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⚽ Isak and Gakpo score to end Reds’ run of defeats
⚽ Bonds dies aged 79 | Top scorers | Scoreboard | Email John Paul Griffin gets in touch: “Isak there, edging himself marginally ahead of Andy Carroll in the pantheon of strikers Liverpool signed from Newcastle. He is only 3000 slots, nutmegs, assists, shimmies and dinked finishes behind Peter Beardsley. He’s more back than Burt Bacharach’s backing band, backstage, wearing backpacks. Possibly. ” Better days for Liverpool, with that goal from Isak being accompanied by a decent performance from Florian Wirtz. Joe Gomez had a good game, too. On the Sky commentary, Rob Green referred to an “Arne Snot”, and it’s a result Liverpool’s manager won’t be sniffing at. The pressure eases – for now – on Arne Slot. And Alexander Isak, who broke his duck. West Ham offered not nearly enough, and Lucas Paqueta’s behaviour was a disgrace. Talk about picking your moments. 90+4 min: The Liverpool fans are now singing for Arne Slot. The home fans have made for Pudding Mill Lane, if they have any sense of the quickest way out of the Olympic Park. It’s Szoboszlai’s industry that wins it, and he lays it off for Gomez to cross. Gakpo scores. Not much of a celebration; Liverpool’s players know there is a long road back. The young Greek striker has done for Forest. A fine away win for Brighton. 90 min: Liverpool have five minutes to see this out, West Ham have five minutes to save their souls. 89 min: Liverpool look likely to see this out, and they can thank Paqueta for much of that. Alisson ran out of his goal to calm down his fellow Brazilian, but that didn’t stop him making himself behave like a wally. 87 min: Bowen goes close for West Ham as Fullkrug bullies the ball free. It drops to the skipper but he can’t keep his shot on target. 85 min: That’s a terrible look for West Ham, on this day of all days. Paqueta, you silly boy. Oh dear, head loss. The Brazilian is dismissed, and leaves the field sarcastically, and with much delay. He’s given a yellow for a minor offence, and then keeps on ranting, and gets the second for dissent. Remember Javier Masherano at Old Trafford in 2008 or so? It was like that. 81 min: Liverpool look to the counter to relieve the pressure being placed on them by West Ham, which is hardly the most testing test they will face. 80 min: An almost immediate impact by Fullkrug as Paqueta aims in a cross. Offisde, though. 78 min: Off goes Wilson, the West Ham workhorse. On comes Fullkrug, who owes a goal or two to the Hammers. 77 min: A powerful run by Luis Guilherme suggests the Hammers are not done yet. The crowd is urging on the home team. The fans, a knowledgeable crowd, know when opposition is worried. 75 min: Wirtz, at least, has a smile on his face as he leaves the field. Jones immediately gets involved in the attack, and neat flick sets off Ekitike, though the shot is unconvincing. 74 min: Slot further putting the tortoise shell on a defensive setting: Curtis Jones will be coming on for Florian Wirtz. 72 min: And some classic Liverpool pass and move. Far more poise. They are still fully capable. West Ham need to up their game, and have little way back into the game. 70 min: Liverpool seem to be retreating. Let’s recall they did plenty of that last season and it proved a title-winning formula. From the edge of the box, Kamara smashes in. Wolves losing again, the Rob Edwards revolution not quite paying off just yet. 67 min: Off goes Isak, who scored that goal. Magassa vacates for the Hammers. 66 min: Magassa is booked for a hefty tackle on Szoboszlai. Luis Guilherme will soon be coming on for West Ham. And so will Hugo Ekitike. 64 min: West Ham have to find a way back. Potts sends Bowen on a scrambling run but the cross finds no takers, with Diouf on the far side the nearest to the ball. 62 min: The Liverpool fans can be heard for the first time in a while. Their team win a corner, whipped in by Gakpo, cleared by Areola. 61 min: It took 381 Premier League minutes for Isak to end the drought. That was a finish from the top level. A first Premier League Liverpool goal for Isak. Gakpo’s cut-back of Wirtz’s ball and Isak slide-rules the ball home. 58 min: Paqueta gets away from Mac Allister, the pair have been conjoined all game, but the shot is wide of Alisson’s goal. 56 min: A fresh West Ham corner, this one taken short, and another results. Pottsy will take it again, and it’s cleared with much more ease. West Ham are having much more of the ball. 54 min: Potts’ corner only reaches Cody Gakpo. Neither time finding it, both of them grinding it. 53 min: Paqueta tries to find Wilson but West Ham’s striker is isolated. Liverpool are defending in numbers, Gomez adding to their strength there. Van Dijk concedes a corner. 52 min: Kerkez takes a cruncher from Freddie Potts but will be OK to continue. West Ham have a brief period of attacking but not too much is being risked. This is the Nuno way, forget the West Ham way. 50 min: The atmosphere at the London Stadium is rarely the best, though it can have its moments. This is hushed silence, though jeers break out as Gakpo takes aim and blams his shot miles wide. 49 min: Matt Dony gets in touch: “0-0 at half time against the 17th-placed side? I’d have took it, as they say. Which sums up the season so far. Onwards and (maybe) upwards. ” 48 min: Florian Wirtz searches desperately for space. He’s been lively, though not as decisive as he’d like or how you would expect a player of his price and pedigree to be. 46 min: We begin with a scrappy moment, and a free-kick. A bit like the first half. Wolves had a first-half goal against Aston Villa chalked off. Jorgen Strand Larsen scores but Jhon Arias was ruled to have blocked off Emi Martinez’s view. The same keeper also made a worldie save from Yerson Mosquera, tipping a header on to the bar. Henrik gets in touch: “Football fans are like tribes that often havn’t nice sayings about other tribes. But if you asked which players you do like from the opposite site, I think many would agree that West Hams Jarrod Bowen indeed is a fine player, full of fair play and great attitude. “As a ‘pool supporter I loved to see him and Jurgen Klopp always took their time after every match to chat and Klopp also spoke highly about this player. Even he’s from another tribe. ” Half-time scores: West Ham 0-0 Liverpool Nottingham Forest 0-1 Brighton Aston Villa 0-0 Wolves Brighton’s full-back found himself through on goal, set up by the excellent Yankuba Minteh, and his finish was excellent. A cleared Freddie Potts corner closes the half. Liverpool continue to be scratchy, West Ham happy to soak up pressure. Low on entertainment and quality: sorry about that. 45 min: Just a minute added on. 44 min: Not much noise at the London Stadium; the players can be heard. And a plane overhead. 43 min: Liverpool lay something of a siege, their midfielders' stroking the ball around. But the final ball is still lacking. 42 min: Wirtz has been trying things, and attempts to send away Isak, only for the ball to outrun the striker. 41 min: This has been a very Nuno approach to the game, and he would argue his team are very much in the contest. The plan is to strike later; it worked for Forest last season. 39 min: Van Dijk continues on, and at the other end his team create their best chance of the half. Gakpo lays up Wirtz but the shot is a disappointment; Areola gets down low to save. 38 min: Callum Wilson – inadvertently – smashes his arm into the throat of Virgil van Dijk. 36 min: West Ham attempt to build up a head of steam, Jarrod Bowen at the heart of it. Liverpool are there for the taking if they fancy it, even if this has been improved. 35 min: Jonathan Wilson has penned this tribute to Billy Bonds. 34 min: West Ham defending doggedly enough, though in truth Liverpool have not looked in much nick. 32 min: Lovely skill and pass from Wirtz, but Gakpo’s control isn’t good enough and Todibo steps in to clear the ball. Gakpo has had his struggles this season, not as high profile as others but he’s got some convincing to do. 30 min: Mac Allister gets space to shoot, but it takes a deadening deflection before it gets to Areola. After 30 minutes, there have been no goals scored across the 2. 05pm Sunday matches. 28 min: Wirtz, who has been good, and all over the field, takes a knock, and there’s a loud squeal. He will be fine. 26 min: There was moment there when Isak looked like his old self, galloping on with the ball, only to falter at the last juncture. Maybe there is a player there after all. He looks tired after all that effort. 25 min: Defenders required by Liverpool as Bowen almost escapes. It’s end to end, perhaps not as much as Arne Slot would like.