Liverpool managed a first win in four matches with a 2-0 victory over West Ham United on Sunday.
The first half finished goalless, but Liverpool did have a few opportunities to take the lead, only to have their shots blocked or stopped by West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.
Liverpool did, though, take the lead just before the hour mark. Florian Wirtz played a lovely through ball from the edge of the area to Cody Gakpo. Gakpo cut the ball back, and Alexander Isak scored his first Premier League goal for Liverpool. And with less than 10 minutes on the clock, Lucas Paqueta was sent off for two yellow cards after continued dissent towards the referee Darren England. Liverpool then wrapped up the win through Gakpo, who fired a half-volley into the back of the net in the 92nd minute.
Here, The Athletic’s Gregg Evans analyses the game.
Could this be lift-off for Isak?
It was around the period when Alexander Isak is usually substituted off the pitch. Yet this time, the 60-minute mark in a game had a much sweeter feel for the record signing.
Instead of trudging off after another no-show in front of goal, Isak was able to head to the dugout with his head held high. After 381 minutes and 10 shots at goal since signing for £125million ($165m) this summer, the striker finally had something to show for it in the Premier League.
As the hour approached, there stood Isak in the box, lurking and waiting for an opportunity to make amends for his previous shortcomings.
The game had followed similar patterns to his season so far. He blazed over from the edge of the box early on, then he failed to anticipate a cross into the box from his team-mate, Wirtz, and with his first proper sight of goal, Alphonse Areola made a decent save to deny him.
But there would be no stopping him for the opener in the second half. Wirtz linked up well with Gakpo, who crossed for Isak, and the Sweden international opened up his body before guiding his shot past Areola.
It’s been a long time coming for Liverpool’s No 9, but this might just be the lift-off that he needed.
Isak was taken off as a substitute, but had a goal to his name this time (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Are Liverpool better without Salah?
It’s a topic that has been discussed at length this season as Liverpool’s form has dipped and Salah’s goals have dried up.
Perhaps the two do go hand in hand. Last season, Salah was deciding games with his goals, and that gave Liverpool the platform to go on and win the Premier League.
Yet while he was not solely responsible for the title, neither is he exclusively to blame for the recent demise. And before today, Liverpool’s performances without him — for the Champions League defeat at Galatasaray and the emphatic win at Eintracht Frankfurt — were mixed.
What was noticeable on this occasion was the amount of solidity and control in midfield, and particularly on the right side, with the energetic Dominik Szoboszlai effectively replacing Salah and supporting Joe Gomez.
Hardly any of West Ham’s attacking play came down their left side as the threat of El Hadji Malick Diouf was nullified. Wirtz also chipped in with his fair share of defensive work, and that allowed the overall shape of Liverpool to appear more balanced and coordinated.
The trade-off without Salah in the team, of course, is that Liverpool miss his quality in front of goal. He can turn a game with a moment of magic, as he’s shown throughout his time at the club.
He also won’t like being on the bench after losing his place in a Premier League game for the first time since he was dropped by former manager Jurgen Klopp in April 2024. Coincidentally, that was also for a game against West Ham at the London Stadium.
Slot pointed out that, with so many games in such a short space of time, he needed to rest every player at some point, yet whether he keeps Salah on the bench in the weeks ahead will now be his biggest dilemma.
Salah watching on from the bench (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
How important was this win for Slot and Liverpool?
A hard-earned 2-0 win was exactly what Liverpool needed, even if the game was only fully secured by a stoppage-time strike.
There’s a long way back for the defending champions as they look to save their season, but this was certainly a step in the right direction.
Not only were Liverpool clinical in front of goal, as they converted two of only a small number of chances created, they were also resilient and showed a togetherness that had disappeared in previous weeks.
As well as the victory, there were positive performances for both Isak and Wirtz while the defence finally had something to build on. This was only the second clean sheet of the season away from home, and using Gomez more often may now be essential as Liverpool looked stronger with the long-serving stopper deployed at right-back.
To win on the road after such a miserable run of form was also refreshing, and it will relieve the pressure on head coach Arne Slot after overseeing one of the worst runs in the club’s modern history.
What next for Liverpool?
Liverpool host Sunderland at Anfield in the Premier League on December 3 at 8.15pm GMT (3.15pm ET).
