Salah shoots Liverpool into second after latest rout
There was a chill wind emanating from Merseyside and heading ominously towards Manchester as Mohamed Salah continued his goal binge and Liverpool moved into second place.
Jose Mourinho’s United players may be feeling and fighting it at Old Trafford when facing Chelsea today, as they find themselves behind Jurgen Klopp’s side in the table.
Liverpool’s win over West Ham took them to their highest league position since August, but it was the ease and panache with which they did it that left the starkest impression. David Moyes’s side was shredded during one of those second-half sprees when Anfield fixtures resemble NBA matches.
For the briefest period, it looked like Moyes’s attack may benefit as much as his defence suffered from Liverpool’s freestyle football, notably when West Ham substitute Michail Antonio pounced on sloppiness in the home rearguard to reduce a three-goal deficit before the hour. But since the addition of Virgil van Dijk, there are signs Klopp’s side’s vigour no longer comes with recurring levels of charity. They eased through the gears, scoring four when a little more ruthlessness might effortlessly have given them double.
Naturally, Mohamed Salah scored again. They might start printing guarantees of the Egyptian finding the net on the Anfield match tickets. He has 31 for the season already, the most by any Liverpool player in a campaign since Luis Suarez was at Anfield. The Uruguayan did it over the course of a season, not by February. It is time to start checking the records for 40-goal campaigns.
Salah should have had a hat-trick. He hit a post and missed a sitter before scoring his side’s second on 51 minutes. Only goalkeeper Adrian prevented him adding to the tally after his goal. Those with a taste for irony might ask how many the attacker will get when his finishing improves.
“I am happy I saw a lot of things we did on the training ground,” said Klopp, who is only ill at ease these days when asked to laud Salah because of a desire to ensure those around him receive the same applause. “In football, it is all about doing the right thing in the moment. I like Mo’s desire for goals. But flexibility depends on all the players. If you only have one, it doesn’t help. If you see immediately Roberto [Firmino] is defending each moment for Mo. Sadio Mane is the same. Mo is obviously doing well, but Sadio could have scored one or two times more and Roberto deserved his goal. Mo is a boy who is full of greed to score goals.”
Given the difficulties facing obstinate opponents, Klopp’s upbeat demeanour was understandable. He has been targeting second spot since Manchester City disappeared over the horizon, but it is not just Champions League qualification at stake.
Whoever gets closest is likely to be a realistic challenger to Pep Guardiola next year. Those who feared Liverpool would lose their creativity when Philippe Coutinho left will find little supporting evidence from nine goals in the past two games.
Klopp played down the significance – psychological or otherwise – of going above his rivals this weekend, but collecting the points when at least one of those nearest to him will drop them matters. “I don’t think United and Chelsea think too much about us, but they know before the match day that we are around,” said the German.
“If Man United wins then we were second for a few hours, but to get the points is important. We have no time to rest, no time to waste one point. All the other top clubs are flying, so we need to fly as well.”
Liverpool went ahead on 21 minutes via a routine set-piece goal they rarely score. Salah was the provider with a corner, Emre Can’s header unchallenged. This followed an encouraging period for the visitors, even though Mane and Van Dijk had squandered early chances.
Marko Arnautovic was troubling Joel Matip and almost scored a spec- tacular opener after 15 minutes. He chipped Loris Karius from the edge of the penalty area, but the German just managed to fingertip the effort on to the bar. It was another sign of the goalkeeper’s growing confidence.
“I was hoping that the goalline technology would say it was over the line. It was not to be,” said Moyes.
Liverpool cut loose after the break, the excellent Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain teeing up Salah before Adrian’s error enabled Firmino to tap in a third. After an end-to-end passing move which began with Karius, Andy Robertson’s cross fed Mane on 77 minutes to end any hope of a West Ham revival.
Without a recognised striker, Moyes was depending on his runners.
Antonio’s introduction momentarily helped as there was tidiness without penetration until then, although the caution in the visitors’ line-up was also evident with Patrice Evra’s inclusion – his first appearance for West Ham. That stirred the blood of the Kop, who reminded him of his Manchester United past – and role in Suarez’s notorious suspension in 2011 – at each opportunity.
“I thought we played quite well in the first half and we were maybe a bit unfortunate not to go a goal ahead,” said Moyes.
“Although Liverpool had chances too I was happy in the first half, but certainly not the second
“It is really difficult to deal with them. We worked most of the way to try and find a way we could contain them best as we could. There were parts when we did. Today was the first day we gave away some individual mistakes that led to goals.”
West Ham still have more to do to ensure an encouraging spell under Moyes leads to safety, but this was an occasion when even Arctic temperatures could not stop Liverpool’s front players lighting their usual fires.
It was once said at Anfield “first is first, second is nothing”, but times have changed. To be runners-up this season would be the next domestic barometer of progress for Klopp. That ambition is now approaching a pivotal stage.
“It is really intense for all the teams involved and we play United in two weeks,” said Klopp.
The forthcoming trip to Old Trafford may determine who is the best of the rest behind City.