Liverpool won their game-in-hand on Wednesday evening, beating West Ham 2-0 at the London Stadium to go 19 points clear at the top of the Premier League.
In a supremely professional performance, the Reds prevailed, in what was their 15th consecutive league victory, stretching their unbeaten league run to 41 matches.
Liverpool dominated possession throughout the game, with David Moyes’ Hammers beginning the match with mere hopes of hanging on for as long as possible.
The Reds passed, probed and looked to pull West Ham out of shape, but chances came at a premium early on.
Andy Robertson got in behind and whipped in multiple low crosses that went unfinished, and almost scored himself, too.
It took 30 minutes for Liverpool to take the lead when Divock Origi was brought down by Issa Diop inside the box. Mohamed Salah coolly slotted the penalty past Lukasz Fabianski.
The Reds further took control in the second half, getting a second goal after a quick counter-attack.
Salah found Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with a perfectly-weighted through-ball, with the latter brushing off a challenge and finishing in ruthless fashion.
With a two-goal lead, the Reds relaxed, surrendering a few chances that Alisson kept out.
The win was never in doubt, however, on a night when Liverpool went another step closer towards title glory.
Here are four findings from the match…
Salah Shines
Salah has come in for criticism recently, due to apparent selfishness, but his goal and assist against West Ham should settle such arguments.
The Egyptian has become the default penalty taker when James Milner is not on the pitch and he easily converted after Origi was fouled.
With Origi working the left flank, Salah drifted between the right and central channels, linking up with Roberto Firmino. The pair caused the Hammers all kinds of problems.
Early in the second half, Salah slid Oxlade-Chamberlain through with an exquisite pass that led to the second goal. It was his sixth assist in the league this season.
Later, Salah rattled the post with a shot that would have finished off an excellent move – it deserved to go in, following an excellent performance.
Firmino Flourishes
While he has found his scoring form in recent weeks, Firmino did not get on the scoresheet in London. His influence on games remains as impressive as ever, though.
The Brazilian continues to be everywhere on the pitch, dropping deeper to link play and popping up in dangerous positions further forward.
His impeccable touch created chances out of nothing and the Hammers never knew whether to track him or sit back.
The fluidity of his partnership with Salah means either players can play centrally, constantly asking questions of any defence.
Firmino’s clever touch along the goal-line to get behind a recovering defender and open space for himself late in the second half only lacked the finish, and summed up his brilliance.
Oxlade Chamberlain Impresses
It can be easy to forget that Oxlade-Chamberlain is still recovering from a horrific knee injury.
The attacking midfielder started the season looking to regain full fitness and rarely finished a full 90 minutes.
He has fought through minor setbacks in form and continues to progress to the level he was playing at before his long injury layoff.
Jurgen Klopp’s faith and management of Oxlade-Chamberlain has also helped, and although he was substituted late again, his performance was strong at the London Stadium.
Beginning in midfield and working box-to-box, his surging runs and directness with the ball provided the greatest threat from midfield.
His goal should provide him with greater confidence, too, as he continues to come back.
The 26-year-old’s versatility also saw him shift forward after Origi left the pitch with a possible injury.
Boss Becker
After conceding a goal last week to Wolves, Alisson earned a clean sheet that now puts him on eight for the season – the joint-most in the league.
Considering he missed a month-and-a-half of action at the start of the season, it sums up the goalkeeper’s world-class quality.
Alisson has only conceded two goals in his last 12 matches, in all competitions – since returning from injury, he has been almost unbeatable.
Against West Ham, he was called into action more than he has been in recently weeks, making four saves, two of which were highly impressive.
Alisson is simply always in the right place at the right time.