Liverpool’s game against West Ham on Sunday looks like being a key moment in the Reds’ season.
Having lost their last three matches by a combined scoreline of 10-1, Arne Slot’s team badly need to pull something from the fire.
Fall to another defeat, and Slot‘s position as head coach will start to feel untenable to many.
mail iconJoin our newsletter for news & smart analysis.
Listen to everything Arne Slot had to say ahead of Liverpool’s crucial trip to West Ham
Will Liverpool get back to winning ways against the Hammers?
To make matters more difficult for Liverpool, West Ham have started to pick up after a terrible start to their own season. Having replaced Graham Potter with Nuno Espirito Santo, the Hammers look set to move away from the Premier League relegation places.
If that, coupled with Liverpool’s shocking form, is not enough to have Reds fans quaking ahead of Sunday’s match, then Slot’s record against Nuno will leave them convinced of another defeat.
Nuno Espirito Santo yet to be beaten by Arne Slot
West Ham will no doubt feel like every other side who has played Liverpool over recent weeks: that it is a brilliant time to face them.
Conversely, it is not a good moment to come up against West Ham, with the Hammers unbeaten in three games with two wins and one draw.
Arne Slot and Nuno Espirito Santo embrace ahead of Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool at the City Ground.
Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
READ MORE: Four bits of good news emerge for Liverpool fans as Arne Slot delivers defiant press conference
Nuno has got them on the straight and narrow again, and as he looks to right his team’s slump, Slot will not want to see the Portuguese again.
Nuno handed Slot one of his most frustrating days as Liverpool head coach, beating the Reds at Anfield with Nottingham Forest last season.
Forest then held Liverpool to a draw in the reverse fixture at the City Ground, with Slot unable to get the better of his opposite number.
Those two games represent the only times the managers have met one another, and given that Liverpool were outclassed both times, it does not bode well for Sunday.
The London Stadium has been a happy hunting ground for the Reds, what’s your favourite West Ham memory?
West Ham United FC v Liverpool FC - Premier League
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Liverpool’s last five Premier League games vs West Ham away:
W 5-0
D 2-2
W 2-1
L 3-2
W 3-1
Slot must hope for third time lucky
Although the form book would suggest West Ham have the upper hand on Sunday, Liverpool surely cannot be as bad as they have been once again.
Another defeat – or even a draw – would likely move the Reds further down the Premier League table and leave them startlingly close to the relegation zone.
There needs to be a reaction, and although Slot and his Liverpool team have failed to get the better of Nuno before, it is about time they had a little luck on their side.
The Reds have won three of their last five visits to West Ham, losing only once. So, they do know how to go to the London Stadium and win.
Records are always meant for breaking in football and in life, and Liverpool fans will hope their manager can put the past away and turn a new page on Sunday.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox