Liverpool edged out West Ham United with a clinical 2-1 win at Anfield despite being out-xG’d 1.71 to 1.11. West Ham will be left wondering how they left empty-handed after creating the higher quality chances. But Liverpool’s efficiency in front of goal, and a couple of late defensive lapses from the visitors, proved the difference.

Stat Breakdown: Numbers Behind the Result

xG: West Ham 1.71 – 1.11 Liverpool

Shots: Liverpool 14 – 10 West Ham

Shots on Target: Liverpool 7 – 3 West Ham

Possession: Liverpool 54% – 46% West Ham

Touches in Opponent Box: Liverpool 26 – 15 West Ham

Liverpool were outgunned on expected goals but found the net twice from just 1.11 xG, while West Ham scored only once despite posting a solid xG of 1.71. West Ham’s 15 touches in the opponent’s box and 9 shots from inside it reflect their strong offensive involvement — but the finishing boots didn’t travel north with them.

Match Momentum: Late Drama at Anfield

The xG timeline tells the story of two late surges. Luis Díaz opened the scoring in the 18th minute (xG: 0.29), and Liverpool kept the edge until the 86th minute when Robertson scored an own goal to equalize. That was immediately followed by Van Dijk slotting home in the 89th minute (xG: 0.08) to give Liverpool the lead and the win.

Shot Analysis: Precision vs. Power

Liverpool’s shot-to-goal efficiency was the difference, while West Ham’s scattergun approach lacked the clinical edge.

Liverpool: Goals from just 2 shots on target and an xG of 0.62 from those efforts. The rest of the attempts were either blocked (4) or wide (6).

West Ham: 10 shots, with 5 coming from inside the box. Despite having a higher average xG per shot (0.171 vs Liverpool’s 0.079), the East Londoners couldn’t convert.

In-Possession Tactics: Pass Map Insights

Liverpool built their play through Van Dijk and Mac Allister, with Gravenberch and Bradley providing the link into Salah on the right. The left side also saw plenty of action through Tsimikas and Díaz, who was sharp throughout.

West Ham United, meanwhile, created a compact central network through Ward-Prowse, Soler, and Paquetà. But their pass map shows a notable lack of progression into wide areas — a compact build-up that couldn’t stretch Liverpool’s shape enough to find consistent gaps.