Liverpool vs. West Ham: Score, Grades, Reaction from Premier League Game
Daniel Sturridge marked his return from injury with a goal as Liverpool defeated West Ham United 2-0 on Saturday in the Premier League.
Sturridge, who was making his return to the side after a five-month layoff, entered as a second-half substitute and scored Liverpool's second goal in the 80th minute. Raheem Sterling had broken the deadlock with a 51st-minute opener.
The win sent Liverpool above West Ham on 38 points through 23 matches. The Reds remained five points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, but as the BBC's Ben Smith noted, Brendan Rodgers' side now has a "cutting edge" with Sturridge's return to the strike force:
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Winning three matches on the spin, Liverpool will now hope they have enough momentum to make a serious push at the top four. The Reds play at Merseyside rivals Everton next Saturday.
For West Ham, it's a third loss in six matches, a run that has seen the Hammers win just once. Following a strong start to the season, Sam Allardyce's men are now seven points off the top four.
The Hammers host Manchester United next Sunday.
Neither side found the back of the net in the first half, though Liverpool created the better opportunities. In the sixth minute, Sterling created space in a dangerous area before setting up Philippe Coutinho, whose shot was blocked. The rebound fell to Adam Lallana, whose effort was deflected as well.
Sterling created more danger in the 19th minute, as Liverpool moved down the pitch quickly. This time, he laid off for Jordan Henderson, who shot first-time straight at Adrian.
The West Ham goalkeeper made another save in the 24th minute, palming away Coutinho's shot. The visitors recorded a first attempt on target 10 minutes later, Andy Carroll heading tamely at Simon Mignolet after James Collins knocked down a corner.
Liverpool appealed for a penalty in first-half stoppage time after Joey O'Brien muscled Sterling off the ball in the box. Referee Andre Marriner allowed play to continue.
Moments later, Liverpool's Lazar Markovic latched onto an errant West Ham pass, burst into the box and blazed his shot wide.
Liverpool were frustrated in the first half, but the home side took the lead within six minutes of the restart. In the 51st minute, Alberto Moreno crossed from the left for Sterling, who chested the ball down. It deflected to Coutinho, who freed Sterling with a clever chipped pass over the defence. Holding his nerve, Sterling slotted coolly past Adrian for the opener.
West Ham responded with a half-chance in the 64th minute. Enner Valencia received a pass outside the box, danced past Martin Skrtel and drove a hard shot on target, which Mignolet saved.
One minute later, Coutinho carved out a pocket of space along the edge of West Ham's box before shooting low across his body. Adrian saved comfortably to keep West Ham within one goal.
Sturridge entered the match in the 68th minute as a substitute for Markovic. Only 12 minutes later, he found his way back onto the scoresheet.
In the 80th minute, Coutinho led an attack down the middle of the pitch, driving toward the box with the ball at his feet. The Brazilian picked out Sturridge with a pass to the right side of the box, and he beat Adrian with a low shot at the near post.
The second goal put the result beyond doubt, and West Ham had further trouble when centre-back Winston Reid hobbled off in the 85th minute. After already making all three substitutions, West Ham had to finish the match with 10 men.
Grades
| Simon Mignolet | 7.3 |
| Emre Can | 7.2 |
| Martin Skrtel | 7.3 |
| Mamadou Sakho | 8.2 |
| Lazar Markovic | 6.6 |
| Jordan Henderson | 7.4 |
| Lucas Leiva | 7.9 |
| Alberto Moreno | 7.2 |
| Adam Lallana | 7.0 |
| Philippe Coutinho | 8.5 |
| Raheem Sterling | 8.6 |
| Daniel Sturridge (for Markovic, 68') | 6.9 |
| Jordon Ibe (for Coutinho, 81') | 6.6 |
| Adrian | 7.0 |
| Joey O'Brien | 6.9 |
| James Collins | 6.9 |
| Winston Reid | 6.2 |
| Aaron Cresswell | 5.5 |
| Morgan Amalfitano | 6.0 |
| Alex Song | 7.3 |
| Stewart Downing | 6.6 |
| Kevin Nolan | 6.7 |
| Andy Carroll | 6.2 |
| Enner Valencia | 6.9 |
| Mark Noble (for Amalfitano, 55') | 6.5 |
| Carlton Cole (for Carroll, 63') | 6.1 |
| Guy Demel (for Collins, 74') | 5.8 |
Reaction
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers (via PremierLeague.com):
"We were obviously disappointed in midweek with the result at Chelsea in the Capital One Cup. We knew coming into today it was going be a tough game. West Ham have done great this season, but we had to win the battle and compete, fight and press. My players did that magnificently well. Maybe we could have had more than two goals.
Daniel Sturridge is a top class player, he has shown that in his career so far. He worked very hard and the first opportunity that came his way he took. It was a wonderful pass by Philippe Coutinho.
"
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce (via PremierLeague.com)
"(We had) too many injuries. James Collins had a hamstring at half-time and we didn't have a replacement really. He tried to play with a strapping but that made us drop too deep really. Because of that we probably allowed Raheem Sterling a bit more space than in the first half and Andy got injured, Reidy got injured and we end up with 10 men.
We had a few problems before today with the team—Kouyate came back from Africa Cup of Nations injured, Tomkins and Jenkinson not making it and Sakho not being in the team. Having put in a nice show in the first half, looking comfortable, it became too much based on what happened to us as a team more than what happened to us as a team.
"
