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Manchester United will be desperate to put a dent in Liverpool’s Premier League title challenge when the two teams meet at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

And United will need a big performance from left-back Luke Shaw if they are to overcome a team that has only lost once in the league during the 2018-19 campaign.

The Chalkboard

Shaw has been around for so long that it is easy to forget he is still so young.

Indeed, the full-back will not turn 24 until July, but saw the early stages of his United career harmed by a number of injuries.

Shaw is comfortably enjoying his most productive campaign for the Red Devils, already making 28 appearances in all competitions, which is nine more than he managed in the entirety of last season.

The defender scored his first ever Premier League goal earlier this season, but has contributed just one assist in all competitions, whilst it would be fair to say that he still needs to offer more in an attacking sense.

The eight-time England international is certain to start at left-back against Liverpool and will need to put in a strong performance if United are to triumph.

What is required from Shaw on Sunday?

Well, the number one priority is to be solid defensively, but there is no getting away from the fact that is an area of weakness for the Red Devils.

Shaw will be directly up against Mohamed Salah, who has 20 goals to his name in all competitions this season.

Quite how the defender deals with the Egyptian could have a huge say on the outcome, but Shaw also needs to contribute down the other end.

Roberto Firmino has thrown a party themed around the colour of his teeth! Watch the video below to find out what we’re talking about…

The full-back has not been afraid to break forward this season, but too often his crossing has been wayward.

Anthony Martial could well return from injury to start and the fact that the Frenchman loves to come inside will leave so much space for Shaw when United are on the attack.

And the former Southampton youngster must put in a strong performance at both ends of the field if his team are to collect a huge three points.

Glasgow Rangers were not at their best away to Hearts earlier this afternoon, but early goals from Alfredo Morelos and Joe Aribo ensured that they got another three points.

It was actually the home team who had more possession and recorded more shots on goal than Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side, and The Transfer Tavern have used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst Gers players (to have featured for at least 45 minutes) were on the day:

Glen Kamara (6.8)

Kamara was ranked by SofaScore as the Light Blues’ third-worst performer with a 6.8 overall rating.

The Finland midfielder lost out on three of his duels in total and also failed to record a single clearance, interception or tackle in the game, while losing possession of the ball twice.

Fashion Sakala (6.7)

Sakala actually got the assist for the first goal scored by Morelos, but was still given a relatively low 6.7 rating by SofaScore.

The Zambia international lost nine duels, the most out of any of his teammates, while he failed to get on the scoresheet with any of three of his attempts on goal.

Sakala was also guilty of giving the ball away far too often throughout the match, 16 times in all, the second-most out of any Rangers player.

Scott Arfield (6.5)

Despite his efforts, Arfield was ranked as the Gers’ worst player with a 6.5 rating given by SofaScore.

The 33-year-old lost six of his duels and was also unsuccessful with his two shots and one dribble attempt.

In addition, Arfield lost the ball six times in what proved to be a frustrating afternoon individually for him.

In other news, another man’s performance against Hearts was slammed by many Gers fans

Crystal Palace returned to winning ways on Sunday afternoon with a 3-1 home victory over struggling Everton, having lost their previous three Premier League games.

Chelsea-loanee Conor Gallagher scored either side of James Tomkin’s second-half goal, with Everton’s Solomon Rondon managing a consolation for the Toffees.

Patrick Vieira opted to make a couple of changes from the side that lost 1-0 to Manchester United last weekend, handing summer signing Will Hughes a full debut in midfield.

In a game where Hughes’ fellow midfielder Gallagher scored twice, the Englishman’s performance could’ve easily been overlooked, however, he took his opportunity impressively.

The summer signing from Watford slotted into the Palace midfield expertly, completing 40 of his 43 passes, a passing accuracy of 93%.

Moreover, the 26-year-old won 61.5% of his duels and made 59 touches during his 73 minutes of action, as well as creating one big chance and therefore receiving an overall rating of 7.4/10, according to SofaScore.

In fact, the £6.3m-rated midfielder was so impressive that he came off to a standing ovation from the Palace faithful, certainly leaving an impression on the crowd at Selhurst Park.

It has certainly been a frustrating first couple of months for the former Watford man, playing just ten minutes of Premier League football prior to Sunday, having joined the South London club for a fee reportedly rising to £10m.

The recent injury to James McArthur suggested that the midfielder could’ve been in line for his long-awaited opportunity, however, Hughes had to wait even longer until Vieira gave him his chance in the place of Jeff Schlupp, who had a poor game against United last weekend.

It’s believed that McArthur will struggle to be fit in time for the Eagles’ next game at home to Southampton on Wednesday night, meaning that Hughes could be in line for a second consecutive start for Palace.

After the success of his full debut against Everton, a second start would certainly be justified.

Crystal Palace recovered from an early setback to draw 1-1 with Norwich City on Wednesday evening.

Patrick Vieira is still waiting for a first Premier League victory in 2022, with the Eagles now winless in their last four top-flight fixtures.

Wilfried Zaha equalised with a brilliant strike in the second half to cancel out Teemu Pukki’s opener after 38 seconds, however, he then failed to convert from the penalty spot to put the visitors in front.

We’ve used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst Palace outfield performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were.

In total, these three players lost the ball a whopping 35 times, were second best in 60% of their aerial and ground duels and made just three tackles all evening… could these players be worried about their place in the XI ahead of the trip to Brentford?

Joachim Andersen – 6.7/10

First up is centre-back Andersen, who lost the ball 15 times. He also lost four of his five duels and was unsuccessful in nine of his 14 long passes.

Andersen was the only Palace defender who didn’t record a rating of more than 7/10, with the 25-year-old making just one tackle all evening. It was a night to forget for the promising defensive stalwart.

Jean-Philippe Mateta – 6.7/10

Next up is Mateta, who also recorded a rating of 6.7/10 in what was his first league start after making his loan move at Selhurst Park permanent last month.

The striker didn’t celebrate his move in the best fashion, though, having just 23 touches of the ball in his 80 minutes on the pitch. Mateta lost five of his eight duels, gave the ball away eight times and registered just one shot all night.

Jeffrey Schlupp – 6.9/10

Last up is Schlupp, who was one of a number of players to end with a score of 6.9/10.

Playing alongside Will Hughes and Conor Gallagher in a three-man midfield, Schlupp lost the ball on 12 occasions and was second-best in six of his 12 duels.

He was brought off by Vieira with 10 minutes remaining having made more fouls than he did tackles (3-2).

In other news: Palace handed more injury woes as Matt Woosnam shares news on ‘very good’ player. 

Crystal Palace have been enjoying a great start to their season so far, with the side signing a number of young players who have been important to their good form in the Premier League, and the good business could continue into the January transfer window if Patrick Vieira can make an important decision.

What’s the word?

According to MailOnline, Burnley are interested in signing Christian Benteke from Crystal Palace to replace Chris Wood, who left the club this week to join Newcastle United, leaving Sean Dyche’s side in a weak position whilst battling relegation this season.

The report suggests that Burnley have made an enquiry for the Palace striker and the South London club are open to selling Benteke during January, but are only interested in a fee of between £10m-£12m.

Vieira must axe Benteke to sign Nketiah

The Eagles have been strongly linked to signing Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal this month, but with Mikel Arteta trying to squash the rumours by insisting he will stay with him at the Emirates, the move could be set back until the summer when the 22-year-old will be out of contract unless Palace are in a position to offer a high bid for the striker.

They could discover the money to do exactly that by axing Benteke before the window closes.

The £120k-per-week Palace forward has been subject to his fair share of criticism over his time at the club with former Eagles midfielder, John Salako, claiming Benteke “can’t do anything” back in 2019:

“I really feel for the lad to a point because he just can’t do it. It’s like he’s got his boots on the wrong feet. He just can’t do anything right; it’s amazing.”

Benteke has been a loyal player to Palace with 37 goals and 12 assists in 168 appearances, but at 32-years-old, it could be the perfect opportunity for Vieira to move him on and inject further youth into the squad, developing the future of the team by giving more opportunity to the likes of Michael Olise and using the money made on the sale to Burnley to purchase a young striker in Nketiah.

The Clarets will surely be keen to sign a striker as soon as possible to boost their chances of survival after losing Wood, so the French manager must make an important decision quickly on whether he cashes in on Benteke or not.

In other news: Aaron Ramsey to Crystal Palace is feasible

Aston Villa forward Keinan Davis has moved to Nottingham Forest on loan until the end of the season.

The move was officially confirmed by Villa on Saturday evening, and as to be expected, a number of supporters were quick to give their thoughts to the news.

Davis, who saw a temporary move to Stoke City fall through last summer due to injury, has played just 11 Premier League minutes this season. He will now get the chance to play regular senior football in the Championship under Steve Cooper, with Forest looking to break into the play-off picture in the second half of the campaign.

Davis will be looking to improve on his goalscoring record at the City Ground, with the 23-year-old scoring just six times in 86 appearances as a Villa player.

Villa fans react

Here is what these Villa fans had to say in reply to the club’s Twitter confirmation of Davis’ loan switch, with many sharing positive thoughts and one feeling that it could be a ‘class’ move for the striker.

“Finally gets his chance”

Credit: @Villaboy89

“Unreal start to 2022”

Credit: @LucyAVFC_

“Could be class for him this”

Credit: @Danielholmes15

“KEINANNNNNNNN”

Credit: @AllAstonVilla

“Good luck KD. Hope you have a good run there and score a few goals too.”

Credit: @garyavfchorton

“10000% what’s been needed to happen for a while”

Credit: @JackbAVFC123

In other news: ‘Exciting’ – Many Villa fans react to big transfer update on ‘quality’ Gerrard target

Leeds United will be looking to pick up their first victory in a month when they host Crystal Palace in the Premier League this evening and manager Marcelo Bielsa is facing several selection dilemmas.

The Yorkshiremen picked up a point on their travels at the weekend, drawing 0-0 to Brighton and Hove Albion on the south coast and they will be looking for three points against an in-form Eagles side tonight, having slipped to within three points of the relegation zone.

After three games without a win, the Argentine has got to spark a reaction on the pitch and he could do so with some key changes to his starting XI, one of which being at left-back, where Junior Firpo was a complete liability against the Seagulls.

Indeed, he was lucky to not be sent off for his troubles in keeping Tariq Lamptey at bay and it wasn’t too long before he was hooked by the manager.

It would be a surprise to see him named amongst the starters once again, particularly as Patrick Vieira has some tricky wide and attacking players at his disposal, notably Wilfried Zaha, Eberechi Eze, Odsonne Edouard and Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher.

All of whom could feast on that left-flank should Bielsa opt for the former Barcelona full-back to start again.

As per SofaScore, he was utterly woeful in the 45 minutes he was on the pitch at the Amex Stadium, as he managed to commit four fouls, in which he received a booking, as well as being wasteful with the ball, registering a 68% passing accuracy, no accurate crosses and he also lost 50% of his duels.

Much of the Whites’ faithful took to social media to lambast his shocking performance, as relayed by This is Futbol, whilst Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards tore into him on Match of the Day, labelling him an “absolute disaster.”

Given the threat on offer this evening, the £12.5m-rated dynamo, who is thought to be earning around £55k-per-week at Elland Road, has no right being involved following that disasterclass of a display.

Meanwhile, an average WhoScored rating of 6.32 suggests that he has just not been good enough across the campaign so far. It is the worst rating of any player to start over three league games.

A worrying trend of disappointing and inconsistent form.

Bielsa must now be ruthless, especially after his encouraging comments on Firpo after the Brighton stalemate, and axe the Spaniard from his starting lineup this evening.

AND in other news, Beren Cross drops Kalvin Phillips update ahead of Crystal Palace clash…

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have been left pleading for the signing of Fulham forward Fabio Carvalho after an update from reliable in-the-know insider ExWHUemployee.

Hammers boss David Moyes is thought to be keen on the 19-year-old Championship starlet alongside a host of other Premier League clubs, with Southampton, Tottenham and Liverpool also said to be watching on (TEAMtalk).

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-news-copy/” title=”West Ham latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Fulham hold fears that he has already agreed to move away from Craven Cottage, with the talented teenager still yet to pen a contract extension in west London (TEAMtalk).

As things stand, the winger can leave as a free agent in the summer, and Ex believes that West Ham could well be in contention.

According to the insider, via his West Ham Way website, Carvalho is personally seen by Moyes as an alternative to long-time target Jesse Lingard, whose apparent recent comments about his future caused some consternation among the east London fan base.

While a move is more likely in the summer when the 19-year-old is a free agent, ExWHUemployee refuses to rule out the possibility of a late January swoop, believing that the story ‘could change’.

West Ham fans plead for Carvalho…

Taking to Twitter, many West Ham fans have pleaded with the club to sign the talented teenager after this insider claim, and it’s not hard to see why.

Dubbed a ‘very exciting’ player by one-time Premier League Golden Boot winner Kevin Phillips, Carvalho’s eight goals and two assists in 17 Championship appearances for Fulham highlight his sky-high potential. For a cheaper fee or on a Bosman in the summer, this potential move is certainly enough to excite the Irons faithful.

Check out some of the best reactions from West Ham fans to this news below:

“Would definitely favour a move for Carvalho”

Credit: @whufcopinions

“Thinking he’s gonna be free and available in the summer 🥱🥱 get Carvalho in now. Kid’s a baller”

Credit: @JoshHarris44

“PLEASE”

Credit: @mako_zzv

“This should be one of our main targets this window alongside a CB and ST”

Credit: @NathWHU

“This over Lingard would be a better deal”

Credit: @j1mrphy

“Absolute baller so I’d be buzzing if we signed him but probably don’t need him unless we can get rid of Yarmo”

Credit: @oliverrrwhu

In other news: ExWHUemployee also says West Ham are set for talks as they chase agreement for ‘quality’ 25 y/o, find out more here.

A key update has emerged on Rangers and their attempts bring John Souttar to Ibrox during the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Daily Record reporter Andy Newport has revealed that the Gers have had an offer turned down for the centre-back on deadline day.

He tweeted: “Hearts knock back a bid of around £400k from Rangers for John Souttar.”

Devastated

Rangers fans will be devastated by this news for several reasons.

Firstly, it has come far too late into the window. They will be frustrated by the club’s lack of speed in trying to secure a deal for him this month, having secured the pre-contract agreement on January 14. Ross Wilson has had just over half of the month to snap him up before the summer and has now waited until deadline day to make an offer which still is not good enough to be accepted.

Therefore, the supporters will be devastated with the club’s weak attempts to sign him to bolster Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s squad immediately. If Wilson was serious about landing him in January, then the offers should have been made as soon as a pre-contract was in the bag, rather than in the final days of the window, leaving Hearts with no time to replace him.

The fans will also be devastated as it means that they will not be able to watch him boss the defence in Glasgow for the Light Blues before next season. He is a top-quality Premiership player and could have improved the club’s backline in the weeks and months had he joined on a permanent deal this month.

Souttar has averaged a brilliant SofaScore rating of 7.40 so far this season, showing off his ability and consistency at this level as he has been able to turn in superb performances week-in-week-out in the Scottish top-flight. This is why the Ibrox faithful will be far from pleased that they will need to wait until later in the year to see him play.

AND in other news, Wilson heading for last-gasp Rangers blunder as Jordan Campbell drops big D-Day update…

Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has been reacting to the club’s latest fixture change.

The Lowdown: Palace details

Jesse Marsch’s side have picked up seven points from their last three games to increase the gap to the relegation zone to eight points.

They now have just seven games remaining, one of which is a trip to Selhurst Park to take on Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace later this month.

Initially scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 23, the meeting has been put back two days to Monday, April 25 and will be shown live on Sky Sports.

The Latest: Hay reacts

Hay took to Twitter to react to the news of the changes following Leeds’ official post. He described it as an ‘awkward kick-off time’ for Marsch and co. and added that there isn’t enough notice for travelling supporters.

“An awkward kick-off time anyway but for supporters travelling to the game, this is nowhere near enough notice.”

The Verdict: Not a surprise

Plenty of Leeds fans may already have made plans for the trip to London later this month, with the fixture being rearranged just over three weeks before.

It isn’t ideal news for the Whites faithful, but it shouldn’t exactly come as a shock, with the Premier League and broadcast giants regularly changing games at late notice, consistently proving that fans are at the bottom of their agenda when making these calls.

Hopefully, fans will be making the trip south later this month with the club in a healthy position in the table, with Saturday’s trip to Watford key as Marsch looks to guide Leeds to safety.

In other news: Leeds may now lose another star alongside Raphinha and Phillips; he stunned a club employee.