Liverpool cruised to a 2-0 win away to West Ham on Wednesday evening, with Mohamed Salah back to his best in east London.
West Ham 0-2 Liverpool
Premier League, London Stadium
January 29, 2020
Goals: Salah pen 35′, Oxlade-Chamberlain 52′
Alisson (out of 10) – 8
Alisson returned to the side in place of Adrian and he was afforded the luxury of being a spectator for much of proceedings.
The Brazilian was extremely reliable when required, both with his feet and his hands, but he will face far bigger challenges in his career.
Made one strong save to deny Robert Snodgrass and came to the fore more after the break.
Alexander-Arnold was looking to make it three assists in as many Premier League appearances, having laid on recent goals against Man United and Wolves.
The 21-year-old was typically energetic down the right flank, although his delivery was never at its most devastating.
Nearly scored a comical own goal, volleying onto his own post.
Joe Gomez – 8
Gomez has been fantastic since regaining his place in the team and he looked imperious once more again an admittedly toothless Hammers side.
One great piece of covering displayed the blistering pace he has in his armoury and he did everything that was asked of him.
There aren’t many better centre-backs in the Premier League currently.
Virgil van Dijk – 8
Van Dijk’s better, though!
Liverpool’s most important player was faultless, looking a monster of a man, winning aerial duels and looking slick in possession.
Like Alisson and Gomez it would be wrong to go too overboard, however, considering the hosts’ lack of goal threat.
Andy Robertson – 7
Robertson has suffered a noticeable dip by his high standards in January, with signs of fatigue setting in.
He was much improved on Wednesday night, but still didn’t quite hit top gear.
One sloppy first-half pass put Liverpool in trouble, but he recovered from that error, providing endless running and defending resolutely.
He dinked an effort wide when he probably should have done better.
Jordan Henderson – 8
Fabinho wasn’t deemed ready to come back in, so Henderson continued in the No. 6 role at the London Stadium.
This was another hugely authoritative showing from the skipper, who couldn’t look more different to the hesitant individual who used to divide opinion so much.
Immaculate on the ball, biting into tackles relentlessly and showing strong positional sense, Henderson coasted through the game with ease.
Played in both an advanced midfield and at right-back in the second half, too.
The 26-year-old has been one of Liverpool’s quieter players in recent weeks, but he played a bigger role this time around.
One great first-time volleyed pass to Salah caught the eye, but he was sometimes guilty of forcing the play, either misfiring passes or shooting needlessly.
He made it 2-0 in clinical fashion, though, finishing off a sumptuous counter-attack with a ruthless effort.
Gini Wijnaldum – 7
Wijnaldum’s form has been supreme alongside Henderson and he ticked along in his own inimitable way against West Ham.
His ability to take the ball on the half-turn was a delight to watch, but he kept things simple in the main, barring one lovely through ball to Divock Origi early on.
Lost the ball cheaply in the second half, but Alisson bailed him out by saving from Snodgrass.
Mohamed Salah – 8 (Man of the Match)
Salah’s form has been questioned by some this season, which seems desperately harsh, even though he hasn’t always found his very top level.
The Egyptian was excellent on Wednesday, having a huge say in the result.
A constant danger against David Moyes’ side, Salah used his pace to great effect and opened the scoring with an expertly taken penalty.
He then produced a gorgeous outside-of-the-boot pass to tee up Oxlade-Chamberlain for Liverpool’s second goal.
Divock Origi – 6
Origi got the nod to come in for the injured Sadio Mane, who missed his first league game in 420 days, since the 3-1 win at Burnley in December 2018.
Playing on the left-hand side, the Belgian should have got on the end of Robertson’s first-half cross, but won the penalty that Salah converted and was also thwarted by Lukasz Fabianski.
This was a typical Origi performance in many ways: industrious, effective, but also a little frustrating.
Roberto Firmino – 8
Fresh off the back of another big goal, this time at Wolves, Firmino led the line in trademark fashion.
The Brazilian worked his socks off, chasing down and harassing West Ham‘s midfielders, and managed to find pockets of space on the ball.
Played a key role in the penalty, was denied brilliantly by Fabianski and was generally pleasing on the eye, in a superb all-round display.
Substitutes
Fabinho (on for Origi, 69′) – 6
A loose ball almost allowed Declan Rice to score, but he was otherwise solid.
Naby Keita (on for Alexander-Arnold, 77′) – 6
Hit the target with a tame effort and kept things largely simple.
Curtis Jones (on for Oxlade-Chamberlain, 86′) – 6
Only on the pitch for a few minutes, but another step in the right direction.
Subs not used: Adrian, Matip, Lovren, Minamino
Manager
Jurgen Klopp – 8
It has been a slightly uncomfortable few days for Klopp, having been at the centre of an FA Cup storm.
He didn’t allow that to affect his focus, however, masterminding yet another victory for his champions in waiting.
There were few qualms about the German’s starting lineup—Origi seemed a logical alternative to Mane—and Liverpool completely bossed proceedings.
Seventy points out of 72, 19 points clear. This is getting ridiculous now.
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