Darwin Núñez header edges Liverpool to win as Alisson’s heroics deny West Ham

Liverpool 1 West Ham 0

Jürgen Klopp found respite from a tumultuous few days in the sanctuary of Anfield. Darwin Núñez brought Liverpool a second successive Premier League home win with a deft header but it was Alisson who secured it, denying West Ham from the penalty spot and with an outstanding save from Tomas Soucek in the dying moments.

The Liverpool goalkeeper has been to the fore in his team’s recent revival and saved Jarrod Bowen’s spot-kick on the stroke of half-time as West Ham finally roused. The visitors, subdued until the closing seconds of the first half, took the game to Liverpool after the break only to be thwarted by Alisson yet again.

Sunday’s win offered a springboard for Liverpool’s campaign but, first of all, Klopp had to ensure he had a team fresh enough to soar at Anfield for the second time in four days. The Liverpool manager made five changes from the side that condemned Manchester City to their first defeat of the season with Núñez back among the starting line-up. The Uruguay international seized his opportunity and had Anfield chanting his name long before opening the scoring with a textbook centre forward’s header beyond Lukasz Fabianski.

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[ Premier League table ]

Núñez repeatedly stretched the West Ham defence, whether by racing on to Roberto Firmino’s threaded passes down the channels or losing his marker whenever Liverpool’s full backs sized up a cross from out wide. The striker’s first chance came courtesy of an immaculate long ball over the top from Thiago Alcântara. Having let the ball bounce once, the summer signing from Benfica let fly on the half-volley and it needed a fine fingertip save from Fabianski to prevent a spectacular shot finding the roof of the net.

The West Ham goalkeeper had no chance of stopping Núñez’s next effort. Thiago was involved again, floating a measured ball into space on the left where Kostas Tsimikas collected, looked up and swept a superb cross into the heart of the visitors’ penalty area. The delivery narrowly evaded Kurt Zouma but, before fellow central defender Thilo Kehrer could clear, Núñez ghosted in front and steered a downward header beyond Fabianski’s despairing dive. It was no more than Liverpool deserved for a vibrant, industrious start that kept West Ham pinned deep inside their own territory.

Núñez had a clear opening for a second moments later when Fabio Carvalho dispossessed Ben Johnson outside the West Ham area. His shot was straight at Fabianski. The centre forward beat the Poland international again, however, and in style when Kehrer headed a Thiago chip into his path shortly before the interval. Núñez controlled cleanly on his chest, taking Zouma out of the equation in the process, before crashing a shot against a post. He then sliced the rebound wide.

West Ham arrived at Anfield on the back of a season-turning run of four wins and one draw in their last five games, yet there was a distinct lack of ambition from David Moyes’s team in the first half. Their only sight of Alisson’s goal in the opening 44 minutes arrived from wayward clearances by the Liverpool goalkeeper, who found Declan Rice twice in quick succession early on. The visitors were unable to capitalise on either error but were handed a route back into the game on the cusp of half-time when Joe Gomez leapt into the back of Bowen as they both pursued a flick into the Liverpool area from Flynn Downes.

The referee, Stuart Attwell, initially ignored West Ham’s appeals for a penalty, to widespread astonishment, but was advised to check the pitchside monitor by the VAR. All of Anfield knew what was coming, and perhaps not only when Attwell overturned his original decision and pointed to the spot. Bowen never looked confident as he shaped to take the spot-kick. Alisson, instrumental in Mohamed Salah’s winner against City on Sunday, exuded the stuff before diving to his right to push away Bowen’s penalty.

The England manager, Gareth Southgate, was present to see whether Gomez could maintain his excellent form against City and make a late push for the World Cup squad. The penalty he conceded was a clumsy rather than a worrying error, although Downes almost profited in first-half stoppage time when Aaron Cresswell’s cross skimmed off the Liverpool defender’s head and fell to the midfielder 12 yards from goal. Virgil van Dijk intervened to deflect Downes’s effort wide.

West Ham showed far more adventure after the restart, albeit with Gianluca Scamacca toiling throughout the contest, and should have levelled when an up-and-under from Rice found substitute Saïd Benrahma completely unmarked behind Gomez at the back post. A tame volley, sidefooted straight at Alisson, granted Liverpool a reprieve.

The hosts’ rhythm was disrupted by five second-half substitutions but Firmino, Henderson and Curtis Jones, on for his first appearance of the season, all went close to scoring a much-needed second. Henderson also had a low cross diverted on to his own crossbar by Kurt Zouma, who injured himself in the process. “That’s how your cat feels,” sang the Kop as the defender received lengthy treatment.

With three minutes remaining Alisson came to Liverpool’s rescue once again. Benrahma escaped the attentions of Trent Alexander-Arnold too easily before crossing for Bowen, who controlled at the near post and dragged the ball back for Soucek. The goal was gaping, a point was a well-placed shot away, but Alisson sprang across his goal and deflected the midfielder’s close-range effort wide via his thigh. Moyes slumped to the ground in disbelief. – Guardian