Late to Set

If you can’t beat them, join them. Liverpool took their time to adapt to the Premier League‘s evolving set-piece strategies, but their newfound embrace of this tactical evolution has played a key role in their recent resurgence, highlighted by a commanding 5-2 win against West Ham United at Anfield.

When Alexis Mac Allister scored Liverpool’s third goal in front of the Kop, it marked the second time ever in Premier League history that a team had netted three goals from set pieces in the first half—a feat only previously achieved by Manchester United against Leicester City in September 2016. Such a statistic would have seemed unbelievable earlier in the season when Liverpool’s struggles from set pieces were costing them points regularly.

The club’s deficiencies led to the departure of set-piece coach Aaron Briggs in December, although manager Arne Slot defended him when questioned about the decision last week. “It would be very unfair to Aaron, who was only partly responsible for that, because in the end I’m responsible for everything,” Slot stated. “In that period of time, we were often very unlucky.”

– Premier League Power Rankings: Liverpool’s Position
– Champions League Round of 16 Predictions: Osimhen’s Threat
– Late Drama: Liverpool’s Character

Saturday’s first-half performance suggests that Liverpool’s fortunes are shifting. Historically slow starters this season, Liverpool quickly took charge when Ryan Gravenberch regained possession from a corner and set up Hugo Ekitike, who scored adeptly from a narrow angle.

That marked Ekitike’s 11th league goal this season and his 16th across all competitions, making him the first Liverpool player to achieve 20 goal contributions this campaign, with four assists to boot. West Ham, buoyed by a solid run before this match, attempted to respond, but suffered further setbacks as Virgil van Dijk headed in Dominik Szoboszlai‘s corner.

They replicated this approach just before halftime, as Ekitike again assisted Szoboszlai’s delivery for Mac Allister, who found the net, enhancing his Premier League tally.

That goal signified Liverpool’s seventh straight league goal from a non-penalty set piece, setting a record for the longest sequence in the league’s history. Slot correctly acknowledged that this improvement shouldn’t be credited to any lone player, yet the change in Liverpool’s scoring statistics is remarkable.

During their initial 20 Premier League matches this season, Liverpool managed only three set-piece goals—the lowest tally in the league. However, the recent match saw them net nine set-piece goals within the last eight league fixtures, surpassing all their rivals.

“That’s very pleasing because that’s why we won,” Slot commented in the post-match press conference. “In my view, we performed better in losses where we conceded from set pieces, but now, it’s all reverting to the norm.”

“We generated many set-piece chances earlier in the season, yet nearly every one we conceded resulted in a goal. Today was different, and it shows we are beginning to turn things around, which is encouraging for the team and fans alike.”

This season, marked by dramatic finishes, saw Liverpool break a pattern by scoring three goals in the first half of a league match for the first time since clinching the title against Tottenham Hotspur last April. Nevertheless, their tendency to complicate their own lives reappeared in the second half, as Tomás Soucek‘s deflection of El Hadji Malick Diouf‘s cross found its way past Alisson Becker just four minutes after the break.

With little left to lose, West Ham created problems for their hosts until Cody Gakpo found the net with a deflected shot, easing some tension among the Anfield crowd. It was just Gakpo’s second league goal since his strike in the previous encounter at the London Stadium in late November, and his exuberant celebration indicated his joy at returning to form.

Late contributions from Valentín Castellanos with a header and another own-goal by Axel Disasi heightened the chaotic nature of Liverpool’s second-half performance. Slot recognizes that more control and composure will be vital as the season progresses.

Despite these challenges, Liverpool have secured seven victories in their last nine matches across all competitions, currently sitting fifth in the Premier League, just three points shy of third-placed Aston Villa. They remain an imperfect team; even with a significant win, clear areas for improvement remain.

Having finally joined the set-piece revolution, Liverpool now seem determined to harness this strategy as a pivotal tool for their success this season.