West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has explained the thinking behind his decision to hand Alex Song a start against Liverpool this evening.

The Hammers host Brendan Rodgers's side, and Song, who arrived from Barcelona in the transfer window, is named amongst the starting XI for his debut.

"Not that we didn't respect Hull City, but with Liverpool being such an attacking force, we need a little bit more stability in front of the back four," he told Sky Sports News.

"Alex has got both, not only is he a creative player, he's also very accomplished at what he needs to do to protect the defence, so maybe that can nullify their attacking threat this evening."

You can catch live commentary of the game here.