adminLiverpool climbed to fifth in the Premier League standings with a convincing 5-2 victory over West Ham United at Anfield on Saturday.
However, West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo felt the result didn’t fully reflect his team’s performance.The Reds dominated early, heading into halftime with a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Hugo Ekitiké, Virgil van Dijk, and Alexis Mac Allister—all originating from corners.
Despite the scoreline, West Ham generated several promising chances in the first half but lacked the finishing touch to convert them.The second half saw more drama: Tomás Souček reduced the deficit shortly after the restart, pulling one back for the visitors. Cody Gakpo quickly restored Liverpool’s three-goal cushion, but Taty Castellanos (also referred to as Valentín Castellanos in reports) struck again for West Ham to make it nervy.
The contest was ultimately sealed when Axel Disasi diverted a Jeremie Frimpong cross into his own net.In his post-match comments, Nuno described the defeat as “hard to explain” and even “absurd” to call it a good performance given the 5-2 score.
He highlighted positives in West Ham’s play, noting strong combinations, plenty of created opportunities, and a refusal to give up. At halftime, he told his players they were performing well despite trailing 3-0.
He pinpointed set-piece defending as the key issue, admitting frustration that all three of Liverpool’s first-half goals came from corners—continuing the league’s trend of set-piece importance this season. Nuno acknowledged recent improvements in that area but stressed the need to admit mistakes and improve moving forward.
Overall, while the result was disappointing for West Ham, Nuno saw encouraging signs in his team’s resilience and belief, even if the final scoreboard told a different story. Liverpool, under Arne Slot, showcased their growing set-piece threat to secure the points and boost their push for Champions League qualification.
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