Arne Slot's side will head into 2025 on a huge high after tearing apart a sorry Irons team at the London Stadium
Liverpool opened up an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League table with a ridiculously comfortable 5-0 win away at West Ham on Sunday. The Reds made the most of facing a Hammers team stuck in an identity crisis and tore Julen Lopetegui's side to shreds on a bitter evening in the east end of London.
On the half-hour mark, Liverpool deservedly went in front. Luis Diaz tried to slip through Curtis Jones, only for Vladimir Coufal to block the pass. However, the ball fell kindly for the Colombian again as he bulldozed his way into the penalty area, and he left Alphonse Areola flat-footed with a strike at the near post.
From out of nothing, West Ham nearly pulled level. Mohammed Kudus breezed his way infield and let fly 25 yards from goal, striking the frame of the post to the relief of the beaten Alisson. And the Hammers were made to pay immediately as Liverpool doubled their lead with their next attack, as Alexis Mac Allister's high pass over the West Ham backline appeared destined for the offside Mohamed Salah, but he let the ball run for Diaz instead. The Reds' No.7 played Salah in when he returned to an onside position and chopped his way inside, where he was met by a barrage of panicked defenders, before Cody Gakpo reacted quickly to turn the ball past Areola.
Salah managed to get in on the act with a goal of his own before the half-time whistle. West Ham lost possession in their own half, with Jones quickly finding Salah free on the edge of the box, and he calmly passed the ball in to send the home fans straight to the concourses.
Areola denied Salah a brace straight out of the blocks for the second half after the Egyptian broke West Ham's shoddy offside trap as Liverpool sought to add to their first-half helpings. Indeed, the visitors soon had their fourth, courtesy of a deflected Trent Alexander-Arnold strike, with his 25-yard effort cannoning in off the head of Maximilian Kilman.
Some understandably slack Liverpool defending saw Kudus allowed a free header from the penalty spot late in the day, yet he could only find the woodwork again as this time his effort bounced off the bar. Salah, mercifully, skied over from a similar distance from the next passage of play with a wicked half-volley.
But the Egyptian was in no mood to let West Ham off any lighter when he turned on the style for his side's fifth, carrying the ball 50 yards up the pitch before releasing Diogo Jota to score with a fine finish, wrapping up the scoring for good.
GOAL rates Liverpool's players from London Stadium…
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Alisson (6/10):
A spectator for the most part, though one with the privilege of a close-up view. Caught scrambling when Kudus hit the post before Liverpool turned up the heat, though that was as dangerous as his day got.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (8/10):
Looked as assured and confident as ever despite the man-marking of Emerson. Will no doubt have sent the rumour mill into overdrive with a cryptic celebration after scoring Liverpool's fourth.
Joe Gomez (6/10):
Withdrawn just before the break with a leg injury. Had played pretty well beforehand, and with Konate already out, this will be a bitter blow for Liverpool if his issue is serious.
Virgil van Dijk (7/10):
Became more proactive with his defending after Gomez's substitution. Given that's also around the time Liverpool took the game completely away from West Ham, he didn't have too much to do regardless.
Andy Robertson (5/10):
Probably the only Liverpool player who had some hairy moments to contend with, occasionally finding himself in trouble up against the tricky Kudus.
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Ryan Gravenberch (7/10):
A calming presence as ever in midfield, so effortlessly tidying up whenever West Ham threatened to string a few passes together. Afforded a rest by being taken off on 57 minutes.
Alexis Mac Allister (8/10):
More combative than the soothing Gravenberch, complementing each other perfectly. Involved in the build-up for the second and third goals, firstly with a defence-unlocking pass and then an aggressive challenge to win possession back.
Curtis Jones (7/10):
Flitted between the lines making an impact wherever he had the ball. Crashed the box and on another day may have had a goal for himself.
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Mohamed Salah (10/10):
There's only a finite number of ways to say a player is amazing. The English thesaurus has been exhausted with ways to describe Salah's performances and at some point we're going to have to invent some new words. West Ham were visibly scared of Salah from the off, and he made them dance to his every whim.
Luis Diaz (8/10):
Another outing in which winger Diaz has looked a natural playing as a centre forward. Knew when to drop deep to allow Jones to bomb on and his wingers to cut inside, but also bundled his way to the last line when appropriate as well.
Cody Gakpo (8/10):
Played with the directness perhaps more reminiscent of Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, though that helped here in tearing apart a tragic West Ham backline. Taken off at the same time as compatriot Gravenberch.
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Jarell Quansah (6/10):
Replaced the injured Gomez. Didn't have too much to get his teeth sunk into, to be fair.
Wataru Endo (6/10):
Given extended Premier League minutes when he replaced Gravenberch for the final third of the game. The intensity of the affair had gone by then and he was easily able to play at walking pace.
Diogo Jota (7/10):
Brought on for Gakpo. Brought the best out of Areola before eventually finding the net himself.
Harvey Elliott (6/10):
Given a 20-minute runaround in place of Jones.
Kostas Tsimikas (6/10):
Came on for Robertson when Elliott was too introduced.
Arne Slot (9/10):
Made only one change from their Boxing Day triumph over Leicester, yet you could hardly accuse Liverpool of lacking freshness. The Reds were by far the best team from start to finish in east London.
