West Ham admitted they had targeted one Liverpool player all week – it still didn’t work

Liverpool’s threat was the story West Ham United couldn’t solve at Anfield, and Mateus Fernandes has now admitted the visitors targeted Virgil van Dijk before kick-off but still failed to stop the damage.

Arne Slot’s side beat West Ham 5-2 in the Premier League on Saturday, with three goals in the first half putting us in control of the match, even though the second half saw us lead at 3-1 and again at 4-2.

Fernandes, in conversation with whufc.com after the match, West Ham made it clear that they were competing in open play but were punished in the moments that were decisive games against the top sides.

“It’s frustrating because I thought we played well overall in the first half,” said Fernandes.

“We conceded three goals from set pieces, and these are the details you have to pay attention to.”

The 21-year-old midfielder then confirmed the specific name on West Ham’s tactical checklist.

“We worked on stopping Van Dijk this week because we know how good he is in those situations, but we couldn’t stop them from scoring.”

That sentence tells you everything about the Dutch captain’s current impact, as Virgil van Dijk has become more than a defensive organizer when matches turn into a dead-ball fight.

His equal mix of dominance and timing was again on display against West Ham, when he scored once and put in a strong all-round defensive display.

Virgil van Dijk’s West Ham numbers show why he is such a problem

Here’s what player credited to Virgil van Dijk in the 5-2 win:

Metric	Van Dijk vs West Ham
Minutes	90′
Sofa score	7.8
Goals	1
xG	0.20
Shots on target	1
Clearances	5
Interceptions	1
Blocks	1
Won aerial duels	3/4
Precise passes	55/64 (86%)

These numbers underline why opponents can plan for Van Dijk and still struggle, because you’re not just battling one header, but the throw, the blockers and the chaos that follows.

Liverpool’s control still needs to match our score

West Ham did suffer spells after the break and Fernandes insisted his side stayed mentally in the game.

“However, we kept the faith and went into the second half knowing that everything can change very quickly,” said Fernandes.

“We scored first, which was good, but then they ruined the game.”

That ‘killed the game’ rule is interesting from our perspective as it ties into the wider post-match theme that Liverpool can still manage moments better, even when we win.

Don Hutchison and Steve Nicol both referenced Ronnie Moran when criticizing how open the match became after it finished 3-1, a reminder that the Champions League will punish sloppy runs even more sharply.

Owen Hargreaves, meanwhile, is backing Liverpool to finish in the top five, citing experience as a key difference in the run-in.

But for now, this was a match where West Ham’s own debrief confirmed the obvious: they tried to take Van Dijk off at set pieces, and Liverpool still found a way to land the blows that mattered.