Arne slot team including Isak and Wirtz All Find Perfect Momentum Boost as West Ham Become the Ideal Opponent
Sometimes, the best thing is just a period of calm, peace, and ease. Liverpool, lately a team desperately craving tranquility and stability, found exactly what they needed against a particularly accommodating West Ham side.
Aside from Lucas Paqueta’s self-destructive outburst directed at the referee, a baffling and completely unnecessary sequence of dissent earning him two quick yellow cards – West Ham offered little resistance.
Consequently, Liverpool secured a victory with remarkable ease, especially considering they didn’t establish a two-goal advantage until added time.
In ordinary circumstances, this victory would have been entirely unremarkable. It was simply a predictable triumph over a weaker opponent who prioritized damage control and narrowly succeeded in that aim, achieving nothing beyond avoiding a complete thrashing.
However, Liverpool’s recent struggles have been anything but ordinary, potentially making this win considerably more important than it initially seems.
After suffering three consecutive defeats by a margin of three goals, the concept of an easy victory is practically nonexistent. Yet, West Ham’s performance almost managed to defy that notion.
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Arne Slot’s key decision before the match was to leave Mo Salah on the bench, and the subsequent outstanding performances of both Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz for Liverpool are bound to cause some surprise.
We should appreciate the turn of events, as they generated discussion points that were sorely lacking before Isak’s goal and Paqueta’s unwise actions – considering his past, deliberately provoking a red card for no apparent reason was simply absurd.
The goal scored by isak was likely the most important event of the match, even beyond the victory itself.
It showcased the true potential that Newcastle believed he possessed, a level of skill and intuition we hadn’t really witnessed from him since his arrival.
It was a sharp, intelligent, and accurate shot executed perfectly on his first touch, finding the net near the goalkeeper’s post.
In a match full of predictable elements – resembling a practice session and offering promising moments from players burdened by high price tags – the hope is that this goal will break through any barriers and unleash a stream of goals for Isak.
It was the culmination of three increasingly promising attempts, the first being a wild miss, the second a good save by the goalkeeper, and finally the third, which secured the crucial goal.
It remains unclear how significant this victory is for Liverpool’s overall aspirations to improve their season, as West Ham put in a surprisingly weak performance.
Considering Liverpool’s well-documented struggles, West Ham were unusually inactive and seemed content with a draw, which was always unlikely, even against this current Liverpool team.
After their own recent, though slight, improvement in form, we anticipated a stronger showing.
Instead, it was only when playing with a numerical disadvantage in the final moments that we witnessed any genuine ambition from Nuno Espirito Santo’s team.
Cody Gakpo scored decisively, ensuring that West Ham’s slim chances of undeservedly snatching a draw were eliminated, and ultimately secured the win for Liverpool.
A Quiet Win They Probably Needed
Liverpool will naturally take the win without overthinking it, but what might matter more is how calm the team finally looked in the moments that usually cause nerves.
For the first time in weeks, there was no sense of panic when West Ham pushed bodies forward, no frantic scrambling on second balls, no feeling that a single mistake would spiral into another collapse.
Even the crowd, restless and frustrated in recent games, settled into a quieter confidence as the minutes passed. It wasn’t flashy or emotional, but sometimes a routine, no-drama afternoon is exactly what a shaken team needs to steady itself.
