West Ham vs. Liverpool: Score, Grades and Reaction from Premier League Game
West Ham United’s two-goal blast in the opening seven minutes helped the Hammers claim a 3-1 win over Liverpool on Saturday.
Goals from Winston Reid and Diafra Sakho had Liverpool rocking, and although the Reds cut the deficit through Raheem Sterling, the Hammers held firm. A late goal from Morgan Amalfitano sealed the points.
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Liverpool were stunned just two minutes in, as West Ham opened them up with an aerial ball from wide on the right.
James Tomkins rose above Jordan Henderson to meet a Stewart Downing free-kick and nodded the ball back across goal for the unmarked Reid to bundle the ball home.
It went from bad to worse for the Reds on seven minutes, as Sakho’s cross-cum-shot from the right looped over Simon Mignolet and into the top corner.
Liverpool were rocking, and manager Brendan Rodgers elected to shake things up tactically by withdrawing Javi Manquillo for Mamadou Sakho and reverting to three at the back.
Rodgers was looking for stability at the back; what he got was a goal from Sterling on 26 minutes.
Mario Balotelli, who, minutes earlier, had been cautioned following a tangle with West Ham keeper Adrian, produced a sublime piece of skill by pulling a deep cross out of the air.
His shot was charged down, but the ball fell to Sterling, who struck a beautiful low shot into the corner.
Having been thrown on to add defensive steel, Sakho made a mark on his own team-mate Dejan Lovren. A sickening clash of heads saw Lovren crash to the floor. He required lengthy treatment before being given the green light to play on.
Although Liverpool were chasing the game, they had to defend in numbers on occasions, and Balotelli was forced to hack clear in his own box—such was the threat from West Ham.
"Impressed with Balotelli's work rate. Not that any commentator or pundit would mention it though. Doesn't suit the narrative. #LFC
— Vince (@vincetalksfooty) September 20, 2014"
Liverpool started the second half in impressive fashion and had a good chance to level on 54 minutes.
An exquisite turn and pass from Balotelli set Fabio Borini away. He had the option to pick out Alberto Moreno, who had made ground into the box, but he elected to shoot, and his effort was saved by Adrian.
Borini had a second bite at the cherry shortly past the hour when a loose ball ran his way, but his curling effort flew a couple of feet too high.
Balotelli gave a snapshot of his quality on 65 minutes with a brilliant piece of skill that created space for a stinging shot that was bundled to safety by Adrian.
West Ham retreated deeper and deeper as the match wore on and invited pressure, but Liverpool were unable to find the equalsier, and the Hammers secured the points when Amalfitano's toe-poked finish dribbled its way past Mignolet.
"West Ham 3-1 Liverpool FT: Possession: 44%-56%. Shots: 13-11. Chances created: 9-8. Clearances: 35-36. pic.twitter.com/rQlUZVd3tv
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 20, 2014"
Liverpool have had a difficult start to the season and still look a work in progress.
Luis Suarez is long gone, and the Reds cannot dwell on his departure, but it is clear they are missing his goals. His worldwide ban would have meant he would not have been available for this game, but it is the sort of contest that the Uruguayan would have rescued.
Balotelli will not get the amount of goals Suarez does, but he looks bright in attack, and if Liverpool can tidy things up at the back, they will be fighting it out at the top of the table.
Grades
Simon Mignolet: C
The Belgian continues to look shaky. It would be unfair to say he was totally at fault for any of the goals, but he could arguably have tried to claim Downing’s free-kick for the opener and was caught under the ball for the second.
Raheem Sterling: A-
Was by far the Reds’ brightest attacking threat. He looked dangerous every time he had the ball at his feet and got himself on the scoresheet as well.
Mario Balotelli: B
Once again there were positives to take from the Italian's display. His link-up play was excellent and his workrate impressive.
Diafra Sakho: B+
The summer signing from Metz arrived somewhat under the radar, but he is making a name for himself. He looked threatening throughout the contest and could have a good season ahead.
Stewart Downing: B+
The winger had a tough time during his spell at Liverpool. If he wanted to prove a point, he did so in style with an excellent performance.
Post-Match Reaction
Reds boss Rodgers was honest in his assessment of Liverpool's performance.
"Brendan Rodgers: "We've a lot of work to do, and today was really disappointing in terms of [our] performance. It's a number of things."
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 20, 2014"
