The Reds endured a nervy afternoon at Anfield, but their captain rose highest in the closing stages to secure victory over the Irons
Liverpool got back to winning ways and moved to within six points of securing the Premier League title as Virgil van Dijk scored late to secure a 2-1 win over West Ham on Sunday.
Arne Slot's side started the game on top, and took a deserved lead when Mohamed Salah, who was playing for the first time since signing a new two-year deal, left Ollie Scarles for dead before providing an inch-perfect ball across the penalty area for Diaz to tap home. That seemed to spark West Ham into life, however, as Alisson Becker had to be alert to shut down Carlos Soler before racing back to tip Mohamed Kudus' curling effort onto the crossbar.
Liverpool hit the woodwork themselves early in the second half as Alexis Mac Allister hit the bar with a free-kick, before he again went close when Alphonse Areola tipped his shot from wide of the penalty area over the top. However, nerves began to set in among the home crowd, and Alisson had to be at his best to keep out Jarrod Bowen and Kudus before a mix up between Van Dijk and Andrew Robertson led to the latter putting through his own goal with four minutes left on the clock.
The scores weren't level for long, however, as Van Dijk rose highest from a corner to send the Kop into raptures, and while there was still time for Niclas Fullkrug to hit the bar with a late header, Liverpool held on.
GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Anfield…
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Alisson Becker (8/10):
Reacted well to deny Soler and Kudus in quick succession midway through the first half, and then again when keeping out Bowen after the break. Brilliant stop low to his left kept Kudus from equalising, too.
Conor Bradley (7/10):
Returned from injury and combined well with Salah at times down the right. Solid defensively, as always.
Ibrahima Konate (6/10):
Got Salah in behind on a couple of occasions with balls over the top and did well in possession. Solid enough after a sloppy few weeks at the back, too.
Virgil van Dijk (6/10):
Was well short of his best at the back. Guilty of some poor touches and lack of concentration, which eventually led to his role in the own goal. Redeemed himself moments later with the winner, however.
Kostas Tsimikas (6/10):
Worked hard down the left during his hour on the pitch. Put in some testing set-pieces before making way for Robertson.
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Ryan Gravenberch (8/10):
His best game for some time as he worked his way out of tight areas to launch Liverpool attacks and performed his defensive duties well. Encouraging after a rough month or so.
Alexis Mac Allister (7/10):
Industrious at the heart of the Reds' midfield while showing glimpses of his quality. Unlucky not to score twice early in the second half.
Curtis Jones (6/10):
Knitted things together effectively back in a more familiar midfield role, but couldn't create anything of note before going off midway through the second period.
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Mohamed Salah (7/10):
Celebrated his new contract with a superb assist as he toyed with the inexperienced Scarles during the first half. Not everything he tried paid off while he faded a little after the break, but he still produced the game-breaking moment.
Diogo Jota (5/10):
Linked up play at times, but struggled to make much of an impact in the final third before being replaced by Gakpo on the hour mark.
Luis Diaz (8/10):
Electric from the very first minute and deserved his goal after previously testing Areola. Never stopped running even after being moved centrally as he caused West Ham numerous headaches.
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Cody Gakpo (6/10):
Caused some problems with his direct dribbling down the left.
Andy Robertson (5/10):
Continues to struggle with the pace of these games, though was a little unlucky with the own goal.
Jarell Quansah (5/10):
Lost Wan-Bissaka for the West Ham goal after coming on for Bradley.
Dominik Szoboszlai (5/10):
Couldn't offer much of note in his 20 minutes on the pitch.
Wataru Endo (N/A):
On for Salah late on.
Arne Slot (5/10):
His team still look far from their best, but the job is now almost done. Direct style did pay dividends in the first half, but he needs to fire his players up again to get over the line without further alarm.
