WEST HAM were eased out of this contest by a Liverpool side who rarely needed to get out of third gear, in a result that severely dents the Hammers' European qualification hopes.

A Steven Gerrard brace did the trick for the Reds: one coming after capitalising on the hosts' dodgy offside tactics, and another from the penalty spot, albeit from a rebound after Robert Green had pulled off a stunning diving save, while substitute Ryan Babel claimed a late third.

David Di Michele missed the best chance for West Ham, as he pick-pocketed Jamie Carragher, after the Liverpool defender got himself in a tizz when attempting a routine backpass, only for the Italian to get his feet in even more of a muddle when bearing down on goal.

The orders from Gianfranco Zola before the match, no doubt, would have been to avoid any early damage. But that plan went straight out of the window after just one minute and 20 seconds of the game. Fernando Torres measured a perfect pass into the path of Gerrard, who had escaped the attentions of the hapless Radislav Kovac, and with Lucas Neill playing the England star generously onside, he smartly rounded Green before slotting the ball into an unguarded net.

An eerie hush fell upon Upton Park, sucking the atmosphere out of the contest, which never really sparked into life.

The Hammers strived for an opening, but were met by a defiant wall of green bodies.

Some neat, intricate play between the excellent Mark Noble and Di Michele created some space for Junior Stanislas, making his fifth consecutive start for the team. But the youngster wasted the opportunity, sending his cross out for a goal kick.

Some string hold up play from Diego Tristan – curiously hailed in Zola's pre-match press conference as one of the best strikers in Europe – yielded a foul on the edge of the area. Kovac rose highest to meet Noble's cross, but the Croatian could only steer his header over the bar.

Just when you thought West Ham were beginning to make an impression, the game was taken out of their grasp.

Torres ran hopefully after a lofted ball and went down under a challenge from Luis Boa Morte, and referee Alan Wiley didn't hesitate in pointing to the spot, indicating that the midfielder had hold of a chunk of the striker's shirt.

Before the match, you could have found odds of 18/1 of Green saving a penalty, and he did just that with a tremendous one-handed dive from Gerrard's strike, only for the ball to somehow squirm back across the goal line, leaving the Reds' number eight with an easy tap-in.

West Ham appeared dead and buried, but they were handed a golden opportunity minutes before the break. Carragher's messy control allowed Di Michele to gallop through on goal, and despite the crowd's calls for him to shoot, he tried to shift the ball past Pepe Reina and succeeded only in prodding the ball out of play. To add insult to injury, he was harshly booked for diving.

After the interval, Liverpool seemed content to soak up the pressure and hit the hosts on the counter-attack. And it almost paid off, as Gerrard streaked half the length of the pitch before releasing Dirk Kuyt, but the outstanding Green was able to parry the Dutchman's shot away.

There were few pluses for Zola, but he will have seen James Tomkins continue to grow into his role alongside Matthew Upson at the heart of the defence, as he succeeded in keeping Torres quiet for much of the game, while Noble was instrumental in everything good about West Ham throughout.

Jack Collison continued his rehabilitation with another appearance from the bench, while young midfielder Josh Payne was given ten minutes, as he replaced the tireless Boa Morte.

Liverpool rounded off proceedings with a third, as Kuyt's cross found the unmarked Babel. His header was well saved by Green, but, akin to his penalty save, the rebound fell back to the feet of the forward, and he was left with the simple task of knocking the ball in.

With a trip to Everton next week, and a final home game against a Middlesbrough side scrapping for their Premier League lives left for the Hammers, they will be hard pressed to oust Fulham and claim the one remaining Europa League place.