Liverpool vs. West Ham: Reds set incredible Premier League set-piece record as Man United emulated

Liverpool set a remarkable new Premier League set-piece record as the Reds blew West Ham United away in the first half of their Anfield showdown on Saturday.

Arne Slot's crop needed just five minutes to draw first blood against the Irons, as Hugo Ekitike beat Mads Hermansen at his near post after Ryan Gravenberch kept an attack alive following a corner, hitting a new milestone in the process.

Not long after, the Reds flexed their new-found set-piece muscles once again, as Virgil van Dijk netted the 28th Premier League goal of his career in front of the Kop.

The reigning champions were not done there in the opening 45, as Alexis Mac Allister - scorer of the only goal against Nottingham Forest last weekend - finished high into the roof of the net following yet another corner.

Liverpool vs. West Ham: Reds set new Premier League set-piece record

Taking a leaf out of Arsenal's dead-ball book, Liverpool have now scored an incredible seven consecutive Premier League goals from set-pieces, none of which were penalties.

To date, no team has ever had a longer run of consecutive free kick or corner goals in the Premier League, and the Reds' new record is testament to their extraordinary set-piece revival.

Prior to Forest and West Ham, Liverpool also took down Sunderland 1-0 thanks to a Van Dijk winner from a corner, and their strike against Manchester City in their 2-1 defeat came from a Dominik Szoboszlai free kick.

The Reds' set-piece rush began with an Ibrahima Konate effort from a corner against Newcastle United in January's 4-1 win, and their last open-play goal in the Premier League was Florian Wirtz's strike against the Magpies.

Unsurprisingly, Liverpool have also registered the most set-piece goals of any Premier League team in 2026, and they also emulated Manchester United with their trio of first-half efforts.

The Reds are the first team since the Red Devils in 2016 to score three goals from corners in the first 45 minutes of a Premier League game, after Man Utd did so against Leicester City.

Liverpool vs. West Ham: Is lack of open-play goals a worry for Reds?

Liverpool have now scored 7 consecutive Premier League goals from non-penalty set-pieces - the longest run by any side in the competition's history.

Yes really. #LFC
— Michael Reid (@michael_reid11) February 28, 2026

So often have Arsenal been criticised for an over-reliance on set-pieces - albeit not so much recently - and Gunners fans may now be requesting that Liverpool are subjected to the same treatment.

However, rather than plodding balls onto the big centre-back's head all the time, a handful of Liverpool's set-piece strikes have come from the Reds winning second balls and sustaining the attack after the initial delivery failed.

The absence of Wirtz through injury makes it harder for the Reds to generate chances from open play, but for the time being at least, Liverpool fans should simply celebrate their set-piece superiority and not worry about the rest.