Football News: Liverpool v West Ham United - A Quick Liverpool Perspective

Liverpool v West Ham United

Now that was more like it, despite the Hammers' goal, they were never really in the game and it was a very one-sided game. A game that finally suited, to a large degree, the inverted full-back system as West Ham had no width down their left to provide pace and sat deep with just one man up. They invited Liverpool onto them and Liverpool obliged by taking what was a very comfortable win to extend the unbeaten run further. It is one of those rare occasions when there is little to actually critique in the performance, though that was helped by West Ham's negativity and passivity. Liverpool were first to almost every loose ball, showing much more hunger and desire than their opponents. There were individual mistakes and parts that individuals got wrong, but there is little to pick apart in terms of the way the team played and how they were set up. And it feels so good to say that!

Moyes was the reason for the Hammers being so poor, his tactical approach was very much back to his old Everton ways of whining about taking a knife to a gunfight while substituting his striker for a midfielder while losing. OK, so he did not actually sub off his only striker for a midfielder (though there is an argument that Kudus is not a striker), but he never made any attempt to actually get his team to go for it apart from a few minutes at the end of the first half. Up until then it was like he had never seen Liverpool play this season and had not realised that pace running in behind Liverpool's right-back is a way to get at them. He had Antonio up top on his own and drifting out to the right. Which might sound like it could have the same effect, but without someone in the middle to keep the centre-backs occupied, it was just a simple matter for them to deal with. The only time West Ham really genuinely threatened was around the time of their goal when Bowen pushed up in the centre to join Antonio and open up the space down the right.

They have a magical talent in Paqueta being wasted doing almost all his work in his own half, with no one to play a ball to other than Antonio, who is more inclined to flop onto the ground than fight for a ball if it is not going his way. West Ham certainly have the quality in the team to test Liverpool, but you would not have known it watching this game. Sadly this is typical of Moyes, who usually fails in games against the top tier clubs, purely down to his overcautious nature.

Quick notes on the players:

Alisson - he is Alisson, what more need be said? When a save is there to be made, he makes it look easy, where others would have made it look spectacular. If he is not the best goalkeeper in the world, then he is certainly in the top 1, no matter the stupidity of leaving him out of the top 10.

Gomez - not perfect by any means, but he had a good game, looking much more comfortable in the role. Though it must be said he was not always inverting, a fair amount of the time he stayed on the right and looked much better for picking and choosing his times for moving inside. Sadly it does feel he is only a goal conceded, whether he is in any way at fault or not, away from being a scapegoat again.

Matip - had a very good game, though his forward runs can be a bit hit and miss, with a likelihood of it ending up with him giving the ball away as often as getting it to a teammate. Defensively he was solid against Antonio, even bullying him at times. It was a very good performance against a man who has shown that he can be a handful.

van Dijk - really beginning to look like the van Dijk of old. Admittedly he was not often put under any kind of pressure, but he did well.

Robertson - with Antonio on his own up front, Robertson was able to get forward and looked so much better for it. His forward runs always cause havoc.

Mac Allister - struggled initially, and was caught on the ball a few times. As the game went on, he began to grow into it and did much better, but it must be pointed out that he was posted missing on the Hammers' goal, caught upfield. I am still not convinced the role gets the most out of him but at least he was able to affect the game in a positive way in the main and when he did get forward he provided a nice ball to Nunez for his goal.

Szoboszlai - he is just a sensational player, sometimes you wonder if there are two of them out there as he seems to be everywhere. Some of his passes are just exquisite.

Jones - the lad has grown from being one of the chosen targets to be scapegoated and people complaining about his inclusion, to being one of the best players this season. All the moans from some about how they could not see what he brings have vanished. One thing that must be pointed out is his willingness to work for the team. His ability and calmness on the ball is very good, especially when he is around the edge of the box as he has the quality to draw in challenges that have the potential to create space for others or to win free kicks in dangerous areas. Shame he was just offside when he scored as it was very well-taken.

Diaz - does have a tendency to try and do too much, but at times he is sublime. Just needs to stop trying too hard and release the ball a bit sooner.

Nunez - works so hard, scores goals, terrifies the opposition and links up particularly well with Salah, who he seems to have an excellent understanding with. What is there not to like about Nunez? It is no wonder he is a Kop favourite and his goal in this game solidified the love the Kop have for him already.

Salah - what more can be said about the Egyptian King? He is one of the best players of the Premier League era and added yet another goal, via a penalty, to his incredible stats. This season he is showing how good he can be at link up play and creating goals too, something he was never given enough credit for in the past.

Gravenberch - came on in the 77th minute for Jones. He is certainly trying to make things happen, he shows good pace and technique, but he just needs to settle down and relax a bit more.

Gakpo - replaced Nunez in the 80th minute. Did well but it does change the way Liverpool play with him there as he does not offer the same threat in behind, instead he tends to draw out defenders to him to create more opportunities for others to run in ahead of him. I would like to see him occasionally change it up more and make those runs in behind, as I seem to remember him in the Eredivisie showing excellent pace and being a real threat when racing onto through balls in behind a defence.

Jota - also came on in the 80th minute to take Diaz's place. While I am not a big fan of him as a starter, his touch and link up play can be atrocious at times, but bring him on against tired legs and he is excellent. You can almost guarantee he will notch a goal, and he got one again in this game to seal the game. Not so sure about the celebration though!

Endo - took the place of Mac Allister in the defensive role and had little to really do as the game was over by the time he came on in the 87th minute, with Liverpool 3-1 up.

Written by Tris Burke September 25 2023 13:52:23