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A late equaliser from defender Semi Ajayi earned West Bromwich Albion a precious point against Liverpool as the 2020-21 Premier League leaders were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Sam Allardyce’s men.
Liverpool, who had dominated possession in the first half, had taken the lead as early as the 12th minute. Sadio Mane took down Joel Matip’s pass expertly on his chest before rifling a first-time finish past Sam Johnstone in the West Brom goal.
However, a dogged defensive performance typical of a well-drilled Allardyce side saw West Brom restrict the Reds’ efforts on goal, with the visitors going into the break trailing by just a solitary goal.
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West Brom emerged in the second half with much more attacking intent, making forward forays with increasing regularity and asking difficult questions of the Liverpool backline. Their efforts to get back into the game finally paid off in the 82nd minute when Ajayi rose highest to head home Matheus Pereira’s probing cross.
The home side were sparked into action after conceding the equaliser and were close to retaking the lead in the 89th minute when a Roberto Firmino header was thwarted by a fantastic diving save from Johnstone.
West Brom eventually held on to earn a deserved share of the spoils, thus becoming the first team not to leave Anfield empty-handed this season.
Even though the Baggies remain five points from safety, they will no doubt take heart from the draw while Liverpool extend their lead at the top of the table to three points.
On that note, here are the five major talking points from Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with West Brom at Anfield.
#1 ‘Big Sam’ is already starting to work his magic at West Brom
Over the years, Sam Allardyce has crafted himself a reputation as a manager who can successfully keep sides in the Premier League after taking over mid-season, having done so four times already prior to replacing Slaven Bilic this season.
A visit to Liverpool might be daunting to most managers these days. However, Allardyce has good memories of Anfield, enjoying the distinction of being the last visiting manager to win a league game at the ground amidst an unbeaten four-game run.
The Baggies sat extremely deep in the first half, sometimes even playing as a back six, allowing the home side to enjoy a staggering 82% possession. Such was the Reds’ dominance that Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson alone made more passes in the first half than the entire West Brom side put together.
However, having restricted the league leaders’ scoring to just one in the first half, West Brom attacked in the second half with renewed vigour. The visitors were helped by an injury to Joel Matip in the Liverpool defence before pulling level in the 82nd minute.
Although his spell at West Brom did not get off to the best of starts after suffering a defeat against Aston Villa in his first game in charge, Allardyce’s methods already seem to be bringing about positive results.
#2 Liverpool's injury crisis in defence deepens
With both Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, defensive mainstays for most of last season’s title-winning campaign for the Reds, out with long-term injuries, it has fallen on Fabinho and Joel Matip to hold the Liverpool fort at the back this season.
To their credit, Liverpool’s makeshift centre-back pairing has exceeded expectations with their performances while being helped out by youngsters Rhys Williams and Nathaniel Phillips on occasion.
Thus the Liverpool faithful would have been extremely disheartened to see Matip go down injured in this game; the experienced defender seemingly experienced trouble in the groin region before being replaced by Williams just after the hour mark.
With West Brom already making more of an effort to get back into the contest in the second half, Matip’s injury seemed to give them the boost they needed to double their efforts for which they were rewarded with a late equaliser.
The Reds will now be hoping that Matip’s injury isn’t a serious one, and that they will see him back on the pitch sooner rather than later, as their defensive options start to run thin.
#3 Liverpool and many other Premier League clubs could have a fairly busy January transfer window
The end of December always brings around not just a flurry of Premier League football but also growing anticipation, as the January transfer window draws ever closer.
This year, even with the COVID-19 pandemic bringing football to a halt and the finances of virtually every club around the world subsequently taking a hit, there wasn’t much of a dip in transfer activity in the summer, especially in the Premier League.
Additionally, with the way that the current season has panned out, there are several English teams that would be looking to dip into the transfer market come January, with West Brom and Liverpool being two such clubs, albeit for different reasons.
The Baggies became the first club to part ways with their manager, appointing Sam Allardyce, to help them stay up this season. They would no doubt be looking to pick up an experienced head here and there to help Big Sam in this endeavour.
On the other hand, while Liverpool have one of the most exciting squads in the game, injuries to some of their key central defenders might see them in the market for a replacement for long-term absentees Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez.
Other teams at opposing ends of the table might also be looking to make additions to their squads to make a push for a European berth or secure their top-flight status for the next season.
As a result, January might see Premier League clubs become fairly active in the transfer market, as there seems to be a lot to play for, given how the season has panned out thus far.
#4 Home support could be Liverpool’s X-factor this season
Despite seeing their perfect home record this season come to an end, Liverpool remain unbeaten in the league at Anfield since April 2017.
While Liverpool's sensational home form is largely down to their incredible performances peppered with some strokes of luck, another factor that sets them apart this season is their ability to welcome fans into Anfield.
With COVID-19 having forced a lot of football to be played behind closed doors this year, the current situation sees Liverpool and near neighbours Everton as the only two sides in the English top flight who have the luxury of having fans in attendance for home games.
Even though there is an upper limit of 2,000 when it comes to fans in the stands, being cheered on by home fans while opponents play in empty stadiums could well play a huge part in Liverpool extending their unbeaten home run to the end of this season and beyond.
#5 The Premier League title race this season could be very close
While Liverpool’s title charge last season was nothing short of sensational, there was little for the neutral fan to enjoy in terms of a close title race, as the Reds virtually had the trophy sewn up in January.
Given the obvious gulf in class between Liverpool and the rest of the chasing pack last season, the Reds were widely expected to repeat their title heroics this season as none of their Premier League opponents seemed to have done much during the off-season to close the gap.
However, a 7-2 humbling at the hands of Aston Villa, combined with draws against Everton, Manchester City, Fulham and Brighton indicates that this season’s Liverpool might not be the runaway juggernaut that we saw last season.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are unbeaten in the league in the 11 games they have played following the heavy defeat at Villa Park. Liverpool are still three points clear at the top of the table, but they have shown signs that they can be got at.
However, Liverpool still remain favourites to retain their Premier League title, and simply expecting them to keep dropping points is by no means a viable title-winning strategy. That means that the onus still falls on one or more of the chasing pack to step up and mount a serious title challenge.
