Everything Alan Shearer said about West Ham United on Match of the Day after Liverpool loss
Alan Shearer says West Ham need to improve “massively”, particularly at defending set pieces, if they want to stay in the Premier League.
West Ham suffered a heavy 5-2 loss to Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday afternoon, but the scoreline does not tell the full story.
Nuno Espirito Santo‘s team had an Expected Goals tally of 1.84 versus Liverpool’s 1.75 and had 51 per cent possession on Merseyside.
However, Arne Slot’s players were just that bit more clinical as the London Stadium outfit missed the chance to jump out of the relegation zone.
And Newcastle United legend Shearer pointed out that West Ham were undone by their inability to defend from set pieces.
Alan Shearer fires warning to West Ham amid relegation battle
West Ham conceded from three first-half corners through Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister, becoming only the second team in the Premier League’s history to do so after Manchester United in 2016.
Liverpool have now scored a whopping nine goals from set pieces in the league in 2026 alone, but that does not give West Ham an excuse, as some of their defending on Saturday was woeful.
Shearer admitted West Ham are showing signs of positivity, particularly after winning three league matches in their last seven games, but they need to tighten up at the back.
He said on Match of the Day: “If you’re going to defend like that from set-pieces, you’re not going to get much out of the game.
“Yes, there has been a general improvement, and I thought they did do well, and that they have created chances, but you can’t defend like that and hope to come away, especially when you know you’re going to get punished at Anfield.”
In West Ham’s final 10 games of the season, they face the likes of Fulham away, Manchester City at home, Aston Villa away, and Arsenal at home.
The Hammers have one of the toughest run-ins in the league this season, and Shearer thinks they need to step up their game to beat the drop.
He added, “That’s a tough run of fixtures, and they’re going to have to improve massively to get out of the trouble they are in.”
Why West Ham should still be positive despite Liverpool loss
Before this Liverpool defeat, West Ham hadn’t lost in February as they closed the gap to 17th-placed Nottingham Forest to just two points.
As previously stated, West Ham had more possession and a higher xG than Champions League-chasing Liverpool.
January signing Taty Castellanos scored again, and Nuno was quick to point out that the manner of the defeat did not show how hard West Ham made Liverpool work for their win.
The former Forest boss said, “It is hard to explain, maybe it is absurd to say it is a good performance when you lose 5-2. But there are a lot of positives, a lot of negatives too. We really made mistakes from set-pieces.
“Saying it is a good performance, maybe sounds really silly, but it is what I saw. But we go home with a poor result.”
Before West Ham travel to London neighbours Fulham on Wednesday for a big game at Craven Cottage, many Hammers fans will be keeping a watchful eye on Forest’s game at Brighton on Sunday.
An away win for Nuno’s old team would see them go five clear of West Ham, plus Tottenham, who are four points ahead of the Hammers, travel to Fulham on Sunday in search of a first win since 28 December.
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