Liverpool vs. West Ham: Score and Reaction from 2015 Premier League Match

Liverpool suffered their first 2015-16 Premier League loss on Saturday, putting together a dreadful performance at home against West Ham United and losing 3-0. As shared by Bleacher Report UK's Instagram account, the Hammers hadn't beaten Liverpool at Anfield in a long time:

The Hammers were the better team and fully deserved the win thanks to goals from newcomer Manuel Lanzini, Mark Noble and Diafra Sakho, but the Reds will undoubtedly steal the headlines with their poor performance. Philippe Coutinho and Noble both saw red cards in the second half, and the former will miss Liverpool's pivotal Week 5 clash with Manchester United.

The visitors signaled their attacking intent by starting with three forwards, including Lanzini, who was handed his first-ever start for the Hammers. Just three minutes into the match, that turned out to be a wise decision from manager Slaven Bilic, as the 22-year-old opened the scoring.

Martin Skrtel failed to deal with a ball and played it right back to West Ham, with Aaron Cresswell eventually finding Lanzini in front of goal. It wasn't Skrtel's finest defensive intervention, per BBC Sport:

The Reds almost immediately answered back, but Roberto Firmino's powerful drive smashed into the post.

West Ham settled in defensively following their early lead and invited Liverpool to make the play, but with Coutinho struggling to make anything happen, chances didn't come easily for the Reds. Cheikhou Kouyate had a shot blocked at the other end of the pitch before Mark Noble took advantage of another defensive howler to double his team's lead.

Dejan Lovren tried to shield the ball for a throw before comically handing it to Lanzini, who fired a cross into the box. The ball eventually landed at the feet of Noble, and the 28-year-old easily converted the chance.

ESPN FC's Michael Cox laid the blame for the Reds' dreadful showing at the feet of manager Brendan Rodgers:

Most fans and pundits pointed the finger at the defenders, however, with Lovren taking the brunt of the blame after that second goal. Eurosport UK joined in on the fun:

At half-time, Squawka shared the statistics of the match, which painted an ugly picture for the Reds:

If the fans at Anfield were hoping for a magical second-half comeback, their hopes were quickly dashed when Coutinho was sent off for a second bookable offense. Dimitri Payet turned the Brazil international inside-out with a slick piece of skill, and Coutinho responded by taking him out while already on a yellow.

As shared by Bleacher Report UK, the reds card means he'll miss next week's clash with rivals Manchester United:

The decision to hand Coutinho his second yellow card was harsh, but the attacking midfielder should have known better. While he tried to avoid making full contact with Payet, he was already on a yellow card, and when down by two goals, you know you can't afford to give the official a choice to make.

Without Coutinho, Liverpool's bid to salvage a draw crumbled. Nathaniel Clyne was a bright spot down the right wing, but otherwise, few of the Reds' players stood out on Saturday. Lovren continued mucking about, failing to connect with a ball before taking down Kouyate, and the Croatia international was lucky the ensuing free-kick routine failed miserably.

The second half appeared to play out without any major incidents from that point forward, until Noble was also sent off late, seeing a straight red card for a lunge on Danny Ings. Replays showed his studs were up, but Bleacher Report UK's Sam Tighe still disagreed with the decision:

Both teams now started getting physical, with Lanzini and Ings both taking yellow cards for two nasty tackles. A total of seven minutes were added on, and in injury time, Sakho completed the embarrassment for the Reds with a tidy finish at the near post. 

Liverpool will travel to Old Trafford in Week 5 to take on rivals Manchester United without their best attacking player and fresh off their first loss of the season. Rodgers couldn't have asked for a worse scenario, as the loss of Coutinho will haunt this team.

West Ham continue their Jekyll and Hyde impersonation, playing fantastic football against the top teams and struggling against the rest. Perhaps they can finally break that pattern when they host Newcastle United.  

Post-Match Reaction

As reported by the Liverpool Echo's Neil Jones, Rodgers was extremely disappointed by his team's performance, but promised better when the Reds face United:

With the end of the transfer window fast approaching, it doesn't look like this result will lead to a late signing:

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