Bbc: Liverpool’s set-piece surge lifts champions back into contention after 5-2 win
Liverpool scored five in a 5-2 win over West Ham and used a dramatic set-piece turnaround to restore momentum;. The result pushed Arne Slot’s side up to fifth in the Premier League and narrowed the gap to third, underlining why the transformation matters as the season enters its decisive phase.
Arne Slot on Champions League mandate
Manager Arne Slot framed the victory as part of a repair job on a turbulent campaign and reiterated that Champions League qualification remains a non-negotiable objective. Slot noted the nervous atmosphere inside the stadium during a match the manager described as strange, clinical at times but not always under control. The win moved Liverpool to fifth in the table, three points off third, and — Slot has said — failure to reach the Champions League would be unacceptable for the reigning champions.
Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister
The match’s first half produced an unusual sequence: Liverpool scored three times from first-half corners, with Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister all converting set plays to put the champions in a commanding position. That haul of corner goals was only the second occasion in Premier League history that a team netted three times from first-half corners. Van Dijk’s contribution continued a recent scoring run that also included goals away at Sunderland and Bournemouth.
Set-piece numbers and the seven-goal run
Statistical shifts explain the result. Since the turn of the year Liverpool have scored more goals from set-pieces (excluding penalties) than any other side in the league. Seven of Liverpool’s most recent nine Premier League goals have come from set-pieces — five from corners, one from a direct free-kick and one from a throw-in — a striking reversal from early in the campaign when they had scored the fewest. At 3-0 in the first half of the 5-2 victory, the club had completed a run of seven straight Premier League goals scored from set pieces, the longest such run in competition history.
Aaron Briggs and coaching changes
At the end of 2025 the club parted ways with set-piece coach Aaron Briggs; the existing coaching staff have absorbed his duties. Slot played down the idea that Briggs’ exit alone explains the turnaround, suggesting instead that small tactical tweaks and a return to normal finishing levels are the primary drivers. The club has gone from being worst in the Premier League on the difference between goals scored and conceded from set-pieces at the end of 2025 to the best so far in 2026.
Cody Gakpo, injured forwards and wider context
Players have noticed the change. Cody Gakpo said that when matches are stuck, having a reliable set-piece option is vital — a practical effect underscored by Liverpool scoring five without either of their £100m-plus forwards, who remain injured. Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunning free-kick earlier in the season and Ibrahima Konate’s corner finish in a 4-1 win over Newcastle illustrate how a variety of players have contributed to the new set-piece threat. Match details also show defensive lapses from West Ham contributed: they failed to react to a second phase that led to Ekitike’s opener, allowed Van Dijk a free jump for another goal and did not intervene enough as Mac Allister finished the third.
Because Liverpool have started to convert and defend set pieces reliably, the immediate effect has been tangible: four wins in five league games — as many as they managed in their previous 13 (with six draws and three defeats) — and only two losses in their past 21 matches in all competitions. What makes this notable is how quickly a concentrated improvement in one area has translated into points and a clear route back toward a Champions League place; victory in this match lifted Liverpool closer to that minimum season objective and put them back in pole position for a return to Europe’s top competition. A top-five finish is now framed as almost certain to secure Champions League football next season, given the strong results of English sides in Europe this term.
Mateus Fernandes’ plan and Van Dijk’s standing
Opposition tactics failed to blunt Liverpool’s set pieces: Mateus Fernandes worked on a plan to stop Van Dijk but it did not halt his aerial threat. Van Dijk’s recent scoring run has elevated him to the status of second-highest scoring central defender in Premier League history, behind John Terry, reinforcing how the centre-back has become central to Liverpool’s set-piece renaissance.
