Liverpool 1-0 West Ham: Reds player ratings as Mane’s winner keeps the title race red-hot | Premier League 2021-22
Sadio Mane’s first-half strike helped Liverpool see off a stern challenge from West Ham United to register a 1-0 win in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Reds dominated proceedings in the first half, with Mane’s close-range finish giving them the lead in the 27th minute. However, West Ham created their fair share of chances and kept the home side’s defenders on their toes.
Both sides had chances to score in the second half as well, with the game getting increasingly stretched as the clock ticked away. Ultimately, Liverpool’s excellent defensive organization saw them successfully keep out a spirited West Ham.
@LFC secure an important win at Anfield 
🔴 @LFC secure an important win at Anfield ✅
#LIVWHU https://t.co/8dlvjsRdz2
With the win, Jurgen Klopp’s men cut Manchester City’s lead atop the Premier League table down to three points. The Hammers cling on to fifth place for now, but with teams below them primed to leapfrog them soon.
Liverpool Player Ratings against West Ham:
Alisson: 5/10
The Brazilian was made to work hard for his clean sheet, making four important saves to keep West Ham at bay.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: 7/10
Alexander-Arnold turned in an all-round display and was excellent in defense as well as attack. The Englishman registered an assist among his five key passes (the most in the game) and added a crucial goal-line clearance for good measure.
16 - Trent Alexander-Arnold has provided 16 assists in all competitions this season for Liverpool, his best return in a campaign in his career, overtaking the 15 he achieved in both 2018-19 and 2019-20. Sweet. https://t.co/wxOkFE0Elt
Ibrahima Konate: 5/10
Konate had his hands full dealing with the formidable threat of Michail Antonio and looked quite nervy at times up against the physical Hammers striker.
Virgil van Dijk: 6/10
Van Dijk was absolutely unflappable in the Liverpool defense, turning in a characteristically cool and composed display.
60 - Virgil van Dijk has never been on the losing side for Liverpool in 60 Premier League games at Anfield, setting a new record for most home games for a single club without ever losing in the competition (W52 D8). Imperious. https://t.co/3WAjoBSrBO
Andrew Robertson: 6/10
Robertson combined superbly with Luis Diaz down Liverpool’s left wing, with the duo fashioning several excellent chances during the game.
Jordan Henderson: 5/10
The Liverpool skipper was full of running, covering large parts of the pitch in a typically energetic display.
Fabinho: 5/10
The Brazilian was excellent in his role as the deep-lying playmaker, contributing with both timely tackles and clever forward passes.
Naby Keita: 5/10
The game largely passed Keita by, with the midfielder offering hardly anything of note to the proceedings. He did, however, make a crucial tackle in the second half to deny Antonio a goal. He was replaced by James Milner late on in the game.
Mohamed Salah: 5/10
A rare blank against the Hammers for Salah, who was well-marshalled by Creswell throughout the game. The Egyptian was taken off with 12 minutes to go in the game for Diogo Jota.
That was the first time in Mohamed Salah's career that he has *not* scored against West Ham at Anfield. 😮 https://t.co/xSqr6eEf4h
Sadio Mane: 6/10
Playing through the middle, Mane was sloppy in possession but grabbed the crucial goal in the first half to give his side the lead.
Luis Diaz: 6/10
Diaz was electric on the left wing, looking dangerous every time he got on the ball and carried it towards the West Ham goal. The Colombian looks to have slotted into the Liverpool system instantly.
Substitutes:
Diogo Jota: 5/10
On for the final 15 minutes or so, Jota had a couple of chances to seal the win for the Reds but failed to convert.
James Milner: N.A.
Milner replaced Keita in the final five minutes and barely got a touch of the ball.
Curtis Jones: N.A.
Jones came on simply to help his side see out the final few seconds of the game.