Virgil van Dijk scores late to ship Liverpool 13 factors clear and to the verge of clinching their twentieth league title.
Virgil van Dijk has spared Liverpool’s blushes with a late winner to beat West Ham 2-1 and edge to inside six factors of the Premier League title.
Andy Robertson’s personal purpose 4 minutes from time on Sunday had given the lowly Hammers a deserved equaliser after Luis Diaz put Liverpool in entrance early on at Anfield.
Van Dijk, although, swiftly restored the result in present Liverpool retain the mentality of champions, even when they’re working out of steam within the closing phases of the season.
Liverpool’s lead over second-placed Arsenal now stretches to 13 factors with six video games remaining.
A record-equalling twentieth English top-flight title may come as early as subsequent Sunday if Liverpool win at Leicester and Arsenal lose away to Ipswich.
The stage was set earlier than kickoff for Mohamed Salah to be the hero because the Egyptian was given an enormous ovation simply days after ending hypothesis over his future by signing a new two-year contract with Liverpool.
Salah began with the intention of creating certain he was the main focus of consideration as younger left again Ollie Scarles struggled to deal with the Premier League’s high scorer.
The 32-year-old has failed to attain in seven of his final eight Liverpool video games as his sensational early season type has tailed off.
However he nonetheless managed to set a brand new Premier League document by registering his forty fifth purpose or help of the marketing campaign, probably the most ever in a 38-game season.
Salah outmuscled Scarles on the touchline and sprinted clear earlier than an inch-perfect cross for Diaz allowed the Colombian to faucet in for his fifteenth purpose of the season on 18 minutes.
Defeat noticed West Ham slip to Seventeenth within the desk, however that they had a sequence of probabilities to take at the least some extent.
The fatigue that has seen Liverpool battle not too long ago was in proof once more as that they had goalkeeper Alisson Becker to thank for shifting one other three factors nearer to the title.
Alisson brilliantly tipped Mohammed Kudus’s tried chip onto the bar in the course of the guests’ first critical assault.
Jarrod Bowen had West Ham’s finest probability to stage when he didn’t beat Alisson when one-on-one with the Brazilian earlier than he turned away one other highly effective drive by Kudus.
When West Ham did lastly discover the web, it was thanks to 2 of Liverpool’s most skilled defenders.
Robertson and van Dijk each went for a similar ball, and the Scotland captain diverted Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s cross into his personal internet.
The purpose immediately sparked Liverpool into life after a listless second half as a deflected effort from Diaz went over the bar.
Van Dijk took simply three minutes to make amends for the equaliser as he powered in Alexis Mac Allister’s nook.
The Dutchman kissed the badge in celebration, a possible nod to him reportedly being near following Salah in signing a brand new contract.
There was nonetheless extra drama to return as Niclas Fullkrug hit the bar for West Ham in stoppage time.
However Liverpool held out to take one other step in direction of the title in Arne Slot’s first season in cost.
“These items [the own goal] sadly occur, and it was time to make it proper,” van Dijk advised Sky Sports activities after the match.
“On to the following one. I’m very completely satisfied to captain my a centesimal sport for Liverpool. It was an emotional day [being so close to the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster], and that was the primary focus. One step nearer to all our goals.
“Everybody is aware of how a lot I really like this membership, and let’s see what subsequent week will appear to be.”
Elsewhere within the Premier League on Sunday, relegation-threatened Ipswich City held Chelsea to a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, denying the hosts the prospect to inject new momentum into their bid for a spot in subsequent season’s Champions League.
The draw pushed Chelsea into the final of the 5 Champions League spots however one level forward of Newcastle United, who had been on account of play Manchester United afterward Sunday and have an additional sport in hand. Ipswich remained in 18th place and nearly sure to return to the second tier subsequent season.
In the meantime, an error-strewn efficiency by Tottenham Hotspur noticed them lose 4-2 away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, their fourth loss in six Premier League video games, deepening coach Ange Postecoglou’s disaster however easing the hosts’ relegation worries.
Wolves made probably the most of West Ham United’s 2-1 loss away to Liverpool to go sixteenth within the desk on 35 factors, forward of the Hammers on purpose distinction and 14 factors away from Seventeenth-placed Ipswich with six video games to play.
