Defending champions Liverpool moved up to eighth in the Premier League table after a 2-0 win over West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday.
Goals from Alexander Isak, who netted his first league goal for the club, and Cody Gakpo secured all three points for the Reds for the first time since the 1st November against Aston Villa.
isak-gakpo-liverpool
Arne Slot will surely be pleased with the win and the clean sheet to end a run of three successive losses in all competitions, whilst the Dutch boss will also be buzzing with the performances of several of his players.
Ranking Liverpool's top performers against West Ham
When ranking the team's top performers against the Hammers, it is hard to look past Gakpo as the standout star because he was directly involved in both of the goals, with a goal and an assist.
gakpo-liverpool-west-ham
Ibrahima Konate also deserves credit for his colossal display at the heart of the defence, winning 100% (5/5) of his aerial duels and making a team-high ten clearances, per Sofascore.
Both the France international and captain Virgil van Dijk kept Alisson quiet with their dominant performances, but Konate was the standout centre-back with four more clearances and three more aerial duels won than his skipper.
|Ranking Liverpool's best players vs West Ham|
|Rank|Player|
|---|
|1|Cody Gakpo|
|2|Florian Wirtz|
|3|Ibrahima Konate|
|4|Virgil van Dijk|
|5|Alexander Isak|
As you can see in the table above, Isak also has to be in the top five performers on the pitch for the Premier League champions, as he netted his first league goal for the club with a brilliant first-time finish into the bottom corner.
You will also notice that £115m signing Florian Wirtz ranks in second place, just behind Gakpo, after he caught the eye whilst playing in a central position for the Reds.
The Liverpool star who could be their new Thiago Alcantara
Recruitment analyst Jan Riha stated that the "incredible" Wirtz made him "feel about football the same way Thiago Alcantara" did at Liverpool, after his performance against the Hammers.
Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara
It is hard to argue with that assessment because his metronomic display at the London Stadium was incredibly impressive, even if it lacked the punch of a goal or an assist to add some extra flavour to his season.
Thiago ended his playing days with a 90% pass accuracy, per WhoScored, and Reds supporters got to enjoy his midfield majesty for three seasons, with plenty of exceptional raking passes and cultured through balls, as shown in the clips below against Man United in 2022.
Wirtz may not play in a deep-lying midfield role like Thiago did, but his technical ability is comparable to the Spaniard's, and he showed it off plenty of times in the win over West Ham.
The Germany international has failed to deliver a goal or an assist in the Premier League this season since his big-money move from Bayer Leverkusen, but his display on Sunday was a step in the right direction because it was his best of the campaign.
Florian Wirtz 25/26 PL per game Vs West Ham
Sofascore rating 6.51 6.9
Passes completed 25 42
Pass accuracy 82% 93%
Passes completed in oppo half 18 32
Passes accuracy in oppo half 76% 91%
Passes accuracy in own half 86% 100%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the statistics above, Wirtz's use of the ball on Sunday was on another level to what he has previously shown in the top-flight for Liverpool.
Playing centrally, rather than being out wide on the left or the right, allowed him to float around and knit play together with his technical brilliance, much like Thiago used to do further back on the pitch during his time at Anfield.
Wirtz-Liverpool-Paqueta
Slot must continue to play the German star in the middle of the park, rather than out wide, because he could flourish as a metronomic number ten who is able to buzz around the pitch and control the tempo of the match.
The hope, then, would be that the goals and assists naturally follow as he becomes more comfortable and confident on the pitch in the Premier League.
Ibrahima-Konate Related
[Big Konate upgrade: Liverpool have "one of the best young CBs in the world"](https://www.footballfancast.com/big-konate-upgrade-liverpool-have-giovanni-leoni-young-centre-back/ "Big Konate upgrade: Liverpool have "one of the best young CBs in the world"")
Liverpool have a blooming centre-back who could surpass Marc Guehi and Ibrahima Konate.
Whilst there will be understandable disappointment that a £115m attacking midfielder is yet to provide a direct goal contribution in the top-flight, Wirtz's performance against the Hammers was his best of the season and he appears to be on the right track to become a success at Anfield.