Liverpool moved two wins away from the Premier League title as Virgil van Dijk made amends for a late mistake with a last-gasp winner in a 2-1 victory over West Ham United.
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Sunday seemed set to belong to Mohamed Salah, who celebrated his new two-year contract at Anfield with an assist for Luis Diaz's 18th-minute opener.
That saw Salah break the record for the most goal involvements in a 38-match season in the competition with 45, though his achievement was overshadowed by late drama.
Van Dijk scuffed Aaron Wan-Bissaka's cross on to Andy Robertson, who turned the ball into his own net with four minutes remaining, only for the Liverpool captain to then head in the winner from Alexis Mac Allister's 89th-minute corner.
The late victory leaves Arne Slot's side needing only six points from their remaining six matches to clinch the title, while West Ham – who hit the bar in search of a second equaliser through substitute Niclas Fullkrug – drop to 17th spot.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
32 | +43 | 76 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
32 | +30 | 63 |
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
32 | +13 | 57 |
How the match unfolded
Salah flashed wide after skimming past Ollie Scarles early on, before repeating the dose just a minute later and, this time, curling a delightful pass for Diaz to tap into an empty net.
West Ham almost struck back only three minutes later as Alisson denied Carlos Soler before Mohammed Kudus dinked a delicate chip over the Liverpool goalkeeper, only to be thwarted by the crossbar.
Mac Allister's free-kick from a tight angle crashed against the woodwork shortly after the interval, though West Ham remained a threat as Soler blazed over and Alisson raced out to brilliantly deny Jarrod Bowen in a 1v1 situation.
A deserved equaliser eventually arrived as Van Dijk hit Wan-Bissaka's left-sided delivery into Robertson, only for Diaz to rattle the crossbar at the other end moments later, before Van Dijk towered to power Mac Allister's corner past Alphonse Areola.
There was still room for more late drama, however, as Max Kilman's cross found Fullkrug, whose stoppage-time header cannoned off the crossbar and away to safety.
Record-breaking Salah sets tone before late chaos
Salah's name continually echoed around Anfield as Liverpool supporters toasted the news of their Egyptian star's contract extension – and their hero soon repaid the rapturous show of faith.
He first twisted inside and out before whipping wide of the far corner, before breezing down the right-hand side to tee up a simple Diaz finish only 61 seconds later.
Diaz and Curtis Jones had already both tested the hands of Areola early on, while Conor Bradley's deflected drive skimmed wide before Diaz's close-range opener.
Salah continued in his role as chief creator, lifting through before seeing Areola deny Mac Allister, whose free-kick strike then rattled the woodwork following Jean-Clair Todibo's 46th-minute foul on Kostas Tsimikas.
Mac Allister's mishit cross then almost found the top corner before Areola superbly tipped over, although Liverpool's unconvincing defence was deservedly punished at the other end by Robertson's unfortunate own goal.
Sunday's second-half showing was far from the rip-roaring style of Liverpool's last title win under Jurgen Klopp in the 2019/20 season, but Slot's side still got over the line thanks to Van Dijk.
Even if Arsenal remain perfect in their pursuit, this win means Liverpool can secure the title on 27 April with victory at home to Tottenham Hotspur, should the Reds also win at Leicester City next Sunday.
Potter magic needed to turnaround West Ham form
Winless in four matches since a 2-0 victory over Leicester on 27 February, Graham Potter may have been fearing the worst heading into a thankless task at Anfield.
Scarles was exposed by the quality of Salah from the off, too, with Lucas Paqueta and Kudus offering little protection for the 19-year-old wing-back, but West Ham certainly had their chances.
Wan-Bissaka's offload almost freed Soler to slot past Alisson, who scrambled as Kudus' clipped rebound bounced off the woodwork.
Konstantinos Mavropanos then headed off target on the stroke of half-time after a corner from James Ward-Prowse, who survived handball appeals for a home penalty in the second half.
The midfielder was struck on the arm by Mac Allister's corner, but his action was deemed accidental after a VAR check agreed with referee Andy Madley's call of no penalty.
West Ham turned up the pressure from then as Paqueta freed Bowen, and Kudus forced a fine stop from Alisson before their reward came in fortuitous circumstances.
There will be no comfort in the late drama, but Potter may seek the positives from a battling performance, despite West Ham dropping down the table before they host relegated Southampton next Saturday.
Club reports
Liverpool report | West Ham report
What the managers said
Arne Slot: "It was difficult, like the other 33 steps we made the season. This is our season, this is the current Premier League. You saw it yesterday with Arsenal drawing and Man City being 2-0 down after 20 minutes and today West Ham - I think they are 15th/16th at the moment but I saw players playing for them that could easily play for us in terms of quality.
"That is why this is such a popular competition and why it is probably the hardest time to work in the Premier League for a manager and a player at a top club."
Graham Potter: "We are disappointed not to get anything from the game but the performance is probably the strongest we've had since we've been here. We've given a top team, the best team, a real game today. Credit to them how they started the game and if you are looking at it from their perspective - scoring late shows the mentality you need to win the league."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Liverpool have lost only one of their last 58 home matches against West Ham in all competitions (W43 D14), winning each of their last 10 in a row.
West Ham are without a win in their last five Premier League matches (D2 L3), last going longer without a win in the league in February 2024 (six).
Luis Diaz has scored (two) or assisted (three) a goal in each of his last five Premier League appearances for Liverpool, the longest ever run of goal involvements by a Colombian in the competition.
Liverpool have won each of their last six Premier League matches at Anfield, last winning more in a row in December 2023 (seven).
