West Ham United lost 5-2 to Liverpool at Anfield in a fashion that could undo all the hard work the Hammers have done to get themselves back in the fight to stay up. Missed chances throughout, and conceding from three set pieces, leave a lot to be worried about, despite some positive signs elsewhere.
Nuno Espirito Santo rightly named an unchanged line up for the game, after a 0-0 draw with AFC Bournemouth last time out. Unfortunately, West Ham would concede three goals in the first-half on Merseyside, and whilst that’s been common for the Hammers in their recent travels, the manner of the goals is a problem.
Hugo Ekitike, Alexis Mac Allister and Virgil van Dijk all netted goals from set piece situations, specifically corners. West Ham now rank joined highest (alongside Bournemouth) of goals conceded from corners in the Premier League, with 16.
Premier League Set Goals Conceded
| Team | Set Goals Conceded | Excluding Penalties |
| West Ham United | 21 | 16 |
| AFC Bournemouth | 20 | 16 |
| Liverpool | 18 | 15 |
| Nottingham Forest | 19 | 14 |
| Crystal Palace | 17 | 14 |
West Ham’s worrying trend
West Ham’s continuing trend of conceding from set pieces is something that is a worry to everyone at the club. The Hammers have improved significantly since the installation of Paco Jemez onto the coaching staff, but Nuno admitted how frustrated the goal’s made him and his staff:
“It’s frustrating as a coaching staff,” said the West Ham boss.
“It’s something that we’ve been really putting a lot of effort, time and trying to make it right. Recently, there was a lot of improvement. But today, the first three goals all came from corner situations. There’s no other way to look at it than admit that we made mistakes and try and improve for the next one.”
Under former manager Graham Potter, the Iron’s conceded seven goals from corners. Those goals came in defeats to Sunderland, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace.
This trend has continued since Nuno took charge. West Ham conceded a set piece in his first game in charge, in a 1-1 draw with Everton. More of the same has transpired, conceding similar goals in games with Leeds United, Liverpool, Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest.
West Ham can’t afford to lose progress
After a 5-1 loss to Chelsea earlier in the season, West Ham responded with a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest. Nuno’s side will need to do so again as they travel to face Fulham on Wednesday night.
Konstantinos Mavropanos, Axel Disasi and Mads Hermansen all started on Saturday and have been key cogs in the Hammers improvement. All three players joined in lengthy discussions on the pitch after the full-time whistle on Saturday.
Nuno and his team will have to prove this was just a bump in the road, if they truly want to achieve Premier League safety this season.
