Liverpool could achieve an unprecedented English football feat when they welcome West Ham United to Anfield for Sunday's Premier League showdown.
Arne Slot's champions-elect will move one step closer to officially dethroning Manchester City with victory against the Hammers, having gone into the weekend 11 points clear of Arsenal at the Premier League summit.
In contrast, their opponents have little riding on the rest of the season, having built up a healthy lead over the relegation zone while being too far adrift of the top seven to mount a late European charge.
Graham Potter has failed to oversee a major upturn in fortunes since taking the reins from Julen Lopetegui, who oversaw a pair of horrendous results against Liverpool earlier in the campaign.
Indeed, West Ham fell to a 5-1 loss against Liverpool in the third round of the EFL Cup in September, before also being humbled 5-0 at home in the Premier League towards the end of 2024.
Liverpool aiming to score five goals against West Ham for third game running
© Imago
Should Liverpool manage another quintet of strikes on Sunday, they would become the first top-flight team in English football history to score five goals in three consecutive games against a single opponent.
The Reds will be aided in their mission for history by an exceptional home record against the Irons, whom they have only suffered one defeat against in their last 57 head-to-heads at Anfield.
Liverpool have prevailed in each of their last nine matches against the Hammers in front of the Kop, although Slot's side do not come into the showdown with the wind in their sails.
Last weekend's shock 3-2 loss to Fulham - Liverpool's first Premier League away defeat of the Slot era - was their third reverse from their last four games, a streak that has also seen then eliminated from Champions League and lose to Newcastle United in the EFL Cup final.
However, Liverpool's recent knockout failures did not have any bearing on Mohamed Salah's contract situation, as the Egypt international officially put pen to paper on a new two-year deal on Friday.
Salah could break record or match personal worst in West Ham fixture
© Iconsport
Salah has committed his future to the Reds until 2027 at a time where he is struggling to hit the same heights he has done for most of the season, failing to score or assist in four straight appearances.
Should the 32-year-old not manage to snap that drought on Sunday, he would have equalled his worst-ever run without a goal or assist in a Liverpool shirt, a five-match sequence in 2019.
Alternatively, Salah could set yet another new Premier League record by breaking that duck, as is just one goal or assist away from registering more direct involvements than any other player in a 38-game season.
The winger has tallied 27 goals and 17 assists so far this season for a total of 44 contributions, the joint-most in a 38-game campaign alongside Thierry Henry (2002-03) and Erling Haaland (2022-23).
Salah is also just four contributions away from the all-time record for any Premier League season, as Andy Cole (1993-94) and Alan Shearer (1994-95) both registered 47 in 42-game campaigns.
Ben Knapton
