Isak, who had managed only a Carabao Cup strike since his record-breaking move from Newcastle, finished calmly midway through the second half before Cody Gakpo sealed the points deep into stoppage time. The victory ends Liverpool’s run of nine defeats in twelve matches in all competitions and offers a much-needed lift after their bruising midweek collapse to PSV.

In the biggest surprise of the afternoon, Slot omitted Mohamed Salah from the starting XI for the first time in a league match since April 2024. With Liverpool threadbare the squad down to around 15 fit outfield players the Dutchman insisted rotation was unavoidable, but the decision still felt seismic given the growing scrutiny around his tenure.

Salah remained on the bench throughout as Isak, who had missed several earlier chances, finally delivered with a driven finish just minutes before being replaced by Hugo Ekitike.

“It was important for the team to go 1–0 up, but also for him personally,” Slot said. “He’d had a few opportunities, and he wasn’t far from coming off. So for him to score at that moment was massive.”

Liverpool were helped by a chaotic moment from West Ham’s Lucas Paquetá, whose quickfire double booking for dissent left the home side a man short. The Brazilian protested one caution, and then marched straight back to the referee to complain again earning an inevitable second yellow.

Nuno Espírito Santo was left exasperated. “We required more precision in the final actions, but the red card changed everything,” he said. “We wanted to honor Billy Bonds today. It wasn’t to be.”

With West Ham tiring, Gakpo wrapped up the win in added time, tapping home after Liverpool broke from deep to punish the ten men. The result lifts the mood around an anxious fan base and buys Slot breathing room ahead of a demanding December schedule.

Slot, though, was keen to keep focus on recovery rather than celebration. “We needed this,” he said. “The performance, the response, the result everything. Now we have to build on it.”