EVENING ALL, DAVID Moyes has never won a game at Anfield, which is a fairly troubling record for a man who has taken charge of Everton and Manchester United.
Now he is the boss of bedraggled West Ham, wallowing in the relegation zone without a win in six.
And across his lengthy career, Moyes has never faced a Liverpool team this good. Tonight they bid to maintain their 100% home league record, and re-establish their 22 point lead over Manchester City.
They are coming off a defeat, mind, against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, and are tonight without injured Ballon D’Or contender, Jordan Henderson.
Can West Ham pull off a big shock? Follow our live coverage here on The42, with the game kicking off at 8pm.
Get in touch with us below the line or send your emails to gavincooney@the42.ie.
Team news follows next…
Team News
Liverpool
Jordan Henderson is out and may not be fit for another three weeks, so Naby Keita gets a chance to impress from the start. All members of the attacking trident start, but James Milner misses out with injury.
🔴 Our team to face @WestHam 🔴@JamesMilner is out as a precaution due to a slight muscle strain.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 24, 2020
West Ham
Felipe Anderson returns for the Hammers, with teenage defender Jeremy Ngakia handed the gig of dealing with Sadio Mane on his second Premier League appearance. He actually made his debut in this fixture at the London Stadium last month.
Our team to take on @LFC tonight...#LIVWHU pic.twitter.com/HXZ1HQlDVM
— West Ham United (@WestHam) February 24, 2020
So, why are Liverpool favourites tonight?
Ehm….
76 – Liverpool have won 76 points in the Premier League this season, as many as West Ham have won in 2018-19 and 2019-20 combined. Chasm. pic.twitter.com/7FpnjHs67l
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 24, 2020
Here’s David Moyes speaking to Sky ahead of kick-off.
On whether they stand a chance tonight
“It’s football, things in football happen. We’ve seen crazy results in cup competitions.”
On what West Ham need to improve from the midweek game at Man City
“A lot I liked and a lot I didn’t like. We were well-organised and disciplined, but when we got the ball we didn’t keep it well enough.”
On how to approach a game against Liverpool
“Everyone is trying to work out the best way to play against Liverpool, all the top teams in the world. Someone will eventually do it, hopefully tonight it will be us.
There are three games in the League of Ireland tonight, by the way, with Harps/Shels and Pats/Derry following victim to the weather.
Waterford 0-2 Shamrock Rovers (at HT)
Bohemians v Sligo Rovers (7.45pm KO)
Dundalk v Cork City (7.45pm KO)
And here’s Klopp:
On injuries to Henderson and Milner
That’s a blow for us, as the two guys are our speakers on the pitch. They make sure everyone is really serious. Naby [Keita] is a different player, highest-quality player, and we hope he can help us tonight.
On West Ham approach
It’s quite an offensive line-up from West Ham, so they’ll go for the three points.
Here comes the teams!
West Ham are attacking the Kop in the first half, as Anfield custom decrees.
In the absence of Henderson and Milner, Liverpool are captained tonight by Virgil van Dijk.
And the referee is Jonathan Moss.
And we’re off!
It’s all Liverpool early on as you might expect, but they’ve yet to create anything.
Robertson whips a low cross into the box and is turned behind for a corner by Diop.
That corner came to nothing, but Liverpool have forced a second.
It was another poor corner – this time from Robertson – but Liverpool recycle and the move ends with Robertson curls a long-range shot over the bar.
Fabianski gets away with a howler!
The West Ham goalkeeper dawdles over a kick, and is eventually charged down by Mane, but the ball goes wide of the post!
Eeeesh.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 West Ham (Wijnaldum)
Alexander-Arnold whips a cross into the box and Wijnaldum meets it with a stooping header that nestles in the far corner via Fabianksi’s arm!
Fabianksi is furious in the aftermath, and he probably should have kept it out.
Liverpool 1-1 West Ham (Diop)
Wow, West Ham hit back immediately!
West Ham force a corner and then force a second, after Alexander-Arnold slices a clearance into the air. Liverpool deal with that but don’t with the third, as Diop flicks a header in at the near post!
Alisson let the ball slip through his grasp, and much like Fabianski, will be annoyed that he let that on.
Game on!
Anfield has fallen pretty quiet in the aftermath of that equaliser, and West Ham fans sing, “we’re going to win the League.”
Declan Rice is penalised for cleaning out Fabinho, and Liverpool win the free-kick.
West Ham deal with the initial set-piece, bu Liverpool recycle as ever. Robertson cuts a gorgeous pass across the pitch for Salah, who cuts inside and sees a wicked, dipping shot pushed over the bar by Fabianski, who then punches the corner clear.
Snodgrass somehow gets away with a blatant handball on the right touchline. The howls to award the free was about as lively as Anfield has been since the West Ham goal – the ground has fallen oddly quiet.
West Ham win a corner…which seconds later becomes a Liverpool counter which Ogbonna foils with a terrific interception on a pass intended for Firmino.
Liverpool have forced another corner.
West Ham again deal with the set piece.
Aaaand it’s another Liverpool corner, as Ogbonna gets a foot in to dispossess Mane.
Soucek, at full stretch, heads the delivery away while facing his own goal. Pretty acrobatic but no less vital.
Alisson bails Joe Gomez out of trouble. The Liverpool centre-back miscontrolled under pressure from Antonio, but the West Ham striker overran the ball and the Liverpool keeper rushed out to gather the ball.
Mane sends Robert Snodgrass out for the local paper with an audacious nutmeg on the edge of the box, and his curling shot is blocked by Ogbonna for Liverpool’s sixth corner in 24 minutes. And, yet again, it comes to nowt.
Firmino tries his luck from distance, but it’s a little too high to trouble Fabianksi.
One of the stranger stats of this season is that all of his league goals this season have come away from Anfield.
Declan Rice controls in the area but miscues a cross well over Alisson’s crossbar, then collides with the advertising hoarding and limps away.
Firmino poops the ball right to a rampant Alexander-Arnold, who eats up another few yards of grass before flashing a shot just wide of the far post.
West Ham win another corner. This has been a pretty impressive showing from them to now…
That cross caused all sorts of bother in the Liverpool defence, as Ogbonna muscled Van Dijk off the ball and Alisson forced to spread himself at the back post to block Diop’s effort!
Liverpool win a free-kick down the right flank, which leads to a typically dangerous Alexander-Arnold delivery. It skipped by everyone as it travelled across the box, eventually hitting Salah on its way out for a goal kick.
Ngakia drives through the back of Mane, and Liverpool win a free-kick about five yards from the tip of the D.
Who fancies this?
It’s Alexander-Arnold, and his effort deflects through the wall and drops narrowly wide of Fabianski’s post!
Van Dijk rattles the bar!
Alexander-Arnold’s corner is met by Van Dijk, who heads it onto the woodwork!
The latest corner of the game is West Ham’s. Ngakia broke forward, and saw his cross hit Van Dijk. Wijnaldum rises at the front post and clears.
Liverpool’s passing has been imprecise at times, as it was against Atletico last week. Keita played an easy pass to Wijnaldum miles behind him, and now Alexander-Arnold fizzes a pass for Firmino into Fabianski’s arms.
One minute to be added on at the end of this half.
Half-time: Liverpool 1-1 West Ham
Liverpool haven’t had it as they would have expected, especially when you consider they took the lead. West Ham have been dogged, but Liverpool are well off the pace they’ve set in the league to now.
We’re back in a few!
Peeeeeep! We’re back underway!
No changes for either side. David Moyes couldn’t be the man to scupper Liverpool’s tilt at an unbeaten season…could he?
Alexander-Arnold picks out Firmino in oceans of room in the area, but he miscues his first-time shot horribly and it ends up nestling in the Kop.
West Ham have been forced into a change now – Pablo Fornals on for the injured Soucek.
Salah weaves into the area, but his shot is superbly blocked by Ogbonna.
Fornals fouls Keita, but it’s Declan Rice who goes into the book for booting the ball away in frustration.
Firmino and Salah try a one-two that’s scuppered by another fine Ogbonna block, and Fabianski rushes out to smother the rebound before it breaks for Firmino!
GOAL! Liverpool 1-2 West Ham (Fornals)
Wow! Anfield is stunned.
West Ham enjoy a spell of possession, and then Rice curls a cross into Fornals who, unmarked in the area, volleys the ball first-time beyond Alisson!
Oxlade-Chamberlain is brought on straight away, replacing Naby Keita after another ineffective performance.
Okay, there’s lots of time to go yet…but Liverpool haven’t hit their stride yet and their unbeaten record is under serious stress now.
Oxlade-Chamberlain immediately flashes a long-range shot wide.
Liverpool have injected some pace into the game now. Mane drives into the box and the ball breaks for Robertson, whose cross to the back post is just too high for the unmarked Salah.
Ngakia makes a brilliant challenge to take the ball off Mane’s toe in the box! Corner Liverpool.
Alexander-Arnold lets fly from range again, and this time Fabianski saves, and Liverpool have a corner, which causes some pinball in the area, but West Ham survive and Liverpool have yet another corner.
Firmino heads miles over from the corner! Really poor effort, and West Ham finally have some respite. They have another 30 minutes to survive, but they might just pull this off…
West Ham make a second change: Sebastian Haller replaces Felipe Anderson.
Among Liverpool’s problems tonight:
20 attempts for #LFC tonight. 4 on target.
— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) February 24, 2020
Diop goes in the book for a foul on Mane, in spite of his protestations.
Liverpool completely waste the free-kick by flighting it easily into Fabianski’s arms.
GOAL! Liverpool 2-2 West Ham (Salah)
Oh my God, it’s a horror show from Fabianksi. Robertson raids down the left and pulls the ball back for Salah on the penalty shot, who hits a shot right at the West Ham ‘keeper, who then lets the ball squirm pitifully through his legs!
What a ‘mare.
An Irish blog writes: Darren Randolph is saving that.
Good lord, Alexander-Arnold’s deliveries from the right are lethal. His latest is turned behind by Diop. Liverpool retain possession after the corner, and Van Dijk has a shot blocked behind for a 13th Liverpool corner!
How has Firmino not scored!?
Salah at the back post sees his shot clawed in the air by Fabianski, and at the back post, all of half a yard from the goal line, Firmino somehow doesn’t manage to squeeze the ball in! It instead bounces off the post and West Ham clear for another corner.
Haller drives a shot right at Alisson as West Ham get a first sight of goal since scoring.
Salah plucks a ball out of the sky with a gorgeous touch, holds it up under pressure from Diop and eventually flops to the ground, with referee Moss waving away his appeals for a penalty.
Firmino slides the ball down the right wing for Salah, who threatens to leave Ogbonna in his wake until the Italian defenders recovers well to force corner #4,000.
It comes to nothing.
Noble is booked now for hauling down Oxlade-Chamberlain.
GOAL! Liverpool 3-2 West Ham (Mane)
Gomez shoots from distance, and it’s deflected into the path of Alexander-Arnold, who cleverly hooks the ball across the box to Mane, who taps into an empty net!
Liverpool ratcheted up the pressure as soon as they fell 2-1 behind, and it has eventually told. West Ham have 10 minutes to find another response of their own, and Moyes is sending on Jarrod Bowen for Robert Snodgrass.
Liverpool have a goal ruled out by VAR!
Mane was standing in an offside position as he tapped Alexander-Arnold’s cross in at the back post, foiling what was a gorgeous move.
BIG save by Alisson! Bowen springs the offside trap and one-on-one with Alisson, tries to dink the goalkeeper, who instead stands up tall and the ball goes behind for a corner.
Woah, that corner flew across the Liverpool area and, after a brief moment of panic, was sent behind for what the referee adjudged to be a goal kick. Replays show that it clearly flicked off Firmino, so West Ham are denied another corner.
Five added minutes.
And Jurgen Klopp is evidently declaring at 3-2, as he replaces Sadio Mane with Joel Matip.
Here we go!
Matip fouls Antonio outside the box, and Liverpool have one last set piece to defend..
In fact they have one more as Noble’s shot is deflected behind by Wijnaldum!
FT: Liverpool 3-2 West Ham
Robertson hacked the corner clear and Liverpool win yet again. That was far more stressful than they’ve become used to it…but this was an 18th-straight win and it takes them just four wins from the title!
Thanks for following, bye!
