Liverpool faced off against West Ham United at Anfield earlier tonight hoping to pick up maximum points in front of their home supporters. The Reds made a dominant start to the game and took the lead in the 9th minute via Georginio Wijnaldum’s header from close range. However, Issa Diop equalised for the Hammers just three minutes later when he scored with a well-directed header. Both teams went into the half-time break with nothing to split them.
The Merseyside club made a sloppy start after the interval and conceded another goal in the 54th minute when Pablo Fornals scored with a tidy strike. However, the Anfield factor came into effect soon after West Ham scored as the Kop drove Jurgen Klopp’s men forward in search of a leveller. Mohamed Salah got fortunate with his strike as Łukasz Fabiański made a horrendous mistake in the 68th minute which made the scoreline level on the night.
Sadio Mane completed the turnaround just 13 minutes later via his tap-in from point-blank range. The match ended with the European champions making another dramatic comeback to seal a 3-1 victory in the end.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player fared during the match against the Hammers.
GK: Alisson Becker – 7/10
The Brazilian goalie could have done better with his positioning in the lead-up to Diop’s goal in the first half. However, he made a couple of world-class saves in the second 45 to help his team get over the line.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 8.5/10
The English full-back was Liverpool’s primary source of creativity as he whipped in some dangerous crosses from the wide areas. He was mostly excellent with his ball-distribution and had two assists to show for his efforts.
CB: Joe Gomez – 6/10
The Liverpool centre-back was at fault for not tracking Fornals’ movement in the lead-up to West Ham’s second goal tonight. Gomez also looked a bit nervy when in possession of the ball which comes as a shock considering the impressive form he has shown of late.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk – 6/10
The Dutch centre-back was far from his dominant self in the first 45 but recovered well to put in an improved display after the half-time break. He also went close to scoring with his header but ended up hitting the crossbar from close range.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 8/10
The Scottish full-back put another energetic display down the left flank. He linked up play well with Mane and Wijnaldum throughout the 90 minutes and was also responsible for setting up Salah’s goal in the 68th minute.
CM: Naby Keita – 6/10
The Guinean midfield ace made some clever runs with the ball but struggled to carve open the Hammers defence. He ran out of gas and was substituted in the second half.
CM: Fabinho – 5/10
The Brazilian talent was often second-best when attempting to win back possession for his side. He was mostly a frustrated figure in midfield and didn’t provide adequate protection to the Liverpool backline.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 8/10
The Dutch international opened the goal-scoring with a well-placed header in the 9th minute and put in another tireless performance during the game. He was by far the best midfielder on the field tonight which will please Klopp.
RW: Mohamed Salah – 6/10
The Egyptian winger struggled to make things happen in the final third. He was fortunate to score the equaliser. However, to his credit, Salah inspired his teammates to pull off another memorable comeback at Anfield.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 5/10
The Brazilian forward tried to do too many things and struggled to breakdown the opposition defence. He also got some clear-cut opportunities to score but failed to take any of them.
LW: Sadio Mane – 7/10
The Senegalese speedster was a constant menace for the Hammers as his powerful runs and intelligent link-up play with Robertson caused the opposition a lot of headaches inside their own half.
Substitutes:
CM: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 7/10
The ex-Arsenal playmaker was always trying to get on the ball and make driving runs towards the heart of the West Ham backline. He was also a goal-threat from long range.
CB: Joel Matip – N/A
He did not have enough time to make an impact.
