West Ham could prove Gary Lineker’s ‘one-off’ comments wrong after upsetting Liverpool

West Ham v Liverpool: Match in Pictures

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West Ham manager David Moyes could prove Gary Lineker’s Premier League prediction wrong after they leapfrogged Liverpool in the table with victory on Sunday. It was a spectacular day for the Hammers, defying the odds to end Liverpool’s 25-match unbeaten run which stretched back into last season. 

Goals from Pablo Fornals and Kurt Zouma added to Alisson’s own-goal to give West Ham victory at a raucous London Stadium. 

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s superb free-kick had drawn Jurgen Klopp’s side level at one point in the game, but by the time Divock Origi notched the Reds’ second it was too late. 

The 3-2 win left the Liverpool boss furious after the full-time whistle, with refereeing decisions the crux of his grievances after pressure on Alisson for the opener and a strong challenge from West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell both went unpunished. 

Sensationally, Moyes’ side sit third in the Premier League table with almost 1/3 of the season played, ahead of Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal. 

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In fact, they are only three points off the summit, meaning a repeat of Leicester City’s unlikely 2016 title win could yet be on the cards. 

Lineker suggested that such a victory would remain a ‘one-off’, although history could repeat itself much sooner than expected if the Hammers power on for the remainder of the campaign. 

Moyes’ men will realistically have their sights set on cracking the top four, but cannot be underestimated having already beaten Liverpool, Man City, Man United, Tottenham and Leicester so this season.

Title-winning mastermind Claudio Ranieri concurred with Lineker’s prediction at the time, stating: “This is a year that cannot be repeated.

“Do I think Leicester can do this again? No. I don’t think we can but we want to continue to build.

“When I came here, the project was to build a foundation and to fight for the Europa League in three to four years.”

Shockingly, Ranieri was given his marching orders the following season, although Moyes’ side are showing no signs of slowing down at present. 

After two years at the helm in his second spell in charge, the Hammers are now built firmly in the Scotsman’s image as they threaten to punch above their weight for years to come, much like his Everton teams of years gone by did. 

Understandably, Moyes was optimistic after the Liverpool victory which was a major scalp given the Reds’ recent form. 

“This result shows that we’re really in with a good chance of challenging for the top places,” he said.

“I’m hugely proud. The way the players have gone about it, you talk about me turning it around, these players were close to relegation. Now we’re pushing for Europe.

“It was a brilliant victory against a really good team.

“We played Thursday night as well, so to come and put on a performance… and the energy, we had to hang in at the end – it was great by the players.”

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