HANDS UP! IT’S A STICK UP (BUT NOT A HANDBALL)!
West Ham 1 Liverpool 2
Did you know that some ‘handball’ decisions are seen as ‘handballs’ only in Europe? But before we get into all that, let’s start with this game against our Scouse cousins, who we beat 3-2 on their last journey here. They had a better team out then, but we won’t hold that against them.
And West Ham start the game on the front foot, whatever that means, linking well in attack, with Bowen looking sharp and pacy. The hope of an early goal, maybe in the first fifteen minutes, is unexpectedly realised, when Antonio, Benrahma and Paquetá interchange passes, culminating in the Brazilian’s powerful strike past Alisson in the Liverpool goal. Number 11 scores after 11 minutes. Sadly seven minutes later number 18 scores, after 18 minutes, Cody Gakpo hitting in a thirty yarder, which bounces awkwardly past the early committed Fabianski, and in off the post. No one seems more surprised than Gakpo and his Liverpool team to be level so soon after Paquetá’s early stunner.
Rather irritatingly, the second goal acts as an inspirational moment to the Scousers, despite their ordinary away record, and they begin to look like a Klopp team of old. Like Manchester United (who Hammers play next) they always seem to save their better stuff in shite seasons for fixtures involving West Ham United. For all that, Hammers finish the half well and look every bit as likely as Klopp’s team to turn things around in the second half.
Except they don’t. It’s Klopp who makes the first adjustment to his Liverpool team, taking off the struggling captain Henderson and replacing him with the alliteratively tenacious Thiago, of whom more later. Harlem Globe Trotter fans stay tuned…
Early in the second half Bowen hurries through wide on the right before blasting his shot past Allison into the corner of the net. Those paying attention notice that he is probably just offside, but the crowd still celebrate and the stadium announcer announces the goal. But it is offside. (Bah!) Just after the hour no one picks up Joël Matip from an inswinging corner and his thumping header hits the back of the net before Fabianski can consider his options. So Liverpool have turned it around.
All that remains as injury time approaches is a Harlem Globe Trotter moment as Thiago falls to the floor, bouncing the ball with his right hand as he tumbles, but referee Ken Swarthy waves the West Ham complaints away. Moyesy is still invoking the wrath of Khan an hour later at his tired and emotional press conference.
1 Lucasz Fabianski, 3 Aaron Cresswell, 4 Kurt Zouma, 5 Vladimir Coufal, 23 Thilo Kehrer, 41 Declan Rice (captain), 11 Lucas Paquetá, 22 Saïd Benrahma, 28 Tomas Souček, 9 Michail Antonio, 20 Jarrod Bowen
Substitutes: 14 Maxwell Cornet, 18 Danny Ings
Goalscorer: Lucas Paquetá
