Liverpool travel to West Ham on Sunday in desperate search of three Premier League points, and the game’s 2.05pm kickoff time is somewhat of a peculiar one.
After only one win from the last seven Premier League games, the pressure is on Arne Slot to turn Liverpool’s fortunes around against 17th-placed West Ham.
Sunday’s match kicks off at 2.05pm (GMT), a slight delay on the usual 2pm start time, and this is also the case for another two league fixtures on the same day.
Why West Ham vs. Liverpool kicks off at 2.05pm
The rather unusual kick-off time was announced when fixture details were released in September, with many quick to notice the five-minute delay.
This is essentially due to broadcast reasons, accommodating Sunday’s games across TNT Sports and Sky Sports.
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, December 29, 2024: Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister (L) and West Ham United's Vladimír Coufal during the FA Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Liverpool FC at the London Stadium. Liverpool won 5-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Crystal Palace host Man United at 12pm (GMT), live on TNT Sports in the UK, and the best-case scenario is that it concludes at around 1.45pm, enough time for fans to switch over.
If there is a lengthy delay to the early kickoff, the five-minute buffer seeks to allow an extra segment of advertising or pre-match build-up for those switching to Sky Sports’ coverage.
Sky are also showing Aston Villa vs. Wolves and Nottingham Forest vs. Brighton live at 2.05pm, alongside their coverage of Liverpool’s trip to West Ham.
It’s a minor tweak to the schedule to maximise viewership across multiple games, perhaps not as exciting as you may have thought!
How to watch West Ham vs. Liverpool
West Ham vs. Liverpool is being shown live on Sky Sports Main Event in the UK, which is available to live stream here.
Live audio commentary of West Ham vs. Liverpool and a full match replay and highlights will also be available on All Red Video here.