By Mohamed Salah's standards, it was a goal drought that was threatening to become chronic.
The Liverpool forward was nearing the hour mark of his seventh match without registering in the Premier League and the end of the tunnel was nowhere in sight.
Without Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino by his side at the London Stadium, Salah was left to plough a lone furrow of sorts.
He did have Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri for company, of course, but their two goals this season were shared in a 7-2 win at Lincoln way back in September.
The fact that just four Premier League goals had been scored by the rest of the Liverpool team made Salah a marked man in the capital too.
Time and again, perhaps safe in that knowledge, David Moyes' West Ham made sure they doubled up on the Reds' top scorer on the right flank.
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But the arrival of Curtis Jones brought about an instant arrival.
Fresh from celebrating his 20th birthday on Saturday, Jones' willingness to run with the ball unsettled the Hammers, and suddenly, the space opened up for Salah.
There was still plenty to do, but the manner of the finish that brought about the Egyptian's 20th goal of the season was sheer class. A shimmy, a shot and the wait was over.
Salah, who has become the first Liverpool player since Ian Rush in the 1980s to reach 20 goals in four successive seasons, then had his 21st with one of the great counter-attacking goals of the Jurgen Klopp era.
And of them, there have been several.
From the edge of their own penalty area, it took Liverpool just four touches to double their lead as Shaqiri laid on the assist from a textbook Trent Alexander-Arnold pass.
Salah did the rest to take his Premier League tally to 15 for the campaign. Once more, the 20-goal mark is in view.
For all the defensive woes, midfield concerns and injury drama, as long as Liverpool have Salah, they have a chance.
In games. In title races.
