“It was not a 5-2 game!” – David Lynch reacts to Liverpool’s win over West Ham United | OneFootball

Liverpool 5-2 West Ham: Chaos, Control and the Race for the Top Four

Liverpool’s 5-2 victory over West Ham United at Anfield felt like a Rorschach test for supporters. Depending on your mood, it was either a ruthless attacking display or another reminder of a side struggling for control under pressure.

Credit must go to David Lynch, who spoke to Dave Davis for Anfield Index, for articulating what many inside the ground were thinking. His assessment cut through the noise of the scoreline and focused on the performance beneath it.

Five Goals, Lingering Questions

On paper, 5-2 suggests comfort. In reality, it was anything but. As Lynch put it: “It is so hard to analyse. I don’t want to come up off as too negative because I don’t like to do that and I’ll try and find positives in the negatives.”

That sentiment captures this Liverpool side perfectly. Arne Slot, who delivered the Premier League title in his debut campaign, now finds his team fifth in the table during a disappointing title defence. Yet context matters. The Reds sit just three points behind Manchester United and Aston Villa, with ten games remaining. Momentum can shift quickly.

Lynch’s wider reflection was even more telling: “But Liverpool are so weird this season and that game completely encapsulated it because it was not a 5-2 game!”

He is right. The flow of the match did not align with the scoreboard.

West Ham Threat and xG Reality

Hugo Ekitike opened the scoring before Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister extended Liverpool’s advantage to 3-0 by half time. It looked clinical, almost serene. Then came the reminders of fragility.

Tomas Soucek pulled one back early in the second half. Cody Gakpo ended his goal drought to restore the three goal cushion, only for Valentine Castellanos to head home from a West Ham corner five minutes later. Even at 4-2, anxiety lingered.

Lynch did not shy away from the uncomfortable truth: “West Ham had their chances and had moments of dominance in the game and looked threatening. Yet Liverpool were pretty much three goals ahead for most of the game.”

He went further: “I’ve got to be honest with what I’m seeing and I don’t think anyone can argue that West Ham were in the game. They actually created more xG than Liverpool in the game and yet they lose 5-2.”

Photo: IMAGO

Expected goals can be misleading, but they underline the wider issue. Liverpool took their chances. West Ham did not. The margins were clinical rather than controlling.

Slot’s Balancing Act in Top Four Push

“It was quite uncomfortable at times and it just sums up Liverpool’s season. It’s pretty much impossible to completely control a Premier League game these days, but they did take their moments.”

That final line is crucial. Slot’s side lack the suffocating grip that defined their title win. There are gaps, transitions conceded too easily, and spells where opponents grow in confidence. Yet there is also cutting edge.

Jeremie Frimpong’s return from injury added thrust, forcing Axel Disasi into an own goal to complete the 5-2 scoreline. The attacking options remain potent, and belief can be rebuilt.

With ten league fixtures to play and only three points separating Liverpool from the Champions League places, the narrative is still unwritten. If this season has taught us anything, it is that control may be elusive, but opportunity remains.

The challenge now for Slot is not perfection. It is consistency. Because in this campaign of contradictions, three points count the same whether serene or chaotic.