Both Liverpool and West Ham made changes to their defences as the Reds visited Upton Park, looking for a positive result to take them back to the Barclays Premier League summit.
Brendan Rodgers recalled Mamadou Sakho in place of Daniel Agger for the away side as he looked to counter the physical presence of former Liverpool forward Andy Carroll.
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce was able to start with captain Kevin Nolan after he overcame a back problem, but was forced to replace the injured George McCartney, with on-loan Napoli full-back Pablo Armero making his first start for the club.
West Ham: Adrian, Demel, Tomkins, Reid, Armero, Noble, Taylor, Downing, Nolan, Diame, Carroll. Subs: Jarvis, Jaaskelainen, Carlton Cole, Joe Cole, Potts, Johnson, Nocerino.
Liverpool: Mignolet, Johnson, Skrtel, Sakho, Flanagan, Henderson, Gerrard, Coutinho, Sterling, Sturridge, Suarez. Subs: Brad Jones, Toure, Aspas, Moses, Cissokho, Lucas, Allen.
