Liverpool boss Arne Slot praised his side’s performance after Saturday’s 5-2 triumph over West Ham, highlighting the decisive role of set pieces in the victory. Despite acknowledging that his team has often played well even in defeat, Slot emphasized how the Reds’ recent proficiency from corners and free-kicks has transformed their attacking threat.
In a rare Premier League occurrence, Liverpool scored three times from first-half corners, with goals from Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk, and Alexis Mac Allister giving the English champions a commanding position early on. This performance reflects a growing trend: Van Dijk has also found the net from corners against Sunderland and Bournemouth in recent weeks, while Ibrahima Konate scored from a corner in a 4-1 win over Newcastle, and Dominik Szoboszlai opened the scoring with a spectacular free-kick in a 2-1 loss to Manchester City.
Liverpool’s turnaround in set-piece effectiveness has been remarkable. At the end of 2025, they were the worst team in the Premier League in terms of goals scored versus conceded from set pieces. Fast forward to 2026, and they now lead the league in this metric.
“Very pleasing because firstly that is the reason we have won, and secondly because people said ‘well played,’” Slot said.
“In my opinion, we have played better when we lost and better when we conceded from set-pieces. The first half of the season, almost every set-piece we conceded went in. We start scoring from set-pieces, and things start looking brighter and better than when you don’t.”
Liverpool parted ways with set-piece coach Aaron Briggs at the end of last year, but Slot downplayed the impact of that change. “We have created quite a lot of chances in the first half of the season that too many times did not go in. Maybe one or two small details have changed defensively and offensively our set-up is slightly different but the biggest reason is that things go back to normal,” he added.
The victory moved Liverpool into fifth place in the Premier League table, putting them in a strong position to secure a return to the Champions League next season. With English clubs performing strongly in European competitions this season, a top-five finish is likely sufficient to guarantee continental football.
Liverpool’s resurgence from set pieces demonstrates both tactical adaptation and renewed confidence, giving Slot’s squad a tangible edge as they chase European qualification.
