Liverpool 2-1 West Ham: 3 talking points as Reds move closer to title

Virgil van Dijk's late header moved Liverpool within two wins of the Premier League title thanks to a 2-1 win over West Ham at Anfield.

The hosts held a one-goal lead going into the last five minutes of normal time thanks to Luis Diaz's early goal, but the visitors grabbed a deserved leveller in forcing Andy Robertson to put through his own net.

However, there was still time for a late twist, with the captain Van Dijk rising highest from a corner to spark scenes of jubilation in the stands at Anfield.

How it unfolded

Liverpool made a bright start to proceedings, with Diaz and Curtis Jones both forcing early saves from Alphonse Areola either side of Conor Bradley seeing a powerful effort deflect just wide.

As such, it was no surprise to see them take the lead with less than 20 minutes on the clock, Mohamed Salah leaving Ollie Scarles for dead before picking out Diaz at the far post for a tap-in.

That setback sparked West Ham into life, with Mohammed Kudus forcing Alisson Becker to tip a delicate lob onto the crossbar and Carlos Soler heading into the side-netting on the follow-up.

And, though Liverpool continued to create decent chances of their own, it was the Hammers who had the best of the opportunities before the break, Konstantinos Mavropanos heading over from a corner when he might have done better.

Half-time allowed the hosts to reset and they came close to doubling their advantage after the restart as Alexis Mac Allister struck the bar with a free-kick.

But West Ham continued to press, Jarrod Bowen teeing up Carlos Soler to blast over the bar before forcing Alisson into a smart save from an attempted dink after once again darting in behind.

The Reds' goalkeeper was swiftly called back into action, getting a strong hand on a low Kudus effort that looked to be sneaking in at the far post from an incredibly tight angle.

But the ceaseless pressure was always going to tell, and West Ham grabbed a deserved leveller when Robertson netted an own goal after good work from Aaron Wan-Bissaka down the left-hand side.

However, that brought the Anfield crowd to life, and they roared on Liverpool to strike the bar through Diaz before Van Dijk headed in brilliantly at the Kop end to keep Liverpool's title charge on track.

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Captain's performance from Van Dijk

On the strength of their second-half performance, few Liverpool fans would have complained had West Ham's late leveller earned them a share of the spoils.

But there are times in title races when it is not so much about how you play but more about whether you have the character to win the biggest prizes. And in Virgil van Dijk, the Reds have a captain who, along with a boat-load of quality, is remarkably reliable in such moments.

He showed that in scoring here and the good news for Liverpool fans is that there are more to come given that the Dutchman is on the verge of signing a new two-year deal.

Alisson saves Liverpool from upset

That Liverpool were still in a position to win the game late on owed much to the fact that they have a truly brilliant goalkeeper between the sticks in Alisson Becker.

The Brazilian returned from a concussion-enforced absence here to show why he is considered the best in his position in the world. He made four saves, including one particularly important stop from Bowen, to keep West Ham at bay until Robertson's own-goal.

And though he won't get as many plaudits as Van Dijk, he was just as crucial to three points that move Liverpool ever closer to the title.

Liverpool limping over the line?

At this point of the season and with the title on the line, results matter infinitely more than performances to Liverpool. But you suspect that Arne Slot would like to see more from his players in the coming weeks in order to stave off accusations that the Reds are limping over the line.

They have not played consistently well over 90 minutes since a penalty shootout defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. And that is only making it more difficult to get the title wrapped up as soon as possible.

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