A trip to Elland back as WHU make worst start in 52 years

Leeds United 2 West Ham 1

It's a trip with Matt to the World's End, our latest unlucky pub, as Halloween starts a week early with Nuno making another scary team selection. He's again playing Scarles as a right back and Wan-Bissaka is now on the left with Diouf in a five-man defence. He's again playing Irving and Soucek in central midfield while ignoring Magassa and Fernandes, and with Fullkrug injured has again opted not to play a striker in Callum Wilson. Nuno is overthinking this.

We settle down with pints of Landlord next to two blokes in Leeds shirts who turn out to be Matt's friends, so we avoid steaming in and instead say hello. Leeds score with their first attack. Bogle (are Leeds now our Bogle team?) has too much time to cross from the right and Okafor gets ahead of Scarles to head towards Areola. The keeper parries it and Aaronson reacts quicker than Todibo and Wan-Bissaka to prod home the rebound. Scarles is a promising left-back, but he's at fault here. Why did Nuno think it a good idea to play him on the right for the first time in two crucial relegation six-pointers?

There are signs of life in the WHU attack as Summerville does well to get in a cross and Bowen's overhead kick is parried by Perri, who manages to get a second touch to flick the ball away from Paqueta. But on 15 minutes Leeds win a corner. The ball drifts over Kilman and Todibo and Rodon is inexplicably being marked by Paqueta. The big man thumps home his header. You can't give teams a two-goal start. Marking isn't Paqueta's game and he should surely be left upfield at corners so the opposition have to keep a man back.

Callum Wilson is already warming up when Scarles goes down with a shoulder injury and Nuno is forced into playing a more conventional line-up. Wilson might have lost a bit of pace but he does fairly well holding the ball up and winning free kicks, while Bowen is more effective cutting in from the right. West Ham seem to have pulled one back as Bowen drives in from the left and Wilson blocks a clearance with the ball falling to Lucas to fire home,. But VAR rules that Paqueta is just offside though there's an argument that the ball came off the Leeds defender last. 

Soucek heads wide from a good Bowen cross and Bowen shoots wide but it's Leeds who almost score before the break as Okafor twists and turns past Todibo to fire just wide. More beer is the only option at half-time.

IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT

Andy Irving is a neat passer but lacks the pace and tackling ability we need. The second half starts with Aaronson racing from hois own half through our porous midfield, past Irving, Soucek and Paqueta, and having a shot deflected on to the bar. 

Nuno brings on Fernandes and Potts on 65 minutes and West Ham dominate possession. Magassa gets on for the final 15 minutes. Paqueta tries his best and plays well but we don't really threaten as crosses come to nothing and Leeds make defending corners look easy. Still, we keep at it and on 90 minutes Bowen's chip into the box is glanced home by the head of Fernandes.

Any hope of a late equaliser disappears with an overhit cross from Todibo and it's another depressing defeat.This is now West Ham's worst start in 52 years and we have broken a PL record by conceding nine goals from corners in the first nine games. 

There's some hope in the second half performance but Nuno needs to stop tinkering. Let's try playing the full-backs in their correct positions, give the £60m pair of Magassa and Fernandes games in midfield and play a striker up front with Bowen cutting in from the right. Sean Dyche has said he'll put players in their right positions at Nottingham Forest and Nuno needs to so the same. And how about appointing a set-piece coach? With two home games coming up it's time to keep it simple.

Point at Leeds stops the rot

Leeds United 2 West Ham United 2

It's a nerve-shredding evening listening to this on the radio and learning on WhatsApp that Michael is listening with Harry the possibly lucky cat and that Matt, Lisa and Nigel are discussing commemorative Iron Maiden stamps.

After a respectful tribute to David Gold the Hammers make a lively start but are again undone by a throw-in, as Summerville sets up Gnonto to score with a crisp finish. Kehrer is looking out of position at left-back (why not play Emerson there if Cresswell is dropped?) and we fear the worst. But the Hammers keep going and Coufal almost catches out Meslier with a long-distance lob.

With half-time approaching Scamacca feeds the ball inside and Bowen is brought down in the box. The ref plays a good advantage only for Fornals to shoot wide of an open goal. Luckily VAR intervenes and the penalty is given. Lucas Paqueta does a stop-start run-up and expertly puts it in the top corner with a classy penalty for his first West Ham goal.

A minute into the second half West Ham are ahead. Aaronson plays a loose ball to Scamacca, who fires home a great low strike from 25 yards out that goes in off the post. As Moyes says, Gianluca should be getting tap-ins too, but that strike is evidence that he can be a bit special.

It's a good chance to get three points but when Jack Harrison comes on Leeds put the Irons under heavy pressure. Rice is caught trying to mark two players and Rodrigo fires home another quality finish.

Fabianski has to tip over from Rodrigo and Antonio clears a header off the line. Sub Benrahma causes problems on the break and his cross is very nearly put into the net by fellow sub Antonio. It's left to Fabianski to gain a point with the last action of five added minutes as he claws away Rodrigo's header with a brilliant reaction save.

It's been a great game for the neutral and in the end we're grateful for a point that ends the run of five successive defeats — though it was also a missed opportunity. There is work to be done defensively and in midfield and WHU still need to grab a win from the Wolves or Everton matches. But defeat would have seen us slip into the bottom three, so an away point is still some kind of progress. Irons!

Oh what fun it is to see West Ham win away!

Leeds United 1 West Ham United 2

The evening begins with the news that Arthur Masuaku has had a career-saving operation. This seems to have come out of nowhere and was not even mentioned by Moyes in his press conference. So it's back to a flat back-four with Benrahma coming in, which is a brave attacking choice from the gaffer.

WHU get off to a disastrous start as Haller miscontrols, Cooper plays a swift through ball and Bamford races past a surprised defence only to be brought down by Fabianski. Klich muffs the first penalty but sodding VAR rules that Fabianski has moved a couple of inches off his line and it's retaken. With a double Klich the penalty is converted.

The Hammers respond well, with Rice winning lots of loose balls and Benrahma looking speedy on the break, though the other players don't seem to be reading his passes. Looks like he'll be entertaining in a Di Canio-esque way though.

Haller is doing a good impression of a pinball machine as he repeatedly fails to hold on to the ball, but does get a couple of chances, heading into the ground and then shooting at a defender when well-placed. The Hammers' deservedly equalise when Soucek towers above the Leeds defence to head home past a flailing goalkeeper. 

The second half is almost all West Ham. It must be cold up north as Leeds have brought on Shackleton, a player of great endeavour. Benrahma shows he can be too greedy at times, wasting a free kick and taking too long to shoot, though he then sends a good effort just wide. Fornals misses a great chance to make it two by poking wide of the post, Haller has a header tipped over and Balbuena's header produces a great save from Meslier. 

With ten minutes left the Irons finally get the second goal as Ogbonna sends a bullet header into the corner from Cresswell's magic free kick. A great goal from Oggy. we know it isn't going to be Haller's night when he suddenly produces a brilliant overhead kick only to foiled by another fine save from Meslier. Then there's even the bizarre sight of Ogbonna crossing for Balbuena to head against the post.

The Hammers almost pay for their profligacy when Rodrigo gets a free header in the box in added time, but hold on to secure a win on a ground where we never get anything. Man of the match is Robert Snodgrass who is brilliant for the final 30 seconds.

We go fifth. Blimey. This is West Ham's best start since the final season at the Boleyn and we now have to build on it. Irons!

Oh Danny boy!

Leeds United 1 West Ham 1

This has to count as a good point at Elland Road thanks to Danny Collins' 90th minute equaliser, even if the Reading and Southampton results went against us. It was Leeds' biggest crowd of the season and it's never an easy place for us to get a result.

Was starting to get that familiar anti-Midas touch feeling when turning on my mobile on the Overground saw it was 0-0 at 83 minutes only to immediately have Leeds take the lead through Bechio's header. It's very rare that WHU ever get anything late out of a game so a pleasant surprise to see the update that Collins had headed (or actually shouldered) home a Noble corner. Collins has had a decent career at Chester, Stoke and Sunderland and Ipswich on loan, and has twice won the fans' player of the year award at Sunderland. He should be capable of doing a job in the Championship.

Looking at the highlights, our best chances fall to Maynard who just overruns the ball and Cole who heads narrowly over. Leeds have a goal disallowed for a slight push and we have a good penalty claim for handball against Brown turned down. Green makes a fantastic flying save too. Nice to see Morrison get a few minutes on the pitch. On the plus side it's eight games unbeaten, on the negative we've drawn five of them.

Back to the old perennial of can we win at home on Tuesday against Boro.