Darwin Nunez continued his fine form to help Liverpool secure a 3-1 victory over West Ham United in the Premier League at Anfield on Sunday.
After being brought down by Nayef Aguerd, Mohamed Salah scored a penalty to give Liverpool the lead against the run of play.
For West Ham, the equaliser came courtesy of Jarrod Bowen, whose stooping header off of Vladimir Coufal’s cross was superb.
Curtis Jones had a goal disallowed shortly after for Liverpool due to offside.
A difficult hooked volley from Nunez off of Alexis Mac Allister’s clipped ball over the top put them ahead.
The Hammers had some good stretches, but they never really threatened to create an opportunity to tie the game.
And the game was decided when Diogo Jota pounced on a loose ball in the box and redirected a Virgil van Dijk header into the back of the net.
David Moyes, manager of West Ham United, now shares the record for most Premier League games lost against one team with Harry Redknapp, who has lost 24 games against Manchester United.
Moyes and Jurgen Klopp both made nine substitutions for their Thursday Europa League games.
With three points, West Ham would have tied their best Premier League start from the 1999-2000 campaign.
They got off to a better start than their opponents, with Tomas Soucek threatening the bottom corner with a header that Alisson had to dive to brilliantly save.
The Reds’ first real chance came when Michail Antonio headed wide, and Salah scored the game-winning goal from the penalty spot he won after a quick counterattack.
Salah joins David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Sergio Aguero, and Erling Haaland as the only players in Premier League history to score or assist on a goal in each of his team’s first six games.
After that, the Reds began to play better, and despite the return of Van Dijk from suspension, Mac Allister, and Salah all failed to score.
When West Ham’s Bowen dove bravely to head Coufal’s cross past Alisson, he hit the post and brought the score even.
Bowen scored in each of West Ham’s first four away games in the Premier League this season, making him the first player to do so since Vic Watson in 1929–30.
The Reds were trailing until Nunez expertly poked a volley past Alphonse Areola.
A winning corner routine was the deciding factor. Within the six-yard box, Andy Robertson found Van Dijk, who dove to the ground, and Jota made no mistake.
Liverpool appears significantly improved compared to the majority of last season. They’ve gone 17 games without a loss, which is 10 more than any other team in the league.
You have to wonder if we will get used to them always being in second place in the league, right behind Manchester City.
Photo by EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN
