Steven Gerrard twice held his nerve from the penalty spot
to keep Liverpool's title bid on course with a battling 2-1 win at West Ham.
Referee Anthony Taylor found himself at the centre of the
action at Upton Park from the moment he penalised James Tomkins for handball
late in the first half, allowing Gerrard to notch his first goal two minutes
before the break.
But West Ham went in level through Guy Demel's first goal
for the club, which came after Simon Mignolet had dropped a corner under
pressure of highly questionable legality from ex-Liverpool striker Andy
Carroll.
Carroll headed against the crossbar after the hour before
West Ham's Adrian became the second goalkeeper to fall foul of Taylor, who
adjudged him to have impeded Jon Flanagan for Gerrard's second penalty in the
71st minute.
Luis Suarez curled a first-time effort against the frame
of the goal late on, but Liverpool had already done enough to maintain their
quest for the Premier League crown.
Brendan Rodgers' side return to the top of the table, two
points above Chelsea and four ahead of Manchester City - who have played two
games less and head to Anfield for what looks set to be a season-defining
encounter in seven days' time.
Napoli loanee Pablo Armero made his full debut for West
Ham after left-back George McCartney suffered a hamstring strain in Monday's
2-1 win at Sunderland.
A knee injury suffered in training by Daniel Agger meant
a change for Liverpool at centre-back - Mamadou Sakho starting for the first
time since they last lost in the league, at Chelsea on December 29.
Suarez had been the central figure in the subsequent 11
wins and two league draws, and the forward glanced the top of the netting with
an early free-kick.
Largely well shackled by Tomkins during the opening
stages, Suarez engineered room to arch a delicate 20th-minute attempt against
the far post.
Daniel Sturridge then twice blasted over but the contest
remained disjointed until an explosive end to the half
In the 43rd minute, Gerrard, whose raking ball was
collected by Suarez to draw a handball from Tomkins, coolly converted from the
spot.
But West Ham found an instant response in controversial
circumstances as Liverpool goalkeeper Mignolet - struck by a flailing arm under
pressure from Carroll - dropped Mark Noble's corner for Demel to prod home.
Amid understandable protests from the visitors, referee
Taylor signalled for the goal, and he did so again following lengthy
consultation with his assistant.
Carroll again made a nuisance of himself on set-pieces
early in the second period as Liverpool, who began the half with Lucas Leiva on
in place of playmaker Philippe Coutinho, found clear chances at a premium.
There were no question marks when Carroll got the better
of Mignolet in the 62nd minute, only to see his powerful header from Mohamed
Diame's cross cannon back of the crossbar.
But Taylor once again placed himself at the centre of the
action soon afterwards, awarding Liverpool a second penalty despite Adrian
appearing to get a touch on the ball before bringing down rampaging full-back
Flanagan.
Gerrard made no mistake from the spot again before Suarez
was denied by both the crossbar and Adrian, as Liverpool closed out the kind of
gritty win upon which title triumphs are often built.
Culled from Soccerway
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