Daniel Sturridge was on target in his first Premier League appearance since August
as he rounded off the scoring in Saturday's 2-0 win over West Ham at Anfield.
Sturridge has been plagued with groin and thigh injuries so far this term, but came
off the bench to add to Raheem Sterling's opener after the forward had given
Liverpool the lead shortly after the break.
The mood was positive around Anfield prior to the fixture due to Sturridge being
named on the bench and Sterling added to the feel-good factor by helping maintain
Liverpool's mid-season revival with a smart finish following a clever pass from
Philippe Coutinho.
Chances continued to prove few and far between, but Sturridge's return for the
final 22 minutes gave Liverpool added impetus.
The England international then finished from close range to put the game to bed
and extend Liverpool's unbeaten run in the league to seven matches as the hosts
leapfrogged Sam Allardyce's side into seventh.
Andy Carroll made his first Anfield appearance since leaving permanently in 2013
and wasted little time in making his presence felt - the striker perhaps fortunate to
escape punishment for catching Emre Can in the face with his elbow.
It was Liverpool who were on the front foot early on as Lazar Markovic went close
from inside the area and Coutinho tested Adrian with a side-footed effort after
some slick build-up play.
Despite struggling to create much of note on the attacking third, West Ham went
closest before the break with Carroll's header from inside the area after the half-
hour mark.
Strong running from Sterling created a chance that Adam Lallana was unable to
finish, while Markovic spurned another opportunity late in the half when he shot
wide following careless play in possession from Stewart Downing.
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