Despite a dominating performance from Liverpool, a fantastic West Ham defensive display from start to finish secured a well deserved goalless draw at Anfield.

The hosts bossed possession in the first-half but were unable to find their way through the Hammers’ defensive line, allowing the visitors to hit them on the counterattack with Diame’s lofted shot arguably being the best chance of the first period.

Liverpool continued their dominance after the restart and despite a multitude of chances and Daniel Sturridge having a goal rightly ruled out for offside, West Ham held on to pick up a pleasing point.

Brendan Rodgers named an unchanged starting 11 from the one that defeated Aston Villa 2-1 last weekend, with both goalscorers Jordan Henderson and captain Steven Gerrard starting in the centre of the field.

Meanwhile, Sam Allardyce made two chances to the side that beat West Brom 3-1 last Saturday, with, as expected, the ineligible Andy Carroll being replaced by Carlton Cole and James Tomkins coming in for the injured Winston Reid in the centre of defence.

Heavy favourites to win all three points, Liverpool started the strongest of the two sides, dominating the bulk of possession with ease and putting considerable pressure on the rigid West Ham defence.

However, the visitor’s tactic of crowding out the Liverpool attack seemingly worked wonders, and they were able to carve out the first real chance on goal after 24 minutes when Diame beautifully weaved his way through the Liverpool defence and into the penalty area before letting himself down at the last minute with a lofted effort that cleared Pepe Reina’s crossbar.

The Senegalese midfielder’s strike forced the game to move up a gear, but despite exhibiting some wonderful and clever attacking play and having two-thirds of possession, Liverpool were unable to fully breach the terrific West Ham defence for the rest of the first-half.

The second half started as the first ended, and both Suarez and Gerrard were on hand to to fire in early chances and put even more relentless pressure on a West Ham defence that were looking as if they were moments away from reaching breaking point.

They continued to hold firm however and Tomkins especially was the most important rock in the rigorous back line, continuously throwing his body into last-ditch tackles and clearing a shot from Gerrard off the line to deny Liverpool an early second-half lead.

After over an hour of dealing with intense pressure, the West Ham defence was finally breached and Liverpool put the ball into the back of the net when Jordan Henderson’s low shot on goal hit Sturridge and flew past Jaaskalainen into the back of the net, but Sturridge was rightly flagged for offside and the Hammers were able to breathe a sigh of relief.

The onslaught continued and chances rained down in abundance on West Ham’s Finnish shot-stopper, and with 20 minutes left to play Liverpool had a penalty shout turned down when Gerrard appeared to be tripped over by the outstretched legs of Tomkins as he sprinted into the penalty area. The referee pointed straight away for a corner, however, and the visibly tired visitor’s were able to regroup and regain their composure.

With 10 minutes left on the clock, Liverpool threw every available body forward in an attempt to snatch a last-minute winning goal, but, as was the case all afternoon, West Ham stayed composed at the back and hit Liverpool on the counterattack, forcing Lucas to save the hosts from losing the game in the dying moments when he cleared Jack Collison’s headed effort off the line.

The Brazilian attacker has formed an instant bond with ‘big brother’ and countryman Lucas Leiva, while Reds captain Steven Gerrard has also been giving the youngster advice

Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho has described how his new Anfield colleagues have helped him settle into life in England, both on and off the pitch.

The 20-year-old joined the Reds in January from Inter and has made an immediate impact, notching two goals and three assists in just six league outings.

And the Brazilian has acknowledged the contribution of his new team-mates in speeding his acclimatisation to the pace of the Premier League and his new-found defensive responsibilities.

“There were a few occasions when I was quite slow and Steven Gerrard came up to me and asked me to be much quicker with the ball, and mark the opposition players more quickly too,” Coutinho revealed to the Sunday Times.

“Some other team-mates ask me the same, they are always trying to help me get better.”

The former Vasco da Gama attacker has also received support away from the training pitches, forming a close bond with fellow Brazilian and “big brother” Lucas, who played a key role in persuading Coutinho to move to Merseyside.

“When we’re here in the training ground we’re always together, whether on the pitch or in the dressing room, and when we are out of here we go for meals together sometimes,” continued the former Inter starlet.

But while the January recruit may have made a quick transition to English football, he is still getting used to the colder climate.

“It’s completely different from Brazil, the wind here is really strong and cold,” added Coutinho.

“I tell my friends in Brazil and when they come over they cannot believe how cold it is. But with time we’ll get used to it.”

The Brazilian playmaker, who joined the club from Inter in January, has vowed to help the Reds try to claim the final European spot and also praised team-mate Luis Suarez

Liverpool attacker Philippe Coutinho is eager to qualify for the Europa League and believes securing European football for next season is of the utmost importance.

The Anfield outfit have won the Europa League, in its former guise of the Uefa Cup, on three occasions – most recently under Gerard Houllier in 2001.

And the Reds’ 20-year-old signing from Inter is adamant that Liverpool – who have also won five European Cups – belong in European competition, and that the entire squad are determined to qualify.

“It’s very important for the club and for the players,” Coutinho told the Daily Mail.

“Liverpool must play for European trophies all the time. We will do our utmost in the last few games to get maximum points in order for us reach a place in the Europa League.”

The Rio de Janeiro-born playmaker also praised Uruguayan team-mate Luis Suarez, who tops the Premier League goalscoring charts, and has lauded their on-field bond.

“Suarez is a fantastic player and it’s an honour to play with him,” Coutinho continued. “Together I hope we achieve great things for Liverpool.

“He’s excellent, always on the move during the game, and helps you open the defence more easily.”