Request denied
A brilliant, topsy-turvy sort of game at Upton Park, but one question endures: if Bournemouth wanted to be first on Match of the Day that much, could they not just have asked?
Unhappy Bilic
Speaking of which, we have to salute Slaven Bilic, who has already made a tremendous start in what you suspect is West Ham’s main aim for the season — avoiding winning the Fair Play League.
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Leagues ahead
Whenever players come to the Premier League, they talk about the lure of the greatest competition in the world, about wanting to play against the best players and the best teams. So we hope Pedro enjoyed facing Gareth McAuley and James McClean in the torrential rain in the Black Country.
Space invaders
Brendan Rodgers believes the key to Liverpool enjoying a successful season is “dominating space”. Curiously, this is just as realistic a prospect as them “dominating England” any time soon.