Slot's Bold Risk Delivers as Liverpool Stars Shine Against West Ham

Liverpool prevented a fourth consecutive loss across all competitions by securing a 2–0 victory over West Ham United on Sunday afternoon.

The Reds began the day positioned in the lower half of the Premier League standings, following their sixth defeat of the campaign at home against Nottingham Forest, but their success in east London propelled them up to eighth place.

Arne Slot made brave tactical decisions, most notably benching Mohamed Salah in the Premier League for the first time, but these choices proved successful. Florian Wirtz, who replaced Salah, delivered an impressive performance while Alexander Isak found the net with his maiden top-flight goal for the club before Cody Gakpo sealed the win with a late second strike, ensuring the embattled Liverpool manager left the London Stadium with reduced pressure on his position.

In reality, a subdued West Ham team provided ideal opposition for the struggling champions, who showed clinical finishing when required in the second half after dominating possession without reward during the opening period.

Liverpool Player Ratings vs. West Ham (4-2-3-1)

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Alisson—7.0: The Brazilian goalkeeper would have welcomed the peaceful afternoon he experienced on Sunday, without question.

RB: Joe Gomez—7.8: Slot gave Gomez an uncommon starting opportunity, and the seasoned English defender delivered a solid performance. He even provided attacking threat in the final third during the first half.

CB: Ibrahima Konaté—7.6: It appears Konaté has taken Real Madrid's transfer choice as personal motivation. The French defender looked much more like his usual self, with Callum Wilson getting minimal opportunities.

CB: Virgil van Dijk—7.3: Van Dijk has faced criticism this season, but this represented a relatively straightforward match for the Liverpool skipper. His long-range passes also created several problems for the West Ham backline.

LB: Milos Kerkez—7.1: The summer signing has found it difficult at the beginning of his Liverpool journey, but this was a fairly comfortable display along the left side. Jarrod Bowen was largely contained throughout.

DM: Ryan Gravenberch—7.4: The Dutch midfielder was mainly tasked with accelerating his team's offensive moves through sharp passes between the lines.

DM: Alexis Mac Allister—7.5: Occasionally beaten too easily, but Mac Allister provided stability during the build-up phase. Battled and pressed effectively.

AM: Florian Wirtz—7.2: Likely his most polished display in Liverpool kit so far. He carried confidence in east London, with the German playmaker roaming and linking play brilliantly at times.

RW: Dominik Szoboszlai—7.4: Provided defensive cover and relentless tracking back along the right wing, and was granted freedom to move centrally when his team possessed the ball.

ST: Alexander Isak—7.7: After going close on several occasions in the first half, Isak scored his inaugural Premier League goal for Liverpool with a superb finish. Slot and Reds fans will hope this sparks his career on Merseyside.

LW: Cody Gakpo—8.7: Wrapped up the match in added time with a well-executed goal. Had worked hard without much success for most of the game, but Slot's faith in him today proved worthwhile.

Subs not used: Giorgi Mamardashvili (GK), Trey Nyoni, Wataru Endo, Rio Ngumoha, Curtis Jones, Federico Chiesa, Mohamed Salah.

West Ham (4-2-3-1)

Starting XI: Alphonse Areola; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Jean-Clair Todibo, El Hadji Malick Diouf; Freddie Potts, Soungoutou Magassa; Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paquetá, Mateus Fernandes; Callum Wilson.

Subs used: Luis Guilherme, Niclas Füllkrug, Tomáš Souček

Player of the Match: Cody Gakpo

West Ham 0–2 Liverpool: How It Unfolded at the London Stadium

No Salah, no problem.

Alexander Isak steps up when Liverpool needed him most. pic.twitter.com/zEp2UKMRYj

Salah was relegated to the bench for Sunday's encounter at a dejected London Stadium, with a struggling Liverpool hoping to prevent a fourth consecutive defeat.

Arne Slot presented the Egyptian's unusual omission from his starting lineup as simple rotation, but the Dutch manager clearly had a strategy to neutralize West Ham's energetic left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf from causing damage. Dominik Szoboszlai was deployed in Salah's position instead, while Joe Gomez also entered the team at right-back.

There was no early capitulation from the Reds on this occasion, and, truthfully, Nuno Espírito Santo's West Ham found it difficult to trouble the visitors at all. Callum Wilson proved ineffective as the central striker, while Jarrod Bowen's attacking runs were restricted.

Most of the first half was contested in West Ham's half of the field, with Liverpool showing patience in possession but capable of adding tempo to their attacks through penetrating forward passes. They enjoyed considerable success in bypassing the Hammers' midfield, with Wirtz outstanding.

Isak fired over an early opportunity from the penalty area edge, and the Swedish striker was brilliantly thwarted by Alphonse Areola with a spinning effort from close quarters.

It was possibly the finest 45 minutes of football Liverpool have displayed in recent weeks, but their failure to convert the final pass meant both teams entered the half-time break without scoring.

The lethargy that has characterized their decline returned at the beginning of the second half, with West Ham managing to position themselves further up the field and finally assert themselves against the visitors. However, the hosts' revival was short-lived, as Isak netted his first Premier League goal for the Reds with a neat first-time strike.

Once again, Wirtz was the creator, locating Gakpo in an inside-left position within the West Ham penalty area. The Dutch winger cut the ball back for Isak, who instinctively guided an effort past Areola at his near post.

The match became subdued afterward, with Liverpool satisfied with their lead and West Ham lacking attacking fluency. Lucas Paquetá's strange dismissal for continuously arguing with referee Darren England made their challenge more difficult in the final stages, but the hosts did create one opportunity that was wasted by Bowen.

Liverpool were under pressure against the 10-man Hammers, but Gakpo's precise finish in stoppage time prevented any late comeback from the hosts, as the defending champions finally returned to winning form to relieve pressure on their manager.

West Ham vs. Liverpool Half Time Stats

West Ham vs. Liverpool Full Time Stats