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The gap at the summit is now up to seven points following Friday's meeting of the top two that saw the Portugal forward cut a frustrated figure

Was that the match that decided the Saudi Pro League title race? In early December, it's likely too early to say, but Al-Hilal's 3-0 win over Al-Nassr means there is now a seven-point gap at the top of the table as we approach the halfway point of the campaign.

That clash between Riyadh's top-two sides headlined another weekend of exciting Pro League action as the rest of the table begins to take shape in the Middle East.

Away from Friday's top-of-the-table clash, Al-Ittihad continued their recovery under new coach Marcelo Gallardo, as they recovered from an injury suffered by star striker Karim Benzema to beat Al-Khaleej 4-2 on Thursday.

That same night, there was a big win for third-placed Al-Ahli, who ran out 6-0 winners on the road at Abha, while surprise package Al-Taawoun remained in touch of the top-three with a comeback win over Al-Shabab on Saturday.

The news was less good for Steven Gerrard and Al-Ettifaq, however, who went down 1-0 to relegation-threatened Al-Akhdoud to maintain the pressure on their English coach.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the latest round of Saudi Pro League action…

Getty ImagesLOSER: Cristiano Ronaldo's title dreams

If Al-Nassr were to become the first team to beat Al-Hilal in the Pro League this season, they needed their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo to step up and lead the way. However, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner struggled to impose himself on the game as he cut a frustrated figure.

Ronaldo struggled with the physicality of Hilal's Saudi international defender Ali Albulayhi (much like Lionel Messi did in the 2022 World Cup) and spent much of the game complaining to Colombian referee Wilmar Rondan as he looked for a decision that would change the complexion of the contest.

As it was, three second-half goals condemned Nassr to their first loss in 21 games, and leaves them facing an uphill task to win the Pro League title as they look to bridge the seven-point gap which has now opened up at the summit.

AdvertisementWINNER: Al-Hilal's Serbian stars

Though it was Neymar who stole the majority of the headlines when it came to Al-Hilal's summer signings, a number of their other new arrivals have stepped up in the absence of the injured Brazilian, and none more so than their Serbian duo, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

The pair shared all three goals in Hilal's win over Al-Nassr on Friday, with Milinkovic-Savic heading in the opener midway through the second half before Mitrovic added some gloss to the scoreline with a late double.

The former Fulham striker has now scored 20 goals in as many games since arriving in Saudi Arabia, including 13 in the Pro League, which puts him just two strikes behind Ronaldo in what has become an intriguing Golden Boot race.

Milinkovic-Savic, meanwhile, insists that he is "not even in my best shape yet", but the way the ex-Lazio star controlled the midfield against Nassr suggested otherwise. With he and Mitrovic in fine form, it's difficult to imagine Hilal throwing away their seven-point advantage at the top of the table.

Getty ImagesLOSER: Karim Benzema

Benzema cannot catch a break this season, it seems. Just as the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner looked primed to finally kickstart his Al-Ittihad career under new manager Gallardo, the striker suffered an injury that, while not serious, is yet another frustrating chapter to add to his Pro League story.

The former France striker limped off after 32 minutes against Al-Khaleej on Thursday and was clearly tearful as he left the pitch just three minutes after doubling his side's lead from the penalty spot in their 4-2 victory.

Fortunately, it seems that he will only be out for around 10 days, though that does put his chances of playing in Ittihad's first-round Club World Cup match against Auckland City on December 12 in jeopardy.

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Getty ImagesWINNER: Marcelo Gallardo

He's only been in charge for three matches, but already the Al-Ittihad fans are chanting the name of their new manager Gallardo. The Argentine has overseen two wins and a draw since replacing Nuno Espirito Santo, but the early signs are that the defending champions are starting to find their best levels once more.

Spirits are high, then, as Ittihad look ahead to the Club World Cup, where they are aiming to at least emulate Al-Hilal's achievement of reaching the final in 2022, where the Saudi side succumbed to Real Madrid in a 5-3 thriller.

Potential Liverpool addition Khephren Thuram can help the Reds improve immediately whilst also being a strong option for the future, presenter Terry Flewers has claimed.

What's the latest on Thuram and Liverpool?

A recent report from David Lynch has suggested that Liverpool are close to agreeing a deal for the Frenchman, to follow Alexis Mac Allister as midfield signings this summer.

The 22-year-old attracted strong transfer interest following a standout season for Nice in which he made 48 appearances across all competitions, providing ten goals and assists from central midfield.

Liverpool are searching for midfielders following the departures of Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and could recruit Thuram in their bid to return to the top four next season.

Speaking on The Football Terrace, Flewers raved about the midfielder, claiming that he has the quality to improve Liverpool now and the potential to become a star in the future.

"In terms of Thuram, from my point of view, I think this guy is quality, I think this guy has such an upside," he stated.

"He has such a good ceiling, wonderful athleticism, ability for days, and he's a player that has the potential to improve Liverpool in the short term.

"He has the ceiling and the potential to become a star in this Liverpool side for years to come."

What will Thuram bring to Liverpool?

Thuram has typically played as a central midfielder, and his standout ability is his strength on the ball. He ranks very highly amongst European midfielders for ball carries and take-ons, as per FBref, highlighting his ability to retain possession and drive forward.

Alongside Mac Allister, Thuram can bring technical security and physicality to a midfield which lacked both last season.

Fabinho and Jordan Henderson both drew criticism as their ages started to show, and Thuram's youthful dynamism should provide a sharp contrast to both Liverpool stars.

It remains to be seen whether Liverpool will sign any other midfielders alongside Thuram and Mac Allister, but they will go into next season with a better roster of central options, and if Thuram settles well, he can become a mainstay in the Liverpool side for years to come.

His Nice teammate, former Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey, referred to Thuram as "very dangerous" and praised his dribbling ability, and he could be the perfect addition to Jurgen Klopp's side as Liverpool aim to recover from their slump and return to challenging at the top of the table.

Australia wicketkeeper Matthew Wade has expressed “shock” at the level of aggression India showed in the second Test in Bengaluru, a testy game the hosts won by 75 runs to level the series

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2017Australia wicketkeeper Matthew Wade has expressed “shock” at the level of aggression India showed in the second Test in Bengaluru, a testy game the hosts won by 75 runs to level the series. Wade said while it wasn’t entirely in their control, Australia will try to get ahead in the game to stave off India’s assertiveness.”Indian teams are always quite aggressive,” Wade said. “The change from the first Test to the second Test was probably the initial shock. They certainly came out a little harder on day three, but we expect them to come hard. [MS] Dhoni was a different captain to [Virat] Kohli, but that’s just personality. When you’ve got a caged lion you expect them to come out pretty hard, to get away.”Indian teams always go quite hard; if you give them a sniff they’ll run with it. Our job is to make sure they can’t get in the game so they can’t get aggressive with us, and then really take the momentum away from us. But it’s not really our issue. We’ve got to play good cricket and beat them on skill. Emotion doesn’t win Test matches.”A feisty character himself, Wade also said if Australia could gain an advantage by expressing outward aggression, he would readily use it. “I feel like I play my best cricket when I get in the contest,” he said. “If there’s a time I think it can be an advantage for us, I’ll go for it.”When your back’s against the wall you’ve got to find a way to get up and about, so I still feel like that’s a big part of my game. Getting older I probably tamed it down a little bit and I probably know when to use it a little bit more now, and when I need it myself. I probably don’t use it a 100% of the time anymore, but I’ve still got it there if I need it.”Wade said using the DRS in India was tricky while fielding, considering the number of people involved in the decision-making process. “Steven [Smith] is generally close to me, so if there’s an appeal, he’ll come to me first,” Wade said. “If we think there’s something to look at, we’ll speak to the bowler and go from there. DRS is a lot of common sense. Every country is the same: it’s the keeper, captain and bowler. If someone is convinced, they’ll come on top of that. But when you get five to eight people involved, it becomes tricky which is happening here.”

Lions management stressed that Jack Leach was left out to allow him more time to prove his remodelled action in the nets before testing it in a match situation

George Dobell17-Feb-2017

Jack Leach, the Somerset left-arm spinner, has been left out of the England Lions team for the first unofficial Test against Sri Lanka A in Pallekele after struggling with his new bowling action.Leach, the second-highest wicket-taker in Division One of the County Championship in 2016 with 65 at 21.88, was thought by some to be unfortunate not to win selection in the England Test squad that toured Bangladesh and India. But his action was found to be illegal during routine tests at the national performance centre in Loughborough after the season and he was obliged to remodel it before departing on tour.While Leach initially thought the remedial work had gone well, the pressure of playing in a match situation and for a national side appears to have exposed some unfamiliarity with the new action. He conceded 68 in 14 wicketless overs in the second-innings of the warm-up match against the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI – the other specialist spinner, Ollie Rayner, took 3 for 55 from 22 overs by comparison – which led to the tour management going into the unofficial Test with Rayner as the only specialist spinner. Tom Westley and Liam Livingstone will provide spin back-up as required.The Lions management have stressed that there is no suggestion Leach has been left out due to any fears of illegality with his new action. It is, they say, to provide him more time to groove it in the nets before testing it under the pressure of a match situation. He has not been ruled out of the second match in Dambulla.While a period of readjustment was probably inevitable for Leach, it may be worth noting his county captain’s views towards the end of the season. Chris Rogers suggested Leach “emotionally… still has a bit of a way to go”, and suggested he may not quite be ready for international cricket where “the challenges… are a lot more difficult.”The ECB is also painfully aware of the case of another left-arm spinner, Simon Kerrigan, who endured a chastening Test debut at The Oval in 2013 and has never fully recovered. England are keen to ensure Leach has a more robust action and, as a consequence, a more robust sense of confidence, before he is thrust into relatively high-pressure situations.

Karun Nair has been part of India’s Test dressing room before, but a debut seems ever closer with his inclusion as one of only six batsmen in the squad to take on England; he says he is prepared to bat anywhere when his turn comes

Shashank Kishore02-Nov-2016In July, six people drowned and a few others were reported missing when a boat with more than a hundred people on board capsized in a river in Kerala. Karun Nair was on that boat, taking part in a temple festival with his family as thanksgiving for making his India debut. Nair was one of the survivors – he had to swim some distance before being rescued by a group of locals.The incident came in the middle of a mixed few months in Nair’s life. He had just played for India for the first time, during their ODI tour of Zimbabwe, his selection a reward for his consistency both in first-class cricket – he averaged more than 50 after three seasons – and the IPL. He hadn’t really grabbed the chance, scoring only 46 in two innings while opening the batting in fairly low-pressure chases. The lack of form continued through India A’s tour of Australia, but he was back in form at the start of the 2016-17 domestic season, when he was also handed the captaincy of the Karnataka side for the first time.Now, he is part of India’s Test squad for the first two Tests against England. He has been part of the squad before, but this time he is one of only six specialist batsmen included.”I was disappointed with the way my ODI debut series panned out. I don’t think I lived up to the standards I set myself,” Nair tells ESPNcricinfo. “Probably I didn’t grab my chances. But after the tour I decided to put that behind me and look forward to the new season. I didn’t want to sit and keep hoping, but I knew my chances will come sooner than later if I keep scoring runs.”Rohit Sharma’s quadriceps injury means, Nair – who has scores of 74, 54*, 53 and 145 in his first four innings of the new Ranji Trophy season – could get his Test cap in Rajkot on November 9 if India play six specialist batsmen. With Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane entrenched at Nos. 3, 4 and 5, Nair could be in line for the No. 6 slot.”I’m not too fussy about batting positions, honestly,” Nair says. “I’ve been playing up the order in the IPL, so in white-ball cricket, I’ve enjoyed batting up the order. I started off as an opener for my state side in my junior-cricket days and then settled at No. 4. In Zimbabwe, I was asked if I would be ready to open. As a debutant, you can’t have preferences, and it was a challenge I readily accepted.”Having been on the fringes of the Test team, you do think of all this while sitting outside, but eventually it’s about being confident in your abilities and trusting the technique that has got you to this level.”It hasn’t always been the case. A few years ago, Nair was full of self-doubt, which stemmed not from an inability to score runs but an inability to convert starts. Till he was 19, he hadn’t scored a century at any age-group level.”I had a mental block while growing up, but that also made me learn you don’t throw away starts,” Nair says. “Not being able to convert starts made me tougher. I became more attacking. I used to make 60s and 70s and get out. When I started to attack and bat more freely, I realised the 30-40 runs came quite easily. That change in mindset made a big difference. Now, I tend to play to the situation even though I believe I’m an attacking batsman.”The vote of confidence about Nair’s technique came from the India A coach Rahul Dravid, whom he sought out ahead of the home series against South Africa A in September 2015.”Once I got the confidence from him, all my self-doubts vanished,” Nair says. “I was batting within myself initially. I asked him about the areas I needed to work on. It felt reassuring to hear him tell me there was nothing wrong.”Someone like him saying that was of real value, so I’ve never had any batting conversations with him since. He has been very supportive, backed me in pressure situations and given me the opportunity to express myself. At that stage, he had more confidence in me than I did. That sort of gives you a boost from within.”There were signs of Nair having erased that self-doubt when he made a match-saving fourth-innings century in the first unofficial Test. That earned him a maiden call-up to India’s squad, for the third Test in Sri Lanka.Dravid, who has worked closely with Nair while coaching or mentoring India A, Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils, picks out his hunger and attitude as qualities that have helped him transition to the next level.”Karun is still a work in progress, but obviously his skills and temperament have got him to this stage,” Dravid says. “He picks lengths early; his instincts as a batsman are solid now.”So where did he see Nair evolve into the batsman he is today?”I think the role change at Delhi Daredevils brought out the best in him,” Dravid says. “At Rajasthan Royals, he was batting behind the main guys like Shane Watson, Steven Smith and Ajinkya Rahane. At Delhi, we gave youngsters responsibility to drive the innings, and let seniors lower down the order handle the slightly challenging situations. He showed his ability to adapt there.”Having been part of the Test squad on two occasions without getting a look-in, Nair says the experience was an eye-opener in terms of what he needed to do to remain in those environs, and he soaked in the feeling of being in the dressing room and chatting with Kohli and the support staff.”It was a great feeling being around legends and future legends,” Nair says. “It felt amazing when they spoke of your domestic performances. That gave me a sense of belonging. Being a part of the dressing room for the first time, I still can’t describe. The Test cap is special and I’ve seen the seniors treasure it. When my chance comes, I’ll be ready.”

A round-up of the first day of Group C matches in the sixth round of the 2016-17 Ranji

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2016Bhavin Thakkar and Rohan Prem scored centuries as Kerala ended the first day on 290 for 2 against Goa at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.Goa’s decision to bowl first might have felt justified when opener Vishnu Vinod was removed in the seventh over with the score on 12. But their bowlers had no success for the next 70 overs, as Thakkar and Prem put on 234 for the second wicket. Thakkar scored 117 off 200 balls, with 14 boundaries, before he was bowled by Shadab Jakati.Prem then took his team to stumps unbeaten on 120 – his fourth consecutive score above 60 – with Sanju Samson at the other end on 28.Nineties from Nitin Saini and Rajat Paliwal helped Haryana reach 295 for 5 at stumps against Jammu & Kashmir in Cuttack.J&K captain Parvez Rasool elected to field and took two early wickets in a first session where three fell. But opener Nitin Saini followed up an unbeaten 152 in his last innings with a 90 in this match, while putting on 94 for the fourth wicket with Paliwal. After his dismissal, Paliwal joined hands with Rohit Sharma (51), and the pair put on 109 for the fifth wicket, before Rasool removed Sharma off the last ball of the day. Paliwal was unbeaten on 99.Half-centuries from B Sandeep (83*) and Mehdi Hasan (61) helped Hyderabad overcome a middle-order collapse to end the day on 303 for 7 against Services at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai.A 105-run second-wicket stand between Akshath Reddy (64) and B Anirudh (49) had taken Hyderabad to 136 for 1 before a spell from medium-pacer Raushan Raj saw them lose 5 wickets between the 47th and 51st overs, to be reduced to 141 for 6. Raushan took four of those wickets, while Services captain Anshul Gupta accounted for his counterpart S Badrinath with a run-out.But the effects of this collapse were negated when Sandeep and Hasan put on 135 for a seventh-wicket stand that took them into the final session without further damage, till Hasan was run out in the 80th over.Andhra‘s opening bowlers took seven wickets between them as Tripura were bowled out for 171 on the first day in Valsad.DP Vijaykumar (4-56) and CV Stephen (3-47) struck regularly after Andhra had elected to field, taking seven of the first eight wickets, to leave Tripura struggling at 107 for 8.Nine Tripura batsmen got into double figures, but the top scorer was Bunti Roy, who came in at No. 10 and put 34 for the ninth wicket with Gurinder Singh (13) and 30 for the last wicket with Rajib Dutta (16*), before he was the last one dismissed for 34.Andhra lost KS Bharat early in their response, but DB Prasanth (19*) and Hanuma Vihari (18*) took them to stumps on 47 for 1.Chhattisgarh lost quick wickets on either side of two half-century stands, to finish the day on 212 for 7 against Himachal Pradesh in Kanpur.Left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma, who took over the captaincy from Rishi Dhawan, was responsible for the second of those collapses. He took the last three wickets to fall on the day, including that of top-scorer Amandeep Khare (85) who had put on 51 for the fourth wicket with Ashutosh Singh (16) and 76 for the fifth with Avnish Dhaliwal (39) to lift Chhattisgarh out of trouble at 39 for 3. Bipul removed Dhaliwal shortly after, and bowled wicketkeeper Manoj Singh (21) in the 88th over to finish with 3 for 37.

David Saker, Australia’s newly appointed assistant coach, has vowed not to hold back on his opinions when he joins head coach Darren Lehmann in the national set-up

Brydon Coverdale15-Jul-20163:04

‘Hope my English experience helps Australia’ – Saker

Fast bowlers might be the “yeah, nah” men of Australian cricket, but their new coach David Saker is no yes man. The newly appointed assistant coach has vowed not to hold back on his opinions when he joins head coach Darren Lehmann in the national set-up, despite their history of what they have both referred to as “robust” discussions.As coach of Victoria last summer, Saker raised the ire of Lehmann by questioning why Australia would rush fast bowler James Pattinson back from injury, comments that led Lehmann to publicly tell Saker to mind his own business. But Lehmann has spoken of his admiration for Saker’s passion and energy, and Saker said he would continue to voice his sentiments in his new role.”A lot was made out of that, but Darren and I talk on the phone quite regularly and we begged to differ on a few things last year,” Saker said in Melbourne on Friday. “But we’ve both got Australian cricket at heart and we both want the best for Australian cricket.”Sometimes you need good robust conversations in a group. You can’t have people always agreeing. I don’t think that’s a great environment. That’s one of the things that I hope I do bring to the team. I hope I’m honest and say what I think. I think that’s important.”He [Lehmann] probably works a bit similar to me, he’s quite relaxed in the dressing room, he knows a lot about the game, he communicates really well. I think those are the things I do well. We do have some really good discussions at times. Obviously throughout the year we did that. But we both have the best interests of Australian cricket at heart.”Saker will join the Australian group in time for the one-day tour of South Africa in September-October, and will leave his position as coach of Victoria after only one season – albeit one in which the Bushrangers won the Sheffield Shield. And Cricket Australia has already floated the likelihood that Saker will step in as head coach at some point in 2017 to give Lehmann a chance for time off.Western Australia coach Justin Langer was acting head coach during the recent one-day tri-series in the West Indies and has been viewed as a strong candidate to take over the job whenever Lehmann chooses to step down, but Saker’s new role will see him well-placed for the position as well. Saker said he did harbour head-coaching ambitions, but first was keen to learn from Lehmann.”To work with Darren Lehmann and to be maybe put in charge of a tour here and there, that’s really inviting,” Saker said. “It’s a great opportunity and one that I’m really looking forward to.”This is just another learning curve for me. It’s been great, all through my career I’ve learnt off a lot of really good coaches. Working under Darren Lehmann is going to be the same. It’s going to be a really good experience. What happens down the track we don’t know, but I’m always keen to keep going with my coaching and see where it goes from there.”Prior to succeeding Greg Shipperd as Victoria coach, Saker spent five years as England’s bowling coach and during that time was part of their away Test series wins in Australia and India. His brief with Australia will be to help them achieve similar success in such campaigns, initially in India during a four-Test tour early next year.”When they’ve got all their players on the park, they’re a really good team,” Saker said of Australia. “Mitchell Starc is as good a bowler as there is in the world. I think when they get all their bowlers back and firing, you’ve got a really good attack. I think the really pleasing thing about it is there’s quite a lot. You need six or seven of them, and they’ve got that.”Most of them are quite young, compared to Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, who are pretty experienced cricketers. When they get two or three more years of experience, there are going to be some serious bowlers in that group.”

Liverpool will host title challengers Arsenal this afternoon in their Premier League clash at Anfield and Jurgen Klopp will be hoping that his team can maintain their impeccable home record against the Gunners.

The Easter Sunday showdown will see the league leaders travel to the stadium they haven't won at since 2012, while for their own sakes, Liverpool will be desperate to put a dent in the Gunners' title dreams to earn themselves three points in their pursuit to keep their outside chance of securing a Champions League qualifying spot at the end of the season alive.

The Reds are currently 13 points adrift of fourth-place Newcastle United going into their game with Arsenal and with only ten games remaining to close the gap, there will be no room for error over the coming weeks ahead.

Klopp made a number of changes to the team that pulled off a well-fought stalemate with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge earlier this week, with Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson notably missing in an effort to refresh the team following a string of disappointing performances.

However, when Mikel Arteta's phenomenally in-form side make the trip to Merseyside this weekend, the Liverpool boss won't have the luxury of dropping his most experienced players and will need them in their best condition to take on the tenacious Gunners.

One player who did feature in the Chelsea clash and should retain his spot against Arsenal is Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino, whose incredible record against the side is well-known by both the Anfield faithful and supporters of the North London club.

Will Roberto Firmino start vs Arsenal?

The £180k-per-week Liverpool star has been integral to their multiple successes and has confirmed that he will not be extending his stay at Anfield when his contract expires in the summer, so one last opportunity to punish Arsenal is the least he deserves for his incredible service over the years.

Firmino has tallied up 17 appearances against the Gunners, netting ten goals and registering three assists, with only three defeats and a whopping nine victories over them, easily becoming Liverpool's most productive talisman and scores for fun when it comes to their meetings.

Not only that, the 31-year-old goal machine is currently the club's third highest goalscorer despite a troubling season, with ten goals and five assists in all competitions, as well as a better conversion rate (30%) and shot accuracy (76%) than any other Liverpool player who has scored a goal so far.

Firmino has been lavished with praise over his tenure at Anfield and talkSPORT's Darren Ambrose reserved huge compliments for the player upon the confirmation that he will leave at the end of the season:

“Does he go down as a Liverpool legend? Absolutely, 100 per cent!

“For a player who has won that many trophies, scored that many goals and has been very self-sacrificial for the team.

“It’s the end of an era at Liverpool. It was the end of an era when Mane left, really, but it’s a real end of an era now because Firmino is leaving too.”

With that being said, there is no doubt that Firmino should be in the starting eleven this afternoon as it would be a phenomenal way to see out his final weeks at Anfield by scoring even more goals against Arsenal.

Journalist Samuel Luckhurst has slammed Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford following his 'Ineffectual" display in the club's recent defeat.

What's the latest on Marcus Rashford and Man United?

The Red Devils took on Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon with both teams pushing for a spot in the Champions League places.

Man United's ambitious took a major blow, however, as they lost 2-0 at at St James' Park, which means they now slip two fourth while their opponents leapfrog them into third thanks to superior goal difference.

After a well-fought first half, Joe Willock eventually broke the deadlock after 65 minutes and then Callum Wilson sealed the deserved win late on with a header.

It was clearly a bad day for all involved from the Red Devils' point of view but it seems as though one man stood out for Luckhurst.

In his player ratings for the Manchester Evening News, he gave Rashford and 3/10 for his efforts.

He explained why, writing: "Struggled to get going so much he swapped wings with Antony and had no joy against the more cumbersome [Dan] Burn. Ineffectual."

Is Marcus Rashford fit?

Journalist Michael Plant of Manchester World seemed to concur as he went even harsher and handed Rashford a 2/10 for his performance.

His player rating read: "Another who failed to have much of an impact on the game. Rashford didn’t have enough touches and was poor when in possession."

When you look at the player's stats on SofaScore, it doesn't make for pretty reading either. Indeed, his 6.1 score was the worst on the field for either team.

What's more, he lost the ball 10 times, won 0/4 duels, completed 74% passing, didn't have a single shot at goal (on or off target), failed with two dribble attempts, and managed just 29 touches in 90 minutes.

To put that in perspective, even Wout Weghorst at least managed to get one shot at goal (albeit off target), and fellow winger Anthony completed two dribbles and won five duels.

To be fair, Rashford – who makes £200k-p/w – had actually pulled out of the England squad during the international break and he was an injury doubt coming into this game.

On the evidence of his latest display, it's probably safe to assume he wasn't 100 per cent (much like his passing). Even so, his manager wouldn't have played him if he wasn't ready to make an impact, so there really is no excuse to be quite as poor as he was.

West Ham are crying out for a clinical striker who can do it all, as they continue their battle against relegation from the Premier League this season.

Michail Antonio is past his best, Danny Ings offers goals but can't hold the ball up, while summer signing Gianluca Scamacca has failed to live up to the big expectations of him at the London Stadium, and looks likely to follow in the footsteps of several disappointing strikers who preceded him.

David Moyes will, therefore, be wishing that the club still had a powerful, talented goalscorer such as Marko Arnautovic, who impressed under the Scottish manager in a two-season stay at West Ham having initially been brought in by Slaven Bilic.

Could Marko Arnautovic save West Ham now?

West Ham would sign the Austria international from Stoke City in 2017 in a club-record deal worth £20m, having hit 26 goals and 32 assists during his time with the Potters.

He would manage double figures for league goals in both the 2017/18 and 2018/19 campaigns for West Ham, finishing his time with the east London side on 22 goals and 12 assists in just 65 appearances, before completing a move to China, where he joined Shanghai SIPG.

Former Hammers midfielder Jack Wilshere sang his teammate's praises after he joined the club on a free transfer in 2018.

He said: “He is up there. He is right up there.

“Ability-wise, he’s powerful, got so much in his game. His attitude is brilliant. He’s a good character and is one of the leaders in the team as well."

West Ham's woeful form in the Premier League so far this campaign certainly suggests that they are missing leaders in the dressing room, while their lack of goals on the pitch has been a major factor in Moyes' downfall.

Only five sides have scored fewer top-flight goals than the Hammers, while Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen currently lead the way for goals in Moyes' squad, with only four to their name, which emphasises how poor the attacking options have been so far this campaign.

Even at 33, Arnautovic is still outperforming all of West Ham's attackers with Bologna, as he boasts eight goals in 15 Serie A appearances so far this term.

Considering that Scamacca was signed for big money from Italy in the summer but now cannot get a game in Moyes' side, the Scottish manager will perhaps be wishing that he still had Arnautovic at his disposal.

Indeed, with his goals and Premier League know-how, the chances of West Ham suffering a shock relegation would surely be significantly lower.