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West Ham were incredibly unlucky not to become the first Premier League team this season to leave Anfield with something to show for their efforts.

Although they were unfortunately unable to retain the advantage gained by Pablo Fornals' second half strike, David Moyes' squad did at least manage to restore a great deal of pride in the team - pride that had all but disappeared following last week's dismal showing in Manchester.

But where exactly did West Ham go wrong last night? We've pinpointed five key moments in the game that enabled Liverpool to secure a win that takes them one step closer to their first Premier League title...


1. Switching off for a split second

Robert Snodgrass is a player who could never be accused of failing to give 100 per cent, even though he may not be the most technically gifted player in David Moyes' squad. Yet he was guilty of a momentary lapse in concentration which allowed Georginio Wijnaldum to stroll past him, connect with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross and give Liverpool an eighth minute lead.

It could also be argued that Lukasz Fabianski might've done better with the header, which he was able to reach yet failed to divert wide of the goal, while Aaron Cresswell's attempt at preventing the cross from being delivered in the first place might've been better too.





2. Tomas Soucek's injury

West Ham's recent midfield acquisition started his Premier League career in fine form against Brighton but was fairly anonymous at The Etihad last week. Yet he was back to his best at Liverpool, proving to be a constant threat in and around both penalty areas due to his aerial prowess.

Sadly Soucek's night was cut short just two minutes into the second half as he pulled up with what was later described by Moyes as "a groin/abductor problem" - and even though his replacement Pablo Fornals grabbed West Ham's second goal on the night, United lost a vital cog in the centre of the park.





3. Fabianski's 'Roberto' moment

Most fans felt that the team was in safe hands following the return from a second injury of the season for Fabianski. But the usually infallible shot stopper suffered a moment that could be described as 'Roberto-esque' when he allowed Mo Salah's tame effort to slip between his legs.

West Ham, leading 2-1 at the time had bravely battled through Liverpool's onslaught following Fornals' goal and were looking in decent shape with just 22 minutes of the game remaining. But Fabianski's gaffe allowed the Reds back into the match and afforded them a platform which enabled them to grab a winning goal 13 minutes later.





4. Haller's half-hearted challenge

With the match entering its final ten minutes West Ham were still on level terms and hanging on for what would've been a priceless point. As Liverpool attacked once again, a ball delivered into the penalty area was half cleared by Declan Rice to where Sebastien Haller was standing in close proximity to Joe Gomez some 30 yards from goal.

The Liverpool defender was first to react and Haller's half-hearted challenge merely caused the Liverpool player to briefly halt his run. Criminally the French striker simply stopped, allowing Gomez to lift the ball into the penalty area from where it found its way to an unmarked Sadio Mane to score the winning goal.





5. Allison's forehead and fine margins

With the match entering added-on time, Michail Antonio slipped a pinpoint through ball into the path of an advancing Jarrod Bowen, who had timed his run perfectly to beat Liverpool's last line - leaving the substitute with just goalkeeper Allison to beat.

As the forward bore down on goal Liverpool's 'keeper spread himself well but was forced to rely on lady luck to deny the recently-signed Hammer, whose attempted chip cannoned off Allison's forehead. Had Bowen's clever attempt been just another three inches higher, West Ham would've been celebrating a richly-deserved point.




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