West Ham United 1-2 Liverpool FT

WEST HAM UNITED v LIVERPOOL
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
SUNDAY 6 APRIL 2014
KICK-OFF: 4PM
REFEREE: ANTHONY TAYLOR

FULL AUDIO COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV

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Final score - West Ham United 1-2 Liverpool

95: The final whistle is blown. The home crowd react by applauding their team off. They gave it a proper good go this afternoon and were denied a point by a penalty that should not have been awarded, in my opinion. Whether the equaliser should also have been awarded is another matter! We will have highlights, reaction and more for you on our media platforms as soon as possible. Thanks for joining us. It's a trip to Arsenal in nine days' time up next. See you there!

94: That's the last chance gone as Nocerino's through ball finds only Mignolet's gloves.

93: Into the final two minutes. More handball shouts, this time against Henderson as Armero crosses. He had his arms up, but it hits the one which isn't sticking out, if you know what I mean.

91: Flanagan fouls Jarvis on halfway. Noble aims for Carroll, but Liverpool deal with the second ball and break through Suarez. He turns and runs at the West Ham defence, before the ball is worked left to Sterling. He lets fly as he cuts inside and Adrian turns the ball behind with a flying save. Corner. Liverpool want to waste some time here, and you can't blame them.

90: More handball shouts but it is Cole's arm which connects with Jarvis's cross from the right. The ball drops to Armero, who finds Downing. He shoots high and wide with his right foot. We're going to have at least four added minutes.

88: Demel's cross is headed out as far as Nocerino, who clips the ball over the top. Toure heads it up into the air and it's on target, but Mignolet is there to catch.

87: A through ball for Suarez clips Reid's toe and Suarez looks to be in. Armero gets back and Adrian comes out and between them they block the shot. Tomkins races across to clear before the follow-up can be converted by Sterling.

85: Armero gets caught under the ball from Gerrard's header and Suarez goes down. Tomkins was on the cover, so just a yellow for Armero. This is out of shooting range. Gerrard takes and Tomkins heads clear.

84: Carlton Cole will be on in a sec, but not before Suarez has hit the bar with a ridiculous attempt with the outside of his foot from Sterling's pass. That would have been some goal. Goal kick. Before we start again, Cole is on for Diame. It's 4-4-2. Liverpool replace Sturridge with Kolo Toure.

82: Nocerino crosses to the near post and Demel powers a header wide. He gets a whack on the head for his troubles from a defender's boot. Those are never given, though, for some reason.

81: Downing believes he is fouled as West Ham attack, but Mr Taylor gives nothing and Liverpool break. The through ball bounces to Sturridge, whose left-foot volley is well held by Adrian. West Ham then go down the other end and Jarvis wins a free-kick from Flanagan.

79: Liverpool take an age over a throw in. Nocerino is not impressed and he trips Flanagan. The left-back goes down and rolls around on the touchline. Nocerino sees the yellow card.

78: Taylor is replaced by Jarvis. Diame goes into the centre. Jarvis comes wide left and Downing to the right. Come on Jarvo, get us a goal.

76: Will Big Sam make another change? It looks like it as Jarvis is called back to the bench. Liverpool look more likely to add to their lead than relinquish it.

73: Suarez is waving his arms around. He wants another penalty as his cross hits Armero's foot and then bounces onto his hand. It's not a deliberate handball. Nothing is given.

72: West Ham need to re-group and somehow find an extra gear. Liverpool have been the better side for the past 15 minutes or so.

70: Goal! Two wrongs don't make a right, the old saying goes. Gerrard drives the penalty inside the left-hand post, with too much pace and placement to beat Adrian.

69: Another penalty for Liverpool, but it's the wrong decision. Flanagan gets in behind and Adrian is out. He clearly gets a piece of the ball, but Flanagan goes down and Mr Taylor points to the spot. Adrian is booked... Mr Taylor won't want to watch this game back, I fancy.

68: Nocerino takes up an attacking midfield position. He'll need to work his socks off for the next 25 minutes or so.

67: Nocerino is shown a few images by assistant manager Neil McDonald. Here he comes. It's Nolan to be replaced. Noble takes the armband.

65: Suarez and Sturridge combine again. The latter beats Reid and approaches the box with the ball bouncing in front of him. He swings his left boot at the ball and it flies a yard or two over the crossbar. Nocerino is called back. He'll be on soon.

64: The attendance is announced as 34,977. Of the crowd, 3,017 are here to support Liverpool.

63: It's Jarvis warming up, I apologise. As I type, Nocerino joins him!

61: Nolan may have a knock here. He is stretching a bit as West Ham wait to take a throw. Nocerino is out to warm up. Meanwhile, Diame crosses and Carroll has the run on Johnson at the far post. He leaps and his header thumps back off the crossbar! The ball drops inside the six-yard box, but neither Downing nor Carroll can force it home and Liverpool escape.

59: Liverpool want another penalty for handball against Taylor, but nothing is given and Downing clears. West Ham are just being penned back a bit. Sturridge shoots from distance but Adrian is able to save low down to his left.

58: Suarez finds the overlapping Sterling. He cuts the ball back along the turf for the South American, but his first-time shot is charged down by Tomkins and rolls through to Adrian. Good defending, and again seconds later by the No5 as he gets across to clear Demel's short backpass with Suarez lurking.

56: Carroll is penalised for reacting quicker to a bouncing ball than Henderson. The Liverpool man kicks the bottom of Carroll's boot and it is the No9 who is penalised. That's a shame as the ball had broken to Noble 25 yards out in a central area.

55: Alert goalkeeping from Adrian as he is out quickly to steer the ball away as Suarez threatened to break clear from Lucas's through ball. From the throw, Suarez twists and turns, but he cannot beat his man. West Ham clear.

53: Reid initially does well, then loses out to Sterling, so he fouls the No31.

52: Good hold-up play from Carroll, who is fouled by Sakho on halfway. Noble quickly finds Downing, who wins a throw. Can West Ham enjoy a bit of time in the attacking third?

51: Flanagan gets forward and collects a deep cross inside the box. He lays back for Sterling, but Tomkins keeps his eye on the ball and wins it.

49: Noble goes in hard but fair on Sterling in the centre circle. West Ham cannot afford to drop a level in any way. Concentration, fitness levels, shape, ball retention... All are vital.

46: West Ham get the game back underway and they again start well. Downing wins a corner off Johnson. Liverpool have two men on Carroll. Mignolet punches. Diame retrieves and finds Demel, whose cross is caught by Mignolet at the far post.

Liverpool replace Coutinho with Lucas at the break.

Half-time score - West Ham United 1-1 Liverpool

49: The half-time whistle blows. Wow! What an end to the opening period! Controversy abounds. Anyway, we're as we were at the kick-off, which is level. That's Demel's maiden West Ham goal on his 72nd appearance for the Club. I am sure there will be long debates about both goals, but my feeling is that it probably was a penalty and Carroll may have got his arm across Mignolet. Whether that is what the assistant saw, I don't know, but after a long discussion the goal was given.

47: GOAL! Carroll jumps with Mignolet, the ball drops and Demel is there six yards out to lift it into the net! It counts! The Liverpool players cannot believe it. Replays suggest Mignolet may have been impeded. You won't blame me for thinking otherwise...

47: West Ham have the ball in the net. Demel. The assistant has his flag up... Will it be disallowed? No. It's a goal!

47: Demel slaloms forward and wins a corner.

44: Goal! Adrian dives right, Gerrard rolls the ball into the other corner and Liverpool lead. Adrian grabs the ball and blasts it high into the sky. I don't blame him for being frustrated. He's had next to nothing to do.

43: Penalty to Liverpool. A long ball over the top, Suarez has Tomkins isolated, flicks the ball inside and it hits Tomkins on the arm. He couldn't get out of the way, but his arms were spread wide. Hmmm... Gerrard to take... Tomkins is booked.

42: Modern football sometimes... Carroll does well to hold off Skrtel, then lifts his foot slightly to challenge Johnson. He clearly wins the ball, but these days that's too aggressive and a foul is given.

40: Skrtel goes through the back of Carroll and is lucky to escape a booking. The free-kick is taken quickly to Diame, whose cross is deflected high into the air inside the six-yard box, but it won't fall for a Claret shirt. Downing collects, but when he exchanges passes with Noble, he loses out to Johnson.

38: Suarez runs at Demel, cuts outside onto his right foot and shoots low. Tomkins blocks but the ball rolls into the path of Sturridge. Again, he snatches at it and the ball flies high and into the Bobby Moore Stand.

34: Superb from Downing, who beats Sterling and Johnson with quick feet. His cross is stood up to the far post, where Carroll wins it under pressure, but the ball drops to a defender, Flanagan, who clears. West Ham have it back quickly though. Liverpool know they are in a game here.

33: Noble takes, but it curls a couple of yards wide of the left-hand post. That might well have beat Mignolet if it had been on target, but the Belgian didn't have to move.

32: Noble clips a ball into Carroll, who is felled from behind by Sakho. This is dangerous, 25 yards out, just right of centre. Carroll wants this. He stands, hands on hips, ready. The whole Liverpool team is in the wall!

31: Good football. Gerrard to Sturridge, who plays a one-two with Coutinho as he cuts in from the left and then stabs a shot high over the top from the D. Smooth stuff until the finish from the England man.

30: Armero has supported the attack well and is there again to collect from Downing and find Noble. He plays the ball into Nolan's feet inside the box, but the skipper's cross is deflected into the hands of Mignolet.

28: Another corner for Liverpool. Coutinho's shot is blocked by Taylor, but the Brazilian wins the ball back and finds Suarez on the left of the penalty area. He shoots and Tomkins stands tall to put the ball behind with his head. The corner comes over and Skrtel heads over the top at the back post. He had two defenders for company.

27: For some reason, Carroll is out wide left and Diame is through the middle. The No9 is involved a couple of times before Demel wins a throw. It comes to nothing.

24: Diame's cross causes havoc this time as Carroll rises with Skrtel. The ball drops to Downing from Gerrard's header, and his volley is blocked and spins away for a throw. West Ham try to make an opening from it, but Taylor's ball for Downing is just too strong and Johnson can usher it behind for a goal kick.

23: Downing goes over to the right for a throw-in and finds Diame, who spins his man and fires a powerful shot high and across the face of goal.

21: Nolan rampages forward and finds Downing. He crosses high and Flanagan heads behind. The corner is cleared and Liverpool break. They had left three men up against three defenders. Sterling races to the edge of the box and shoots, but Adrian pats the ball down and collects at his near post.

20: Suarez hits the crossbar with an audacious effort from the left corner of the penalty area. It initially looked like a cross, but it wasn't. He meant that. Suarez again has his hands to his face in frustration. Tomkins thumps the ball clear.

19: Corner to the Reds as Suarez takes on Tomkins, but the No5 keeps his eye on the ball and stabs it behind.

17: Good stuff again from the home side prompted by Noble. Downing cuts inside from his pass and finds Carroll. He tries to play in Diame, but the angle won't open up for a shot. Eventually the ball is worked wide left again, but Armero and Downing aren't on the same page and the ball goes to a Liverpool player. Reid heads it powerfully back into the final third, where Henderson can only volley out for a throw. Good tempo from the hosts.

15: Diame battles away on the right and exchanges passes with Taylor. He then crosses, but the ball hits a defender and rolls harmlessly through to Mignolet.

13: A couple of Liverpool passes have gone astray in recent moments, earning cheers from the home fans. Adrian's long clearance is flicked on by Carroll, who gets above Sakho, and Nolan is almost in. He just doesn't quite have the pace and Skrtel is round to clear.

12: Liverpool have Sterling and Sturridge swapping wins already. West Ham have Downing on the left and Diame on the right.

10: It's been a lively opening ten minutes. Carroll controls the ball on his chest in midfield, shapes to shoot from 35 yards, then does so from 30, but it hits the defender on the backside and the ball is lost.

8: Sterling wins a corner off Tomkins. Gerrard to take, but not before Mr Taylor has had a chat with Henderson and Adrian. Reid wins the initial delivery, but it drops to a Liverpool player. Sterling crosses low, Demel sticks a leg out and the ball spins high into the arms of Adrian.

6: Liverpool have mean streaming forward, but Taylor gets back superbly and holds up the Liverpool player on the edge of the box. Although the visitors have men up, the low cross from Coutinho is cleared from around the penalty spot area.

5: Good flowing football from West Ham down their right, involving a number of players. Noble clips a pass over the top for Diame, who beats Flanagan for pace and crosses for Carroll. Skrtel heads behind for a corner. It's taken short to Downing, who is unmarked on the edge of the box. He clips the cross in, but Carroll can't reach it. Liverpool break...

3: Hmmm... Noble gets in front of Sturridge but then the striker goes to ground 30-odd yards out. It appears that he trod on the ball! Anyway, the Reds have a free-kick. Suarez takes, it goes up and over the wall and dips onto the roof of the net. The Uruguayan throws his hands to his face. Adrian had that covered.

2: Nolan flicks the ball past Flanagan but he can't beat Sakho on the edge of the Liverpool box. Encouraging signs.

1: West Ham start well. Armero's clearance falls to a West Ham player. Noble finds Carroll and Diame strides away from his man before feeding wide for Downing, whose cross is cleared at the near post. He tries again seconds later, but that too is cleared by Johnson.

4pm - Liverpool to kick-off...

3.56pm - Here come the two teams, led by captains Nolan and Gerrard. Both are Scousers, but there will be no room for sentiment between the two this afternoon!

3.50pm - It's nearly kick-off time and excitement is growing inside the Boleyn Ground. We've got a lot of very big names at the Club today, including Sir Trevor Brooking, Roy Hodgson, Alvin Martin, Geoff Pike and many more. Joining them here today are Andrew Luck and Coby Fleener, the quarterback and tight end of the Indianapolis Colts of American football's NFL. Luck grew up in London, while Fleener is attending his first game in England, so we're hoping he becomes a Hammer!