Liverpool Deserve Better, but Settle for a Point Against West Brom

Liverpool came in waves.  They looked like scoring early in the game, pushing so many numbers forward at the West Brom defense.  However they were unable to connect on the final ball that would've put them ahead.  West Brom came back for a few moments and while they didn't truly create a scoring chance, they did enough to at least threaten.  After gaining their composure, the Reds charged forward again and were rewarded.

After several close calls and missed passes, the Reds finally hit on all cylinders for a goal in the 21st minute.  Coutinho, who was very good all half with the exception of his finishing, sent in a great cross to the far side of the box.  Jordan Henderson finished off a header from Lallana that saw the captain in a bit of space in the area where all he had to do was get a good foot on it.  Henderson did just that and put his team up by a goal.  Sadly, for as good as Liverpool looked in attack, the lead did not last all that long.

Whether under Brendan Rodgers or Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool have struggled on set pieces including corner kicks.  Just such a play was where they were made to pay.  Simon Mignolet came after the ball but missed on a wild, swinging punch.  Despite the bevy of red shirts in the box, the follow-up shot found it's way through and Liverpool shockingly found themselves level.  Even removing the sting of the goalkeeping mistake, it was a punch to the throat for Liverpool and their fans because West Brom really hadn't done enough to deserve to be on level footing.

Almost rubbing salt in the wound, West Brom looked like they had gone up by a goal on the stroke of halftime.  Liverpool looked clueless on the set piece once again.  They allowed three, if not four, attackers to get in behind them.  Despite the fact that it was correctly ruled offside in the end, did not alleviate the fact the Reds appeared to be rooted into the field when the ball was struck.  It was a rather disappointing way to end a fairly positive 45 minutes of play but only being level seemed much better as well.

The second half played out very similarly to the first.  Liverpool came out with good energy and possession.  Again, they looked more than capable of scoring within the first five to 10 minutes.  Benteke barely missed a goal from a header in the 51st minute that would have really put a strangle on the momentum.  The same could be said of Dejan Lovren's chance only minutes later.  It was deflected out for a corner, but was just begging to be taken and claim the game for Liverpool.

Much the same way as the first half went, though, West Brom found themselves poaching something from the clutches of nothing.  Again, coming off a set piece corner, Liverpool just looked lost and allowed Olsson to knick one in after his tally was wiped off the board with the offside call at the break.  Similarly to the first half, it wasn't just disappointing to see the ball hit the back of the net but to also see it come from nothing.  Liverpool were in charge of the match only to see it slip from there fingers, if only momentarily.

The Reds seemed to gain confidence on the pitch after a nasty injury to Lovren.  Lallana had an opportunity to score in the 80th minute that was smartly saved, but should have been finished off as well.  Benteke butchered a head ball chance a minute later.  In the end though, luck favored Liverpool - at least in the grand sense.

Liverpool avoided disaster when Rondon mucked up a glorious chance in the 88th minute, spraying a shot wide when all he had was Mignolet to worry about.  Moments later Henderson smashed an opportunity right at the goalkeeper and Jordan Ibe blasted one just wide after that.  But then Liverpool were favored by fortune in the 97th.  Origi, who came on puzzlingly for the injured Lovren, took advantage of the advantage given by the official.  His shot was deflected off a defender into the back of the net and gained Liverpool the point they deserved.

While Liverpool probably should have gotten all three points, they deserved the one.  The old adage says sometimes it is better to be lucky than good and that was true on this night.  It was a mixture of relief, due to Liverpool almost losing to both Newcastle and West Brom, and the feeling of getting what was owed.  Liverpool can't rely on that luck every match, but they'll take it for this one.

Random Thoughts:
- Overall, Adam Lallana had a pretty decent game.  I still wonder what he has over the heads of Liverpool's managers.  Whether Rodgers or Klopp, they continue to use Lallana in a starting role when he seems to do little on the field to deserve it.  Granted, we are not there for daily training but it just doesn't seem like he produces enough to have that spot.

- Mignolet deserves some blame for the first West Brom goal, but not nearly the amount he will be given.  I admit I am biased, being a keeper that also struggled on corner kicks, but people do not realize how difficult a skill it is to rightly judge the flight of a ball and connect with it when there are so many bodies in the box.  There is constant chatter to get a new keeper, but Mingolet is one of the best pure shot stoppers around.  Unless they can get someone who is a 100% upgrade, it would be foolish to seek out someone who is simply a little bit better at handling corner kicks.

- I am still a supporter of Brendan Rodgers, but those are the kind of games his teams would probably have lost.  Jurgen Klopp has definitely instilled a huge amount of belief and energy in this LFC squad.

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