On Wednesday night, Liverpool came from behind to beat West Ham 2-1 at the London Stadium. Lucas Paqueta opened the scoring for the Hammers in the 12th minute, but Cody Gakpo equalized for the Reds in the 18th minute with a shot from distance. Liverpool then took the lead in the 67th minute when Joel Matip powered home a header.
Alisson was reliable between the sticks for Liverpool, making one key interception out of his goal after the break. Trent Alexander-Arnold was impressive in his new role, enjoying himself and showcasing his quality on the ball and eye for a pass. He also registered his fifth assist in the last four games. Matip was restored to the starting lineup for the first time since early April and it proved to be a very positive night for him, as he survived the test of playing in the ‘Konate role’ in the new system. Virgil van Dijk made a sloppy early mistake but somehow did enough to prevent Michail Antonio from scoring at 1-1. Andy Robertson had to play a more disciplined role at left-back and did his job well, registering an assist for Matip’s goal. Fabinho has been promising in recent weeks, benefiting from having Trent more central alongside him, and he helped Liverpool boss the midfield battle against West Ham. Jordan Henderson continues to be a problematic presence in Liverpool’s midfield, not providing intensity off the ball or any product on it. Curtis Jones started a fifth match in a row and was a composed figure who fitted in nicely. Mohamed Salah was quite anonymous but still got into numerous positions. Diogo Jota missed two wonderful chances, firing over and heading wide from inches out.
Substitutes Thiago and Luis Diaz brought more quality to the midfield than Henderson and looked lively respectively. Jurgen Klopp deserves big praise for rallying the troops in recent weeks, and this was another display that suggested a big corner has been turned. Top four looks too difficult at this point, but fifth looks on the cards on this evidence, with the Reds looking a different team.