Rafa raves as Hammers hit by hat-trick from Torres

A second treble in successive home games for Torres and a late Steven Gerrard goal edged Rafa Benitez's side above Everton on goal difference.

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For 90 minutes, Liverpool's in-form stars gave their fans something else to think about rather than the takeover battle, which now seems to have reached stalemate.

West Ham boss Alan Curbishley admitted he had been forced into a near-crisis meeting in the dressing room with his team after their second four-goal drubbing in five days.

Benitez had Fernando Torres to thank as the Spaniard climbed from his sick-bed to grab his second successive home hat-trick, the first time a Liverpool player has done that in 62 years.

That took Torres' total for the season to 24 in 33 games, while Steven Gerrard weighed in with his 18th of the campaign.

Now Liverpool must continue in this vein at home to Kevin Keegan's Newcastle on Saturday to send themselves into next Tuesday's Champions League trip to Inter Milan full of confidence.

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Benitez said: "It is good that we are running into form at a crucial time of the season. We are playing well as a team, working as a team, that is the difference in our play now."

He added: "Torres is in great form and he is on fire. Everyone has confidence now that we will score."

Liverpool have now won three league games on the trot, and Benitez said: "It is now in our own hands whether we qualify for the Champions League. But we need to win at home to Newcastle on Saturday so we can then turn our attention to Inter Milan in the Champions League next week high on confidence."

West Ham boss Alan Curbishley was fuming afterwards, saying: "We made no impression on Liverpool in any area of the pitch. We have had two tough games against Chelsea and now Liverpool, and made no impression on either side. I expected it to be hard, but I did not expect it to be like this.

"But this is the first four days of our season that we have let ourselves down. These last two performances have not been good enough, so now we have to go to Tottenham on Sunday and get back on track."

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He added: "I heard our fans voicing their disapproval, they think that playing 4-5-1 is negative. But that is how Liverpool played tonight, even if they had top players who could change a game. A lot depends on the players that we have available and what suits them. We have been missing so many of our signings through injury, this is the best way for us to play.

"But we had a meeting in the dressing room, not a crisis one, but we needed to say that this cannot continue."