The next time Mohamed Salah turns out for Liverpool, he could conceivably have agreed a move away from Anfield. And while there is already a compelling body of evidence the Reds must thrash out a fresh agreement with the Egyptian, the necessity has surely now become absolute.

What else to think after Salah produced the latest in an astonishing series of performances to help Arne Slot’s side maintain their vice-like grip on the Premier League summit?

Having left the London Stadium on his last visit by declaring there would be “fire” should he discuss a touchline spat with Jurgen Klopp, here his twinkling feet and razor-sharp mind were simply far, far too hot for the West Ham United defence to handle.

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The pattern was set from the moment Salah was denied from close range by a brilliant Alphonse Areola save inside the opening 10 minutes. It wouldn’t be the last time the Liverpool man brought the best out of his opponent.

But that both Areola and his West Ham team-mates were beaten long before the final whistle underlined the huge impact Salah continues to have on his title-chasing Liverpool team.

For the Reds’ second goal, Salah, standing in an offside position, showed great awareness to leave Alexis Mac Allister’s searching pass for Luis Diaz, and then produced a sublime piece of skill when accepting Diaz's ball to bamboozle West Ham defender Konstantinos Mavropanos and tee up Cody Gakpo.

Salah, though, was just getting started. Four minutes later, with Liverpool sensing the Hammers were teetering on the brink, he took a ball from Curtis Jones and swiftly struck underneath Areola at the goalkeeper’s near post.

Not only did it make Salah the first Liverpool player ever to score 20 goals in all competitions in eight successive seasons, it also ensured the Egyptian became the first player to score and assist in eight different games in the same Premier League season. The Reds still haven’t even reached the halfway mark.

Salah – who now has 13 goals against the Hammers – wasn’t finished there, and a superb personal performance was capped with six minutes remaining when, having won the ball in his own half, the Egyptian sprinted forward, skipped past two defenders, held off one challenge and then fed the ball for Diogo Jota to curl home the fifth.

It was Salah’s 23rd assist of the year, taking him past the previous best Liverpool mark of Trent Alexander-Arnold during the Premier League era.

As things stand, 2025 will be his last as a Reds player, Salah stating afterwards a new agreement remains "far away". But that cannot be allowed to happen. It simply cannot. There is surely no better player in the world at present.