IT’S MANE ON IN TITLE RACE!
Sadio has Reds breathing right down City’s neck now...
LIVERPOOL came into this game knowing they had one task – to keep up the pressure on Premier League leaders Manchester City.
And, while this narrow success over a spirited West Ham United may not have particularly worried the reigning champions as a performance, it did at least represent a case of job done.
While Sadio Mane’s first-half goal extended David Moyes’ winless run at Anfield to 18 games, the Scot would have left believing his players should ultimately have ended that hoodoo courtesy of an impressive overall performance.
Liverpool were given an early boost with the news that Declan Rice had not recovered from illness in time to take his place in the West Ham starting XI.
And the visitors certainly seemed to be missing their talisman in the chaotic opening minutes that saw Mo Salah sneak in behind a sleeping backline only to be denied by Hammers keeper
Lukasz Fabianski. They were then left thankful for an excellent Craig Dawson recovery challenge after the Egyptian once again found space in the box.
However, while the swarm of Liverpool attacks continued, West Ham at least began to show a threat of their own going the other way.
That largely came from Michail Antonio, whose combination of strong hold-up play and movement in behind kept the Reds’ defence busy.
His first real chance saw a powerful left-footed shot almost catch Alisson unawares, and he followed that with a low shot from the edge of the box that the keeper again had to react to.
The end-to-end nature of the game was perhaps best summed up by Tomas Soucek taking a pop at goal before almost immediately finding himself at the other end to snuff out a Liverpool attack.
But it was the hosts who landed the telling blow of the slugfest in the 27th minute, Mane’s tap-in from a Trent Alexander-arnold cross being deemed onside after a VAR check. The goal seemed to boost Liverpool’s confidence further, prompting a flurry of chances that saw Alexander-arnold go close from a free-kick, and some pinball in the visitors’ box so nearly bringing a second goal. It was West Ham who went close just before the break, Pablo Fornals beating the offside trap only to bungle the one-on-one with Alisson. He tried to chip the Liverpool keeper for some reason – and had to watch Alexander-arnold hook the effort off the line. Nikola Vlasic failed to get his follow-up shot past Ibrahima Konate. West Ham started the second half in good style, Jarrod Bowen capitalising on a misplaced header from Virgil van Dijk to charge in behind, before Andrew Robertson somehow got back. Unfortunately, that would be the in-form Bowen’s final contribution, an ankle injury forcing him off moments later. That loss lifted Liverpool, who began piling the pressure on in the final third and unleashed Luis Diaz to shoot inches wide before Salah (left, later unhappy to subbed off) twice tested Fabianski.
But once again, though, West Ham were ready to offer a reminder that the game was far from finished.
They should really have been level when Soucek picked out Manuel Lanzini alone in the Liverpool box but, after deceiving Alexander-arnold with a shimmy, he inexplicably sidefooted over when it seemed easier to score.
The final quarter of an hour should have featured more of those type of chances for the Hammers, who had plenty of spells of possession as they probed for an equaliser.
But they were incapable of creating a serious opening despite a string of corners – an avenue they had ruthlessly exploited in winning the reverse fixture earlier this season.
Moyes will rue another sour Anfield flop – while opposite number Jurgen Klopp savours a title-race sweetener.