Mohamed Salah Scores Brace in Liverpool's 4-1 Win over West Ham

Liverpool cruised to a 4-1 win at West Ham United on Saturday, as Mohamed Salah bagged a brace in the Premier League fixture.  

Salah and Joel Matip each found the back of the net in a span of three minutes to open the scoring, undoing West Ham's great start.

The hosts fell apart after the quick double, and while Manuel Lanzini pulled a goal back early in the second half, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain restored the advantage within a minute. Salah added another goal with 15 minutes left to play.

Here's a look at the team sheet, via the Guardian's Sachin Nakrani:

Pedro Obiang could―and perhaps should―have been booked for an early tackle on Alberto Moreno that left the Spaniard in a lot of pain, as the Hammers made their intentions of turning the match into a physical affair clear early. Joe Hart had to make a good save to deny Roberto Firmino from the resulting free-kick.

Andre Ayew hit the post after nine minutes after Lanzini's pass was deflected into his path, and Liverpool's defence once again did not look good dealing with pressure. David Preece of the Sunderland Echo praised Simon Mignolet for his risky intervention, with the Belgian pushing the forward wide:

West Ham were the better team early on, as the Reds struggled with their physicality, but everything came undone in a short span. First, the visitors broke at pace after clearing a corner from Lanzini, and Sadio Mane ended up playing in Salah, who opened the scoring.

Three minutes later, Matip doubled the advantage after some bad defending allowed him to smash home a rebound. ODDSbible summed up what it's like being a West Ham fan this season:

Predictably, the Hammers' momentum vanished completely, and Liverpool took control of proceedings. Mark Noble only added to the fans' woes by getting booked for simulation.

The final chance of the half fell to Lanzini, who fired over, but all in all, Liverpool had it easy. At half-time, the fans were furious, and journalist Jake Humphrey noted the local press weren't too happy, either:

Former Red Andy Carroll started the second half, and the tactical shift saw the hosts improve. Carroll gave the Reds defence all kinds of trouble with his hold-up play, and 10 minutes into the half, Lanzini gave the home fans hope with a great control and finish, beating Mignolet.

But just as things were looking up, disaster struck once again. Less than one minute after Lanzini's goal, Oxlade-Chamberlain was left wide open to turn a pass from Firmino into a goal, working the ball past Joe Hart in two attempts.

Lanzini could have doubled his tally on the hour mark, firing wide from an excellent position, and Mane also went close, blasting high after a backheel from Firmino. Javier Hernandez missed with a header, and Firmino beat the Hammers defender with some nice dribbling but couldn't keep his shot on target.

Salah ended West Ham's hopes of a comeback with 15 minutes left to play, scoring his second of the night. Once again, Mane created the chance, and the Egyptian had all kinds of time to strike.

Hart denied Salah his hat-trick, making a fine diving save, and Liverpool made a late push for even more goals. Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner both had looks, but the Reds wouldn't score again.