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 Liverpool have edged one point clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League table despite being held to a frustrating stalemate against West Ham at Anfield.
Rafael Benitez's men dominated throughout a one-sided encounter but could not make their superiority count, and after missing a whole host of good opportunities, they were forced to settle for a second consecutive league draw.
It means the Reds failed take full advantage of Chelsea's surprise home defeat against Arsenal in a contest that mirrored the frustration of the 0-0 draw with Fulham nine days earlier.
The night had started with so much promise too and in the warm up to the match, the Liverpool players showed their support for Michael Shields by sporting t-shirts with the words 'Free Michael Now' emblazoned across them.
This was followed by a Kop mosaic and a pre-match plea from his parents - backed by actress Sue Johnston - in which they once again called for their son to be released.
It set the tone for a night when Liverpool were looking to send out another message; this time to their title rivals, that they were indeed, going to be strong contenders for this year's Premier League crown.
With four changes from the side that edged into the last 16 of the Champions League at the expense of Marseille some sections of Anfield may have wondered whether it would affect the team's start to the proceedings.
They needn't have worried. Liverpool dictated the play from the kick off, showing the eagerness of a side determined to pick up all three points.
On five minutes Hammers full-back Herita Ilunga was lucky to escape when he appeared to handle Dirk Kuyt's cross in his own penalty area while James Collins had to be alert to clear Albert Riera' volley off the line.
In recent matches Liverpool have shown an aerial prowess in front of goal and they nearly extended their run of headed efforts to six in succession on the quarter of an hour mark when Sami Hyypia powered a fierce effort over the bar from Steven Gerrard's right-wing corner.
It was one-way traffic even at this early stage, but the Hammers goal continued to live a charmed life, as Gerrard's deflected free-kick flashed inches past the post while Hyypia went close with another header that was hacked off the line.
With no win in their previous 36 visits, it would be fair to say Anfield has never been a happy hunting ground for Gianfranco Zola's men, and on the evidence of the opening half hour it looked like being another long night for them.
A slaloming run from Gerrard looked odds on to give the Reds their reward but, despite some great approach play that took him past two defenders, he eventually drilled his effort into the side netting.
The opening goal continued to elude Rafael Benitez's side and although they will have felt aggrieved to have gone in at the interval all-square, it could have been much worse after Reds old boy Craig Bellamy gave them a reminder of the threat he can pose with a long range effort that crashed off the inside of the post.
As has so often be the case this season, Liverpool stepped it up in the second period and as they attacked the Kop end the chances continued to come their way.
First Kuyt opted to drag a 25-yard effort wide when a pass to Gerrard looked the better option, before Robbie Keane fired a tame shot into the Kop after good approach play by Yossi Benayoun.
The Israel international had been very much on the periphery of the game but could have returned to haunt his former employers just shy of the hour mark when his fierce volley deflected inches over the bar with Robert Green beaten.
As the clock ticked down the Reds continued to probe for the opener and the excellent Xabi Alonso wasn't far off when he fizzed an effort over the top after an inventive free-kick from Gerrard had found him unmarked on the edge of the area.
The Hammers' forays into Liverpool territory were rare to say the least, but they could have punished their hosts for their profligacy on 70 minutes when Carlton Cole headed a corner into the side netting.
With the countdown to Christmas now on, how Rafael Benitez would have wished for an early gift from his Liverpool frontmen, but it wasn't to be and when Hyypia nodded another corner agonisingly wide, it became clear that they would have to settle for another frustrating Anfield stalemate.
Teams
Liverpool: Reina, Dossena, Hyypia, Carragher, Arbeloa, Riera, Gerrard (captain), Alonso, Benayoun, Kuyt, Keane. Subs - Mascherano, Insua, Kelly, Ngog, Babel, Leiva, Cavalieri
West Ham United: Green, Ilunga, Collins, Upson, Neill (captain), Faubert, Mullins, Parker, Behrami, Cole, Bellamy. Subs - Noble, Boa Morte, di Michele, Tristan, Collison, Lastuvka, Davenport
Referee: P Walton
Conditions: Cold
Attendance: 41169
Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Xabi Alonso
Breakdown
20:02 GMT : Match Starts
1 min : West Ham get the game up and running
5 mins : Yossi in the box �crosses �blocked by the arm of LLunga but the ref doesn't see it
9 mins : Another handball shout on Llunga - this time outside of the box...then Stevie goes down inside the area but there's little in it
14 mins : Riera from the edge of the box...Collins blocks
16 mins : Corner to Liverpool...
16 mins : Hyypia gets a free header...just over
19 mins : Yossi brought down 25 yards out...
19 mins : First Booking: Hayden Mullins:
20 mins : Gerrard blasts one...Yossi deflects it over but the ref gives a corner (which is wasted)
21 mins : Another corner...Kuyt flicks it to Hyypia...oh, it's cleared off the line from Sami
22 mins : Liverpool are piling on the pressure
24 mins : Gerrard tries an audacious flicked pass on the edge of the box but it doesn't come off
25 mins : Brilliant ball from Xabi to Dossena on the left but the Italian's cross isn't great
26 mins : Faubert tries one from range but it's easy for Pepe...that was West Ham's first shot on target
27 mins : Dossena swings in a superb cross but Upson clears
28 mins : Another corner...
28 mins : Played short to Dossena...his cross is too long this time
32 mins : Good play from the skipper...it comes to Alonso, whose shot goes well into the Annie Road
33 mins : The game has hit a bit of a lull
35 mins : Liverpool get ANOTHER corner...got to start making them count
35 mins : Upson clears...
36 mins : Gerrard gets possession down the right...beats one...beats two...but he shoots into the side netting
37 mins : Brilliant defending from Sami Hyypia
37 mins : Bellamy shoots from 30 yards...beats Reina...but hits the inside of the post...
39 mins : Gerrard vollies one over from outside the box
40 mins : Dirk breaks forward but then mis-controls and the ball rolls out...frustrating
42 mins : Lovely football from Liverpool...but Dossena's cross is blocked. The left-back is playing well
43 mins : Reds corner...Reira seems to put it out of play but again the ref points to the corner flag...
43 mins : Kuyt at the back post...headers...Green saves low and on his line
44 mins : Great switch of play from Dossena...eventually it leads to our 132nd corner of the day
44 mins : ...but again it comes to nothing
44 mins : Gerrard cross is headed wide by Sami
20:48 GMT : Half Time Reached
21:04 GMT : Second Half Begins
46 mins : Liverpool get the second half underway
47 mins : Riera goes one way, then the other but his cross finds no one
49 mins : Alonso through to Keane...the Irishman is offside
50 mins : George Gillett is sat in the directors' box tonight
51 mins : Kuyt skins Collins but then chooses the wrong option by shooting low and wide when he could have played Stevie through
53 mins : Really good tackle from Dossena
53 mins : ..but then the Italian misses a header to allow Bellamy a run through. Thankfully it was Bellamy.
54 mins : First Booking: Xabi Alonso: Xabi brings Bellamy down...it was a clever foul
55 mins : Yossi to Keane...shoots wide from the edge of the box
56 mins : The attendance is 41,169
56 mins : What a save from Green to deny Yossi's close-range volley...
57 mins : It should be 1-0...
57 mins : Poor ball from Keane to Stevie but the skipper still manages to get a shot in...sadly it's wide
59 mins : Sloppy pass from SG gifts the Hammers possession
60 mins : Mullins shoots from 20 yards but it's straight at Pepe
61 mins : Really good play from Andrea...beats a man to get a fine cross in but no one makes the run
61 mins : Gerrard skips past Mullins but his shot is askew
62 mins : Ilango handballs again and this time we get a free-kick in a dangerous area
63 mins : Gerrard plays it across to Alonso, whose terrific volley misses but just a few inches
66 mins : Substitution: David Ngog for Robbie Keane:
67 mins : West Ham corner...
67 mins : Cole heads narrowly wide
70 mins : Gerrard on the edge of the box...the ball gets away from him
76 mins : Dirk crosses but it's too long
76 mins : Alonso shoots from 25 yards but it's right at Green...come on Redmen
78 mins : Substitution: Ryan Babel for Albert Riera:
81 mins : Hyypia heads just wide...Kuyt almost gets a foot on it. Come on!
84 mins : Fantastic block by Carra...suddenly West Ham are having a bit of the ball
86 mins : Substitution: Luis Boa Morte for Julien Faubert:
88 mins : Kuyt four yards out...another great save from Green...it was a difficult angle for Dirk
89 mins : Boa Morte through...wide. He should have done better
90 mins : Run and shot from Babel but it's over
21:53 GMT : Match Over
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