29 December 2024
West Ham 0 Liverpool 5
West Ham were on their best run since Julen Lopetegui took over as boss, unbeaten in their last four games. They welcomed league leaders Liverpool to the London Stadium, hoping to cause an upset. For Arne Slot’s side, they were focussed on extending their lead at the top to nine points. As the players walked out onto the pitch, bubbles cascaded everywhere, The Reds were looking to burst them.
Robertson gave the ball away to Bowen early on and the West Ham playmaker made a beeline towards the penalty area. From a wide position he played a teasing ball into the back post to pick out Paqueta but he got his effort all wrong as he sliced it well wide of the target. The hosts could ill-afford to pass up such gifts against the free-scoring visitors.
Immediately The Reds looked to punish the hosts. Gakpo picked the ball up on the left and cut inside onto his right foot. He played a defence-splitting pass through the defence to pick out Salah at the back post. The Egyptian drilled a shot at goal but Areola made a superb save to deflect the effort over the crossbar.
Slot’s side were starting to find their groove as Diaz teased the defence on the left. The Columbian shifted the ball onto his right foot and smashed a well struck effort towards the top corner of The Hammers’ goal. Once again the hosts’ keeper reacted well to turn the shot over to frustrate the league leaders in the capital.
Finally the visitors managed to break the deadlock as Diaz looked to thread a pass through to a teammate. West Ham blocked the ball but it deflected back into the path of the winger. He drilled a right-footed shot past Areola and into the bottom corner, much to the delight of the travelling fans in the away end. It was no more than Slot’s side deserved.
Lopetegui’s team tried to find a way back into the game as Kudus teased Robertson out wide. He got to the byline and crossed towards Paqueta but the Brazilian got his attempted header all wrong and it looped up for a simple save for Alisson. These are the fine margins in the Premier League, clinical finishing separates the best from the rest.
Kudus grew in confidence as he exchanged a neat one-two in the middle of the park. Despite being some twenty-five yards from goal, he let fly with a rasping left-footed shot. It had the Liverpool keeper beaten but struck the inside of the post and came back out into play. Big let off for the visitors, whose lead was looking slender at this point.
Mac Allister then clipped a pass down the right wing. Salah realised he was offside and left it to Diaz. He returned the favour and the Egyptian turned Mavropanos brilliantly before squaring it for Gakpo to score. It was a cruel blow for the hosts having just hit the woodwork at the other end. The Reds were showing why they sat at the top of the tree at Christmas.
Things went from bad to worse when Jones played the ball into Salah on the edge of the box. He took one touch to control it before getting a strike off at goal. The effort seemed to catch Areola off guard and nestled into the bottom corner of the goal. Liverpool had seemingly put this game to bed before the interval and The Hammers’ fans fell silent.
The Hammers switched to a more defensive formation at the break in a move of what seemed damage limitation. It made no difference as The Reds immediately carved them open as Salah looked to bend a shot into the far corner. Once again Areola made a cracking save to deny the visitors but this was starting to look like men against boys.
Alexander-Arnold then decided to try his luck from outside the box. His shot took a deflection off Kilman which wrong-footed the West Ham keeper. The home fans were starting to worry what this score was going to end up being as Liverpool added their fourth goal of the contest. Despite Christmas having been and gone, The Reds were making it a silent night in the capital.
In a rare West Ham attack, a quality cross from the left picked out Kudus in the middle. His header left Alisson rooted to the spot, only able to watch as the Ghanaian’s effort rattled the crossbar. He had twice come close to getting West Ham back into this game but was left frustrated once more. The Reds’ goal was leading a charmed life.
As a move from the hosts broke down, the ball was worked to Salah just inside his own half. He showed some silky footwork as he ran at The Hammers before playing it into the path of Jota. The Portuguese striker looked so calm under pressure and slotted a shot into the top corner of the goal to well and truly put this game to bed.
Guilherme cut inside from the right wing late on, looking to get a shot away on his left-foot. An out-stretched leg from Van Dijk deflected his effort onto the outside of the post to keep Liverpool’s clean sheet intact. It ended a frustrating day for The Hammers who had created chances but were taught a lesson by Arne Slot’s side in clinical finishing.
The dominant win for the league leaders extended the gap between them and the chasing pack to nine points. In this form, it is hard to see who can stop this Liverpool juggernaut. Slot had taken the baton from Klopp and seemed to be running with it, impressing everyone with how he had turned this Reds’ side into what seemed to be the finished product already.
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