It had been a barren month for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

After the high of his standout performance in the thrilling 4-3 victory over Manchester City, the Liverpool midfielder's standards slipped.

Direct and aggressive, Oxlade-Chamberlain had looked the part that day against Pep Guardiola's side – slamming home the opener and then creating the second for Roberto Firmino.

But it didn't prove to be the springboard the £35million signing from Arsenal had hoped for. He regressed.

Substituted after under-whelming displays in the defeats to Swansea and West Brom, he found himself back on bench duty and had to settle for a late cameo in the win at Huddersfield.

Brought on against Tottenham at Anfield to provide some control with the Reds under the cosh, Oxlade-Chamberlain struggled to adjust to the pace of the game.

He started in the win over his former club Southampton but only lasted an hour and then wasn't required by Jurgen Klopp for the rout of FC Porto in the Champions League.

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With Gini Wijnaldum ill and Jordan Henderson carrying a slight knock, Oxlade-Chamberlain earned a surprise recall for Saturday's visit of West Ham.

This time the 24-year-old didn't disappoint. The shackles were broken off as he helped provide the ammunition for Klopp's front three to blow the Hammers away.

Oxlade-Chamberlain expertly got away from both Kevin Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate before poking the ball through for Mohamed Salah to make it 2-0. He would have had a second assist if Sadio Mane hadn't struck the post when it looked easier to score.

(Image: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Match of the Day pundit Frank Lampard raved: “Alex showed both sides of the game you need to play centre midfield in a team like Liverpool.

“In the first half he was disciplined and did a lot of hard work in his own half, pressing and getting tight. He has the quality to get the team moving.

“In the second half he came into his own getting into attacking areas. We know he can dribble, he's got great feet and there's more maturity in his game with picking the right pass.

“The problem with him has been consistency. He has to play like that week in week out.”

Oxlade-Chamberlain still has much to prove in his mission to command a regular starting place at Liverpool as he looks to force his way back into the England squad ahead of the World Cup.

But here was a reminder of his power and ability to break lines and unlock a defence. It was a decent step forward for him.