Liverpool ends the year 2024 with yet another demonstration of its current domination of European football. Traveling to West Ham, the Reds delivered a sickening offensive recital for their opponents, with success and serenity that sent shivers down your spine (0-5). Author of a goal and two assists, Mohamed Salah once again splashed the match with his talent to allow Liverpool to take an eight-point lead over Nottingham Forest, who have a game in hand.
The team coached by Arne Slot was keen to finish the year well, and this was evident from the first minutes. If Lucas Paqueta is at the origin of the first thrill of the match (6th), the Reds too quickly put on their incontestable boss costume and impossible to challenge. Poor Alphonse Areola did what he could to keep West Ham alive, but his few saves (7th, 15th, 23rd) were not enough against the bulldozer of the Reds. It was Luis Diaz who lit the fuse, taking advantage of a favorable counterattack on a breakthrough (0-1, 30th), at a moment in the match when the Hammers seemed to be doing a little better.
Liverpool can celebrate the New Year with peace of mind
What’s next? A post for poor Mohammed Kudus (38th), which would foreshadow a real nightmare for the Londoners. Because, just before the break, Liverpool hit the nail on the head twice: Cody Gakpo, ideally served by Salah on a brilliant check (0-2, 40th), and the Egyptian himself (0-3, 44th) offered the opportunity for Liverpool to take off very, very quickly. West Ham never recovered and overall made a few too many mistakes to compete with the ogre of the English championship.
In the second half, Liverpool were still not satisfied. Trent Alexander-Arnold, never attacked despite his central position, allowed himself to add his name to the scoreboard with a deflected shot (0-4, 54th). We felt that the match had been over for a long time, but Salah still found a way to shine one last time in 2024, by perfectly shifting Diogo Jota after a slalom between the defenders (0-5, 84th). Just before, Kudus had again had bad luck by hitting the bar (76th). West Ham could not even taste the happiness of saving honor. With their 14th victory, Liverpool completes a dazzling first half of the season and one of unspeakable cruelty for the competition.
