After the very bland prime time game against Manchester United, there was some fear seeing the way West Bromwich Albion set up. They started putting numbers behind the ball after the opening minutes of the match and nightmares of the previous 0-0 draw began surfacing.
Fortunately, West Brom aren't United. Tony Pulis is not Jose Mourinho. So, the Reds were able to take advantage reasonably early.
Liverpool had been building up the attack with little success, looking for crosses into the overcrowded middle. Then they struck in the 20th minute. Emre Can drove up the middle on the dribble before laying it off to Coutinho. The talented Brazilian then lofted a fantastic cross to the back post.
Sadio Mane was right there. All he had to do was finish it off, which was no small task. Mane waited for the ball to float over the defender, kept an eye on it as it did and then struck it cleanly into the back of the net.
It wouldn't be long before the Reds were rewarded again. This time it would come off a West Brom miscue.
A bad backpass to the goalkeeper was not cleanly handled. The ball was bouncing and Ben Foster just popped it up into the air only about 35 yards downfield.
Liverpool barely took any touches. Mane took a few dribbles and handed it over to Coutinho. He then charged into the box and handed two defenders their jock straps after blasting the ball just past the near post in the 35th minute.
The second half was fairly bland for a good 15 minutes. It almost seemed as though both sides were fine with the scoreline as it was.
Then, Liverpool got a free kick in a dangerous area in the 58th minute. Lovren got a great flick onto the ball off the cross and thought he was assured of a goal. Unfortunately, Foster came out of nowhere to swat the ball away from the upper 90 and deny the Reds their third goal of the game.
West Brom's best chance came in the 70th minute. After a scuffle in front of goal before a corner kick, the Baggies finally got their first shot. Nacer Chadli had a little space in the area and tried a scoop shot that ultimately went over the target.
Then the Baggies actually struck out of nowhere. Again off a corner kick, the Reds surrendered a goal off a set piece. Loris Karius stayed on his line and the ball bounced around in front of him. Just as he lunged toward it, it was toe poked past him by Gareth McAuley, making the score 2-1.
In the end, Liverpool would hang on by that score. The Reds looked a little lost after that goal conceded, but a win is a win at this point. The victory puts Liverpool top of the table with Arsenal tied on points, but down by goal difference.
It's a short turnaround now as the Reds face the Spurs in the league Cup on Tuesday. If we see the first half Liverpool show up in that game, they should be fine.
Random Thoughts:
- Clearly the team is better without Daniel Sturridge right now. It's kind of a sad fact since he used to be the first name written in pen, but now the style seems to fit better with Adam Lallana in midfield behind a top three of Coutinho, Firmino and Mane.
- I'd still like to know what Karius is chosen over Mignolet. Personally, I don't prefer one or the other but I have yet to see the new keeper do anything that justifies the switch.
- It's to the point now where you can almost sense goals coming off set pieces. Liverpool got the win, which is great, but to think they could be alone at the top of the table had they not conceded is a bit disappointing.
- Liverpool will have to be without their captain in the midweek game. Jordan Henderson's yellow card will see him banned for a game. It will be interesting to see who gets placed in his spot. We can at least hope that Georginio Wijnaldum is healthy since he came in the second half.
Walk On
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