Gomez Says Liverpool Victory Over West Ham “Has to Be One of Many”

You can talk about how poor and even disinterested West Ham looked for long stretches of Sunday’s match. Or you can talk about the times Liverpool still looked vulnerable defensively against the counter in the first half. Or point out that one win doesn’t mean the ills of the past two months have suddenly been corrected.

All that really matters for now, though, is that Liverpool won. Comfortably, in the end, by 2-0. Without conceding a shot on target to their opponents. While their opponents, and sole creative spark Lucas Paquetá in particular, looked out of ideas and began to melt down. And all that matters next is for the Reds to win again.

“The main thing is just us sticking together,” Liverpool stand-in right back Joe Gomez said following the match. “It’s a tough schedule now, so we’ve just to go again. I think the quality of the team is never going to just dissipate and not be there, but I think there was definitely an emphasis on trying to have a solid foundation

“So I think we have to take the win and appreciate it—it’s been a tough time so it’s not about disregarding it but it’s also about just knowing it has to be one of many and hopefully a bounce-board for us to crack on. Every game in the Premier League is tough and we’ve obviously felt that, and it’s just hopefully a foundation.”

In the midst of a terrible run in October and November, Liverpool did manage one hopeful week, beating first Aston Villa in the league and then Real Madrid in Europe. Rather than being the start of a turnaround, though, after it was straight back to the struggle with three straight defeats. It was, in short, a false dawn.

Following those wins, there was plenty of talk of Liverpool having turned things around. This time around, it seems likely everyone including the players will be taking a slightly more cautious approach, with Sunderland and Leeds up next domestically before a trip to Italy to face Inter Milan in the Champions League.

“Obviously there is a massive expectation at this club and you’ve got to feel the weight of the shirt,” Gomez added. “We’ve been just as disappointed as the fans and the main thing is that we’re all in it together and it’s a balance of trying to not let it overwhelm us and take us, and hopefully today takes us in the right direction.”