FULL TIME : West Ham 0-2 Liverpool
Alexander Isak scored his first Premier League goal for Liverpool as Arne Slot’s side secured a much-needed 2-0 win over West Ham at the London Stadium, easing pressure on the under-fire manager after a poor run of results.
Isak, a £125 million summer signing, had gone five league appearances without scoring since his move from Newcastle.
He finally broke the drought on the hour mark, converting a low cutback from Cody Gakpo after missing several chances in the first half, including one superbly stopped by Alphonse Areola. The goal lifted Liverpool from a tense and narrow contest into a controlled finish.
West Ham’s night collapsed when Lucas Paqueta was sent off in farcical fashion. The midfielder, back from suspension after accumulating five yellow cards, picked up two bookings in quick succession for dissent.
He repeatedly confronted referee Darren England, ignoring attempts from teammates and fellow Brazilian Alisson to pull him away, before the second yellow inevitably arrived. His dismissal left West Ham with no route back and provided Liverpool with room to close out the match.
Gakpo added Liverpool’s second in stoppage time, finishing calmly to seal the points.
Slot made several bold selections, most notably leaving Mohamed Salah on the bench for the first time in a Premier League match under his tenure. Florian Wirtz, Alisson, Joe Gomez and Isak all returned to the lineup, while Soungoutou Magassa and Konstantinos Mavropanos started for West Ham.
Liverpool’s defensive effort will also come as a relief. Having conceded ten goals across their previous three league games, they limited West Ham to no shots on target and controlled the key phases of play.
Wirtz delivered his most assured performance since joining the club, though he should have scored from a clear chance in the first half.
The win lifts Liverpool to eighth and buys Slot a little breathing space heading into a crucial stretch of fixtures.
