Liverpool arrested their run of defeats by beating West Ham, with Arne Slot‘s slightly more conservative approach paying dividends.
One of the biggest questions in football, one that can never truly be answered, is how much of a victory can be attributed to yourself and how much can be attributed to the performance of the opposition.
While West Ham did look blunt with just the relatively static Niclas Fullkrug up front, Liverpool defended far better against the Hammers than in previous weeks.
A criticism levelled at Liverpool has been how easy it has been to bypass the midfield. Well, that changed at the London Stadium.
The odd crack was still evident, but Liverpool were being run past on far fewer occasions.
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, November 30, 2025: Liverpool's Joe Gomez during the FA Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Liverpool FC at the London Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
FotMob tells us Slot’s players were dribbled past five times on Sunday, whereas they were passed nine times against PSV and Man City.
At right-back, defender Joe Gomez playing instead of a midfielder improved the situation, and the Liverpool veteran said they took a slightly more defensive approach.
On whether Liverpool attempted to play more conservatively to keep a clean sheet, Gomez replied to Liverpoolfc.com: “Yeah, I think definitely.
“Obviously we want to play a style of football where it’s combinations and certain patterns of play, but at the same time that can sometimes leave us a bit open.
“It’s obviously a balance and we’re also away from home. Every game in the Premier League is tough and we’ve obviously felt that, and it’s just hopefully a foundation for us to build on.”
Joe Gomez’s contribution to Liverpool’s clean sheet
Gomez has been in and out of training lately, but his strong performance at West Ham – he was rated as the Reds’ second-best player (7.8/10) by FotMob – has led fans to question why this was his first Premier League start of the season.
He didn’t just help solidify Liverpool; he was also assured on the ball.
The 28-year-old provided an assist for Cody Gakpo‘s goal, played six passes into the final third, completed 33 of his 38 passes and was dispossessed on zero occasions.
The performance of his teammate, Ibrahima Konate, was also a factor in the clean sheet as he put in a much-improved showing on Sunday.
The Frenchman won all six of his aerial duels, cleared the ball 10 times and made more defensive contributions (13) than anyone else on the pitch.
Slot has previously said he wants his defenders to be “aggressive in a smart way” – something Konate hasn’t managed this season.
Hopefully, this weekend’s performance can be a stepping stone to regaining his composure.
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