Mohamed Salah has become the first player to score and complete a hand in 8 Premier League games in the same season that Liverpool beat West Ham to finish the day 8 points behind Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
Salah, who along with Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold can negotiate summer transfers to foreign clubs from Wednesday, set up Cody Gakpo before scoring on the stroke of half-time.
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Liverpool were already leading thanks to Luis Diaz’s 30th-minute goal and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s long-range shot was deflected 10 minutes into the second half, before Salah danced with the ball midway to score. Liverpool’s fifth goal (for Diogo Jota). and achieved a comfortable victory that solidified its lead heading into 2025.
Here The Athletic’s Andy Jones and Liam Tharme break down the key issues from the game.
Just when you think you’ve noticed Mohamed Salah doing it all, like all wonderful magicians, pull a rabbit out of the hat.
In a game where he once had a goal and an assist, it was the touch that led to his pass for Cody Gakpo’s goal that underlined his genius. . . as if we needed an extra reminder.
When Luis Diaz ran towards a ball over the top, Salah slid into the box, in position to get the ball.
The Colombian slid the ball with his feet and, while waiting, Salah looked over his shoulder and saw Konstantinos Mavropanos arriving.
Before he could react, the ball had passed through the Greek’s legs and Salah had spun away from him.
The touch is so intelligent that it is difficult to describe. Salah jumped into the air before launching the ball with his right foot towards the goal. It is unorthodox because it hypnotizes. A moment of brilliance and beauty.
This may become the modern-day ‘Bergkamp touch versus Newcastle’ debate over whether it was intentional or not. In the form Salah is in, it is difficult to think anything other than it was fully intentional.
The 32-year-old then used acceleration to succeed in the ball first, nutmegging some other West Ham defender, and directing it into the trail of Gakpo, who made no mistake. Asked through Sky Sports after the fit about the two nutmegs, Salah said the first unintentional yet the moment deliberate.
The forward couldn’t help but laugh as Curtis Jones quizzed him about it as well during the celebration immediately after the goal. He is a man at the top of his game and continues to make the seemingly impossible, possible.
It’s still December and Luis Diaz has already equalled his Premier League goal tally (eight) from last season. The Colombian benefited from Slot’s flexible attacking approach, spending time in the midfield and on both flanks, connecting with Liverpool’s wingers and complementing midfielders by running beyond the ball.
His first game at the London Stadium was a smart and responsive finish, having beaten Trent Alexander-Arnold and looking to locate the penetrating run of Curtis Jones. Luckily, the pass bounced off Díaz and he shot.
Díaz has also played on the left, when Darwin Núñez is the number 9, he is more productive when Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah play up top and on the sides. His form can be irregular, as is the case with top forwards, and he failed to score (and assisted only once) in the final nine games of last season, Díaz has scored two or more goals on four occasions this season, totaling a hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League. When it’s in it, it’s in it.
Liam Tharme
Being top of the Premier League at Christmas often feels significant for title challengers, but as they enter 2025, Liverpool are leaving the trailing pack in the dust.
With the final whistle blowing at the London Stadium, Liverpool increased their lead at the top of the table to 8 points, restoring the kind of hole they had built in early December.
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While Chelsea and Arsenal are yet to play their matches in this set of fixtures, Liverpool’s postponed Merseyside derby against Everton means that they have played the same number of games (18) as both — Arsenal sit nine points behind in third, and Chelsea at 10 in fourth. Nottingham Forest are second, having played a game more than all three sides.
It is a substantial lead and feels significant because Liverpool are not only in the driving seat, but it gives them room for error that the chasing pack does not have because of the number of points left to make up.
The home defeat to Nottingham Forest in September remains Liverpool’s loss in the Premier League and as they get stronger they continue to look for new tactics to win and impress.
The lead they have built is incredibly impressive, but there is still a long way to go. However, if the teams below them continue to drop points as they have done in the first half of the campaign, they will soon be needing snookers.
Andy Jones
There is a lot to be said about a “boring” moment when he scored 3 goals in the first half. Liverpool found this out the hard way at Tottenham a week ago, but did well to manage their lead at West Ham, at a ground where they have a record that is far from the best.
Lopetegui’s half-time tweaks saw the introduction of Niclas Fullkrug as No 9, giving them a target man, and allowing Jarrod Bowen to revert to his primary role as a winger. Little changed; Liverpool defended well in wide areas, with the ground so quiet that on-pitch shouts of “higher” — for the defence to get up — could be heard up in the press box.
Considering Liverpool started with a second-choice centre-back of Joe Gomez, and finished with a third choice when he went off injured to be replaced by Jarrell Quansah, their tightness and compactness was excellent. West Ham were limited to only four shots worth 0.29 expected goals, and Liverpool made more tackles (21 versus 16) despite dominating possession.
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Their urgency in the first half was excellent, setting traps on the left side of right-hander Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and they settled into a low block and played counter-attacking football when they needed to. He is just one moment away from a clean sheet in 8 games. , but vital with trips to Tottenham (again), high-flying Nottingham Forest and (unusually at home) Brentford next.
Liam Tharme
Asked about the expired contracts of Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold: “I think I have a lot about what they do: whether they are in an educational field, whether they are in an assembly with me. But let’s talk about their “I have nothing about them. So that was the scenario six months ago, the scenario as long as I’m a coach, but I have one thing for sure about what I expect from them on the field.
“I’m excited to see what Virgil brings to the table, what Trent brings to the table and what Mo brings to the table. Now, the positive thing for me is that for 4 or five months you only talked about Trent, Mo and Virgil.
“I guess, please, don’t disappoint me, that other people (the media) are now going to be talking about all the players we’re going to sign in the coming months and which player is leaving. So I had other questions as well, and not just about those three.
Asked by Sky Sports if he was able to provide any good news about his own contract situation, Salah said: “No. We’re far away from that. But again, I don’t want to put something in the media and people start saying stuff, but nothing has really moved on.
“For now, the only thing on my mind is Liverpool winning the league and I want to be part of that. That is the only thing I’ve focused on since the beginning of this season.”
On Joe Gomez going off, Slot said: “You saw today an injury of Joe Gomez. If a player says he wants to stop, he has to be changed.“In a sprint, then we all know it’s a hamstring and we all know it’s going take a while before he is back. I don’t know how long but he will be out for quite a bit. These situations can happen in a season.”
Sunday, January 5: Manchester United (H), Premier League, 4.30pm UK, 11.30am ET