Alexander Isak nets his first Premier League goal for Liverpool
Cody Gakpo seals the win with a stoppage-time strike
Paqueta’s late red card cripples West Ham’s comeback hopes
West Ham 0-2 Liverpool, Premier League: Relief For Alexander Isak And Slot As Losing Run Ends
Liverpool ended their losing streak with a 2-0 win over West Ham, thanks to a first Premier League goal from Alexander Isak and a late finish by Cody Gakpo, breathing life back into the Reds’ season
Summary
Alexander Isak finally scored for Liverpool in the Premier League as Arne Slot's men earned a comfortable 2-0 win over 10-man West Ham at the London Stadium.
The Sweden striker coolly slotted home on the hour mark in his sixth top-flight appearance since joining from Newcastle United.
Lucas Paqueta got himself needlessly sent off for West Ham with six minutes remaining, before Cody Gakpo netted in injury time as Liverpool ended a run of three straight losses in all competitions.
Isak had already been thwarted by a brilliant point-blank stop from Alphonse Areola, who also denied Florian Wirtz in a first half low on quality.
But Gakpo teed up Isak to side-foot into the bottom-left corner and West Ham – who failed to have a shot on target – were up against it when Paqueta foolishly earned two yellow cards for dissent in the space of 54 seconds.
Jarrod Bowen fizzed one wide as West Ham attempted to throw a little more caution to the wind, only for Gakpo to emphatically finish from eight yards when Joe Gomez's right-wing cross fell into his path.
Data Debrief: Isak the scourge of West Ham again
Isak has endured a miserable start to life at Liverpool, with his only goal prior to this fixture coming in the EFL Cup against Southampton.
But the 26-year-old netted on his sixth Premier League appearance from his 10th shot for Liverpool, and now has six career goals against West Ham – his joint-most against any side alongside Nottingham Forest and Tottenham.
Isak finished with three shots in total, two of which were on target, while he had a personal xG of 0.72. He only had 13 touches in the entire game, including three passes, but the goal will feel a huge weight off his shoulders.
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