Liverpool 3-2 West Ham: 3 reasons why the Reds won the game | Premier League 2019-20
Liverpool were made to sweat in their Monday night fixture as a routine match against West Ham threatened to turn into a nightmare for the Merseyside giants.
The Hammers have been disappointing this season and are currently engaged in a relegation scrap fight which meant the fixture was expected to be a straightforward victory for Jurgen Klopp's men.
It started well enough for the home side when Gini Wjnaldum headed home from yet another Trent Alexander-Arnold assist in the 9th minute. Their joy was, however short-lived, as Issa Diop headed in expertly from a Ryan Snodgrass corner to draw the Londoners level and both sides went into the break even.
The second half started disastrously for the hosts when Pablo Fornals came off the bench to sweetly seep home a center from Declan Rice and Klopp promptly took action, replacing Naby Keita for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Liverpool huffed and puffed and got their equaliser through a bit of fortune when Mo Salah struck a weak-footed shot from inside the box which found a way to crawl past the normally dependable Lukasz Fabianski.
From then on, there was an inevitability about the result and Sadio Mane got his second match-winner in as many matches since returning from injury when he prodded home from a lofted ball in the box by Alexander-Arnold.
The win saw Liverpool reclaim their 22-point lead at the summit, as they continue their quest to end their three-decade wait for Premier League glory.
Although they were made to sweat for it, the Reds ultimately prevailed and here, we shall be highlighting three reasons why they won the highly entertaining fixture at Anfield.
Also Read: Where do Liverpool rank among the greatest sides in Premier League history?
#3 Their date with destiny
It is a fact that Liverpool would end this season with their maiden Premier League triumph and with that already established, the conversation has expectedly turned to how many records they would break en route their date with destiny.
There are several records already guaranteed to be broken by the Reds and barring any disastrous dip in form between now and the end of the season, they would surely go down in history as one of the best Premier League sides of all time.
When it comes to great Premier League teams, one name that constantly pops up is the Manchester City of the last two years, with their title-winning campaign in 2017-2018 setting the yardstick in many departments.
When the Citizens attained the unique feat of reaching 100 points with a last-gasp winner by Gabriel Jesus on the last day, many opined that that three-figure haul is one that would probably never be matched again but Liverpool need just 22 points and have 11 matches to break that mark.
The next great feat achieved by Pep Guardiola's army was their run of winning 18 Premier League matches in a row (ironically ended by Liverpool) and the Merseysiders were on course to equal this run until their winning spree was halted by great rivals Manchester United in October last year.
This remains their only blemish in an otherwise perfect campaign and having surmounted various obstacles to win all 17 matches since then, Liverpool got another shot at glory when West Ham came visiting.
There was not to be another slip-up in front of an expectant crowd and having equalled the winning run, they would have a chance to get the record all for themselves when they visit Vicarage Road to take on Watford.
#2 Liverpool always find a way to win
When Atletico Madrid deployed the 'dark arts' to defeat Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League tie, it put Salah and his teammates in the unfamiliar position of ending a match on the losing side.
Before that, the first team's last loss had come against Napoli back in September and if you take away the strange 5-0 defeat to Aston Villa in the League Cup, it means that Liverpool have lost just two matches this season.
This is rather remarkable considering the level they are operating at and when you also factor in that the club contested on more fronts than anyone else this season, the feat becomes even more impressive.
Klopp has forged his side into a winning machine and even when they are not playing at their best, they always find a way to get the job done.
West Ham deserve immense praise for giving as good as they got and making the game highly entertaining and if they had played this way against almost any other team, they would have ended the night with something.
However, just like in other pressure matches against Aston Villa, Wolves, Sheffield United, and Norwich, Liverpool ultimately found a way to win.
#1 Their unbelievable Anfield run
When Christian Benteke scored a 74th-minute goal for Crystal Palace to condemn his former side to defeat on their own turf on April 24, 2017, it was just another day at the office for Liverpool and not even the staunchest supporter could have predicted that this would mark a turning point in the club's illustrious history.
Since then, the Reds are yet to taste defeat at home in the Premier League, a run lasting 1,037 days (almost three years).
For context, the great Manchester City have lost four matches at the Etihad in that time, while Old Trafford has seen Manchester United on the losing side on seven occasions.
Liverpool's run is currently the longest unbeaten home run in Europe's top five leagues and to say that they have turned Anfield into an impenetrable fortress is no hyperbole.
Since April 2017, 53 teams have come to Anfield and all 53 of them have left without a victory and West Ham became the 54th Premier League side to fail in their quest to defeat Liverpool at home.
Also Read: Klopp pleased to see Liverpool squeeze past West Ham and extend winning run