Liverpool Vs West Ham: New set-piece kings can still achieve 'something beautiful' after 5-2 victory
The champions produced a five-goal display that left Anfield rejoicing in a match billed liverpool vs west ham and left Liverpool buoyed in their bid to salvage the season. The result matters because three set-piece goals in the first half underlined a tactical turnaround that has measurable impact on league position and momentum.
Liverpool Vs West Ham set-piece sweep
Liverpool opened a three-goal lead by half-time with all first-half strikes coming from corners: Hugo Ekitiké, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister. The sequence exemplifies a broader shift — since the turn of the year Liverpool have scored more goals from set-pieces (excluding penalties) than any other Premier League side. Seven of the Reds' most recent nine Premier League goals have come from set-pieces (five from corners, one direct free-kick and one from a throw-in), a dramatic reversal from earlier in the campaign when they were among the division's poorest performers from dead-ball situations.
Arne Slot on set-pieces and season targets
Head coach Arne Slot described the set-piece returns as central to the victory and linked them directly to the team's recent improvement. Slot acknowledged nervy moments in the match but stressed that scoring from set-pieces has helped Liverpool regain the capacity to win games, noting a run of four wins in five Premier League matches — as many as they managed in the previous 13 (six draws and three defeats). Slot has made clear Champions League qualification is the season's baseline expectation; the win leaves Liverpool fifth in the table and three points off third place.
Goal sequence: Hugo Ekitiké to Axel Disasi own goal
The scoring narrative was compact and specific. Ekitiké converted the opening corner after El Hadji Malick Diouf had only partially cleared the set-piece; Ryan Gravenberch's return fed the France international and a slight deflection off Konstantinos Mavropanos diverted the ball past Mads Hermansen. Van Dijk then headed home a Dominik Szoboszlai delivery after outmuscling Soungoutou Magassa and Tomas Soucek, a goal that was the Reds' seventh set-piece strike of the year. Mac Allister's volley — fashioned from a Mohamed Salah corner, a Van Dijk flick-on and Ekitiké's cushioned lay-off — produced an eighth set-piece goal for the calendar year. Tomas Soucek pulled one back for West Ham early in the second half, Cody Gakpo restored the three-goal cushion and Valentin Castellanos reduced the deficit again before an own goal by Axel Disasi, diverting a Jeremie Frimpong cross, completed the 5-2 scoreline.
Financial contrast: £703m revenue and £104. 2m loss
The scoreline reflected wider divergences off the pitch. Liverpool recently announced record overall revenue of £703m in their latest accounts, while West Ham recorded a £104. 2m loss for the same financial year and have warned players will have to be sold this summer whether they stay up or not. The financial gulf was mirrored on the field: West Ham at times produced the better expected-goals numbers but were undone by set-pieces and found Alisson in fine form, with the goalkeeper making key saves from Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen. The visitors' campaign was further hampered by odd misfortune when their team bus became stuck on a ramp while attempting to leave the team hotel.
Squad and staff context: Aaron Briggs, Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz
Staff and squad developments have shaped Liverpool's set-piece turnaround. Former set-piece coach Aaron Briggs left the club at the end of 2025 and the existing coaching staff absorbed his duties. Slot noted small defensive and offensive adjustments have helped, and observed Liverpool had been 23 set-piece goals behind Arsenal at one stage — a gap he says has substantially closed and is now only three goals. The season has also seen internal turbulence: an earlier falling-out with Mohamed Salah and an injury to record signing Alexander Isak were cited as contributors to the campaign's rocky first half. Florian Wirtz missed the West Ham game through injury; Slot was asked whether the No. 7 is expected to be fit for Tuesday's trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers, and that line of questioning formed part of his post-match briefing, though the immediate update on his availability was unclear in the provided context.
What makes this notable is how a concentrated improvement on set-pieces has realigned Liverpool's results: the Reds have now lost just twice in their past 21 matches in all competitions and sit level on points with fourth-placed Manchester United, who are due to play on Sunday, while remaining three points shy of Aston Villa in third. For a reigning-champion squad facing midseason doubts, the measurable uptick from dead-ball situations has transformed outcomes on the pitch and sharpened the club's push back toward its stated minimum objective.
