Late goal from Virgil van Dijk means title is almost in reach for Liverpool

A late goal from skipper Virgil van Dijk and a record breaking 45th goal involvement of the season for Mo Salah saw Liverpool beat West Ham 2-1 at Anfield on Sunday and which means they could win the league in their next outing, against Leicester City on Sunday if Arsenal drop points against Ipswich.

It was a great weekend for Liverpool who saw chasing side Arsenal and Nottingham Forest both drop points. And while it wasn’t their most fluent outing of the season, they bounced back from last week’s loss to Fulham with a show of tenacity and resilience.

The title is almost in reach for Liverpool

The Reds had taken the lead early through a strike from Luis Díaz in the 18th minute. Salah’s assist for the goal was his 45th goal involvement of the season, moving him ahead of the previous record held jointly by Thierry Henry and Erling Haaland. In the current season he is now 15 involvements ahead of any other player in the top five leagues in Europe, his 45 involvements currently made up of 27 goals and 18 assists.

It looked as though West Ham may have burgled a share of the points when they equalized in the 86th minute through an Andy Robertson own goal, but it wasn’t to be as a towering header from Van Dijk ensured they claimed all the spoils.

“The second half, it was all about Alisson. They could have scored two or three in two or three moments like last week when in 15 minutes, Fulham scored three. Today we were lucky that Alisson saved a few times really well.

“The way we conceded was a big disappointment, but the boys showed why they are in the position they are in. With these mentality players, it was a win for us 2-1.

“It was definitely a significant goal because now we need two more wins. I think the first 33 games have shown how difficult it is for us to win a game of football. It sounds weird when you are so many points clear, but that is the current situation of the Premier League. To win this one is nice; now we know we only have to win twice. We know what we have to do, which is difficult, but we will fight for it as hard as we can,” he said.

Meanwhile, skipper and match winner Virgil van Dijk, who is reportedly on the cusp of signing a new deal with the club, said: “I heard Andy Robertson shout, but these things happen. There was time to make it right, and luckily, we did.

“We train a lot on it, and finally, today I scored the winner, so onto the next.”

Asked what he could say about his current contract negotiations with the club, he added: “I can tell you that I am very proud to captain my 100th game for Liverpool, and it was an emotional day because of the Hillsborough anniversary. That was the main focus – to get three points and get a step closer to all of our dreams. Not just us as players or staff, but everyone connected to Liverpool FC.

“Everyone knows how much I love this club, so let’s see what next week will look like.”