Liverpool continued their push for Champions League qualification with an unflattering 5–2 victory over West Ham United.
Set-piece goals from Hugo Ekitiké, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister offered what proved to be an insurmountable lead in the first half, before a nervy second 45 had Liverpool hanging on at times. Cody Gakpo’s effort came either side of deserved goals from Tomáš Souček and Taty Castellanos, before Axel Disasi’s harsh own goal killed the game off.
Arne Slot’s side now sit just three points behind Aston Villa in third and will be watching both Manchester United and Chelsea in action on Sunday, hoping for another boost to their European aspirations.
One Thing We Can’t Ignore
The comprehensive scoreline makes it easy to think this was a dominant performance from Liverpool. In reality, it does not tell the full story.
Liverpool were, once again, shaky at the back and disjointed in attack, particularly struggling on the wings, where Cody Gakpo was quiet either side of his goal and Mohamed Salah was often a spectator Chance creation was at a premium and Liverpool had to settle largely for set-piece goals instead.
Their start to the second half will be of particular concern. Once again, Liverpool started slow and were immediately burned by West Ham, who spent a significant period on top of this game after the restart but simply didn’t have the quality to make it count.
Was this a bad performance? Absolutely not. Liverpool deserved the victory, no doubt, but they were boosted by an out-of-sorts West Ham unit that could have easily had more from this game with a touch more composure.
Liverpool Player Ratings vs. West Ham (4-2-3-1)
GK: Alisson—6.9: Got away with a sloppy pass midway through the first half that nearly invited West Ham back into the game. A great save to stop Crysencio Summerville late on.
RB: Joe Gomez—6.3: Uncomfortable at the back as he struggled to deal with the lively Summerville. Saw an uncomposed strike deflected wide shortly before the break, clearly not used to being in such advanced positions.
CB: Ibrahima Konaté—7.0: A dominant first-half performance was ruined almost immediately after the break with a poor header which was punished by Tomáš Souček’s strike. Managed to settle himself down.
CB: Virgil van Dijk—7.9: Calm enough at the back and rose highest to head home Liverpool’s second from a simple corner.
LB: Milos Kerkez—6.8: Looked close to the Bournemouth version of himself with a rampant attacking performance. Overlapped like his life depended on it.
DM: Ryan Gravenberch—7.8: Started hot with a smart assist for Ekitiké’s opener, but turned that into a bit of a mixed display. The Dutchman has some excellent moments but made a handful of scary mistakes that hinted at a lack of composure.
DM: Alexis Mac Allister—7.6: Took his goal with real quality as he flashed moments of his best form. Wasn’t always as involved as he would have hoped and was among his side’s lowest when it came to touches of the ball.
RM: Mohamed Salah—6.7: Really quiet aside from a couple of runs down the right. Found it very hard to get involved in the game and watched as most of Liverpool’s positivity came down the opposite wing.
AM: Dominik Szoboszlai—7.7: Enjoyed being back in his most natural position. Played a handful of delightful passes but it was a simple corner from which he offered his assist.
LM: Cody Gakpo—7.8: Another quiet performance from the Dutchman, whose goal was one of very few positive moments in attack.
ST: Hugo Ekitiké—9.0: An excellent early finish and two routine assists give Ekitiké’s rating a huge boost. Not always particularly involved but made his rare opportunities count.
SUB: Rio Ngumoha (76’ for Ekitiké)—6.4: A nice run late on drew a smart save from the West Ham stopper.
SUB: Jeremie Frimpong (76’ for Frimpong)—6.7: An immediate impact off the bench to force Disasi’s own goal.
SUB: Trey Nyoni (86’ for Gravenberch)—N/A: Missed a late sitter.
Subs not used: Giorgi Mamardashvili (GK), Freddie Woodman (GK), Andy Robertson, Calvin Ramsay, Curtis Jones, Federico Chiesa
What These Ratings Tell Us
- The pressure remains on Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian struggled to get involved and can have no complaints if Arne Slot decides a spell out of the team is needed. Now on a run of 10 Premier League games without a goal—his longest ever.
- Dominik Szoboszlai is needed in midfield. Joe Gomez’s availability and the return of Jeremie Frimpong should allow the Hungarian to keep pulling the strings further up the field in future.
- Frimpong’s comeback offers a welcome creative outlet down the right wing. Once fully fit, he will hope to play a decisive role down the stretch this season.
The Numbers That Explain Liverpool’s Scrappy Win
- The first half was a little deceptive. Liverpool’s third goal took their xG up to 0.68, which was still lower than the 0.69 racked up by West Ham up to that point.
- Indeed, West Ham ended the game with the higher xG total and even enjoyed more possession, proving this game was far more even than the score would suggest.
- For all their shots, Liverpool only managed to create two big chances—the same as West Ham.
| Statistic | Liverpool | West Ham |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 49% | 51% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 1.73 | 1.83 |
| Total Shots | 18 | 11 |
| Shots on Target | 7 | 4 |
| Big Chances | 2 | 2 |
| Passing Accuracy | 81% | 78% |
| Fouls Committed | 12 | 11 |
| Corners | 10 | 5 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Liverpool Player Ratings vs. West Ham: Nervy Win Keeps Champions League Hopes Alive.
