WEST HAM 0 LIVERPOOL 3

The early goals is always a massive help. Liverpool rarely chase a game well, and there's not many better at imposing their superiorty on a game once that all-important first strike goes in.
The Reds had a couple of moments of good fortune at Upton Park, but we were pretty much dominant throughout.
It was good to see the captain back and hitting the straps from the start after his recent lay-off.
When he gallops forward onto a pass beyond the back line, there's few defences in the world that can live with him.
We got our luck for the second goal, Mascherano clearly chopped down Boa Morte only for the referee to get Norwegian referee syndrome.
A simple shift of the ball upfield, a cute dink from Yossi and a pretty non-existent shove from the Portuguese handed us a fortuitous spot kick.
As great as Torres is, he does have tendency to go down easily. Still, so do most forwards these days.
The third piece of look in this passage of play came with Rob Green's cracking save from the resulting Gerrard penalty.
Hard lines on the keeper that his strong right hand saw the ball ricochet the other way and present Gerrard with a tap-in.
From that moment, the game became a procession for Liverpool and a pretty drab spectacle for the neutral.
There was still time for comedy though. Carragher wafted a clearance at thin air, allowing Di Michaele a free run on Reina.
A swivel of the hips to take out Pepe was brilliant, a slip and fall to the ground with a gaping goal in front was not.
An appeal to the referee for a penalty was naughty.
The second half was a non-event, bar Ryan Babel's tap-in after Green had parried his header.
Credit though to Liverpool for strolling through a tricky away fixture. West Ham have become a competent side under Zola, so to dispatch them with such efficiency showed Liverpool's growing authority in the Premier League.

Fast forward 24 hours, and Man Utd's inevitable win against a toothless Man City pretty much wrapped up the title for them.
Four points required from Wigan away, Arsenal at home and Hull away is guaranteed, surely.
Arsenal look despondent after their Champions League embarrassment at the Emirates, Hull are in freefall and Wigan have got the beach towels out already.
It's been a commendable showing from Liverpool in the Premiership, but in our heart of hearts, we know we've thrown it away.
Fans may have lambasted the gloom merchants who ranted and raved about dropped points against Fulham, Hull, Wigan and others, but they were right.
Those draws may have taken place four, five, six months ago, but they were critical.
I can almost accept the odd bad day at the office - Boro away, Man City at home, a draw against a tigerish Everton, the White Hart Lane headscratcher.
But less forgivable were the games where we bossed inferior opponents only to be pegged back to draws through a mixture of a lack of enterprise, postitivity, ambition, desire and skill.
The draw away to Wigan was appalling, as were the stalemates against Fulham, Hull, West Ham.
Even the 1-1 draw at the Emirates, in most cases a good result, was poor seeing as we had a man advantage for a long period in the second half.
We were in charge of that game and yet we seemed content to stroll to a point. It all comes back to haunt you.

New players? It seems accepted that Liverpool need another top class striker to take the weight of Torres.
And a right winger is important to stretch teams on that side and perhaps a dashing full back, although it's been a good second half of the season for Arbeloa, Auerlio and Insua that suggests we could finally have found sufficient quality in those areas.
Tevez seems a perfect Liverpool player to me. Great attitude, Kuyt-like workrate, skill, energy, an ability to score goals.....
Gareth Barry? A great player, doubtless, but do we really need a player, nearing 30, now that Riera has proved himself a relative success as a left winger in his first season, and given we have three outstanding centrral midfielders at the club?
A word here for Xabi Alonso, who has been head and shoulders Liverpool's best player all season.
The Spaniard has added grit, a willingness to tackle and desire to get forward to his already obvious abilities.
People talk of Silva from Spain, but it's the right hand side where we need pace. Lennon is the answer.
Searing pace, a genuine wide man, and his crossing is getting better.

Ok. So these are two players who will cost a fair bit of dough for a club who isn't exactly got bundles of cash to spend.
But with £7m for the woeful Babel, £5 for Dossena, a similar amount for Lucas (£4m Voronin?) will recoup some funds.
Kuyt is an almost certain stayer after an excellent second half of the season and Benayoun has proved he is a Liverpool player through and through with his efforts in the last five months.
I've heard talk from some Reds of how we should bid for Haangerland from Fulham to replace Hyypia, but with three top class centre halves already, that would seem a pointless buy.

Still, we get ahead of oursleves. Three games to play and a miracle could still befall us in the league.
But don't bet on it.
All that remains is to hope Barcelona turn up in Rome, Everton raise their game to see off the dignity of Droga, Ballack and Co and Middlesborough do down and England win the Ashes.