Important three points for Liverpool ahead of tricky run

At the back end of the 2023-24 campaign, Liverpool were the picture of consistency, winning their final four matches of the season to secure fourth place in the table.

Such form, however, has proved difficult to replicate this season, with Matt Beard's side heading into Sunday's meeting with West Ham in seventh place and having failed to string together consecutive wins in all competitions in 2024-25.

However, they broke that trend at the St Helens Stadium, following up Wednesday's 5-0 win over the Hammers in the FA Cup fourth round with a 1-0 victory over the same opponents, courtesy of Leanne Kiernan's 33rd minute goal.

It wasn't a pretty performance. They lacked the clinical streak in front of goal which they'd shown a few days earlier in Dagenham and endured a nervy final 10 minutes as they fought to protect their slender advantage against a flurry of West Ham corners.

But no matter how you win them, three points are three points, and having registered back-to-back home wins for the first time since last May (they defeated Brighton 2-1 on home soil in January), they can finally start to look up.

Liverpool are now 10 points clear of bottom-placed Crystal Palace and just three behind fifth-placed Brighton.

And with a tricky run of league fixtures to come – Man City, Man United and Arsenal are among their next four opponents – these three points couldn't have come at a better time.