Own goals galore as Liverpool take second

 

Liverpool moved into second in the Premier League following a bizarre 4-1 win over West Ham which may well have contained as many as four own goals.

Luis Suarez, rather inevitably, was key to the opener after 42 minutes as it was from his smart, angled shot that Jussi Jaaskelainen parried the ball against the luckless Guy Demel, who watched it dribble back over the line.
Prior to that Liverpool had dominated possession – with Philippe Coutinho linking up play superbly and a rejuvenated Raheem Sterling going close after racing in behind the defence – but they also needed Simon Mignolet to make a fine reaction save to keep out a header from Modibo Maiga.
A one-goal lead became two on 47 minutes when Liverpool profited from more good fortune. Mamadou Sakho got on the end of a deep delivery from Steven Gerrard and got his legs in a tangle, sending the ball looping up and towards James Collins, who couldn’t prevent it from crossing the line and looked to get the final touch.
Liverpool were shorn of captain Gerrard after he sustained a muscle injury and despite having a deluge of chances they allowed West Ham back into the contest when, incredibly, Martin Skrtel scored an own goal of his own, poking home Matt Jarvis’s header from the left.
However, Suarez made the points safe with a header from a glorious Glen Johnson cross on 81 minutes and then – following a red card for Kevin Nolan for a nasty tackle on Jordan Henderson – saw another effort, which was heading wide, take a huge deflection off Joey O’Brien to find the net for a third own goal.
When the dubious goals panel rules on Sakho’s effort, that may well become four. Either way, Liverpool move second thanks to Chelsea's loss to Stoke and Manchester City's draw with Southampton.