Liverpool dominate West Ham with five-star performance

The emphatic win not only extended the Reds' unbeaten streak to 23 matches across all competitions but also solidified their commanding eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Arne Slot's side were ruthless from the outset. West Ham, unbeaten in four matches before this clash, found themselves completely outplayed despite a promising run under Julen Lopetegui.

Liverpool's relentless attacking intent was evident early, with Alphonse Areola pulling off a string of superb saves to deny Mohamed Salah, Curtis Jones, and Luis Di­az.

The breakthrough came on 30 minutes when a deflected pass from Diaz fell kindly back to the Colombian, who slotted past Areola at the near post.

West Ham briefly threatened when Mohammed Kudus struck the post following an injury to Joe Gomez, but Liverpool quickly regained control.

Salah's brilliance defined the Reds' second goal. The Egyptian expertly turned Konstantinos Mavropanos before threading a perfect pass through Max Kilman's legs to Cody Gakpo, who made no mistake.

Salah added a third just before half-time, beating Areola at his near post to reach 20 goals for the season and set a Premier League record with his eighth match involving both a goal and an assist this campaign.

After the break, Liverpool remained dominant.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's long-range effort, aided by a deflection off Kilman, made it 4-0.

Substitute Diogo Jota completed the rout in the 84th minute, capitalising on Areola's earlier save to add a fifth.

Slot praised his team's all-round display. "It's pleasing to see goals coming from multiple players. The build-up and control we showed were exactly how I want us to play, especially away from home," he said.

With Manchester United up next on Sunday, Liverpool look every bit the champions-elect. Meanwhile, West Ham, despite the defeat, will aim to bounce back as they remain in contention for a strong finish this season.  

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