Source: PA
Reds provide the iron against hopeless Hammers
It was hardly a proper test of being able to cope without Steven Gerrard but Liverpool did more than enough to dispose of a woeful West Ham 3-0 at Anfield.
With the captain out for a month with a hamstring tear manager Roy Hodgson called for his players to step up to fill the void and the Barclays Premier League's bottom side provide the perfect opposition.
First-half goals from Glen Johnson - against his former club - and Maxi Rodriguez, either side of a Dirk Kuyt penalty, were enough to wrap up the points in the first half.
The visiting fans were less than impressed and directed their anger at manager Avram Grant with chants of `you're getting sacked in the morning'.
It is unlikely Liverpool will have an easier game this season and it was the ideal tonic for them after two poor performances in a 1-1 draw at Wigan and last Saturday's defeat at Stoke which ended a six-game unbeaten run.
If there was one criticism it was that Hodgson's side eased up so much after the break they lost all the momentum and rhythm built up in the first half.
