Liverpool v West Brom: Premier League – Live! | Football

44 min Robertson beats Robinson cleanly and hits another dangerous cross that is kicked by O’Shea.

43 min Salah heads an Alexander-Arnold cross over the bar. Liverpool have not really threatened in the last 20 minutes.

40 min “Is Curtis Jones (19) 99% unattainable for the best team on planet Earth?” Paul Quigley wonders.

At the risk of Grinching, he wouldn’t go that far. It’s pretty impressive, but if Liverpool were to play Bayern in the Champions League final tomorrow and Thiago was fit, I don’t think Jones would start. I’d say he’s still the fifth option central midfielder, although Fabinho’s transfer makes him the fourth option for the rest of this season.

39 min West Brom breaks two on three, but Diangana’s pass to Grant is terrible. Alisson goes out to clear.

38 min West Brom has done quite well on defense, even if the game has been almost comically one-sided. His plan, as Jamie Carragher points out on Sky Sports, is to keep it at 1-0 for as long as possible and expect human nature to kick in in the final 15 minutes.

36 min “Say ah!” says Matt Dony. “I actually wrote ‘male’ (24 minutes), then removed it because I was worried about looking like one of the (many) wrenches BTL complaining about it …”

35 min “I feel very passionately that Andy Robertson is the Player of the Season so far,” says Pete Tomlin. “I cannot think of a more consistent player in the Premier League and he has also led Scotland to the European Championship. It would be great to see a winger win an award this season. Do you agree?”

Yes. I think it’s wonderful. The understandable focus on his downright terrifying intensity sometimes obscures the precision of his crossovers and cuts. He’s the perfect winger, Jordi Alba with a healthy infusion of Julian Dicks.

34 min Robertson’s free throw goes far to Salah, who throws a half volley over the bar from 20 yards. He was hit sweetly, but Johnstone had him covered.

33 min A rare attack from West Brom ends with a long-range volley from Sawyers.

32 min Furlong has had a very good game as a right back. He also scored a belter in Newcastle recently. If this were 1995, and by heaven I wish it were, I would be a prime candidate for ‘The Boy is Kinda Special’ on FourFourTwo.

31 min “Hi Rob,” says Mike. “A belated Merry Christmas and happier and healthier days to all the wishes for 2021. Could we see Liverpool work their way to a passing record in a Premier League match today? How about the time we spend in the middle of the field? “

I wouldn’t be surprised one iota.

30 minutes Alexander-Arnold throws the free kick well.

29 min Jones is fouled by Furlong 22 yards from goal. Henderson, Alexander-Arnold and Salah are everywhere.

28 min Firmino’s long-range shot is deflected back for a corner. Robertson’s corner walk away

and the breakup of West Brom
.

24 min “Yes,” says Matt Dony. “Mane has a ridiculous ability to instantly make room away from the defender. That is what definitely makes him the fifth best footballer in the world. “

The fifth best male footballer, Matthew.

23 min Another Alexander-Arnold driven center is left behind by Furlong, who again did well to get in front of Mane.

21 min Henderson’s center is finished head-on by the hunched-over Mane, who appears to be on top of her game.

20 minutes Alexander-Arnold enters the box and throws a left foot that is blocked by O’Shea. Liverpool’s dominance is on the verge of illegal.

19 min Alexander-Arnold’s driven crusade swerves and flies through the six-yard box, right in front of the stretching Mane. Furlong did well to put his body in front of Mane.

18 min Salah surprisingly misses Robertson’s corner kick, 10 meters from goal.

18 min Robertson’s cross bounces off Salah and nearly fell back for Mane. Furlong leaves him behind for a corner.

16 min This is brutally one-sided. West Brom could become the first team in history to have a negative possession percentage.

14 min That’s twice, today and for his goal at Crystal Palace, that Mane has controlled a difficult ball and beat the defender in one move. Almost every other footballer on the planet would have needed two touches.

Sadio Mane gives Liverpool the lead with a high-class finish. Matip threw a flat pass to the edge of this area. He took it wonderfully on his chest, away from Ajayi, and hit the ball past Johnstone on the half volley. Precious goal.

And it’s good night from West Brom.

11 min Mane makes a nice reverse pass to the relentless Robertson, who throws himself into the box and connects a cross that is blocked. Andy Robertson is an incredible footballer; I was unpleasantly surprised at how low it was on the Guardian 100.

10 minutes Furlong’s long shot is headed in by Ajayi’s pressure. West Brom should threaten from set pieces when he gets the chance.

9 min West Brom wins a goal kick. Sam Johnstone pulls out a copy of War and Peace, flips through a few pages, and then kicks the ball downfield. I don’t blame him, I would do the same.

8 min In a surprising development, Liverpool are completely dominant. West Brom would take a 2-0 loss right now, and I’d probably be thanking him.

6 min Robertson throws another dangerous ball in the face, this time right in front of the stretching Fabinho.

6 min West Brom almost played with four centers: Gibbs and Furlong are very close. So far they have done well.

4 min West Brom’s lineup is essentially 4-5-1, with Callum Robinson and Diangana on the wings.

3 min Robertson throws a dangerous ball across the six-yard box. Salah retrieves it and finds Henderson, whose splintered cross is pushed away by Ajayi.

2 minutes I’m surprised that Jurgen Klopp left with his strongest team available, given the impending match congestion. But he is the best coach in the world and I am not, so we must not judge him too harshly.

1 minute Peep! West Brom starts from left to right and wins a throw-in.

Liverpool is still in tier 2, so there are 2,000 fans at Anfield. They greet the arrival of the Liverpool team with a heartfelt chant of “Champions”.

Liverpool (4-3-3) Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Fabinho, Robertson; Jones, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane.
Substitutes: Kelleher, R Williams, Phillips, N Williams, Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Shaqiri, Minamino, Origi.

West Brom (4-5-1) Johnstone; Furlong, Ajayi, O’Shea, Gibbs; Robinson, Phillips, Sawyers, Gallagher, Diangana; Grant.
Substitutes: Button, Ivanovic, Peltier, Grosicki, Harper, Krovinovic, Edwards, Pereira, Austin.

Referee Kevin Friend.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion from Anfield. Liverpool have had a good Christmas season so far and haven’t played any games. Yesterday’s draw between Leicester and Manchester United was the perfect result for Liverpool, and means that they will be five points clear at the top if they win today. Now about that exciting title race that we were promised …

A Liverpool win seems like a formality against a West Brom team that is struggling to survive, although the presence of Sam Allardyce could cause one of two headaches for Liverpool supporters. He was the last manager to win a Premier League match at Anfield, with Crystal Palace in April 2017, and drew 1-1 with Everton on his last visit later that year. Everton had 21 percent possession that day.

Can Liverpool’s bejowled bogeyman do it again? Probably not. But it will be hilarious if you do.

Kick off 4.30 p.m.