JURGEN KLOPP stunned English football and created total chaos on Merseyside in the first month of this year by announcing his exit from Liverpool.
Yet we conclude 2024 with Klopp’s former team in extraordinary condition, better than any of us could have envisioned when Klopp dropped the bombshell that he felt exhausted.Liverpool now enters 2025 with genuine confidence. They are eight points clear at the top of the Premier League and poised to dominate in the second half of the season.
Yes, the major concern for Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, and even second-placed Nottingham Forest is that this team under Arne Slot is just beginning to find its rhythm, improving and becoming more formidable each week.
Liverpool dismantled a weak West Ham at the London Stadium and could have scored seven or eight if they had truly wanted to.
Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Mo Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and substitute Diogo Jota contributed to the goals against Julen Lopetegui’s struggling side.
After a streak of four games without defeat, Lopetegui has some leeway, and you can’t measure any side against this current Liverpool team, which is by far the best in the country.
Two of Liverpool’s scorers were playing their last matches before they can negotiate with clubs abroad starting January 1.
Salah netted his 17th goal in the Premier League this season while also providing a couple of assists, bringing his total to 13.
Alexander-Arnold scored his first goal of the season, while Virgil van Dijk completed the out-of-contract trio, and he won’t have many simpler games than this at the back this season.
Due to Lukasz Fabianski’s injury, keeper Alphonse Areola was making his first start since being benched in October and was poised to deliver a one-man showcase to thwart the leaders.
However, after finally being scored on by in-form Diaz, who relishes playing in his more central role, it went terribly wrong for Areola and his teammates, who could desperately use a new central striker next month, as second-half sub Niclas Fullkrug doesn’t seem to be the solution.
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Liverpool, who lost injured Joe Gomez before halftime, now face Manchester United on Sunday, and that’s certainly a fixture they won’t fear.
Yet no one intimidates Slot’s team, neither in England nor in Europe, as they also lead the Champions League standings.
Initially today, Liverpool squandered a few chances. You would have wagered significantly on Salah to score from close range, but he shot too close to Areola, though it was still a solid save.
The Egyptian then made a brilliant pass to set up Curtis Jones, but he also failed to beat Areola, who then delivered his best save of the half by pushing over an effort from Luis Diaz.
Eventually, Diaz scored the goal that Liverpool had been threatening, and things became quite straightforward after that.
The Colombian was attempting to pass the ball to Jones, but the pass deflected off Vladimir Coufal and bounced back into Diaz’s path.. Areola was nowhere near a drilled first-time shot into the corner.
Liverpool’s keeper Alisson, hardly troubled throughout the match, was saved by his left post as Mohammed Kudus came agonizingly close to equalizing, and after that, it was downhill all the way for West Ham.
Diaz executed a superb first touch to Salah, skillfully maneuvering past Dinos Mavropanos but losing control of the ball, which bobbled towards Gakpo, who had a simple tap-in.
Before halftime, it only worsened for the locals, some of whom decided to leave once Areola failed to stop a shot from Salah.
It all began when Carlos Soler had been stripped of the ball by Alexis Mac Allister.
Alexander-Arnold, whose last goal came away to Fulham in April, contributed with a strike, assisted by Ryan Gravenberch, although the 25-yard attempt took a significant deflection off Max Kilman.
With six minutes remaining, Salah led a counter-attack, and West Ham’s defense couldn’t keep up before he rolled the ball to Jota, who had replaced the impressive Gakpo, and Areola could only get a hand to the shot.
