Liverpool earned a hard-fought victory against West Ham at the London Stadium on April 26, 2023, with goals from Cody Gakpo and Joel Matip. The Reds moved up to sixth in the Premier League with the win.
Ibrahima Konate was ruled out of the game, meaning Joel Matip stepped in to the starting lineup. The trio of Thiago, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz had to watch on from the bench. Liverpool kept with the same tactics as the last three games, with Alexander-Arnold in midfield when in possession – a riskier strategy given Matip’s comparative mobility.
Lucas Paqueta opened the scoring for West Ham in the 12th minute, but Liverpool equalised within five minutes when Cody Gakpo received the ball 25 yards out, turned and hit a superb strike into the bottom corner. Diogo Jota had two good chances to put Liverpool ahead in the first half, but couldn’t direct either home. Jarred Bowen thought he had re-taken the lead for West Ham 10 minutes into the second half, but it was ruled offside.
Klopp introduced Diaz and Thiago on the hour, and Liverpool began to dominate. Matip eventually scored a bullet header from a corner to give Liverpool the lead. There were some shaky moments as Liverpool held on, not least a handball against Thiago in the penalty area that thankfully wasn’t given. The win moves Liverpool up to sixth, now six points behind fourth-placed Man United but having played two more games. Trent Alexander-Arnold was awarded TIA Man of the Match. Liverpool’s next match is against Tottenham at home on Sunday 30 April.