LIVERPOOL 5 VS 2 WEST HAM

Liverpool – Ekitike 5’, van Dijk 24’, Mac Allister 42’, Gakpo 70’, Disasi 82’ (og)
West Ham – Soucek 49’, Castellanos 75’

Pre-Match

Liverpool can leapfrog Chelsea, and potentially even Manchester United, with a win against West Ham today at Anfield. Liverpool are in a good moment, winning their last three with clean sheets. Joe Gomez and Milos Kerkez in the back line today, with Jeremie Frimpong on the bench.

First Half

One of my favorite niche football things is a weird sun pattern only hitting part of the pitch. It happens less often than you’d think, watching game after game in gloomy England. But today it’s Alisson Becker who is stuck playing in the sun, while the Kop is shrouded in shadow. So a good start for me personally.

But anyway. Football. Liverpool start the game off well. So well, in fact, that Hugo Ekitike sinks it into the back of the net after only five minutes. It comes from an early corner. The initial delivery gets cleared straight to Ryan Gravenberch, who passes it into Ekitike in the box. The striker does his job and gets it into the back of the net.

West Ham are quick on the break, clearly intending to use their speed to create chances for themselves. It nearly works after they clear a Liverpool corner, but luckily the danger is cut out in the final third.

Gravenberch shoots, but he’s denied with a strong save by the West Ham goalkeeper.

It looks like Liverpool are going to have lots of joy from set pieces today. Another corner, and another goal for the Reds, this time from van Dijk’s head. The captain soars into the air smashes it home, putting the home team up 2-0 inside of 25 minutes.

The second goal seems to have woken up the Hammers, who push for a goal of their own in the latter part of the first half. Alisson nearly hands it to them when he sends a pass straight to an appreciative Jarrod Bowen. Thankfully, the goalkeeper then made up for his mistake by diving to his near post and saving the resulting shot. But yikes on bikes, that was close.

Another Liverpool error — this time it’s Gravenberch who gives it away in his own half — leads to another chance for the visitors. A shot is blocked, but the Hammers try again through Bowen. He crosses it to Soucek, but the resulting shot is saved by Alisson.

Kerkez goes down after a collision with another player. He’s looked at by the physios, and while Robertson warms up, Kerkez is deemed ok to continue.

Ekitike misses a good chance, but the resulting corner allows Mac Allister to smash in Liverpool’s third. The delivery is headed away, and Mac Allister hits it on the volley to send it straight into the back of the net.

Liverpool head into halftime ahead 3-0.

Second Half

The second half barely even gets started when West Ham finds a way to get one back. Diouf sends in a great crosses that finds Soucek, who fires past Alisson. The Hammers are looking to shift momentum in the second half. Liverpool need to keep up their intensity and maybe sink another goal or two.

Gakpo should have had his own goal. Gomez sends in a long throw that lands by him, but his volley is sent wide.

We don’t love how nervy things have gotten in the second half. Liverpool look like they are on the back foot, and finding it much harder to stay in control. They need another corner to get their control back.

Ok, I absolutely called that. Almost as soon as I wrote the above sentence, Liverpool do, indeed, pick up a corner. And while the initial attack is thwarted, Liverpool keep possession and try again. Ekitike sends it over to Gakpo on the wing. He cuts in and tucks in a low shot at the far post.

Good luck that, because moments later, West Ham get their own corner and their own goal off of it. Castellanos heads in a cross from Bowen, once again slashing Liverpool’s lead to two.

Ekitike and Gomez come off for Frimpong and Rio Ngumoha.

End to end stuff in the last 10 minutes, with both teams pushing for another goal in this already high scoring match.

Frimpong welcomes himself to the game by being the one to score Liverpool’s fifth goal. He intercepts a ball from a West Ham defender and crosses it in. Axel Disasi attempts to clear the danger, but ends up diverting into his own net.

Gravenberch goes off and Trey Nyoni comes on to finish off this game.

Final Thoughts

Another win on the bounce, putting Liverpool up to fifth place, only out of the top four spots by goal difference — at least until Chelsea and Manchester United play tomorrow.