West Ham United v Liverpool
Premier League, London Stadium, Sunday 29 December 2024, 5.15pm GMT
The festive fixtures continue with West Ham United set to return to London Stadium to host Liverpool on Sunday, looking to extend their impressive unbeaten run to five games and close out 2024 with a bang.
Julen Lopetegui's troops made it eight points from a possible 12 with a hard-fought win at Southampton on Boxing Day, following victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier in December, and draws against AFC Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Now, sitting just six points adrift of the Premier League's top five, the Hammers are looking to build further momentum and showcase their quality against arguably the league's toughest opponent.
Liverpool have been hugely impressive under head coach Arne Slot, following Jürgen Klopp's departure in the summer, and sit seven points clear at the top of the ranks with a game in hand, having won 13 and lost just one of their 17 fixtures so far.
They have been similarly scintillating in Europe, winning each of their six UEFA Champions League clashes to claim the current top spot in that competition as well, while they are also through to the Carabao Cup semi-finals in the New Year.
An enticing encounter awaits in this tea-time kick-off, then, with both teams carrying plenty of form and confidence, and eyeing the full share of the spoils.
Read on for everything you need to know ahead of the match...
Tickets…
Tickets for this sold-out game are still available on the Ticket Exchange, with Season Ticket Holders who cannot attend this fixture relisting their seats for other supporters to buy.
Click HERE to check availability or relist.
Supporters are urged to arrive early at London Stadium on Sunday as security and ticket checks will be in place at all entry points.
Travel…
There are no planned disruptions to TfL Underground services on the Central and Jubilee lines, though there are set to be issues on the Piccadilly and Waterloo & City lines, Elizabeth line services, the Docklands Light Railway and the Weaver line on the London Overground. Supporters using these services are highly recommended to check their routes before departure.
Similarly, there are planned disruptions on the c2c and Greater Anglia mainline services, as well as the Southeastern network that serves Stratford International.
Stratford and Stratford City Bus Stations are located in close proximity to Stratford station. Buses that run to these stations are numbers: 25, 86, 97, 104, 108, 158, 241, 257, 262, 276, 308, 425, 473, D8.
Supporters using public transport are advised to check their journeys before they travel, using resources such as TfL’s Journey Planner and the TfL Go app. Supporters may also wish to visit the National Rail website if travelling on the rail network.
There is no parking available at London Stadium. Restrictions will be in place and enforced in the local area.
How To Follow…
Sunday’s 5.15pm kick-off has been selected for live broadcast in the UK by Sky Sports. If you live outside the UK, click HERE for details of Premier League listings in your territory.
You can follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app, and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle on our website and social media.
Live audio commentary will be available in the capital on BBC London, in the UK on BBC Radio 5 live, and worldwide on our official website and app.
We Are West Ham. United...
At West Ham United, we are proud to be based in one of the most multicultural areas of the country where equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of everything we do. Regardless of ethnicity, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation or beliefs, everyone is welcome at our Club.
Our aspiration is to be the equity leader in football and alongside our supporters, this is something we are continually looking to build on and improve. We thank all of our fans for their ongoing support and for helping us to eradicate the bad behaviours which do not represent our Club, our community or our West Ham United family.
To report any concerns on matchday, text SUPPORT plus your message to 83121 or speak to the nearest steward, SLO or Police Officer. Text messages are treated in the strictest confidence, and, for our staff, it is better to monitor the situation as it is happening and to be able to take action at the time of it occurring.
Our Conduct Charter is created to further support the provision of a welcoming, safe and inclusive environment for all West Ham United supporters and staff at home and away matches, on social media, Club related meetings or events, or in any other forum.
Official Programme…
At 116 pages, the publication remains the largest in English football, while this year each Premier League issue also comes with a bespoke cover illustration and an eight-page pullout, complete with an eye-catching poster, a brainteasing quiz and plenty of games for our younger Hammers.
Still priced at just £4, the Official Programme represents superb value for money for supporters of all ages wanting exclusive interviews, attention-grabbing opinions and eye-catching photographs, plus the regular news, columns and statistics and insightful content from across all areas of the Club.
The Official Programme is the definitive Claret and Blue publication for West Ham fans.
Our 12th issue of the season is led by an extensive interview with Club captain Jarrod Bowen, who discusses the festive period, his best memories of 2024 and his hopes for 2025. Bowen features alongside Maximilian Kilman and Mohammed Kudus on the New Year-themed programme cover, which has been created by renowned illustrator Chris Rathbone.
We also have Bowen's regular captain's column, words from Head Coach Julen Lopetegui and Steve Blowers’ chat with former Hammers striker Alan Taylor, as we continue celebrating the 50th anniversary of our 1975 FA Cup win, while we've got exciting features with Dinos Mavropanos and Niclas Füllkrug
With the latest news from our Academy, women’s team and Foundation, plus puzzles, statistics and the lowdown on our opponents from Anfield, the Official Programme is packed full of content for you!
Team News…
Łukasz Fabiański, Maximilian Kilman and Carlos Soler were all forced off through injury during West Ham's Boxing Day win over Southampton, and will be assessed ahead of Sunday's home clash against Liverpool.
Midfield pair Tomáš Souček and Guido Rodríguez are sidelined through suspension, after each picking up their fifth booking of the season at St Mary's Stadium, however Lucas Paquetá is set to return following his one-game ban for the same reason.
Elsewhere, forward Michail Antonio remains on the sidelines following his car accident towards the start of December.
For Liverpool, midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai will be missing, after picking up his fifth yellow card of the campaign against Leicester City last time out, while Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konaté are injury doubts.
Opposition…
Liverpool lost just four Premier League matches last season, but ten draws saw the Reds finish third, nine points behind champions Manchester City.
Jürgen Klopp’s unforgettable nine-year spell as head coach ended with an EFL Cup triumph, but with supporters wondering what the future might hold for their team.
Klopp led Liverpool to their first top-flight championship in 30 years in 2020, having led the Reds to a sixth European crown and first FIFA Club World Cup title in 2019, as well as a UEFA Super Cup triumph and three domestic trophy victories.
With the German leaving his post, and speculation over the future of superstar attacker Mohamed Salah rife, there were concerns that Liverpool would spend time in the shadows of City and a resurgent Arsenal, who finished seven points clear of them in second last term.
While Salah’s future remains up in the air, the Egyptian’s form has been sensational, while the man who has replaced Klopp in the dugout has made an incredible start to life as Liverpool head coach.
While Dutchman Arne Slot has not exactly made Liverpool supporters forget about his predecessor, his start to life on Merseyside has certainly quelled any concern that the Reds would spend a period in transition following his appointment.
After impressive spells with Cambuur and AZ Alkmaar, the 46-year-old enjoyed a memorable three-year spell in charge at Rotterdam giants Feyenoord, who he led to the UEFA Europa Conference League final in 2022, the Eredivisie title in 2023 and Dutch Cup last season.
Slot has taken no time at all to imprint his own distinct style and philosophy at Liverpool, losing just one of his first 23 games in charge.
Slot became the first Premier League head coach to win his first six away games, the quickest Premier League head coach to reach 15 wins in all competitions and the first Liverpool head coach to win the first eleven out of 12 matches at the start of a season.
Among the teams his Liverpool have already beaten are Manchester City, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen.
Today’s visitors are top of the Premier League and odds-on favourites to win the title, top of the newly formatted UEFA Champions League and favourites to lift the trophy for a seventh time, and through to the EFL Cup semi-finals.
In short, Slot’s Liverpool have become a seemingly unstoppable force while Salah, whose contract expires at the season’s end, is in the form of his life at the age of 32.
Of course, with half of the campaign still to be played, there is a chance Liverpool’s charge will slow, but it would surely only be a fool who would bet against Slot and Salah raising at least one trophy above their heads this season.
Previous Meetings…
Sunday’s match will be the 152nd time West Ham United and Liverpool have played each other in competitive action.
It is a run of games that stretches back to 1901, when the Hammers were defeated by the Reds 1-0 in an FA Cup intermediate round tie.
In the Premier League, this is the 57th match between the two sides, and it is perhaps unsurprising to learn that Liverpool have fared better over the last 30 years, winning 35 games compared to West Ham’s ten, while there have also been eleven draws.
In fact, the Hammers have won just one of the last 16 such games, while in all competitions it is a sole victory in 18 meetings.
After a 2-2 draw last time out between the teams at London Stadium, in April 2024 in the Premier League, Arne Slot's charges triumphed in the most recent match-up, in the Carabao Cup third round in September earlier in 2024/25.
Nineteen-time English champions Liverpool have been involved in some of the biggest games in West Ham’s history, with the Merseysiders edging the 1980/81 League Cup and 2005/06 FA Cup finals, while the teams shared the 1964 FA Charity Shield after a 2-2 draw at Anfield.
Match Officials…
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Assistant Referees: Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn
Fourth Official: Steve Martin
VAR: Darren England
Assistant VAR: Simon Bennett
Anthony Taylor has been confirmed as the referee for West Ham United’s Premier League clash at home to Liverpool on Sunday.
A top-flight referee since 2010, Taylor is one of England’s most experienced officials and has previously taken charge of two FA Cup finals, an EFL Cup final, the FA Community Shield, the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup final, the 2023 UEFA Europa League final and, at international level, the 2021 UEFA Nations League final between France and Spain. In 2020, Taylor became the first referee since 1901 to referee two FA Cup finals when he was in charge of Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Chelsea.
Born in Wythenshawe, Manchester, he worked his way up to the Premier League after starting out in the Northern Premier League - English football’s seventh tier - and since February 2010, when he took charge of a game between Portsmouth and Fulham, Taylor has tallied 387 Premier League matches and counting.
The 46-year-old also famously reacted quickly when Denmark's Christian Eriksen collapsed during his country's UEFA Euro 2020 group-stage tie with Finland, and is credited with helping save the Manchester United midfielder's life due to his swift action in calling for medical attention.
A veteran of over 750 games in all competitions, Taylor refereed his 38th fixture involving West Ham United against Arsenal in November, while the Liverpool clash is the 17th Premier League encounter in which Taylor has held the whistle in the 2024/25 season, with his most recent appointment coming in Newcastle’s win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day.
For more information about the officials, click HERE.
