Liverpool 2-1 West Ham: Match Report & Player Ratings | OneFootball

By Sam Coles

Match Report & Player Ratings

Before the game, a minute’s silence was held for the 97 who lost their lives in the Hillsborough accident; it will be 36 years on Tuesday since the tragic day that shook Merseyside.

Liverpool went into the game against West Ham with an air of confidence and excitement after the news of Mo Salah’s contract extension was announced earlier this week. On top of that, the return of Alisson and Conor Bradley to the starting XI brought back a familiarity and solidity at the back for the Reds. Luis Diaz replaced Cody Gakpo after the Dutchman’s underwhelming display at Craven Cottage last time out and the same is said for Andy Robertson who was replaced by Kostas Tsimikas.

Salah showed Liverpool what he was worth, starting the game with confidence and assertion and looking a lot more like the Mohamed Salah that we know and love. It didn’t take long for the Egyptian King to make his mark on the match with a sublime outside-of-the-foot pass to Luis Diaz who poked in Liverpool’s first.

Alisson too demonstrated his importance in the Liverpool side just a few minutes later when he was forced into action, smothering a Carlos Soler chance and then clawing the Mohammed Kudus rebound onto the bar.

West Ham grew into the game as the first half went on and came close to equalising as James Ward-Prowse’s corner found the head of Konstantinos Mavropanos but was fired just over the bar. After half-time, the Reds came out with all guns blazing, winning a free kick just outside the West Ham box after Kostas Tsimikas was fouled. Alexis Mac Allister stepped up to take it and was unlucky to see his attempt crash off the woodwork.

Liverpool’s Brazilian goalkeeper was called into action once again after his compatriot, Lucas Paqueta, broke the Liverpool back line with a beautiful pass to Jarrod Bowen who found the ever-reliable Alisson bearing down on him and smothering his effort. Just a few minutes later, around the 70th minute mark Alisson once again kept Liverpool ahead, getting a slight touch on a Mohammed Kudus effort to push it wide.

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West Ham finally got their goal in the 86th minute after a mix-up at the back of the Liverpool defence. Both Andy Robertson and Virgil Van Dijk attempted to clear Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s cross with the Red’s captain playing the ball against the Scotland captain only for the ball to ricochet past Alisson.

Liverpool turned up the heat in a last-gasp attempt to leave Anfield with all three points; the ball was shuffled to Luis Diaz who saw his attempt deflect onto the bar after Wan-Bissaka’s intervention. Liverpool fans were forced to wait until the 89th minute to see the script come to fruition when the captain, the big Dutchman, Virgil Van Dijk won the game for the Reds just days after hinting at a potential contract extension. The Hammers came close to equalising as a Niclas Fullkrug header hit the bar, but Liverpool held on for all three points.

The win meant Liverpool could secure the league title at Leicester next week should Arsenal lose to Ipswich and the Reds take all 3 points. If this is not the case, 2 more wins would crown Liverpool champions if Arsenal don’t drop any points.

After the game, the Liverpool captain was asked about his contract extension and when fans can expect the news. Van Dijk replied ‘I don’t know’ but shared a cheeky smile suggesting that there may be an announcement very soon.

And with that Reds, your player ratings…

Alisson – 8.5 The Brazilian shot-stopper showed how important he is for Liverpool in an emphatic performance, keeping West Ham at bay until the Robertson-Van Dijk mishap. Alisson provided the platform for Liverpool to go on and win the game and it could be argued that the result would have been different should Kelleher have started again.

Conor Bradley – 7 Upon his return to the starting XI, Bradley reminded Liverpool once again that he’s ready to be the successor to Trent Alexander-Arnold should the scouser leave for Madrid. It was a solid return to the side from the Northern Ireland international.

Ibrahima Konate – 7 The Frenchman impressed with a much better performance than that of Craven Cottage and demonstrated his ability to distribute the ball with confidence and accuracy. He repeatedly found Mohamed Salah on the right wing and played the initial ball to Salah before the Egyptian set up Luis Diaz.

Virgil Van Dijk – 7.5 Aside from the mix-up with Andy Robertson, Van Dijk had a decent performance and won the game for Liverpool in the closing stages. Not the domineering display that we’ve become used to from the Dutchman but a solid performance, nonetheless.

Kostas Tsimikas – 7 A solid performance from the Greek amidst speculation that this could be his last season at Liverpool. Replaced by Andy Robertson in the 60th minute but impressed for the first two-thirds of the game.

Ryan Gravenberch – 7 A good performance from Gravenberch, his improvement this season has made him one of the first names on the team sheet for Arne Slot and he showed again how his creativity and ability to manipulate the ball can influence a game.

Curtis Jones – 5.5 More would have been expected of the scouser with him returning to the midfield from his right-back duties, but he had a quiet performance and lacked any real influence on the game.

Alexis Mac Allister – 8 The Argentine seemed to be everywhere against West Ham and provided a real attacking threat for the Reds, hitting the bar from a free kick and coming close to scoring on several other occasions. It was Macca’s corner that saw Van Dijk’s late winner to cap off an impressive performance.

Mohamed Salah – 8 Salah looked back to his best after signing his contract extension and showed what he was worth with a sublime assist for Luis Diaz. The Egyptian was awarded Man of the Match and was a continuous threat on the right flank.

Diogo Jota – 6 The Portuguese forward was subbed off after 60 minutes with little to contribute to the game. We’re still waiting to see Jota return to his best.

Luis Diaz – 7.5 The Colombian replaced Cody Gakpo after injecting pace and energy into the game against Fulham and rewarded Arne Slot by scoring early on. He looked sharp and dangerous every time he received the ball.

Subs Cody Gakpo – 6 Andy Robertson – 6 Jarell Quansah – 6 Dominik Szoboszlai – 6 Wataru Endo – N/A

A tough game for the Reds but a step closer to winning the league title.