AnalysisFive talking points from Liverpool 1-0 West Ham
Darwin Nunez’s first-half goal handed Liverpool a 1-0 victory over West Ham United in the Premier League on Wednesday night.
The striker scored the only goal of the encounter in the 22nd minute as he headed home an inch-perfect cross from full-back Kostas Tsimikas.
Here are five talking points from Anfield…
Extended highlights: Liverpool 1-0 West Ham
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A first Reds goal at Anfield for Nunez
Darwin Nunez has a goal in L4 for the Reds.
The Uruguay international has been threatening consistently to record his first strike on home soil since signing terms in the summer from Benfica.
It took just 22 minutes, though, for him to find the back of the net during the midweek visit of West Ham – a moment which has been coming in recent fixtures.
A brilliantly placed header from a Tsimikas cross capped what had been a whirlwind display for the No.27.
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The forward caused the visitors countless problems in the opening exchanges of the contest, including hitting the post with a stunning drive and forcing Lukasz Fabianski into a number of saves before the interval.
The goal was also Liverpool’s 100th against the Hammers in Reds history – a landmark effort for two reasons.
Alisson saves the day
It’s been quite a few days for Liverpool’s No.1.
The Brazilian played a starring role in the victory over Manchester City on Sunday, providing an impressive assist for Mohamed Salah’s winner.
Alisson was back in the limelight once more in L4, saving a Jarrod Bowen penalty just seconds ahead of the half-time interval in front of the Kop.
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The shot-stopper has only conceded 10 of the 18 penalties he has faced in league action for both AS Roma and Liverpool, dating back to the 2017-18 campaign.
At 56 per cent, that is the best ratio of any goalkeeper in Europe’s top five leagues in that same period.
Kostas delivers again
The Greek Scouser is making a habit of playing an important role on the left side of defence.
His assist for Nunez’s opener was the fifth he has recorded for the Reds in all competitions this term.
That stat now sees him sit only behind City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne (11) in the rankings for Premier League players this season.
Back-to-back victories
Two wins in four days for Liverpool at Anfield.
Both Jürgen Klopp and Jordan Henderson spoke ahead of kick-off about the importance of building momentum from the victory over City.
The three points gathered against West Ham was aided by the fact that the Reds scored the opening goal in successive matches for the first time in 21 outings.
They also kept a second clean sheet in a row to build on a recent show of defensive stability.
Klopp’s charges scored for the 29th match in succession on home soil – while also moving their tally to 33 wins over the Hammers in the Premier League.
Virgil van Dijk’s home record
Liverpool’s No.4 has now played 70 Premier League fixtures for the club at Anfield without suffering defeat – an incredible achievement.
The centre-back’s record in L4 carried on with the Reds recording a sixth successive home league win over the Hammers on Merseyside.
Van Dijk has been a key component to the success enjoyed by Klopp’s men in recent seasons, helping the club to various trophies in that period.
Liverpool’s home form has been a huge part of the building blocks for those triumphs, and his partnership in the middle alongside Joe Gomez has brought two wins and two clean sheets in four days alone.
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