Liverpool kept alive their faint hopes of finishing fourth in the English football Premier League with a 3-nil win over West Ham United at Anfield.
First-half goals by Yossi Benayoun and David Ngog gave the home side the initiative before an own goal on the hour from Hammers keeper Robert Green helped lift Liverpool into sixth place on 59 points.
They trail fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who have a game in hand and have four matches left to play, by five points.
After early exits in the Champions League and FA Cup, Liverpool's only hope of silverware in a torrid season lie in the Europa League where they play Atletico Madrid in a semi-final, first-leg match in the Spanish capital on Friday.
West Ham are three points above the relegation zone in 17th and will be nervous observers on Thursday when Hull welcome Aston Villa hoping to take advantage of their game in hand and draw level on points with the east London club.
