Sam Allardyce has threatened to strip Jake Livermore of the captaincy for the reckless challenge that means West Bromwich Albion's new manager must make history to keep his relegation-free record intact.
No team has avoided the drop in the Premier League era with fewer than eight points from their opening 14 games. Albion are stuck on seven, three points from safety.
In his first game since replacing the sacked Slaven Bilic, Allardyce's side trailed after only five minutes to Anwar El Ghazi's strike and were reduced to 10 men eight minutes before half-time when captain Jake Livermore was sent off on VAR review for an ugly tackle on Jack Grealish, meaning he will be banned for three matches.