Liverpool 4-0 West Ham: 5 Talking Points and Tactical Analysis, Premier League 2018/19

Liverpool beat West Ham United 4-0 in their opening Premier League game of the season, as they lay down a marker to the rest of the league about their credentials of winning the league this season.

Mo Salah got Liverpool up and running midway through the first half, as he turned in a cross from Andrew Robertson. Sadio Mane added a goal either side of half-time, the second one being a lucky break, as he was offside when he received Roberto Firmino's pass before swiveling and smashing it past Lukasz Fabianski.

Daniel Sturridge rounded off the rout late in the game, as he scored just 20 seconds after coming off the bench.

Here are five points of discussion from the game.

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#5 West Ham were scared of Liverpool

It was obvious from the lineup that Manuel Pellegrini's plan was to set his side up to defend against Liverpool's immense attacking threat.

Declan Rice partnering Mark Noble and Jack Wilshere in midfield was an indication that the Hammers wanted to suffocate Liverpool's play through the middle of the park, but they could not match the nous on the ball, that Naby Keita and James Milner possessed.

It might have been better off for Pellegrini to add an attacking player like Roberto Snodgrass or Andriy Yarmolenko from the start, to attack what was still an uncertain Liverpool back-line, especially given the injuries to Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and Ragnar Klavan.

But the West Ham that turned up were timid, and almost conceded the game to the Reds even before it started. It was never going to make sense to pump the ball up from the back when the man leading the line was Marko Arnautovic.

The Austrian was never going to threaten Virgil van Dijk or Joe Gomez in the air, unless there was a Liverpool mistake that happened.

Liverpool was happy to play their game, given the respect afforded to them by West Ham, and they had too much energy and quality on the night for a West Ham side that looked second-best at everything that went on, on the pitch.

#4 Liverpool's midfield setup stumps West Ham

Naby Keita had an impressive debut for the Reds

It might have come as a slight surprise when the Liverpool Starting XI did not involve their new signing Fabinho at the base of the midfield. But those that were selected in the middle of the park did a fine job for Jurgen Klopp, as that was where the match was won.

It was an interesting setup from Klopp as well, as it started off as a typical 4-3-3, but went on to evolve into different shapes as the game went on. This might just be a method for Klopp to counter teams sitting back and trying to absorb all the pressure that Liverpool put on them.

Gini Wijnaldum was evidently the man tasked with being the deepest lying in midfield, although he didn't have too much to do in a defensive sense. James Milner and Naby Keita weren't the typical midfielders you'd have been used to seeing in a 4-3-3 system.

Keita was almost given the free run to do whatever he pleased like doing. He was all over the pitch, and his ability on the ball, coupled with his close control ensured there was a torrid time for Mark Noble all afternoon. But perhaps the most interesting arrow in Liverpool's quiver on the day was the role that Milner played.

He barely found himself in a central position, and that allowed the likes of Salah and Mane to push further in-field and closer to goal. Milner moving wide also ensured that there was a helping hand for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who didn't have the most convincing game for Liverpool.

Whether this is a permanence from Klopp, or just a system chosen to suit the needs on the day remains to be seen. But it certainly has the potential to be a lethal weapon for Klopp to use.

#3 West Ham could have switched their personnel around

Marko Arnautovic cut an isolated figure for the large part of the game

It has been established already that maybe, Manuel Pellegrini set his team up to be a little too respectful of the opponents on the day, but even in that setup, it was a weird way to use his players.

Given that West Ham's method seemed to be hit the ball long at every opportunity possible, it was not really the wisest move to play Marko Arnautovic through the middle, especially when Michail Antonio also had a place in the starting XI.

Joe Gomez was making a rare competitive appearance at centre-back for the Reds, and over last season, his weakness in dealing with long balls was well-documented. So it might have been interesting if Antonio had started through the middle, and imposed his physicality on Gomez.

Maybe Pellegrini was concerned by Arnautovic's lack of running on the ball, and hence didn't play him out wide against the Reds' prowess on the flanks. But even though Antonio started on the right-wing, it didn't make a huge difference. Andy Robertson got forward at will, and his crosses set up both of Liverpool's first-half goals.

It's only the first game, and with the number of new signings, West Ham will evolve with time, but on the day, maybe their manager could have done things a little more different than he did.

#2 Business as usual for Liverpool's Front Three

Mo Salah's goal set Liverpool on their way

Roberto Firmino, Salah and Mane were not at their best on the day - far from it. But that was more than enough to see off the threat of West Ham. Their goals last season were critical to Liverpool's season, and they started this season as they ended the last - by scoring goals.

Firmino didn't get on the score sheet, but Salah did and Mane did twice. Firmino did assist a goal as well, as a slice of luck meant his pass to Mane wasn't rendered insignificant by the assistant referee's flag.

There are plenty of things for the front three to improve upon, based on just that display, but they will be happy with their afternoon's work. Firmino only came back to training two weeks ago and is still building up his fitness at the start of the season, so it was understandable that a few of his touches went awry.

But there was still everything on show that Firmino generally offers. He pressed well, didn't allow Noble or Rice time on the ball, and his dropping deep allowed Salah and Mane to make runs beyond him.

For both Salah and Mane, they showed their quality in glimpses, as they troubled Ryan Fredericks and Arthur Masuaku, but the conviction was sometimes missing in their touches.

All these flaws from their performances are not the slightest concern for Klopp though. It is understandable given it's still early-season, and players do take some time before hitting their full stride.

#1 Liverpool lay down a marker

Daniel Sturridge rounded off the scoring for Liverpool late in the game

Liverpool has been the team touted by many to give Manchester City a run for their money this season, and if starts are anything to go by, this was impressive from Klopp's team.

That they didn't even look to hit third gear for a large part of the game is a scary thought for other Premier League clubs. Liverpool has added quality to their side, and that showed in the players that Klopp was able to name on the bench.

Club captain Jordan Henderson, Xherdan Shaqiri and Daniel Sturridge came off the bench, while Fabinho and Adam Lallana remained unused substitutes.

It was an Achilles' heel for Klopp at times last season, as he couldn't find anyone in the squad to ably back up the front players if they were injured or tired.

But in this game, he was afforded the luxury of being able to take all of them off, with time to spare, and even got a goal 20 seconds after bringing Sturridge on as the final substitute.

They say you must start as you mean to go on, and there's nothing to suggest that this isn't how Liverpool mean to go on.