INJURED GERRARD OUT FOR SIX WEEKS

LIVERPOOL fear Steven Gerrard
could be out for up to six weeks
with a hamstring injury.

The Liverpool and England captain
pulled up sharply after he attempted a shot at goal during Liverpool's 4-1 win against West Ham and immediately indicated that he needed to be substituted.
Gerrard is expected to have a scan on Monday to discover the extent of the damage but the worst-case scenario is that he will be on the sidelines until the end of next month.

That will be a devastating blow for
manager Brendan Rogers, who is
already without key striker Daniel
Sturridge for the most demanding
stage of the season. Gerrard will miss the key trips to Tottenham, Manchester City and Chelsea and could be absent for as many as seven matches.

This is in contrast to an inviting
fixture list which has seen Liverpool
punish the teams they would expect to beat at Anfield, the latest being this dismissal of the Hammers. But a question remains: are they flat- track bullies or a team with genuine substance? Before 2013 draws to a close, the answer will become clear.

With Luis Suarez playing as he is,
anything is possible. Gerrarrd’s injury adds to Liverpool’s woes, with Daniel Sturridg ealready
on the casualty list.

'They are going to be tough but we
will concentrate on the first one at
Tottenham,' said Glen Johnson,
Liverpool's right back. 'It (a title
challenge) is always in the back of
your mind but the only thing we can do is get as many three points as we can.
"If we are doing that, everything will take care of itself. But of course we are good enough to be up there, definitely. Any team would miss Stevie. But we have a good squad and if we can start scoring a few more away from home, it will blend in nicely with what we are doing at Anfield."