As if it were needed, Virgil van Dijk gave the Kop an old-fashioned reminder of his love for the club. He has always seemed too cool to be a badge-kisser but that is what it looked like the captain was doing after his header provided early confirmation of an incoming Liverpool win.

This troubled title defence has hurt Van Dijk, make no mistake. He has been the player who has had to field the criticism. He has been the voice of a dressing-room under scrutiny. His own performances have not been immune to negative inspection, Wayne Rooney the most prominent pundit to suggest the centre-half had not been at his imperious best.

And Rooney's remarks were not baseless. No Liverpool player - apart, maybe, from Dominik Szoboszlai - has been exemplary this season. Even here, Van Dijk was not flawless, blindsided by Tomas Soucek for the goal that gave West Ham United a semblance of optimism early in the second half.

But Van Dijk's third goal in the last six Premier League games was crucial in ensuring Liverpool maintained momentum in the battle for Champions League spots. It doubled the lead that had been provided by Hugo Ekitike's 11th Premier League goal of an encouraging first campaign and also highlighted Liverpool's startling set-piece resurgence.

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From a corner routine later in the first half, Alexis Mac Allister scored the third. And even though Soucek's sharp thinking brought Nuno Espirito Santo's side a well-deserved reward, it turned out to be one of two consolation efforts in a slightly odd encounter.

In open play, for long periods of the contest, West Ham were more than a match for the Premier League champions but their defending - of set-pieces in particular - was pretty abysmal. Liverpool took full advantage to produce a scoreline that was far more convincing than the performance.

The fourth goal was an individual effort from Cody Gakpo but continued the theme of abject defending. It was a theme Liverpool warmed to, with Van Dijk and his teammates allowing a Jarrod Bowen corner to bounce before it was headed home by Taty Castellanos.

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And before an Axel Diasi own goal gave the final winning margin a look that distinctly did not reflect the balance of play, Crysencio Summerville wasted a great chance to give Liverpool a really nervous finale. But while the scoreboard flattered Arne Slot's side, this was a third Premier League win on the spin and, from the manager’s point of view, there were some encouraging performances.

The cameo from Jeremie Frimpong, who was returning from a month's absence and who forced the Disasi mistake, was particularly eye-catching. There was also one dazzling moment from another substitute, Rio Ngumoha, and the noticeable contribution of the 17-year-old, and of Frimpong, actually highlighted another quite frustrating afternoon for Mohamed Salah.

Of course, when you are part of a side that wins 5-2, you should not be THAT frustrated but Salah has now gone 10 Premier League games without scoring. And quite frankly, he did not look like scoring in a game where most people looked like scoring.

There can be no doubt the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold and the restructuring of the attacking system had a negative impact on Salah's form, and too often, he cut an isolated figure. But he also looks to be lacking in physical and mental sharpness, too often taking the wrong options.

Late on, he ignored a goal-threatening run from Frimpong to take on a thankless task of his own and that did not go unnoticed by the home crowd. While his team are winning, Slot will not be overly concerned and Ngumoha is, right now, probably best suited to the role of impact substitute.

But if Liverpool are to go deeper in the Champions League and maintain their Premier League push, they are going to need Salah to respond to the critical attention. In the same way that Virgil van Dijk has.

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