Saturday, August 25, 2018
EPL Liverpool 4 1 West Ham
EPL Liverpool 4 1 West Ham
Liverpool maintained their unbeaten record at Anfield in the Premier League this season and moved up to second with a 4-1 win over West Ham.
Ahead of Manchester United against Chelsea on Super Sunday, this looked a good opportunity for Jurgen Klopps men to improve their top-four chances and they did not fluff their lines with goals from Emre Can (30), Mohamed Salah (50), Roberto Firmino (57) and Sadio Mane (77).
Salahs strike was his 25th goal in his last 25 appearances and set a new Premier League record of 20 left-footed goals in a Premier League season - surpassing Robbie Fowlers longstanding achievement.
Michail Antonio notched a consolation for West Ham (59), who caused problems for Liverpool in the first half courtesy of Marko Arnautovic, but David Moyes side are now just three points off the relegation zone.
The entertaining nature of the game was evident in the opening minutes, where both teams hit the woodwork.
Salah found space in the box but Adrian pushed his effort onto the post before Arnautovic broke clear of Virgil van Dijk and attempted to beat Loris Karius with a delicate chip, but his sensational effort was tipped onto the crossbar.
Klopps men took the lead when Salahs corner was met by Can, who was supposed to be being marked by Hammers debutant Patrice Evra. It was Liverpools 100th goal of this season in all competitions.
It didnt take long after the break for Salah to get in on the act as he reversed a clever shot past Adrian after a run by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Firmino added a third when Can played him in and the Brazilian finished into the empty net with a no-look finish after rounding the goalkeeper.
Antonio scored within moments of coming on when he found a gaping hole in the Liverpool backline but Liverpool regained control and Mane completed the victory by lifting over Adrian from close range.