Liverpool move to sixth with a win against West Ham

• Liverpool defeated West Ham United 2-1 on Wednesday night at the London Stadium to climb to sixth place in the Premier League standings.
• Lucas Paqueta gave his team the lead in the 12th minute.
• Cody Gakpo then levelled the score in the 18th, and Joel Matip’s thunderous header made the difference.

Liverpool defeated West Ham United 2-1 on Wednesday night at the London Stadium to climb to sixth place in the Premier League standings.

With a rasping long-range shot, Lucas Paqueta gave his team the lead in the 12th minute. Cody Gakpo then levelled the score in the 18th, and Joel Matip’s thunderous header in the 67th minute made the difference.

The win is Liverpool’s third straight in the league, and it pushed Jurgen Klopp’s team into sixth place, just six points behind fourth-placed Manchester United who have two games in hand.

How the game unfolded

In the fourth minute of the game, West Ham was given a chance after Virgil van Dijk’s error, but Liverpool was able to escape a potentially hazardous situation thanks to Jarrod Bowen’s inability to find Michail Antonio with a cross.

Gakpo’s release of Mohamed Salah gave the visitors a chance of their own in the seventh minute, but West Ham defender Nayef Aguerd expertly stopped Salah’s shot.

In the 12th minute of the game, Paqueta and Antonio combined to give West Ham the lead. From beyond the box, Paqueta then out-muscled Alisson Becker to score.

Gakpo’s goal in the 18th minute tied the game after Liverpool had only trailed for six minutes.

Gakpo levelled the score. |PHOTO: Liverpool FC|

The Netherlands international received a ball from Trent Alexander-Arnold in a crowded area, turned, and shot at goal. His effort beat Lukasz Fabianski and went into the bottom corner.

In the ensuing session, both teams had scoring chances. Said Benrahma missed the West Ham goal, and then Diogo Jota tipped a shot over the crossbar from a dangerous position.

After some good work from Bowen, West Ham really had the last chance of the first half, but Antonio was unable to connect on Benrahma’s dangerous low cross into the box. As a result, the first half ended with a score of 1-1 between the two teams.

Liverpool make it three wins in a row

West Ham thought they had taken the lead back in the 55th minute of the game when Bowen finished brilliantly in the far corner, but a VAR review determined that the attacker had been slightly offside earlier in the sequence, therefore invalidating the goal.

In the 64th minute, Alexander-Arnold fired one over the crossbar, and with Liverpool trying to score again at the London Stadium, Fabianski produced an excellent save to keep Matip from scoring.

Matip’s header goal seals the win. |PHOTO: Sportstar|

Shortly after, the Reds grabbed the lead thanks to Matip‘s powerful header from a Robertson corner, which left Fabianski in the West Ham goal stunned.

When Danny Ings was released by Bowen in front of the Liverpool defence in the 73rd minute, the home team nearly equalized, but Alisson left his goal to make the clearance.

Following deft work from Declan Rice, Maxwel Cornet missed the goal against Liverpool in the 79th minute. Five minutes later, Tomas Soucek headed over for the visitors.

In the 86th minute, David Moyes’ team had another opportunity, but Alisson made a strong save on Bowen’s shot.

When Thiago touched the ball inside the area, West Ham had a good shout for a penalty, but the referee was uninterested and VAR agreed, and Liverpool held off the late onslaught to earn all three points.

Liverpool’s next match is against Tottenham Hotspur at home on Sunday. West Ham, who are currently 14th in the table and five points above the relegation zone, will continue their league season on the road against Crystal Palace on Saturday.