Cool heads keep Reds on title course

West Ham 1 Liverpool 2

The coolness of captain Steven Gerrard, who scored two penalties at Upton Park to take his tally to 11 from the spot this season, and the steady hand of manager Brendan Rodgers, who switched from 4-3-3 in the first half to a diamond formation after the break to set up a deserved victory, were the keys to an important win, even if referee Anthony Taylor’s decisions garnered many of the headlines.

Taylor’s miserable afternoon saw him allow a goal from Guy Demel on the stroke of half-time even though Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet had clearly been fouled by Andy Carroll; and then he evened things up in the second half by handing the league leaders a dubious penalty when Jon Flanagan was felled by West Ham goalkeeper Adrian, who appeared to get the ball first.

But as crucial as those moments in the game were, Liverpool were still worthy winners as they overcome a battling West Ham side to replace Chelsea at the top of the table and go into next weekend’s match against their nearest title rivals increasingly starting to believe their 24-year famine is about to end.

Certainly Rodgers does not expect his players to freeze on the big occasion: “The team we have put together, their mentality is to be fearless; it doesn’t matter who we play. City have world class players but it’s about ourselves and the confidence we have to play.

“The youngsters will embrace it and enjoy it because there’s no pressure on them. The message is go and play and whatever pressure I will take. The most important thing is focus on the ball and on the team and not on yourself.

“The way the players have dealt with it so far has been fantastic. For instance it didn’t matter that Chelsea or Man City won yesterday. It can’t affect us, we have to control ourselves and our own emotions and get the job done. And we did. It’s nine games in a row we’ve won which at this level is incredible, especially with so many young players.

“You could see that today, there was no nerves. We built the game, looked to play, looked to pass under pressure. If we can continue that then we’ll be okay.”

The atmosphere building around Liverpool right now is remarkable. The fans stayed behind long after the final whistle at Upton Park to celebrate with a manager who Kevin Keegan this weekend compared to Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley, and who appears to have found a way to bring back the calmness, stature and class the club has been missing in recent years.

The way captain Gerrard performed against West Ham reflected that growth, producing a wonderful array of passing to dominate midfield and set up the opening goal when his long pass found Luis Suarez in the 44th minute.

Liverpool had already hit the bar, through a Suarez chip, and created a string of chances by then and when James Tomkins handled as he attempted to prevent the Uruguayan having a shot on goal it was, inevitably, Gerrard who converted the opportunity.

The lead didn’t last long, however, following a controversial moment in first-half injury-time in which Carroll clearly impeded goalkeeper Mignolet as they leapt to challenge for a high cross — the West Ham man not only slapping his opponent in the head but also pulling his arm as he attempted to catch the ball. But when Demel stabbed the rebound into the net referee Taylor astonishingly allowed the goal to count even after a long discussion with his linesman Stuart Burt who had flagged vigorously as soon as the ball hit the net.

You always suspected that when Taylor watched that decision back at half-time there would be something in his unconscious mind urging him to make amends; and he did so when awarding Liverpool a second, more dubious, penalty which Gerrard also converted, this time sweeping the ball to his left following Adrian’s ‘foul’ on Flanagan.

West Ham did make a real fight of it, hitting the bar through an Andy Carroll header at 1-1 and producing a spirited display. But Suarez could have made it more convincing for Liverpool when he also chipped against the woodwork late on.

Liverpool can now prepare for next weekend’s title showdown, which is made all the more emotional as it coincides with the Hillsborough anniversary, determined to make their supporters even happier on what will be a passionate and emotional day.

“I can’t say too much about Hillsborough because the inquest is now under way,” said Rodgers.

“But I know there are 96 people in the sky who will always be supporting this team and if we achieve anything this year they will always be in our thoughts.”

WEST HAM: Adrian 7, Reid 8, Nolan 6 (Nocerino 67, 6), Tomkins 5, Armero 6, Carroll 7, Taylor 6 (Jarvis 77, 6), Noble 7, Demel 7, Diame 6 (Cole 84), Downing 6.

LIVERPOOL: Mignolet 6, Johnson 6, Flanagan 7, Sakho 7, Skrtel 8, Gerrard 9, Henderson 7, Coutinho 6 (Lucas 46, 7), Sterling 7, Suarez 8, Sturridge 7 (Toure 84).

Referee: Anthony Taylor