Source: Daily_Mail
Liverpool v West Ham live
Follow Sportsmail's coverage of the Barclays Premier League's 5.30pm kick off where stuttering Liverpool take on relegation threatened West Ham. Both team's managers have come under pressure in recent weeks with the Reds looking shaky under Roy Hodgson and Avram Grant taking only one league win this season with the Hammers. Email your thoughts on the action to me at dan.ripley@dailymail.co.uk[LNB] Liverpool 3-0 West Ham (5.30pm)Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Konchesky, Kuyt, Meireles (Shelvey 83), Poulsen, Maxi, Torres (Babel 85), Ngog (Aurelio 73).Subs: Jones, Kyrgiakos, Kelly, Eccleston.[LNB]Goals: Johnson 18, Kuyt 27, Maxi 38.West Ham: Green, Jacobsen, Gabbidon, Upson, Ilunga (Tomkins 77), Piquionne, Noble, Kovac, Boa Morte, Obinna (Barrera 46), Cole (McCarthy 69).Subs: Stech, Reid, Spector, Nouble.Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire) [LNB]19.30: That is not all in terms of Premier League action this weekend.[LNB]I will be around in the hot seat again tomorrow to follow coverage of Blackburn v Aston Villa and Fulham v Manchester City, as the latter especially looks to kick-start a title charge.[LNB]For now though that is all from me, thanks for following and hopefully I will catch you again tomorrow.[LNB]19.27: The pressure is surely off Hodgson now after that, top disciplined display from Liverpool and there is no reason why this side cannot kick-on now that confidence seems to be flowing.[LNB]Grant on the other hand will HAVE to beat Wigan next week (if he is still there) I will be amazed if he can still hang around if he fails again in that game.[LNB]19.25: West Ham fans I urge you not to look at the table. Five points off safety, bottom of the league and that side's confidence has more holes than a sieve.[LNB]19.23: As easy as it gets for Liverpool who move up to ninth but just thee points off a Champions League place and only six points off the top of the league...[LNB]Full-time: Liverpool 3-0 West Ham[LNB]90+1min: Ninety seconds remaining and that is West Ham's best chance. Barrera whips a lovely ball in from the right but Frederic Piquionne can only direct his header from in front of goal well wide.[LNB]90min: Two minuted added on here.[LNB]89min: West Ham with some late possession in the Liverpool half and they win a free-kick 30 yards out but Noble's ball in is headed over by Matthew Upson.[LNB]86min: Nearly an instant impact too as the Dutchman sends a great ball in the box that Aurelio just heads over from eight yards, West Ham despite that first-half exodus are in the majority staying until the end.[LNB]85min: And now Torres is off, he has had a solid game despite not scoring with Ryan Babel coming on.[LNB]83min: Unlucky from Aurelio as he takes a couple of touches before firing from 25 yards out that just whistles over Green's bar.[LNB]Raul Meirles is given a very warm reception as he makes way for Shelvey.[LNB]81min: Time for the kids as Jonjo Shelvey is getting ready to come on.[LNB]79min: One thing for West Ham is that they have not conceded again. How much that has to do with Liverpool passing around in second gear nobody knows.[LNB]But they still have not crated ANYTHING.[LNB] Exit stage right: Grant could only watch as Liverpool tore in to West Ham[LNB]77min: Final sub from West Ham, James Tomkins is on for Herita Ilunga.[LNB]73min: First change for Liverpool with Fabio Aurelio replacing Ngog.[LNB]72min: Where has this come from! What a double save from Green.[LNB]Noble gives the ball away to Torres who from 25 yards out forces Green in to a stunning diving save. A follow up from a similar distance from Christian Poulsen follows after with Green diving acrobatically to the opposite side of the goal to tip it out for a corner.[LNB]Mark Noble is booked for a foul on Raul Meireles.[LNB]69min: A like for like change for Grant. Benni McCarthy is on for Carlton Cole.[LNB]68min: Maxi nearly gets his second, but he certainly didn't mean it. His intended cross for Torres at an acute angle is sliced with the outside of his boot and it oh so nearly curls in the far corner.[LNB]67min: The game is being played at walking pace and the most Reina has had to do this half is come out to pluck a Noble cross.[LNB]66min: West Ham fan's now chanting 'ole' to every West Ham pass, humorous bunch![LNB]63min: Tidy from Torres, on the edge of the box he sidesteps a challenge before firing just wide of the post with his next touch.[LNB] Held back: Ngog shields the ball from Gabbidon[LNB]61min: Liverpool fans hit back with 'You're getting sacked in the morning' Grant looks distraught on the touchline, whether it's to do with his side's inability to get into this game or the chants I can't answer.[LNB]60min: Handbags between Boa Morte and Johnson is well dealt with by Lee Probert who tells the two players to just calm down and shake hands, that's about as much as we have had this half.[LNB]58min: Better from the Hammers...fans. They are shouting loudest, with chants of 'West Ham 'till I die', I can hear a rattle as well in the crowd which I thought went out of fashion in the 1930s.[LNB]56min: Any life or soul in this game has gone, Liverpool are cruising and conserving energy, West Ham have not even had a sniff on goal. Could be a long half-and-hour or so.[LNB]55min: Here comes those Di Canio shouts again, must be a lonely place to be a West Ham player or coach right now when even your own support seems to be against you.[LNB]52min: Gabbdion again handles in the box from a Torres effort but this one is hit with pace and any penalty given would have been very harsh.[LNB]51min: Great play from Johnson, he plays a ball with high trajectory in the box which Kuyt fends Kovac off well before laying off for Ngog whose shot from an acute angle is blocked out for a corner.[LNB]48min: No change in the play, Liverpool still looking the fitter and sharper of the two sides.[LNB]Worried: West Ham co-owner David Gold looks on with concern perceived concern at Anfield [LNB]Second-half: We are back underway, one change for West Ham. Pablo Barrera is on for Victor Obinna.[LNB]18.32: As mentioned, Grant has the backing of his board but I don't think even they were expecting that capitulation.[LNB]The game seems lost but they have to at least improve in the second-half to show some green shoots of recovery. Right now it's destination Championship.[LNB]18.23: As for Liverpool, they have been in complete contrast. The Reds have been attacking, confident and well organised and are full value for their three goal lead.[LNB]All staying the same they are just three points off a Champions League place.[LNB]18.20: Either way this isn't reflecting well on Grant. West Ham were shocking at the back in that half and either his tactics are about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike or his players are simply not responding to him.[LNB]That snippet of many West Ham fans walking out before half-time could well be the tipping point.[LNB]Half-time: Liverpool 3-0 West Ham[LNB]45+1min: One minute of injury time and from the corner, an unmarked Victor Obinna's 20 yard shot spoons in to the upper tier. [LNB]45min: Free-kick to the right just outside of the box for West Ham, it's too acute for a shot at goal but Noble's ball in is well defended by Kuyt who heads over his own bar for a corner.[LNB]41min: Chance for West Ham, they have a free-kick 30 yards out, but Mark Noble's effort is way over. That sums up their half.[LNB] Maxi-mum damage: Maxi headers Liverpool into a three goal lead[LNB]40min: West Ham fans walking out, to be fair they are a loyal bunch so this just speaks volumes of how low they feel their side has plummeted.[LNB]38min: GOAL! LIVERPOOL 3-0 West Ham[LNB]Come on how many are the Reds going to score? Moments after Torres has a shot well saved, Raul Meireles sends in a cross from left for another unmarked Liverpool player in the shape of Maxi Rodrriguez to head across a diving Green's outstretched hand and into the net.[LNB]36min: Better from the visitors. Lui Boa Morte hits in a cross from deep out left and Carlton Cole rises well to get a good header which just lacks power to beat Reina who catches comfortably.[LNB]33min: Hammers fans chanting out for Paolo Di Canio, Grant is not a popular chat, still Liverpool dominate.[LNB]30min: I don't think Pepe Reina has touched the ball with his gloves yet, Liverpool looking very comfortable.[LNB] Caught red handed: Gabbidon handles the ball that led to Liverpool's penalty[LNB]27min: GOAL! LIVERPOOL 2-0 West Ham[LNB]Danny Gabbidon what are you playing at? Torres chips the ball up in the box with the defender sticking his arm out to block the ball Basketball style.[LNB]Dirk Kuyt steps up to slam his penalty down the middle and the Hammers are in crisis.[LNB]26min: PENALTY (Liverpool)[LNB]23min: As a defensive unit West Ham are all over the place, Torres first finds himself in acres of space down the right before his cross is cut out.[LNB]Liverpool intermediately get the ball back with Johnson's cross finding an unmarked Torrs at the far post who should do better than scuff his volley. West ham stood ball watching for teh majority of that move.[LNB]20min: Bright response from the Hammers though they win a corner and are at least making inroads in to the Liverpool half.[LNB] Haunted: Glen Johnson scores against his former club to give Liverpool the lead[LNB]18min: GOAL! LIVERPOOL 1-0 West Ham[LNB]That has been coming. A corner in the box falls loose with Glen Johnson first to react to fire low past Green. Too easy.[LNB]17min: Worth a go, Raul Meireles fires from over 20 yards out which keeps Green honest by forcing the keeper to tip it over.[LNB]15min: Liverpool getting closer, no pressure from the Hammers defence as Kuyt is eventually blocked in the last second in the box by Radoslav Kovac who then follows that by blocking Torres' shot.[LNB]14min: Pattern to West Ham's play:[LNB]Intercept the ball, knock it back to Green and pump it long to Cole who proceeds to lose the ball. They need to be more savvy than this.[LNB]13min: Liverpool with all the ball but just no threat in the last couple of minutes.[LNB]10min: More great play from Ngog, he waltzes across the 18 yard box shaking off all challenges before laying off for Torres to fire just wide.[LNB]8min: Grant's side have relaxed a bit and put together some neat short passes, if anything just to get a foothold in the game.[LNB]5min: West Ham need to wake up! It's shooting practice. Maxi Rodriguez 20 yards out has all the time in the world before firing just wide of the post. Awful defending.[LNB]3min: Great play from Ngog, he runs at the defence before cutting inside and hitting a low shot across goal that Robert Green can only tip away.[LNB]2min: Bright start from Liverpool, Glen Johnson shrugs off a challenge in the box to dink a ball in to the box which is scrambled out for a corner. West Ham survive though.[LNB]Kick-off: Fernando Torres and David Ngog kick-us off.[LNB]17.29: In terms of entertainment, let's hope that these two sides can reproduce that classic FA Cup final from 2006. What a game that was. It's only been downhill since though for both clubs.[LNB]17.27: One thing that has not changed is the loud reception from the Liverpool fans, great atmosphere as the players walk out. [LNB]17.25: Players in the tunnel, with West Ham in their white change strip. The Hammers must feel Liverpool can be here for the taking today, they may never get a better chance regardless of their own troubles.[LNB]17.23: They are just as unhappy at Anfield. Liverpool fans have not yet taken to Roy Hodgson and even some of his buys, including Christian Poulsen have come under some stick from today's home support[LNB]Defeat today and you just wonder if Hodgson will be able to see the season out, football as ever is a ruthless business.[LNB]17.20: Avram Grant received backing from his board during the week, but how long can this awful run continue for West Ham before they act?[LNB]Large section of the club's fans are turning on Grant and if results continue as they are something has to give.[LNB]17.17: The last time West Ham won at Liverpool? 1963. In fact the Reds are undefeated in their last 38 top flight home matches against West Ham. Only Liverpool v Stoke (47) is better in top flight history.[LNB]17.14: The lineups themselves:[LNB]Liverpool v West HamLiverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Konchesky, Kuyt, Meireles, Poulsen, Maxi, Torres, Ngog. Subs: Jones, Aurelio, Kyrgiakos, Babel, Shelvey, Kelly, Eccleston.West Ham: Green, Jacobsen, Gabbidon, Upson, Ilunga, Piquionne, Noble, Kovac, Boa Morte, Obinna, Cole. Subs: Stech, Reid, Tomkins, Barrera, McCarthy, Spector, Nouble.Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire)[LNB]17.12: Some brief teams news for you: [LNB]Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, captain in the absence of the injured Steven Gerrard, makes his 650th appearance for the club in their Barclays Premier League clash against bottom side West Ham at Anfield.[LNB]The 32-year-old becomes only the sixth player to reach the milestone, drawing level with former Reds captain Phil Neal.[LNB]Right-back Glen Johnson returns after missing three matches in place of the benched Sotirios Kyrgiakos, with Christian Poulsen and David Ngog coming in for Gerrard and the suspended Lucas Leiva as the three changes from the defeat at Stoke.[LNB]West Ham manager Avram Grant makes two changes from the goalless draw against Blackpool, with Radoslav Kovac and Carlton Cole replacing Scott Parker (chest infection) and Kieron Dyer (hamstring).[LNB]17.10: What a chance for these two teams today. Shock results in the Premier League have seen this match become even more important with a win for Liverpool putting them at least back in the hunt for Europe (I say at least).[LNB]While West Ham will need to three points just to keep sight of the safety line, Birmingham's victory has taken them further away from trouble and defeat today for the Hammers will see them remain five points off Fulham in 17th but having played a game extra. Desperate times are on the horizon.[LNB] Kop hero: Fernando Torres was on target in Liverpool's last home game[LNB] Roy Hodgson rages at losing Steven Gerrard for a month (and Liverpool boss is still waiting for Fabio Capello's call)Under-pressure Grant praying West Ham can break 47-year Anfield hoodoo ALL LIVERPOOL FC
