For the 20th time this season Liverpool conceded the first goal of the game, but their reaction to doing so this time was hailed as the “best” of the campaign.
Of those previous 19 matches that the Reds conceded first prior to their trip to West Ham, the Reds went on to win just three.
You can understand then why some may have been expecting the worst after Lucas Paqueta’s 12th-minute strike.
But Liverpool made it four wins from 20 games when they conceded the opening goal, thanks to Cody Gakpo and Joel Matip.
The Reds may have left the door ajar at times for the Hammers but they did not crumble when tasked with mustering a comeback.
It, rightly, pleased Jurgen Klopp, who commended his side for “digging in deep” and taking all three points back to Merseyside.
“It was by far the best reaction to a setback we had this season,” Klopp explained in his post-match press conference.
“We were 1-0 down and usually this season it looks like that’s it pretty much and today I couldn’t see a difference body language-wise, it was all good.”
The response came to a question pertaining to the reason behind Liverpool’s run of three wins on the spin, with Klopp noting the foundation of his team’s defending.
“We defend completely different, in general, the readiness to defend,” Klopp explained.
“The biggest chance in the first half for West Ham [is] when Virg sorts it at the far post, we don’t win the ball in a three-vs-one situation on the sideline.
“[But] I love the situation, we have to win the ball there, but I love that we were there and we tried. Genius moment but unlucky for us.
“When you have stability in the game, when not each piece of possession in the game ends up in a shot, a cross or a dangerous situation in the box then you can build confidence.
“That’s what I saw today.”
It’s a marked improvement for Liverpool who had won three, drawn five and lost 11 in all competitions when conceding first prior to their trip to West Ham.
It is a mentality that was once widely commended and while we do not want to see Liverpool in that position, it was a welcome sight to see them turn it around.
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