Liverpool's Spring Revival: Reds Thrash West Ham 5-2 to Boost Champions League Hopes
A burst of sunshine and bright blue skies at Anfield made this afternoon feel like an early glimpse of spring 2025, but the weather was not the only reason for the cheerful atmosphere. For the first time since their famous Premier League title-clinching victory over Tottenham in April last year, Liverpool scored three goals in a first half and effectively sealed the game early.
The long, cold, lonely winter for Liverpool appears to be over, much like the lyrics from the Beatles' classic "Here Comes The Sun." Green shoots of recovery are now visible after a taxing mid-season slump that threatened to derail their campaign. The champions have now won four consecutive matches, signalling a resurgence at a crucial stage.
A First-Half Blitz Sets the Tone
Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk, and Alexis Mac Allister were the first-half scorers as Liverpool broke with their recent tradition of poor finishing. This highlighted the importance of starting games strongly, providing a safety cushion for a rather sloppy second half where West Ham fought back, pulling one goal back through Tomas Soucek shortly after the break.
First halves have been a major problem for manager Arne Slot this season. His team had managed only 13 goals in opening periods compared to 29 after halftime, often leaving themselves with mountains to climb and allowing opposition teams to grow in confidence.
Despite the fast start, the overall performance still left room for improvement. In terms of expected goals (xG), West Ham created more chances and might have felt they were still in the contest until Cody Gakpo put the game out of reach on 71 minutes with a much-needed strike.
Set-Piece Improvement and Financial Stakes
Another area of concern in Liverpool's tricky season has been set-pieces, but this game marked another step in the right direction. At the turn of the year, no team had scored fewer set-piece goals than Liverpool. However, in a mini-league since the start of 2026, no one has more than the Reds—a remarkable turnaround for a team previously weak in this decisive aspect of the game.
The first goal technically came from a set-piece as West Ham twice failed to defend a corner, allowing Ekitike to power home his 16th goal of the season. Van Dijk soon made it two, heading home a Dominik Szoboszlai corner, while Mac Allister doubled his league tally with a nice volley from another corner.
The importance of Champions League qualification was underscored by financial accounts published this week, showing Liverpool made a profit and posted record revenues last year, compared to a significant loss the previous year when they were only in the Europa League.
League Implications and Run-In Challenges
With Aston Villa losing to Wolves on Friday night, Unai Emery's side has been reeled from a title race into a battle for the top five. This result means points gained for Liverpool, with tricky games ahead for Chelsea and Manchester United on Sunday.
Given Liverpool's challenging run-in—facing all three of those teams in their last four games, two away from home—accumulating points now could be of utmost importance come the tense final weeks in May.
Soucek's goal early in the second half added nerves to Anfield, heightened when Gakpo missed a close-range chance minutes later. However, the Dutchman soon atoned by cutting in to score his first goal in eight games. West Ham's January signing Taty Castellanos netted his third for the club on 75 minutes, hinting that Liverpool's set-piece issues may still exist defensively, but substitute Jeremie Frimpong forced a fifth goal via a deflection off Axel Disasi to put the gloss on the win.
This was the first time Slot's men have scored five in the league since confirming their champion status last April. While they won't be repeating that feat this year, this victory represents a significant step toward achieving their new goal of Champions League qualification.
