The east London club visit Anfield on Saturday, and Henry Jackson looks back at how the last five contests between the two sides have panned out at the home of the Reds.
LIVERPOOL 0-0 WEST HAM- 7th April 2013
Sam Allardyce’s side visited Anfield earlier this year and ground out a goalless draw in what was a hugely frustrating afternoon for Liverpool.
Despite having 19 attempts on goal the Reds never really merited all three points, with Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez coming the closest to scoring for the hosts. Lucas’ late clearance off the line, from Jack Collison’s header, saved Brendan Rodgers’ side from a shock defeat.
The result left them 7th in the Premier League table.
LIVERPOOL 3-0 WEST HAM- 20th November 2010
A fantastic first half display from Liverpool gave them all three points back in 2010, in a rare good day at the office in the Anfield hot seat for Roy Hodgson.
Glen Johnson opened the scoring with a low shot in the 18th minute, before Dirk Kuyt’s typically cool penalty doubled the lead nine minutes later. Maxi Rodriguez then glanced in a terrific header before the break, as the game drifted away from the visitors.
There were chances aplenty in the second half but, with the home side playing very much in second gear, the missed opportunities after the break made no difference to the result whatsoever.
LIVERPOOL 3-0 WEST HAM- 19th April 2010
Six months prior to the above game, Liverpool won an equally simply match against the Hammers by the same scoreline.
Ex-West Ham star Yossi Benayoun got the ball rolling, converting Steven Gerrard‘s cross from close range. The much-maligned David Ngog then finished neatly from Rodriguez’s inviting cross to give the Reds a comfortable lead at the interval.
In the 59th minute, the unfortunate Rob Green saw Sotiros Kyrgiakos’ header hit the post and rebound in off his leg, completing the scoring in the process.
The win put Liverpool back up to sixth place, although they would finish a place lower at the end of the campaign. It was to be Rafa Benitez’s final year in charge at Anfield.
LIVERPOOL 0-0 WEST HAM- 1st December 2008
Although this draw took Benitez’s side to the summit of the Premier League back in the 2008/09 season, it was a very disappointing result in a game they were fully expected to win.
Gianfranco Zola’s stubborn West Ham side were excellent defensively throughout, and both Albert Riera and Sami Hyppia saw efforts cleared off the line in the first half. Former Red Craig Bellamy crashed a shot again the post at the other end in a rare attack for the visitors.
Green was excellent in the West Ham goal, saving brilliantly from Benyoun, in particular, and the final whistle was met by a number of jeers by the Anfield faithful.
LIVERPOOL 4-0 WEST HAM- 5th March 2008
A rampant Liverpool destroyed Alan Curbishley’s side back in 2008, with Fernando Torres in particularly menacing form.
The Spaniard scored a superb hat-trick, as he continued his outstanding first season in English football. He scored the only goal of the first half, wonderfully turning in Kuyt’s cross from the right.
With the scoreline still at 1-0 an hour into the game, Torres eased Liverpool’s nerves with a well-taken header to double the lead. The then 23-year-old got his third with a clinical finish from a tight angle in front of the Kop.
Gerrard completed the rout with a trademark long-range strike, as the Reds moved above Everton into 4th place in the Premier League table. They would remain in that position, qualifying for the Champions League in the process.
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