Liverpool faced off against West Ham United at the London Stadium earlier tonight hoping to pick up maximum points on the road. The Reds began the contest on the front foot and took the lead in the 35th minute via Mohamed Salah’s penalty.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain doubled the away side’s advantage just seven minutes into the second half when he scored a breakaway goal after being played through by Mohamed Salah. The Hammers couldn’t come up with a response after they went two goals behind. The Merseyside outfit kept the ball moving and ran away with a 2-0 win from the London Stadium.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player fared during the match against the Hammers.
GK: Alisson Becker – 8.5/10
The Brazilian goalie made a couple of world-class stops to restrict the Hammers from scoring. It was another memorable display from him in the Liverpool goal tonight.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7/10
The English defender passed the ball accurately and found Salah with some inviting balls in the opposition half. However, he was a bit exposed defensively while up against the tricky Arthur Masuaku out on the wide areas. He had a nervy moment in the second half when he rattled the post while attempting to clear his line but overall, he had a strong game at right-back.
CB: Joe Gomez – 8/10
The English centre-back kept a high line and read the danger well throughout the 90 minutes. He has a comfortable clean sheet to show for his efforts.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk – 8/10
The Dutch colossus didn’t give the Hammers attacker an inch without putting up some sturdy resistance. He kept Sebastien Haller in his back pocket throughout the game on his way to securing another shutout at the back.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 7/10
The Scottish full-back put in another tireless shift down the left flank. He worked his socks off to provide enough support for Divock Origi in the final third. He was responsible for whipping in some dangerous crosses into the West Ham penalty box and was relentless with his pressing.
CM: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 8/10
The English midfield ace’s goal in the second half was phenomenal to watch as he glided past the opposition defenders to slot home the decisive second goal. A welcome return to the first-team for the ex-Arsenal talent.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 7.5/10
The Liverpool captain dropped deep and distributed the ball accurately going forward. He kept things ticking in midfield and helped maintain Liverpool’s dominance in the second 45 minutes.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 7.5/10
The Dutch international worked his socks off in midfield and battled for every loose possession of the ball. His work-rate was exemplary both on and off the ball.
RM: Mohamed Salah – 8.5/10
The Egyptian winger kept his calm from the penalty spot to give his team the lead in the first half. He was also tidy with his final delivery and did well to set-up Oxlade-Chamberlain in the opposition half.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 7/10
The Brazilian forward dropped deep and did well to interchange passes with the Liverpool midfielders. He was always looking to be inventive with his passes and put in a classy performance in the West Ham half.
LM: Divock Origi – 7/10
The Belgian speedster worked hard down the left flank and made some penetrative runs with the ball. He showed good technique to earn the penalty in the 35th minute as well.
Substitutes:
CM: Fabinho – 6/10
The Brazilian midfield ace gave away the ball quite a few times but battled hard and got stuck in with a few challenges as well.
CM: Naby Keita – 6.5/10
The Guinean played retained possession well in midfield and did enough to see out the victory.
LM: Curtis Jones – 6/10
He had some bright moments while linking up with Firmino, Robertson and Oxlade-Chamberlain in the opposition half.
