Liverpool lost ground on leaders Chelsea as they were held to a 2-2 draw by struggling West Ham United at Anfield.

The Reds started brightly and led after only five minutes as West Ham's recent defensive fragility came to the fore again.

Slick passing opened the way for Sadio Mane to play Adam Lallana through the middle and the Liverpool man was given all the time he could have wanted to control, turn and fire into the corner.

Under-pressure visiting manager Slaven Bilic urged his players to respond quickly -- and within three minutes Michail Antonio found space to fire in an angled effort that was tipped over by Loris Karius.

With 13 minutes on the clock, Mane was again behind a threatening Liverpool move, finding Roberto Firmino who saw his effort deflected over the top.

And another fine attack, this time involving the overlapping James Milner, was only halted by an excellent clearing header from Winston Reid.

Jurgen Klopp's side were in almost complete control -- but they were stunned after 28 minutes when, after a foul by Lallana on Pedro Obiang had given West Ham a free-kick 25 yards out, Dimitri Payet curled the ball past Karius, who got a touch but was unable to keep it out.

It appeared the goalkeeper could have done better and the goal unsettled Liverpool, whose earlier attacking momentum deserted them in the aftermath.

Firmino shot wide after 37 minutes as Liverpool looked to regain the ascendancy -- but they were rocked again two minutes later as the Londoners took a shock lead.

A pass through the middle took a deflection off Jordan Henderson and fell perfectly for Antonio as Joel Matip struggled to react, with the forward's prodded finish having just enough on it to roll over the line.

Liverpool felt they should have had a penalty in first-half injury time when Lallana went down in the area, and they came within a whisker of levelling from the resulting corner when a Matip header crashed back off the bar before a free-kick was given for a foul.

Ragnar Klavan came on for Dejan Lovren at the break, and within two minutes of the restart Liverpool were level as Mane's cross was flapped at by Darren Randolph and Divock Origi stabbed home to make it 2-2.

Within moments, more fine work inside the area by Mane gave Georginio Wijnaldum a shooting chance that he sent just wide of the post with Randolph struggling to get there.

The home side were dominating and Mane set up Origi for another shot that was deflected away before West Ham had their first half-chance of the second period when Andre Ayew met a Payet cross but was unable to get a proper connection.

Firmino's low ball in from the right was deflected behind as a host of attackers waited in the middle with the hour mark approaching, and then Wijnaldum shot wide.

With West Ham struggling to escape from their own half, ex-Liverpool striker Andy Carroll entered the fray to replace Ayew -- but the Hammers were soon on the back foot again as Milner found Origi but his cross was too close to the keeper.

Randolph made up for his earlier error with a stunning 70th-minute stop from Jordan Henderson's curling strike, and as Klopp's side continued to launch waves of attacks West Ham took off Manuel Lanzini and brought on Edmilson Fernandes to shore up their defence.

As time began to tick away, Nathaniel Clyne blazed over the bar after another neat move involving Lallana, and Milner's fierce drive from the edge of the area was blocked.

Karius made a strong punch as Carroll closed in on a long cross as the Hammers mounted a late attack, and the visitors held on for a valuable point despite some late Liverpool flurries.