Another Sunday romp in London lifts Liverpool eight clear as abysmal Hammers offer no fight
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LIVERPOOL will be happy to travel to London every Sunday on their apparent romp to the Premier League title.
Seven days on from a 6-3 victory at Tottenham, this 5-0 demolition of an abject West Ham side was at once compelling proof of their imperious form under Arne Slot and an utter embarrassment for a club which has lost its identity.
Liverpool attacked at will and, but for a string of fine stops by home keeper Alphonse Areola, could easily have reached double figures.
Mohamed Salah was once again the outstanding individual with a cunningly taken goal and a mazy run and assist for his side’s fifth goal that was pure grace in motion.
Salah was not alone in his excellence. Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz and Curtis Jones all benefitted from the secure platform built behind them to run West Ham ragged.
The first opening came the way of West Ham in the sixth minute when Jarrod Bowen crossed for Lucas Paqueta whose attempt skewed just wide of the post.
That West Ham attack quickly proved to be an aberration as Liverpool assumed a control they would not relinquish.
Within a minute Gakpo cut inside. Instead of shooting as is his wont, he slid a ball along the ground for Salah, whose shot was brilliantly diverted behind by the swiftly advancing Areola.
It would not be the first crucial intervention by the West Ham keeper. After Salah’s clipped cross to the far post evaded the head of the incoming Gakpo by inches, Areola sprang from his line again to block an effort from Jones.
The visitors were finding space on the left side of West Ham’s back three to which Aaron Wan-Bissaka had been switched, presumably to use his pace against the threat of Salah.
When Salah drifted wider, however, that created a hole for Jones. On the other side of the pitch, Gakpo’s intelligent positioning and movement gave Liverpool a natural width with which West Ham were not comfortable.
As usual, the danger that Liverpool were creating came from a variety of sources as well as directions.
Diaz was the next to break free with a shot that was flicked over by Areola.
The Columbian was not to be denied after 30 minutes. Receiving a pass from Alexander-Arnold, Diaz attempted to find Gakpo, but instead benefitted from an inadvertent one-two with Coufal and calmly slotted his shot into the bottom corner for his eighth Premier League goal of the season.
Liverpool’s comfortable evening was briefly interrupted by an injury to Joe Gomez, who was still limping his way around the perimeter of the pitch when Mohammed Kudus suddenly found himself free to drive in a shot which struck the base of the Liverpool post.
That was in the 37th minute. By the 44th, the match was over as a contest.
Firstly, Alexis Mac Allister fed Diaz whose instant pass inside was followed by clever Salah control that left Konstantinos Mavropanos in a spin and the ball rolling towards Gakpo. The Dutchman stroked it into an empty net.
Four minutes later, another move of devastating simplicity again proved too good for a static West Ham rearguard after the home side were dispossessed in their own half.
Mac Allister fed Jones who quickly found Salah. The disguise on the Egyptian’s shot was far too good for Areola who left a gap at his near post through which Salah’s shot squeezed.
Liverpool’s fourth goal nine minutes into the second half when an Alexander-Arnold shot struck the head of Max Kilman to wrong-foot Areola promised to continue the deluge.
In reality, the match ended at that point. Arne Slot brought on four substitutes to rest some of his starters while even West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui accepted the inevitable by taking off Jarrod Bowen.
The hosts might have scored the scantest of consolation goals when Kudus headed against the Liverpool bar.
Instead, Salah picked the ball up on halfway, slalomed and feinted his way to the edge of the West Ham area before slipping in substitute Diogo Jota, who found the far corner with ease to complete a stunning victory.
Areola 8; Mavropanos 4, Kilman 5, Wan-Bissaka 5; Coufal 4 (Todibo 46, 6), Paqueta 5, Alvarez 5 (Fullkrug 46, 5), Emerson 5; Kudus 6 (Guilherme 81, 6), Soler 5 (Irving 73, 5); Bowen 7 (Summerville 60, 5) Foderingham, Cresswell, Scarles, Ings
Alisson 6; Alexander-Arnold 7, Gomez 6 (Qansah 37, 6), van Dijk 7, Robertson 6 (Tsimikas 73, 6); Gravenberch 7 (Endo 57, 6), Mac Allister 8; Jones 8 (Elliott 73, 7); Salah 9, Diaz 8, Gakpo 9 (Jota 57, 6) Substitutes not used: Kelleher, Nunez, McConnell, Danns
Anthony Taylor