Hammers rip apart Liverpool
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West Ham United's Scott Parker (left) celebrates his goal against Liverpool with teammate Thomas Hitzlsperger during their English Premier League match at Upton Park, London, yesterday. The Hammers won 3-1. |
West Ham United climbed off the bottom of the English Premier League with a well-deserved 3-1 home win over Liverpool yesterday.
The Hammers went ahead after 22 minutes with a superb goal by Scott Parker as the England midfielder played a one-two with Thomas Hitzlsperger before placing a shot beyond Pepe Reina at Upton Park in London.
They doubled their lead at the end of the first half when Demba Ba headed in a Gary O'Neil cross.
Liverpool struggled to get control and managed only one goal in reply when Glen Johnson tapped in a cross-shot by Luis Suarez four minutes from time. The hosts had the final say though when Carlton Cole blasted in their third in stoppage time.
The victory took West Ham to 28 points and above Wigan Athletic and West Bromwich Albion and completed a good week after it thrashed Burnley 5-1 last Monday to reach the quarterfinals of the FA Cup.
It was sixth-placed Liverpool's first defeat in eight league games and, following a 1-1 home draw with Wigan after five wins, severely dents its outside hopes of snatching a Champions League place.
Manchester United, which beat Wigan 4-0 on Saturday, leads on 60 points, four clear of Arsenal, which was facing Birmingham City in the League Cup final yesterday.
Manchester City, in third place on 49 points, was playing Fulham, with Tottenham Hotspur fourth on 47.
Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney seems likely to escape punishment for elbowing Wigan's James McCarthy on Saturday as the referee saw the incident and awarded a free kick against the United striker.
Rooney caught McCarthy off the ball in an innocuous situation on the halfway line after four minutes of the Premier League match at the DW Stadium. He was widely condemned for the action.
The referee awarded a free kick but did not caution Rooney, leaving Wigan manager Roberto Martinez furious. "I saw the incident clearly and the referee did as well because he gave the free-kick," he told reporters.
"Once you give a free-kick it is quite clear that it is a red card. When you look at the replay, it is quite clear he catches James McCarthy in the face with his elbow. If one of my players had done that, I would think he was very lucky to stay on the pitch."
Elsewhere on Saturday, it was: Wolverhampton Wanderers 4, Blackpool 0; Everton 2, Sunderland 0; Aston Villa 4, Blackburn Rovers 1; and Newcastle United 1, Bolton Wanderers 1.
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