Joe Gomez reflects on Liverpool’s victory over threatening West Ham United
Liverpool defender Joe Gomez spoke to BBC Match of the Day about knowing the threat West Ham United possessed as the Reds defeated the Hammers 3-1 at Anfield.
The Merseyside giants currently sit in 2nd place in the Premier League table with five victories in six games played so far.
The Hammers have physically dominant players and utilized their counter-attacking prowess with West Ham forward Michail Antonio leading the charge. However, Liverpool worked collectively to nullify most of the threatening moves made by the away team.
Gomez told BBC Match of the Day about the threat Antonio and his teammates possessed and how they were nullified. He said:
“They’ve got great quality they’ve got it up front and throughout the team. Obviously, Michail Antonio is a big threat and we knew that was going to be difficult. It’s a big result for us obviously and going to 1-1 was a moment, we had to reset and regroup and I think we did that. They’re always going to have their moments it’s just about us staying confident and keep playing our football. We knew their threats on the counter.”
Liverpool scored an early goal in the 16th minute through Mohamed Salah’s penalty after the Egyptian won the spot kick himself. West Ham managed to level the game before half-time through a brave header from Jarrod Bowen.
Darwin Núñez helped the Reds retake the lead in the 60th minute with an assist from Alexis Mac Allister. Diogo Jota put the nerves to rest with an 85th-minute goal.
Antonio, attempting to bulldoze through the defense and hold possession, experienced three dispossessions before the 74th-minute substitution due to the swarming counter-pressing football.
Liverpool truly made Antonio eat his words after the 33-year-old bragged about West Ham’s chances on the Footballer’s Football Podcast (h/t Mirror). Antonio claimed:
“I am backing myself over Liverpool. I watched the game [Liverpool 3-1 Wolves] because it was before our game and Wolves could have run away with it! They had quite a few opportunities. We’ve got them this weekend and it’s a six-pointer. We’ve got them!”
We don’t know if Liverpool players and staff knew about his remarks before the game. However, if they did hear Antonio, we think the Reds boss Jürgen Klopp didn’t need any of his inspirational words to motivate his players.
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Gomez gave a fantastic performance while filling the right-back position in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The 26-year-old’s versatility and defensive prowess are always handy against a physically strong team like West Ham.
