Three back to back wins for the Gunners put Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in a tricky situation ahead of their trip to London Stadium to encounter Slaven Bilic’s West Ham United. The Hammers boss holds a superior record over Jurgen Klopp and their last gameweek win against high-flying Tottenham Hotspur put them in an advantageous situation ahead of kick-off. Liverpool had no option but to win in order to secure a Champions League spot. And they did it in a spectacular way defying all odds and registered a monumental 4-0 win that now has made them favourites to secure a top four finish.
Below are the Reds players rated from the game.
Simon Mignolet: 7
The Belgian keeper has improved a lot in recent weeks and delivered another steady performance between the sticks. He made some routine stops, dealt well with crosses, impressed with his outing. Was lucky not to concede in closing minutes of first half when Andre Ayew struck twice in the woodwork from a West Ham corner.
Nathaniel Clyne: 6.5
Struggled against Aaron Cresswell initially , but settled in well with time and made some crucial forward runs down the right hand flank. Still needs improvement in his crossing skills.
Joel Matip: 7.5
Calm and composed once again. Came close to breaking the deadlock in the first half, however, his dropping header from a corner struck the crossbar. Did well to contain Manuel Lanzini and helped his side to constitute attacks from the back with his impressive passing skills.
Dejan Lovren: 7.5
The Croatian centre-back had a solid display with crucial clearances, tackles and defensive duels.
James Milner: 7
Shook off last week’s misfortune and impressed in his makeshift left-back role. Ran tireless down the left hand flank and whipped in a few crucial crosses and through balls. Should not have left Sam Byram unmarked in early minutes who failed to convert a golden opportunity for the Hammers.
Emre Can: 7
Worked hard in the middle of the park and left a mark in a box to box role. Screened his defence when required and allowed his teammates to run forward while constituting counter attacking threats.
Georginio Wijnaldum: 7
Had a quiet first half, however, he uplifted his performance in the second half and tested the Hammers custodian Adrian in early minutes. Was unlucky not to find his first away goal in Premier League football as his thunderous strike hit the woodwork but Philippe Coutinho did well to pick the ball out, dribbled past several players and finished it into the back of the net to double the lead.
Adam Lallana: 6.5
Like Wijnaldum, Lallana too uplifted his game in second half and impressed on top of the diamond in midfield. Ran tireless, tested Adrian and linked up well with fellow attackers before being taken off in closing minutes to be replaced by Marko Grujic.
Philippe Coutinho: 9.5
The Brazilian had a terrific outing as he spectacularly set up Daniel Sturridge’s first goal with a majestic pass through West Ham defence. He doubled the lead in the second half by dribbling past several Hammers players before putting it into the back of the net. Coutinho struck again four minutes later as he cut inside from a counter attack and showed tremendous skill to beat past Adrian. Was replaced by teenager Ben Woodburn in closing minutes.
Divock Origi: 6
Had a disappointing first half. Improved in the second half as he struck the crossbar and later found the net to score the fourth of the afternoon putting the ball into an empty net. Was a bit selfish in closing minutes as he took the shot himself without passing it to Daniel Sturridge (who had an open net) and struck it straight into the hands of Adrian.
Daniel Sturridge: 8
Fragile yet fabulous. Showed why he is labelled as one of the finest strikes in the world. Injury has slowed down his pace, but his off the ball movements and eyes for scoring is something that remain unmatched. Broke the deadlock after picking up a spectacular through ball from Coutinho and beat past Adrian one-on-one to slot it into the back of the net. Received applause from the travelling Reds while being replaced by Lucas Leiva in closing minutes.
Substitutes
Lucas Leiva: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
Ben Woodburn: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
Marko Grujic: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
