Right then: that, I’m afraid, is us. But what a ludicrous afternoon we’ve had – there really is nothing remotely like football. What would we do without it?
Jurgen Klopp can’t stop grinning and says the game was Liverpool’s season in a nutshell – a lot of good stuff, but having to work like crazy to get something. He’s happy with how his team kept the head and kept playing football as time ticked on, creating their better chances in the final five minutes. As for Alisson’s header, “insane” is his verdict, and that’s fair enough. He praises West Brom for their professionalism and how they fought, then goes back to Alisson, with whom he is really close. “It’s only football but it means the world to us,” he says, speaking for millions of people the world over, and is now focused on the next game. “Full of desire but calm” is the approach he’s after as it was today, and is sure it’ll be as hard a game at Burnley on Wednesday.
And here’s Peter Lansley’s match report.
“Is Alisson the first player to score a Premier League goal in trackie Bs?” wonders my colleague Niall McVeigh on Twitter. I’d guess that he is.
Ah, man. Football. There really is nothing else to say.
Sky reckon that’s the first goal scored by a Liverpool keeper – suddenly, their pre-92 archive is working.
We’ve also got Everton-Sheffield United for you - follow that one here, with John Brewin.
He goes on to say he tried to be in a good position, no defender came with him, and he got a good look at the flight. The only explanation is God, he reckons – “he put his hand on my head” – and he thanks everyone, not just Liverpool who’s given him support and says without it he couldn’t have got through his father’s tragic death. He namechecks a few clubs, then his wife and kids who give him energy, and notes that people are the earthly operation of the divine, or something like that.
I can’t overstate what a brilliant header that was, flicked hard with the flight inside the far post. He tells Sky that he’s too emotional this last month because of everything that’s happened with him and his family; “football is my life,” he says, and wishes that his dad was there to see it but hopes he’s looking down. He says his team fight hard and they fought hard today; they won the Champions League previously, and everything starts with qualification. Before going up, he looked over and no one waved him up, but Johnny Achterberg, the goalkeeping coach, was definitive; “one of the best goals I scored,” he concludes of the only goal he ever scored. “You can’t explain; this is football.”
“I still think Karius should be first choice,” emails Paul Griffin. I agree. The way he was discarded for proving he wasn’t good enough was callous in the extreme.
Elsewhere, the women’s Champions League final kicks off at 8pm BST. Join Rob Smyth for the build-up.
What on earth?!
Oh, and credit to West Brom, who played really well today. But for the fact that they scored fewer goals than Liverpool did, they deserved their point, and will be fuming about the foul that preceded the equaliser and the offside that prevented them from going ahead. I’d say the first was unlucky but the second was fair enough; something tells me that Not-insubstantial Samuel will see things differently.
Credit to whoever made the call to send Alisson forward. Obviously it made sense because a point wasn’t much use to Liverpool, but not every team would’ve done that.
Alisson is in tears as he leaves the pitch – he’s had a rough old season. But his Liverpool team now have Burnley away and Palace home to save theirs; they’ll have to play better than they did today, but they’ll be absolutely bouncing and I’d not back against them.
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Full-time: West Bromwich Albion 1-2 Liverpool
Glorious, wonderful, expletive football!
90+6 min That’s a monstrous header, it really is. West Brom will be gutted it was a free one, but the delivery and connection were perfect. If Liverpool win their final two games, they’ll almost definitely make the top four.
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OH MY ABSOLUTE COMPLETE AND UTTER DAYS! GOAL! West Bromwich Albion 1-2 Liverpool (Alisson 90+5)
OH MY GOD! The corner is a good one, clipped near post, and Alisson is up alone, flicking powerfully into the far corner! What a hit of prime, uncut Barclays!
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90+4 min Mane again forces his way down the left and his low cross is blocked behind. This is it, and Alisson comes up....
90+3 min Jamie Carragher gives Thiago man of the match which I guess is fair – he’s been the best player on the pitch. But the most important player on the pitch has been Bartley – without him, Liverpool win this by a couple.
90+2 min Here it comes, and when the header drops to Shaqiri, just outside the box, he knocks off a lovely disguised pass to Wijnaldum, in space on the right of it. He might shoot or try to manufacture an angle, but instead he takes the easy option, knocking back to Thiago, whose shot is blocked by Bartley.
90 min There’ll be four added minutes, and at the end of the first, Mane wins a corner down the left. Liverpool’s season might just be here....
90 min But here come Liverpool again, Shaqiri knocking square for Wijnaldum, just outside the box and with a clear shooting lane! But he can’t quite get his shooting foot perpendicular to his standing foot, so you can see in advance that his curler will fly wide.
89 min It’s just not happening for Liverpool, who’re scrolling through all the old options but not getting very far. Most recently, Alexander-Arnold snaps a cross to the far post, but gets too much on it for Mane at the back post.
88 min I meant to say, just a few minutes ago Klopp sent Wijnaldum on for Williams.
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87 min Liverpool have created little in the way of chances this half, but Firmino, who’s coming deeper and deeper – as Madonna once sung – moves the ball on to Thiago, who flings his whole self into a shot that’s deflected by Townsend and shovelled around the post by Johnstone. The corner comes to nothing.
86 min Mane, Shaqiri and Robertson prompt around the left corner of the West Brom box, the latter poking a pass that’s deflected behind for a corner; again, Bartley is there to head clear.
85 min That said, Alexander-Arnold has played well today. I’ve no idea what Gareth Southgate will do, but we know Kyle Walker will be one of his right-backs; it makes no sense not to give yourself a game-changing option with the other.
83 min But here’s the chance! Firmino comes deep and punches a lovely ball out to Alexander-Arnold, who immediately ducks inside, sending Phillips out for a kebab. But just when a winner looks inevitable he panics, leaning back and swiping over the top when he had time to pick his spot.
83 min West Brom have done a much better job of relieving pressure this half, while Liverpool have lacked a bit of width and a bit of invention.
82 min Allardyce sends on Grant for Robson-Kanu, who’s had a decent afternoon.
81 min Shaqiri sticks a pass towards the line and Firmino catches up with it, but he can’t get enough arse around the ball to cut it back to where his mates are, and West Brom clear.
79 min Shaqiri knocks off to Thiago, who has a look, waves a foot over the ball, and makes an angle for a shot which flies wide of the far post.
78 min Here come West Brom down the right, someone – Furlong I think - finding Robson-Kanu. But his first touch takes him wider than he’d like, and Alisson rushes out to smother.
77 min “And, as someone once said, if you’re not interfering with play you shouldn’t be on the pitch,” notes Richard Hirst.
Is that Cloughie? The problem with the law is that it’s unclear, so defenders don’t know whether they can play offside. I think that the game is attacking enough now so that offside can just mean offside
76 min Fabinho clumps a long pass over the top for Robertson, who arcs a low cross that looks dead set for Mane ... until Ajayi slides in out of nowhere, diverting the ball wide – though for a second it looks like he’s found the corner.
75 min Another change for West Brom, England’s Jake Livermore replacing Yokuslu.
74 min Thiago, who’s had a quieter second half, lofts a lovely cross-kick towards the line for Alexander-Arnold, who stretches it into the middle. But though Townsend misjudges the situation, Bartley - who’s had a superb game – is there to tidy up.
73 min Maitland-Niles replaces Diangana, or in other words Allardyce wants his point.
71 min Well! A terrific corner from Gallagher is won in the air by Ajayi, who heads down; Bartley forces it home, but the flag goes up because, in the middle of the goalmouth, Phillips was right in front of Alisson. It’s a trick one, that – according to the laws, it could go either way, but the way I see it, if you’re that close to goal you’re interfering, so I think the officials have got that one right.
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69 min Liverpool are pinning West Brom back now, but the home side are doing better at finding their out-ball, and good work from Pereira then Gallagher down the left sees Phillips, down the right, win another corner.
69 min “Can West Brom hang on for the rest of the match?” wonders Mary Waltz. “Probably not. But wouldn’t Big Sam love to kick one of the big boys on his way down. I can see him post match downing a pint and barking ‘Gaangghaaam Press my arse’.”
*pint of wine
68 min Mane finds Firmino, who drills a low shot which flies behind off Ajayi.
67 min Salah helps a ball out to Mane, but again West Brom get men between man and goal, Bartley making the challenge.
65 min Pereira comes in off the left and oozes past Alexander-Arnold, forcing Shaqiri to knock behind. The corner is poor and Alisson claims, but West Brom are getting regular opportunities to put balls into the box and will back themselves to find a decent one eventually.
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63 min Salah is playing through the middle now, sort of, and Shaqiri is around there too. I guess if Alexander-Arnold can be relied upon for width, it makes sense, as West Brom are crowding Liverpool out inside their box.
62 min West Brom have improved since the break and take a corner short, Gallagher lofting a decent ball to the back stick. But Williams does brilliantly to get up before Bartley at cost of another corner, which comes to nothing.
61 min If we’re looking at potential outgoings and replacements, then honestly, the best replacement for Mane I can see (and a player that Klopp would absolutely love) is a certain M Rashford,” advises Matt Dony. “I admit, it’s a reasonably unlikely move.”
Goodness me, that would finish me off.
59 min Klopp sends Shaqiri on for Jones, which makes sense – Thiago is being given so much time on the ball, another carrier isn’t as important as another potential scorer.
57 min But the delivery is poor and suddenly 629 Liverpool players tear forward on the counter, Jones carrying the ball forward and slipping Salah in. Johnstone, though, does really well to narrow the angle - are you watching Dean Henderson? – and the shot is deposited directly into his midriff before the flag goes up.
57 min Nice from West Brom, Diangana attacking the space in behind Alexander-Arnold and found by Phillips; he crosses and other Phillips knocks behind for a corner.
56 min On the touchline, Shaqiri and his hair are preparing to come on.
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55 min Mane has come onto a game here, and he takes a short pass off Jones – who’s been quiet – before dashing off along the diagonal. He looks up finds Salah, but Townsend does really well to stand his ground and make the tackle.
53 min “I doubt that FSG is planning to take money out of Liverpool in a cash-flow sense,” says Luke Jones. “According to the Forbes list, the value of the club has gone up a few billion dollars in recent years. There’s a good chance that splashing on big signings could return big value for the club overall.”
I’m not sure. I expect the pandemic has changed whatever their plans were, though I agree that if they sold the club now, they’d make absolute bank. Either way, they didn’t buy the club for the love of it, and they are their priority, not it.
51 min Pereira counters for West Brom, motoring from right to centre. He has men back over that side but with defenders between him and them, he should go at Phillips. Instead, though, he shoots from 20 yards, Phillips gets a touch, and Alisson saves easily.
49 min Thaigo knocks a speculative ball in behind after which Alexander-Arnold chases, doing brilliantly to hook over a cross. Bartley gets the first touch, but it ends up with Salah outside the box, who chips into the middle for Mane to finish ... but up goes the flag.
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47 min But on that final point, I’d be surprised if Liverpool have the money it’d take to get Bellingham.
46 min “Van Dijk’s value to Liverpool was, together with Alisson, far more psychological than anything else,” says Rick Harris. “Two seasons ago they lost the title to City by a point having matched them the whole campaign and then won the Champions League, and then the World Club Cup thingy. Then they absolutely stormed the league last season while City collapsed and lost 9 games. Liverpool have had a similar collapse this season, but I reckon they will come storming back next time round. Jude Bellingam is the player they need to go out and buy and let Wijnaldum go.”
I agree to a point – Alisson is loads about confidence, because most of his crucial saves have been right at him but his defenders know he’s not going to drop them in it. Van Dijk is a bit different – his recovery pace means they can squeeze and his long passing gets them up the pitch. But yes, his presence – rather like that of Dias at City who isn’t as good a player – keeps those around him focused.
46 min We go again; huge half for Liverpool coming up.
“Thiago’s influence is growing,” reckons Stephen Carr, “and he’s avoiding the obvious and anticipated pass to Alexander-Arnold more often than not. WBA probably didn’t account for that.”
Yeah he’s playing really well, though he’s being allowed to. Perhaps Allardyce will stick Robson-Kanu on him like he did with Kevin Davies on Makelele – he needs to do something to disrupt Liverpool, because they’re getting into the final third far too easily at the moment.
Watching the Liverpool goal again, it came from a free-kick they were awarded in centrefield which didn’t look like very much at all. But West Brom had plenty of time and scope to defend the situation, which they failed to do.
“I suspect as ever under FSG players will need to be sold to help finance new acquisitions,” emails Chris Healy. “Especially after the financial hit the club has taken over the last year due to a certain pandemic.
Keita has never got going, Oxlade-Chamberlain is another injury-prone player and Origi just doesn’t offer enough of a challenge to the established forwards. Shaqiri is another fringe player and Wilson is unlikely to be in contention for the first team. They’re all possible contenders to be sold if buyers could be found. It will be interesting to see how Harvey Elliott fits into Klopp’s plans for next year. Will he step up to the first team squad or is another loan deal more likely?
No doubt the scouts will have been busy identifying targets, but I don’t see wholesale changes. FSG would no doubt be looking to cash in on Mané and Salah as they’re now both around 30 years old, but how many top clubs across Europe can afford them?”
Yes, agree with all of that. FSG know about running a sports franchise, but that’s very different to running a Premier League football team, and they want to take money out not put money in. They’ll get a few quid for the players you mention, but longer-term, finding Mane and Salah-level quality for the price they paid is a monstrous ask.
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“Why would Liverpool need a proper centre-back in the summer?” asks Noel Figueiredo. “They would have Van Dijk, Gomez, Matip, Kabak, Nat, Rhys. All very competent.”
Van Dijk is 29 and coming back from a serious injury, so there’s no guarantee at all that he’ll be what he was; Gomez and Matip are injured a lot; Kabak was a stop-gap; Williams and Phillips are miles off. I might be wrong, obviously.
OK, it seems that email situation was a situation, so let’s do some emails through the break...
Half-time: West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Liverpool
That was an enjoyable half featuring two lovely goals. It’s hard to see Liverpool not finding another couple, but their defence offers West Brom hope.
45+5 min And just as I type that, Jürgen Klopp rages on the touchline when he gives a free-kick against Mane, so we’re warming up.
45+4 min It’s been a quiet start to the game from Lil Mikey Dean, but I’d expect him to come on strong in the second half, clutch specialist that he is.
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45+2 min Bartley gets a bang to the phizog but his team have a free-kick, 25 yards out and just right of centre. Phillips and Pereira fancy it but the former runs away, the latter curling over wall and bar.
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45 min There’ll be three added minutes.
45 min I should note that Salah’s goal takes him back level with Kane at the top of the Premier League scoring charts - both have 23 now.
44 min “Love that clip of Robson’s goal,” emails Tom Levesley, “and even happier to say I was there. What a team that was. Agree with your Robson Kanu mash up too. Only shame about HKR starting is it prevented half the sub’s bench being double-barrelled. At this stage of the season I might even trade that for his goal.”
Great stuff. I’m a bit young to remember them, but Robson was my first footbaling hero and still the best midfielder I’ve ever seen.
43 min My email was entered incorrectly above, so please send any thoughts to daniel.harris.casual@theguardian.com.
42 min Mane, who’s had a good 20 minutes, shifts inside onto his right foot and has a shy, forcing Bartley to hurl his head at it. It probably wasn’t going in but he wasn’t to know and does well to concede a corner - which comes tp nowt.
40 min These last few minutes have been a bit better for West Brom, but Liverpool have started passing again and I’d not be a bit surprised if they managed a second before half-time – Thiago is bossing this, and sooner or later someone will find a killer pass.
38 min “Combining players,” says Robbie Borowczyk. “I’d be quite keen to see what would happen if you tried to combine Pogba and Souness in the same body. Nuclear fusion?”
Goodness me. A solar-powered dinosaur?
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36 min But back come West Brom, Phillips and Williams picturing themselves on a boat on river, with tangerine trees and marmalade skies, while Robson-Kaun bursts – to the extent that Robson-Kanu can burst – through at inside-right. He shapes to finish as he did for his goal, but a slightly heavy touch reduces the angle and allows Alexander-Arnold to come back at him, deflecting his shot behind for a corner which comes to nowt.
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35 min Eeesh! West Brom need to be careful here, otherwise this game will run away from them. Again, it’s Mane carrying the ball, and when his backheel cannons Yokuslu, the ball drops to Firmino in front of goal! He should score, he looks like he has scored ... but his punched shot clatters the bar!
GOAL! West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Liverpool (Salah 33)
Mane burrows towards the box, loses the ball, then when Bartley hesitates he pokes it back to Salah, 22 yards out and just right of centre. With imperceptible backlift and unfathomable expertise, he swishes a low, early finish into the far corner. Brilliant goal from a brilliant player.
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31 min Thiago is being afforded a lot of space here – perhaps, given he’s not a killer-ball merchant, that’s part of Allardyce’s gameplan. And he picks another pass to Alexander-Arnold, who sways inside then outside, picking feet over the ball before sweeping a shot over the bar.
30 min I can’t see any way West Brom can survive this kind of pressure. Liverpool haven’t made many proper chances, but it still feels like a goal is imminent.
28 min West Brom are struggling to get out – they can’t find Robson-Kanu, picked, in part to be their out-ball. And when another hump is picked up by Alexander-Arnold, still on the left after taking the corner, he swerves a luscious pass over towards Salah on the far side of the box. But the angle is tight, and he can only poke back to Johnstone.
26 min Yep, Liverpool are pushing and win a free-kick 25 yards out, left of centre; Alexander-Arnold will fancy this one and no mistake. But his effort flicks off the wall and behind, for a corner which comes to nowt.
24 min Liverpool knock it about as West Brom sit off, but this is more like it from the ex-champs, Thiago and Alexander-Arnold combining to find to Fabinho who turns a fine pass around the corner, which Thiago squares for Mane to sweep around the near post ... just. In fairness, Johnstone probably had that one covered, but that was a loely move.
22 min The more I watch Liverpool, the more of a strange signing Thiago seems. I know he was brilliant and cheap, but it’s a lot like when Man United signed Verón – another lovely player, but a number 6 when they needed a number 10 whose style wasn’t a natural fit.
21 min I don’t think we’ve seen Mane at all yet – Liverpool’s play has been almost uniformly focused down the right.
20 min Liverpool, though, won’t be fazed – after 20 minutes at Old Trafford, they might have been more than a goal down. But United ran out of puff around that point and couldn’t match Liverpool’s tempo; can they find something similar here?
18 min Allardyce has clearly identified Liverpool’s line as a weakness. It works when you’ve got Van Dijk behind a hyperactive midfield, but when there’s no pressure on the ball and not the same presence, authority or recovery pace, it’s a very different thing.
16 min I’m not sure I can think of two footballers I’d rather see combined than Bryan Robson and Nwankwo Kanu.
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GOAL! West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Liverpool (Robson-Kanu 15)
This is a lovely finish, the ball bouncing about in midfield and attracting Williams to it as Pereira turns around the corner into space ...and Robson-Kanu is through! He takes a touch – a lovely touch, caressing on his laces while opening his body, then coaxes a nerveless finish into the far corner. Superbly done.
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15 min This has been pretty even so far. West Brom are having a go, and Liverpool have yet to get going.
14 min Philips goes down the right and slings over a cross, which Alisson comes to collect unchallenged.
12 min West Brom win another free-kick, this time between touchline and penalty box, and the delivery is poor ... but then Pereira helps the ball across the face of goal ... where no one can quite manage to administer the finish. After which the flag goes up for offside.
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11 min In commentary, Martin Tyler mentions a backheel scored by Bryan Robson against Liverpool. Here it is, with great commentary to boot.
“A ridiculous goal ... have a bit of that ... Clemence does not see the funny side at all!” A young Bryan Robson scores a backheel for West Brom against Liverpool. pic.twitter.com/irgc3px0Eu
— United Rewind (@unitedrewind) December 1, 2020
10 min West Brom win a free-kick a long old way from goal – it’s not that far from halfway – and send the lummoxes forward, but Pereira’s delivery is poor and misses out all of them.
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9 min Jones and Fabinho combine in midfield before the ball goes wide to Salah; he comes inside, then floats a nondescript piece of kick directly into Johnstone’s arms.
7 min Liverpool concede a throw deep inside their own half, but Furlong’s attempt at a Dave Chllinor special is easily repelled. Liverpool then counter with Alexander-Arnold, but on the touchline by himself, he can’t pick a pass to keep the passage going.
6 min Salah forages down the right and wins a corner, which again finds Phillips; this time, he can’t get enough on it and the ball skids across his forehead and wide.
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5 min A decent ball out to the right, from Yokuslu I think, sees Phillips look for Robson-Kanu with a low cross, but Phillips is there to clear. Yes, both sides have a Philips; I’m a Matsui man myself.
3 min Phillips misjudges Thiago’s long diag to Robertson and when he puts the ball into the middle West Brom struggle to get it away, eventually conceding a corner then another. Again, it’s partially cleared, and Alexander-Arnold comes inside on his left foot to fling over a cross ... which Phillips heads over the bar.
1 min Well they start on the front foot, getting on the ball deep inside the Liverpool half before Robson-Kanu, making his first Premier League start in three years, strays offside.
1 min West Brom start with five players on the halfway line down the right, punt the ball towards them, and get nowhere. Now what?
The players take a knee. All black lives matter.
The players are tunnelled, Liverpool in their little tracky tops. Here they come...
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Sam Allardyce is still vexed his team have gone down but says that today, they need to get on the ball in the Liverpool half and play with confidence.
Looking back, the meeting between these sides earlier in the season marked the end of things for Liverpool. After a dodgy start to the season, they were somehow still top of the league and had just won 7-0 at Palace. But Semi Ajayi’s late equaliser kicked-off that dreadful home run, and now look.
Elsewhere: what an absolute disgrace this is. When the Glazers bought Man United they binned off the women’s team as non part of their core business. When they eventually brought it back, they appointed the brilliant Casey Stoney as manager but failed to provide training or matchday facilities that were even in Manchester, and now look. Fit and proper, apparently.
Casey Stoney MBE stands alone on the centre of the Leigh Sports Village pitch for the last time 😞#MUFC #LeicesterCityFC #FACup pic.twitter.com/SLvMDiYSJ0
— Helen (@helenfootball) May 16, 2021
On Mane, I must admit that I’d always considered him a better player than Salah. But this season, when things have gone badly, it’s Salah who’s turned up and prevented them from getting even worse. What a player.
It’s absolutely caning down in West Bromwich. Good day to be in the Vine, one of England’s great football pubs.
Klopp tells Sky that his team knew it’d always come down to the final few games, but despite Jota’s injury he’s really looking forward to the challenge. He expects West Brom to be fresh and thinks their lie-up is slightly more offensive than usual, so he’s excited. Finally, he adds that Mané apologised to him for his Thursday night behaviour, and that’s the end of things.
So what do Liverpool have to do to get top four? Well, if they win their final three games, because Chelsea and Leicester meet again in midweek, that will be enough unless Chelsea win that and win their last game, while Leicester beat Spurs by what would necessarily need to be a big margin. Curently Leicester’s goal difference is better by one, but a defeat for them added to three Liverpool wins would leave them with a lot of work to do.
Spurs have beaten Wolves 2-0 and remain in the mix for a Europa League spot. Rob Smyth has all the reaction.
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I guess the thing with Liverpool is whether these players can find the consistency that made them champions of Europe and England. Klopp has the ability to turn good players into world beaters, but that might not be sustainable over a succession of seasons – all the more so given Van Dijk will need to come back as good as before, not a certainty following a cruciate injury at 29. On the other hand, they know what it takes to win, and have enough goals in the team to be a threat.
I wonder what Jürgen Klopp’s priority will be for the summer. I’m sure he’ll want a proper centre-back – which will give him a roster of approximately 69 – but he needs something else to keep things ticking over. I’m not sure he’ll be allowed an attacker unless he lets one leave, and I’m not sure he’ll want to do that, but perhaps he’ll replace Wijnaldum if he goes. Liverpool have been on an incredible run of signings these last few years, but whether that means they’re likely to nail the next ones or that it’s impossible to sustain such success remains to be seen.
Elsewhere, Spurs lead Wolves 2-0. Follow the staggering denouement with Rob Smyth.
On this day in 1987, we were treated to one of the greatest cup final goals in one of the greatest cup finals. Read about that here:
As for Liverpool, Jota is injured so misses out with his place going to Mané – apparently he’s apologised for airing Klopp at the end of the United game. Otherwise, Williams replaces Rhys Williams at centre-back and Curtis Jones, who did well off the bench, is in for Wijnaldum. Back to next season - if that’s not a paradox – assuming Wijnaldum leaves but even if he doesn’t, it’ll be interesting to see whether Jones can insert himself into the first XI on a regular. He has that priceless ability to carry the ball through central areas, but needs to find way of getting more involved because when you play in there, never mind when you play in there for Klopp, you can’t allow games to pass you by.
West Brom makes two changes from their defeat against Arsenal, Robson-Kanu and Diangana coming in for Diagne and Robinson. I’m looking forward to watching Matheus Pereira, who I’m sure will have options in the summer and who I’m equally sure will be targeting the space in behind Alexander-Arnold – if his team can get him the ball.
Teams!
West Bromwich Albion (a visionary 4-4-1-1): Johnstone; Furlong, Bartley, Ajayi, Townsend; Diangana, Yokuslu, Phillips, Pereira; Gallagher; Robson-Kanu. Subs: Button, Robinson, Livermore, Diagne, Peltier, O’Shea, Grant, Maitland-Niles, Gardner-Hickman.
Liverpool (an elemental 4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Phillips, Williams, Robertson; Thiago, Fabinho, Jones; Salah, Firmino, Mane. Subs: Adrian, Wijnaldum, Tsimikas, Shaqiri, Origi, Woodburn, Clarkson, Williams, Koumetio.
Star of the show: Mike Dean(Wirral)
Preamble
Next season is going to be an absolute jazzer. Which seems a weird thing to write when this one hasn’t yet finished, but that was my overriding feeling watching Liverpool beat Manchester United on Thursday night, then again watching the cup final yesterday – and in one way or another, next season is what both of today’s teams are playing for.
If I’m running West Brom, I’m doing absolutely everything I can to retain the services of Not-insubstantial Samuel who, for all the obvious reservations, remains very good at what he does. It’s not been enough to keep his team up, but it’s been more than enough to earn him the chance to bring them back up, and I’d be shocked if his players didn’t think it too.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are looking like a team again, hanging in there at Old Trafford before imposing a directness and intensity either side of half-time that won them a valuable victory. Obviously the ultimate goal is to qualify for next season’s Champions League, but either way they showed there’s life left in this team, which is why next season could be so good. Though Manchester City will take some catching, Manchester United and Chelsea are getting there, while Liverpool won’t suffer the series of misfortunes that have befallen them over the last bit. Add to that the return of fans, and we could be looking at something very serious indeed.
Kick-off: 4.30pm BST
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