The mark of any great team is to create opportunity in the face of adversity and without a shadow of a doubt, Liverpool is as great a team as they come!
It was almost a fortnight ago that the controversial VAR decision had more than adversely affected the Reds in the Merseyside derby – a game which Liverpool should have won.
With that result – a 2-2 draw – it could have been very easy for Jurgen Klopp and his men to extend their disappointment in the games to come, as one would certainly agree that disappointment is infectious and spreads like a virus, maybe as lethal as COVID-19.
Having said this, the Reds are not the ones to cry over spilt milk! After the disappointment at Goodison Park, they did make a comeback to win four games in a row in all competitions.
Ajax in the Champions League, conquered. Sheffield United in the Premier League, conquered. Midtjylland again in the Champions League, conquered. And now, West Ham United in the Premier League last evening, conquered.
But make no mistake, Liverpool didn’t have it all rosy against the Hammers on Saturday!
West Ham have been playing a decisive brand of football in their last few outings, having beaten Wolves 4 -0, conquered Leicester City 3-0, came back from three goals down to draw 3-3 with Tottenham, and also shared the spoils with Manchester City after a 1-1 stalemate.
It speaks volumes for their magnanimous effort under David Moyes. On that note, let’s dissect how Liverpool’s 2-1 win over West Ham at Anfield panned out.
#3 West Ham United made an encouraging start
The Hammers started the game well, creating chances and broke the deadlock in the 10th minute when Pablo Fornals put the East London club in front. The Spaniard hit the ball past a diving Alison after Liverpool defender Joe Gomez presented the ball to Fornals, albeit off a deflection.
For the second time in a row, the Merseyside club chased the game on their home turf!
Liverpool started to attack and skipper Jordan Henderson hit a shot just wide after the famed trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino were denied by West Ham United’s defence.
Truth be told, The Hammers were surely defending with much strength and skill in the first half after going one up and Liverpool really needed to up their game.
#2 Salah once again showed why he’s indispensable for Liverpool
Three minutes before the half-time break, Mohamed Salah yet again showed why he is a master at earning spot-kicks when he was fouled by West Ham defender Arthur Masuaku.
As we have often seen, when the Egyptian takes a penalty, the ball invariably goes into the back of the net and so it did yet again. With the West Ham goalkeeper diving to the wrong side, the ball went through the centre.
As the players walked back into the tunnel, the scoreline read 1-1.
#1 Jota continued his brilliant start to life at Liverpool
When striking options are aplenty for a team, goalscoring becomes a boon!
The Reds have been blessed to have Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah and now, with the addition of Diogo Jota, they are more lethal in front of goal.
Shortly after having a goal overturned again by the infamous VAR in the 77th minute, the Portuguese wasn’t going to take the decision lying down as he collected a brilliant pass from Xherdan Shaqiri and slotted it home past Łukasz Fabiański to put the Reds 2-1 up.
Shaqiri and Jota yet again partnered brilliantly in producing a goal as they did in the Champions League game against Danish side Midtjylland. What’s more, the Portuguese forward is slowly creating an image of being the finisher for Jurgen Klopp’s side, having now scored in three successive games in all competitions.
With the 2-1 win over West Ham, Liverpool sit atop the Premier League table with 16 points, three ahead of Merseyside rivals Everton, who have a game in hand.
Liverpool will next play Atalanta in the Champions League in midweek before locking horns with Manchester City in a Premier League fixture next weekend, and despite the Reds not being at their best, winning both matches is not a distant dream.
Also, with millions of Kopites chanting ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, defeat would also want to shy away!
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