Here are The Athletic’s Liam Tharme and Andy Jones on The Briefing; You can read them at the following link.
Subscribe to The Athletic to get an exclusive offer here.
GO BEYOND
West Ham 0 Liverpool 5: Breaking down Salah’s extraordinary assist and why Diaz is scoring
It will be 2025 before we see these two teams again.
They are both back in action next weekend with West Ham making the tough trip to the Etihad Stadium to face champions Manchester City on Saturday.
Then, on Sunday, Liverpool host Manchester United at Anfield — we will be covering that match live here on The Athletic.
Advert
2024 with Arne Slot replacing Feyenoord and ended with him at Liverpool, who are at the top of the Premier League and Champions League standings.
“It’s been a wonderful year,” he told Sky Sports. “Working at a big club in Feyenoord, I wonder if I can find a club where I can have a wonderful time.
“At the moment, I can say that it is probably even longer than my stay at Feyenoord because it is special to do it in my country as well. Great players to paint with in both groups and a total year with only one defeat, unlike Nottingham Forest.
“It’s been half a season for both clubs. “
Speaking to Sky Sports, Arne Slot was asked if Mohamed Salah is the best player in the world.
“If you look at their numbers, you can’t argue with that,” the Liverpool manager said. “But there are other players in other leagues with a lot of quality.
“Mo is up if you look at his numbers. But, like today, you may have scored even more. I also liked his performance in the team without the ball. He’s in a very smart place, you can’t argue. “about that.
“And let’s hope he can stay like this for a long time.”
Just Liverpool’s goals in their last two away games!
They managed six away to Tottenham this time last week and another five today, the first time in over three years they have managed five in two successive away league games.
Arne Slot has not lost a single away game as Liverpool manager!
After enjoying good European and domestic fortune in recent years, West Ham were sure to have a bad one.
And while they haven’t reached the heights of previous years, they still haven’t had to worry too much about relegation this season or last.
However, their defensive weaknesses are a real cause for concern. They have conceded 79 goals in the Premier League in 2024, more than any other team.
The last time they conceded more in a calendar year was in 1967, when they sent 85 of them.
Salah has more and more bargaining power with every game that passes at the moment. His Liverpool contract, like Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold’s, expires at the end of this season.
He asked her if she had evolved anything in this regard, to which she replied: “No, we are far from that. But I don’t need to say anything in the media and have other people start saying things. “
“Nothing has changed. I’m focused on the team and I hope we can win the Premier League. “
Advert
Salah had seven shots in today’s game and should’ve actually come away with more than one goal, something he ackowledged.
“I’m just looking to enjoy the game. To be honest, I’m a bit disappointed by the few chances I missed but, at the end of the day, I came here for the result,” he told Sky Sports. .
“I just need the team to win, I need to do anything in the game and I’m glad I did it, but I’m hungry for more. Next time I’ll score more. “
A very modest Mohamed Salah spoke to Sky Sports at full time.
“I’m glad for the result. We managed to score a goal early and dominated the game, so that’s the most important thing,” he said.”
“The only thing that worries me is that I need Liverpool to win the championship and I want to be part of it. It’s the only thing I have focused on since the start of the season. I will do the best I can for my team to win a trophy.
“We are going in the right direction. Of course, there are some other smart groups looking to catch up with us, so we have to focus, (be) humble, work hard and start again. “
And that’s what the Premier League standings look like tonight.
What a position for Liverpool in 2025!
And look at Nottingham Forest: they are enjoying a season Nuno Espirito Santo.
It must be said that now it will be a wonder if Liverpool do not win the Premier League and if Salah does not make the honors of player/footballer of the year transparent.
It is difficult to continue with superlatives for Mohamed Salah this season.
Liverpool are still halfway through their Premier League crusade and the Egyptian has already contributed to 30 goals.
He leads the way for the Golden Boot with 17 goals and is stretching his lead as the league’s chief creator with 13 assists.
Surely he can’t keep up this staggering standard!
Advertisement
That feeling when you’re watching a movie and it’s silly, but you’ve already committed to watching it. You hope it gets better, but it doesn’t, and it bothers you that you wasted all that time watching it.
This is how Julen Lopetegui feels this season.
As categorical as possible. Arne Slot’s team dominated from the first to the last minute.
Another master class from Salah with a goal and two assists.
Díaz, Gakpo, Alexander-Arnold and Jota, the others on the scoreboard.
This is how we will end 2024!
FT West Ham 0-5 Liverpool
Five goals and five other goalscorers for Liverpool.
They end 2024 with a resounding victory at the London Stadium and it’s hard to believe that they don’t have one or two (or three) trophies to lift in 2025.
What a team!
90+5′ West Ham 0-5 Liverpool
The Liverpool clean sheet is threatened one more time, but is just preserved.
Substitute Guilherme fired a left-footed shot into the back corner from distance and Van Dijk stretched his leg to get in the way. This deflection went past Alisson, but went to the post and a corner kick.
The Liverpool goalkeeper was clearly relieved to see his clean sheet remain intact!
90+2′ West Ham 0-5 Liverpool
There were groans from the West Ham fans, of whom there are now few, when they learned they still had 4 minutes to see.
Advertisement
90+1′ West Ham 0-5 Liverpool
The locals still have 4 minutes of suffering ahead of them.
Liverpool still have 4 minutes to score a 6th goal, they don’t seem desperate to score another.
89′ West Ham 0-5 Liverpool
I would be extremely surprised if anyone approached Liverpool when May rolls around and the Premier League trophy is ready to be awarded.
They have an edge over everyone else in the department, and by 2025, they’ll introduce at least six transparent themes, at most, with a game in hand.
Can they be prevented? I don’t think so.
86′ West Ham 0-5 Liverpool
And there is the icing on the cake.
Salah became supremely complex, dodging and weaving past recovering West Ham defenders, and then there was green grass to run on. Next to him substitute Jota who maintained his line and won a timely pass.
He didn’t need the touch to set himself, curling a superb right-footed strike into the top corner to make it five.