Liverpool Vs West Ham — Five-star display heaps more pressure on wobbling West Ham
In liverpool vs west ham at Anfield, Liverpool’s 5-2 victory made plain the gap between the sides on the pitch and in the accounts, and it moves the winners up to fifth in the Premier League table. The scoreline deepens immediate concern for West Ham’s survival prospects and intensifies questions about squad decisions this summer.
Financial contrast: £703m revenue for Liverpool, £104. 2m loss for West Ham
The financial ledger underlined the mismatch: Liverpool announced record overall revenue of £703m in their latest accounts, most of which was ploughed back into the bank balances of a title-winning team. By contrast, West Ham recorded 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. That gap in resources was reflected on the team sheet and the score sheet and leaves West Ham’s prospects of avoiding relegation looking bleak in the wake of such a heavy defeat.
Liverpool Vs West Ham — set-piece mastery and a 5-2 scoreline at Anfield
The match at Anfield was effectively over by half-time as set pieces did the damage. Hugo Ekitiké opened the scoring after El Hadji Malick Diouf had cleared the first corner; Ryan Gravenberch returned a fine ball into the France international, who took his shot early and saw it nestle 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 of the year. Alexis Mac Allister’s brilliant volley in the 43rd minute was the third Liverpool goal to originate from a corner: Mohamed Salah took a corner from the right, Van Dijk flicked on at the near post, Ekitiké cushioned the ball out to Mac Allister and he volleyed into the roof of the net the head of Aaron Wan-Bissaka. That finish did not touch the ground from the moment it left Salah’s foot, taking Liverpool’s set-piece goals total to eight for the calendar year and leaving West Ham looking exposed at dead-ball situations.
Hugo Ekitiké and Ryan Gravenberch shaped the attacking rhythm
Hugo Ekitiké was at the centre of Liverpool’s best moments, not only scoring the opener but also providing two assists, including a cushioned pass off his instep while travelling backwards for Alexis Mac Allister’s goal. Ryan Gravenberch played a major role too: he returned the fine ball that led to the opener, operated higher up the pitch on the day and provided a chopped pass to Ekitiké. Gravenberch had previously been discussed as a player who might shine higher up before being purchased by Bayern; at Anfield he plugged a hole at the 6 at times, though he also played a sloppy pass and could have had a goal or two. Over recent matches he has been pushed higher into the box, a change noted alongside Curtis Jones crashing the box a few weeks ago.
West Ham’s reaction, Nuno’s appraisal, and the odd disruption
Despite the score, West Ham had periods of promise. The visitors had a better expected goals figure than Liverpool and responded well after the early setback, with Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville to the fore as Liverpool were opened up frequently. Jarrod Bowen’s corner landed at Konstantinos Mavropanos’s feet and the centre-half scooped wildly over, and Mac Allister worked to cut out a dangerous counterattack led by Summerville. Alisson was in fine form for Liverpool, saving well from Tomas Soucek and then from Bowen after hitting a clearance straight at the visiting captain. Nuno Espírito Santo, while acknowledging the result, said: "If I say it was a good performance I sound silly, " and noted that, strange as it seems, there were elements to take encouragement from. The visitors’ day was further undermined by an odd incident before kick-off when their bus got stuck on a ramp while attempting to leave the team hotel.
Squad questions: goalkeeping, age, transfers and momentum
The match fed into wider squad debates. One view highlighted that Alisson nearly cost Liverpool at least one goal with a routine clearance and suggested signs of age; yet he remains a calming presence when in the teamsheet. That series of displays helped argue for Liverpool going into the market for a keeper last season, alongside the club’s desire to find a wing player such as Jeremie Frimpong and attacking options to spread goals and creative responsibility — names mentioned in that context include Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak. Mohamed Salah was noted as having an anonymous day and the performance prompted suggestions it could be the end of an era for him. For Liverpool, the mandate since a rough patch in the Autumn has been to take maximum points against Premier League opponents, and the team matched the opponent’s energy in the second half to string together a win that keeps their chase for European football firmly on track.
