**West Ham lost 5–2 to Liverpool on Saturday, but the scoreline did not reflect how closely fought the contest was.**
Nuno Espírito Santo’s side were far more competitive than the three-goal deficit suggests and had Liverpool concerned on a number of occasions.
Despite conceding five times at Anfield, the Irons’ performance was somewhat refreshing compared to previous visits to Merseyside.
So often, West Ham sides have travelled to Anfield to defend for ninety minutes. Back fives have frequently been deployed, with the Hammers stationed deep in their own half, attempting to shut out the opposition without offering any attacking threat of their own.
But Nuno set his side up in a 4-3-3 formation on Saturday, determined to take the game to Liverpool. Unfortunately, Hugo Ekitike’s fifth-minute strike dented those plans, but the Irons never lost confidence after conceding.
Shipping five goals was obviously a concern, but the character shown by Nuno’s side was admirable. So often away at Anfield, the contest is effectively over once Liverpool score.
That was not the case here. Even when 4–1 down in the second half, West Ham remained competitive and continued to show ambition.
The Irons were incredibly vulnerable from set pieces and left themselves exposed in the closing stages, but even so, this was a defeat that felt far less frustrating than many previous losses at Anfield.
Of course, given the current relegation dogfight, a dull 0–0 draw would have been a better result. But after last week’s snoozefest against Bournemouth, it was refreshing to see Nuno’s side playing with intent and attacking freedom — even if it came at the cost of a much-needed point.
Results are everything at this stage of the season, and Saturday’s defeat was still disappointing, make no mistake. However, this performance continues to provide hope that West Ham can avoid the drop.
With Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur both losing on Sunday, no ground was lost on the Hammers’ relegation rivals. West Ham face Fulham next week, and if they can be just a fraction more clinical, they have every chance of picking up three points and climbing out of the bottom three.