LIVERPOOL, England — Virgil van Dijk turned towards the Kop and let out an almighty roar. The 33-year-old captain’s 89th-minute goal against West Ham United had just restored Liverpool’s lead at Anfield, putting them on the cusp of a precious 2-1 victory that edges them closer to claiming the Premier League title.

Three minutes earlier, his misjudgment had caused left-back Andy Robertson to score an own goal that levelled the tie after a spell of West Ham pressure and, amid a run of three defeats from their past four games in all competitions, everything looked a little bleak for the Reds as the clock ticked down. Instead, with minutes left, Van Dijk struck and there was pandemonium in the stands. On the touchline, head coach Arne Slot celebrated with a fervency he has reserved for only the biggest moments this season.

Certainly, this result was a big one for Liverpool as they opened up a 13-point lead at the summit over second-placed Arsenal (with the Gunners dropping more points in a draw with Brentford on Saturday) and added further weight to the belief that their coronation as champions is now inevitable.

That the league leaders required a late rescue act from their captain to see off a team currently placed 17th in the table is reflective of a recent dip in their performance levels. But winning league titles isn’t supposed to be easy, and Liverpool have this season been the masters of finding a way to get over the line.

Slot’s reign at Anfield has largely been serene since he replaced Jurgen Klopp last summer, but the past month has seen Liverpool stumble on multiple fronts, with last week’s 3-2 reverse at Fulham adding pressure to turn around a mini crisis.

From the outset against West Ham, though, Liverpool played with the kind of verve and tenacity that had been sorely lacking at Craven Cottage; they simply looked faster, sharper and hungrier than they have done in recent weeks.

Luis Díaz drew an early save from Alphonse Areola before Mohamed Salah curled an effort agonisingly wide of the post. Neither player would have long to wait, however, before they once again found themselves at the centre of the action; Diaz tapping home from a sublime Salah assist after 18 minutes.

Just two days after it was confirmed that Salah had signed a new two-year extension at Liverpool, finally ending speculation over his future, the 32-year-old provided yet another example of his importance at Anfield. In doing so, he broke the record for the most goals and assists in a 38-game Premier League season (45), surpassing the previous record jointly held by Thierry Henry in 2002-03 and Erling Haaland in 2023-24 (44).

Before a ball was even kicked on Sunday afternoon, Salah was serenaded by the Anfield crowd and, perhaps unburdened from the longstanding undercurrent of uncertainty, the forward turned in a sublime first-half display to put his team firmly in the driver’s seat against Graham Potter’s side.

At that point, it felt like it was only a matter of time before the floodgates opened. But Liverpool were unable to really make their dominance count, leaving them vulnerable to a West Ham resurgence after half-time. Goalkeeper Alisson Becker was called into action on several occasions, making spectacular stops to deny Jarrod Bowen and the lively Mohammed Kudus, and the visitors got their reward in the 86th minute when a defensive mix-up between substitute Robertson and Van Dijk resulted in the ball being turned into the back of Liverpool net for the equaliser.

It was an error that felt emblematic of the Reds’ recent malaise and, with six games left, it looked like Slot would have some awkward questions to answer. But if one of the hallmarks of champions is responding to adversity then Liverpool showed their title credentials as Van Dijk powered home a header from an Alexis Mac Allister corner just two minutes from time.

The significance of the goal was underlined by the captain’s celebration. Normally one of the coolest characters in the Premier League, Van Dijk allowed himself a rare moment of emotional release as he thumped his chest and kissed the Liverpool badge.

With a contract that expires in the summer, the Dutchman’s future is still unclear and he remained coy when quizzed on his future after the match. However, there is an expectation that the defender will pen a two-year extension in the coming days and, with Salah’s signature already secured, retaining Van Dijk’s services, alongside those of Alisson (who is out of contract in 2027), feels integral to ensuring Liverpool’s success in the future.

“It would not be completely fair to only talk about them (Van Dijk, Salah and Alisson), but as a manager you are looking for the players who have already achieved a lot in their career to step up in the most important moments of the season,” Slot said. “It is always at the end of the season that the moments get bigger and bigger, and today all three of them showed up.

“Alisson had probably had his best game of the season today; Virgil scores the header to get us three points; and Mo was very important in the first goal. He was really lively in the first half, and I saw the Mo Salah we have seen for most of the season.”

In a contest that was balanced on a knife-edge, it was three of Liverpool’s most experienced players that made the difference. All three already have legendary status on Merseyside and that will only be cemented further if they can help seal the title with the six points the club now need.