Darwin Núñez and Diogo Jota fire Liverpool to win against West Ham

Something is growing at Liverpool in the supremely qualified opinion of Jürgen Klopp. That judgment applies to this season’s expectations at Anfield, as well as the development of his refreshed, gifted and hungry team. West Ham were comfortably eclipsed as Liverpool registered a sixth successive win in all competitions with plenty to spare.

David Moyes’ visitors started brightly and deserved to head in level at the interval. Once Liverpool stepped up in the second half, however, they found no response to the movement and quality that surrounded them and the Scot’s wait for a first win at Anfield was always destined to continue. Mohamed Salah gave Liverpool the lead from the penalty spot – he has now scored in 12 of his team’s last 13 home games – before second-half goals from Darwin Núñez and substitute Diogo Jota made Jarrod Bowen’s equaliser a distant consolation.

West Ham were in the ascendancy and could have been two goals ahead when they presented Liverpool with an early lead. A loose header from James Ward-Prowse was intercepted by Curtis Jones and the hosts countered through Luis Díaz. His low cross clipped Núñez’s heel and Nayef Aguerd, wrong-footed as a result, conceded the clearest of penalties with a trip on Salah.

The Egyptian picked himself up to send Alphonse Areola the wrong way from the spot. It was a timely break for Liverpool, who were indebted to Alisson for a superb goalline save from a Tomas Soucek header and a glaring miss from Michail Antonio, heading well wide from the Czech midfielder’s inviting cross, for not having to come from behind yet again.

With Dominik Szoboszlai decorating the contest with touches of class, and matching his talent with a prodigious work rate, Liverpool pressed for the comfort of a second goal. Virgil van Dijk shot over when picked out by an Andy Robertson corner. Salah swept a first time shot wide from Díaz’s layoff. But a second remained elusive and West Ham carried a persistent threat in the form of Lucas Paquetá, Bowen and Antonio.

All three were involved in a fine and merited equaliser shortly before the break. Bowen headed Paquetá’s lofted ball into the path of Antonio, who released Vladimir Coufal down the right with a perfectly weighted pass. The full-back threaded a cross between two Liverpool defenders and Bowen, launching himself in front of Van Dijk, steered a superb diving header in off Alisson’s right post.

Szoboszlai was unfortunate not to have a glorious assist to his name when arcing a stunning pass behind the West Ham defence for Jones to volley home. The midfielder had just strayed offside when the Hungary international spotted an option that few others could see.

A similar routine restored Liverpool’s lead on the hour, however. This time Alexis Mac Allister floated a beautiful pass over Aguerd and Núñez, pulling off the shoulder of the last defender, guided an acrobatic volley beyond Areola. An excellent goal was reward for the centre-forward’s tireless shift plus his refusal to be affected by a glaring miss when unmarked in front of goal five minutes earlier.

Bowen missed a good opening early in the second half, too, heading a Ward-Prowse free-kick straight at the Liverpool goalkeeper from inside the six-yard area. It was a costly miss as West Ham struggled to match the home side’s intensity or composure in possession thereafter.

Liverpool added the third their second-half dominance deserved late on from a Robertson corner. Van Dijk soared above the West Ham defence to head the delivery back across goal and Jota, perfectly placed five minutes after his introduction from the bench, swept in from close range.