stubborn West Ham.
Diogo Jota scores again for Liverpool, assisted by fellow sub Xherdan Shaqiri. |
Pablo Fornals gave West Ham the lead after sloppy defending by Liverpool, before Mo Salah equalised from penalty spot before half-time.
Liverpool equal 63-game unbeaten home record
For the third time in four Premier League games at Anfield this season champions Liverpool conceded first, as Pablo Fornals capitalised on a sloppy Joe Gomez clearance to guide in off the post from 12 yards (10).
But Liverpool's leveller was equally as cheap as Arthur Masuaku's needless nibble on Mo Salah in the box earned the hosts a penalty, which Salah duly converted (42).
Liverpool huffed and puffed as sub Jota got his chance again and converted fellow sub Xherdan Shaqiri's brilliant through ball to give Liverpool the win (85).
The win means Liverpool are now 63 top-flight games unbeaten at home, equalling their record from 1978 to 1980.
Player ratings
Liverpool: Alisson (6), Alexander-Arnold (6), Gomez (6), Phillips (8), Robertson (6), Wijnaldum (7), Henderson (6), Jones (6), Mane (6), Firmino (6), Salah (6)
Subs: Shaqiri (7), Jota (7), Milner (NA)
West Ham: Fabianski (6), Coufal (6), Balbuena (6), Ogbonna (6), Cresswell (6), Masuaku (5), Rice (6), Soucek (6), Fornals (7), Bowen (6), Haller (4)
Subs: Yarmolenko (6), Lanzini (NA), Benrahma (NA)
Man of the match: Nat Phillips
Opta stats
— Only Aston Villa in 1897-98 (17) have conceded more goals in their first seven league matches as a reigning top-flight champion than Liverpool this season (15). The Reds took 23 games to concede 15 Premier League goals last season.
— Since David Moyes' first game back in charge of West Ham in January, the Hammers have dropped more points from winning positions than any other side in the Premier League (16).
— Liverpool have conceded the first goal in three of their four home league games this season - as many times as they did in all 19 league matches at Anfield last term. Indeed, the Reds have fallen behind in three consecutive home games in the Premier League for the first time since May 2012 (four in a row).
— Only Fernando Torres in 2009-10 (eight) scored more goals in Liverpool's opening seven matches of a Premier League season than Mo Salah's seven this campaign.
— Diogo Jota is just the second player to score in all of his first three Premier League appearances for Liverpool at Anfield, after Luis Garcia in October 2004.
Newcastle 2-1 Everton
LONDON: Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson scored twice to hand high-flying Everton their second straight Premier League defeat as they went down 2-1 at St. James' Park on Sunday (Oct 1) despite a late charge led by Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Carlo Ancelotti dropped goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, whose mistakes have cost Everton a number of goals so far this season, and gave a debut to Swedish international Robin Olsen, who joined from AS Roma on loan at the beginning of October.
Spurs 2-1 Brighton
Gareth Bale came off the bench to head the winner for Tottenham Hotspur in a 2-1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Sunday, his first goal since returning to the club from Real Madrid.
The Welshman was brought on in the 70th minute and three minutes later he met a Sergio Reguilon cross with a firm and well-directed header to restore Tottenham's lead.
Harry Kane had put Spurs ahead in the 13th minute from the penalty spot after Adam Lallana was ruled to have fouled him as he climbed for a header.
Brighton responded with a long spell of good possession football as Spurs failed to drive home their advantage and Graham Potter's side drew level in the 56th minute.
Tottenham then struck the post twice, firstly a drive from the edge of the box from Erik Lamela and then a close-range effort from a tight angle by Kane.
Then came Bale's winner as Spurs moved above Everton in the standings into second place on 14 points, two behind leaders Liverpool.
Bale has yet to start in the Premier League for Spurs as he works his way back to full match fitness and was delighted to have got off the mark.
"It's a great feeling. You just want to come on and do a job for the team. I worked for the team and was lucky enough to get the goal," he said.
But Bale was wary of the suggestion that Spurs could be in a position to compete for the title this season.
"(We are) very competitive, we know not to get too carried away. There are some great teams, we are just going to keep working as hard as we can," he said.
Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal
MANCHESTER, England: Arsenal ended their five-year wait for a Premier League away win against 'Big Six' opposition with a second half Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang penalty giving them a 1-0 win at Manchester United on Sunday (Nov 1).
The Gunners had not enjoyed such a win in 29 games since their victory at Manchester City in January 2015 and it was their first win at United since 2006.
The result leaves United still without a win at Old Trafford in the Premier League this season and it was a disappointing performance from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side after their impressive display in the 5-0 triumph over RB Leipzig in the Champions League in midweek.
The decisive moment came when Paul Pogba stood on Hector Bellerin's foot inside the area and Aubameyang kept his cool to convert the spot-kick.
United did hit the post through a deflected shot from substitute Donny van de Beek late in the game but Solskjaer's 100th game as manager ended in a defeat which leaves them in 15th place with just seven points from six games.
Arsenal move up to eighth on 12 points and manager Mikel Arteta said the win should be a sign of things to come from his team.
"We're creating expectation. We want to beat them (big six) all the time and compete for the league with them. We will evolve and get better at other things so we can go to any ground and be competitive which is something already positive," he said.
Solskjaer opted to start with Pogba in a Premier League game for the first time since their 6-1 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur last month but neither he nor the most advanced midfielder Bruno Fernandes were able to get a firm grip on the game.
Mason Greenwood forced a save out of Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno from a tight angle in the 21st minute but the Gunners pinned United back for long stages with their impressive pressing.
Arsenal's Brazilian winger Willian clipped the crossbar in the 39th minute and Aubameyang drifted a shot just wide after the interval.
But Pogba's ill-advised challenge decided the outcome and left Solskjaer with some more thinking to do about how best to organise his midfield.
"It's hard to put your finger on it. It was disappointing from us. It was a cagey game, a game of few chances," said United skipper Harry Maguire.
"We needed to do more, we needed to create more. It's not good enough, we've got to go work hard tomorrow at training. We can't find excuses, we've got to look within."
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