Reflective of their respective sluggish starts to the Premier League campaign, West Ham and Liverpool failed to set the London Stadium alight from the off. The hosts, set up by Nuno Espirito Santo to absorb pressure and attack on the break, were pinned back by the Reds who were unable to press home their dominance on the ball in the first half. Alphonse Areola did well to produce a fine stop from an Isak spectacular and cut out a dangerous Joe Gomez cross, but was otherwise untroubled by a blunt Reds attack in the opening exchanges.
Wirtz had impressed in the first half and looked most likely to make a difference for the Reds in the second period. On the hour mark, the German jinked to his left and, with the outside of his boot, threaded the ball through a compact Hammers defence to Cody Gakpo, who cut back to Isak to fire first-time into the bottom left corner.
The Reds continued to keep hold of the ball and stifle any West Ham attacks, and despite only holding onto a one-goal advantage, the Reds never looked like forfeiting maximum points, and did not even have to bring on Salah to strengthen their grip on the game. A ridiculous red card from Lucas Paqueta only snuffed out the chance of a possible Hammers recovery, before Gakpo fired home from a Gomez cross in the 92nd minute to seal a vital victory.
BALLGM rates Liverpool’s players from the London Stadium…
Alisson Becker (6/10):
The Brazilian had little to do, but will be pleased with his clean sheet.
Joe Gomez (7/10):
The England defender, playing on the right of the defence, had a strong performance and offered a real threat going forwards.
Ibrahima Konate (6/10):
A much-needed uneventful day for the Frenchman who bounced back from recent struggles to hold firm.
Virgil van Dijk (6/10):
A dominant presence in both boxes, the Dutchman helped lead the defence in the closing stages.
Milos Kerkez (6/10):
Still not quite at the level he showed at Bournemouth last season, but the left-back was solid for the Reds.
Ryan Gravenberch (7/10):
An understated, but impressive performance at the base of the Liverpool midfield as the visitors dominated.
Alexis Mac Allister (7/10):
Helped the Reds take the majority of possession and provided composure in the middle of the park.
Dominik Szoboszlai (7/10):
We have become accustomed to Szoboszlai’s relentless running and he was everywhere in east London. A great help for Gomez down the right-flank too.
Florian Wirtz (8/10):
Arguably the German’s best performance in a Liverpool shirt so far, he played a crucial role in the Reds opener.
Cody Gakpo (8/10):
Worked tirelessly for Slot’s side and provided the all-important assist for Isak, before sealing the win late on.
Alexander Isak (7/10):
After some wayward finishing in the first-half, the Swede finally ended his 381-minute goal drought with a fine finish.
Hugo Ekitike (5/10):
Replaced Isak, but did not offer too much of a threat.
Curtis Jones (6/10):
Had demanded his team-mates raise their levels earlier in the week and they responded. A late cameo appearance in midfield.
Andy Robertson (N/A):
A late substitute to see out the win.
Arne Slot (6/10):
His decision to leave Salah on the bench proved successful and the Dutchman will be delighted with three points.
