Liverpool move 19 points clear with victory over West Ham

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  • Post published:January 29, 2020

Mohamed Salah and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored the goals as Liverpool moved 19 points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 win at West Ham.

The Reds completed the full set of top-flight scalps – they have now beaten every team in the division this season – even though Jurgen Klopp’s side were nowhere near their best at London Stadium on Wednesday.

While they dominated possession and frustrated their hosts for long periods, the Reds still allowed Manuel Lanzini chances in either half that a forward with more confidence may well have taken.

Still, all the swagger came from Liverpool, who took the lead when Salah lashed home a penalty in the 35th minute. They then put paid to West Ham’s hopes of a second-half recovery when Oxlade-Chamberlain netted in a one-on-one situation with Lukasz Fabianski.

Manuel Lanzini fired wide with only Alisson to beat after 14 minutes and, though an offside flag was raised against the Argentina international, Liverpool looked momentarily rattled.

The visitors only began to threaten when Andrew Robertson beat Fabianski with a delicate chip, but his effort lacked accuracy and the hosts, working hard to stay on terms, cleared their lines.

However, West Ham’s game plan faltered when Issa Diop was judged to have fouled Divock Origi in the six-yard box and Salah rammed the ensuing penalty into the net, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.

Lanzini fluffed another golden chance to score early in the second half and his miss paved the way for Liverpool to double their lead. On a counter-attack from a West Ham corner, Salah’s pass with the outside of his left boot put Oxlade-Chamberlain through on goal and the midfielder applied a cool low finish to beat Fabianski.

Declan Rice powered through the Liverpool defence and stung Alisson’s palms with a fierce drive before Trent Alexander-Arnold inadvertently hit his own post from the rebound.

Salah shook the frame of the West Ham goal at the other end with a sweetly struck first-time shot in the closing stages, but two goals were more than enough for Liverpool to continue their title charge.