Liverpool star trio shine bright to ‘hammer’ Moyes’ men

It was an important day for the Hammers who were honouring their iconic No. 6 Bobby Moore 25 years after his death. Whilst the visitors were looking to mark the special occasion with a win, The home side were determined to extend their unparalleled form and leapfrog United to climb into second place in the table.

There was a lively start to the tie that saw the strength of both keepers’ fingertips put to the test. At one end, Adrian touched a low Mo Salah drive onto the post, then, shortly after, Loris Karius pulled off a spectacular save to tip Marko Arnautovic’s dinked shot onto the crossbar.

After constant pressure, Liverpool broke the deadlock when Emre Can nodded in from a corner after 29 minutes. The German’s header made it 1-0 to the home side and marked Liverpool’s 100th goal this season. An outrageous feat when you consider it’s still only February.

West Ham, on the ropes, managed to clamber into half-time with just the one goal deficit.

- Let the floodgates open -

The second half was the epitome of end-to-end football and provided a stunning advert for the Premier League.

It took just six minutes for the ‘Egyptian King’ Mo Salah to find the net when, in one swift turn, he fired the ball past Adrian and equalled the 31 goals Luis Suarez scored in his final season at Anfield.

Another six minutes later and Firmino had his token goal. A chipped pass over the Hammers’ defence from Can forced Adrian to come dashing out of his goal. The Spaniard’s swipe at the ball was misjudged and gifted Firmino with an empty net. A cheeky ‘no-look’ finish from the Brazilian made it 3-0 and Liverpool were cruising.

Supersub Michail Antonio instantly pulled one back for West Ham when he charged at goal and slotted past Karius but any hopes of a comeback were promptly crushed by Sadio Mane. The Senegalese forward met a low Andrew Robertson cross in the box and clipped the ball in off the post. Game-over.

It was a debut to forget for West Ham new boy Patrice Evra but a memorable day for Liverpool who staged another goalfest extravaganza for their fans, thumping the Hammers 4-1 for the second time this season.