Joel Matip’s headed goal gave Liverpool a 2-1 win over West Ham United while also putting them above Tottenham Hotspur and the chance to qualify for European competition after a fierce game at the London Stadium on Thursday.
Liverpool are sixth in the standings with 53 points, ahead on goal difference over Spurs and one point behind Aston Villa with one game remaining.
The Reds had to fight hard for their win, with West Ham taking the lead in stunning fashion in the 12th minute through Lucas Paqueta.
Paqueta played a one-two with Michail Antonio before firing a thunderous shot into Alisson’s Liverpool goal.
The advantage only lasted six minutes when Cody Gakpo was able to fire a shot that Lukasz Fabianski failed to contain and change the score to a 1-1 draw.
Early in the second half, The Hammers were able to excel through a goal scored by Jarrod Bowen, but unfortunately the goal was annulled by VAR because Bowen was in an offside position.
Joel Matip scored the winner for Liverpool in the 67th minute when he headed in a close-range header from Andy Robertson’s corner to put his side 2-1 up.
Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp has been pleased with the result and his form, but the German says qualifying for the Champions League is still out of reach for his team.
“No, it’s not in our hands, so why should I talk about it?” Klopp told BT Sport as quoted by ESPN.
“We can only get three points as often as we can, it will put pressure on the others, but they are all in a better position.”
West Ham coach David Moyes was frustrated with the decision not to award his side a penalty for handball and he stepped into the center circle to speak to referee Chris Kavanagh after the final whistle.
“When a player lunges in the box, it’s different from slipping, different from trying to break your fall. When you lunge in the box, your arm goes out, it’s a penalty kick,” Moyes told BT Sport.
The defeat ended a run which saw West Ham pick up seven points from three games and dropped them one place to 14th, five clear of Leicester City in 18th.
