Salah was on the bench, Gakpo shone, and Liverpool finally knew how to win.

Late on November 30th, Liverpool secured an important 2-0 victory against West Ham in the 13th round of the English Premier League.

Gakpo shone with one goal and one assist against West Ham - Photo: REUTERS

In this match, manager Arne Slot surprised everyone by benching the team's biggest star, Mohamed Salah. Slot explained that this adjustment was simply a rotation of the squad because Liverpool were about to enter a busy schedule.

Many believe that Salah's absence will give Liverpool a new lease of life. However, what happened in the first half showed that The Kop (Liverpool's nickname) didn't show any significant improvement in their playing style.

The only improvement in this match was that the Liverpool players were more solid, with fewer defensive errors. Liverpool's problem was that their ability to impose their style of play on West Ham wasn't very clear.

The reigning English champions exerted pressure, but it wasn't enough to create scoring opportunities. Liverpool were somewhat ineffective in the first hour before the turning point came in the 60th minute.

Isak scored his first Premier League goal for Liverpool - Photo: REUTERS

Cody Gakpo played a back pass to Alexander Isak, who unleashed a powerful shot to open the scoring. After six matches and ten shots, Isak finally scored his first Premier League goal for Liverpool. The brilliance of this expensive signing is truly good news for Liverpool amidst the team's current difficulties.

Having taken the lead, Liverpool played with more enthusiasm, but they also had to contend with a strong comeback from West Ham. It wasn't until the 84th minute, when Lucas Paqueta received his second yellow card and was sent off, leaving West Ham playing with only 10 men, that Liverpool finally had some breathing room.

Liverpool capitalized on their numerical advantage to finish off their opponents. In the 90+2 minute, Gakpo sealed a 2-0 victory for Liverpool with an unstoppable close-range shot. Gakpo celebrated enthusiastically after the goal, showing that the immense pressure on Liverpool had been relieved.

By defeating West Ham, Liverpool ended a run of three consecutive defeats in all competitions, moving up to eighth place with 21 points, just below Manchester United.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/salah-du-bi-gakpo-toa-sang-liverpool-da-biet-thang-20251130233516639.htm