Felipe Anderson returned to West Ham United’s starting lineup to face Liverpool on Monday evening following a five match Premier League absence.
Barring some kind of mind-boggling miracle, which did, for a fleeting, scarcely believable moment in time, represent a genuine possibility, the Brazilian was always destined to sink into the shadows of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane.
But prior to Lukasz Fabianski – or Flappianski, the imposter who slipped into the West Ham gloves on Monday night – conspiring to give Liverpool a literal helping hand in their bid to topple every record known to man, Anderson did much more than fade into the shadows.
Of course, he was not without fault. The 26-year-old was lambasted by David Moyes on the touchine for shirking a 50-50 challenge inside the first half and statistically he left plenty to be desired. He failed to complete a single key pass before he was substituted after 65 minutes, was dispossessed on three separate occasions and twice his touch let him down, surrendering possession for the visitors, per Whoscored.
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Yet there existed an aura about Anderson which hinted the Hammers were capable of pulling off the unthinkable. In possession of the ball he was composed and dynamic, gliding past dumbfounded Liverpool players with the conviction of a five-a-side player who is all too brashly aware of his devilish superiority to those attempting to dispossess him.
Five times Anderson pulled off a successful dribble – more than any other player in claret and blue – and on each and every occasion his agility and immaculate control seemed to add an extra five yards of width to the pitch.
His teammates undoubtedly benefited and it’s no coincidence that Declan Rice had the time and space to swivel and deliver a cross Trent Alexander-Arnold would have been proud of to give Pablo Fornals the chance, which he took with aplomb, to put the relegation-threatened side ahead.
There was no direct involvement from Anderson but his presence gave West Ham a cutting edge, one distinctly absent from their play when he was replaced by Seabstien Haller after 65 minutes. The gravitational swing alluded to Anderson’s importance to the Hammers’ attacking impetus, and the statistics from a thoroughly disastrous season so far equally underline how imperative he is to the club’s survival bid.
The £40.5m-rated star, per Transfermarkt, is fundamental to the club’s success. West Ham have won 6 of the 20 games he’s started in all competitions this season and just two of the 11 games they’ve played without him in all competitions.
The win ratio of 30% with him in the team, compared to just 18% without, per Soccerbase, tells its own story but the fact the Irons have scored less than a goal per game without him speaks volumes about how his importance in the final months of the season.
Anderson may not have been at his blistering, pulsating best at Anfield but his showing, coupled with West Ham’s dip following his omission, sent his manager a timely reminder of his mercurial talent.
As is the case with most flair players, Anderson can be equally as frustrating as awe-inspiring.
If Moyes can find a way to get Anderson to induce the latter emotion on a regular basis between now and May 17th, he might just get the club out of jail.