Liverpool's 200th league victory since the formation of the Premiership 11
seasons ago halted their miserable recent run and increased West Ham's
relegation fears.
Milan Baros and Steven Gerrard struck inside the opening nine minutes to kill
off the game as a contest and Emile Heskey continued his recent scoring form
after 67 minutes to seal only Liverpool's second Premiership win in 14 matches
and their first triumph at Upton Park since 1996.
The matchday announcer tried to gee-up the crowd - if not the players - before
kick-off with the now familiar rendition of the theme tune to "The Great
Escape" and the need for such heroics were summed up as West Ham found
themselves two goals behind after only nine minutes.
The first blow came after exactly six minutes as John Arne Riise delivered an
inswinging corner from the right and Baros rose unchallenged inside the six-yard
box to head home his sixth Premiership goal of the season.
It was a similar story two-and-a-half minutes later when Riise delivered a
deeper corner and goalkeeper David James came out to punch a half-hearted
clearance. The ball fell to Gerrard just outside the area and he drilled a low
shot inside the far post.
Victories yesterday for fellow strugglers Bolton and West Brom meant West Ham
could have done with at least a point today, but their first defeat in six games
at Upton Park left them still deep in trouble.
The game was almost put beyond West Ham's reach after 15 minutes when Baros
turned Glen Johnson on the right edge of the six-yard box and hit a low drive
which flashed just wide of James' far post.
James' confidence appeared to be shot to pieces as he fluffed almost every
clearance, and when the fans behind him in the Bobby Moore Stand began to boo,
it hardly helped the cause.
West Ham enjoyed their first real moment of good fortune after 25 minutes when
they won a free-kick just a yard outside the penalty area.
It came at the end of a good move as Paolo di Canio played the ball into Les
Ferdinand and he laid it off to Michael Carrick, who was then barged from behind
as he shot.
Lee Bowyer went for goal from the set-piece but curled his effort comfortably
over Jerzy Dudek's crossbar.
Another problem for the Hammers was that di Canio and Ferdinand kept narrowly
mis-timing their runs forward against an alert back four and were continually
halted by the offside flag.
Frederic Kanoute spent the entire half-time interval warming up and it was no
surprise to see him enter the fray after 54 minutes in place of Ferdinand - a
harsh change for the former Spurs striker who battled valiantly in the first
half.
Kanoute was quickly into the action as after 57 minutes he hooked a shot over
the bar. The big Frenchman then deserved a goal two minutes later as he almost
finished a flowing move in style, Sinclair nodding down and Kanoute again
sweeping the ball over the crossbar.
Tomas Repka is known for his rushes of blood and he needlessly conceded a
free-kick just inside his own half after 66 minutes by wrestling Baros to the
ground.
Liverpool went on to win a corner and from that set-piece they wrapped up the
three points with a goal from Heskey which highlighted the frail state of mind
of James.
Riise delivered a deep cross, Sami Hyypia headed the ball back across the face
of goal, and as James again made a half-hearted attempt to catch it Heskey had
the authority to get there first and send a header spinning inside the near
post.
West Ham should have pulled a goal back a minute later when Kanoute's low
cross from the right was somehow allowed to reach di Canio. He had only Dudek to
beat, but he tried to be too precise and ended up having his shot blocked by the
goalkeeper.
By the time the final whistle came, the stadium had been emptying fast and it
was the Liverpool anthem of "You'll Never Walk Alone" rather than "The Great
Escape" which rang around a depressed Upton Park.
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