Liverpool Vs West Ham: Five-star display heaps more pressure on wobbling West Ham
In a 5-2 win at Anfield that left their visitors rattled, liverpool vs west ham showed both Liverpool’s set-piece threat and a sharp off-field contrast between the clubs that now shapes the season ahead.
Liverpool Vs West Ham at Anfield
Arne Slot’s side improved their prospects of Champions League qualification with a peculiar victory at Anfield, the winning margin far more resounding than the performance on the night. The Reds added three points to their tally on Saturday thanks to goals from Hugo Ekitiké, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister before the interval, and further strikes in the second half took the score to 5-2.
Set pieces decide the match
Set pieces were decisive. Hugo Ekitiké opened the scoring after El Hadji Malick Diouf cleared the first corner and Ryan Gravenberch returned a fine ball that Ekitiké struck early; the shot nestled into Mads Hermansen’s bottom corner a slight deflection off Konstantinos Mavropanos. Virgil van Dijk then headed home Dominik Szoboszlai’s delivery after bumping aside Soungoutou Magassa and beating Tomas Soucek to the ball — van Dijk’s second set-piece goal in three games and Liverpool’s seventh set-piece goal of the year. The eighth arrived when Mohamed Salah swung a corner from the right, van Dijk flicked on at the near post, Ekitiké cushioned the ball out and Alexis Mac Allister volleyed into the roof of the net Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s head; the ball did not touch the ground from the moment it left Salah’s foot.
A comeback snuffed out in the 43rd minute
The game was effectively over by half-time. West Ham had moments — Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville opened Liverpool up frequently and Tomas Soucek tested Alisson early in the second half — and Soucek’s response briefly reduced the deficit. That hope was extinguished in the 43rd minute when Mac Allister produced a brilliant volley, the third Liverpool goal to originate from a corner, which killed the momentum West Ham had been building.
Errors, saves and missed chances
Defensive lapses and fine goalkeeping framed the match. Mavropanos scooped wildly over when a Jarrod Bowen corner fell to him, and both the West Ham centre-half and goalkeeper could have done more for Ekitiké’s opener. Alisson made key saves from Soucek and Bowen before Liverpool extended the lead. In the second half, Cody Gakpo replied to Soucek’s strike, Valentin Castellanos scored for the visitors and an own goal completed the scoreboard swing to end the match 5-2.
Off-field contrasts and an awkward exit
The differing fortunes of the clubs were stark. Liverpool announced record overall revenue of £703m in their latest accounts, most ploughed back into the bank balances of a title-winning team. By contrast, West Ham revealed a £104. 2m loss in the same financial year and warned that players will have to be sold this summer whether they stay up or not. The mood at the visiting camp was summed up by an odd incident before kick-off when the West Ham bus got stuck on a ramp while attempting to leave the team hotel. Nuno Espírito Santo, reflecting on the day, said: "If I say it was a good performance I sound silly. "
Highlights, replays and what’s next
Fans can watch free bitesize highlights of the 5-2 result, which featured Ekitiké, van Dijk and Mac Allister’s first-half strikes and the second-half responses from Tomas Soucek, Cody Gakpo and Valentin Castellanos plus an own goal. Extended highlights and a full replay will be available from midnight GMT to All Red Full members and All Red Video subscribers.
With the result confirmed at Anfield and Liverpool’s set-piece tally rising to eight for the calendar year, both clubs leave the stadium with clear immediate tasks: Liverpool to press their improved Champions League prospects and West Ham to confront their fragile position on and off the pitch.
