Specs eyes Liverpool win

Jonathan Spector believes next Monday's trip to Anfield should hold no fear for an in-form West Ham United.

The Hammers have not won at Liverpool's famous home since September 1963, but head north full of confidence after holding Everton and beating Sunderland in their last two Barclays Premier League fixtures.

With Liverpool facing a UEFA Europa League semi-final, first-leg trip to Atletico Madrid three days after welcoming West Ham, the full-back is confident that Gianfranco Zola's side can secure a positive result on Merseyside for the second time in 15 days.

"It is certainly is a difficult place to go and play and they are actually in pretty good form now, so it may not be the best time to play them, but we've got a couple of good results and there's no reason we can't go there and get a good result."

Spector, whose versatility has been showcased during his recent run in the side at left-back, said the squad had been boosted by their recent improvement in results.

When asked if Saturday's meeting with Sunderland had been a 'must-win' game, the 24-year-old admitted he and his team-mates had been desperate to end a run of seven league matches without a win.

"You can say that [it is must-win] about every game, but there was a feeling we wanted to get some good results. We were confident going into the last few games but it just didn't really happen for us. But winning games obviously breeds confidence and I think we'll be more and more confident, the more results we get."

Having secured a vital victory, Spector said the Hammers are now keen to secure their top-flight status as soon as possible - ending their 46-and-a-half-year hoodoo at Anfield in the process.

The squad were given a short break to recharge their batteries following the 1-0 home defeat by Stoke City on 27 March, but the defender said the recent upturn in form justified the manager's decision.

"We've had that belief the whole time and Saturday's win will just strengthen it.

"We may have had some criticism for it but I think those few days we had off have shown it was the right decision and obviously the results we've had since then proves that. The manager put his trust in us and I think we paid him back. I think we all needed to get away and clear our heads, come back and start afresh."