Chelsea host Manchester United in the headline game of the weekend in the Premier League, with Sunday's showdown at Stamford Bridge a lip-smacking occasion.

Will United put the misery of their five defeats in seven domestic league games behind them and start afresh after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's sacking, or will it be the same old story for the Red Devils?

The threat comes from all quarters with Chelsea: Reece James and Antonio Rudiger may be as likely, if not more so, to score than Timo Werner, for example.

Leeds are boosted by the return from injury of Raphinha as they head to Brighton, while Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang face opponents against whom they have outstanding past records.

The pursuit of fantasy points is on, and here are suggestions for possible picks ahead of the weekend, powered by Opta data.

REECE JAMES (Chelsea v Manchester United)

Will Manchester United's Champions League victory at Villarreal be a spur for them to find a way back to winning ways in the Premier League? Not if Reece James can help it.

Chelsea's exciting right wing-back was sufficiently impressive last term to make England's Euro 2020 squad, but he has gone to another level this time around, and a midweek goal against Juventus just confirmed his progression.

In the Premier League, James has been directly involved in eight goals this season, three more than in his previous 56 appearances in the competition across the last two seasons (5 - one goal, four assists). His total of involvements is higher than any other defender in the league in 2021-22, and United will be wary of that danger. Whether they can stop it remains to be seen.

ANTONIO RUDIGER (Chelsea v Manchester United)

Another Chelsea defender who provides value as an all-rounder, Rudiger provides Premier League fantasy points possibilities at both ends of the pitch.

Among Premier League defenders, only his Blues club-mates James (4) and Ben Chilwell (3) have scored more goals in the competition this season, while only Manchester City's Joao Cancelo (8) has registered more clean sheets than the German (7).

With Harry Maguire suspended and Raphael Varane injured, United seem likely to be susceptible to crosses from set-pieces, which is where Rudiger could come into his own.

RAPHINHA (Brighton and Hove Albion v Leeds United)

Leeds are hovering just above the bottom three, heading into the weekend, so to have Raphinha available will be a major boost to Marcelo Bielsa.

After missing the defeat at Tottenham last time out, the Brazil international is expected to be involved at Brighton this weekend as Leeds target a third win of the campaign.

They missed his creative influence in north London, with Leeds having won 45 per cent of their Premier League games in which Raphinha has featured (18/40) since his debut for the club in October 2020, They have won none of their six matches when he has been absent (D2 L4) and have averaged a measly 0.5 goals per game.

His 20 goal involvements in the league over the same period (11 goals, 9 assists) is second only at Leeds to Patrick Bamford (23 - 15 goals, 8 assists).

RAHEEM STERLING (Manchester City v West Ham)

Has Raheem Sterling played himself into form for City? Three goals in his last three appearances across all competitions suggests that is the case for a player who struggled in the early weeks of the season, in the wake of his exploits at Euro 2020 with England.

Now, assuming he keeps his place in Pep Guardiola's starting line-up, Sterling gets to face one of his very favourite opponents when West Ham visit the Etihad Stadium.

Sterling has been involved in 11 goals in his last eight Premier League games against the Hammers (6 goals, 5 assists), hitting a hat-trick when the teams met in London on the opening day of the 2019-20 season.

EMMANUEL DENNIS (Leicester City v Watford)

It was Emmanuel Dennis who inflicted the final blow to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, completing the rout as Watford whipped Manchester United 4-1 last Saturday.

The Nigerian appears to have been an outstanding acquisition from Club Brugge and Leicester will be wary of his menacing form ahead of a King Power Stadium tussle.

Dennis has scored four goals and assisted five more in just 11 Premier League appearances for Watford. Should he score in Sunday's game, he would become only the sixth player in Premier League history to reach both five goals and assists in 12 or fewer games, after Eric Cantona (11 games), Jurgen Klinsmann (12), Arjen Robben (11), Andrey Arshavin (10) and Bruno Fernandes (9).

JOSE SA (Norwich City v Wolves)

The handover of the Wolves goalkeeper job from Rui Patricio to fellow Portuguese Jose Sa has been seamless, and the new man between the sticks has been highly effective already in the Premier League.

Only Chelsea's Edouard Mendy (3.71) has prevented more goals in the PL this season than Sa (2.18). That is based on Opta's expected goals on target (xGOT) metric, which assesses the quality of shots. On that basis, Sa would have been expected to concede 14.18 goals, but he has picked the ball out of the net just 12 times.

His 38 saves from 50 shots faced gives him a healthy 76 per cent success rate, beaten only by Mendy (88.57 per cent) and Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale (78.95) so far this season. Norwich will do well to find a way past one of the most in-form glovesmen in the top flight.

PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG (Arsenal v Newcastle United)

Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has not scored or had an assist in his last three Premier League games, creating just one chance in 270 minutes.

But if there is any team he is going to score against, Newcastle would be close to the top of the list, and not merely because Eddie Howe's team are bottom of the table.

The former Borussia Dortmund striker has been involved in nine goals in his eight appearances for Arsenal against Newcastle in all competitions (6 goals, 3 assists), scoring in each of his last five games against the Magpies.

West Ham continued their excellent Europa League campaign with a 2-0 win at Rapid Vienna to confirm their place at the top of Group H on Thursday.

David Moyes' men are fourth in the Premier League but have arguably been even more impressive in Europe, with this their fourth victory in five matches.

Goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Mark Noble shortly before half-time teed up a straightforward triumph, albeit one that was played out without a crowd as a lockdown kept home fans away after West Ham's travelling supporters had already been banned.

The Rapid faithful would not have been particularly impressed by what they saw if they had been present, as the margin of West Ham's victory could have been wider.

Jarrod Bowen passed up a huge chance for an early opener when he toed Arthur Masuaku's superb sixth-minute cross agonisingly wide, but West Ham had the lead they merited six minutes from the end of the first half.

Yarmolenko nodded Nikola Vlasic's teasing centre back across Paul Gartler for his first Hammers goal since January, before the scorer earned a clip from Maximilian Hofmann for a stoppage-time spot-kick, which Noble dispatched.

West Ham kept pushing and Bowen was wasteful again when he shot straight at Gartler at the end of a wonderful run and then when he blasted against the legs of retreating defender Filip Stojkovic after the goalkeeper had parried Tomas Soucek's header following a smart initial save.

Rapid threatened only fleetingly at the other end, as West Ham's comfortable position meant they could disregard events elsewhere in the group and hand a debut to Sonny Perkins, who almost scored with his first touch on a productive night for the visitors.

What does it mean? Hammers in complete control

West Ham's stunning start to this campaign meant it would take a remarkable collapse not to advance to the knockout stage, but they took apart Rapid on matchday five just to make sure.

Although there were occasional lulls in the game, West Ham were always in control with 61.2 per cent of the possession, while their 12 shots had a collective value of 4.15 expected goals (xG).

Masuaku makes his mark

Knee surgery restricted Masuaku to 12 Premier League appearances last season, and Aaron Cresswell established himself as a surefire starter under Moyes in that time.

But the fit-again left-back took his opportunity to impress with an all-action display in Austria. Only Noble had more touches than Masuaku (92) at the time of his substitution, as he excelled at both ends, creating two chances while also making three interceptions, two tackles and two clearances.

Bowen off the boil

If West Ham have great depth at full-back, the same is not quite true up front. Michail Antonio was rested for this match, meaning Bowen played through the middle in the absence of an obvious natural alternative.

While it feels a little harsh to criticise Moyes' attack in a comprehensive win, Bowen alone could have stretched the scoreline significantly. The winger failed with three shots worth a combined 1.81 xG.

What's next?

Having taken care of business, West Ham can return their focus to the Premier League and a trip to Manchester City. Their next Europa League assignment is at home to Dinamo Zagreb on December 9, when Rapid go to Genk.

Jesse Lingard's future does not appear to be with current club Manchester United.

Contract talks between Lingard and United have reportedly broken down.

The England international has only played eight times in all competitions this season, starting just once.

 

TOP STORY –  LINGARD SET FOR JANUARY SWITCH

Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard will make a £10million move to West Ham in January, according to The Sun.

The Red Devils are said to be looking to cash in on the 28-year-old England international before he is out of contract at the end of this season.

Lingard impressed during a six-month loan spell with the Hammers in the second half of last season, with nine goals and four assists.

ROUND-UP

- Tottenham are also interested in signing Lingard on a free transfer in the off-season, according to the Daily Express.

- United are prepared to sell Diogo Dalot to Roma in order to facilitate a deal for Atletico Madrid's England full-back Kieran Trippier, claims the Manchester Evening News.

- Marca claims that Real Madrid are ramping up their pursuit of Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger, who is out of contract at the end of this season. Bayern Munich are also said to be tracking the Germany international.

- Promising young Argentina international Julian Alvarez is being monitored by Italian powerhouse pair Juventus and Milan, reports Calciomercato. Alvarez, who has four Argentina caps, is currently with River Plate who will wait until December to evaluate any offers.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer acknowledged Jesse Lingard's disappointment at a lack of playing time following rumours suggesting contract talks with the midfielder had collapsed.

Various publications claimed on Thursday that discussions over a new Manchester United deal for England international Lingard had broken down.

The 28-year-old's contract is due to expire at the end of the season, and United seemingly look set to lose a valuable asset on a free transfer.

The speculation has stoked criticism of United's decision-making, given the club almost certainly could have fetched £25million for Lingard in pre-season after he enjoyed a scintillating loan spell at West Ham.

Between his Hammers debut in February and the end of 2020-21, Lingard scored nine times in the Premier League, a haul bettered by just five players.

Only one of those was a penalty, leaving him with a non-penalty expected goals (xG) outperformance of 4.7, the second best record in that time.

That form earned him an England recall, and while he was ultimately left out of their Euro 2020 squad, Lingard had given himself a solid platform to build on upon his return to United, but Solskjaer has not rewarded him with the playing time he feels he deserves.

"Jesse is training really hard, really well and he's ready and available for me," Solskjaer said ahead of the trip to Watford after being asked about the rumours around Lingard's contract talks.

"He's disappointed he's not playing more. In regards to contract situations and talks, I've not been in them very closely.

"For me, Jesse is still a big part of this squad and important, and he gives quality to the group every day.

"Every player wants to play as much as possible, with Jesse and all my players.

"They're working really hard, I can't fault the attitude when they're called upon. Jesse has done well when he's played for us, and with the games coming up, he's going to play a part."

In that respect, the busy schedule over the next eight weeks could potentially see United turn the situation around.

They have 11 fixtures in all competitions before the end of the year, a hectic run that will undoubtedly lead to some squad rotation.

Lingard will be hopeful of capitalising on that given he has played in just five Premier League games this season.

Despite a lack of game time, his tally of two goals is bettered by only Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Mason Greenwood, all of whom have played more than 10 times as many minutes as Lingard's 63.

West Ham have confirmed they have accepted UEFA's sanctions banning the club's fans from attending their next Europa League game against Rapid Vienna.

A number of travelling fans without tickets caused disturbances and entered the stadium during West Ham's last European fixture away to Genk on November 4, which ended 2-2.

The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body issued two fines amounting to €34,500 to the club, charging them under Article 16(2)(h) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations relating to crowd disturbances and Article 16(2)(b) due to objects being thrown by the away fans.

The Hammers will now be forced to play in Vienna on November 25 with none of their supporters inside the stadium.

West Ham are unbeaten in their first four Europa League games, sitting top of the group with 10 points and need just to better Dinamo Zagreb's result against Genk to seal a place in the last 16.

The club are offering refunds to supporters who have purchased tickets for the game and urged their fans not to travel to Austria.

A club statement read: "Despite the club's robust processes around our own security and operations in support of our ticketed fans who travelled to Genk, evidence has been presented to confirm that a small number of ticketless individuals caused disturbances and illegally gained entrance to Genk's stadium.

"West Ham United condemn the behaviour of this group of individuals and we are working to identify them following their actions, which have now ultimately led to our supporters – the vast majority of whom behaved impeccably in Belgium – being punished and resulting in David Moyes' team being forced to play in Austria without the backing of the club's fans, whose loyal and passionate support has spurred the Hammers on during an unbeaten opening four games of the Europa League adventure so far.

"While the club accepts the sanctions, we also wish to place on record our disappointment at the extremely short notice of the measures, which were received eleven days after the fixture in Genk and just over a week ahead of the match against Rapid Vienna which has limited our options significantly, and has sadly impacted supporters who have booked return travel and accommodation in Austria.

"The club has had to consider these supporters and the impact on them both for this fixture and future fixtures if this process was subject to further delays."

UEFA has banned West Ham fans from attending the upcoming Europa League group game against Rapid Vienna.

A section of West Ham's travelling support were involved in crowd disturbances during the Hammers' last Europa League match, against Genk in Belgium on November 4.

The match finished 2-2, though West Ham were subsequently charged under Article 16(2)(h) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations relating to crowd disturbances and Article 16(2)(b) due to objects being thrown by the away fans.

As a result, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body has announced the Hammers cannot take any supporters to Austria when they face Rapid Vienna on November 25. The club was also fined €34,500 in total.

David Moyes' team top Group H with 10 points from their opening four games, meaning a point in Vienna would be enough to secure progress to the knockout stage.

West Ham face second-placed Dinamo Zagreb in their final Group H match on December 9.

Declan Rice has been withdrawn from the England squad for their latest round of World Cup qualifiers due to illness.

The midfielder has not been able to train since reporting to St George's Park and has returned to West Ham.

He will miss England's qualifiers with Albania and San Marino, from which they need four points to secure a place at the World Cup in Qatar.

England have not replaced Rice in the squad, with Mason Mount and Luke Shaw yet to join the group and still being assessed. 

Chelsea midfielder Mount is recovering from dental surgery while Shaw suffered a concussion in Manchester United's defeat to Manchester City last Saturday.

Rice has been excellent form this season for a West Ham side just three points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea.

Of Premier League midfielders to have attempted 500 passes this season, only Rodri (92.3) has completed more than Rice (91.7).

 

An investment group from the Czech Republic has bought a 27 per cent stake in West Ham.

Businessman Daniel Kretinsky, the co-owner of Sparta Prague, and his colleague Pavel Horsky will also be appointed to the Premier League club's board following the deal.

West Ham said in a statement: "The agreement is a further improvement to the club's capital structure which will initially enable the reduction of its long-term debt and the ability to continue to direct funds generated into other key areas of focus, continuing the positive progress made at West Ham United in recent years."

Kretinsky, who watched West Ham beat Liverpool 3-2 last weekend at London Stadium, said: "I am passionate about football. I greatly appreciate and respect the exceptional history and tradition of West Ham United as well as its loyal and passionate supporter base and also the highly inspiring role it plays in many social programmes and initiatives.

"The development and growth of the club in recent years has been clear for everyone to see and I am delighted to be part of what I believe is a very exciting future ahead. 

"Having been to London Stadium recently to watch David Moyes' team, I know it is an incredible time to become part of the West Ham United family. I feel privileged to now have the opportunity to help everyone here build on the proud traditions of this great club."

Hammers vice-chairman Karen Brady said: "On behalf of the board I am very pleased to welcome Daniel Kretinsky, Pavel Horsky and 1890s holdings a.s to West Ham United. We are always looking to continue to progress and Daniel's involvement brings investment which strengthens the club's position, and in turn will assist in the development of the club's key areas of focus.

"[Joint chairmen] David Sullivan and David Gold have always been very open about finding the right investors to join them on the journey as custodians of West Ham United, and Daniel's strong business acumen and football experience will be of huge benefit to the club. We very much look forward to working with him and Pavel."

West Ham have enjoyed a strong start to the 2021-22 season under manager David Moyes, with seven wins in 11 games putting them third in the Premier League, level on points with Manchester City and three behind leaders Chelsea.

Aaron Ramsey has become an issue for Juventus, being on a bumper contract but having fallen out of favour.

Ramsey signed with Juve in 2019 on a four-year deal from Arsenal.

The 30-year-old has only made 70 appearances across almost two-and-a-half seasons, including only five this term.

 

TOP STORY – PREMIER LEAGUE PAIR KEEN ON RAMSEY

Juventus are shopping around Aaron Ramsey with Premier League pair Everton and Newcastle United in the mix, claims Goal.

The Bianconeri are keen to find a buyer for the Wales international midfielder in January although his salary may be a stumbling block.

No formal offers have been tabled yet for the ex-Arsenal star.

ROUND-UP  

- The transfer saga involving Paul Pogba continues to twist and turn with The Star claiming Manchester United are willing to sell him in January, with his contract expiring at the end of the season. Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Juventus have been linked with the French midfielder.

- AS claims Manchester United are hoping to win the race for Sevilla's Jules Kounde , with Chelsea 's admiration long known.

- West Ham will turn down any approaches for England international Declan Rice , reports The Sun. The midfielder has been linked with Manchester United and Chelsea .

- Newcastle are angling to land Ousmane Dembele as a free agent if he refuses to pen a new deal with Barcelona, reports Express.

- Internazionale could also seal a free transfer for Andre Onana from Ajax according to Fabrizio Romano, who claims a verbal agreement was reached months ago. Barcelona have also shown an interest in Onana.

- Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah has interest from German club Monchengladbach for a January move according to The Sun.

- Goal claims that Liverpool legend and current Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is Aston Villa 's first choice to take their vacant managerial role following Dean Smith's dismissal.

West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in the Premier League win over Liverpool on Sunday.

The former Juventus centre-back did the damage in the first half of a 3-2 victory for David Moyes' high-flying side at London Stadium.

Ogbonna underwent a scan on Monday and has already started out on the road to recovery, with the Hammers waiting to discover how long he faces on the sidelines.

The London club's head of medical, Richard Collinge, said: “After being substituted following a separate incident that led to him suffering a cut above his eye, Angelo felt some discomfort in his right knee so we scanned him to ascertain the extent of the injury.

"That scan has shown up some damage to the anterior cruciate ligament and we have begun his rehabilitation immediately. Angelo will see another specialist this week and we will then have a clearer picture around his timeline of recovery."

Ogbonna has formed an imposing central defensive pairing with Kurt Zouma following the France international's move from Chelsea, after enjoying a strong 2020-21 campaign.

The Hammers are third in the top flight, three points behind leaders Chelsea, and are on course to qualify for the Europa League round of 16.

 

Virgil van Dijk questioned the standard of refereeing during Liverpool's defeat to West Ham, claiming "no one knows exactly what is allowed".

The Reds saw their 25-game unbeaten run across all competitions – their joint-longest streak since joining the Football League in 1893 – come to end on Sunday.

Alisson, under pressure from Angelo Ogbonna, gifted the lead to the Hammers – who had not beaten Liverpool in 10 previous top-flight attempts – in contentious fashion before Trent Alexander-Arnold levelled for the hosts.

Pablo Fornals restored West Ham's lead and Kurt Zouma all but sealed victory when he headed home as Jurgen Klopp's team conceded twice from corners in a single Premier League game for the first time since August 2017.

Despite substitute Divock Origi's late goal, David Moyes' side managed to hold on for the win, but Van Dijk's focus post-match was on the officiating.

"Listen, the goal counts, it stands," Van Dijk responded to Sky Sports after the game.

"I don't know exactly what happens but I saw the whole time that Ali was being man-marked and stuff, so with the rules nowadays no one knows exactly what is allowed, yes or no, sometimes they give it and sometimes they don't and today counts.

"But what I said, there was nothing wrong. Even after that we still had almost the whole game to come back from it, but obviously we were disappointed to come 1-0 down."

Asked whether Liverpool could do more to protect Alisson from set-pieces, the centre-back responded: "Obviously you can’t because the striker in this case was standing next to him, so you can't push him away because they might give a penalty, so it's just on the officials to see if it’s a foul, yes or no.

"It could have been a foul but what can you do now after the game? You can't change it and what I said, we still had the whole game to come back."

While Van Dijk was left confused by the refereeing decisions, he conceded the Reds were not good enough as he implored for improvements after the international break.

"We played OK, I think in moments played well," he continued. We tried to find the spaces in between their lines and obviously they defend well.

"We had to be patient and scored the deserved equaliser, in my opinion, then second half we were a bit too rash maybe. We wanted maybe to score the 2-1 a bit too much.

"Obviously we just focus on the next game but now it’s the international break.

"Everyone is going away so it’s just making sure that you recover well, play well, play for your country and come back fresh and healthy and clear-minded for a very tough game against Arsenal. That's the only thing we can do."

Jurgen Klopp bemoaned numerous refereeing decisions as Liverpool saw their 20-game unbeaten run in the Premier League ended by West Ham.

Alisson, under pressure from Angelo Ogbonna, punched into his own net to gift the lead to David Moyes' men, who were previously winless in 10 top-flight attempts against the Reds.

Liverpool protested their goalkeeper was fouled from Pablo Fornals' inswinging corner, and Klopp's side were further infuriated when Aaron Cresswell appeared to lunge high into a sliding tackle on Jordan Henderson.

However, referee Craig Pawson and VAR official Stuart Attwell did not see reason to punish the left-back before Trent-Alexander Arnold equalised four minutes before the break.

Fornals nudged Moyes' side back into the lead and Kurt Zouma all but clinched the win as Liverpool conceded two goals from corners in the same Premier League game for the first time since August 2017.

Divock Origi brought the scoreline back to 3-2, but Liverpool could not find an equaliser and, after the game, Klopp's focus was on the officiating as he once again questioned the thought processes behind some of the decisions he felt cost his side.

"Key moments cost us today, the goals and some situations have to go another way," Klopp told Sky Sports post-match.

"Let's talk about the game. The first they score is a foul on the goalkeeper; the arm goes into Alisson's arm, so how can he catch it? That makes no sense.

"What can Alisson do? That is why the goalie is protected. If a player goes up in the air with his arm, it is an important part of the body for the goalkeeper.

"Aaron Cresswell's was a reckless challenge on Jordan Henderson, even when he touched the ball before, so you have to control your body.

"[These were] two situations which were influential, but West Ham did not make the decisions, and they won the game.

"People will say I am making excuses, but I am calm. You need normal decisions from a referee, and he did not do that."

In all competitions, this was Liverpool's first defeat in 26 games, ending their joint-longest unbeaten run since they joined the Football League in 1893.

And Klopp acknowledged his side can improve in their next game against Arsenal after the international break.

"We lost too many balls, that is why they had counter-attacks," he continued. "At 1-1, we had them where we wanted. It looked like we lost a bit of patience, we had a lot of situations where we got to the touchline but could not make it count.

"They dropped really deep, so it does not make it easy, you have to force and fight them down in the final third. Little things decided it and a few things went against us.

"We were not that calm in the decisive moments, they could not get us. When you try to put the ball into the box they had eight, nine players, so we have to go again, do it again. We were not patient enough.

"We can be better, 100 per cent. You cannot always play your best result, you have to grind out a result, but they scored three goals and we didn't."

Liverpool saw their 20-match unbeaten run in the Premier League come to an end after succumbing to a 3-2 defeat at West Ham on Sunday.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's wonderful curler four minutes before the interval made amends for an Alisson own-goal that put David Moyes' side ahead at London Stadium.

However, West Ham regained control after the break as Pablo Fornals and Kurt Zouma were both on target within seven minutes of each other.

Substitute Divock Origi's superb late goal proved in vain as Jurgen Klopp's side failed to close the gap at the top after Chelsea were held by Burnley on Saturday, while the Hammers move above Liverpool into third.


West Ham made a swift start when Alisson succeeded only in punching Fornals' whipped corner into his own goal after four minutes, Liverpool's cries for a foul from Angelo Ogbonna falling on deaf ears.

Diogo Jota headed over in response before Alexander-Arnold levelled with a magnificent strike into the top-right corner following a short free-kick routine with Mohamed Salah.

Craig Dawson nodded onto the crossbar after the break, while Lukasz Fabianski was required to deny Sadio Mane's left-footed volley at the other end.

West Ham took the lead again after 67 minutes when Jarrod Bowen embarked on a driving run before unleashing Fornals, who managed to squeeze a left-footed strike under Alisson.

Matters worsened for the visitors as Zouma climbed the highest to head home Aaron Cresswell's corner – the Hammers' 32nd top-flight goal from set-pieces since Moyes' arrival, six more than any other side.

Origi forced what promised to be a tense ending with seven minutes remaining when he turned and drilled into the bottom-right corner following Alexander-Arnold's offload.

Klopp's men almost sealed the comeback but Mane inexplicably headed wide from Alexander-Arnold's free-kick in stoppage time as West Ham managed to hold on for victory.

Liverpool cannot be considered as underdogs or favourites in the Premier League title race, according to Jurgen Klopp.

The early signs would suggest that Liverpool, along with champions Manchester City and league leaders Chelsea, will be the frontrunners for the title come May.

Liverpool have been in sensational form at times, recording an emphatic 5-0 win over Manchester United, though they do sit three points behind Thomas Tuchel's team after 10 games.

City, meanwhile, are two points further back than the Reds, though a win in Saturday's Manchester derby would see Pep Guardiola's side leapfrog them for the time being, with Liverpool not in action until Sunday.

West Ham, another of the league's in-form teams, host Liverpool at London Stadium, with David Moyes' team having won their last three top-flight matches.

Asked in Friday's pre-match news conference if Liverpool should be considered underdogs in the title race, due to the discrepancy in expenditure between themselves and their immediate rivals, Klopp replied: "Can I? I am not sure. We don't consider ourselves at all.

"We want to be in it, I think with the quality we have we should be around the top of the table, that's where we are, where we want to be, we have that responsibility and that’s how we see ourselves.

"We don't have to talk too much about the quality of Manchester City, the quality and depth of Chelsea, and we are not too bad of a team as well, so that's cool, but there are so many other good teams.

"I think the league made a big jump again. West Ham are incredibly strong, Brighton [and Hove Albion] are incredibly strong, Tottenham are 100 per cent coming back, Arsenal are in a much better place than last year, United is a top-class team, Leicester [City] are there, so look at the league, it's absolutely incredible.

"Everyone's under pressure. For us it's exactly the same, we fight for the Champions League spots and if you are in there it means you can probably fight for the title as well."

Recent history is on Liverpool's side heading into Sunday's game. The Reds have won four of their last five away league games against West Ham (D1) and are looking to win three in a row at the Hammers for the first time since doing so between 2003 and 2007.

However, only City (80) and Chelsea (66) have earned more Premier League points in 2021 than West Ham (62) - a total that already betters any previous tally set by the Hammers during a single calendar year in the competition.

Tomas Soucek's own goal saw West Ham pegged back to a 2-2 draw by Genk in the Europa League on Thursday, in Moyes' 1,000th game as a manager.

Moyes – who is in his second stint in charge of West Ham – has rebuilt his reputation after his ill-fated spell at Old Trafford was followed by poor performances at Real Sociedad and Sunderland.

"And he gets obviously better and better and better, that's how I see it. Even after 999 games there is space for improvement," hailed Klopp.

"I don't know if he reinvented himself, I don't know him long enough to say that, but it's absolutely incredible. Honestly, they are really good. I think everyone who watches them sees that.

"It's a highly energetic team, a counter-pressing team, a counter-attacking team but they play as well. There were almost moments in the past when you played West Ham, they defended deep, had to be really aware of set-pieces and counter-attacks. Now it's the full package, so rightly they are really high in the table, top of the Europa League group as well.

"They are in a good moment, it will be a really good game I'm pretty sure. They are in a good moment, we are in a good moment, that's how football should be before a game. I am really excited to play it."

Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp has confirmed Roberto Firmino has sustained a "serious hamstring injury" and is set for a spell on the sidelines.

Firmino was introduced at half-time in the Reds' 2-0 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid at Anfield on Wednesday, but was forced off in the 78th minute.

When the striker will return to action is not clear, but Klopp expects the Brazil international to be out for at least four weeks.

"Bobby is not good news with a serious hamstring injury, really unfortunate," Klopp told Liverpool's official website. "We don’t know exactly how long he will be out, but it will be not now after the international break directly. We have to work on that."

Klopp reiterated the significance of the 30-year-old's absence in his pre-match news conference ahead of a Premier League meeting with West Ham on Sunday:

The German boss said: "Losing Bobby Firmino is a blow. I don't think I need to say how big it is. It's a serious injury.

"We talk about weeks - more than four I consider as a serious injury. Then we have to see. Bobby is a quick healer."

Joe Gomez (calf) and Curtis Jones [eye] are also out of the Reds' trip to London, but Klopp expects both to return after the upcoming international break. 

Klopp was less sure about Naby Keita and James Milner, but hopes they will be back in action before long as they recover from thigh injuries.

"Curtis is a completely different story [to Firmino], he was very unlucky in training – he got a finger that scratched the eye," Klopp continued to Liverpool's official website. 

"I had a lot of injuries to players in my career, that was not [one]. He is on the way back but we have to see how long exactly. 

"He will be back after the international break, for sure, but in the international break we have to see when he can start doing proper stuff again. And Joey, hopefully, after the international break as well.

"We will see [about Keita and Milner]. For them, I have hope for after the international break but I don’t know exactly. We have to wait. That’s two weeks and a few days from now on, so that’s what I would really wish for but I cannot promise that. But that’s what we are working on."

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