Robertson’s star continues to rise as Liverpool thrash West Ham

Andrew Robertson starred again for Liverpool in Saturday’s win over West Ham and looks to have made the left-back position his own.

Liverpool hosted West Ham on Saturday in a mid-afternoon Premier League clash at Anfield. On a high from an emphatic win over Porto the week before, the Reds came out swinging and hit the post in the opening minutes. Emre Can then opened the scoring from a corner before Liverpool’s front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané scored for the second game running to secure a comprehensive 4-1 victory.

While Liverpool’s attacking trio ran the Hammers’ defense ragged, it was left-back Andrew Robertson who shone on the day. Defensively astute, he nullified the threat of João Mário and Pablo Zabaleta all the while posing a problem of his own down the left wing. He linked up well with Liverpool’s midfield and attacking triumvirate from start to finish and made light work of West Ham’s experienced defense with his pace and pin-point deliveries.

In the first half, he forced the corner which led to Can’s opener and just minutes later set up Salah with an inviting cross. The Egyptian was just unable to convert. The Scottish international was not to be denied his assist, though, and in the second half picked Mané out for Liverpool’s fourth goal with another great ball in from the left.

Making his 15th league appearance for the club, Robertson’s performance was the latest in a string of excellent outings from the former Hull man. Having joined Liverpool in the summer, he spent the first few months of the season behind regular left-back Alberto Moreno. He had to wait patiently for his chance but the opportunity came in December when the Spaniard suffered a serious injury against Spartak Moscow in the Champions League. He has not looked back since.

Robertson’s rise couldn’t have come at a better time for Liverpool. The left-back position has been a problem area for the club for the better part of the last decade. Moreno’s arrival in 2014 was meant to be the solution but the Spaniard has for the most part failed to deliver. Such was Jürgen Klopp’s lack of faith in the former Sevilla man that central midfielder James Milner was deployed at left-back for the most part of last season. To Moreno’s credit, he showed improvement during the present campaign and was unlucky to pick up the injury when he did. It’s unlikely he’ll be getting his spot back anytime soon, though.

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Robertson has made the position his own and has grown from strength to strength since assuming the starting berth. He possesses the same energy, pace and naturally attacking instincts as Moreno but unlike his counterpart is able to combine them with a consistency and reliability in defense. These qualities were on display once again against West Ham and there can be little doubt that Robertson is now Liverpool’s undisputed starting left-back.