The wait was long —almost eternal— but Alexander Isak finally arrived. The Swedish striker, the €150 million signing, scored his first Premier League goal, and together with a stoppage-time strike from Cody Gakpo, delivered a crucial win for Liverpool over West Ham United, easing the pressure on Arne Slot.

Liverpool Forced to Win… and Slot Makes Bold Decisions

With just three victories in their previous twelve matches, Liverpool absolutely needed to take all three points from the London Stadium. It was win or win. Even club legend Jamie Carragher warned that if the team failed to win this fixture —and the upcoming ones against Leeds United and Sunderland— the Dutch manager’s tenure at Anfield could be nearing its end.

That’s when Slot made strong choices: he benched Mohamed Salah, last season’s superstar, but far from his best form this year. The decision was justified —but it didn’t spark an immediate solution. Liverpool struggled badly to create danger.

The deadlock lasted until the 60th minute, when the quality of Florian Wirtz emerged, another player under scrutiny. With a crowded box, the German found a gap to slip the ball into Gakpo, who controlled and played it back for Isak, who one-timed the strike inside the post —no chance for Alphonse Areola.

West Ham Lose Their Composure and Liverpool Finish the Job

With the 0-1 advantage, Liverpool focused on controlling the pace and locking up the much-needed win —and Lucas Paquetá made that task easier. The Brazilian received two yellow cards back-to-back for dissent in the 83rd and 84th minutes —a baffling meltdown— and was sent off.

Down to ten men, West Ham, led by a furious Nuno Espírito Santo, were left scrambling. Even so, they nearly equalized when Jarrod Bowen struck just wide of the top corner.

Then, deep into stoppage time, a cross from Joe Gomez was smashed into the net by Gakpo, sealing the match with authority.

Impact on the Table

This win allows Liverpool to snap a three-match losing streak across Premier League and Champions League play and climb to eighth place with 21 points —just two off the Champions League spots (pending the result of Chelsea vs Arsenal).

Meanwhile, West Ham still can’t find answers and remain 17th with eleven points, tied with Leeds United, who sit in the relegation zone.

All the Goals