Fernando Torres swept Liverpool back into the top four of the Barclays Premier League with a stunning hat-trick.
Torres, the shining light of Liverpool's season, became only the fourth player in the club's history to score hat-tricks in successive home matches.
Liverpool were on the attack from the start, with West Ham United prepared to concede space and leave Carlton Cole on his own up front.
The visitors had a half chance when Robert Green's clearance was nodded down by Cole and only half-hit at Jose Reina by Mark Noble.
But Liverpool were more decisive and Torres put them ahead after eight minutes, having already sent a header just over from Dirk Kuyt's knock-down.
The Reds took the lead when Kuyt's low cross from the right was volleyed fiercely past Green by Torres from 12 yards.
CLEVERLY PLAYED
West Ham should have equalised after 13 minutes when Luis Boa Morte was played in on the left, but from a tight angle his shot was hooked over his own bar by Alvaro Arbeloa.
Liverpool were always a threat out wide, and West Ham struggled to deal with the resulting crosses.
The same applied to corners and after 29 minutes Steven Gerrard fired one in from the left which Martin Skrtel, arriving fast at the near post, headed onto the roof of the net.
Seven minutes later Ryan Babel fashioned a cross from the left and Gerrard's close-range effort was superbly turned round a post by Green at full-stretch.
The Hammers continued to live dangerously after the break and only a fine save from Green stopped Babel after Gerrard had cleverly played the Dutchman into the box.
DIVING HEADER
The hosts got their second goal on the hour - with Kuyt again the provider.
The Dutchman's chipped cross from the left enabled Torres to neatly lift a header into the top corner from six yards.
Torres then saw a diving header hit a post, with Green scrambling to pick up the ball as it rolled across the six-yard box.
Torres completed his hat-trick after 80 minutes when he took a knockdown from John Arne Riise to sidestep his way into the six-yard box before rolling the ball past Green.
The Spaniard's goal tally now reads 24 in 33 matches - 12 of them coming from his last 11 games.
Gerrard capped the win two minutes later, blasting home the fourth goal with a blistering drive from outside the box, as Liverpool eased back above Everton in the table.
