Mohamed Salah, Liverpool Remain Unbeaten in EPL with 2-0 Win over West Ham

Liverpool continued their Premier League dominance with a 2-0 win over West Ham United on Wednesday at London Stadium.

The Reds were without Sadio Mane because of a muscle tear, but Mohamed Salah stepped up with a goal and an assist to help extend their win streak to 15 matches. They also remain unbeaten in 41 matches dating back to last season.

It was the 14th time since the start of 2017-18 that Salah had a goal and an assist, five more than anyone else in the EPL, per Opta Joe.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also scored for the club, which are now 19 points clear at the top of the Premier League table and have secured a win over every other team in the competition.

West Ham couldn't keep up and remain in a battle to avoid relegation with just 23 points after 24 matches.

The match got off to a slow start with Liverpool needing until the 35th minute to break the scoreless tie. Salah was finally able to give his side the lead when he converted from the spot. 

Divock Origi had gotten possession deep in the box before he was fouled by Issa Diop, initially preventing a goal. The play was the result of an impressive buildup to get to that point with Roberto Firmino sending it into the middle and Origi getting in position to score.

Until the penalty, Liverpool had dominated the action with over 70 percent possession and much of the time spent in the attacking zone. However, the defensive mindset from West Ham and a 5-4-1 formation prevented many good looks at the net over the first half hour.

The Reds were finally able to break through, while the Hammers were limited to just a few opportunities and only one shot in the first half.

Per Infogol, WHUFC had just 0.02 expected goals at halftime compared to 1.29 for Liverpool.

The match opened up more in the second half, with the home club getting more aggressive to even the match. They had several opportunities, but it also opened up the pitch for Liverpool.

The talented squad took advantage in the 52nd minute off a corner from West Ham. Salah found a streaking Oxlade-Chamberlain, who scored what became an easy goal after holding off the defender and slotting it past the keeper.

"It was a hell of a pass from Salah," Neil Jones of Goal tweeted. "Outside of the foot, into Oxlade-Chamberlain's stride, and the midfielder took it superbly well."

Oxlade-Chamberlain has now scored in three straight away games against West Ham.

The second goal was also enough for the Reds to sit on the lead and continue their near-perfect season.

West Ham was solid in the back line while limiting opportunities, while 19-year-old Jeremy Ngakia flashed some potential in his debut.

There were also some excellent chances in the second half, that simply couldn't get past Alisson. A Declan Rice shot in the 71st minute appeared destined for a goal either directly or off a Trent Alexander-Arnold own goal.

However, there was only so much the team could do with 30 percent possession, per WhoScored.com.

The defensive strategy also wasn't enough to keep a team like this from eventually finding the net.

Though it was closer than some expected, the result was more of the same from both Liverpool and West Ham United.

What's Next?

West Ham will be back in Premier League action on Saturday against Brighton & Hove Albion. Liverpool will return home on Saturday for a match against Southampton.