Apart from those in the away end who celebrated like it was 1963, Anfield was almost deserted by the final whistle. Seeing Liverpool lose 3-0 at home in the league for the first time since two years after West Ham United last won there had proved too much. If Brendan Rodgers went into the season knowing that he needed to regain the fans’ trust, it has taken only four fixtures for the size of the challenge to be writ large.
In the space of 90 calamitous minutes on Saturday, the goodwill that Rodgers had built up in an unbeaten start to the campaign was obliterated and he went back to square one.
Results such as this one — the resumption of last year’s theme, in which Liverpool were on the wrong end of heavy defeats by average sides — do not help his cause. After conceding three goals to West Ham, much of the focus was inevitably drawn to Liverpool’s defence and particularly Dejan Lovren, whose error allowed the visiting team to score their second goal.
But this was a day when not one department of the Liverpool team emerged with credit. In attack, they troubled Darren Randolph, the West Ham goalkeeper, only once, when Lovren had a punt from distance. The midfield was a mess; too easy to bypass on the break, offering no creativity, the lack of someone capable of controlling the game being all too obvious.
Rodgers will hope that this was just an off day. The signs, though, are not promising. Like Crystal Palace (twice), Arsenal and Stoke City last season, West Ham discovered that, if you get at Liverpool, they yield too easily and that if you take the lead, as they did after just three minutes when Manuel Lanzini took advantage of slack defending, Rodgers’s team struggle to find a way back into the game.
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It is telling that, since the start of last season, Liverpool have won only once, away to Leicester City in December last year, after going behind.
A perusal of the squad reveals a group of players who are average to good, although there are those, such as Roberto Firmino, who struck a post after Liverpool went behind, and Joe Gomez, who looks promising despite playing out of position at left back, with the potential to improve.
Window box
Liverpool As with seemingly every transfer window, Liverpool need a specialist left back and it is mystifying that the position has not been addressed. They would also benefit significantly from the addition of a top-quality midfield player capable of dictating the flow of games.
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West Ham United Although James Tomkins filled in at right back at Anfield, West Ham’s need for someone to fill that role permanently is clear, particularly if Carl Jenkinson’s early-season struggles continue. An attacking midfielder able to take some of the goalscoring burden off Diafra Sakho would also help after Kevin Nolan’s departure.
But the feeling remains, even after another summer of pronounced change at Anfield, that the challenge of returning Liverpool to the Premier League top four remains onerous.
While Rodgers pines for a return to the form of 2013-14, this display had more in keeping with the next season. Undone by weak defending on three occasions, allowing Mark Noble and Diafra Sakho to add to Lanzini’s opener, Liverpool’s response was meek, Christian Benteke being left isolated in a manner that would have brought a knowing smile from the departed Mario Balotelli.
To complete their reacquaintance with last season, there was a resumption of three at the back and the dismissal of a key player after half-time to end hopes of a comeback; for Steven Gerrard against Manchester United last spring, read Philippe Coutinho.
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West Ham were also reduced to ten men late in the game when Noble was harshly sent off for catching Danny Ings, a decision that Slaven Bilic is ready to appeal against. The points had already been secured by then and Liverpool could have no complaints about the team who had taken them.
Just by sitting deep, with well-drilled lines in defence and midfield, and showing a willingness to execute Bilic’s counterattacking blueprint, West Ham were able to dismantle Liverpool with an ease that belied their club’s 52-year wait for a victory at Anfield. “I’m not modest. I know I can organise a team with my staff,” the West Ham manager said. On this evidence, if not against Bournemouth a week earlier, he had every right to boast.
Ratings
Liverpool (4-1-4-1): S Mignolet 5 — N Clyne 6, M Skrtel 4, D Lovren 4, J Gomez 5 (sub: J Ibe, 78min) — L Leiva 6 — R Firmino 5 (sub: D Ings, 61 5), E Can 4 (sub: A Moreno, 46 5), J Milner 5, P Coutinho 5 — C Benteke 5. Substitutes not used: A Bogdan, M Sakho, D Origi, J Rossiter. Booked: Coutinho, Lucas, Ings, Clyne. Sent off: Coutinho.
West Ham United (4-1-4-1): D Randolph 6 — J Tomkins 6, W Reid 8, A Ogbonna 7, A Cresswell 7 — P Obiang 7 — M Lanzini 8 (sub: R Oxford, 81), C Kouyaté 7, M Noble 7, D Payet 7 (sub: M Jarvis, 88) — D Sakho 7 (sub: J Cullen, 90). Substitutes not used: R Spiegel, E Lee, M Samuelsen, K Knoyle. Booked: Noble, Lanzini. Sent off: Noble.
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Referee: K Friend.