Liverpool season continues to perplex - but rivals can't ignore continuing trend

For all the issues and concerns that have arisen this term, Arne Slot will hope Liverpool can find its best levels in the final months of the campaign. There's evident to suggest that will indeed be the case

Liverpool’s paradoxical season reached new heights on Saturday when the Reds beat West Ham United.

That the 5-2 victory can be described as both convincing and a struggle sums up Arne Slot’s side more aptly than perhaps any other game this season.

The Reds were slick in attack, created a plethora of goalscoring opportunities and never at any stage did it look like the visitors would depart from Anfield with a share of the spoils. In contrast, Arne Slot admitted he detected a sense of nervousness around the ground at points, while Nuno Espirito Santo claimed his side took plenty of positives from a three-goal defeat.

That assessment was not overly generous. For long spells, the relegation-threatened side matched the reigning Premier League champions blow for blow. The stats for shots on target, passes completed and possession were almost identical, while the Hammers even slightly outperformed the hosts in terms of expected goals.

In many ways, those numbers are pretty damning for Liverpool, at home to a side that could well be consigned to life in the second tier in the coming months.

The same can be said for last week’s trip to the City Ground. Yet Liverpool has come through that trying double header with six points. Were this a side en route to clinching the Premier League title, those wins would be dubbed the sign of champions.

But for Liverpool, a team set to lose its grip on that very crown, they do represent some marker of success.

Liverpool's season continues to be on of contrasts(Image: Getty Images)

That the Reds have lost just two of the last 21 should be commended, even if they have not always convinced along the way.

That sequence actually began at the London Stadium at the end of November, when a 2-0 win over West Ham lessened at least some of the pressure on a beleaguered Slot. Things have changed quite a bit since then.

Liverpool ended a sequence of nine defeats in 12 when it last faced the Hammers. Whatever the criticism of Slot and this season, there is no denying Liverpool has gradually developed in the last three months. Ultimately, whether the campaign has been a success may depend on if it can secure a top-five spot.

Saturday’s win means Liverpool now sits in the likely Champions League spots, with the Premier League expected to earn an additional fifth place.

Chelsea’s defeat at Arsenal ensures that Liverpool sits three points clear of the Blues, with a remarkable swing of seven points in the last three games since that vexing defeat to Manchester City three weeks ago.

Liverpool's season's goes from strength to strength(Image: 2026 Liverpool FC)

The next two rounds of Premier League fixtures make for intriguing viewing, with a free-falling Aston Villa facing Chelsea and Manchester United, while the Reds face bottom-place Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Slot should feel confident of his chances, even if the fixture list is less kind in the season’s final weeks.

There’s also the cup competitions to consider, with the Reds handed favorable opponents in the next rounds of FA Cup and Champions League. Given the upturn in form, there is genuine belief still that this campaign can end in silverware.

As we move into spring, Slot certainly hopes Liverpool’s slow growth will fully bloom in late May.

If further proof of his ability to address the team’s issues is required, the Reds’ set-piece record speaks for itself. The league’s worst side between August and December has scored more set-piece goals than anyone since the turn of the year.

That underlines another paradoxical element of Liverpool’s unfathomable season, one that could still end in glory.