Both of these teams came in to the game with bags of confidence off the back of impressive pre-season preparations, with both also adding several new additions to their squad over the summer.
Unfortunately for Manuel Pellegrini, that's where the comparisons stopped between the two teams as West Ham were outmatched throughout the game.
Liverpool came out of the gate firing as would be expected by such an energetic and attacking team, with James Milner in particular swining in some dangerous crosses that Liverpool's attacking players weren't quite able to get on the end of.
The breakthrough came soon enough, though, as Naby Keita's purposeful run sent the West Ham defenders in to a panic that allowed Andy Robertson to be free on the left. He delivered a typically excellent ball in to the box where none other than 2017-18 Premier League Golden Boot winner Mohamed Salah was waiting to slot home and open this season's account.
Salah went close again on a couple more occasions, but new West Ham keeper Lukasz Fabianski did well to keep him out.
The lead was doubled just before the end of the first period, with Robertson again being given too much time on the left which allowed him to pick out James Milner on the opposite side of the box. West Ham's back four failed to both match Milner's run and see Sadio Mane waiting free in the middle, meaning the Senegalese was free to turn in Milner's cut-back.
Manuel Pellegrini needed to find a solution at half time, but unfortunately none came.
Just 8 minutes in to the second half the 'Irons' defence was too tame in dealing with a piercing run from Roberto Firmino, who slid the ball through to Mane who decisively added his second on the half-turn. The goal should have been disallowed for offside but the flag stayed down, not that it would have much changed the result had the decision gone the other way.
Liverpool went in to cruise control for the majority of the second half, with Alisson not having a significant test to prove his £65 million price tag in the whole game as West Ham's attacking additions of Felipe Anderson and Jack Wilshere were nowhere to be seen.
Just minutes before the end of the game striker Daniel Sturridge came on for Salah, after the Englishman had impressed in pre-season.
With just his first touch of the game, he was on hand to steer the ball home from a James Milner corner after West Ham's defence had failed to clear the danger, and made it 4-0.
Jurgen Klopp will be extremely happy with the result and the team's performance, who were by no means exceptional but never looked like they weren't in control of the match.
In sharp contrast, Manuel Pellegrini will have a lot of work to do, particularly in defence, should his team manage a league finish that matches the investment made in the squad over the summer.
August 12, 2018