Salah leads the way as Liverpool end 2024 in commanding fashion
Liverpool’s 45 points from 18 games leave them eight points clear at the top of the table, having extended their unbeaten run across all competitions to 23 matches.
Liverpool closed out 2024 with a commanding 5-0 victory over West Ham at the London Stadium, cementing their position at the top of the Premier League table.
Mohamed Salah was at the heart of the triumph, delivering a goal and two assists to set yet another Premier League record.
The match began with early opportunities for both sides, as Salah and Cody Gakpo saw chances go begging. Liverpool, however, quickly asserted their dominance, with Salah tormenting Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who struggled in an unfamiliar left-back role.
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Luis Díaz broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark, capitalising on a rebound to fire a scorching effort into the bottom corner. West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola had no chance, despite his earlier heroics to deny Salah and Díaz in quick succession.
Liverpool's first-half momentum was briefly tempered by a setback when Joe Gomez limped off with a hamstring injury, adding to their defensive woes with Ibrahima Konaté and Conor Bradley already sidelined.
The visitors soon doubled their lead. Salah's persistence saw the ball fall fortuitously to Gakpo, who made no mistake in scoring his 10th goal in 14 games. Moments later, Salah got on the scoresheet himself, finishing clinically at the near post after relentless pressure from Díaz, Gakpo, and Alexis Mac Allister forced an error in the West Ham defence.
With a 3-0 advantage at the interval, Liverpool showed no signs of slowing down. Trent Alexander-Arnold added a fourth goal early in the second half, his long-range strike deflecting off Max Kilman to wrong-foot Areola.
Manager Arne Slot made sensible substitutions to manage his squad, bringing on Wataru Endo and Diogo Jota while withdrawing Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch to avoid suspension risks. Jota was lively, combining with Salah to carve out further chances.
Salah, the architect of much of Liverpool's attacking play, created the fifth goal with a mesmerising solo run, teeing up Jota for a composed finish. The assist capped another historic outing for the Egyptian, who became the first player in Premier League history to both score and assist in eight different matches in a single season.
Liverpool's 45 points from 18 games leave them eight points clear at the top of the table, having extended their unbeaten run across all competitions to 23 matches.
