Liverpool vs. West Ham: *Bumper* Post-Match Analysis

A game of two halves

Paul Tomkins, Andrew Beasley, Daniel Rhodes and other TTT regulars will give their thoughts on the match for 24 hours after the game, so the article received via email is unlikely to be the final version. There's statistics from the match and videos too.

Post-Match Thoughts

Paul Tomkins

Paul was at the match so will add his thoughts on the game in due course.

Andrew Beasley

For only the third time under Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool have won successive league games by a 1-0 score line. They’ve also scored first in two games running for the first time in 22 matches too. Up with this sort of thing.

Yet while the formation shift has helped, with the Reds superb against Manchester City, issues undoubtedly remain. I noted in the post-match analysis for that game that Liverpool have struggled against teams who play quickly, and West Ham average the highest direct speed (metres per second they move up the pitch) in the Premier League. In the second half, these points were proven, but the home side could and probably should have been long out of sight before that.

For 45 minutes, Liverpool were utterly dominant, having 11 shots without reply. Yet by half time West Ham had squandered two clear-cut chances when the Reds had only had one. Their penalty should have been awarded by the on-field officials; it was yet another shocking failure to make a big call. Someone should really investigate that.

The rest of the analysis follows for subscribers only.