The reaction to Jürgen Klopp’s rotation may have differed – “this time you can’t blame me for it, or maybe you will,” he said – but there were unmistakable echoes of the Merseyside derby in Liverpool’s stalemate with West Bromwich Albion. Frustration was chief among them on the night Albion set an unwanted club record of 16 games without a win while climbing out of the relegation zone.
For the second time in four days Liverpool were held at home by a well-drilled defensive unit and Klopp confronted a referee on the final whistle. His team had been on the wrong end of a crucial call once again, with Dominic Solanke having a late goal disallowed for handball, although the Liverpool manager confirmed he approached the referee, Paul Tierney, to complain about the amount of injury time as well as to discuss the substitute’s 82nd-minute effort. Dejan Lovren penalty outrage it was not.
Solanke thought he had scored his first Liverpool goal when Joe Gomez’s low cross deflected off Ahmed Hegazi, struck him on the chest and then a raised arm en route to Ben Foster’s goal. Tierney and his assistant decreed otherwise, and rightly so. Alan Pardew’s side rode their luck on occasion but worked tirelessly and defended expertly for a point on the night they set the longest winless streak in the club’s 139-year history.
“I looked along the line and the assistant didn’t move, which usually says something is amiss,” the Baggies new manager said. “After it has hit Ahmed, Solanke has swung an arm, it’s hit him and gone in. It is a brave call for an assistant referee to make that in front of the Kop; the right decision but still a brave decision. Maybe it was the slice of luck we deserved.”
Klopp claimed the ball had struck Solanke’s chest but was unsure about the arm. The Liverpool manager said: “I’ve seen a few replays, there’s an arm, but I’m not sure he touches the ball. I’m not sure. I’m sure it’s not on purpose. It must be a really good assistant that made the decision. He will be happy if there was a hand involved. That’s another moment where we had no luck.”
A Solanke shot that was cleared off the line by Hegazi moments later was another although, to use Klopp’s words, this was a “stiff” and “static” Liverpool performance. Their “rotated four” – Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, Emre Can and Georginio Wijnaldum – were back in the starting line-up after being benched against Everton. The rest did not inspire an urgent or incisive display and Klopp spent much of the first half imploring his front two, Firmino and Mohamed Salah, to switch places more frequently to break an Albion defence marshalled superbly by Jonny Evans. Alongside him Hegazi was also commanding.
Salah pierced Pardew’s back-line with an exquisite diagonal ball across the Albion penalty area towards Firmino. Allan Nyom’s failure to intercept offered the Brazilian a clear sight of goal but his first-time shot sailed beyond both Foster and the far post. That was as close as Liverpool came to breaking the deadlock before half-time. Salah was a foot away from connecting with an inviting cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold that sailed behind Hegazi, his international team-mate, and Coutinho shot straight at Foster from distance.
Otherwise Liverpool’s attacking play lacked its usual urgency and rhythm with Sadio Mané struggling to get involved. Albion, though reverting to a back six at times, did not sit deep for the entirety of the contest and struck the bar when Hal Robson-Kanu curled a 25-yard effort over Loris Karius, deputising for Simon Mignolet, who suffered a swollen ankle against Everton.
The visitors were also a threat from Grzegorz Krychowiak’s set-pieces. Claudio Yacob forced Karius to save well with a glancing header from a corner by the impressive Poland midfielder – “he showed his international class,” said Pardew – and Hegazi should have done better with another delivery to the back post.
Thereafter it was back to absorbing Liverpool pressure for Albion. Klopp’s team built up ominous momentum in the second half but the all-important breakthrough eluded them. Their manager was more resigned than incandescent this time.
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