First-Half Dominance — Liverpool's Clinical Start in Numbers
Liverpool needed just 5 minutes to open the scoring at Anfield on Saturday, setting the tone for a comprehensive 5-2 demolition of West Ham United. Ryan Gravenberch threaded a pass into the box for Hugo Ekitike, whose composed finish registered his 11th Premier League goal of the 2025-26 season — a tally that places the Frenchman among the league's top scorers this campaign. The early strike meant West Ham were chasing the game from the outset, and the hosts doubled their advantage midway through the first half when Dominik Szoboszlai delivered a corner that found Virgil van Dijk, who headed home from close range. By the time Ekitike turned provider to set up Alexis Mac Allister for Liverpool's third, Arne Slot's side had already attempted more shots in one half than they had managed in several full matches during their inconsistent run earlier in the season. The 3-0 scoreline at the interval told a clear story: Liverpool created chances at will, converting at a ruthless rate while West Ham's defensive structure collapsed repeatedly.
West Ham did manage to pull one back before the break through Tomás Soucek, making it 3-1 and offering a sliver of hope heading into the second half. But the underlying numbers were damning for the visitors. Liverpool dominated possession in the attacking third, and their expected goals figure for the first 45 minutes alone exceeded what many mid-table sides produce across a full 90. For a West Ham side that has struggled defensively throughout the campaign, the first-half data confirmed a familiar pattern — too easy to break down, too slow to recover shape after losing the ball. The 3 goals conceded before half-time matched the total West Ham had shipped across their previous two league outings combined.
Second-Half Chaos and What the Result Means for the Table
The second half produced 4 more goals in a frantic period that saw the scoreline swing between hope and inevitability. Cody Gakpo restored Liverpool's three-goal cushion after West Ham had briefly threatened a response, but a defensive lapse allowed an unmarked Taty Castellanos to head past Alisson and cut the deficit to 4-2. That made it 7 goals in the match — the highest-scoring Premier League fixture of the weekend. The final nail came via an Axel Disasi own goal, the result of a miscued clearance from Jeremie Frimpong's cross, bringing the tally to 5-2. Liverpool scored 5 goals for only the second time in the league this season, and the 7-goal total was the joint-highest in any single Anfield match across the 2025-26 campaign.
The result lifted Liverpool to 5th in the Premier League table, a position that underscores the paradox of their season under Slot. As defending champions, sitting in 5th with the campaign past the two-thirds mark represents a significant drop-off from last season's title-winning form. Their inconsistency has been the defining theme — capable of putting 5 past West Ham one week while dropping points against lower-ranked opposition the next. For West Ham, conceding 5 goals adds to a defensive record that now ranks among the worst in the top half. They have now shipped 2 or more goals in over 60% of their away fixtures this season. Ekitike's 11 league goals and 1 assist on the day further cement his status as Liverpool's most important attacking outlet, while Van Dijk's headed goal was his 4th of the season from set pieces — the most by any centre-back in the division. The numbers from Anfield paint a picture of a Liverpool side that, on its day, remains among the most dangerous in England — but one that has lacked the week-to-week reliability needed to mount a serious title challenge.