by Anthony Jones at Talklfc
There has been a lot of talk following the poor week Liverpool have had. Back to back defeats in London against Fulham and Crystal Palace exposed Rafa Benitez to a level of criticism he had not yet had to face on Merseyside. There has been a lot of talk about putting things right, with the club captain Gerrard offering a public apology for the Palace performance. Both Benitez and Gerrard will be well aware though that it's easy to talk about an issue, harder to do something to rectify it. There was no doubt that Liverpool fans across the country were desperate not only for a win, but a good performance.
Benitez seemingly in tune with that desire fielded an extremely positive side. Finnan returned on the right side whilst Riise made a rare start at left full back. With Carragher and Hyypia shielded by Sissoko and Alonso pulling the strings there was then a fluid feel to the side. Gerrard and Garcia were given licence to roam in the attacking midfield area with Morientes playing alongside Cisse.
West Ham made a positive start though and a free kick from their right gave Liverpool a problem which eventually was cleared for a corner. The corner was cleared by Liverpool and suddenly with Morientes on the ball there was a three on one situation. Morientes played the ball out wide to Cisse and continued his run into the box but Cisse had one thing on his mind and blasted the ball from what was a difficult wide angle. Liverpool then won a corner through Garcia which was initially cleared to Alonso who volleyed wide off his left side.
Liverpool were now looking to push West Ham back and won a corner through a dangerous cross from Gerrard. The initial ball in provided Hislop in goal for West Ham with problems and the Hammers struggled to clear it. Morientes battled hard to win the ball back and then played Garcia in. Garcia's first touch opened up space for a shot and his second forced a sharp save from the keeper. The game was open though and a dangerous ball in from the West Ham right forced a last ditch interception from Hyypia that diverted the ball for a corner.
Another corner then resulted in the opening goal. A ball over the top found Cisse in space and his first time cross was put behind with no Liverpool player close enough to benefit. Garcia's corner was cleared to the edge of the box where Alonso sided footed the ball back towards goal. A slight deflection from Repka ensured that Hislop had no chance of stopping the effort. Liverpool could have made it two shortly after as they won the ball high up the pitch following some good pressing, but Cisse dragged his first time shot wide when he had time to move closer to the goal. Another good move saw Morientes cleverly flick Finnan's pass into the path of the onrushing Gerrard. Gerrard played the ball into Cisse's feet though a little behind him. The striker's first touch saw the ball balloon into the air on the edge of the box and an acrobatic overhead volley carried the ball over the cross bar.
With Sissoko doing a good job in front of the back four, Liverpool's attacking players were looking eager to impress. Gerrard cleverly flicked the ball to Finnan who instantly played it back into the path of his captain who ran forward into space in the West Ham half before playing the ball to Garcia. Garcia's first touch was poor but he recovered to cut in from the left and curl a shot goalwards that Hislop saved easily. Harewood flashed a shot across goal from outside of the box to remind Liverpool that they need to stay vigilant. Liverpool were looking to release Cisse when they can but one ball from Garcia did not receive the run it deserved, whilst West Ham with the pace of Gabbidon generally played him well. There had not been a wealth of chances in the first half but Liverpool had the lions share of them and had controlled the game for the most part.
The first chance of the second half fell Liverpool's way. A bit of head tennis on the edge of the West Ham box was eventually ended by the long legs of Gerrard who brought the ball down and then snapped a left footed shot wide of goal. Liverpool were showing intelligence in their play as well. A free kick 35 yards out from the West Ham goal allowed Gerrard, Alonso and Riise to line up the shot. However Alonso initially looking like he'd strike the ball instead played Finnan in down the right and his low cross forced a good clearance from the West Ham defence. They were also looking eager on the counter as a West Ham attack was snuffed out the ball was played by Morientes to Gerrard. The skipper surged forward down the right before releasing Cisse who also powered forward before delivering a dangerous low cross that was cleared for a corner. From the set piece, Liverpool nearly scored as cries of handball went up from the Kop, Hyypia reacted to the ball in the area and diverted it goalwards only to see it cleared off the line by the man on the post.
Fernando Morientes who was having his best game in a Liverpool shirt was nearly played in by Cisse. A short throw to Cisse was controlled and Morientes made an excellent run inside the full back which Cisse appreciated. Ferdinand did well to come across and snuff out the danger. Morientes' best chance was to follow though. After Sissoko won the ball, Alonso played Finnan in down the right with a beautiful chipped pass. The full back cut back onto his left foot and floated the ball over the first centre half. It was trademark Morientes as he rose majestically but his downward header lacked the power or direction to seriously test Hislop. Garcia then forced a great save from Hislop as Liverpool pressed high up the field with Cisse winning the ball. Garcia skipped inside and then drilled a left footed shot towards the keepers bottom corner but it was well saved and pushed out for a corner. Garcia then skipped inside a defender with a lovely drop of the shoulder but couldn't quite find the cross.
Again Liverpool won the ball deep in West Ham's half, the pressing high up the field a positive feature of the game today. Garcia picked up the ball and played a slide rule ball into the feet of Cisse. Seeing Morientes unmarked, Cisse hit a difficult first time pass that was too far from Morientes to reach. It would have been easier for Cisse to take a touch and then look to open up the space. It was the striker's last action as he was replaced by Zenden, much to his obvious frustration when he came off. It was a mixed afternoon for Cisse as he got involved regularly but couldn't find enough quality on a consistent enough basis.
Zenden was playing on the left and after a Liverpool appeal for a handball was waved on, Gerrard quickly released the winger. His cross in found Garcia making a great run but on the stretch he couldn't quite divert the header goalwards. Gerrard then linked up with Morientes on the edge of the box, and looking like he'd shoot, instead played a clever pass to the striker. Morientes was initially on the back foot but moved onto the ball and forced a good save from Hislop who was quick off his line. The introduction of Zenden had given Liverpool greater balance and it was no surprise that they soon added a second. After West Ham initially did well to clear the ball after a quick attack from Liverpool, the ball was hit back into the right back area where Aliadare had covered back for the Hammers. He was unable to reach the ball though and Zenden controlled the ball on his chest and after another touch lashed the ball into the back of the net via the far post.
Another sublime bit of skill from Garcia opened up the game for him and he hit a cross field ball to Zenden who controlled it and then picked out the run of Gerrard. Surging towards the box, he forced a brilliant tackle from the West Ham defender when it looked like he would concede a penalty. In goal for Liverpool Reina had little to do, but coming to claim a high cross he showed good concentration to catch it cleanly. Late on Crouch replaced Morientes, the Spaniard receiving a great reception from the home supporters who clearly appreciated the hard work he put in in this game. Liverpool nearly conceded a late chance as a well worked West Ham free kick was sloppily defended at first as Alonso and Carragher failed to take responsibility though Carragher eventually cleared. There was a late chance for Crouch as a good ball from Zenden found Gerrard who looped a ball over the top for the striker to attack. On the stretch though, Crouch could only loop the ball goalwards which Hislop scrambled back to claim. It was the last action of the game.
The beauty of football is that there is always another week and having lived with the disappointment of back to back victories, the supporters can now enjoy this victory. The most pleasing aspect of the afternoon is the vastly improved performance as Liverpool pressed West Ham in every area of the field and rarely allowed their guests to threaten. Fernando Morientes caught the eye with his improved physical effort whilst Gerrard and Garcia clearly enjoyed the opportunity to attack in the final third after winning the ball high up the field. Cisse had a frustrating afternoon where he didn't always seem on the same wavelength as his team mates, but the commitment to get into the right areas was there for the most part. The question will now be, can Liverpool maintain this standard?