Liverpool vs West Ham: Pressure, Purpose and a Nervous Anfield Afternoon
Title Chase Slips Into Second Gear
It is not that Liverpool are collapsing — not quite. But the once-relentless machine has developed a few curious creaks. Arne Slot, who began his reign with swagger and a calm smile, now finds himself measuring dropped points and missed opportunities with a far more familiar Premier League instrument: the nervous glance over the shoulder.
This Sunday’s match against West Ham at Anfield arrives coated in context. A recent league loss to Fulham, a Carabao Cup final defeat, and a Champions League exit have unceremoniously punctured Liverpool’s early-season high. Suddenly, the leaders look vulnerable. Arsenal’s result the night before could slice the gap to eight points. That’s not crisis territory — not yet — but it is enough to make the famously raucous Anfield feel a little tight in the chest.
West Ham Drift While Liverpool Hesitate
West Ham arrive offering the perfect combination of threat and frailty. They haven’t won in four, slipping quietly into mid-table obscurity with a defence more open than it should be. Yet there’s danger in those fringes. Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paquetá are always capable of hurting you. Mohamed Kudus has flashes of menace. Niclas Füllkrug, having found the net against Bournemouth, may finally be fit enough to start — and suddenly this becomes a fixture with more intrigue than ease.
Graham Potter, rarely predictable these days, knows this is an opportunity. Liverpool, despite their superior position, are wobbling. West Ham, if brave, could exploit the doubt that’s crept in — especially if Anfield starts murmuring before the hour mark.
Team Sheets Telling the Story
Alisson Becker could return between the posts — a boost for a side still waiting for Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, and Tyler Morton to recover. Conor Bradley may keep his place at right-back, while Curtis Jones, oddly repurposed last time out, should return to midfield.
Up front, the old equation persists: Diogo Jota underperformed at Fulham, so Luis Díaz likely returns. Darwin Núñez — always somewhere ...
