Liverpool 3-1 West Ham

Under the Anfield rain, Liverpool beat West Ham on merit with an xG of 2.4. The story, unsurprisingly, was Salah. His 12th-minute opener and 84th-minute dagger both came from diagonal runs off the right touchline — a signature pattern of his season.

Structural edge

Mac Allister hit 92% pass accuracy in midfield while the Hammers' second line could not cut out the vertical balls into Liverpool's inside eights. In the first-half pass-network, 5 of Liverpool's top 6 links were forward passes, compared to a much lateral West Ham build-up.

Concerns

Moments after the third, Bowen pulled one back off a direct touchline run, exposing the gap behind the right-back. Not acceptable with the Champions League looming, as Slot admitted post-match.

What's next

A trip to Newcastle, where Isak is in red-hot form. The foot-race between centre-backs will likely be decisive.