Fab Four’s reunion so out of tune
PARDEW FRUSTRATES KOP
SHOOT! Move! No matter how much the home fans screeched, it didn’t make a difference. Here was another of those games that are driving Jurgen Klopp to distraction.
After all the suffering he endured at the hands of Everton three days earlier, when the neighbours battened down the hatches, Liverwith pool’s manager took drastic action and let his ‘Fab Four’ of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino loose against West Bromwich.
It made no difference. For all the possession, for all the huffing and puffing, once again Liverpool came across a blue and white house they could not blow down and two more points were frittered away.
Not even a grandstand finish, when substitute Dominic Solanke had a goal disallowed for handball and a a shot kicked off the line, ruffled the composure of a West Brom team who were supremely organised by Alan Pardew and worked relentlessly to get a draw.
Klopp made six changes to the side who drew 1-1 against Everton, taking his tally for the domestic campaign to 65, but the one that was most anticipated — a break for Salah — did not materialise.
While it was not quite as contrary as the time Rafa Benitez picked 99 consecutive different Liverpool teams then named an unchanged side for the 100th match, it was a little incongruous to see Salah, Mane, Firmino and Coutinho line up for duty on a seemingly mundane night such as this.
West Brom arrived here winless since August 22, so why select this particular quartet now when Klopp felt they were not needed for the showdown Chelsea at Anfield or the Merseyside derby?
Whatever his thinking, it did not have a galvanising effect on the team or the crowd. The atmosphere was flat and impatient.
Pardew set up his team to frustrate, to break up the contest and play it on West Brom’s terms. They took their time at every free kick and defended stubbornly.
The onus, as was the case against Everton, was for Liverpool to be creative and in the 17th minute they nearly found a way through when Salah guided a pinpoint cross through a forest of legs to Firmino. The Brazilian, however, pulled his shot wide of the advancing Ben Foster.
But that was as good as it got for Liverpool before the break. They saw lots of the ball, moved it from one side of the pitch to the other, but never at pace to disrupt West Brom. Too many, most notably Mane, were short of the required standard.
It gave West Brom a sense that they may be able to pilfer something and in the 30th minute, a shot from Hal Robson-Kanu caused great alarm when it dipped over Loris Karius but clipped the top of the crossbar.
It made Anfield tetchier. There was a telling exchange not long after when The Kop growled at Karius to release the ball quicker but he turned around, scowled and urged them to be patient.
Patience, though, is in short supply here. Liverpool needed to start the second half with tempo, purpose and clarity, but, if anything, they were even less assured than before.
All West Brom needed to do was exploit one set piece. Pardew thought that was about to happen in the 50th minute but, twice, his team were denied by Karius. The first was when an inswinging free kick from Grzegorz Krychowiak caught everyone by surprise and forced the German keeper to backpedal furiously to tip the ball over the bar. From James McClean’s corner, Jonny Evans tested him with a bullet header but again Karius stood firm.
Pardew spun on his heels to indicate another chance might not arrive. Liverpool, he anticipated, would not continue to be so bad and in the 57th minute they should have found a breakthrough, only for Salah to head wide from a glorious Trent Alexander-Arnold cross.
Liverpool continued to press but just when they thought they had salvation, a brilliant spot by referee Paul Tierney ensured Solanke did not get the breakthrough. LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): ) Karius 7; Alexander-Arnold 7.5, Lovren 6, Klavan 6, Robertson 6.5; Wijnaldum 6 (OxladeChamberlain 76min), Can 6, Coutinho 6; Salah 7, Firmino 7, Mane 6 (Solanke 76). Subs not used: Mignolet, Milner, Gomez, Henderson, Ings. Booked: Can. Manager: Jurgen Klopp 6. WEST BROMWICH ALBION (4-5-1): Foster 7; Nyom 7, Hegazi 7, EVANS 8, Gibbs 7; McClean 6.5, Livermore 6.5, Yacob 7, Krychowiak 7.5 (Brunt 79), Robson-Kanu 6.5 (Rodriguez 71, 6); Rondon 6. Subs not used: Myhill, Burke, McAuley, Field, Ferguson. Booked: None. Manager: Alan Pardew. 7 Referee: Paul Tierney 7. Attendance: 53,243.