Liverpool saw their 20-match unbeaten run in the Premier League come to an end after succumbing to a 3-2 defeat at West Ham on Sunday.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s wonderful curler four minutes before the interval made amends for an Alisson own-goal that put David Moyes’ side ahead at London Stadium.
However, West Ham regained control after the break as Pablo Fornals and Kurt Zouma were both on target within seven minutes of each other.
Substitute Divock Origi’s superb late goal proved in vain as Jurgen Klopp’s side failed to close the gap at the top after Chelsea were held by Burnley on Saturday, while the Hammers move above Liverpool into third.
West Ham made a swift start when Alisson succeeded only in punching Fornals’ whipped corner into his own goal after four minutes, Liverpool’s cries for a foul from Angelo Ogbonna falling on deaf ears.
Diogo Jota headed over in response before Alexander-Arnold levelled with a magnificent strike into the top-right corner following a short free-kick routine with Mohamed Salah.
Craig Dawson nodded onto the crossbar after the break, while Lukasz Fabianski was required to deny Sadio Mane’s left-footed volley at the other end.
West Ham took the lead again after 67 minutes when Jarrod Bowen embarked on a driving run before unleashing Fornals, who managed to squeeze a left-footed strike under Alisson.
Matters worsened for the visitors as Zouma climbed the highest to head home Aaron Cresswell’s corner – the Hammers’ 32nd top-flight goal from set-pieces since Moyes’ arrival, six more than any other side.
Origi forced what promised to be a tense ending with seven minutes remaining when he turned and drilled into the bottom-right corner following Alexander-Arnold’s offload.
Klopp’s men almost sealed the comeback but Mane inexplicably headed wide from Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick in stoppage time as West Ham managed to hold on for victory.
What does it mean? Liverpool’s league run ends as Hammers ends Reds hoodoo
Liverpool’s 20-game unbeaten league run stretched back to March but that came to an end as West Ham collected their first win over the visitors in 11 top-flight attempts.
Indeed, Moyes had not defeated the Reds in the league since 2010 with Merseyside rivals Everton but the Hammers managed to continue their fantastic run of form to climb into third – a point ahead of Klopp’s side and three behind leaders Chelsea.
Fabulous Fornals
Fornals was a constant thorn in Liverpool’s side as the Spain international proved a nightmare for Klopp’s three-man midfield.
Not only did he net the second goal to edge West Ham back ahead, but the 25-year-old also attempted a team-high 37 passes, while two of those were key passes in an efficient creative display.
Salah’s scoring run ends as Alexander-Arnold efforts in vain
Salah was looking to become the first Premier League player to score in his side’s opening six away games after matching Thierry Henry’s five-game record against Manchester United but the Egypt forward was expertly managed by West Ham’s defence, failing to hit the target with either of his two efforts in an unusually quiet outing.
Alexander-Arnold’s first-half stunner brought him level at the top with John Arne Riise for top-flight goal involvements among defenders for Liverpool (45).
However, his second-half assist for Origi took him clear of the former Norway left-back as he affirmed his position at the top of the Reds’ charts in the league.
Key Opta Facts:
– West Ham have accumulated 23 points from their 11 Premier League games this season (W7 D2 L2); only in 1975-76 and 1980-81 (both 24 when adjusted to three points for a win) have they ever had more at this stage of a Football League campaign.
– Liverpool suffered their first defeat in 26 games across all competitions (W18 D7), ending what was their joint-longest unbeaten run since they joined the Football League in 1893. It also ended the last remaining unbeaten record in this season’s Premier League.
– Moyes earned his first win in 15 Premier League meetings with Liverpool (D4 L10) across spells with Everton, Man Utd, Sunderland and West Ham. It was also the Hammers’ first win in 11 league meetings with the Reds (D2 L8).
– West Ham’s Pablo Fornals has scored three goals in five league appearances against Liverpool, his joint-most against an opponent in the big-five European leagues, also scoring three against Leicester.
What’s next?
Liverpool next host the in-form Arsenal after the international break on November 20, while West Ham travel to Wolves on the same day.
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