30th January, 2008

KB: KUMB; HM Hammers Mad; ST Sunday Times; SE Sunday Express; SM Sunday Mirror; OB Observer;
DM Daily Mirror; GU Guardian; TM Times; HD Hammers Diary; SK Sky; DE Daily Express

Sky Sports: Liverpool's stuttering season continued as Mark Noble's last minute spot-kick earned West Ham a 1-0 win at Upton Park. Jamie Carragher brought down Freddie Ljungberg in the 94th minute, and Noble kept his cool as Liverpool slipped three points behind Merseyside rivals Everton in the race for fourth place. West Ham had the better of the first half with Noble coming within inches of scoring when his direct free-kick rattled the crossbar after a deflection off Steve Finnan. Liverpool dominated the second period with Robert Green fantastically denying Fernando Torres with a smart low save, and Lucas Leiva twice coming close from long-range. The West Ham backline defended heroically, and after a superb late counter attack Ljungberg was brought down by Carragher - and the Hammers stole the points.

BBC Sport: Mark Noble's injury-time penalty gave West Ham a deserved victory over Liverpool at Upton Park. Noble slotted the ball low past Pepe Reina with virtually the last kick of the match after Jamie Carragher had brought down Freddie Ljungberg. Earlier, West Ham's Luis Boa Morte twice missed from six yards out while Xabi Alonso headed on to his own bar.

Hammers Mad: Slowly but surely, though, the Hammers started to claw their way into the match and they certainly finished the half stronger as Luis Boa Morte fired over before Noble's inswinging free-kick was headed onto his own crossbar by the flustered Finnan. And only Reina's well-executed punch prevented hard-working, lone striker Carlton Cole from getting a header in on the Spaniard's unguarded goal. Just after the break Ljungberg failed to connect with George McCartney's cross into the danger zone and then Boa Morte bundled wide from six yards to the annoyance of the home crowd, sensing that such chances simply had to be taken. Both Matthew Etherington and Dean Ashton arrived in place of Lee Bowyer and Luis Boa Morte as Curbishley bravely went for an attacking 4-4-2 formation but it was Liverpool substitute, Lucas, who looked more threatening with a couple of shots that flew just wide. Although Torres forced Green to save with his legs and Cole, Ljungberg and Lucas Neill went close, it looked like draw specialists Liverpool were heading for their 11th draw of the season. But with just seconds of the three added minutes remaining, the escaping Etherington conjured up a dramatic finale, when he found the supporting Ljungberg, who was upended by the inconsolable Carragher. And that man Noble kept his cool to rifle a low, spot-kick beyond the extended left palm of the diving Reina to give Hammers that long-awaited first win of the 21st century, over the Rafa's Reds, who are now 17 points adrift of the leaders.

Daily Mirror: Rafa Benitez can forget all of his hard-luck stories - Liverpool got exactly what they deserved. West Ham midfielder Mark Noble's coolly-taken winning penalty deep into the third minute of stoppage time was a heartbreaker for Liverpool. But do not let that hide the fact that Liverpool were absolutely awful and could manage only one shot on target all night. Liverpool are now a staggering 17 points behind the Premier League leaders and have now slumped to seventh... And if West Ham's finishing had been as good as FA Cup heroes Havant and Waterlooville then the defeat would have been even more comprehensive. But West Ham were hopelessly wasteful all night with Luis Boa Morte in particular the worst culprit and it was no surprise that he got booed off when he was substituted. Boa Morte blazed over a glorious chance in the 22nd minute as West Ham started much the better and Liverpool never seemed to be able to gain a foothold on the game. The closest West Ham came in open play was in the 27th minute when man-of-the-match Noble saw a deflected free-kick crash against the bar. (John Cross, 31st January, 2008)

The Times: Is this the way it will end for Rafael Benítez, with a bang and a whimper? The bang was Jamie Carragher’s crass connection with Fredrik Ljungberg that gave Mark Noble an opportunity to score the winning penalty that he embraced with aplomb. The whimper was Liverpool’s performance. “Let’s talk about football,” Benítez had said before last night’s match. It proved a dangerous statement, given a result and display as bad as this. Poring over the club’s balance sheets would have been less painful. The defeat, as the Liverpool manager noted, was down to a mistake by one of the club’s most reliable players as West Ham United broke on the counter-attack. But the foul was a direct consequence of Liverpool leaving too few players back, which was caused by their desperation to find a goal that should have been scored long before. There was an iota of possibility that Liverpool might win when Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres finally tuned into the same wavelength late in the second half, but despite Benítez picking arguably his strongest available line-up, this was a team lacking cohesion, confidence and sustained threat; insipid not inventive. After their poor recent form, Liverpool needed tempo. They produced tedium. (Tom Dart, 31st January, 2008)

Daily Telegraph: The harsh realities are that Liverpool have drawn as many games as they have won, they are 17 points behind leaders Manchester United, three points behind fourth-placed Everton and a point outside the Uefa Cup qualifying positions. Had West Ham's Luis Boa Morte taken at least one of his chances, the outcome could have been determined earlier than the final minute... West Ham responded in the 22nd minute when Liverpool's indecision allowed Boa Morte his first opportunity, but the Portuguese squandered the chance, sending it high over the target. Five minutes later, West Ham's revival from an insipid start continued when Noble's free-kick took a deflection off Benayoun and bounced onto the Liverpool bar. Now it was Liverpool who appeared anxious. Boa Morte wasted two more chances in the second half, one a wonderful opportunity in the 57th minute, and his subsequent substitution was greeted with applause. (John Ley, 31st January, 2008)

The Guardian: West Ham were abrasive, awkward and admirable but neither scintillating nor suffocating and, had Fredrik Ljungberg or Luis Boa Morte shown more composure at the far post, they would have eased well ahead long before Liverpool mustered their late rally. Add to that Steve Finnan flicking a Mark Noble free-kick on to his own bar with José Reina stranded and Boa Morte somehow scooping a first-half shot over the bar from point-blank range, and the visitors' performance is put into better context. They fairly lie just behind the cluster of clubs hoping for Uefa Cup qualification. (Dominic Fifield, 31st January, 2008)