Reds up for Hammers game

Last updated : 29 January 2007 By Al Campbell
Liverpool closed the gap between themselves and second placed Chelsea to five points after beating the London club last week. Rafa Benitez says that win will count for nothing however, if the Reds don't apply themselves properly against West Ham tomorrow.

"All of the players and fans enjoyed the score against Chelsea. The game was good, we showed character and quality and I was really happy," said the Liverpool boss.

"It's always good to win against the top sides but at the end of the day it was only three points. We had confidence before that game because we were winning and doing the right things, but now we have won I think we have more confidence.

"As always, our idea is to take things one game at a time. You can't beat Chelsea and then lose to West Ham otherwise the position will be similar to what it was.

"This game is just as important. We need to win it and not think about other challenges. The players understand that each three points are just as important and that means that we are moving in the right direction.

"I hope having a free weekend will help us. The atmosphere among the players is really good and the committment they have shown in all of the training sessions has been fantastic."