West Ham United 1-4 Liverpool: 5 Talking Points
West Ham United 1-4 Liverpool
Goals: Mohammad Salah 21' 76', Joel Matip 24', Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 56'; Lanzini 55'
It was a stroll in the park for Jurgen Klopp and his men as Liverpool brushed West Ham United aside to a comfortable 4-1 win. Mohamed Salah opened the scoring with a counter-attack as fast as lightning and Joel Matip doubled the scoring three minutes later.
Manuel Lanzini pulled one back after the break but Oxlade-Chamberlain scored almost immediately to grab his first league goal for Liverpool.
Salah then scored his second of the night and inflicted more pressure on the Hammers. This win took Liverpool to sixth in the table, level with Chelsea and Arsenal on 19 points, whereas West Ham are just one place above the relegation zone.
On that note, here are the five talking points from Liverpool's comfortable win over the hapless Hammers:
#5 The Superman(e) returns
When Sadio Mane was named in the starting lineup by the Reds, it looked like a surprising move by Klopp with the wide man returning to training after his long hamstring injury layoff on Thursday. Out since October, Mane did a miraculous recovery weeks before his expected return and started the game for Liverpool at the Olympics stadium.
He immediately brought in a positive impact to Liverpool's forward play with his directness and speed lacking in the previous weeks. Mane's gut bustling run in the first half created the first goal where the Senegalese hitman ran almost 70 yards to finish off a brilliant counter-attack, gifting Salah a goal on a platter.
Two assists on the night and Mane is back for the Reds continuing his hot streak. Liverpool look like a totally different outfit going forward with Sadio Mane in the squad, which reflects his influence on this side. More than Salah's goals and Coutinho's creativity, it is Mane's directness which makes this Liverpool side a dangerous side.