Liverpool will hope to keep up the pace in the race for Champions League qualification as they take on a rejuvenated West Ham side in the thick of a relegation fight.
The hosts just about saw off another struggling side last time out as a 97th-minute winner from Alexis Mac Allister beat Nottingham Forest in a performance that perhaps showed new-found resilience within Arne Slot’s squad. That it required such a late goal illustrated the problems Slot is facing, with Mohamed Salah short of form and goals and growing calls for a bigger role for teenage talent Rio Ngumoha, who again begins on the bench today.
That Forest defeat did West Ham a favour, and Nuno Espirito Santo’s side can climb out of the bottom three with victory today for the first time since September. An upturn in form has seen the London club lose just once in their last five league outings, and an upset win would most certainly bolster their survival bid.
Follow all the latest from Anfield with our live blog below:
Liverpool vs West Ham live
- Liverpool host West Ham in the Premier League
- The Reds scraped past Nottingham Forest with a 97th-minute winner last weekend
- West Ham would climb out of the relegation zone with victory at Anfield
- Liverpool XI: Alisson; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Ekitike, Gakpo.
- West Ham XI: Hermansen; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Disasi, Diouf; Soucek, Magassa, Fernandes; Bowen, Castellanos, Summerville.
Liverpool vs West Ham
14:56 , Harry Latham-CoyleAfter seemingly months of miserable weather, brighter times appear to be ahead but it’s not yet that warm on Merseyside. It is dry, though, with sun dappling parts of Anfield as kick off nears.
Top five chase ramps up
14:50 , Harry Latham-CoyleAston Villa’s shock defeat to Wolves last night has livened up the chase for Champions League places even more, with Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool all now nipping at the heels of a team that were once talking of a title race. Though Chelsea face a tough trip to Arsenal tomorrow, three points are surely a must for Liverpool today.
Liverpool confirm profit boost after title triumph as wage bill soars
14:40 , Harry Latham-CoyleLiverpool were, however, in profit last year - though not perhaps by as much as they might have hoped after a title triumph....
Liverpool confirm profit boost after title triumph as wage bill soars
Arne Slot defends Liverpool’s summer signings: ‘£450m very well spent’
14:30 , Richard JollyArne Slot has launched into a defence of Liverpool’s record spending spree by declaring they bought “great” players who will be a “big, big, big success” at Anfield and insisting they did very well with their money.
Liverpool spent £450m last summer, more than any English club had ever paid out in one transfer window, and broke first their own transfer record to sign Florian Wirtz for £100m and then the British record to buy Alexander Isak for £125m.
Liverpool began the weekend only sixth in the Premier League, despite their huge outlay, with Isak, who is currently out with a broken leg, scoring just three goals in 17 games for the club.
Arne Slot defends Liverpool’s summer signings: ‘£450m very well spent’
Liverpool and the curse of the seven right-backs
14:20 , Luke BakerAlas, not an Enid Blyton story but a reality for Liverpool this season...
Trent Alexander-Arnold had always looked irreplaceable, with no successor likely to be able to duplicate his remarkable passing range and pinpoint crossing. But Jeremie Frimpong’s three hamstring injuries have made the transition even tougher.
Frimpong’s latest return to fitness means that today, for the first time in a month, Liverpool will be able to call upon a right-back who actually is a right-back - will wonders never cease?
Read Richard Jolly’s assessment of the bizarre situation
Nuno Espirito Santo explains goalkeeping shake-up
14:10 , Harry Latham-CoyleNuno Espirito Santo says Mads Hermansen has earned his second chance at being first-choice goalkeeper at West Ham.
Hermansen, a £20million summer buy from Leicester, endured a torrid start to his Hammers career and was eventually dropped by previous boss Graham Potter and replaced by Alphonse Areola.
But Nuno recalled Hermansen three matches ago and has been rewarded with two clean sheets - the first since he took charge - and five points to boost their survival bid.
"I think he's getting confident, he has the confidence of his team-mates and he has the confidence of our coaching staff," said Nuno.
"I think inside of the group of goalkeepers they are helping each other very, very much to try and make us a better team and Mads is doing well. Credit to him.
"He was patient to wait for his chance. He never stopped working, preparing himself. The chance came and I think he's delivering.
"It's not only about the goalkeeper. I think it has a lot to do with the way we defend set-pieces. We are improving.
"It requires a lot of individual focus, determination to go and head the ball in the right moment, to stop and contain difficult opponents, to try and solve what's happening these days - it's almost like wrestling inside the six-yard box.
"All these things I think we have improved, which helps the task of the goalkeeper."
Mohamed Salah backed to break longest goal drought of Liverpool career
14:00 , Richard JollyArne Slot has insisted Mohamed Salah will soon start scoring again as he insisted he is not concerned by the longest Premier League goal drought of the Egyptian’s Liverpool career.
Salah has not struck in his last nine top-flight appearances, with his most recent goal in the division coming on 1 November against Aston Villa.
But Slot pointed to the 33-year-old’s FA Cup penalty against Brighton to argue that statistic does not matter much and said talk about Salah is merely a consequence of his extraordinary goalscoring feats for Liverpool.
Mohamed Salah backed to break longest goal drought of Liverpool career
Liverpool's selection in focus
13:58 , Richard Jolly at AnfieldLiverpool have Dominik Szoboszlai starting as a No 10. Which happened a lot last season, and rather less this. There is no Florian Wirtz, for the second consecutive game. But there is a defender capable of playing right-back, in Joe Gomez, so Szoboszlai doesn't have to start there. Gomez in for Curtis Jones is the one change Arne Slot makes. West Ham have an awful record at Anfield, but Nuno Espirito Santo won here last season with Nottingham Forest to inflict Slot's first defeat.
Team news - West Ham
13:49 , Harry Latham-CoyleNuno Espirito Santo makes no changes to the West Ham side that drew with Bournemouth last weekend, with Taty Castellanos again leading the line.
West Ham XI: Hermansen; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Disasi, Diouf; Soucek, Magassa, Fernandes; Bowen, Castellanos, Summerville.
Our Hammers to face the Reds 📄 pic.twitter.com/WLF3WNEpro
— West Ham United (@WestHam) February 28, 2026
Team news - Liverpool
13:46 , Harry Latham-CoyleArne Slot resists the temptation to give young Rio Ngumoha a start in a familiar looking Liverpool team.
Liverpool XI: Alisson; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Ekitike, Gakpo.
The Reds to take on West Ham United 🔴 #LIVWHU
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 28, 2026
Team news on the way...
13:40 , Harry Latham-CoyleRighty, then, let’s get going - team news will soon be with us from Anfield, and Liverpool are without Florian Wirtz for certain...
Liverpool boss Arne Slot gives concerning Florian Wirtz injury update
This is the most competitive Premier League in years – and that’s very bad news for Spurs
13:30 , Harry Latham-CoyleTottenham’s plight plays in to a wider point, Miguel Delaney argues, about the competitiveness of the Premier League, which has arguably never been greater:
This is the most competitive league in years – and that’s very bad news for Spurs
Tottenham are haunted by risk of historic humiliation but one game could save them
13:20 , Harry Latham-CoyleTottenham are another team looking ahead to a Champions League knockout tie - but also peering over their shoulder at their relegation rivals. Miguel Delaney explores their situation, and what might come next:
Tottenham are facing a historic humiliation but one game could save them
Liverpool’s Champions League draw and path to final revealed
13:10 , Harry Latham-CoyleFrom a continental competition point of view, Liverpool found out their Champions League round of 16 fate yesterday as their possible path to the final became clear:
Liverpool’s Champions League draw and path to final revealed
Today's Premier League action
13:00 , Harry Latham-CoyleIt’s an intriguing day of action in the Premier League, with a slightly slimmed down schedule after some European fixtures in midweek. Bournemouth and Sunderland are already underway on the south coast - a long trip for the away fans, that - while this is the rest of Saturday’s offerings:
Liverpool vs West Ham (3pm)
Newcastle vs Everton (3pm)
Burnley vs Brentford (3pm)
Leeds vs Manchester City (5.30pm)
Jarrod Bowen tells teammates to keep stepping up
12:50 , Harry Latham-CoyleWest Ham captain Jarrod Bowen has also sent an emphatic message to his teammates ahead of a chance to climb out of the bottom three.
“We’ve all got to continue stepping up, that’s the situation that we find ourselves in,” said Bowen. “We know outside noise happens and, I think it’s individually, for one, how you deal with that, but certainly as a group we can take criticism from each other and I think it’s an important time to be criticising each other.
“In the situation that we’re in, we need everyone pointing fingers and people to accept that responsibility, which we’re doing. I think we’ve seen a change certainly in the last few weeks.
“It’s not easy, don’t get me wrong. It’s not easy, and that’s not an excuse, because this is where we find ourselves from what we’ve done at the start of the season, so now we have to fight our way out of it, and we’ve certainly got enough, not just talking about quality, but talking about characters and people who are grabbing each other by the scruff of the neck when times are tough.”
Nuno Espirito Santo says West Ham are up for survival fight
12:40 , Harry Latham-CoyleNuno Espirito Santo has fired a warning to West Ham's relegation rivals Nottingham Forest and Tottenham by declaring his side are back "in the fight".
The Hammers looked consigned to the drop just last month when they slipped seven points from safety.
But a run of just one defeat in six has seen them move to within two points of Forest and four behind free-falling Spurs.
They could even climb out of the bottom three before their rivals play on Sunday if they overcome Liverpool at Anfield today.
"We know it's going to be tough. Going to Anfield is always tough, but at the same time a big challenge for us," Nuno said.
"We are going to face a fantastic team full of talented players that only can bring the best out of us.
"This is what our major motivation is and to realise that we have to keep chasing, chasing, chasing.
"It's the reality. It's been that for some while now. We are in the fight."
Can Arne Slot resist the clamour for Liverpool’s teenage star Rio Ngumoha any longer?
12:30 , Harry Latham-CoyleMohamed Salah could be a fascinating figure in the selection shake-up, too, for Arne Slot. Richard Jolly feels a changing of the guard is surely coming...
Can Arne Slot resist the clamour for Liverpool’s teenage star Rio Ngumoha any longer?
Rio Ngumoha’s time is now - but is Cody Gakpo as much of a problem as Liverpool fans make out?
12:20 , Harry Latham-CoyleLiverpool have a few selection decisions to make today, among them how best to utilise Rio Ngumoha. Could he supplant Cody Gakpo? Will Castle assesses the merits:
Is Gakpo really as much of a problem as Liverpool fans make out?
Virgil van Dijk responds to questions over Liverpool’s resilience after late Nottingham Forest win
12:10 , Harry Latham-CoyleVirgil van Dijk made a point of talking up Liverpool’s resilience after victory over Nottingham Forest, too:
Virgil van Dijk responds to questions over Liverpool’s resilience after late win
The one trait that has stopped Liverpool’s season sliding into meltdown
12:00 , Harry Latham-CoyleLiverpool’s season has often seemed on the verge of total disaster, but, Richard Jolly writes, one quality is keeping it alive:
The one trait that has stopped Liverpool’s season sliding into meltdown
Liverpool vs West Ham live
11:55 , Harry Latham-CoyleFor Liverpool and West Ham, it is a salvaging of the season on the mind as the two sides meet at Anfield in a key Premier League clash. Arne Slot and his squad know their title defence is long gone but Liverpool remain in the thick of the chase for a top-five finish, while the visitors are looking to continue a recent upturn in fortunes that has bolstered their survival bid.
Kick off is at 3pm GMT.
