West Ham's Carroll and co. show Liverpool how it’s done

If we’re being cynical, West Ham’s win over Southampton was a result of sheer dumb luck rather than the product of expert plays executed by master technicians at work.

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Article by Liam Clarkson

I wrote last week about how courageous Bilić’s side were to claw themselves back into the contest against the Saints after conceding a goal so early on, and I stand by those sentiments.

It must be said, however, that the Hammers’ two goals came from extremely lucky passages of play. Virgil van Dijk’s botched clearance could have gone anywhere – it just so happened that the ball rebounded off Michail Antonio’s head into the back of the net.

In the case of Andy Carroll’s goal, Antonio’s header rebounded fortuitously into the path of the Premier League player who most resembles a drunk carthorse. Luckily, he puts balls like that away in his sleep.

Nevertheless, the win undoubtedly gave West Ham the shot of confidence they needed to triumph over Liverpool for the second time in a season, something the club had not achieved since the 1963–1964 season.

If the win over Southampton was mostly the product of good fortune coupled with the legendary West Ham fighting spirit, then the win over Liverpool was the product of outstanding preparation and a healthy dose of hard work.

From the opening whistle, the Reds looked sluggish and frustrated. Once Jordan Ibe’s curling right-footer rolled inches wide of the left post, their heads dropped.

This noticeable drop in intensity allowed the Hammers to dictate terms for the rest of the first half. The obvious highlight, Antonio’s brilliant 10th minute header, showed the clear difference in attitude between the two sides.

Shortly before the goal, Alberto Moreno was tackled just outside West Ham’s penalty area by Antonio. Antonio could hardly have complained had a foul been given as he missed the ball and took out Moreno’s legs.

Luckily for the winger, the referee allowed play to continue while Moreno continued to writhe on the pitch, crying in mock-agony in an effort to gain the foul.

Once the referee decided to play on, Moreno should have bolted down to pitch to mark Antonio. Instead, he failed to move promptly and left Liverpool a man short at the back.

In contrast to the frankly lazy Moreno, Antonio showed outstanding commitment to run more than 70 yards up field and get into the box. Sure enough, Enner Valencia’s brilliant cross produced a goal that Antonio could finally claim off his own merit.

Had Emre Can’s shot dipped a little lower in first half stoppage time instead of clipping the crossbar, the result could certainly have been different. Alas, Liverpool never really had the rub of the green and West Ham took full advantage.

Shortly after half time, Andy Carroll scored yet another trademark header off a Mark Noble cross which resembled Valencia’s almost perfectly. Needless to say, his celebration against the club who purchased him for £35 million in 2011, making him Liverpool’s record signing, was hardly subtle.

Joe Allen had the chance to make stoppage time interesting with a free header in the 90th minute, but put it wide to neatly symbolise Liverpool’s performance.

After gaining a two goal buffer, West Ham never really looked like relinquishing the lead, closing out the game to jump to sixth following Crystal Palace’s 3-0 loss to Chelsea.

So, where to from here for the Hammers? Well, their FA Cup adventure for this season begins on Saturday when they host Wolverhampton before they travel the length of the country with trips to Bournemouth and Newcastle in the space of five days, beginning next Tuesday night.

A sense of optimism is once again growing amongst the Boleyn faithful now that Payet has finally returned, with Victor Moses, Winston Reid and Diafra Sakho all set to return in the not-too-distant future. Unfortunately, Manuel Lanzini limped off in the 37th minute against Liverpool and may be out for another extended period.

In my opinion, it’s far too early to talk about European places for the Hammers, and I’ve been disappointed too many times to remain too optimistic. For now, I’m sticking with my pre-season prediction of ninth place.

As for Liverpool, God only knows where they’ll be come May. Slaven Bilić thinks they can win the league, but they could still finish in the bottom half of the table if they continue to serve up the rubbish that they did on Saturday.

A few running drills for Moreno wouldn’t go astray…

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