Hammers share spoils with Liverpool in draw that does little for either side

West Ham United (1) 2 Bowen 43, Antonio 77

Liverpool (0) 2 Robertson 48, Areola og 65

West Ham's season - and the David Moyes era - may feel like it is meandering towards a dead end, but at least the Irons had just enough about them to inflict another blow to Liverpool's flagging title ambitions.

They owed the fans something after a dreadful display at Crystal Palace last week - a performance that was understandably limp after the disappointment of the Europa League exit and all the energy that was expended in that quarter-final clash with Leverkusen.

In theory, too, they had points to go for with seventh place still offering a European slot for next season. But that particular ambition looks a little forlorn now, with games running out and one of the remaining three being at Man City.

In a parallel universe, this was a fixture that could have been a dress rehearsal for the Europa final in Dublin next month, with huge implications in the league. Instead - initially at least - it was a slightly muted lunchtime clash shorn of significance because of the Reds' midweek defeat at Everton which seemed to have sapped the life out of them.

To their credit, the Reds rallied during a vibrant second half but paid for their failure to cash in when they were well on top, having established a 2-1 lead. The Irons kept in the hunt to grab something from it and got their reward.

In the first half, Luis Diaz, who hit a post in that 2-0 defeat to their Merseyside rivals, repeated that moment of frustration with a shot which cannoned back off the near post. But Liverpool's attacks lack the sparkle of old. An off-form Mo Salah wasn't even given a starting role. Neither was the misfiring Darwin Nunez.

It was a situation the Hammers could exploit if they could rouse themselves and that they did as the game progressed. They got lucky when an offside flag came to their rescue. Diaz was marginally offside when he played in a pass that resulted in Alphonse Areola upending Cody Gakpo and a penalty would have ensued.

Bowen for one, seemed to want to take advantage of the reprieve and he went close with a shot, deflected off Virgil van Dijk, that had Alisson scrambling to save. Moments later and the Hammers striker was in just the right spot to get above Gakpo to head home Mo Kudus' neat cross.

Would there be a response from Jurgen Klopp's floundering men? The answer was yes, and after Ryan Gravenberch had gone close, Andy Robertson made it 1-1 with a snap shot past Areola.

With that came a huge momentum shift and soon, Trent Alexander-Arnold was testing Areola from distance with a shot that almost beat the Hammers keeper low down.

Not long after, and the Reds were in front when Gravenberch was given too much space at the back stick from a corner and his effort deflected off Angelo Ogbonna, Tomas Soucek and Areola, before rolling into the net.

More chances went begging for a now rampant Liverpool, but as has been the case for them so often, they paid for their profligacy and the Irons managed to gather themselves for another push.

Emerson forced Alisson into a flying save and moments after the Liverpool keeper had flapped at a cross to create panic in the visitors' defensive ranks, Bowen stood up smart chip in from the right which was met by the head of Michail Antonio to make it 2-2.

Harvey Elliott almost won it after a counter-attack which featured both Salah and Nunez - who came on after the Hammers' equaliser - but the final shot pinged off the top of the crossbar. It typified their lack of ruthlessness.

Hammers: (4-2-3-1) Areola - Coufal, Zouma, Ogbonna. Emerson - Soucek (Ward-Prowse 73), Alvarez - Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, Kudus - Antonio

Reds: (4-3-3) Alisson - Alexander-Arnold (Gomez 78), Quansah, van Dijk, Robertson - Mac Allister, Endo (Nunez 78), Gravenberch - Elliott, Gakpo, Diaz (Salah 78)