Liverpool managed to secure a point at home to Anfield against Manchester City to extend their unbeaten streak.

The Reds were without a win in three games with a visit from the reigning champions scheduled. Liverpool beat the Citizens at home last season, but their attack once again failed to fire. Riyad Mahrez could have stolen all three points late on but blasted his penalty well over the bar. On the whole, a draw was a fair result.

Jurgen Klopp opted for the same midfield trio of Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum and James Milner though the latter was substituted early and replaced with Naby Keita due to injury. Despite their tireless work rate, they failed to break down a stubborn City defence and didn’t provide enough ammunition to the forwards. Liverpool were crying out for a Philippe Coutinho type player to break Pep Guardiola’s side down.

It’s an issue that Klopp could look to resolve during the January transfer window. One man he could look to sign is former Reds star – Suso. Valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, the Spaniard progressed through the youth academy to make his Liverpool debut aged just 18. However, he joined AC Milan back in 2016 after failing to nail down a place in the first-team.

Suso has enjoyed a wonderful spell in the Serie A, becoming a pivotal member in Milan’s side. The 24-year-old has made a fantastic start to the new campaign with two goals and six assists to his name already. Bringing him back to Merseyside could add some much-needed creativity to the engine room in the absence of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Under Klopp’s tutelage, Suso could develop into a world-class star.

Liverpool fans, thoughts?

Aston Villa loanee Ross McCormack scores and assists while Usain Bolt grabs a brace for Central Coast Mariners as they cruise to victory over Macarthur South West United.

Scotsman McCormack was loaned out to the Australian A-League side in September after impressing for Melbourne City as he scored 14 goals in 16 games the previous season, The Daily Mail reports.

He was Roberto Di Matteo’s big signing from Fulham in 2016 but failed to impress, scoring three goals in 20 appearances. Each season that followed saw the striker loaned out to a different club, but he now looks to have found his shooting boots in the A-League.

The 32-year-old made his league debut last night and scored his first goal for the club – as did his strike partner, nine-time Olympic gold-medallist and 100m record holder Usain Bolt. Speaking to BBC Sport, McCormack expressed that the Jamaican’s improvement has been “huge” and that he is “so humble”.

The sprinter has previously had trials for Borussia Dortmund and many mocked his ambition to become a professional footballer, but now the footballing world may have to take him seriously.

Could we be seeing the beginnings of a lethal strike partnership?

Villa fans react below…

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Tottenham Hotspur registered their fourth consecutive Premier League victory on Saturday afternoon with a 1-0 win over West Ham United at the London Stadium. Whilst Spurs’ three points allowed them to keep within touching distance of the league leaders, West Ham’s loss saw them stuck in 14th place with just seven points after nine matches.

The loss to the North Londoners followed defeat to Brighton and was compounded by the severe-looking injury suffered by Andriy Yarmolenko. However, despite being on the wrong end of the scoreline, there were some positives for Manuel Pellegrini to take from his side’s performance on Saturday. 

Amongst these positive factors was the performance of Issa Diop, who has developed into a reliable rock at the back for the Irons since his arrival from Toulouse this summer for a then-club record fee in the region of £22 million.

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The 21-year-old centre-back put in yet another display demonstrating a defensive maturity beyond his years against Mauricio Pochettino’s side. 

Diop made it incredibly difficult for Spurs’ attackers to carve out many clear cut chances, restricting them to just two shots on target across the 90 minutes. Tottenham would have troubled the Hammers’ goalkeeper, Lukasz Fabianski, with greater regularity had it not been for the efforts of Diop.

The 6’4” France under-21 international made five tackles (only Declan Rice made more), two interceptions and three clearances against Spurs as he was on hand to break up opposition attacks time and time again. He also blocked three shots – more than any other player on the pitch.

On top that, the defender put his imposing frame to good use, winning two aerial duels and going the entire game without being dispossessed by an opponent.

In fact, Diop’s quality on the ball almost outshone his impressive defensive efforts. He completed 30 passes against Spurs, including one key pass and two long balls. His pass accuracy rating of 96.7% led all players on the pitch, demonstrating just how calm and tidy Diop was in possession.

Whilst Pellegrini will be disappointed to have registered yet another defeat, he will be delighted with how well Diop has settled into English football. With Winston Reid currently sidelined with a long-term injury and James Collins having departed in the summer, having a reliable centre-back that the Hammers can build around is a major positive for the club at this time. If his performance against Spurs was anything to go by, though, the East London outfit could soon have a big job in keeping Diop from being prised away by some of Europe’s top clubs.

[ad_pod ]Newly-promoted Fulham took yet another heavy defeat on Saturday afternoon when they were dispatched by a 3-0 scoreline by in-form Bournemouth at Craven Cottage. In front of their own fans, Fulham took their tally of goals conceded to a league-worst figure of 28, with just ten games played.Manager Slavisa Jokanovic is now coming under extreme pressure and must turn around results and tighten up his defence quickly if he’s to keep his job at Craven Cottage for much longer. It was not only his defensive contingent who put in a poor performance against the Cherries though.Fulham’s attackers failed to click on Saturday and Aboubakar Kamara, in particular, put in an awful display.The 23-year-old was wasteful going forward and failed to perform his defensive duties as Bournemouth repeatedly targeted his flank of the pitch. On top that, he was extremely fortunate to avoid being sent off after making a poor tackle whilst already on a yellow card.[brid autoplay=”true” video=”310054″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Fake Madrid & Ross Barkley Emulates… David Ngog”]After the match, many furious Cottagers fans took to Twitter to criticise the Frenchman for his dreadful showing…

Liverpool are well and truly in the Premier League title race following an excellent start to the Premier League season.

After reaching the Champions League final last season, Jurgen Klopp made a number of key additions to his squad in the summer and Liverpool look well-equipped to battle Manchester City for the title. With a number of their new signings yet to fully settle into life at Anfield, Liverpool’s defensive improvement has been a crucial reason for their early season form. The Reds were previously known for their devastating attack, but it’s been their back four who have been grabbing the headlines.

The arrival of Virgil van Dijk last January has been a key factor in their improvement, but the emergence of Joe Gomez has also been a joy to watch. The former Charlton defender (valued at £25.2m by Transfermarkt) found most of his game time at right-back last season, being used in a rotation system with Trent Alexander-Arnold. The defender made his name with the Latics at centre-back and was used centrally by Gareth Southgate, excelling for his country against Brazil and Neymar.

With Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip sidelined, Gomez was given a chance to partner the Dutchman and has since made the position his own. The 21-year-old has averaged 1.7 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game in the Premier League this season and has completed 87% of his passes so far (WhoScored). Confident on the ball with a great turn of pace, reports suggest Liverpool will reward the youngster with a new long-term contract as a result of his rapid development.

With Van Dijk and Gomez at the back, Liverpool’s defence could be complete for the next decade.

Liverpool fans, thoughts?

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According to TEAMtalk, Sheffield United have been watching in-form Portsmouth attacker Ronan Curtis, but city rivals Sheffield Wednesday must beat the Blades to the 22-year-old’s signature.

What’s the situation?

TEAMtalk report that Leeds, Leicester, Brighton, Middlesbrough and Derby have all sent scouts to watch the winger, who Pompey only signed from Irish side Derry City this summer for less than £100,000.

Curtis has been on fire at the start of his career in League 1 though, and has netted six goals and provided five assists in just 14 appearances from either the left-wing or up top.

He could be hugely beneficial then to Sheffield Wednesday, especially as Atdhe Nuhiu has only netted once in his 13 Championship appearances so far this season and Wednesday are relying on Steven Fletcher, Lucas Joao and Fernando Forestieri for goals.

Squad depth

Wednesday currently sit in 15th place in the Championship, but if Luhukay has his sights set on a play-off push he will need to add to his squad in January.

Strength in depth is certainly needed to pursue promotion from one of the most competitive divisions in world football, and Curtis would certainly bring this.

The 22-year-old was born in London but has made seven appearances for Ireland’s U21 side and was recently called up to Martin O’Neill’s senior Republic of Ireland squad, although he is yet to make his full international debut.

Having been such an instant hit on the south coast, there is little doubt that Curtis could hit the ground running in the Championship, and Wednesday should put themselves at the front of the queue for his signature.

So, Owls fans, would you like Luhukay to pursue a move for the Pompey hitman in January or would the money be better spent elsewhere? Have your say by voting in the poll below.

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According to The Sun, Crystal Palace are keen on a £10m January move for Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck.

The former Manchester United man is out of contract in the summer and the Gunners are hopeful of cashing in before the 27-year-old is available on a free at the end of the season.

The London-born forward has featured mostly in the Europa League and League Cup under Unai Emery as the form of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alex Iwobi limits his Premier League minutes with reports suggesting that Palace honcho Hodgson is keen on a reunion with the England international to whom he handed 25 caps.

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Despite seeing his pitch-time reduced the number 23 has chalked up five goals and an assist in 13 appearances in all competitions, while Palace’s three current natural striking options have scored only one goal between them this season, prompting Hodgson to deploy Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend in an unorthodox partnership up front.

Crystal Palace fans react to the rumours on Twitter below.

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England dispatched the USA 3-0 at Wembley on Thursday evening, and despite the whole game feeling like a testimonial for Wayne Rooney (which it essentially was), there were some notable performances in white shirts as the second-string side looked to play their way into Sunday’s UEFA Nations League starting XI.

England will play Croatia in a group decider at Wembley, with the winner taking top spot and the loser being relegated, although if it’s a draw then Spain will finish at the top of the, admittedly small, pile.

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One player who deserves to start after his performance against the USA is Leicester left-back Ben Chilwell. Clearly, it will have been a difficult few weeks for the youngster after the tragic death of the Foxes’ owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, but he has continued to perform admirably for Leicester and impressed once again for the Three Lions.

The 21-year-old is up against Luke Shaw for that left-back spot in Gareth Southgate’s side but it should be Chilwell who starts against Croatia.

However, England fans, we want to know who you think should be given the nod? Have your say by voting in the poll below.

According to a recent report from The Sun, Newcastle United are one of a few Premier League sides interested in a move for Miguel Almiron. The 24-year-old currently plays his football in the United States for Atlanta United and has done so since 2016, with his fine goal-scoring form for the Major League Soccer outfit prompting interest from some teams in England.

And Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle, alongside Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham and Marco Silva’s Everton, are reportedly keen on the attacker who could fetch around £15 million (as per The Sun), in a move which the Magpies chief must seek to make to finally give him that number ten he so desperately needs.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, goals were something of a struggle for the North East giants last season given they managed just 39 in the 38 Premier League matches, with Ayoze Perez the only Newcastle player to hit double figures in a testing campaign in front of goal.

And while the Spaniard netted some crucial goals for the club last term, there are certainly more attacking and ultimately more effective number tens out there which can help Benitez’s side going forward.

The 25-year-old deserves great credit for coming up with the goods at vital times last season, as well as netting the winner against Watford earlier this month, but he’s too defensive-minded and doesn’t possess the level of creativity needed to really flourish in that advanced role – yes, he works extremely hard for the team both on and off the ball, but if Newcastle are to go forward under Benitez, further quality is needed in that area of the pitch.

And Atlanta’s Almiron could well give them that if his first few years in the MLS are anything to go by.

The 24-year-old made the move to Atlanta at the rear end of 2016 ready for the 2017 season, and he certainly produced the goods that campaign with nine goals in 30 appearances for the club, helping them to fourth place in the overall standings.

And the Paraguay international, capped 13 times by his country, took it up another level in the 2018 season with an impressive 13 goals and 13 goals in just 35 appearances for Gerardo Martino’s men as they eventually finished second in the overall standings.

Thus, there is little doubting that the 24-year-old has huge ability in the final third of the field, and while some Newcastle fans will be concerned whether he can produce that level of performance in the tougher Premier League, there’s a reason Benitez, and a few other managers, are keen on Almiron – he seems to have the capabilities to replicate his best in England.

And with the Magpies arguably needing an upgrade on Perez in that number ten position, adding £15 million-rated Almiron would go some way to finally giving Benitez that number ten he so desperately needs at St James’ Park.

Newcastle fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Leeds United made a terrific start to their season under Marcelo Bielsa but in the last few weeks, United have suffered from a raft of injuries which has curtailed their early season form. 

Bielsa lost key players like Kemar Roofe, Pablo Hernandez, Gaetano Berardi, Barry Douglas and most recently Luke Ayling which resulted in a run of below-par form.

Those losses have highlighted the fact that Bielsa’s intense style of play is taking its toll on the side and he must dip into the January transfer market to bolster his squad.

Recently, Leeds lost back up goalkeeper Jamal Blackman who picked up an injury in an under-23 game and combined with Bailey Peacock-Farrell’s poor form of late, Leeds need to bring in another goalkeeper.

With that in mind, the Birmingham Mail is reporting that Leeds could look to David Stockdale in January.

The Breakdown

Stockdale has completely fallen out of favour at Birmingham City and most recently played three games for Southend United on an emergency loan.

The former Brighton goalkeeper has lost his place to Lee Camp this season and would certainly be available for a move in January.

Although Leeds still remain near the top of the table, the injury crisis at Elland Road could derail their season.

With Blackman out, Leeds don’t have another reliable player that they can call upon to not only come in as a backup but also challenge Peacock-Farrell for the starting spot.

Leeds have to reinvest in the squad in January and the goalkeeping position must be their priority.

Thoughts Leeds fans?