You'll Never Walk Alone

Rafael Benitez is delighted with the progress Liverpool have made so far this season and wants them to continue it against West Ham on Monday.With Steven Gerrard talking of his "hunger" for the league title and Benitez close to agreeing a new contract, the Hammers could find this is not the time to be trying to end a 45-year wait for a win at Anfield.

West Ham travel to Merseyside facing a relegation fight themselves and without a win at Anfield since Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters' scored in 1963 - when the Beatles' 'She Loves You' was top of the charts.

They will not find much love from the Merseysiders this time around.

With Liverpool already qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League, Benitez now wants his side to concentrate hard on cementing their position in the race for the Premier League title.

He said: "We have qualified for the next stage in Europe, now we have three months to concentrate on the league. We have only lost once in the Premier League this season and we must make sure we continue that level of form."

Benitez, believed to be close to a new deal at the club after further talks in recent days between the manager's agent and club owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, knows a run of indifferent Liverpool performances must come to an end.

A poor display in their last home league game allowed Fulham to claim a 0-0 draw, and the midweek victory over Marseille in Europe was hardly convincing.

Now Liverpool have a run of nine league games before title rivals Chelsea visit Anfield on February 1, in which they should only be troubled when they travel to Arsenal this month and face Everton at home on January 19.

The rest of that run, starting with the Hammers, includes matches with Blackburn, Hull, Bolton, Newcastle, Stoke and Wigan.

If Liverpool are to be considered genuine contenders, there can be no slip-ups in such matches.

Full-back Alvaro Arbeloa underlines the desire not to allow supposed lesser sides to get anything at Anfield, as Stoke did with a 0-0 draw back in September before Fulham achieved the same result a week ago.

Arbeloa said: "We know we have to improve at Anfield in the league. The draw with Fulham was very frustrating, and we did the same against Stoke. You must win your home games if you want to win the title.

"We cannot continue to make mistakes at Anfield, we must find a solution to the way teams come to defend here.

"We lost two points against Fulham in our last home league game, which annoyed us. So we know we must put that right as soon as possible."

Liverpool will be without striker Fernando Torres with a hamstring problem and defender Fabio Aurelio, who has a calf injury. Robbie Keane and Andrea Dossena are expected to come into the side.

The match will mark Gerrard's 10-year anniversary since his first-team debut, when he came on as substitute against Blackburn on November 29, 1998.

Gerrard said: "We have got another important game coming up against West Ham and that is what I'm focusing on now.

"It's also important that we try to improve on our performance against Fulham and try to take all three points. Every game is crucial.

"The anniversary means a lot to me. It has been a special week and I have been having to pinch myself because I've been living this dream since I first pulled on a red shirt.

"The 10 years seem to have gone by in a flash but there's an old saying that time flies when you are having fun and that is exactly what I've had.

"It has been the best 10 years of my life and hopefully that will continue for many years to come. If anything, I am actually more hungry than ever before.

"I am.