One reporter at Anfield noticed how the mood of many Liverpool fans transformed upon Mo Salah’s penalty putting the Reds in front during the first half against West Ham.
The Egyptian broke the deadlock from 12 yards in the 16th minute, having been felled by Nayef Aguerd to earn the spot kick, but prior to that the visitors had made the brighter start.
Indeed, as per Sky Sports‘ live web commentary on the match (14:22), Vinny O’Connor noted immediately after the opening goal: “There had been a few murmurs of impatience from the Kop prior to that…..they’ve been replaced pretty quickly!”
READ MORE: (Video) Mo Salah penalty punishes Aguerd as Liverpool strike first against West Ham
Salah’s goal ensured that Liverpool scored first in a match for only the third time this season, despite winning five games in a row prior to this afternoon, so fans in the Kop would understandably have been concerned about the manner in which the Reds had started the game.
It took yet another world-class save from Alisson, and the let-off of a glaring miss from Michail Antonio, to stop the home side from conceding first once again, hence why many within Anfield would’ve been fearing West Ham breaking the deadlock.
The Irons did find the net eventually, with Jarrod Bowen equalising shortly before the interval, and on the balance of play LFC couldn’t complain about going in at half-time on level terms, despite having a goal from Curtis Jones disallowed for a narrow offside.
The results have largely been forthcoming from Liverpool so far this term, but the performances suggest that there’s still plenty of room for improvement from Jurgen Klopp’s side.