A fine strike from former Hammer Glen Johnson gave Liverpool the lead after only 11 minutes. The Hammers then hit back on 37 through a Mark Noble penalty after Chris Foy adjudge Joe Allen to have handled the ball in the area. They then went ahead just before half-time when Reds skipper Steven Gerrard headed into his own net from a Matt Jarvis cross.
The key moment in the encounter came on 72 minutes when Diame collapsed to the turf with a hamstring injury before leaving the field on a stretcher. James Tomkins came on to replace the influential midfielder but could do nothing to stop Liverpool scoring two goals in three minutes to secure all three points.