Liverpool beat West Ham 5-2 at Anfield on Saturday in a thrilling encounter, as the Reds have now won three in a row and four of their last five in the Premier League to boost their top five hopes.
WATCH — Full replay
Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister all scored in the first half to put Liverpool 3-0 up but they didn’t tell the whole story as West Ham had chances. The Hammers pulled one back through Tomas Soucek but Cody Gakpo made it 4-1 before Taty Castellanos made it 4-2 in a game full of set-piece goals. A late Axel Disasi own goal added extra gloss to the scoreline for Liverpool.
Another win for Liverpool moves them on to 48 points and three points off third. West Ham remain in the bottom three on 25 points.
Set-piece swing helping Liverpool turn things around
All three of Liverpool’s first half goals came from set-pieces, and even their fourth came from a recycled set-piece situation. That is music to the ears of Arne Slot who has bemoaned their lack of goals from those situations all season long. Liverpool were far from their free-flowing best and were guilty of being sloppy at the back in possession too, but they got the job done against West Ham with minimum fuss, with set-pieces playing a big part, and that is a reoccurring trend. Liverpool’s three Premier League wins in a row have all been down to set pieces. Their winner at Sunderland came from a corner. The late, late winner at Nottingham Forest came from a throw-in taken short and four of their five goals against West Ham were from set-piece situations. It is clearly helping them with building confidence in games and taking some of the pressure off as they continue to struggle with controlling a game throughout the entire 90 minutes. Quietly Liverpool have won four of their last five Premier League games to significantly boost their top five hopes and that will almost certainly see them in the Champions League again next season. It hasn’t been pretty but boy are Liverpool now effective. Thanks mostly to set pieces.
What’s next?
Liverpool head to Wolves on Tuesday, while West Ham head to Fulham on Wednesday.
Liverpool vs West Ham score: 5-2
Ekitike 5', Van Dijk 24', Mac Allister 43', Gakpo 70', Disasi OG 82'; Soucek 49', Castellanos 75'
Liverpool vs West Ham live updates! — By Joe Prince-Wright
It should be six for Liverpool
Substitute Trey Nyoni should score! The youngster knows it. He is played in and has a clear sight of goal but lifts his shot way over the bar.
Frimpong’s cross deflected in by Disasi
It’s 5-2 to Liverpool. Substitute Jeremie Frimpong sends in a cross and Axel Disasi slides in but deflects the ball over his own goalkeeper and in.
Gravenberch smashes just wide
A fine strike from Gravenberch but it flies just wide.
Alisson denies Summerville... then Castellanos scores from the corner!
Bowen’s corner goes all the way to the back post and Taty Castellanos heads home. Game on again!?
Gakpo’s shot deflects in!
That should be that. Ekitike does well to keep the ball and finds Gakpo way out on the left. He cuts inside and drills a low shot towards goal which takes a deflection and flies in. Once again West Ham can’t clear a corner properly and pay the price.
Salah smashes way over
We’ve hardly seen Mohamed Salah today and he cuts inside on his left but smashes way over. West Ham are still looking dangerous on the counter. This is far from over.
Gakpo should score
A ball somehow misses everyone and Gakpo is free at the back post, but shanks his effort wide. He should score there.
Soucek gets one back!
Liverpool make a mess of a cross into the box as Konate flicks it on. The ball eventually drops to Diouf and his cross to the back post is finished by the onrushing Soucek. A VAR check for offside on Bowen in the build up to the goal delays things, but the goal stands. Game on? Surely not...
Half time: Liverpool 3-0 West Ham
Arne Slot spoke ahead of this game how he wanted his side to score earlier in games. Well, they listened! Liverpool have been clinical, especially from set pieces, and even though they have handed a few chances to West Ham, they should take care of this game with minimum fuss.
Mac Allister volleys home from the corner!
A corner finds Ekitike at the back post and he tees up Mac Allister who volleys home. That is lovely technique from the Argentine midfielder. Liverpool 3-0 up and cruising but West Ham have had their chances.
What a block from Mavropanos!
Lovely play from Liverpool, particularly Szoboszlai, to set up Ekitike in the box and he cuts inside and looks certain to score, but Mavropanos slides in with a brilliant last-ditch tackle.
Gravenberch with a bad giveaway now, then Alisson makes a smart stop
It has all been a little sloppy from Liverpool in the last 10 minutes. West Ham are pressing well, but Liverpool are causing their own problems. Gravenberch gives it away on the edge of his own box but West Ham can’t quite make the most of it. After a good cross from Bowen, Alisson and Konate deny Soucek who is flying in at the near post.
Alisson with a huge mistake... but he gets away with it
Alisson plays the ball out from the back but he hits it straight at Bowen. But the West Ham star can’t control the ball as it was hit so close to him. Liverpool’s goalkeeper will be extremely relieved.
Van Dijk heads home
A corner is whipped in and Virgil van Dijk flicks the header home from close range. West Ham will be really disappointed with the two goals they’ve conceded. Liverpool cruising.
Hermansen denies Gravenberch
After West Ham responded well to going behind, Liverpool keep the ball well and Gravenberch has a pop from the edge of the box. The low curler is pushed away well by Hermansen.
Summerville launches a counter
That is what West Ham are all about. Summerville launches a counter and picks out Wan-Bissaka, but his cross is cleared. A promising situation for the Hammers and they will look to replicate that as much as possible.
Ekitike slots home
A corner was never properly cleared by West Ham and the ball is flicked on and Hugo Ekitike squeezes home a low finish. Perfect start for Liverpool.
Liverpool lineup
Alisson; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Ekitike
West Ham lineup
Hermansen; Wan-Bisaka, Disasi, Mavropanos, Diouf; Soucek, Magassa; Bowen, Fernandes, Summerville; Castellanos
Liverpool team news, focus
OUT: Wataru Endo (ankle), Conor Bradley (knee), Alexander Isak (broken leg - MORE), Giovanni Leoni (knee - MORE) | QUESTIONABLE; Jeremie Frimpong (thigh), Florian Wirtz (lower back - MORE).
West Ham team news, focus
OUT: Pablo Felipe (calf), Freddie Potts (suspension), Lukasz Fabianski (back)
Liverpool vs West Ham preview — By Nick Mendola
The Reds are coming off successive 1-0 away wins at Sunderland and Nottingham Forest that were anything but straight-forward, victories that followed a 2-1 loss to Man City at Anfield. They may well again be without Florian Wirtz and will have to find a key to unlock their formerly free-scoring ways.
The Irons have only lost once in their last half-dozen league outings and are coming off home draws with Manchester United and Bournemouth. They’re desperate for points wherever they can find them, and beating Liverpool at Anfield would really fuel their fire.
Liverpool vs West Ham prediction
West Ham’s finishing has left a lot to be desired and they have to hope that Liverpool continue to misfire in front of goal because chance-production should not be a huge problem for the hosts. That seems like a big ask even for an Irons side who are much, much improved under Nuno Espirito Santo. Liverpool 2-0 West Ham.
How to watch Liverpool vs West Ham live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 10am ET Saturday
Venue: Anfield — Liverpool
TV Channel: USA
Streaming: Watch on USA Network
