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Glen Johnson is congratulated by his team-mates. Stephen Pond/EMPICS Sport
AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: West Ham v Liverpool, Premier League

The Reds travelled to Upton Park without their talisman Luis Suarez this afternoon.

BRENDAN RODGERS’ MEN are in East London to take on the Hammers.

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West Ham 2-3 Liverpool

Good afternoon. After this afternoon’s dramatic Manchester derby, we turn our attention to Upton Park where West Ham host Liverpool. The Hammers are three points ahead of their opponents and will have been buoyed by the superb win over Chelsea last weekend.

The Reds are missing Luis Suarez and have gone for Jonjo Shelvey in a more advanced role not for the first time this season.

We’re about to get started so here are the teams:

West Ham: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins, Reid, O’Brien, Taylor, Diame, Nolan, Noble, Jarvis, Cole. Subs: Spiegel, McCartney, Tomkins, Maiga, Spence, O’Neil, Moncur.

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Jose Enrique, Allen, Lucas, Gerrard, Sterling, Shelvey, Downing. Subs: Jones, Cole, Henderson, Coates, Carragher, Fernandez Saez, Morgan.

Positive start by Liverpool, who win a corner off Ireland’s Joey O’Brien from a Steven Gerrard shot. Stewart Downing plays short to Joe Allen, whose cross is blocked out before West Ham get teh ball away through Matthew Taylor.

Mohamed Diame, who was influential in the win over Chelsea after coming off the bench, overpowers Lucas Leiva and begins an attack by finding Carlton Cole. The ball is whipped in to Kevin Nolan but he can only send his header up in the air and Pepe Reina collects comfortably.

Matt Jarvis then pulls back across the goal but Daniel Agger makes a block with his outstretched leg.

Jarvis aims for Nolan again but Lucas gets their first. The ball falls to Diame, who takes on the strike but watches it bounce agonisingly wide of the mark after it takes a deflection off team-mate Carlton Cole.

GOAL! West Ham 0-1 Liverpool (Glen Johnson)

What a hit! Ex-Hammers defender Johnson advances forward, cuts inside, then lets fly with his right boot and finds the top corner from 20 yards to put the away side ahead.

Johnson is causing all sorts of problems for West Ham’s left side at the moment. In the last couple of minutes he has got the better of both O’Brien and Jarvis, with Raheem Sterling shooting off target on the first occasion.

West Ham threatening to open Liverpool up but can’t find the right pass in the final third just now.

Joe Cole, who started his career with the Hammers, is about to be introduced. Jose Enrique has picked up an injury.

Agger to the rescue as Jarvis beats Johnson and gets his cross in. The Danish defender does extremely well to direct it away from goal as we’ve often seen those sort of clearances end up in the back of the net.

Shelvey is late on Diame as he breaks forward and has been shown the first yellow card of the game by referee Lee Probert.

Steven Gerrard is next to bring down Diame, and West Ham have a free-kick some 30 yards out. Mark Noble and Matt Taylor stand over it. It’s Taylor with the left-footed effort but Reina is behind it all the way.

PENALTY TO WEST HAM

GOAL! West Ham 1-1 Liverpool (Mark Noble)

Probert points to the spot after Allen blocks a shot with his arm and Noble steps up to score past Reina, meaning we’re all-square again.

Matt Taylor has also got himself a booking for a high tackle on Johnson.

More quick attacking play by West Ham ends in Taylor heading over at the front post. They’ve have been the better side since conceding.

GOAL! West Ham 2-1 Liverpool (Stephen Gerrard og)

Another dangerous cross from the left is met by the Liverpool captain, who can only direct is past his own goalkeeper to put West Ham one up with half-time looming.

Half-time: West Ham 2-1 Liverpool

Noble celebrates his goal. Credit: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP/Press Association Images

Watch that Gerrard own-goal back:

YouTube credit: Allvideos89

Second half, here we go…

Wset Ham begin as they left off and look for joy on the left. Reina gains possession and opts to kick long to Shelvey but it’s overcooked and runs to Jussi Jaaskelainen. The camera turns to Rodgers, whose face says it all. Not exactly the passing game he is known for.

Liverpool under the cosh a little here and look in danger of falling further behind if they don’t make some sort of improvement.

Frustrated at how little impact his more advanced team-mates are making, Daniel Agger strides forward in search of a goal. The defender can hit them, but gets this one all wrong and skies a shot into the crowd.

That’s better from Liverpool. Downing crosses, Cole lets it run through his legs and Sterling arrives on time to force Jaaskelainen into a top save.

Sterling latches onto a Downing cross but heads off-target under pressure from Winston Reid. Jordan Henderson, who was on the scoresheet earlier this week, has been introduced by Rodgers.

Bad news for Diame, meanwhile, who has pulled up with what looks like a hamstring injury. That’s the last we’ll see today of the midfielder.

GOAL! West Ham 2-2 Liverpool (Joe Cole)

Incredibly, they’re back in it. Another West Ham old boy, Joe Cole, receives a brilliant pass from Sterling and finds the far corner with a left-footed effort. 14 minutes remaining.

GOAL! West Ham 2-3 Liverpool (James Collins og)

Remarkable. Shelvey gets ahead of Collins but the cross comes off the West Ham defender and loops over Jaaskelainen. Liverpool are ahead in a game that had been increasingly looking like three points for the Hammers.

Cole, to make it 2-2:

YouTube credit: LFCFansCornerTV

Modibo Maiga, just on for Matt Taylor, nearly has an instant impact but Liverpool get the ball away. Straight down the other end they go and Jaaskelainen has to show his pace to beat Sterling to the ball then the youngest break through on goal.

Maiga then blasts a free-kick over. 90 minutes have been played, but there are five minutes of added time to go.

Shout for a Liverpool penalty. Shelvey wriggles clear of Reid and Noble but the New Zealander comes in from the side to get the ball away and bring him down inside the box. Lee Probert is having none of it, however. It did look like he got a touch on the ball.

Full-time: West Ham 2-3 Liverpool

That’s a huge win for Liverpool, who climb to tenth in the league (level on points with West Ham) ahead of next week’s fixture with Aston Villa. West Ham were on top for large spells but the loss of Diame was a blow and Big Sam will be bitterly disappointed that they couldn’t see the game out at 2-1.

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