Liverpool strike early and Hammers are nailed

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 first blow for West Ham came after six minutes as John Arne Riise delivered an in-swinging 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. 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 got there first to send a header spinning inside the near post. The result moves Liverpool back to within a win of fifth-placed Everton three points off a Champions League spot and Liverpool boss

Gerard Houllier believes his side are back on track, saying: "Our season starts now". "I don't think we can win the title this season due to the bad period we had," he admitted, "but I think we turned the corner at Arsenal and ever since we've been doing well."

Explaining his decision to omit Michael Owen from the starting line-up, although the England striker came on as a substitute, Houllier added: "You need to keep freshness in your strikers. Between January 29 and March 2 we'll have 10 games, so I knew at some stage I had to rest him."

WEST HAM: James, Johnson, Repka, Dailly, Winterburn (Brevett 59), Bowyer, Carrick, Cole, Sinclair (Defoe 68), Les Ferdinand (Kanoute 55), Di Canio.

LIVERPOOL: Dudek, Carragher, Hyypia, Henchoz, Riise, Smicer (Cheyrou 79), Diouf, Murphy (Hamann 82), Gerrard, Heskey, Baros (Owen 72).

Referee: M Messias (N Yorkshire).