Liverpool played hosts to West Bromwich Albion at Anfield earlier this evening looking to pick up maximum points and stretch their lead at the top of the Premier League table. The Reds made a dominant start to the game and took the lead in the 12th minute courtesy of Sadio Mane’s goal. The Merseyside outfit completely dominated the first 45 minutes but couldn’t add to their goal tally as they went into the half-time break with a narrow one-goal lead.
The Baggies came out a different team in the second half and caught the Liverpool players off-guard with their fast counterattacks. They finally managed to find the back of the net courtesy of Semi Ajayi’s headed goal. The contest ended with the Merseyside giants being held to a lacklustre 1-1 draw in front of the Kop.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the match against the Baggies.
GK: Alisson Becker – 7/10
The Brazilian keeper made some solid stops in the second half, but it wasn’t enough for him to secure the clean sheet.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6/10
The English full-back was mostly untroubled inside his half and went close to scoring with a couple of well-taken freekicks from long range. Otherwise, he struggled to deliver the telling ball in the final third.
CB: Joel Matip – 7/10
The Liverpool centre-back controlled the game well from the back and did well to pick up an assist for setting up Sadio Mane’s goal. However, he had to go off with an injury in the second half.
CB: Fabinho – 7/10
The Brazilian centre-back dealt with mostly everything that came his way but won’t be happy after conceding a late goal.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 7/10
The Scottish full-back was full of energy in the first half as he made some driving runs to the byline. He also whipped in some inviting crosses into the opponent’s penalty box. However, Robertson showed signs of fatigue and lost his concentration at times towards the latter stages of the game.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 6/10
The Liverpool captain kept the ball moving with ease, but his final ball often let him down, especially in the second half.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 6/10
The Dutch international had a lot of touches in the opposition half but struggled to create any meaningful chances in the attacking third.
CM: Curtis Jones – 5/10
Jones saw a lot of the ball but failed to curve open the Baggies defence during this time on the field. It was also his loose pass that led to Rhys Williams conceding a corner from which Ajayi scored the equaliser to rescue a point for his team.
RW: Mohamed Salah – 5/10
The Egyptian winger got plenty of opportunities to run at the West Brom defenders but often chose to play the safer pass. His performance in the second half left a lot to be desired.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 7.5/10
The Brazilian striker was always looking to drop deep and create chances for his teammates. He had a good first half and went close to netting a winner with his header but was denied by an excellent stop from Sam Johnstone.
LW: Sadio Mane – 8/10
The Senegalese winger opened the goal-scoring with a sublime first-touch and a powerful finish. He was a constant menace for the West Brom defenders but didn’t get too many clear-cut chances to find the back of the net in the second half.
Substitutes:
CB: Rhys Williams – 5/10
Williams gave away a needless corner from which West Brom scored the equaliser in the 82nd minute. It was a learning experience for him.
CM: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – N/A
He showed a lot of enthusiasm to get on the ball but had very little time to make an impact.
ST: Divock Origi – N/A
The Belgian striker was the last throw of the dice from Klopp.
