Can sparks a Hammers rout as rampant Reds move into second spot
LIVERPOOL 4 Can (29), Salah (51), Firmino (57), Mane (77)
WEST HAM 1 Antonio (59) Liverpool are not going to win the title this season, but if they keep playing like this they will certainly be the best of the rest.
Manchester City are over the hill and far away at the top of the table, but four goals and an almost perfect team performance eased Jurgen Klopp’s side into second spot.
The goals came from Emre Can in the first half, then the usual suspects Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane in the second.
They’re second-top scorers now as well as second on points.
If City hadn’t been so freakishly good and established such an unassailable lead, the run-in might be very different.
Klopp said: “When I woke up this morning I didn’t expect a game like this. It was a joy to watch for everybody.
“It was intense, it was aggressive, it was angry, it was full of desire.
“I saw everything I wish to see in a game of football and it’s not often you say that.
“I don’t think United and Chelsea will think too much about our result, but they know we are around.
“It’s a nice moment to be second, but nothing more because it might be only for a few hours.
“To get the points is very important because all the clubs put pressure on each other and you can’t waste one point.
“All the other teams are flying so we have to fly as well.”
West Ham didn’t really trouble them, leaving David Moyes still without a win at Anfield in 15 attempts.
The Reds are unbeaten in the League at home this season and it always looked like staying that way.
Salah struck the foot of a post as early as the third minute after James Milner’s pass opened up West Ham’s defence and Firmino squared for the Egyptian.
Virgil van Dijk headed Milner’s corner into Adrian’s arms then Pablo Zabaleta nicked the ball off Salah’s toes after he’d been found by Can’s delicate lobbed pass.
The Hammers did hit the woodwork themselves in the 16th minute.
Joao Mario’s pass found Marko Arnautovic and he almost beat Loris Karius with an exquisite lob, but the keeper’s stretched fingertips pushed the ball against the underside of the bar to register a save that matched the skill of the shot.
Adrian had to palm Andrew Robertson’s hanging cross-cumshot over his bar then tip Trent Alexander-Arnold’s shot round his post.
It was from the second of those corners that Liverpool took the lead just before the half hour.
It was simple enough, too, Can rising unchallenged at the back post to head in Salah’s corner.
Six minutes into the second half Salah increased Liverpool’s lead with a neat finish into the corner following persistent work from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
It was his 31st goal of the season – equalling Luis Suarez’s best full campaign at the club.
West Ham were never going to come back from that and that was made even more certain six minutes later when Can collected a poor clearance from Adrian and clipped it back for Firmino to beat the keeper as he chased out of his area and steered the ball into an empty net. Moyes sent on Michail Antonio for Manuel Lanzini and he scored with his first touch, after less than 30 seconds on the field, impressively beating Karius with a low shot from Cheikhou Kouyate’s pass.
In the 73rd minute, Mane hit a post when it seemed he couldn’t miss, but he did get his goal four minutes later, Firmino and Robertson unpicking the Hammers defence and allowing him to score from close range.
Moyes admitted that his team were well beaten in the end.
“We always thought we had a chance of scoring today, but we couldn’t keep their front players quiet,” he said.
“We have been very organised of late but we were disappointed today to lose the ball.
“Every game will change the dynamics of how this league sits. We are in a good league position but not in terms of points.
“It’s been really tight at the bottom all season, as tight as I can remember it.
“We didn’t put this one down for three points, but we hoped to take something from the game.”