Liverpool, April 13 (IANS) Virgil van Dijk was Liverpool’s unlikely hero with a dramatic 89th-minute winner as the Reds edged West Ham United 2-1 at Anfield, moving them within touching distance of the Premier League title.
Luis Diaz opened the scoring midway through a dominant first half, with Liverpool firmly in control from the outset. The home side were lively and aggressive, with Mohamed Salah orchestrating much of the attacking play following his recent contract renewal. Diaz’s goal came from a slick move involving Salah, who delivered a deft outside-of-the-boot cross for the Colombian to finish smartly.
Despite Liverpool’s supremacy, West Ham showed resilience. Alisson Becker was called into action with two stunning first-half saves to deny Carlos Soler and maintained his heroics after the break with further stops from Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus.
The game took a dramatic turn in the final minutes. With five minutes to play, West Ham found an equaliser in bizarre fashion as Van Dijk’s attempted clearance ricocheted off Andy Robertson’s shins and into the Liverpool net. The Anfield crowd, stunned, barely had time to absorb the blow before their captain made amends.
From a corner by Alexis Mac Allister, Van Dijk rose majestically to head past Alphonse Areola, restoring Liverpool’s lead and sending the home fans into raptures. The visitors nearly snatched a point late on, but Niclas Fullkrug’s header came back off the woodwork in stoppage time.
With just two more wins needed to guarantee the title, Liverpool could even be crowned champions next weekend should they beat Leicester City and Arsenal drop points against Ipswich Town.
–IANS
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