Following their 3-1 victory over West Ham United on Sunday, Liverpool is still among the early leaders in the Premier League.
The team Jurgen Klopp’s team faced had also had a promising start to the new season, but the Reds’ superiority proved to be too much for the Hammers, who suffered their second league loss of 2023–24. The difference between Liverpool and Manchester City is currently two points, and there is growing optimism that this gap may soon be closed if the high levels of play seen since August continue in the months to come. The national media, as well as Paul Gorst of the ECHO, shared their evaluation of what happened at Anfield; his thoughts on the situation are included below. “Fuel all possible outcomes,” the saying goes. Times writer Paul Joyce stated:. It appeared for a while that Darwin Nez would have another of those afternoons.
The kind where he could sense the warmth of the Liverpool fans and hear their throaty support each time he returned to assist in defense but was unable to quite bring them to a crescendo. After a glaring miss shortly after halftime, he found himself standing in front of the Kop with his hands raised to partially cover his face. Mohamed Salah had a golden opportunity to score ten yards out after some deft play between Dominik Szoboszlai and him, but he screwed his shot wide and stood there in shock.
Nez’s ability to recover from mistakes is one of his undeniable strengths, and he is fortunate to play for a Liverpool team with such a strong attacking mindset that another opportunity is frequently just around the corner. A sweet outcome would be redemption. On the hour mark, Nez was able to swerve between Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd thanks to Alexis Mac Allister’s lofted pass from deep. He then extended his right boot to meet the ball on volley.
The West Ham United goalkeeper Alphonse Aréola was left grasping at air after his instinctive delight in taking advantage of the opportunity resulted in appropriately boisterous celebrations. “He was brought in to make a difference, and what he has done here has made sure that Liverpool’s unbeaten start to the season continues to fuel all kinds of possibilities. “Klopp has assumed the role of gem cutter.”. The Telegraph’s Chris Bascombe stated:. Darwin Nunez has at long last gotten used to life at Liverpool. Furthermore, Liverpool has adapted to him, which is also true. Since Nunez became Anfield’s most expensive acquisition, Klopp has assumed the role of a gem cutter, giving a striker who in his debut season only occasionally looked the part the necessary polish. “His game-winning double against Newcastle United earlier this season felt like a turning point.
With a star turn that effectively defeated one of the most talented West Ham teams to visit Anfield in 40 years, the Uruguayan showed why he is currently wearing Liverpool’s No. 9 jersey. “Where last year Nunez might live in a hope for the perfect pass, now he can draw crazy patterns with those boots in the knowledge Mac Allister and the outstanding Dominik Szoboszlai will not hesitate and more often than not will deliver. “Klopp’s attacking arsenal can mask any minor defensive issues that still need to be fixed.
The speed and agility with which Liverpool shifted into sixth gear and headed for the other end whenever they appeared to be in trouble gave the impression that they were always going to win. ‘The great wildcard’. Richard Jolly of the Independent wrote:. “Nunez remains the great wildcard. The only guarantee is unpredictability and, if Nunez himself is not entirely sure what will happen, opponents can stand little chance. “And so the table is taking on a familiar look, with Liverpool the closest challengers to Manchester City, as they often have been in recent years. That owes something to Nunez: mainly his explosive double at Newcastle, in perhaps the most startling comeback of the season so far.
His return for the Premier League campaign now stands at a goal every 73 minutes, surrounded by examples of wastefulness. “Perhaps Liverpool have to accept the trade-off with Nunez: that his physicality and irrepressibility mean he will enjoy plenty of opportunities and the probability that some will be missed in embarrassing fashion. Yet on a day when their other two goals were scored by more clinical finishers, in Salah and the substitute Diogo Jota, Liverpool offered an example of their firepower. “. ‘Are they really in the Premier League title race again?’. Lewis Steele of the Daily Mail wrote:. “This win, with goals from Mo Salah, Nunez and Diogo Jota, takes them to 16 points from 18 to start the season. Are they really in the Premier League title race again? “Time will tell if they are ready to go the distance and lay consistent gloves on Manchester City and Arsenal after a much below-par campaign last season where they were 22 points adrift of Pep Guardiola’s champions.
But the early-season signs are pleasing. “What will perhaps please Klopp the most is his team’s tendency to get over setbacks. They had to weather a storm of West Ham chances in the first half here, with David Moyes’ side playing some nice football on the counter-attack. “. ‘Comfortably eclipsed’. Andy Hunter of the Guardian wrote:. “Something is growing at Liverpool in the supremely qualified opinion of Jürgen Klopp. That judgment applies to expectations at Anfield this season, as well as the development of his refreshed, gifted and hungry team.
West Ham were comfortably eclipsed as Liverpool registered a sixth successive win in all competitions with plenty to spare. “David Moyes’s visitors started brightly and deserved to head in level at the interval. Once Liverpool’s quality on the ball improved in the second half, however, West Ham were subdued and unable to contain the movement around them. Moyes’s long wait for a first win at Anfield goes on. “.
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