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Liverpool secured yet another Premier League comeback at Anfield as they beat West Ham United 2-1 on Saturday evening.
Goals from Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota in either half put the reigning champions at the top of the league standings for the first time this season, albeit temporarily.
West Ham United proved to be the better side in the first half, despite only having a quarter of the possession, and took a well-deserved lead in the tenth minute through Pablo Fornals. The Spaniard kept his cool and finished off a sublime move after the initial cross was headed away by Joe Gomez straight into Fornal's path.
The hosts began tightening the screws after the half-hour mark and started drawing a lot of fouls in dangerous positions. Arthur Masuaku finally cracked under the pressure and allowed Mo Salah to make the most of his poor challenge to earn a penalty in the 42nd minute.
The Egyptian winger drilled the penalty right into the middle and pulled the hosts level just before the half-time whistle. In the second half, at least until Diogo Jota's arrival on the pitch, the game remained pretty balanced, with both the clubs offering little threat going forward.
Jota then brought a lot of energy to the final third and combined effectively with Xherdan Shaqiri, who came on the pitch in the 71st minute. The Portuguese forward got down to business just six minutes later as he appeared to give the Reds the lead. However, the goal was denied by a lengthy VAR check after it was determined that Sadio Mane had fouled the goalkeeper in the build-up.
The substitutes combined really well in the 85th minute, with Shaqiri finding Jota with an exquisite pass and the former Wolves man slotting the ball confidently into the bottom-left corner.
We take a look at the five talking points from the game as Jurgen Klopp's men came back from behind to maintain their unbeaten run at Anfield.
#5 Liverpool allowed West Ham wing-backs to send in plenty of crosses in the first half
In the first half, the West Ham wing-backs dominated the highly decorated full-backs of Liverpool, with Arthur Masuaku getting the drop on Trent Alexander-Arnold on multiple occasions and Vladimir Coufal not allowing Andrew Robertson a lot of space to get into dangerous positions on the left flank.
Liverpool defenders did not close down on West Ham players in the midfield in time and allowed Fornals and Jarrod Bowen to pick out the wing-backs at will. It was Masuaku's cross that led to West Ham's opener after he was left open on the left flank. Even in the second half, Masuaku threatened on a couple of occasions early on.
The Reds, therefore, need to focus on how to balance the defensive duties of Alexander-Arnold and Robertson, given their attacking mindset.
#4 Anfield is well and truly a fortress for Liverpool
Liverpool's 2-1 win over West Ham was their 29th win in their last 30 Premier League fixtures at Anfield and was also the third consecutive game in which they came back from behind to record a victory.
The Reds have now gone 63 games unbeaten at home, equalling the club record set by Bob Paisley's Liverpool side between 1978 and 1980. Only Chelsea (86 games ending in 2008) have ever enjoyed a longer unbeaten home run in English top-flight history.
Liverpool's next home game is scheduled for 21 November when they face a high-flying Leicester City side. They will need to be on their A-game to break their record for most consecutive unbeaten games at home.
#3 Michail Antonio's work-rate was sorely missed by West Ham United in the final third
West Ham United put in a brave display against Liverpool but fell short of picking any points at Anfield yet again, mostly due to the lack of edge in the final third.
Their star forward Michail Antonio picked up an injury when they held Manchester City to a draw at the London Stadium in their previous outing and was out of the match on account of a hamstring issue.
Taking his place in the starting XI was Sebastien Haller, who had just played 50 minutes of Premier League football this term. Haller is an out-and-out striker and is very effective in the box but he failed to provide the Hammers with the same kind of energy and dynamism in the final third as Antonio.
Playing as a lone striker in a 5-4-1 formation, he was often isolated in the opposition half and struggled to link with creative players like Fornals and Bowen at times.
#2 David Moyes deserves credit for the work he's done despite the third defeat of the season
West Ham have only recorded two wins this season while they have lost thrice, with the remaining two games ending in a draw. They have faced the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur in their previous fixtures and have held them to a draw.
Against Liverpool, Moyes' side played with a 5-4-1 formation and stuck to it religiously. The players managed to regroup quickly after losing possession, and the tight man-marking helped them contain the Liverpool attackers, especially in the first half.
It was a great performance by the Hammers at both ends of the pitch. They defended tenaciously, attacked dangerously and deserved to take at least a point home from the game.
#1 Diogo Jota makes a case for his inclusion in the Liverpool starting XI
Diogo Jota has made a great start to life at Liverpool. His winner against West Ham on Saturday was his third goal in as many fixtures.
He provided the Reds with a much-needed edge going forward, something that they had been lacking in the entire game, as both Mane and Salah had a below-par performance.
However, the million-dollar question is whether Klopp should opt to make the 23-year-old a regular starter, which would mean a shift to 4-2-3-1 formation, or to continue utilizing him as a super-sub? If Liverpool's front three keeps misfiring, we think that Klopp should seriously consider handing him more game time.
