Tomas Soucek missed a late chance for West Ham
(Picture: Getty Images)You have to play everyone twice, the old truth goes, but how West Ham must wish this Anfield assignment had arrived a week or two earlier.
Until putting seven past Rangers last Wednesday, Liverpool were in a state of near-crisis, winless in the Premier League since the end of August, out of the title race and reeling.
They will need snookers to get back into it, but after a 1-0 victory here made it three wins in eight days, suddenly Jurgen Klopp’s side find themselves within shouting distance of the top four and, just as importantly, with some of their mojo restored.
West Ham, who like the Reds rather missed the break at the start of the campaign and have been playing catch-up ever since, had been resurgent themselves, only denied a fifth win on the bounce by some wasteful finishing and touch-tight refereeing at Southampton on Sunday.
Even before Liverpool’s mood-shifting victory over Manchester City on Sunday, though, this looked likely to be the sternest test yet of their post-international break upturn. Had Jarrod Bowen not seen his penalty late in the first-half saved by Alisson then they may well have come through it with a pass.
Instead, Darwin Nunez’s first-half header proved decisive, despite a late West Ham salvo that saw first Said Benrahma and then Tomas Soucek waste glorious chances to equalise.
With Lucas Paqueta out injured but Kurt Zouma back from illness, David Moyes plumped for the lesser-spotted 4-4- and handed Flynn Downes a first Premier League start in an unfamiliar role on the right of midfield.
The idea was clear - be compact and counter - but the Hammers’ passivity allowed Thiago Alcantara the run of the game in midfield and his chipped ball from deep under no sort of pressure saw Lukas Fabianski forced to tip Nunez’s dipping strike over the bar.
The goal came soon after, on 22 minutes, Ben Johnson guilty of sitting too far off Kostas Tsimikas, who delivered brilliantly for his top-knotted kin, Nunez guiding a fine header down and into the far corner.
It was the Uruguayan’s first goal at Anfield but already he feels like a favourite and with Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota sidelined until the other side of the World Cup, Liverpool need regular output from their marquee summer signing.
There were times in the period between Nunez’s goal and the half-time whistle when West Ham simply could not get near Liverpool. The sight of Jordan Henderson back-heeling on the edge of the Hammers box, and of the sprightly Fabio Carvalho unveiling a whirr of reverse-stepovers in the tightest of corners visible indicators of the way confidence is slowly seeping back into Klopp’s side.
It might just as easily have been drained, however, had they been pegged back before the break, which made Bowen’s miss all the more frustrating. The England winger won the spot-kick, given after VAR asked Stuart Atwell to review Joe Gomez’s clumsy challenge, then had to wait an age to take it while Virgil van Dijk scuffed the penalty spot, Henderson and Thiago strolled casually across the D and took it turns to ask the referee to double-, then triple-check the ball had been spotted correctly.
Bowen had scored two out of two from twelve yards so far this season, but not here, his effort low to Alisson’s right a touch telegraphed and palmed away by the Brazilian. The noise trumped that for Nunez’s opener, Anfield alive.
The second half offered a reminder, though, that despite events of the past week, this is still not the Liverpool of recent years.
There was no killer blow, though Roberto Firmino went close, no foot-on-throat stranglehold, particularly after Thiago’s departure ceded some midfield control, and each West Ham attack offered a reminder of the home side’s recent fragility as Anfield grew nervy.
Gomez, reportedly back on Gareth Southgate’s England radar ahead of the World Cup, stood and watched as Declan Rice’s high cross re-entered orbit and headed for the boot of Benrahma but the Algerian did not go at it with any conviction, volleying tamely at Alisson. Soucek lunged and poked goal wards in a scramble, but some combination of the ‘keeper and James Milner kept him at bay.
