Liverpool ease past West Ham to move 19 points clear at the top of the Premier League table

West Ham United 0-2 Liverpool: Mohamed Salah’s penalty and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s fine finish saw the Reds move ever closer to a first top-flight title since 1990

Liverpool celebrate their second goal (Getty)

It should send a wave of terror throughout the Premier League that Liverpool were able to produce such an ordinary performance against West Ham United at the London Stadium and still win 2-0. Mohamed Salah scored a first-half penalty and set up Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to seal the game in the second period. Alisson Becker’s brilliance made sure the lead was never in danger.

Liverpool are 19 points clear at the top. Jurgen Klopp’s team have made the division a procession. Who can stop them?

David Moyes had no answers. The Scot is an expert at damage limitation, a quality West Ham’s owners find attractive but he will need to find more to keep this side from relegation. The Scot set his team up in a way that suggested he had no illusions. They sat deep and flooded the areas where Liverpool are likely to be dangerous.

It took Klopp’s men some time to get into their stride. Their passing lacked its characteristic zip. It took until the mid point in the first half before they carved out a proper chance. Salah set Andy Robertson free in the area at an acute angle and the left back dinked a chip that lacked direction over Lukasz Fabianski. Angelo Ogbonna was able to clear. Robertson then sent in a dangerous cross but it was tantalisingly out of range of Divock Origi and Salah.

With Liverpool pressing forward there was always an opportunity to break but the home side had neither the confidence not the personnel to threaten their opponents in a serious manner. Sebastien Haller was the lone forward and more often than not the Frenchman was 20 yards deep in his own half.

The breakthrough came just after the half-hour. Roberto Firmino was allowed time and space on the byline to look up and find Origi inside the six-yard box and Issa Diop threw out a panicky leg and brought down the Belgian. Johnathan Moss, the referee, immediately pointed to the spot. There was a lengthy VAR check to see if there was a handball in the build-up but West Ham received no respite. Salah dispatched the penalty with aplomb.

There are numerous reasons why West Ham are in trouble. Moyes can address the disorganisation on the pitch but if he cannot sort out the underperformance of his senior players the team are doomed. So much has been expected of Manuel Lanzini over the past couple of years and the Argentinian has delivered on too few occasions. He scuffed a chance from close to the penalty spot and allowed Alisson to make an easy save. A second goal for the away side was always more likely than an equaliser, though, and Firmino went close when forcing Fabianski to turn the ball wide.

Moyes desperately waved his side upfield but allowing Liverpool space behind the defence is dangerous. Seven minutes into the second period Klopp’s team showed their incisiveness. Virgil van Dijk cleared from a West Ham corner and the attack was on. Salah received the ball in the opposition half and curled a pass with the outside of his foot into Oxlade-Chamberlain’s path. It caught the defence flat-footed and the England midfielder kept his composure to double Liverpool’s lead.

Almost immediately West Ham had a chance to hit back. Robert Snodgrass found himself in the clear and should have scored but Alisson made an excellent one-handed save. Lanzini was replaced by Pablo Fornals – to a smattering of boos – but there was too little fight in the Hammers. The closest they came to scoring was when Declan Rice powered a shot straight at Alisson and the goalkeeper’s punch rebounded to Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose volleyed attempted clearance hit the post. Salah could have added to his tally and should have done better when heading wide from 10 yards out but the Egyptian was unlucky with a curling shot that hit the woodwork.

Liverpool do not need massive leads with Alisson in goal. The Brazilian rounded off a fine night with a full-stretch parry of a Rice header. With Salah at one end and Alisson at the other, Klopp’s team do not have to be at their best to win with ease. West Ham need to get significantly better to survive.