London, January 31:

Liverpool increased West Ham’s relegation worries with a 2-1 win in the English Premier League on Tuesday.

Dirk Kuyt and Peter Crouch scored at Upton Park to move to 49 points — eight points behind league leader Manchester United and two points back from Chelsea. West Ham stayed in 17th place with 20 points.

Kuyt took a cross from Peter Crouch and sent the ball in off the crossbar in the 46th minute for the Dutchman’s 10th goal of the season. Crouch made it 2-0 in the 53rd with a long-range strike into the top corner.

Blanco Kepa pulled back a goal for West Ham on his club debut in the 77th.

Kepa joined West Ham on loan from Spanish club Sevilla last week.

Also on Tuesday, it was: Reading 3, Wigan 2; Sheffield United 2, Fulham 0; and Portsmouth 0, Middlesbrough 0.

Reading rallied to its win over Wigan. Former England forward Emile Heskey had beaten the offside trap to score the opener for Wigan in the third minute past Reading goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann.

Reading levelled in the 31st with a header from Ivar Ingimarsson, and Shane Long headed the home side into the lead in the 51st. Leroy Lita scored Reading’s third goal in the 88th minute. Denny Landzaat scored Wigan’s second goal in the 90th.

Sheffield United took the lead in the 23rd minute, with Jonathan Stead scoring his first goal since joining the club from League Championship side Sunderland this month. Michael Tonge made it 2-0 five minutes later with his first Premier League goal. Tonge scored from six meters and past Fulham goalkeeper Antti Niemi, who was playing his first match since falling on his head against Watford on January 1.

Middlesbrough extended its unbeaten streak to seven games in all competitions, but still hasn’t beaten Portsmouth in the Premier League in eight attempts.