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Diogo Jota was the winner of Liverpool’s game at Anfield when he came off the bench to score late.
It was the forward’s third Premier League goal in as many home games as the Reds overcame an early West Ham goal to earn all three points.
Pablo Fornals had overtaken the visitors when his scraping shot was enough to beat Alisson.
But Mohamed Salah leveled the procedure shortly before halftime from the penalty spot after he was fouled by Aaron Cresswell.
Jurgen Klopp sent Jota in search of a winner and the Portuguese star thought he had found it, only for the VAR to rule it out.
But the former Wolves man did not refuse and his fresh finish with just over five minutes to go settled the contest.
Here are five talking points from a tough showdown on Merseyside.
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Klopp looking for the formula
Klopp will be fully aware that his team is not shooting all cylinders, as is the case with most top-flight teams.
The lack of preseason and other well-documented factors are behind that.
Diogo Jota and Xherdan Shaqiri were called in to find the winner at Anfield with 20 minutes to go and the two combined to produce the merchandise.
Roberto Firmino, who is the least prolific of the three regular forwards, was hooked just like young Curtis Jones.
The German also has to deal with a condensed match list as the Reds juggle national and European commitments.
With the exception of midfield three, Liverpool’s starting eleven has long been chosen, but the unprecedented nature of the season is leading Klopp to seek new solutions.
Defensive concerns as Phillips bows
Read this twice, but since Liverpool took the Premier League title, they have conceded more goals than any top-notch team.
A hardly credible statistic, but it does expose the problems the Reds currently face.
Manchester City put four beyond them, Aston Villa seven, Chelsea and Leeds three.
In fact, Liverpool have kept just a clean sheet since early July and their lack of defensive options was highlighted when Nathaniel Phillips made his first league start.
The 23-year-old, who spent last season on the road in Stuttgart, did little wrong to the hearts of the back four alongside Joe Gomez.
Phillips is one of several players who may have to step up with Rhys Williams bent over to appear more regularly.
Liverpool may be scoring points regularly, but the same can’t be said when it comes to keeping a clean sheet.
Falling behind
Liverpool have a worrying habit of conceding first in games this season.
Fornals opened the scoring at Anfield in the first ten minutes when he beat Alisson.
And his goal was the third time in Liverpool’s last four league games that he conceded first.
Alexandre Lacazette scored for Arsenal in September and less than a week later Ollie Watkins did the same for Aston Villa.
It would be easy to highlight the absence of Van Dijk but the Dutchman was present in the games against Gunners and Villa.
The quality of Liverpool is such that coming from behind is not at all impossible, but they are making life difficult.
VAR on money
Jota thought he had scored his fourth goal of the season in the second half when he got home only to have VAR intervene.
A lengthy review was conducted at Stockely Park before referee Kevin Friend was recommended to consult the monitor himself.
He duly reversed his decision after reviewing Sadio Mane’s challenge.
Regardless of whether you agree with their final verdict, this was the VAR used in a positive way.
The question may be raised as to why Friend did not immediately consult the monitor, but again, this will hardly be a turning point for the refereeing tool.
However, Jota would be the last to laugh.
Hammers navigate cruel accessories
When West Ham performed poorly during their 2-0 loss to Newcastle in the first weekend of the season, things were already looking bleak.
Their next six games were against teams that finished in the top eight last season.
But a return of eight points will be very welcome for David Moyes despite his loss in Merseyside.
Trips to Leicester, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool have been sorted out and West Ham can look forward to the matches against the Fulham and Sheffield United pair.
In a season that seems unpredictable, the Hammers could be set for an impressive performance after several challenging seasons.
Where will Liverpool finish this season? Give us your opinion here.
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