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LONDON: Alexander Isak finally scored his first Premier League goal for troubled Liverpool to inspire a much-needed 2-0 win at West Ham United on Sunday.
Earlier on Sunday, Manchester United ended Crystal Palace’s nine-month unbeaten home run with a 2-1 comeback victory, Aston Villa climbed to third with a 1-0 victory over lowly Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Brighton & Hove Albion won 2-0 at Nottingham Forest to go fifth.
Liverpool had endured their worst spell in over 70 years, and manager Arne Slot took drastic measures, leaving Mohamed Salah out of his starting line-up for the first time in the Premier League.
Kamara gave the home crowd something to shout about, arrowing a thunderous shot into the top corner in the 67th minute as Villa climbed to third on 24 points. Wolves remained bottom on two points.
Isak had failed to score in his five top-flight appearances since making a British record 125 million ($165 million) move from Newcastle United in September.
The Sweden forward banished that drought at the London Stadium, although with only his second goal in 11 games in all competitions for the Reds, following his maiden strike in a League Cup win against second-tier Southampton.
Cody Gakpo bagged Liverpool’s second goal in stoppage time to secure their first win in four games in all competitions.
“There’s definitely a feeling of relief because if you have lost so many times, then winning is important. We hardly conceded a chance and we were able to create chances ourselves,” Reds boss Arne Slot said.
“It helps if you don’t go 1-0 down after five minutes because then you are more open. We played the game I wanted us to play. What I saw meant a lot to our players and our fans.
“This is a good first step for us. We won and had a clean sheet.”
Hampered by injuries and a lack of match fitness after missing pre-season due to his protracted transfer saga, Isak was on target in the league for the first time since netting for Newcastle against Brighton in May.
The end of the 26-year-old’s 10-match goal drought for club and country was a ray of hope for Liverpool amid a dismal campaign.
“I’ve been waiting for it and chasing it [his first Premier League goal for Liverpool] and sometimes it takes longer than you expect but happy to score a goal and help towards the win today,” Isak told the BBC.
“It’s never easy, as a striker you need momentum. We defended really well and scored twice so happy days.”
Liverpool’s cause was helped by Lucas Paqueta’s double booking for dissent with less than 10 minutes to play, before Gakpo added a second in the 92nd minute.
Liverpool’s victory, only their second in eight league games, moved them up to eighth with 21 points, while West Ham, whose players and fans paid tribute to former captain and manager Billy Bonds who died aged 79 on Sunday, are 17th with 11.
At Selhurst Park, Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount struck in the second half to erase as Manchester United battled back for only their second away victory in 12 games.
United climbed above Palace into seventh on 21 points, while Oliver Glasner’s team are ninth on 20. Jean-Philippe Mateta struck from the penalty spot in the 36th minute after Leny Yoro’s reckless tackle.
Zirkzee levelled in the 54th minute when he chested down a free kick before firing into the far corner and Mount struck the winner when a free kick was touched into his path and he unleashed a low shot through a sea of Palace legs.
“We have not found it easy away from home this season,” Mount told TNT Sports. “It was all about reacting in the second half and I feel we did that well.” A superb strike from Boubacar Kamara earned Aston Villa a victory over bottom side Wolves.
Maxim De Cuyper and Stefano Tzimas scored to lift Brighton to victory at Forest and the visitors climbed to fifth in the table on 22 points. Forest are 16th on 12.
SPURS SLIDE
On Saturday, Tottenham Hotspur’s woeful Premier League home form continued as Fulham claimed their first away victory of the season with a 2-1 win thanks to early goals by Kenny Tete and Harry Wilson.
Thomas Frank’s men made a disastrous start as Tete put Fulham ahead before Wilson’s superb strike punished a calamitous blunder from goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Tottenham were booed off at half-time and although Mohammed Kudus pulled one back after the interval, there were more jeers at the final whistle. With only three wins in their last 13 games in all competitions, Tottenham have slumped to 10th place.
Tottenham are without a home league victory since the opening weekend of the season, wining only four of their 10 matches in front of their fans in all competitions this season.
Frank was critical of the fans who taunted Vicario, saying: “I didn’t like that our fans booed at him. They can’t be true Tottenham fans because everyone supports each other when you’re on the pitch and we do everything we can to perform.
“I’m fine with them booing after the match, no problem, but not during. That is unacceptable in my opinion.”
Elsewhere on Saturday, Newcastle celebrated boss Eddie Howe’s 48th birthday with a 4-1 rout of Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
A first away league win since April 7 was the ideal present for Howe, whose side made an explosive start when Malick Thiaw headed home from Lewis Miley’s corner after just 52 seconds.
It was the fastest goal in the Premier League this season.
Beaten in their previous four away games, Newcastle netted again in the 25th minute when Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford allowed Miley’s shot to squirm past his woeful attempted save.
Nick Woltemade made it three with a cheeky chip over Pickford in the 45th minute.
Thiaw’s 58th-minute header added to Everton’s misery and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s 70th-minute eye-catching strike was little consolation for David Moyes’s men.
Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2025
