Alexander Isak finally got off the mark in the Premier League as Liverpool battled to a 2-0 win at West Ham.
The Sweden striker had just one Carabao Cup goal to show for his protracted £125million summer switch from Newcastle.
But his well-taken strike in the second half, and Cody Gakpo’s stoppage-time goal, fired stuttering champions Liverpool – on a run of nine defeats in 12 matches in all competitions – to a much-needed victory.
They were helped by West Ham who, as they so often do, rolled out the claret and blue carpet to a team in need, and by Lucas Paqueta’s silly red card.
The Brazilian was booked for dissent by referee Darren England, went back for a second moan and was duly sent off.
Under-pressure Reds boss Arne Slot had taken drastic action in a bid to halt their alarming slide by dropping Mohamed Salah for Isak.
It was a big call, and the first time the Egypt striker had been left out of a Premier League starting line-up since April 2024, also at West Ham in a 2-2 draw.
That day Salah had a stand-up row with manager Jurgen Klopp on the touchline before going on as a late substitute.
This time he did not get on at all, with Slot replacing Isak with Hugo Ekitike shortly after his goal.
From one captain to another ❤️
— West Ham United (@WestHam) November 30, 2025
Jarrod Bowen pays respect to the late Billy Bonds, in front of the stand named after him. pic.twitter.com/cMIds59jY0
It was an emotionally charged afternoon at the London Stadium with tributes paid to West Ham great Billy Bonds, the club’s former captain and manager, following news of his death aged 79.
A moment’s applause was followed by current skipper Jarrod Bowen poignantly laying Bonds’ number four shirt in front of the stand named after him.
Isak had the best opportunity of the first half and did not do a lot wrong with it.
Joe Gomez’s cross was headed back by Gakpo and controlled by Isak, who got his shot away only for Alphonse Areola to somehow make a point-blank save.
Florian Wirtz, yet to open his Reds goal account since his summer switch from Bayer Leverkusen, should have scored shortly before half-time from another Gakpo header, but his shot was too close to Areola.
Liverpool’s goal arrived on the hour after Wirtz fed Gakpo down the left-hand side of West Ham’s penalty area.
Gakpo cut the ball back from the byline and Isak coolly side-footed home from 12 yards.
He was immediately replaced by Ekitike, who almost grabbed a second with a curling effort just wide of Areola’s far post.
Then came Paqueta’s ludicrous dismissal, although West Ham so nearly equalised when Bowen’s effort whistled narrowly wide late on.
But in stoppage time Areola lost his bearings, Gomez fed Gakpo and the Dutchman wrapped up the visitors’ triumph.
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