West Ham United 0-5 Liverpool
Premier League, London Stadium, Sunday 29 December 2024, 5.15pm GMT
West Ham United became the latest Premier League team to find out just how good Liverpool can be as the leaders ran out 5-0 winners at London Stadium.
Luis Díaz, Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota all found the net as the Hammers ended the year with a performance that left supporters ready to flip the calendar to 2025.
While there were elements of luck to Liverpool’s first and fourth goals, with deflections aiding Díaz and Gakpo, there was no doubt Arne Slot’s free-scoring Reds were the better team on a cold Sunday evening in east London.
The night began with legendary former goalkeeper Luděk Mikloško receiving a moving ovation from the Claret and Blue Army on the day he revealed he has taken the decision to withdraw from further treatment for cancer in order to enjoy the best quality of life for as long as possible.
When the game kicked-off, Alphonse Areola produced a performance Mikloško would have endorsed in the opening 25 minutes, making fine saves to deny Salah, Curtis Jones and Díaz, but it was only a matter of time before Liverpool opened the scoring.
Gakpo had also fired a low shot wide before the Reds netted their first on the half-hour mark, albeit there was an element of fortune in Díaz’s strike, as his attempted through-ball for Gakpo hit Vladimír Coufal and bounced back into the Colombian’s path, and he fired into the bottom left-hand corner.
West Ham rallied, with Mohammed Kudus to the fore. First, the Ghanaian collected a cross-field pass, centred and Lucas Paquetá sent a diving header into Brazil teammate Alisson’s gloves. Moments later, Kudus beat one man, played a one-two with Paquetá and thumped a 22-yarder against the inside of the right-hand post, and the ball bounced behind the goalkeeper to safety.
Within six minutes, the game was as good as over as Liverpool’s second arrived on 40 minutes. Alexis Mac Allister released Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose cross found Salah. The Egyptian’s spin sent the ball between Dinos Mavropanos’ legs, Maximilian Kilman failed to clear and Gakpo swept in from 12 yards.
And the visitors’ third came four minutes later. Carlos Soler was robbed by Mac Allister. He found Jones, who threaded to Salah, and he shot low past Kilman and Areola from the edge of the penalty area.
Salah was denied by two more Areola saves either side of half-time before the Premier League’s leading scorer sliced wide.
With West Ham seemingly unable to keep possession for any significant period, a fourth Liverpool goal was inevitable, and it arrived nine minutes after the break. Again, there was some luck involved, as Alexander-Arnold’s shot from range took a deflection off Kilman’s head and flew past a wrong-footed Areola.
The over-worked goalkeeper was called into action again and again in the final half-hour, making one particularly impressive reflex save to deny substitute Jota, and a more routine diving catch from Virgil van Dijk’s shot, but he could not keep out a Jota curler seven minutes from full-time that completed the scoring.
In between, West Ham lost captain Jarrod Bowen to an ankle injury suffered in a tackle by Mac Allister that somehow did not see referee Anthony Taylor produce a yellow card. Head Coach Julen Lopetegui will be hoping his skipper is fit to face Manchester City when the Irons return to action in the New Year.
Substitute Luis Guilherme had a shot deflected onto the post by van Dijk, and fellow replacement Crysencio Summerville curled wide in added time, but it was far too little, far too late as the rampant Reds left east London worthy winners.
West Ham United: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Coufal (Todibo HT), Mavropanos, Kilman, Emerson, Álvarez (Füllkrug HT), Paquetá, Soler (Irving 73), Kudus (Luis Guilherme 82), Bowen © (Summerville 60)
Subs not used: Foderingham (GK), Cresswell, Scarles, Ings
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez (Quansah 37), van Dijk ©, Robertson (Tsimikas 74), Gravenberch (Endo 57), Mac Allister, Salah, Jones (Elliott 74), Gakpo (Jota 58), Díaz
Subs not used: Kelleher (GK), McConnell, Danns, Núñez
Goals: Díaz 30, Gakpo 40, Salah 44, Alexander-Arnold 54, Jota 84
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Attendance: 62,476
