Liverpool finally snapped their worrying run of form with a composed 2-0 win over West Ham United, extending their remarkable dominance in this fixture.
In the pre-match report Softfootball predicted a very difficult encounter for the Reds given their recent form, but that didn’t matter as Liverpool have now won 15 of the last 18 Premier League meetings between the sides, and this one arrived at a desperately needed moment after three straight heavy defeats.
The relief and what the result meant to the team was very obvious in the final whistle reaction in a video uploaded on Liverpool’s official X handle.
Watch the video below:
A sombre atmosphere hung over the London Stadium following the sad passing of club icon Billy Bonds. Warm tributes were paid before kick-off, but once the whistle blew, Liverpool wasted no time trying to regain some control of a season that had begun slipping away from them.
They started sharper than they’ve looked in weeks, and Alexander Isak nearly produced something spectacular early on, his improvised, acrobatic strike forcing Alphonse Areola into a brilliant reflex save.
With Mohamed Salah only named on the bench, Liverpool occasionally lacked bite in the final third. Still, they carved out a massive chance late in the first half.
Virgil van Dijk launched a hopeful long ball that completely unsettled West Ham’s defence, dropping perfectly for Florian Wirtz. But the young midfielder’s finish lacked conviction, and Areola gathered it without much fuss, another sign of Liverpool’s recent struggles in confidence.
Before the encounter, Arne Slot had emphasised the need of the team to step up and fight to turn things around, and Isak, much like Wirtz, who had endured a difficult start to life at Anfield, took the coach’s word personally as the Swedish striker finally got his breakthrough.
Just before the hour mark, Cody Gakpo teed him up inside the box, and Isak made no mistake, shifting the ball neatly before sweeping it into the bottom corner. The relief was obvious.
West Ham, meanwhile, offered little going forward. Nuno Espírito Santo’s decision to swap strikers, rather than adding an extra attacking option, frustrated the home crowd, and their chances faded further when Lucas Paquetá picked up two yellow cards for dissent in the space of a single minute. From that point on, Liverpool coasted.
Deep into stoppage time, Gakpo, who also earned praise from the team’s official X account for his shift today, sealed the win, smashing home from close range to put the game beyond doubt.
Liverpool posted:
The victory lifts Arne Slot’s side back into the top half and provides some much-needed breathing room after a rough recent spell.
As for West Ham, they remain narrowly above the relegation zone, but with their form dipping and pressure growing, they’ll be anxiously checking the table again as the midweek fixtures approach.
