Postmortem: Liverpool Dominate West Ham in 5-0 Victory to End 2024 in Style | OneFootball

West Ham 0 – 5 Liverpool – The PL Postmortem

The atmosphere at the London Stadium was eclectic with anticipation. Liverpool arrived in the capital to win a contest which would take their lead at the pinnacle of the Premier League standings to eight points from second-placed Nottingham Forest. The result was deserved and the performance was emphatic.

Below is how the team lined up, with match details following.

Starting Eleven

GK – Alisson Becker

RB – Trent Alexander Arnold

RCB – Joe Gomez

LCB – Virgil van Dijk (c)

LB – Andy Robertson

CM – Alexis Mac Allister

ACM – Curtis Jones

CM – Ryan Gravenberch

RF – Mohamed Salah

CF – Luis Díaz

LF – Cody Gakpo

Subs

Jarell Quansah – Joe Gomez (37 mins)

Diogo Jota – Cody Gakpo (57 mins)

Wataru Endō – Ryan Gravenberch (57 mins)

Kostas Tsimikas – Andy Robertson (86 mins)

Harvey Elliott – Curtis Jones (86 mins)

Goals (Assisted by)

West Ham 0 – 1 Liverpool

Luis Díaz – 30 mins

West Ham 0 – 2 Liverpool

Cody Gakpo( Mohamed Salah) – 40 mins

West Ham 0 – 3 Liverpool

Mohamed Salah (Curtis Jones) 44 mins

West Ham 0 – 4 Liverpool

Trent Alexander Arnold (Ryan Gravenberch) 54 mins

West Ham 0 – 5 Liverpool

Diogo Jota (Mohamed Salah) – 84 mins

Important Match Stats

Possession

West Ham 45% – 55% Liverpool

XG

West Ham 0.32 – 2.92 Liverpool

Total Shots

West Ham 7 – 22 Liverpool

Corner Kicks

West Ham 2 – 6 Liverpool

Off Sides

West Ham 4 – 0 Liverpool

Fouls

West Ham 7 – 10 Liverpool

Goalkeeper Saves

West Ham 8 – 1 Liverpool

First Half

The beginning of the game was a dominating display of force by the table-topping Reds, as they swarmed the hosts with high intensity and slick passing. Mohamed Salah was the first to squander a close-range chance as his well-taken shot was saved by Areola. The Egyptian King would then release Curtis Jones, only for the Hammers stopper to dispel another great chance. Luis Díaz would be the next to see his well-taken shot saved, as his effort was tipped over the bar. Luckily for the Columbian, his wait for the game’s opening goal would arrive shortly thereafter, as he drove and harried his way beyond the opposing defenders before hammering a low strike beyond the flailing keeper.

Photo: IMAGO

The former (and potentially future) transfer target, Mohammed Kudus, was then the man who nearly levelled the scores as he drove at Alisson Beckers’s goal from long range, only for the post to save the giant Brazilian stopper. In response to that sporadic attack, Trent Alexander Arnold would play one of many arced through balls beyond the host’s defensive line, which eventually allowed a lovely touch by Salah to find Cody Gakpo square on and with a simple chance to double the lead. Minutes later and after some sustained pressure, Curtis Jones would play a simple square ball to his talismanic teammate, Salah, who scored from distance with a tremendous strike just inside the near post.

The half ended with the score at 0-3 and the game ended as a contest.

Second Half

At the start of the second half, Liverpool made no changes to the same eleven players who had undertaken the first half. Throughout a one-sided opening period, it became clear that damage limitation would be incorporated into the game plan of Julen Lopetegui’s battered side. The game’s stand-out player, Mohamed Salah, nearly added more goals with some clever curling efforts, however, the game’s fourth goal would be scored by way of fortune rather than flair.

Photo: IMAGO

After Ryan Gravenberch found Trent Alexander Arnold free on the edge of the box, a 25-yard shot seemed tame from the vice-captain until its trajectory was averted due to a wicked deflection, one which sent the goal-bound shot beyond the West Ham keeper. Mohammed Kudus then struck the woodwork once more, as he headed a piercing effort onto the bar. With a raft of substitutions came some more efforts for the Reds, as both Diogo Jota and Salah failed to extend the lead of the team. With the Portuguese poacher not willing to accept a non-scoring performance, it would take a tremendous solo run by the games man of the match, Mohamed Salah, to drive at the heart of the West Ham defence, before he released Jota, who guided his shot into the far corner.

The match ended with a statement 0-5 score line and the belief that this could be Liverpool’s year.

Final Thoughts

This match was a great way to close out 2024 and lay down a marker for the chasing pack. The visit of Manchester United to Anfield next weekend awaits, with the Reds of Merseyside looking to further extend their lead.

Steven Smith’s Score Prediction;

West Ham 1 – 2 Liverpool