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Jurgen Klopp praised Liverpool’s ability to find a way to win after Diogo Jota came off the bench to score the winning goal with five minutes remaining to beat West Ham 2-1 on Saturday. As so often in their first title-winning campaign in 30 years last season, Liverpool were late to snatch all three points, but their patience and persistence were rewarded at Anfield for moving three points clear at the top of the table. Premier League table. “Soccer is always about finding the right path, and tonight the guys found it,” Klopp said.
“It’s very difficult with the number of games we have. Seeing the determination and the desire of the boys, the will to play football, to deal with setbacks is really exceptional.”
Liverpool once again felt Virgil van Dijk’s absence on defense when Pablo Fornals took advantage of a depleted baseline to give West Ham the lead in the 10th minute.
Nathaniel Phillips made his league debut for the champions in the heart of defense with Joel Matip and Fabinho also injured.
But it was Liverpool’s other starting central defender, Joe Gomez, who was to blame for the first goal, as his offside header went straight to Fornals, whose low shot found the bottom corner on the inside of the post.
Klopp’s men have now conceded more goals than any other team in the Premier League this season and will travel to Manchester City next weekend in a clash between the two teams that have dominated English football for the past three years.
However, Liverpool continue to top the table thanks to their firepower and their ability to react from behind.
For the third time in seven Premier League games this season they came from a goal against to win.
West Ham had been on an impressive unbeaten streak in the league, scoring eight points in games against Wolves, Leicester, Tottenham and Manchester City over the past month.
The visitors tenaciously sat down to defend their lead but gave Liverpool a route back into play three minutes before half-time when Mohamed Salah made the most of Arthur Masuaku’s challenge to earn a penalty.
“I’m surprised that a penalty was given in the first half. I can’t believe we’re allowing those kinds of penalties to be given,” Hammers manager David Moyes said.
“It’s a good sign that we are disappointed not to take anything away from Anfield. The players are disappointed not to get anything out of the game.”
Salah scored his fourteenth consecutive successful pitch to bring the Reds’ level and avoid a possible first league loss at Anfield since April 2017.
Masuaku came close to making amends early in the second half by putting a low cross for Fornals, who could only docilely shoot into the arms of Alisson Becker.
However, the vast majority of the action was still taking place in the West Ham half when Liverpool pushed the visitors back.
Klopp turned to Jota and Shaqiri for inspiration from the bench and the changes worked flawlessly.
“Obviously I loved the second goal,” Klopp added. “It was a great game. Shaq is in incredible shape right now, and Diogo Jota obviously.”
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Jota thought he had scored the winning goal earlier when he crashed a fumble after Sadio Mane collided with Lukasz Fabianski and Angelo Ogbonna, but the goal was disallowed by a foul from the Senegalese.
The Portuguese finally recorded his fourth goal in seven Liverpool appearances since arriving from the Wolves in September, as he kept his head off with a fine shot from Shaqiri’s brilliant pass to open the massive ranks of the West Ham defense.
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