West Ham United were left to rue missed chances as they lost to a clinical Liverpool, 5-2 at Anfield.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side found themselves 3-0 down at half-time, despite creating some decent opportunities. Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister all found the net from set-pieces as West Ham struggled to handle the Reds attack.
The Hammers pulled one back straight after the break through Tomas Soucek. West Ham looked the better team, but Cody Gakpo would restore the host’s two goal lead on the 70th minute.
Nuno’s team hit back once again through Valentin Castellanos, but an Axel Disasi own-goal would seal the victory for Liverpool.
West Ham remained unchanged going into this game, with Soungoutou Magassa keeping his place in midfield.
First-half
It took Liverpool just five minutes to find the back of the net. Ryan Gravenberch tee’d up Ekitike, who slotted the ball past Mads Hermansen to give the home side an early lead.
West Ham would push for their equaliser, but it was the Reds who found the net again, against the run of play. Liverpool captain van Dijk headed in Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner.
The visitors kept making chances, but failing to take them. Konstantinos Mavropanos, Jarrod Bowen and Soucek all failing to turn opportunities home.
Mac Allister made it three on the stroke of half-time. A superb volley from the Argentinian took a deflection, finding the net, after the Hammers failed to clear their lines for the third time in the game.
Second-half
Liverpool began the second-half as much of the better team. Arne Slot’s side should have put the game to bed, with Gakpo missing a chance at the back post that looked easier to score than miss.
With the Red’s struggling to kill of the game, West Ham continued to push for their chance to get back in the game. Soucek was the one to get the Hammer’s first, getting on the end of a El Hadji Malick Diouf cross.
Gakpo would then make up for missing his sitter, restoring the host’s three goal lead with a deflected effort that made he back of the net.
Castellanos would bring some nerves back to Anfield as the Argentinian scored minutes later. The forward scored after connecting with Bowens’ cross at the back post, igniting some hope back into West Ham.
Unfortunately for Nuno’s team, they could not make that hope count. Jeremie Frimpong made a quick one down the right, before cutting in and shooting, only for his effort to take a huge deflection off Disasi and beat Hermansen.
Last week, West Ham couldn’t score from 20 total shots against AFC Bournemouth and it was much of the same today, with the Hammers beating Liverpool on xG and having 11 shots.
Luckily for West Ham, other Premier League result’s went their way, other wise Liverpool’s clinical attack could have been far more damaging to the Iron’s survival fight.
Teams
Liverpool: Alisson, Gomez (Frimpong 76), van Dijk, Konaté, Kerkez, Gravenberch (Nyoni 86), Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Salah, Gakpo, Ekitiké (Ngumoha 76)
Subs not used: Mamardashvili (GK), Woodman (GK), Robertson, Jones, Chiesa, Ramsay
Goals: Ekitiké 6, van Dijk 24, Mac Allister 43, Gakpo 70, Disasi 83 (og)
Booked: Gakpo, Szoboszlai
West Ham United: Hermansen, Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Disasi, Diouf (Mayers 90), Magassa (Adama 76), Fernandes, Souček (Kanté 90), Bowen, Summerville, Castellanos
Subs not used: Areola (GK), Walker-Peters, Scarles, Todibo, Kilman, Wilson
Goals: Souček 49, Taty 75
Booked: Magassa, Summerville
Referee: Tim Robinson
