With Spurs, Chelsea, and United all having already won, eyes turned to Liverpool to see them keep pace. Instead of keeping it, they set a new bar for the league with a complete 4-0 victory over West Ham in Manuel Pellegrini's first match in charge of the Hammers. The attack was in full swing from the get go and Liverpool were rewarded generously.
What Happened:
The first ten minutes or so were very much a feeling out process. West Ham defended in an offside trap holding their line at the top of the penalty box and drawing three Liverpool players offside in the first twelve minutes. Still, Liverpool continued to build up, the best chance coming from James Milner's centering ball to Sadio Mane being stopped by Lukasz Fabianski near the penalty spot, but eventually the breakthrough was found. Trent Alexander-Arnold found Naby Keita in the heart of the pitch and the new midfielder made a stellar run drawing plenty of defenders towards him. This subsequently freed up Andy Robertson, to whom he sent the ball over to, and Robertson in turn found Mo Salah for the tap-in finish and the 1-0 lead within the first twenty minutes. Liverpool were off to the races.
The pressure kept up. Fabianski made a strong one-handed save on a free kick effort from Trent Alexander-Arnold that was well in his range. Then Bobby Firmino's low cross to Salah put him through to point-blank range, but Salah's right foot could not direct it to the back of the net as Fabianski made himself big and had the crucial save. But it was just a matter of time, and it came in the first half's stoppage time. Salah had his first cross blocked right to Robertson who played it long. The Hammers players shut off, figured the flag to be raised on Firmino or Mane, who were offside, but the cross went long to the touchline to James Milner. Milner kept it in off the line and found Mane who had nothing but empty net in front of him. The score at half was 2-0, and it seemed to be well-deserved as Liverpool held the possession advantage 66% to 34%.
The second half was much cooler for the Reds who kept up the pressure, but at a more relaxed pace. Surviving a couple minor scares, including Michail Antonio skying a close range kick off a corner, Liverpool found the third as Firmino worked his way through multiple defenders and found Mane for the third. Replay showed Mane in an offside possession as he received the ball, but without VAR in the Premier League the goal stood and Liverpool found their third eight minutes into the half. From there it was smooth sailing. Liverpool continued to dominate possession and shut down any attacks West Ham may have had brewing. The fourth goal came very late in the match as Daniel Sturridge's first touch on the pitch was to get a foot on the ball off a corner sending the ball into the net. It was a perfect finish to a fantastic opening match as Liverpool scored four on West Ham for the third straight match.
How Did This Happen:
Naby Keita was the man of the 90 minutes. His run through the pitch was what made the first goal happen and he will not get the assist, but his importance to that goal must be noted. What he did on the pitch will not show up on a basic box score, but in the center of the park Keita dominated possession, never seemed to put a foot wrong, and is strong defensively as well snuffing out attacks and having a brilliant link with Andy Robertson on the left side of the pitch. What seems clear is that Liverpool's Guinean star was worth the wait. Also, credit must go to James Milner. The man who captained Liverpool had the most touches on the ball (122), most passes (102), and second-highest passing accuracy percentage (93.1%) of any outfielder with at least 25 passes. Only second to Virgil van Dijk's immaculate 98.4% with 61 passes. His signing on a free is almost unbelievable three summers ago and he just gets better with age. The entire midfield, Gini Wijnaldum included, was superb and key to the win.
Why was the midfield so key? Not just attack as was covered, but also in making sure any supply lines through the middle to the forwards were secure. With those chances shut down, Marko Arnautovic began to get visibly frustrated with the inability of his side to advance forward and get him the ball. In his 66 minutes, Arnautovic saw just 17 touches. Putting this in perspective, Xherdan Shaqiri had 16 in just nine minutes. The one time he was free, Joe Gomez was able to recover and make a good deflection on Arnautovic's shot. But even that chance came from a long-ball via Angelo Ogbonna. Centrally, any long balls could easily be snuffed out by van Dijk or Gomez, both physical center-backs who were clutch in limiting Arnautovic's involvement and then keeping Chicharito quiet. Other than this, though, the key was making sure Antonio and Felipe Anderson were limited in involvement. Anderson was tricky on the wing and had a solid evening, albeit nothing to truly write home about, but even with Antonio's solid strength and pace offered, he was offered limited freedom and had an abysmal 53.9% passing accuracy from the right-wing. This is a testament to Robertson's defensive ability as he covered both wingers at different times.
West Ham had a defensive plan on Liverpool, it is very clear. They would play a bit higher at the top of the box, force the Liverpool players to perhaps drop deeper to receive passes, then immediately mark them tightly and force them to work around it. Unfortunately for them, it failed. Why? Well, for starters, the first goal proves what many fans knew already: the counter attack is truly where Liverpool are most deadly. They did not need 15+ passes in the West Ham half to try and find the key to their defense, it was a calculated run by Keita through the center of the park and drawing those defenders out of position enough to find an open man in front of net. Additionally, you have the fact that players like Keita and Firmino and Salah are elite in small spaces. This was shown best in the build-up for the third goal with Firmino working through multiple Hammer defenders to find Mane. The effort was noble, and perhaps not even worthy of losing 4-0, but that is the power of this Liverpool side. They will take their chances and have ability to exploit a misguided game plan.
Finally, we must talk about Alisson. The new Brazilian keeper needed to make only two saves, a Fabian Balbuena header on a corner and an easy long shot from Antonio, but the goalie immediately showcased why he is so important. Between spraying long balls out to start Salah on the counter or finding an open Robertson while under pressure in a tight spot on the wing, Alisson made only one mistake, and that even was cleaned up well by the defense as possession was won back from West Ham after a giveaway. This is a Liverpool side with a new look defense, keeper included, that is wholly comfortable playing with the ball out of defense. Very rarely, unless there was a counter opportunity, would you see Alisson kick it long. Instead, the Reds played themselves out of trouble in their half and did so with very few complications, and holding a clean sheet together.
Final Thoughts and What's Next:
This is a West Ham team that are going through a substantial amount of changes. They went through a couple formations in the match, had five new signings in the starting eleven, and a sixth play off the bench, and have a new manager. This is a side trying to find an identity, but a talented side nonetheless. And today at Anfield, Liverpool had no problems slicing through them. It was a total performance and the statement of the opening weekend to that point. Four goals with an almost casual clinical ability and a clean sheet to go with it. All players involved will be proud of this start to the season.
On deck for Liverpool is a Monday evening (or afternoon here in the U.S.) match at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace. Palace won 2-0 against Fulham on Saturday despite having the same amount of possession West Ham did against Liverpool today (34%) and will hope to continue their winning ways. Led by Wilfred Zaha, they pose an interesting challenge to Liverpool as they embark on their first competitive away match of the year.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for more LFC coverage, including live Tweets during the matches, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball coverage!
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