Liverpool made the trip to West Ham United for a Premier League meeting on Sunday afternoon.
The Reds went into the clash looking to pick up just their second win in eight league matches.
It has been a difficult week for Arne Slot, watching on as his side shipped seven goals in two matches at Anfield.
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It left Liverpool well off the pace in the title race and fans not expecting much against a West Ham team who started the weekend just above the relegation zone.
The first 45 was pretty drab, barring a couple of chances for Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, but at least the Hammers didn’t score.
But after fans questioned Isak in the first half, the Swede stepped up shortly before the hour mark to place a lovely first-time finish into the bottom corner after being set up by Cody Gakpo.
When all was said and done, Liverpool held out to secure a much-needed three points.
Who was your man of the match during Liverpool’s 2-0 win over West Ham?
Alexander Isak shakes hands with Arne Slot after being substituted during Liverpool's Premier League match against West Ham United at the London Stadium.
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
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Arne Slot’s rotation
Fans have been calling for Slot to change his Liverpool eleven up in the last week.
There were some fresh faces in the starting line-up on Sunday, but still perhaps not what fans were expecting or hoping for.
Hugo Ekitike picked up a knock in midweek and was only able to make the bench behind Isak.
Interestingly, Mohamed Salah was dropped, but Federico Chiesa still wasn’t afforded a start, nor was Wataru Endo.
Finally, after recent fitness issues, Joe Gomez came into the team at right-back, with Dominik Szoboszlai pushed further forward and Curtis Jones benched.
Cody Gakpo kept his place despite recent struggles, but at least Slot showed his willingness to change some things up during a difficult period.
Arne Slot during West Ham United v Liverpool - Premier League
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Ibrahima Konate is a worry
While we did not see a repeat of the PSV fixture when Liverpool went behind after five minutes, their backline still looked questionable at times.
Specifically, fans noticed that Ibrahima Konate was being given the ball a lot, and he looked shaky.
Manchester City employed a similar tactic earlier this month, ensuring that if Liverpool wanted to play out from the back, they had to go through the Frenchman a lot.
Konate continues to be criticised this season, but given the limited options at Slot’s disposal right now, he’s likely to continue as the starting centre-back for the time being.
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Alexander Isak and Ibrahima Konate embrace after Isak's goal for Liverpool against West Ham United in the Premier League at the London Stadium.
Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP via Getty Images
“Brilliant from Isak. Once Gakpo cuts it back, the finish from Isak is outstanding. It’s on the half volley and it’s brilliant the way he’s controlled it.”
Clinton Morrison on Alexander Isak’s first Premier League goal for Liverpool
Florian Wirtz proved the doubters wrong
Ever since his big-money move from Bayer Leverkusen, Wirtz has been heavily criticised.
However, the German has missed a couple of games recently due to injury, and Liverpool did not improve in his absence.
Against West Ham, though, he was put back in the eleven and was easily the Reds’ most impactful player across large periods.
Should he have done better with that first-half chance? Yes, but he looked much sharper than a lot of his teammates, and it’s clear that he is not the main reason Liverpool have struggled this season.
How Slot fits Wirtz, Isak, Ekitike, Salah and Szoboszlai into the same team moving forward is another conversation that will rage on over the coming months.
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