Disjointed Hammers sunk by clinical Liverpool on day of poignancy

West Ham United 0-2 Liverpool

'A wonderful man and one of the greatest competitors English football has ever seen'.

It was a succinct, yet warm summary of West Ham United legend Billy Bonds at the London Stadium ahead of a minute's applause in his memory.

The east Londoners welcomed ‘crisis club’ Liverpool to the capital, but this was one of those occasions holding the weight of the passing of a Hammers’ icon. A 2-0 defeat here leaves the Hammers perilously above the drop zone, with thirteen games played.

'Icon' may be an overused adjective in the modern age, but for a certain generation, and for many present here, Bonds epitomised all the good things of an ebullient West Ham during their halcyon days of the 1970s and 80s. Leadership, desire, will-to-win and drive were just some of the characteristics you could use to describe a warrior who helped John Lyall’s great side to FA Cups, amid a style which was invariably pleasing to the eye.

The esteem in which Bonds is held is, of course, manifested in a stand at the London Stadium named after him. Bonds… Brooking… Devonshire. For a certain era there were few better, in guile balance and aggression.

Bonds’ passing was announced on the morning of the game, with home fans just absorbing the news. Could the Hammers provide a performance worthy of one its greatest ever servants? It was not to be for Nuno Espirito Santo's men.

"All of us felt the bad news", noted the Hammers' manager afterwards. "Billy Bonds means a lot for this club, with almost 800 appearances. He did so much for our fans. I don't think it affected the mood of the team. Unfortunately it was not to be for us."

It was difficult to deduce how things would transpire from the outset, considering the hosts lay in 17^th spot. However, with two wins, over Newcastle United and Burnley and a draw with Bournemouth coming into the game, there were signs that Santo was compressing a recent dismal run.

Eleventh placed Liverpool, on the other hand, found themselves in the surreal position of a poor run of defeats and a lack of confidence which has – barring a stellar comeback – kyboshed their chances of retaining the Premier League title.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot may have been enduring growing criticism over the last few days over some shocking results - but second half goals from Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, along with a clean sheet brings the Reds back to an increased degree of equilibrium. Lucas' Paqueta's late red card for West Ham was via a fit of pique. It proved to be that sort of day for Santo's disjointed outfit. In his post-match briefing, the West Ham chief would not comment on the nature of the dismissal until he has spoken with the player.

Asserted

Under winter sunshine in Stratford, it was fairly competitive early fare. West Ham asserted themselves, hoping to be the latest team to take advantage of an unforeseen brittleness with Reds’ skipper Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, so exposed in their midweek Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven.

The Hammers did, though, have goalkeeper Alphonse Areola to thank for denying the Merseysiders a 21^st minute lead, when he palmed away a close range volley from Isak, amid static defending. It was a terrific stop to deny the recalled Isak, although he was to have his moment later.

Liverpool’s first half profligacy was highlighted when one of their expensive summer recruits, Florian Wirtz, could only shoot tamely at Areola after being teed up nicely by Isak. Still, given the quality of player on both sides, fans were entitled to feel a little underwhelmed at the lack of nous and creativity on show.

Increased urgency was required at the start of the second half, particularly from the hosts. Paqueta and Freddie Potts probed for openings while captain Jarrod Bowen showed signs of characteristic zest along the right side. West Ham were that little bit more purposeful, Paqueta hustling Arne Slot’s team with greater intent. That bit of belief eventually faded away.

In that sense, it was especially disappointing when the Hammers conceded a soft goal in the 59^th minute.

A dozen yards out, Isak found himself unattended, and the Reds’ forward slotted home instinctively when West Ham failed to clear the danger, allowing Gakpo the opportunity to assist the Swede.

In terms of a quick response from the Londoners, for all the possession they enjoyed, Santo’s side lacked incision and could not consistently trouble a backline which has come in for sustained criticism of late. Key moments were not met properly and passes in the final third went astray. Nor where there any real chances falling for striker Callum Wilson, who netted a double at Bournemouth. As a sign of frustration, Wilson was replaced by Niclas Fullkrug in 77 minutes.

Disappointment

Not that it mattered. Paqueta’s sending off with seven minutes remaining was merely another symptom of West Ham’s disappointment. The Brazilian lost his composure, when, firstly, he was shown a first yellow card for dissent after arguing with referee Darren England following Fullkrug’s foul on Dominik Szoboslai. Further dissent from the midfielder resulted in a second yellow, and a red.

The act of petulance may have come late in the contest, but the Hammers could have well done without it as they chased a leveller, albeit in the most scrappy manner.

Gakpo, who had been patient all afternoon, supplied the coup de grace for Liverpool two minutes into added time. Another mess from the home rear guard, chiefly due to a missed intervention from Konstantinos Mavropanos, before the Dutchman swivelled to drill home in decisive fashion.

Santo was realistic, observing the obvious difficulties of playing a team of Liverpool's quality, albeit one that is working through its own dilemmas.

He added: "It is hard to play against a team like Liverpool. I think we started well and had a couple of moments.

"We were competing well, but in the second half we had a good spell although it was disappointing how we conceded the first goal. So it was disappointing in the end."

Hammers: Areola, Todibo, Mavropanos, Magassa (Guilherme 67), Diouf, Potts (Soucek 87), Fernandes, Wan-Bissaka, Paqueta, Wilson, Bowen