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LIVERPOOL: Liverpool’s hopes of opening a menacing five-point lead at the top of the Premier League were improbably dashed when West Bromwich Albion pulled off a 1-1 draw at Anfield to leave manager Juergen Klopp scowling on Sunday (December 27) .
With Sadio Mane’s first goal, Klopp’s side looked to be heading for their eighth consecutive home win, but a late header from Semi Ajayi left Liverpool frustrated.
Not that the weekend’s weirdest result caused Klopp a sleepless night, even though it left them with just a three-point lead over Everton’s neighbors.
With Leicester City and Manchester United sharing the spoils on Saturday, Tottenham Hotspur had a chance to move to third place on Sunday but conceded a late goal in a 1-1 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Liverpool leads the standings with 32 points from 15 games, with Everton with 29, Leicester with 28 and United with 27.
Tottenham have 26 points alongside Manchester City.
Leeds United beat Burnley 1-0 on Sunday on an early penalty from Patrick Bamford, while Brighton and Hove Albion led West Ham United twice but had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Tomas Soucek scoring late for the hosts .
The hectic Christmas program continues on Monday and the highlight is Everton’s home clash with Manchester City.
Klopp criticized West Brom’s defensive approach at Anfield, but what soured the flavor of his Christmas was the way his team threw down two points by failing to kill the game.
“The problem I have is that I think West Brom deserved the point, it’s our fault, but they deserved a point in the second half,” Klopp admitted.
“We do not live in the land of dreams and we only win football matches because we want to win them: we have to work for it and we have to play for it and we have to end situations and we have to go through at the right times.”
Klopp’s mood was not helped by a groin injury to central defender Joel Matip, one of his few options with Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez absent long-term.
“It’s a huge concern, but it’s not a new concern,” said former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports insider Jamie Carragher, saying Klopp must sign a defender in January.
While West Brom remains in serious trouble, having only managed eight points from 15 games, the result will give fans some hope that new coach Sam Allardyce, who has never experienced relegation with 11 previous clubs, can inspire a great escape.
José Mourinho’s Tottenham have now gone four games without winning the Premier League and once again their defensive tactics came under scrutiny against Wolves.
Tottenham got off to a perfect start when Tanguy Ndomeble hit home plate after 57 seconds, but they spent most of the game absorbing pressure from the Wolves.
He failed to shoot on target from minute 21 onwards. The Wolves were rewarded for their relentless attack when defender Romain Saiss launched a header from a corner in the 86th minute.
The Wolves nearly snatched all three points when Fabio Silva headed a glorious opportunity straight to Hugo Lloris.
“A point against the Wolves would not normally be a bad result because they are a strong opponent,” Mourinho said.
“But scoring in the first minute and having 89 minutes to score more, there is a feeling of frustration. We didn’t have that ambition or desire to go for more.”
