Hello everyone! The Premier League season is in full swing as we reach the fourth round of fixtures in the top flight. Manchester City currently top the table with a 100% record, with Leicester City somewhat surprisingly just behind in second. There are eight fixtures in the Premier League calendar today, and here, we will be focusing on the meeting between Liverpool and West Ham United at Anfield.

It's early days of course, but Liverpool have started the season strongly having won two and drawn one, which has put them third in the table. For West Ham though, it's been a different story as they have suffered two defeats in succession following their impressive opening win against Arsenal. The London club find themselves 11th in the standings.

Right, before we delve any further, let's bring you the team news from Anfield. Starting with the hosts...

LIVERPOOL XI: Mignolet; Clyne, Skrtel, Lovren, Gomez; Lucas, Can, Milner; Firmino, Coutinho, Benteke

LIVERPOOL BENCH: Bogdan, Ings, Origi, Sakho, Rossiter, Moreno, Ibe

The big news from Liverpool's lineup is that captain Jordan Henderson remains OUT of the team due to injury. The midfielder missed Monday's game against Arsenal and there is no place for him in today's squad. The same applies to Adam Lallana, who is struggling with a thigh problem.

Brendan Rodgers has named an unchanged team from the side that took a point from Arsenal on Monday. As expected, Simon Mignolet starts in goal, with Nathaniel Clyne, Martin Skrtel, Dejan Lovren and Joe Gomez lining up in the back four. Defensive midfielder Lucas Leiva, who was thought to be on his way to Juventus, keeps his place due to Henderson's absence, and is joined by James Milner and Emre Can in the middle of the park.

The attacking trio of Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Christian Benteke get another chance to impress the manager. Coutinho and Benteke showed a good understanding of one another's game at the Emirates earlier this week, and while Firmino showed glimpses of the talent that he possesses, the Brazilian is still adapting to the Premier League. Now, let's have a look at who West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has selected for this game...

WEST HAM UNITED XI: Randolph: Tomkins, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Obiang, Kouyate, Lanzini, Noble, Payet; Sakho

WEST HAM UNITED BENCH: Spiegel, Jarvis, Oxford, Lee, Cullen, Samuelsen, Knoyle

Bilic has made two changes to the side that suffered defeat at the hands of Bournemouth. With Carl Jenkinson unavailable due to suspension, Bilic has opted to play James Tomkins in the back four. Following the permanent departure of Kevin Nolan (we will go into that later), summer loan arrival Manuel Lanzini has been given the chance to prove his ability in midfield.

With goalkeeper Adrian still unavailable, Darren Randolph will keep his place in between the sticks. Tomkins joins Winston Reid and Aaron Cresswell in defence, while Bilic has kept faith with Angelo Ogbonna, despite hauling him off in the 34th minute of the game against Bournemouth. Lanzini, Pedro Obiang, Cheikhou Kouyate, Mark Noble and Dimitri Payet line up in midfield, while Diafra Sakho will lead the line up top.

Right, let's turn our focus to this afternoon's hosts. As mentioned earlier, Liverpool have had a positive start to the season. Following the Merseyside's outfit disappointing end to the 2014-15 campaign, manager Brendan Rodgers was under increasing pressure and there were even suggestions that the Irishman could lose his job. The 42-year-old managed to survive and after the arrival of seven new signings, as well as the installment of a new-look backroom team, it's been just short of a perfect start to the season for the club.

The Reds kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 win over Stoke City at the Britannia, and they followed that up with a controversial victory over Bournemouth. Christian Benteke's goal was the difference between the two sides at Anfield, but it was an unfortunate result for Bournemouth as the goal should have been ruled offside under the new rules.

As we all know, football is a results business and Liverpool could not have asked for more having taken six points from their opening two games, but arguably, the performances have not been what we are used to from a Brendan Rodgers's team. The Irishman has always made his teams play fluid football, but in these early stages of the season, it has not gone unnoticed that playing more direct is an option that Rodgers is willing to explore. Having a target man like Benteke might be the reason behind that, but in these first few games, we have seen that the Belgian can also provide good movement on the ball.

The first two games were not exactly vintage performances from Liverpool, but the team showed against Arsenal that they are finding their rhythm. In the first half at the Emirates, the Merseyside outfit were by far the better team as they showed attacking intent and tried to take advantage of Arsenal's sloppiness. The only downside was that they were unable to score, despite creating plenty of opportunities. The match ended in a goalless draw, which gave Liverpool a third clean sheet on the trot.

The team's defensive woes have been highlighted in the last few seasons, with Rodgers seemingly uncertain on who his best centre-back pairing is. So far this season, Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren have been selected, and despite a shaky start to his Liverpool career, Lovren has done a steady job at the back so far. The Croatia international will be tested once again as he starts at Anfield this afternoon.

The transfer window closes on Tuesday and in terms of Liverpool's summer arrivals so far, there have been positive displays. One player in particular who has impressed is young full-back Joe Gomez. The 18-year-old has been thrown into the first team as Rodgers appears to prefer the Englishman to Alberto Moreno. Against Arsenal, the teenager more than held his own at the Emirates, and with Nathaniel Clyne on the other side of the pitch, Liverpool have been injected with pace in the full-back areas.

There has been some transfer activity on Merseyside in the last few days, but it's all related to outgoings. Liverpool fans waved goodbye to Mario Balotelli this week as the controversial Italian rejoined AC Milan on a season-long loan. The striker's time at Anfield will not go down as a memorable one as he scored just four goals all season. Many people were left scratching their heads when Liverpool signed him from Milan this time last year for £16m. It was clear early on that the 25-year-old was not suited to Rodgers's style of play and the player himself admitted that when he sealed his departure.

"I accept my side of the blame, but Rodgers's tactics were not suited to my characteristics either," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "At the start, I missed a few easy chances, and then I had fewer chances to score, a bit of bad luck and injuries. It was a mess."

Don't worry West Ham fans, we have not forgotten about your side! Optimism surrounded Upton Park prior to the new season following the arrival of new manager Slaven Bilic and a handful of new signings. The Hammers are playing their last Premier League season at the Boleyn Ground before they move to the Olympic Stadium in the summer. It could not have been a better start for the club as they executed a deserved 2-0 victory over Arsenal at the Emirates on the opening day of the season. However, it was not long before the honeymoon period came crashing down...

Bilic oversaw his side suffer a 2-1 defeat to last season's relegation contenders Leicester City, and they suffered a devastating blow against Premier League newcomers Bournemouth in the following week. The Hammers managed to get the game back to 2-2 after conceding two goals within the first 30 minutes of the match, but the Cherries went on to win 4-3 in West Ham's back yard. Adding insult to injury, they also lost full-back Carl Jenkinson, who was given a straight red card.

Overall, it was a disappointing day for the London outfit, particularly due to the manner in which they conceded the first two goals. Sloppy play from Aaron Cresswell resulted in the Hammers getting punished, and after two defeats on the trot, you feel as though the team will be under pressure to get something out of this game this afternoon.

The gloom has descended to off the pitch as well. Earlier this week, injured Enner Valencia criticised the club's medical staff for not "supporting" him during his time on the sidelines.

The Ecuadorian was quoted as saying: "West Ham seem to have forgotten that I'm injured, but they don't let me speak to another doctor. I don't understand why West Ham doctors are doing this to me. The truth is that West Ham have not been supporting me.

"I have tried to ask an external doctor but the doctor of West Ham doesn't want me to ask another doctor. It's my health we are talking about here. I have been injured for a month and I still don't know what the name of my injury is."

Valencia has since apologised for the remarks, but it does leave a bad taste in the mouth.

In addition to that, the club announced this week that Kevin Nolan, who was a big favourite of former manager Sam Allardyce, has left the club by mutual consent. Bilic later revealed that the midfielder was frustrated at not being considered a regular in the first team.

He said: "[A lack of game time] is basically the only reason, yes. In the end it is good for both parties.

"I had a few chats with Kevin and now he is leaving and I can always say thanks to Kevin from me and club because he was a great captain and professional.

"Even in the short period that I worked with him he was a brilliant professional and hard worker."

The Hammers have also offloaded Modibo Maiga, who joined Al Nassr on Friday following three years at Upton Park. The striker scored seven goals in 45 appearances for the Hammers, but will now ply his trade in Saudi Arabia after agreeing a two-year contract.

You wonder how West Ham will respond this afternoon given their recent poor results. Their away history is not kind to them as they won just three games on the road last season, but was their performance against Arsenal an indication that Bilic's strengths are away from home? The Hammers stopped their opponents from playing at the Emirates and tactically, the team did everything right. It will be interesting to see what approach they take against Liverpool today.

Now, let's turn our attention back to the game at hand. The statistics are in Liverpool's favour as the Reds have only lost twice to West Ham in the last 13 meetings between the sides. With this afternoon's fixture being at Anfield, the visitors have a big task on their hands as they have not won at the Merseyside ground since 1963! Liverpool have beaten today's opponents 70 times overall, while West Ham's winning tally sits at 25. Of course, anything can happen on the day, but the history books are not great reading for West Ham fans.

PREDICTION: We are edging closer to kickoff, so let's consider how this game could turn out. Liverpool may not look like world beaters at the moment, but their unbeaten record and three clean sheets cannot go unnoticed. Add the fact that they are at Anfield this afternoon, then the odds are firmly in their favour. A performance is needed from West Ham given that they stumbled against two sides who have been tipped to fight relegation this season. It may be the case that the Hammers' away setup could be their biggest strength, but Liverpool have the momentum, and we are backing the Reds to take it 2-0.

Our Sports Mole sofa panellists Barney Corkhill and Pascal Lemesre have also had their say on this afternoon's fixture. Hit play below to get their thoughts.

Right, we're less than five minutes away from kickoff. There is much expectancy that Liverpool will get all three points today given their unbeaten run. Considering West Ham's shaky performances in defence, they will need to keep it tight and perhaps punish the Reds on the break. Who will come out on top? We will find out shortly!

KICKOFF! Liverpool get us underway in their traditional red kit. West Ham are in sky blue...

Benteke tries to create an early opening with some impressive link-up play with Coutinho. The Belgian leaves the ball for his Brazilian teammate behind him, and as Coutinho feeds the ball through, the West Ham defence manage to clear.

Wow, what a start for West Ham! It's a poor headed clearance from Skrtel as it goes straight into the feet of Cresswell. He then sends a low pass across the face of goal and Gomez struggles to get ahead of Lanzini as the loanee slots the ball into the back of the net. That is the first goal that Mignolet has let in his net this season.

The Liverpool crowd are stunned into silence! Like at Arsenal, West Ham have set up well here. Their shape is frustrating Liverpool as Brendan Rodgers's side are struggling to get into the final third. Perhaps a change of tactics is needed for the home side.

Skrtel sends the ball up top looking for Milner, who manages to feed it forward towards Coutinho. The Brazilian dodges past two players and goes for goal from the edge of the box. He's known to find the target from there, but it's a disappointing strike this time as the ball flies into the stands.

OFF THE POST! What an effort from Firmino! The Brazilian comes to close to scoring his first goal for Liverpool after pulling away from his markers. While on the edge of the box, Firmino unleashes a powerful shot, but it clatters off the post.

Screams of a penalty come from the Anfield crowd as Benteke goes to ground after a slight nudge in the back from Reid. Referee Kevin Friend waves away the claims and it was the right decision as Reid did not get enough on the player to warrant a penalty kick against him.

West Ham have dropped very deep into their own half as if to tell Liverpool 'come and break us down'. They have a one-goal cushion, so it's up to the Reds to respond. From the looks of things, the visitors will try their luck on the counter attack as they are happy to sit back for the time being.

Milner gives away a foul after bringing down Payet on the right side of the box. The West Ham player sends the ball in. It's cleared briefly, but it doesn't go far as Milner knocks the ball out for a corner.

The corner is played short as it comes to Cresswell, who sends in a perfectly-weighted cross into the box. It's defended and sent out for another corner kick, which comes to nothing as the referee fouls for a nudge on Benteke.

CHANCE! Lanzini finds himself in acres of space as he charges towards goal with no Liverpool players closing him down. He unleashes a shot, but as Mignolet dives down to his right, the ball flies just wide. A very positive display from West Ham so far.

After a decent spell of attacking pressure from West Ham, Liverpool get some time on the ball as Can delivers the ball towards Benteke, but Tomkins is there to head down towards his goalkeeper, who manages to collect.

Liverpool are dominating possession, but they are still struggling to break down West Ham as bodies fill the half. Gomez sends the ball into the box towards Benteke, but the visitors are able to clear. Seconds later, it's some decent build-up play as Firmino picks out Clyne on the right. The full-back tries to whip the ball in, but it gets cleared for a corner. The ball comes in, but the referee blows his whistle as Lovren fouls in the box.

Firmino latches onto the ball from Milner's pass and lays the ball off to Coutinho, but the Brazilian is muscled out of the way. Milner tries again by sending a low drive into Benteke's path, but the ball ends up bobbling behind the line for a West Ham goal kick.

Firmino charges forward and plays the ball out wide right to Clyne, who sends a cross in, but it bounces off Cresswell and the ball goes behind the line as the keeper grabs it. Liverpool get a corner, but it comes to nothing.

West Ham send men forward as a shot ricochets off Skrtel and into the path of Cresswell. The defender goes for the follow-up shot, but it swerves over the bar and into the crowd. The Hammers are defending well, but they're showing attacking intent when they get the chance.

Lovren gets dispossessed by Kouyate, and in a moment of frustration, Firmino fouls Noble in the middle of the park. The free kick comes in, but it's poor as the ball falls straight into the hands of Mignolet.

West Ham are in dream land! They have a two-goal lead at Anfield, but it's poor defending from Lovren. The Croatian has the ball in the corner and should have either played it back to his goalkeeper or knocked it out for a throw-in, but he keeps hold of the ball and eventually loses it to Lanzini. The Argentine plays it towards Sakho in the box, who misses it, but Noble is there to drive the ball into the back of the net. Liverpool need to respond.

Liverpool's defence have been praised in the last few weeks for keeping three clean sheets, but they've looked a mess so far today! Skrtel's poor header led to the first goal and Lovren gave away the ball in the lead up to conceding a second.

Kouyate looks to be in pain here as he clutches his shoulder after landing awkwardly. However, West Ham's medical staff have given the player the thumbs up to continue.

Liverpool work the ball around the box, and it eventually falls to Gomez on the left. The youngster aims a cross into the box, but it flies into the stands. That sums up the home side's first half so far!

Payet knocks a free kick into the area. The ball is met by Gomez, but it's another poor header from Liverpool's defence as it goes back into West Ham's possession. The ball eventually gets knocked back to Noble, who attempts the volley, but he misses the target.

BOOKING! West Ham's goalscorer Noble gets a yellow card after diving into a tackle against Can with a high foot.

Firmino collects the ball on the byline. West Ham fans scream that the ball has already drifted out, but the linesman allows play to continue. Firmino cuts it back to Coutinho, whose shot is hammered straight into West Ham's defence.

Lovren is under pressure again, but he breathes a sigh of relief when the referee whistles for a foul as Kouyate was adjudged to have impeded his opponent.

Clyne makes a great run down the right. Firmino can see his teammate coming, but as he plays it forward, he puts too much on the ball as it ends up behind the line for a goal kick. Liverpool need to come up with a bit of magic because at the moment, they don't look like scoring.

West Ham look as though they are trying to consolidate their two-goal lead as they look happy to knock the ball around to keep possession before the first half draws to a close.

Just as the fourth official indicates four minutes of added time, Liverpool try to build an attack on the edge of the box, but Can gives the ball away needlessly. Kouyate storms down the field with Liverpool players chasing, but it takes a well-timed challenge from Skrtel to stop the West Ham man in his tracks.

Lanzini has been West Ham's standout player so far. The loanee looks very comfortable on the ball and he is constantly trying to make things happen in attack. He's also done well putting pressure on Liverpool when off the ball.

Coutinho sends a decent ball over the top to find Milner, who crosses at the byline, but it's blocked at the near post by Noble. Milner then plays a short corner, much to the displeasure of the home fans and they lose possession.

BOOKING! The referee brandishes a yellow card to Coutinho. For what reason, we're not entirely sure! It looks as though it was issued for dissent.

Well, who would have thought that West Ham would have a 2-0 lead at the break? The Hammers have not won at Anfield since 1963, but they are on course to earn a victory here after that impressive first-half performance. Manuel Lanzini, who has been a revelation for West Ham so far, opened the scoring within the first three minutes, and Mark Noble doubled that inside half an hour of play.

The visitors got their tactics spot on in the first half as they have given Liverpool hardly any space to manoeuvre. They've closed their opponents down when off the ball and the team's attacking players have looked threatening every time that they charge at Liverpool's defence. Billie's side look happy to fill their own half and punish the Reds on the counter attack.

Liverpool have been praised for their defensive efforts so far this season due to three previous clean sheets, but at the moment, the back line are having quite the horror show! Martin Skrtel's poor headed clearance led to the first goal, while Dejan Lovren's inability to keep the ball allowed West Ham to strike their second.

In terms of going forward, Liverpool look short of ideas. They have struggled to break down their opponents and have rarely pushed players forward into the box. Rodgers will need to change tactics if he wants to get something out of this game, because at the moment, the Reds look no way near close to scoring. There has been sloppy play in the middle of the park too, with Emre Can losing the ball in dangerous areas. We are likely to see changes in the second half.

The question for West Ham is, can they keep up this approach for another 45 minutes? They have been strong and compact, but that takes a lot of energy. You would expect Liverpool to come out firing as they trail by two goals, so the Hammers may just try to keep hold of their lead. It will be interesting to see what approach both sides take for the second half.

LIVERPOOL SUB: Before the second half kicks off, Rodgers has hauled off Can and has replaced him with Alberto Moreno.

RESTART! The visitors get us underway for the second half...

As expected, Rodgers has changed Liverpool's shape in the hope of getting back into this game. The team have converted to a back three of Skrtel, Lovren and Gomez, with Clyne moving to wing-back.

West Ham go on the counter with Kouyate up top on his own, but Moreno puts in a well-timed tackle to prevent the forward from getting a shot at goal. Seconds later, Coutinho tries his luck with a shot from 30 yards out, but he misses the target.

OFF! It's a nightmare for Liverpool! They go down to 10 men as Coutinho is sent off for a second bookable offence. Payet is on the ball and Coutinho goes to ground to tackle. He doesn't get a foot on the ball, but he doesn't get much on the player either. The Brazilian does lunge in though, and the referee deems it worthy of a second yellow. Liverpool have a mountain to climb.

Liverpool may be down to 10 men, but West Ham are still happy to drop deep and allow the Reds to come onto them. The home side are still struggling to break them down, so Lovren goes for a long-range low effort, but the keeper is able to save with ease.

Benteke turns well on the edge of the box. The Liverpool fans feel as though the forward is fouled, but West Ham's defence are bale to muscle the striker off the ball.

Boos ring around the stadium as the home fans are not best pleased with the referee. Moreno feels that he deserves a free kick after a challenge from Tomkins, but the match official rightfully waves it away as the defender got the ball.

Benteke brings down the ball well, but his shot is blocked by Ogbonna and it falls into the path of Clyne. The full-back tries to whip the ball round towards the near post, but it misses the target.

Sakho needs treatment after getting a knee in the stomach from Mignolet as the goalkeeper jumps to grab the ball in mid-air. The West Ham forward seems to be well enough to continue.

LIVERPOOL SUB: The hosts make their second change of the game as Danny Ings enters the field, replacing Roberto Firmino.

West Ham have a corner and they take it short, but the ball eventually falls into Mignolet's hands. Cresswell wasn't under much pressure when on the ball, so had time to deliver a better cross in. I don't think many West Ham fans will be too unhappy though.

SHOT! Milner gets into a good position on the edge of the box. Ings produces the layoff, but the former Manchester City man's strike just goes wide of the target.

CHANCE! Payet sends it forward looking for Sakho, but Skrtel gets to the ball first. Seconds later, Ings drives down the other end and cuts inside before knocked it across to Benteke. The Belgian reverses the pass back into the path of Ings, but Randolph comes off his line to collect. Better movement from Liverpool, but they need to strike soon if they want to get anything out of this game.

At the other end, Cresswell is able to cross the ball into the six-yard area, but Skrtel is well position to scoop the ball away. Despite Liverpool having the majority of possession, the visitors still look impressive when on the attack.

Payet gets a free kick towards the edge of the area, but he seems happy to play it short. None of the West Ham players attempt to send the ball into the box and Moreno eventually snatches possession.

BOOKING! Lucas gets cautioned by the referee following a challenge on Noble.

Lanzini takes play out wide and drives to the byline before sending a cross in towards Payet, but he fails to find him. The ball eventually drops to Kouyate, but it's a limp effort at goal as the ball goes straight into Mignolet.

West Ham go on the break with three against two, but Lovren is able to snatch the ball off Sakho to allow his teammates to breathe. The ball is sent down the other end and Milner drives to the byline, but Reid knocks it out of play.

It's been a very impressive display from West Ham's back line. Nine times out of 10, the defenders have won the battles that have come their way. Cresswell in particular has redeemed himself following his mistakes against Bournemouth last weekend.

Cresswell finds space in the box at the other end. He is able to get past both Clyne and Gomez, but he's unable to send the ball across goal, so goes for glory himself. It's at the nearpost and Mignolet is there to prevent conceding a third.

CHANCE! The corner comes in from West Ham and Reid gets above his marker to connect with the ball, but his header goes just wide of the post.

OFF! Mark Noble has been sent off! The player and his teammates are furious with the referee. The captain has been handed a straight red as he appears to lunge into Ings. The midfielder managed to get his feet on the ball, though, but the referee deems it a dangerous tackle.

LIVERPOOL SUB: The home side make their final change as Jordon Ibe replaces Joe Gomez.

BOOKING! Lanzini is being substituted, with young Reece Oxford coming on, but the loanee goes into the book first for time wasting.

So, both teams are down to 10 men, but can Liverpool take advantage of Noble's dismissal? The home side have less than 10 minutes of normal time remaining to do so.

Liverpool are on the attack, but Obiang is there to make a double block in the middle of the box. West Ham are hanging on slightly, but they seem determined to keep their lead.

CHANCE! Lovren has a great chance to get on the scoresheet as Benteke heads the ball in his direction. The defender is well placed at the near post, but as he leans back to retrieve the ball, his touch is poor and it bounces over the bar.

BOOKING! Another yellow card is brandished as Ings is cautioned for bringing down Payet from behind. The West Ham man receives treatment, but he is able to get up and hobble off the pitch.

WEST HAM SUB: That's the end of Payet's day as Matt Jarvis comes on to replace him at Anfield.

Well, that could have been embarrassing from Milner! The England international loses the ball on the edge of his own area and Sakho latches on before shooting at goal. The ball clatters off the post, but even if it had gone in, the goal wouldn't count as he was flagged offside.

The fourth official indicates SEVEN minutes of added time!

Well, this has certainly been West Ham's day! Sakho makes it three following some more calamitous defending from Liverpool. The Hammers forward has three players around him on the edge of the box, but neither Moreno, Skrtel nor Milner get a foot in and Sakho is able to slot it home.

There are three minutes remaining, but it's game over for Liverpool as they look resigned to losing their unbeaten run. It's a match to forget for the Reds, that's for sure!

WEST HAM SUB: Goalscorer Diafra Sakho is taken off by Bilic, with youngster Josh Cullen taking his place.

What a day for West Ham! They win their first game at Anfield since 1963. Goals from Manuel Lanzini, Mark Noble and Diafra Sakho give the Hammers a comfortable 3-0 victory on Merseyside. The game was not without controversy as Philippe Coutinho and Noble were both sent off in the second half. For Liverpool, their unbeaten start to the season comes to an end, and manager Brendan Rodgers will have to go back to the drawing board during the international break. Stick with Sports Mole for all the match reports, reaction, analysis and player ratings from today's Premier League fixtures. Until next time, goodbye!