“Massively brave” – Liverpool Fans react as Slot drops Salah and Liverpool win | OneFootball

Liverpool Find Some Rhythm, West Ham Falter, and Slot Gets a Lifeline

A solid win, a clean sheet, and a rare feel good night

Liverpool finally found a bit of calm in a chaotic Premier League season and did it in a way that surprised even the people covering it. On the latest episode of The Gags Tandon Show from Anfield Index, both Gags Tandon and Andy Wales sounded stunned as they tried to process a routine 2-0 win at West Ham. Gags opened with, “Liverpool have actually won”, while Andy admitted he felt “almost shocked, in all honesty”. That set the tone.

The podcast made it clear that this match was less about swagger and more about structure. After a messy few weeks in the Premier League and Europe, Liverpool finally delivered what Andy called “the whole professional two nil win”, something that had become a hallmark under Slot last season but had completely deserted them in the autumn.

Below is a breakdown of the key talking points from the show and why this win matters more than the scoreline suggests.

Defensive solidity returns and West Ham offered little

The clean sheet was the headline. It was also the shock. Liverpool had been poor away from home for months, and as Gags pointed out, “that’s the first away win for a long time for us”. The statistical summary hammered home how controlled it was. Gags said West Ham finished with “point three two” expected goals. For a side that has bullied Liverpool aerially in the recent past, this was a flat performance from them.

The change that made the biggest difference was the introduction of Joe Gomez. Both podcasters praised him heavily. Andy said, “we needed Joe Gomez in at right back, a solid actual defender”, then added that Gomez gave the back line the sort of security they have missed all season. Gags praised him too, saying he “got in behind a few times” and that Dominik Szoboszlai covered him intelligently.

West Ham never really imposed themselves physically. Andy summed it up clearly: “I don’t feel it so much that they just didn’t do anything as to we were quite effective”.

Photo: IMAGO

Wirtz shines, Salah dropped and a big call from Slot

The major pre-game shock was the absence of Mohamed Salah. Slot left him out and the reaction on the podcast reflected just how bold that call was. Gags called it “massively brave” and even joked about Simon Brundish’s reaction, saying, “Simon was like I’m out now because you’ve dropped Mo”.

What made the gamble work was Florian Wirtz. He started despite training only one day and delivered what many listeners felt was his best game for Liverpool. Andy said, “he bought something going forward”, praising his movement and intelligence. Gags went further, calling Wirtz’s display “sublime”, adding, “literally every touch was immaculate”.

His contribution to the opening goal was a reminder of what Liverpool have lacked. He played the pass that led to Cody Gakpo’s assist, and the awareness in tight spaces made a tired Liverpool attack look sharper.

The bigger question now is how Slot fits Salah and Wirtz into the same side. Andy asked openly, “can you have Wirtz and Salah in the same team at the same time?” That debate will continue.

Photo: IMAGO

Isak breakthrough and the Gakpo contradiction

The decisive moment came from Alexander Isak. Andy loved the finish and said, “that’s why we paid a £125 million for him”. Gags agreed and noted the quality of his movement and composure. It was the moment Liverpool needed, because it showed Isak can change a tight Premier League match with one clean strike.

Gakpo produced a strange night, typical of his Liverpool career. Gags captured the contradiction perfectly. He said, “his production today was good because he got a goal and an assist”, but in the same breath added, “Gakpo was slowing everything down up top”. That split in his game is exactly why he divides opinion every week.

Andy was blunt about him too, calling him “incredibly frustrating” despite the numbers.

Midfield battle, slow tempo and building blocks

The tone of the pod was grounded. Nobody claimed Liverpool were back. Andy summed it up better than anyone when he said the first half was exactly what Liverpool needed, “we were just solid, we did our job, we did the basics”.

The midfield was functional rather than dominant. Gravenberch passed forward more often. Szoboszlai worked hard, tracking runners and setting the tempo late on. Gags noted that Liverpool played the game almost deliberately slow at times, saying it “didn’t feel like a Premier League game” for long stretches. Right now, slow might be exactly what this team needs.

And when Gags said, “brick by brick, you’ve got to build”, it summed up the mood of the entire conversation.

Photo: IMAGO

Slot stays on the brink, but buys himself time

Nobody is  pretending that one win solves anything. Andy said plainly, “for me, it’s nothing there that we can get carried away with”. Gags reminded viewers that “we’re the utter sh*t at the moment” and that this only works if Liverpool back it up with a run.

But they also made one thing clear. Slot needed this more than anyone. Andy said the win “gives him a chance to keep his foot in the door”. After the Forest and PSV collapses, he had been hanging on. Now he breathes again.

Liverpool move up to eighth. Gags joked, “keep jumping Reds”. The Premier League table is tight, and confidence is fragile, but this felt like a turning point. Not a dramatic one, but a necessary one.

Liverpool needed something to cling to. They got it.