Liverpool scored all three points during their trip to the London stadium on Wednesday, where they faced West Ham in a rather exciting Premier League match. The hosts took the lead thanks to Lucas Paquete in the 12th minute, while Cody Gakpo equalized in the 18th. In the end, Joel Matip finished in 67th place.
A game
Both teams need as many points as they can get before the end of the season, but Liverpool’s need may be greater at the moment as they fight to at least qualify for the Europa League if they are to miss out on the top four.
It is quite expected that the Reds will take charge of what is happening and will take responsibility by finishing with the ball at the feet 72% of the time and landing a total of 11 shots, four on target, while West Ham took six on myself, two on target. Liverpool also blocked seven shots; West Ham is one. Liverpool made 872 passes, 87% of which hit the intended target, West Ham made 344 passes with 67% accuracy.
However, the Hammers were well organized defensively and very dangerous in transition, which Paqueta showed perfectly in the 11th minute when he blasted forward down the left flank, linking beautifully with Antonio twice before conceding one ball from 20 yards. . The shot caused a slight deflection off Virgil van Dijk and hit the net.
Having threatened in this way several times, the Hammers again scored the ball into the opponent’s goal. It was Jarrod Bowen, once Liverpool’s target in the transfer market, who broke the right flank and took advantage of Liverpool’s back line, believing he was offside, to enter the box, get the better of Van Dijk in a split second before finding the far bottom corner. But, unfortunately for the 26-year-old and his teammates, the Liverpool defenders were right in their calculations, and the VAR system did not count the goal due to offside.
Subsequently, Bowen threatened again in the same manner, but this time his punch was too weak to cause Alisson Becker any problems.
West Ham were no less dangerous on the other flank, where Said Benrahma often showed his skill with the ball and caused a lot of trouble for Alexander-Arnold, Matip and Henderson with his quick feet. In the 41st minute, Benrahma took advantage of Paqueta and Bowen’s excellent work to rush into the box and although he had Henderson and Matip in front, he made a low pass between them and Antonio hit the right post, but Van Dijk was there with his with the usual sublime composure to poke the attacker.
But it must be said that Liverpool looked more dangerous and created no less dangerous chances at the other end. Diogo Jota, who scored four goals in the last two games, missed two great opportunities. Salah, while not scoring, looked like he could do it at any moment and Gakpo showed real progress as the ‘false nine’, proving he was probably the right choice in the January transfer market as longtime successor Roberto Firmino .
The Dutch international would often drop deeper to retrieve the ball between the opponent’s lines and turn around before releasing a teammate with a smart pass from behind. Yet he took advantage of the moment when the West Ham defense expected him to do so to shoot from about 25 yards and it was a perfect rebound shot that ended with Lukasz Fabianski winning against West Ham on the 18th. minute.
Curtis Jones, who worked tirelessly in midfield from the first whistle until the 84th minute, when he made way for veteran James Milner, also had a couple of promising chances in the opposition box, but he lacked the determination to get his name on the scoresheet.
Overall, this performance by Liverpool was much closer to what their fans have been used to seeing over the past few years, compared to many previous ones this season. The Merseysiders had solid possession of the ball and although West Ham often had nine players behind the ball, they somehow managed to push through and create chances.
VAR
The VAR system was used three times in this game. First due to Bowen’s missed goal, then there was a moment when a potential penalty to Liverpool was considered as the ball seemed to have gone into Aaron Creswell’s hand.
But the only moment of real controversy came in the Liverpool box when substitute Thiago Alcantara put his hand on the ground to support his weight and it hit the ball exactly. In the end, nothing was given and Moyes got angry. The West Ham manager even approached referee Chris Kavanagh after the final whistle to demand an explanation.
However, it must be said that the rules are very clear on such situations, and that hitting the ball against the arm supporting the player’s weight on the ground is not considered handball, just as Cresswell’s moment at the other end was not a penalty because the left back West Ham couldn’t take their hand out of the way. We’ve seen a lot of messy refereeing decisions in the Premier League over the years and this season is no exception, but in this case all the important decisions were made right and a penalty in any of those situations would have been too harsh. .
West Ham quality
Moyes has certainly done a great job since taking over at West Ham. Their team is absolutely quality in every department; each position is covered with several excellent options.
Fabianski had Alphonse Areola push him to the spot between the uprights. Central defenders Kurt Zouma and Nayef Agerd are supported by Thilo Kehrer and Angelo Ogbonna. Behind Aaron Cresswell is Emerson Palmieri, and a young Ben Jonson is breathing down the back of Vladimir Kufal’s head in the hierarchy.
Captain Declan Rice is so good that interest from the biggest clubs in his services is a constant factor, and his midfield partner Tomas Soucek has proved his worth to the Hammers time and time again. On the other hand, central midfield is perhaps the only area where this formidable team needs more depth, and Flynn Downes, who came from Swansea last year, is the only option left. It is logical to expect the club to sign two or three players there if Rice ends up leaving; its price should easily cover these costs.
Attacking midfielders/wingers are something West Ham have in abundance. In this match, players such as Manuel Lanzini, Pablo Fornals and Maxwell Cornet remained on the bench, making way for Paqueta, Bowen and Benrahma. Up front, Antonio has former Liverpool player Danny Ings and Gianluca Scamacca as backups.
It is clear that Moyes, second only to interim Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson on the list of the oldest Premier League managers, has many tools at his disposal to run successful campaigns.
Ranking table
However, all this only reminds more of West Ham’s position at the table. After this match, they are in 13th place with 34 points, just five more than Leicester City in the relegation zone. The Hammers also have a game against the Foxes, and the fact that there are three teams between them doesn’t mean they’re in immediate danger of losing, but more was definitely expected from Moyes and his men. Such a good team should be at least in the top half of the table, fighting for a place in the top six.
On the other hand, the Hammers reached the semi-finals of the European Conference League and faced AZ Alkmaar there. They are considered by many to be the best team left in the competition as the other semi-final pairing consists of Fiorentina and Basel. Their path to play in Europe next season is clear.
Meanwhile, even with Liverpool’s three wins in a row, their chances of getting into the top four are not much better than they were – extremely slim to say the least. With 53 points, the Merseysiders overtook Tottenham Hotspur and are currently in sixth place. They are six points behind Manchester United in fourth place and Newcastle in third, with the former having two games in hand and the latter one.
Obviously everything depends on these two teams, as well as Aston Villa in fifth place and Brighton in eighth – the Seagulls are four points less, but two games in hand, but it is also extremely important that Jurgen Klopp’s men keep that momentum so that the opportunity doesn’t present itself. and they miss it.
For West Ham next will be Crystal Palace away followed by a couple of games against teams from Manchester, City away and United at home. For Liverpool, this is three home games in a row – Spurs, Brentford and Fulham.
Interestingly, since Klopp took over as their manager in October 2015, no team has yet won the league double in a season, but Brentford still have a chance this season.