Liverpool and their supporters nearly departed east London despondent about ending the 20 years of championship torment of which they are constantly reminded. Until the class of Fernando Torres gave them the late lead and three vital points it seemed Rafael Benítez would be forced into yet more slick talking about why those hopes are so quickly going wrong.Only five weeks into the season and Steven Gerrard had called this a "big weekend" for the title race. What he actually meant was, after Liverpool's early-season defeats by Tottenham and Aston Villa, he hoped his gang would beat West Ham, Manchester City share a draw with Manchester United tomorrow and Spurs do a job at Chelsea.Gerrard was correct. A further slip here and Benítez could virtually forget about the title race and focus purely on what many suspect is his true love, the Champions League.Jamie Carragher, who had an awful start to the game, nearly enraged his team-mates instantaneously. Two minutes in and a dawdle allowed Zavon Hines, a 20-year-old forward, to pounce. He lacked little in composure as he attempted to score a first senior league goal, but Pepe Reina's left-hand post defeated him.Liverpool failed throughout the half to convince, centrally. Lucas Leiva, deployed ahead of Javier Mascherano in this area, offered an illustration when turning into traffic on the quarter-hour. West Ham broke. Valon Behrami curved a pass to Carlton Cole and the England forward was in, but, again, there was no finish.Torres, though, has scant difficulty finding those. His goal came when James Tomkins found himself the patsy in a nightmare crafted by the Spaniard. Torres collected in the home area, offered the Basildon-born central defender twin shoe-shuffles, then waltzed around him before smashing the ball past Robert Green.Soon, though, it was one each in the humiliation stakes. Carragher turns 32 in January, as a fine career turns towards autumn. Hines aged him by a few days more when ghosting past the defender. Carragher had the nous Tomkins lacked to get close enough to shove the winger, but he lost the gamble when referee Andre Marriner pointed to the spot.For the penalty, Alessandro Diamanti, a summer signing from Livorno, produced a respectable John Terry impression – except his slip was followed by a ballooned finish beyond Reina.West Ham deserved the equaliser and to enter the break still level, though this was achieved having exited a helter-skelter finish to the half in which they conceded the lead again before, again, regaining parity.The visitors' second arrived from a corner by Yossi Benayoun – Gerrard heading on before Dirk Kuyt's toe finished business. Then, when play moved down the opposite end, Martin Skrtel conceded a free-kick. From an ensuing corner, taken by Mark Noble, Skrtel, Torres and Carragher formed a trio around Carlton Cole before dismally failing to stop him from heading home.This all meant the home fans were content while Gerrard and his band had serious graft ahead. Glen Johnson, who has two goals from the first five league games of his Liverpool career, hoped to do some solo heavy lifting work early into the restart. But his cut inside and attempted shot was snuffed out.West Ham, though, were playing the smoother stuff. Cole's chested control while airborne then holding-off of Carragher left the former England defender out-muscled; the subsequent deft touch allowed West Ham to motor forward via the impressive zip of Hines.That attack fizzled out. But two corners followed, the first of which Reina misjudged, and West Ham might have taken the lead. Yet the suspicion lingered that the team's rearguard might again be gazumped by the visitor's stellar names.Gerrard, though, was having a largely ineffective game. One shot came careering back off the West Ham defence before seconds later his pocket was pilfered by Hines, who was proving the best kind of nuisance.For supposed aristocrats Liverpool had been drawn into pell-mell contest which might be decided, it was starting to appear, by who might find a dollop of luck. But then pedigree found its way. Ryan Babel, on for Kuyt, dinked a ball up for Torres and his head did the rest.Premier LeagueWest Ham UnitedLiverpoolJamie Jacksonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Comments