West Ham United v Liverpool: Live match blog
Liverpool moved 19 points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a 2-0 win over West Ham United at the London Stadium. Mohamed Salah's first-half penalty was added to by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's finish in the second period to strengthen the Reds' grip at the summit.
And here's how the league table looks, with Liverpool 19 points ahead of second-placed Manchester City.
The Reds have already hit the 70-point mark after just 24 top-flight matches.
All the facts and stats from Liverpool's 2-0 win over West Ham, courtesy of Opta...
Full Time
West Ham United 0-2 Liverpool
Liverpool emerge victorious at the London Stadium to go 19 points clear at the top of the Premier League table, with West Ham dispatched 2-0.
A first-half penalty from Mohamed Salah was added to by a clinical counter finished off by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the second period to ensure the Reds take maximum point from their game in hand and strengthen their grip at the summit.
Three minutes of added time to be played...
Substitution
Liverpool's final change sees Jones on for Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Chance
Alisson keeps out a header from Rice at full stretch following a free-kick from Noble.
Keita's low left-footer from the edge of the area is easily claimed by Fabianski.
Chance!
Salah curls against the outside of the post with a first-time swipe from the edge of the box.
Substitution
Alexander-Arnold is replaced by Keita.
Wijnaldum ghosts behind the West Ham defence and is picked out by Henderson's pass; however, a loose first touch allows Fabianski to collect.
Salah directs a header wide after Alexander-Arnold stood the ball up into the middle of the box.
Chance
A let-off for Liverpool as a manic passage of play sees Fabinho misplace a pass to Rice, who sees a powerful thump beaten away by Alisson.
Then, in trying to clear the rebound, Alexander-Arnold rattles the ball against his own post but the visitors get it to safety.
Substitution
Fabinho comes on for Origi as the Reds make a change.
Meanwhile, Lanzini is off and Fornals is on for the Hammers.
Chance!
Origi's left-footed arrows towards the bottom corner, but Fabianski turns it around the post.
Diop heads over from a Noble free-kick when well placed.
Chance
Alisson is called into action to produce a good save to thwart Snodgrass's sweep towards the corner after Wijnaldum had inadvertantly given the ball to Lanzini.
Goal
GOAL!!! ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN!!!
Liverpool further their lead at the London Stadium as they counter West Ham from a corner for the Hammers.
Salah leads the charge, wriggling free before eventually finding Oxlade-Chamberlain's burst through the middle.
He holds off an attempted challenge from Lanzini and finishes beyond Fabianski with aplomb.
Chance!
It's so, so close to being 2-0, but Fabianski claws Firmino's swivle-and-shot around the post at point-blank range.
Cracking save.
Half-chance for the Hammers as Rice's cross is swiped goalwards by Lanzini in space, but he can't connect properly.
Kick-Off
Back under way...
Liverpool re-start the game at the London Stadium.
The first half's key numbers, courtesy of Opta...
Half Time
West Ham United 0-1 Liverpool
Mohamed Salah's penalty 10 minutes before the interval is the difference between the sides at the break at the London Stadium.
Two additional minutes to be played at the end of the first half...
Yellow Card
Noble goes into the book for a late challenge on Origi.
Goal
GOAL! MOHAMED SALAH!
The Egyptian King makes no mistake from the spot!
1-0 to the Reds!
Penalty
Penalty to Liverpool!
Diop brings down Origi and the Reds have a spot-kick!
Firmino's control to set up the chance when the ball looked certain to be heading out of play was absolutely sublime.
He then set up his fellow forward, who was felled six yards out.
West Ham's No.23 has also received a yellow card for his troubles and a VAR check allows the decision to stand.
Robertson flashes a low ball across the six-yard box; however, Wijnaldum can't stretch far enough to meet it.
Liverpool have absolutely dominated the ball so far, but other than that Robertson opening, they're yet to really test Fabianski in West Ham's goal.
Chance!
Liverpool open up West Ham with a slick move that sees Salah reverse a pass into the path of Robertson's dart into the area.
He tries to lift it over Fabianski, but he doesn't get enough power on it and Diop recovers to clear in front of the line.
West Ham's first threat as Lanzini side-foots wide from Masuaku's delivery... but he was offside, anyway.
Liverpool retain the ball for a lengthy period before Henderson has an effort blocked on the edge of the area.
Wijnaldum sends Origi speeding into the left-channel of the area beyond Ngakia. He crosses low, but Salah can't reach it as Fabianski gets there first.
Kick-Off
Off we go...
West Ham start the game at the London Stadium.
Come on you Reds!
Klopp on team selectionJ
ürgen Klopp is confident Divock Origi will be able to step up in the absence of the injured Divock Origi.
Speaking shortly before kick-off, the boss said: “Each team in the world would miss Sadio, of course, but we have a pretty good solution.
"We played a lot of times already with Divock in that position. That’s how it always is when you have players out – it’s not allowed to think about him, it’s only allowed to think about the solutions you have. And Div is a very good one.
"We still have a couple of players on the bench who can have an impact as well. If you miss a player, another one steps in and hopefully he can step up as well.”
The teams are out, they're lining up, bubbles are floating about in the air and kick off is almost upon us...
Warming up...
AXA - principal club partner and official training kit sponsor
Inside the away dressing room...
Evening, fellas...
TEAM NEWS
Divock Origi replaces Sadio Mane in attack in Liverpool’s only change to the team that started the previous league clash at Wolves six days ago.
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Origi, Salah, Firmino.
Subs: Adrian, Fabinho, Lovren, Keita, Minamino, Matip, Jones.
Our No.4 on the mic
Virgil van Dijk fulfils the pre-match media obligations at the London Stadium...
High praise for the Reds
Mark Noble uses a section of his programme notes to speak glowingly about West Ham’s opposition tonight.
“If we don't start tonight's game as if it is the final game we will ever play, Liverpool will win,” the Hammers captain writes. “It is as simple as that.
“They are the best team in England, in Europe and in the world at present, and every single one of us will need to be at the top of our respective games to have any chance of getting a positive result.
“That's not me being negative. That's the truth. Liverpool have not lost in the Premier League in over a year. They are a top, top side.”
Adrian return
This evening will see our Spaniard return to the club where he made 150 appearances across six seasons.
West Ham form
The Hammers come into this game without a win in their last three in the Premier League, with defeats at Leicester City and Sheffield United sandwiching a home draw against Everton.
They did, however, beat Bournemouth 4-0 at London Stadium in the match before that run.
Tonight's officials
Referee: Jonathan Moss
Assistants: Marc Perry, Constantine Hatzidakis
Fourth official: Graham Scott
VAR: Andre Marriner
Assistant VAR: Simon Beck
Missing Men
Philippe Coutinho orchestrated a 4-0 win over West Ham on Liverpool's first ever visit to the London Stadium back in May 2017, but can you remember the rest of the starting line-up that day?
You've got five minutes to fill in the blanks below...
Wednesday wonders
Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 21 Premier League matches played on a Wednesday (W15 D6) since losing 3-1 to Stoke City in December 2012.
Meanwhile, Jürgen Klopp has managed 14 games on the day without losing (W9 D5) - more than any other boss in Premier League history has managed on a specific day without tasting defeat.
Breaking news
Liverpool's FA Cup fourth-round replay against Shrewsbury Town at Anfield will kick off at 7.45pm GMT on Tuesday February 4.
On this day
The Reds haven't played on January 29 since 2006, when first-half goals from Steven Gerrard and John Arne Riise earned a 2-1 FA Cup fourth-round win at Portsmouth.
Liverpool would, of course, go on to lift the trophy in Cardiff that season.
Liverpool's weaknesses?
Are very difficult to find, according to West Ham boss David Moyes.
"I don’t think I can give you too many weaknesses in the Liverpool team," he told the media on Tuesday.
"First of all, it would probably alert them to what I’m thinking, but there are also very few weaknesses in a team that wins the Champions League and a team that wins the World Club Championship."
Another record beckons
Liverpool have beaten all 18 of the opponents they’ve faced in the Premier League this season - the only side they are yet to defeat are West Ham.
The Reds last beat every league team they faced in a campaign in 1895-96 in the second tier and have never achieved the feat in the top flight.
A reminder, should you need it, that Liverpool can go 19 points clear at the top of the Premier League tonight...
West Ham are the only team the Reds are yet to face in this season's Premier League.
Last term, we beat the Hammers 4-0 at home on the opening weekend of the campaign before being held to a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium in February...
'Phenomenal'
That's how Gini Wijnaldum began his evaluation of Jordan Henderson when we caught up with the Dutchman at Melwood earlier this week.
“He’s a phenomenal player, not only as a football player but also as a captain,” Wijnaldum said of the in-form skipper.
“Since I came to Liverpool I got to know him. He is the best captain we can have for this team. The way he speaks with the players and helps the players is the way you want your captain to be.
“He is a really good player. Even when he sits on the bench or is not involved in the game, he tries to help the team out. It’s good that he gets the praise now that he deserves because he played a really good season until now, played really good games and scored important goals.
“In the dressing room he is a really big player for us because of the way he approaches the team, talks with the team and helps the team go forward. We really need him.”
Klopp: We have to be ready to fight
Jürgen Klopp is anticipating a battle tonight.
"West Ham fights for staying in the league and that's what it looks like. It will be a big fight, they will fight with all they have," the boss said at his pre-match press conference.
"It will just be a tough one, 100 per cent. But we have to do what we have to do. We have to fight as well."
Bobby's last crucial away-day contribution came against Wolves just six days ago.
Check out the behind-the-scenes story of last Thursday's dramatic victory at Molineux below.
Did you know?
Roberto Firmino has scored six goals in his last six games away from Anfield.
All of his 10 league and cup goals during this campaign have come on the road.
Preparations for tonight's match contunued at Melwood on Monday evening.
Our cameras were granted access to the Reds' session and captured the exclusive footage below.
Like the new colourway of the training range worn by the players? Click here to check out the range and get your own.
Team news
Jürgen Klopp confirmed on Tuesday that Sadio Mane will not feature for the Reds tonight - or, most likely, against Southampton at the weekend - due to the muscular issue he picked up at Wolves last Thursday.
Late checks will determine whether Adam Lallana (virus) and Xherdan Shaqiri (calf) are fit to return for the league leaders, but James Milner (muscle) is likely to miss out this evening.
For the Hammers, boss David Moyes is hopeful on the availability of Lukasz Fabianski and Robert Snodgrass, but Felipe Anderson has missed the last three matches and Ryan Fredericks and Andriy Yarmolenko are expected to be ruled out.
Catch up on everything Jürgen Klopp had to say in Tuesday's pre-match press conference at Melwood...
Compare and contrast the sides' Premier League stats so far this season below...
Morning!
The Reds play their Premier League game in hand at West Ham United tonight - and, as usual, we'll bring you the most comprehensive live coverage of all the build-up, action and reaction from the London Stadium.
