West Ham United 3 Liverpool 2
No PlayStation Football tonight and the bubble of the 25 game unbeaten run finally bursts.
No PlayStation Football tonight and the bubble of the 25 game unbeaten run finally bursts.
My infamous scrapbooks tell me I’ve been to “West Ham away” seven times in my match going life and I only saw one victory in that time too so perhaps I’m to blame for today and not Alisson Becker? The only victory I saw was at an Upton Park in mid-redevelopment at the end of the 1993/1994 season and Robbie Fowler equalised Martin Allen’s first minute goal before Ian Rush scored the winner with a couple of turgid minutes to go in a dreadful game. Prior to that I remember going to Upton Park for a “Big Match” live game with the legendary Brian Moore in 1991 (0–0) and a 1–1 draw in the amazing 1987/1988 season and the other game soon after in 1988 is worthy of both note and indeed forgetting as on a cold November night me and my oldest friend Marc saw the Mighty Reds dismantled 4–1 in the League Cup, a game (in)famous for the two goals from Paul Ince and Tony Gale trying and failing to leap over an advertisement board after he scored direct from a free kick. It was a dreadful night, yet another departure from Upton Park with only a defeat to talk about on the train home and the only highlight being an inventive Scouser who, upon seeing a helicopter hovering over the church near the old Hammers ground shouted “Jesus! That fella up there is probably looking for parishioners”. It was a perfect remark as we filed away from the home of West Ham United after yet another defeat.
As do thousands of Reds this evening after a game that ended the 25 game unbeaten run but showed a few alarming cracks in a team I often espouse as playing “PlayStation Football”. With a quarter of the game to go and the Reds losing 2–1, Thiago gave the ball away, the phase of play resulted in a corner to West Ham and the resultant corner saw new Hammers Hero Kurt Zouma rise at the far post to make it 3–1. In just this small microcosm of perhaps 90 seconds you could see a tired and somewhat leggy Virgil van Dijk frustratingly and angrily berating the midfield, Thiago was dreadful (I’m his biggest fan by the way) and completely ineffective after coming on as substitute and yet another corner or set piece led to yet another conceded goal and more worrying, Becker’s second major lapse of judgement tonight. I don’t think he was at fault for the opening goal but I also don’t think he should be labelled with giving away an own goal either. It was the perfect West Ham storm, a perfectly delivered corner that Becker and his cream shirted team mates couldn’t deal with. The third goal was a carbon copy of this and the second goal saw a leggy defence retreat for a weak effort from Pablo Fornals to sneak under Becker. Origi’s smart goal with 8 minutes to go gave Liverpool hope of snatching an undeserved draw (face facts Reds) but the 3–2 score line held and David Moyes (and his team) had done a job on Liverpool.
That job started in the first half when after getting their 4th minute lead they quickly resorted to two banks of 4 with the intention of hitting Liverpool on the break. Angelo Ogbonna seemed to have the first 20 minutes of the game for his own pay per view enjoyment as he was involved in the goal (which was VAR confirmed) then an injury incident (also referred to VAR) before another injury forced him off altogether. But this set the pattern for a dreadful, scrappy and stop/start first half. West Ham’s centre forward Antonio gave up ploughing a lone furrow and could be found on the edge of his own penalty area with the rest of his team mates as 2 banks of 4 effectively became 2 banks of 5. But Liverpool were slow, ponderous and only Andy Robertson and Fabinho were playing above par. Mo Salah’s touch deserted him, Henderson and Oxlade-Chamberlain were ineffective and only a pure piece of “PlayStation Football” from Alexander-Arnold had the Reds level at half time with a gem of a training ground inspired free-kick. However, 5 minutes into the 2nd half West Ham finally had a shot on target (Dawson heading against the bar) before Dawson again tamely headed into Becker’s gloves. Sadio Mane went close immediately for the Reds but the game petered out (and the Reds struggled big time) before Fornals made it 2–1 with a quarter of the game to go.
It’s just one defeat and one defeat after being unbeaten for twenty five games before it, so there’s no alarm sounding here. More a lament that with the freedom and open space that creates “PlayStation Football” smothered by David Moyes’ team, Liverpool laboured. Passes went astray. The calm assurance that normally abounds was seemingly absent and Virgil van Dijk’s untypical anger at his team mates spoke volumes. Becker (the best goalkeeper in the world) had a day at the office to forget and for once, just for once, with both Fabinho and Henderson playing, the team didn’t. Or more appropriately perhaps they weren’t allowed to by a West Ham side who thoroughly deserved their win. Arsenal in two weeks time should’ve been a game to be licking our lips at an easy three points over a struggling team that will struggle for some years yet. But after the dreaded international break and with only a shorter period of time to have his boys back together before the game, the Arsenal game now has a very different edge to it for Jurgen Klopp now.
The unbeaten run is over. Long live the unbeaten run. Starting a week on Saturday against Arsenal.
