David Moyes admits he was convinced Jarrod Bowen would score his missed penalty as his West Ham United side tumbled to another Anfield defeat.
Darwin Nunez’s 22nd-minute header proved the difference as Liverpool secured a third successive victory with a 1-0 Premier League triumph.
The Hammers were given a glorious chance to level at the end of the first half when Joe Gomez was adjudged to have fouled Bowen inside the area after a VAR check but the forward saw his effort denied by a brilliant save by Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
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And Moyes said: “I felt he (Bowen) would score tonight when he stepped up but we all know Alisson is a really good goalkeeper and he made a fine save.”
The defeat was West Ham’s sixth successive loss at Anfield, the last four of which have been by a single goal, with Moyes still seeking his first win as a manager at the stadium after 19 attempts.
“I’m disappointed in the end when we didn’t come out with something when we had a big opportunity to do so,” he said. “We have been here a few times and it’s the same story. I hoped I’d be able to change it but weren’t quite able to get over the line.
“We didn’t play particularly well first half and didn’t set up quite right at the start. We got much better second half. Even when we didn’t do well first half, we were a threat and we got past them a few times.
“We kept at it, were resilient and carried a little bit of luck when we needed it and clawed our way back into the game. In the last 10-15 minutes of the first half we did quite well and did well second half. But I’m disappointed we didn’t take our chances.”
Moyes added: “We’re talking about a Liverpool team that reaches European finals, cup finals and gets 96 and 98 points in a season, but we are beginning to get closer to them.
“We have given a lot of the top teams a run for their money. Maybe we are not quite that good yet, but for long periods tonight we gave it a go.”
Moyes was particularly impressed with the performance of Hammers skipper Declan Rice, who became a more prominent figure in midfield during the second half.
“Declan was the best player on the pitch by a mile,” said the West Ham boss. “He could play for any club. The way he got past people and drove with the ball, it’s him getting back to his levels. Last season he played like that almost every game. As the game went on he was the standout player.”
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