Five reasons behind Reds' return to top

Liverpool recorded a remarkable ninth consecutive victory in the Barclays Premier League on Sunday, overcoming West Ham United with a hard-fought 2-1 triumph at Upton Park – but what were the crucial factors in the result?

Steven Gerrard calmly converted a penalty in either half in East London, with the first won by Luis Suarez after the Uruguayan collected a raking, long-range pass from his captain and drew a handball by Hammers defender James Tomkins.

Although the travellers had enjoyed control over the encounter for much of the opening 45 minutes, Brendan Rodgers' side were pegged back when Guy Demel capitalised on a loose ball to thrash into the back of the net before the break.

A half-time switch of personnel and system by the Reds' boss brought deserved rewards, however; a surging Jon Flanagan drive into the area concluded with a foul by home goalkeeper Adrian and Gerrard successfully resumed duties from 12 yards.

Following the wins for rivals Chelsea and Manchester City on Saturday, the result in the capital restored Liverpool's two-point advantage at the summit with five fixtures remaining in the campaign.

How exactly did Rodgers and his players clock up yet another victory? We have selected five vital aspects of the match against the Hammers and would love to hear your own thoughts in the comments section below.

The master strikes again from 12 yards 

Reliable to the point of being superhuman, Reds captain Gerrard has registered 13 strikes in the Premier League this season - his finest personal haul since the 2008-09 campaign - with 10 of those efforts being converted via the penalty spot. As at Old Trafford last month, the 33-year-old was called upon multiple times from 12 yards past the Hammers, with one defining moment in each period. From his first challenge, Gerrard waited a millisecond for Adrian to move to the right and instantly directed a low finish to the left; for his second, the skipper picked his spot and planted an unstoppable drive into the top corner. In the process, the midfielder moved onto 173 total goals for the club - surpassing Kenny Dalglish - and levelled with Jan Molby as the most prolific penalty taker in Liverpool history with 42. "He'll be alright for the World Cup, won't he?" said Rodgers after the final whistle. Only a brave man would bet against him.

Responding to the Hammers' equaliser

Liverpool were bemoaning their misfortune when, within seconds of taking a lead at Upton Park, the hosts turned the tables and found the target at the other end. Sam Allardyce's powerful side whipped in a corner, Simon Mignolet was forced into dropping the ball by Andy Carroll - a foul, according to the Reds, but not the referee - and Demel bundled an equaliser from close range to temporarily dent the confidence of Rodgers' charges. But there was no time to dwell on any sense of injustice; the 41-year-old manager's team talk simply refused to allow that to happen. Taking up the story from his own viewpoint, Gerrard explained: "The manager said to us at half-time, and the players were saying: 'We can't change anything - it happens.' They all even themselves out throughout the season. That one went against us, but we couldn't feel sorry for ourselves. We had to roll our sleeves up and give an extra 10 per cent - that's what we did." 

Substitute Lucas Leiva brings second-half calm

An unfortunate knee injury suffered during an Anfield clash with Aston Villa back in January has denied Lucas the opportunity to start a game for Liverpool ever since. Nevertheless, both the boss and his teammates have spoken repeatedly in recent weeks about the Brazilian's positive attitude and unflinching support in training sessions at Melwood, supplementing the players currently in the starting XI as they continue to challenge at the upper echelons of the Premier League. Having kicked off at West Ham with a 4-3-3 formation, Rodgers opted to introduce the enforcing midfielder in place of compatriot Philippe Coutinho at half-time and subtly morph into a diamond set-up. Lucas wasted no time in stamping his authority on the clash, taking 61 touches of the ball, attempting a half-century of passes - including an incisive delivery to Flanagan which helped to win the Reds' second spot-kick - and offering 86 per cent accuracy. Once again, Gerrard said it best: "Lucas deserves a special mention. The ball he played for the second goal was right up there with Brazil's best. I think that helped us go on and get the win."

A seamless return for Mamadou Sakho

Also making a faultless comeback to competitive football at West Ham was French centre-back Sakho, who replaced Daniel Agger at the heart of Liverpool's defence and turned in a composed display alongside Martin Skrtel. Strong in the challenge, cool when trusted with possession and a teammate to rely on, the 24-year-old was rightly the subject of praise from his manager during the post-match analysis. Rodgers said: "Sakho has been waiting for his chance and there are players who are very committed to the squad." The No.17's statistics make for interesting and impressive reading; Sakho dispatched 71 passes throughout the 90 minutes and was successful with 95.8 per cent of those attempts - the best record of any Liverpool player to feature in opposition to the Hammers. For good measure, the former Paris Saint-Germain star won both of the tackles he entered and completed eight clearances. 

Containing the threat of Carroll

There was a single occasion in the second half when the power of Carroll threatened to trouble his former club; connecting with an accurate centre by Mohamed Diame, the Englishman rose high at the back post and thundered a header which, thankfully, crashed away and out off the woodwork. That aside, however, the combination of Sakho and Skrtel handled the striker's particular set of abilities with a calm authority, taking turns to quell any oncoming attacks by the home team. Indeed, the only shot on target achieved by the Londoners was that strike by Demel. Rodgers reflected: "I thought the two centre-halves were outstanding. Andy Carroll, for me, is the best in Europe in that situation where the ball gets played up like that. He can either direct it to the goal, or he sets people up. That direct style of football can be unplayable, but I thought Skrtel was brilliant today in when to challenge, when to drop off, when to intercept in front."

Watch the video here »

More news