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Another game, another important VAR decision against Liverpool … and another winner from Diogo Jota.
This team has to deal with all kinds of adversity right now, but their ability to take the blows and keep finding their way, by hook or by crook, is so, so impressive. Once again, it became Really Hard grafting, but at no point during the 90 minutes did Liverpool even accept the idea that it would not be their day.
The sloppy nature of West Ham United’s first goal was hugely frustrating and, going forward, Liverpool lacked cohesion, pace and ideas for the vast majority of the first half.
There will be many things that Jürgen Klopp will not have particularly enjoyed with the performance, but overall he could take enormous satisfaction from the stamina and confidence his team showed to get over the line, especially after having what seemed like a goal from the victory scored retrospectively by Sadio Mané’s very dubious ‘foul’ on Łukasz Fabiański.
As a collective, Liverpool didn’t come close to its optimum, spluttering instead of navigating through the contest. However, there were numerous individual performances from which to receive great encouragement, as Liverpool finally did what Manchester City could not last weekend by converting a point into three against a truly stubborn and well-trained Hammers team.
It’s starting to look reminiscent of that period from October to November last season, in which Liverpool similarly grappled with the fall by scoring narrow wins before finally hitting their stride in the Christmas period. And with the upcoming trip to the Etihad, getting the win tonight was of utmost importance, sending Liverpool back to the top of the table, at least for now.
Here’s the podium …
Gold: Nat Phillips
When the news of the team was published with the name of Phillips instead of Rhys Williams along with Joe Gomez, many eyebrows were raised. While Williams has already appeared four times this season, including in the two Champions League group stage matches thus far, Phillips’ only previous appearance with Liverpool was in the FA Cup third round victory. from last season on Everton at Anfield, for which he was specifically withdrawn from his loan. spell at the VfB Stuttgart.
After helping Stuttgart achieve promotion to the Bundesliga, the general expectation was that Phillips would either move permanently or at least go on loan during the summer transfer window in search of regular opportunities with the first team.
So being drafted out of nowhere for a Premier League match as an emergency solution to Liverpool’s central defender crisis was something even he could not have foreseen. However, he was more than up to the challenge, dealing with consummation with the significant aerial threat posed by Sebastian Haller.
His injury-time header from a West Ham corner while under pressure from Tomáš Souček at the near post was excellent, ensuring Liverpool were able to maintain their slim lead. For the most part, he kept things neat and orderly with the ball, taking few unnecessary risks, but made a couple of sharp and incisive vertical passes to break through the lines and put Liverpool on attack.
It remains to be seen if he will get another chance in the coming weeks (he is not registered to play in Champions League matches), but you can look back on his performance tonight with true pride, knowing that he completely restored the faith of the coach and made a significant contribution to the team’s success.
Silver: Diogo Jota
(Image: Andrew Powell / Liverpool FC Photo via Getty Images)
That man again. Jota’s impact since joining Wolves in September has been phenomenal indeed, and any question as to whether he justified the £ 41 million price tag has already been emphatically dismissed.
He has scored in three straight games now, and each of them has been the defining moment of the game: the winner against Sheffield United, the breakthrough against Midtjylland, and the winner once again here. It’s also four goals in five appearances at Anfield.
You really can’t ask for much more at this stage as he is doing precisely what he was bought to do.
It was incredibly unfortunate to see his first goal ruled out in the VAR review for Mané’s alleged infraction, but the fact that he was there to score it, still inside the area, reflected the anticipation and desire to get into those positions that makes him such a powerful threat.
The intelligence of the movement and the composure of the finish for the winning shot that remained was nothing short of exceptional. Liverpool have a real gem in the hands of Jota, and this is just the beginning.
Bronze: Super Shaq
Say what you want about Xherdan Shaqiri, but very few footballers possess the ability to inject unpredictability and change a game in a split second with a killer ball like him.
Much like he did when he slipped a one-inch pass through Trent Alexander-Arnold for the opening goal against Midtjylland midweek, he was the man who opened the block here, seamlessly threading the pass through the eye of a needle (or rather, the legs of Fabián Balbuena) on Jota’s path.
Not only did he have the vision to spot the opportunity, but he was able to execute it brilliantly. In situations like these, you see exactly why having a player of Shaqiri’s stature on the team is still incredibly valuable.
Must do better: Roberto Firmino
Another occasion in which the Brazilian did not come out at all at all, and for much of the time he was on the field he looked out of rhythm. His touch was often strong, and when he had the ball he lacked the precision and incision needed to influence procedures.
In the 70 minutes that he was on the field of play, he did not register a single shot, not a successful dribble or a key pass. It just didn’t fit for him, and he hasn’t been doing it consistently for quite some time.
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