West Ham vs Liverpool Betting Tips (26/04/23) – Reds to Continue Fine Attacking Form?

Nottingham Forest gave it a right good go at Anfield on Saturday, but they found Liverpool’s attacking players just too hot to handle. Diogo Jota is emerging as a real star in these last weeks of the season, and he was at the double as the Reds scored a 3-2 victory that was perhaps more comfortable than the scoreline suggests.

Liverpool dominated the first half and could have been three-up at the break, with Jota and Cody Gakpo (twice) spurning glorious opportunities.

But the game turned on its head after the break with five goals scored – the first coming after Jota found himself in the right place at the right time to tap home Fabinho’s knock-down header.

However Forest, who were energetic and game throughout, equalised just four minutes later when former Liverpool youngster Neco Williams slotted home.

The Reds still looked the most likely to go on and win the game, and a third goal in the space of just ten second half minutes put them ahead. This time Jota produced a moment of magic to control the ball and fire home to restore his side’s advantage.

The Portuguese forward spurned a chance to complete his hat-trick shortly after, and a topsy-turvy contest was turned on its head when Forest found a second equaliser – Morgan Gibbs-White finding space and powering home via a couple of deflections after the Reds failed to properly deal with a corner.

With 20 minutes or so to go, the game was set up perfectly for a grandstand finish, but just one more goal would be scored: Mo Salah, as he so often has been, the architect.

The Egyptian found himself in front of goal about eight yards out, and you simply can’t allow him opportunities like that even when he is, relative to his exceptional standards, out of form.

The contest would finish 3-2 then, with Liverpool producing a hatful of glorious chances but making life difficult for themselves with some more defensive errors – the story of their campaign so far.

But all that being said, they still aren’t out of the Champions League race – an away date at West Ham on Wednesday could prove definitive.

Liverpool Team News

Jurgen Klopp will surely have been delighted with his side’s attacking play against Forest, and so his ‘front six’ of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Curtis Jones behind Mo Salah, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo will surely continue.

But once again the Reds looked decidedly unsteady at the back, and you wonder if a personnel change may be the required next step. Kostas Tsimikas could come in for Andy Robertson, while it’s not impossible that either Joel Matip or Joe Gomez will get the nod ahead of Ibrahima Konate.

Thiago and Luis Diaz both enjoyed game-time from off the bench against the Midlanders on Saturday, but they may only be given a watching brief against the Hammers once more.

West Ham Form

It’s been a strange old time for West Ham, who within their last four games have been trounced 1-5, won 4-0 and drawn 2-2 with the league leaders.

Inconsistency has been the watchword for David Moyes’ men this term, and that trend looks set to continue until the end of the season if recent performances are anything to go by.

What is interesting is that when the Hammers have played teams of Liverpool’s ilk recently, they have been found wanting – that 1-5 hammering at the hands of Newcastle was followed by a 2-2 with Arsenal in which they were 0-2 down after just ten minutes, before the Gunners’ defensive frailties let them back into the contest.

West Ham v Liverpool Betting Tips

One of the interesting things about West Ham’s play of late is how many good goalscoring chances they are creating: 2.50 of xG last time out against Bournemouth followed 2.09 against Arsenal and 1.44 versus Fulham.

So in words we have written countless times about Liverpool games this term, goals is very much the order of the day once more: 8/13 about Both Teams to Score and 20/21 about BTTS & Over 2.5 Goals are both available, depending upon your appetite.

As for the game itself, you can avail yourself of 10/11 on a Liverpool win here. Newcastle trounced the Hammers and Arsenal really ought to have beat them, so if we follow that logic then the Reds should go close too.

Liverpool have won six of their last seven games against West Ham as well, so backing the away win here seems fair enough.