Liverpool made light work of West Ham on Sunday afternoon, winning 3-1, and the media admired moments of real quality.
The Reds faced a potentially tough challenge at Anfield in the Premier League but, despite a few scares, they passed with flying colours.
Mohamed Salah‘s penalty was cancelled out by a Jarrod Bowen header, but Jurgen Klopp‘s side pulled away in the second half, thanks to goals from Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota.
Here’s a look at how the media assessed Liverpool’s latest victory, as their good run of form carries on.
Liverpool dug deep against stubborn opposition…
The Telegraph‘s Chris Bascombe lauded the attacking depth as a key reason for the Reds’ win:
“Liverpool’s attack is emerging as the hottest ticket in the Premier League again.
“Where previously Jurgen Klopp looked to a dependable front three, he has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal now. There is still some refining to be done on his new look side, but offensively they already look at full throttle.
“West Ham were well in this game at Anfield, level at half-time and cursing several opportunities to claim a notable scalp.
“But Klopp’s side possesses the thrilling capacity to flick a switch and change momentum. This season is heralding the arrival of a more polished Darwin Nunez, who is benefiting from a midfield capable of seeing the right pass to him, and more significantly executing it.”
On X, David Lynch hailed another hard-earned three points:
They'd probably like to win with a bit more ease at some point but today was yet more proof of Liverpool's ability to grind their way through tough games before showing their class. West Ham were impressive but just couldn't stay with the hosts for 95 minutes.
— David Lynch (@dmlynchlfc) September 24, 2023
Jacob Leeks of the Mirror was pleased to see the Reds’ run of conceding first come to an end:
“Liverpool have been the comeback kings this season, falling behind in four of their last five games. While that spirit has pleased Jurgen Klopp, he has called on his side to stop relying on themselves fighting back to win points.
“It was a request they were finally able to honour on Sunday, with Salah putting them a goal up early on. It is the first time they have gone ahead first since hosting Aston Villa at the start of the month.
“Klopp may still need to work on that mentality though, with the Hammers able to equalise. Still, it will please the Reds boss that his side have finally been able to buck their comeback kings trend.”
Some paid special attention to Nunez…
The Daily Mail‘s Lewis Steele felt it was another entertaining showing from the Uruguayan, who can be hit-and-miss:
“It was a seven-minute spell to sum up Darwin Nunez’s first year or so on these shores. On 53 minutes, a slick Liverpool passing move ended with the Uruguayan shanking a good chance wide from close range. Seven minutes later, the Kop only had one name on their lips.
“‘Nunez, Nunez, Nunez,’ came the visceral, tribal-like roar from all corners of Anfield, after their No 9 had spectacularly fired them ahead in a tight contest against a West Ham side that caused Liverpool plenty of problems.
“Rarely has a striker baffled so much. When Nunez is shanking good chances wide and losing possession with a heavy touch, rival fans’ criticism seems justified about the £85million man. At other times, like Sunday and his brace at Newcastle last month, he looks worth every penny.”
“And so the curious case of Nunez continues, as does the intriguing early-season charge of Liverpool.”
Richard Jolly of the Independent assessed Nunez very similarly:
“West Ham first benefited and then suffered from Nunez being Nunez. Liverpool fashioned two glorious opportunities shortly after half-time.
“Mohamed Salah released the Uruguayan for the first: unmarked, by the penalty spot, he sliced a shot wide. When Alexis Mac Allister chipped a pass over the West Ham defence, the £64m man timed his run and angled his volley, perhaps in ungainly fashion, but certainly in an effective manner.
“And so the table is taking on a familiar look, with Liverpool the closest challengers to Manchester City, as they often have been in recent years.
“That owes something to Nunez: mainly his explosive double at Newcastle, in perhaps the most startling comeback of the season so far. His return for the Premier League campaign so far now stands at a goal every 73 minutes, surrounded by examples of wastefulness.”
Stats man Michael Reid outlined Nunez’s minutes per goal or assist ratio on X, comparing him favourably to past Liverpool greats:
Best mins/goal or assist rates for Liverpool in all comps in the Premier League era (10+ apps, 1992-93 onwards):
Mo Salah – 95
Luis Suárez – 102
Darwin Núñez – 107
Daniel Sturridge – 107
Fernando Torres – 114
Michael Owen – 117#LFC #LIVWHU— Michael Reid (@michael_reid11) September 24, 2023
Talk of a title challenge is growing…
This Is Anfield‘s Mark Delgado looked ahead to a massive game at Tottenham next weekend:
“Klopp made 11 changes in midweek and eight more here to revert back to a first-choice lineup. We can assume, therefore, there will likely be in or around double figures during the week once more for when the Reds face Leicester City in the Carabao Cup.
“Following that, the Reds are back in Premier League action against Tottenham Hotspur and it’ll inarguably be the biggest test we’ve faced since the opening day of the season.
“Spurs have been free-flowing, attack-minded and pretty fearless under Ange Postecoglou – not infallible but certainly more dangerous than in the last couple of campaigns. Liverpool cannot afford to be anything other than 100 percent on it if the winning run is continue.
“We can’t look too far ahead but remaining unbeaten to the international break has to be the next real task in mind for the Reds, and on the evidence of our attacking play at least, it’s certainly a plausible scenario to aim for.”
Finally, the Guardian‘s Andy Hunter touched upon Klopp’s claim that something is brewing at Liverpool:
“Something is growing at Liverpool in the supremely qualified opinion of Jürgen Klopp.
“That judgement applies to this season’s expectations at Anfield, as well as the development of his refreshed, gifted and hungry team.
“West Ham were comfortably eclipsed as Liverpool registered a sixth successive win in all competitions with plenty to spare.”
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