The Jurgen Klopp late season revival continues and Liverpool approach the top four like the proverbial battleship: with a robust sense of purpose but at a very low speed.
When Klopp’s side were brushed aside by Manchester City 25 days ago, they were eighth and seven points off fourth place. From their last five games, 11 points have been plundered and now Liverpool find themselves two places better off, yet still six points off those Champions League places.
Hard to say where it all ends although the decline of Liverpool’s opponents on Sunday, Tottenham Hotspur, has been telling. It was they who occupied the fourth place at the beginning of the month and now they find themselves behind Liverpool on goal difference. A win for United at Spurs on Thursday night would open the gap Liverpool have to bridge to Champions League football next season to nine points. They need lots of results to go their way.
Yet Klopp has at least found a new way to deploy Trent Alexander-Arnold, with another evening for the newly inverted full-back adding much purpose to Liverpool’s midfield.
That looks set to be a theme of next season whoever might arrive to bolster the midfield. Liverpool’s principal owner John W Henry was in east London to see this game and while it was a long way from the vintage Liverpool of seasons past, it does at least represent some stability.
They had to come from behind after Lucas Paqueta’s excellent opening goal. The winner from Joel Matip after Cody Gakpo’s first half equalizer was unforgivable from West Ham’s point of view.
He had gone close to scoring from the previous corner and was afforded an unchallenged header for the next one. David Moyes’ side are only five points from the relegation places with six to play. They are not quite safe yet.
The West Ham manager was furious about the refusal of referee Chris Kavanagh to award a penalty in the last minute of the 90 when Thiago Alcantara touched the ball with an arm as he challenged Danny Ings, another substitute. Liverpool had run most of the game but West Ham created chances.
The new Alexander-Arnold now does two jobs for Klopp, and both of them he performed most effectively in the first half. It was Alexander-Arnold who read the pass from Michail Antonio to Said Benrahma in the inside left channel on 40 minutes just as it was Alexander-Arnold who provided the pass for Gakpo’s equalizer on 18 minutes.
The experiment that is only four games in but already he has provided more assists – five – in those games than he had in the previous 40. He certainly looks the part, mimicking the role that John Stones does so effectively for Manchester City. The question as it progresses will be how far up the pitch Alexander-Arnold dare go.
The readjustment had started more than two weeks ago, in the aftermath of that crushing 4-1 defeat to City. Alexander-Arnold was dropped for the following game against Chelsea and when Klopp brought him back to the side for the subsequent Arsenal game, he wanted something different. Suddenly Alexander-Arnold was on the ball in the middle more than he had ever been in his career, and even more so in the 6-1 win at Elland Road.
Against West Ham, Alexander-Arnold looked 90 percent midfielder and ten percent full-back taking the ball from Virgil Van Dijk and leaving the right side to Joel Matip.
It has its draw-backs. The West Ham equalizer came down Alexander-Arnold’s side and was well-worked via two exchanges between Lucas Paqueta and Antonio. The Brazilian had space to hit a right foot drive past his international teammate Alisson. Klopp’s players had ruled the possession but they had always looked vulnerable. Van Dijk gave the ball to Jarrod Bowen in dangerous circumstances even before that.
No question after that who created the chances, starting with the Liverpool goal. It was a straight pass from Alexander-Arnold and a strange, skiddy shot from Gakpo that was well-placed but seemed to beat Lukasz Fabianski with its bounce rather than its pace. Diogo Jota had two decent views of the goal after that but could not get the decisive touch right. Then just before half-time, Antonio seemed to arrive in time to convert Benrahma’s back post cross. Van Dijk got there just before him.
The Matip winner was a fine header from Andy Robertson’s corner when Benrahma lost his man. Before then they had survived only just, in particular a fine tackle from Declan Rice on Mohamed Salah on 55 minutes but in the end West Ham’s luck ran out.