West Ham 0 Liverpool 5: Breaking down Salah’s extraordinary assist and why Diaz scores

On December 31, 2024By Littum

Mohamed Salah became the first player to score and assist in eight Premier League games in the same season as Liverpool beat West Ham to finish the day eight points clear of Nottingham Forest at the top of the Premier League.

Salah, who along with Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold can negotiate summer moves to overseas clubs from Wednesday, produced an extraordinary assist for Cody Gakpo before scoring himself on the stroke of half-time.

Liverpool already led through Luis Diaz’s goal in the 30th minute and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s long shot was denied 10 minutes into the second half before Salah danced the ball in from halfway to lay in a fifth Liverpool goal (for Diogo Jota) and secure a comfortable victory that cemented their lead heading into 2025.

Here AthleticsAndy Jones and Liam Tharme break down the key issues from the game.

Did Salah mean his magic touch?

Just when you think you’ve seen Mohamed Salah do it all, like all great magicians, he pulls another rabbit out of the hat.

In a game where he again registered both a goal and an assist, it was the touch that led to his pass for Cody Gakpo’s goal that underlined his brilliance… as if we needed any more reminding.

When Luis Diaz ran onto a ball over the top, Salah drifted towards the box ready to receive the ball.

The Colombian slipped the ball to his feet and as he waited for it, Salah glanced over his shoulder and spotted the oncoming Konstantinos Mavropanos.

Before he could react, the ball had gone through the Greek’s leg and Salah had spun away from him.

The touch was so good it’s hard to describe. Salah jumped into the air before kicking the ball towards the goal with his right foot. It was unorthodox as it was mesmerizing. A moment of brilliance and beauty.

This could become the modern ‘Bergkamp touch versus Newcastle’ debate as to whether it was deliberate or not. In the form Salah is in, it’s hard to think anything but that it was entirely on purpose.

The 32-year-old then used a burst of acceleration to get to the ball first, nutmeg another West Ham defender and direct it into the path of Gakpo, who made no mistake. Asked by Sky Sports after the match about the two nutmegs, Salah said the first was accidental but the second was deliberate.

The striker couldn’t help but laugh when Curtis Jones also asked him about it during the celebrations immediately after the goal. He is a man at the top of his game and continues to make the seemingly impossible possible.

Salah smiles after his magical touch (Photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Andy Jones

How has Diaz already matched last season’s goals?

It’s still December and Luis Diaz has already matched his Premier League goal tally (eight) from last season. The Colombian has benefited from Slot’s flexible attacking approach, spending plenty of time in the halves and out on either flank, linking Liverpool’s wide wingers and complementing midfielders who make runs across the ball.

His opener at the London Stadium was a smart, reactive finish after dropping in to receive from Trent Alexander-Arnold and trying to find Curtis Jones’ penetrating run. Fortunately the pass ricocheted back to Diaz and he shot in.

Diaz celebrates matching last season’s goal total (Photo: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Diaz has also played from the left side when Darwin Nunez has been no. 9, although he looks best when Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah play high and wide. His form can be spotty, as is the case with most strikers, and he failed to score (and assisted just once) in the final nine games last season, although Diaz has scored two or more goals on four occasions this term season, including a hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League. When he’s on it, he’s on it.

Liam Tharme

How significant is Liverpool so far clear at the start of 2025?

Being top of the Premier League at Christmas often feels momentous for title contenders, but as they head into 2025, Liverpool are leaving the back pack in the dust.

When the final whistle blew at the London Stadium, Liverpool extended their advantage at the top of the table to eight points, recreating the type of gap they had built at the start of December.

While Chelsea and Arsenal have yet to play their games in this set of games, Liverpool’s postponed Merseyside derby against Everton means they have played the same number of games (18) as both – Arsenal are nine points adrift in third and Chelsea in 10. in the fourth. Nottingham Forest are second, having played one game more than all three teams.

It’s a significant lead and feels significant because not only are Liverpool in the driver’s seat, but it gives them room for error that the chasing pack don’t have due to the number of points left to make up.

The home defeat to Nottingham Forest in September remains the only loss of Liverpool’s Premier League campaign and as they go from strength to strength they continue to find new ways to win and impress.

The lead they have built is incredibly impressive, but there is still a long way to go. But if the teams below them continue to drop points as they have in the first half of the campaign, they will soon need snooker.

Andy Jones

What had Liverpool learned since Spurs?

There’s a lot to be said for a ‘boring’ second half when you’ve scored three goals in the first half. Liverpool found that out the hard way at Tottenham a week ago, but were superb in managing their lead away to West Ham, at a ground where they have far from a perfect record.

Lopetegui’s adjustments at the break led to the introduction of Niclas Fullkrug as the No. 9, giving them a goalkeeper and allowing Jarrod Bowen to return to his primary role as winger. Slightly changed; Liverpool defended well in wide areas, with the ground so still that shouts on the pitch of “higher” – for the defense to stand up – could be heard up in the press box.

Considering Liverpool started with a second-choice centre-back in Joe Gomez and ended up with a third-choice when he went off injured to be replaced by Jarrell Quansah, their density and compactness were excellent. West Ham were limited to just four shots worth 0.29 expected goals and Liverpool made more tackles (21 v 16) despite dominating possession.

Their pressure in the first half was excellent, setting traps for right-footed left-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and they cut into a low block and played counter-attacking football when they needed to. It’s only a second clean sheet in eight games, but an important one with trips to Tottenham (again), high-flying Nottingham Forest and (excellent at home) Brentford next.

Liam Tharme

What did Arne Slot say?

Asked about the expiring contracts of Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold: “I think I have a lot of control over what they are doing: if they are on a training ground, if they are at a meeting with me. But talking about their privacy. I have no control over them. So that was the situation half a year ago, the situation as long as I’m manager, but I have some control over them in terms of what I expect from them on the pitch.

“I’m really excited to see what Virgil brings, what Trent brings and what Mo brings. The positive for me is that for four or five months, it was just Trent, Mo and Virgil that you talked about.

“I assume, don’t let me down, thank you, that people (media) will now talk about every player we will sign in the coming months and which player will leave. So I also have some other questions, and not only about these three.”

Asked by Sky Sports if he was able to provide any good news about his own contract situation, Salah said: “No one. We’re a long way from that. But again, I don’t want to write anything in the media and people start saying things, but nothing has really moved forward.

“At the moment all I can think about is Liverpool winning the league and I want to be a part of that. That’s the only thing I’ve focused on since the beginning of this season.”

When Joe Gomez left, Slot said: “You saw today an injury of Joe Gomez. If a player says he wants to stop, he has to be changed. “In a sprint, we all know it’s a hamstring and we all know it will take a while before he’s back. I don’t know how long, but he’ll be out for a while. These situations can happen in a season.”

What next for Liverpool?

Sunday, January 5: Manchester United (H), Premier League, 4.30pm UK, 11.30am ET