Fernando Torres rode to Liverpool’s rescue with a late headed winner at West Ham as the visitors clung on to win 3-2 having twice conceded the lead in Saturday’s English Premier League match.
The Spain striker made the decisive connection in the 75th minute with Ryan Babel’s cross for his second goal of a nervy match for the Reds, whose defensive frailties were badly exposed.
Torres had put Liverpool in front in the 20th, but it was soon cancelled out by Alessandro Diamanti’s penalty. Dirk Kuyt restored Liverpool’s advantage then minutes later Carlton Cole struck on the stroke of halftime.
“We showed character and have confidence,” Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez said. “It could have been better, especially when you talk about mistakes.
“It was a difficult game but we did enough to win. We are improving and you can see the players have belief that we can continue winning.”
Liverpool could not afford to drop even two points as two early losses have already rocked its bid for a first English championship triumph since 1990.
But the first scare came inside two minutes at Upton Park. West Ham forward Zavon Hines snatched the ball off centre back Jamie Carragher after he dithered over Glen Johnson’s pass. Hines beat Pepe Reina only to be denied by the post.
The threat persisted as did the shakiness in the visiting defense. A mix-up between Carragher and Steven Gerrard allowed Cole to race forward toward goal, but Martin Skrtel made a decisive intervention.
But it was the power and pace of Torres that ultimately beat the home side. After a stepover, Torres cut past James Tomkins and beat Robert Green at his near post for the opening goal.
West Ham was dealt a double setback in the space of a few minutes when Matthew Upson and Valon Behrami were both forced off due to injury.
But another Carragher calamity gave West Ham a route back into the game, shoving Hines over in the 28th to concede a penalty. If the decision was clearcut, the penalty itself wasn’t.
Diamanti, who was recruited in August from Livorno, did put the ball in the net, but slipped and appeared to make two connections as he took the spotkick.
The Liverpool players’ protests went unheeded, but they were back in front four minutes before halftime.
“It was very scary,” manager Gianfranco Zola said. “I think he slid, but he told me he wanted to do that. It’s his new technique!”
Gerrard connected with former Hammers midfielder Yossi Benayoun’s corner and Kuyt ensured the header crossed the line by sticking out a foot to make the faintest of touches at the far post.
“It was going in anyway,” Gerrard said. “He scores enough goals, so I want it.”
There was still time in the half for another costly defensive error from Liverpool.
As Mark Noble’s corner was floated in from the left, Cole rose above Torres, Carragher and Gerrard and place a glancing header past Reina, once again raising doubts about the efficacy of Liverpool’s zonal marking.
In the second half, both teams appeared fatigued by the pace of the game and Benitez replaced goalscorer Kuyt with Ryan Babel.
And it was Babel who, after racing past Hines, delivered the cross that Torres, rising above two defenders, nodded past the diving Green to claim his 55th goal since joining Liverpool in 2007.
That 20.3 million pounds (then $40.6 million) paid to Atletico Madrid is looking like a bargain.
“He was very cheap so we are very happy,” Benitez said. “He is a very good player, but the main thing for us, is that he keeps his mentality.
“He is keen to learn and can improve. You saw his quality today. We have a very good player and hopefully he will get better in the future.”
But almost immediately from the restart from the goal, the Reds were nearly pegged back for a third time. Reina first pushed away Kovac’s header from Cole’s cross and the Spanish goalkeeper reacted quickly to prevent a follow-up from Hines.
For all of West Ham’s battling qualities, the team has collected just four points from its first five matches.
