Good evening! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for tonight's Premier League clash between Liverpool and
West Bromwich Albion at Anfield!
Results yesterday saw both clubs suffer notable slips down the table, with Liverpool dropping out of the top four and West Brom sinking into the relegation zone, but they have a chance to respond today in this midweek Premier League fixture.
We will have a closer look at both clubs a little later, but first let's check out the team news...
LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Karius; Alexander-Arnold, Klavan, Lovren, Robertson; Wijnaldum, Can, Coutinho; Salah, Firmino, Mane
LIVERPOOL SUBS: Mignolet, Milner, Gomez, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ings, Solanke
WEST BROM STARTING XI: Foster; Nyom, Hegazi, Evans, Gibbs; Livermore, Yacob, Krychowiak; McClean, Rondon, Robson-Kanu
WEST BROM SUBS: Myhill, Brunt, Burke, Rodriguez, McAuley, Field, Ferguson
What can we make of those two teams, then?
Well, there is really only one place to start and that is with Liverpool's attackers as the front four are all present for the hosts tonight. Klopp received some flak for the controversial decision to rest Coutinho and Firmino for the match against Everton at the weekend, and there were reports that he would continue his rotation this afternoon with Salah perhaps missing out, but the Brazilian duo, Salah and Mane are all involved from the off here.
Bad news for the Baggies!
Coutinho has been directly involved in 12 goals in his last 11 Premier League games for Liverpool, scoring seven and assisting five in that time, but the real star of the show so far this season has been Mohamed Salah.
The winger's stunning strike against Everton in Sunday's derby was his 19th of the season from just 24 games in all competitions, already equalling his Roma tally for 2016-17 which took him 41 matches to reach. It is more goals than any Liverpool player has managed in a season since Luis Suarez left the club, and also more than any other Premier League player this season.
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Salah has scored 13 goals in his last 12 games for Liverpool and, fresh from being named the African Footballer of the Year, he will be looking to continue that remarkable form this evening.
West Brom cannot afford to focus solely on the Egyptian, though, with Firmino and Mane both capable of hurting the visitors as well. The last time all four played together Liverpool beat Spartak Moscow 7-0, so this will be a huge test for West Brom tonight.
Before tonight Klopp had made 59 changes to his starting lineup this season - 20 more than any other club in the Premier League and behind only Manchester United's class of 2002 for most at this stage of a season in Premier League history.
The German makes a further six changes tonight too, including a surprise start for Loris Karius in goal ahead of Mignolet. Alexander-Arnold replaces Gomez at right-back, while Georginio Wijnaldum and Emre Can also return to the side in place of Oxlade-Chamberlain and captain Milner.
As for West Brom,
Jurgen Klopp suggested in the build-up to this match that he didn't expect the Baggies to go with three strikers like they did against Swansea, but the teamsheet suggests that
Alan Pardew will stick with the 4-3-3 formation.
Jay Rodriguez does drop out of the side to be replaced by the more defensively-minded James McClean, but Salomon Rondon and Hal Robson-Kanu retain their places in a lineup slightly more attacking than we were expecting to see from the visitors.
Of course, it may well be the case that McClean and Robson-Kanu are pinned back into their own half for much of the match, leaving Rondon as the focal point, but that is a role the striker is used to playing and he has the strength to hold the ball up and relieve some of the inevitable pressure that his side will face.
Aside from Rodriguez making way there is just one other change for West Brom tonight, with Krychowiak replacing youngster Sam Field in the side.
As you might expected, it is a defensively-minded midfield Pardew has gone for tonight, with Livermore, Yacob and Krychowiak all more than capable of screening the back line to good effect.
Livermore and Krychowiak do have the ability to make a difference going forward too, but in the absence of the injured Gareth Barry their main task this evening will be to keep the likes of Coutinho, Can and Wijnaldum quiet in the middle of the park.
There are no changes at the back for West Brom tonight, with Dawson still unavailable due to a knee injury. Dawson is back in training for the Baggies now, but this will be the eighth consecutive game he will miss as Nyom continues on the right side of the defence.
Hegazi, Evans and Gibbs make up that back four, while Chris Brunt - who starts on the bench tonight - could become the first player to make 250 Premier League appearances for West Brom tonight.
Liverpool will certainly go into this match as the heavy favourites to come away with all three points, even if they are coming off the back of a frustrating Merseyside derby at the weekend - a game which West Brom will surely look to learn from.
The Reds utterly dominated Everton from the very first whistle at Anfield, enjoying 79% possession throughout the match and peppering the Everton goal with 23 shots. Only one of those went in, though, and their wastefulness was punished in the final 15 minutes when Wayne Rooney rescued a smash-and-grab point.
Defensive errors which highlight a failure to kill games off has been a feature of Liverpool's season, with opposing teams always believing that they still have a chance against the Reds - even at 3-0 down as Sevilla discovered in the Champions League.
Even if Liverpool have been made to pay for missing some chances, though, it is impossible to argue with their goalscoring statistics this season, with 63 from their 25 competitive outings so far making for their highest tally at this stage of a campaign since 1986-87.
Manchester City are the only Premier League club to have scored more than Liverpool across all competitions and, while their defence has rightly been criticised on more than one occasion this season, their record at the back on home soil is actually very good.
Only three of the 20 Premier League goals they have conceded this season have come here at Anfield, making up just 15%, although they have also scored fewer in front of their own fans (14 at home, 20 away).
Wayne Rooney's penalty at the weekend was only the second goal Liverpool have conceded in their last seven home games across all competitions, and one of those was a freak goal by Willian in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
The Reds have kept five clean sheets in those last seven home games, compared to only two clean sheets away from home all season, so there is no doubt that they are a lot more defensively sound in front of their own fans.
Even so, draws have been an issue here at Anfield in the Premier League, with Liverpool being forced to share the spoils in half of their home games so far this season.
The Reds are one of only two teams yet to lose a home league game this term, but both Manchester club, Arsenal and Burnley have all picked up more points in front of their own fans so Liverpool still have some catching up to do in that regard.
Speaking of Burnley, the Clarets' 1-0 win over Stoke City last night saw Sean Dyche's side incredibly climb into the top four of the table, knocking Liverpool out of the Champions League places in the process.
Victory tonight would be enough for the Reds to restore their place in the top four, but a second consecutive slip-up in a match which they are expected to win could see them finish the night as low as seventh, with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur both also in action tonight.
Despite the frustrating nature of that draw with Everton, Liverpool do still come into this match in good form. The Reds have won seven and lost none of their last 10 matches in all competitions, taking 17 points from the last 21 on offer in the Premier League.
Klopp's side are also unbeaten at home so far this season - indeed stretching all the way back to April - although six of those 14 matches have ended all square.
West Brom are the only team to have drawn more matches than Liverpool in the Premier League this season, and you'd have to think that
alan Pardew would be delighted with another point this evening.
Such a result would be something of a bittersweet moment, though, as it would also see the Baggies set an unwanted club record of 16 consecutive matches without a win in all competitions. Their current tally of 15 equals a run they went on in 1995-96, but never before in their 139-year history have they had to wait 16 games for a victory.
You have to go back to August for West Brom's last win, when things looked a lot brighter for the Baggies. Then under Tony Pulis, West Brom won their opening two games of the season, but it has all been downhill since then.
West Brom are 14 league games without a win - unsurprisingly the longest ongoing run in the division - losing half of those to leave themselves with their lowest points haul at this stage of a season since 2008-09.
The Baggies went on to finish bottom of the table in that 2008-09 campaign, and the way things are going right now you wouldn't bet against them occupying the same spot at the end of this season too.
Crystal Palace's dramatic late comeback against Watford last night was enough to plunge West Brom into the relegation zone, now one point from safety. A surprise win for the Baggies could lift them as high as 15th, but defeat could see them slump to the bottom of the table depending on the West Ham and Swansea results.
The big worry for Alan Pardew is that he had a very kind couple of fixtures to get his reign off to a positive start, only to pick up just one point from games against Crystal Palace and Swansea City - both of whom were bottom of the table when they faced West Brom.
The going gets much tougher now, with Liverpool and Manchester United to come in their next two before a trip to Stoke City and home matches against Everton and Arsenal take them through to the New Year.
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Indeed, not only are West Brom still looking for their first win under Pardew, but they are also looking for their first goal under the new boss too having drawn blanks in the matches against Palace and Swansea.
Goalscoring has been a major problem for West Brom all season, with only Swansea scoring fewer in the top flight this term and seven of their ongoing 14-match winless streak seeing the Baggies fail to score.
Only Crystal Palace and Huddersfield have scored fewer goals away from home in the league this season too, and their form on the road is an issue which Pardew simply must improve if he is to keep West Brom in the division.
The Baggies' August victory at Burnley is their only Premier League away win of 2017 so far, picking up just nine points from a possible 51 in that time. Their hopes of improving that run at Anfield look to be slim tonight.
Liverpool have developed an unwanted reputation for letting leads slip so far this season, dropping eight points from winning positions, but the Baggies have been even more guilty of that with 10 points dropped from winning positions in the Premier League this term - second only to Newcastle.
It has often come late on in games too, with West Brom conceding seven times in the final 16 minutes of matches already this season, which has cost them 12 points. Had they not thrown all of those points away then West Brom would be sitting in eighth place right now.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Anfield, which means that it is time for a prediction!
Liverpool may have thrown two points away here on Sunday but I cannot see the same happening again tonight, particularly with their 'Fab Four' all playing. West Brom don't concede many, but they score even fewer and their dreadful away form cannot be ignored. I'm going for a comfortable home win!
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Liverpool 2-0 West Brom
Liverpool are unbeaten in their last eight Premier League meetings with West Brom, although they have only won half of those with the Baggies holding on for a draw in the other half.
West Brom had won three in a row against Liverpool before that run, though, and over the slightly more extended recent history the record between these two sides is surprisingly even. Liverpool won all of their first nine Premier League games against West Brom, but they have won five, drawn four and lost four of the subsequent 13.
West Brom have also netted at least once on each of their past six league visits to Anfield, scoring eight goals in that time despite losing half of those matches.
That represents a major improvement on the goal front at Anfield, having taken 22 games to score their previous eight goals at the famous stadium, failing to find the back of the net 14 times during that spell.
Liverpool won both meetings between these two sides last season, the most recent of which came at The Hawthorns in April when Roberto Firmino scored the only goal of the game right on the stroke of half time.
The corresponding fixture at Anfield saw Mane and Coutinho score in the first half, before Gareth McAuley pulled one back nine minutes from time to prevent Liverpool from going top of the table on goal difference.
Right, the players are out and we're almost ready to get going on Merseyside! Before we do, let's have a quick reminder of the team news...
LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Karius; Alexander-Arnold, Klavan, Lovren, Robertson; Wijnaldum, Can, Coutinho; Salah, Firmino, Mane
WEST BROM STARTING XI: Foster; Nyom, Hegazi, Evans, Gibbs; Livermore, Yacob, Krychowiak; McClean, Rondon, Robson-Kanu
KICKOFF: West Brom get us underway at Anfield!
Salah makes his first break away down the left flank to get the Anfield crowd on their feet early on, but his cross is just about dealt with before it can reach Firmino.
Firmino nicks the ball in an advanced position to almost create an opening for Liverpool, but nothing comes of it. West Brom are already defending pretty deep here.
Robertson looks to have got the better of Robson-Kanu down the left flank before reaching the byline, but referee
Paul Tierney pulls play back with a belated decision for a free kick.
Salah dances inside from the right flank and manages to keep hold of the ball until running into Livermore, who shows good strength to lever the Egyptian off the ball.
Liverpool have seen the lion's share of possession in this opening 10 minutes, but they are yet to create a chance. West Brom are in a very rigid shape of 4-5-1, and they are staying disciplined so far.
UPDATE: There are six other Premier League matches taking place tonight, and there have been goals in each of the 7.45pm kickoffs. Manchester City lead Swansea through David Silva, Wayne Rooney has scored again for Everton to give them the lead at Newcastle, while Riyad Mahrez has put Leicester a goal up at Southampton.
Liverpool have enjoyed 70% of the possession in the opening 15 minutes here, but West Brom are refusing to be dragged out of their shape. Still no chances of note from either side.
CHANCE! Finally Liverpool break through the West Brom defence, and they really should be ahead. Salah threads a sensational pass into the box for Firmino, but the Brazilian puts his finish from a tight angle inches past the far post. He could have squared it for Coutinho to have a tap-in, but you can't really blame him for going for it himself - he just should have scored it.
UPDATE: More goals from elsewhere to tell you about, with Leicester and Manchester City both doubling their leads over Southampton and Swansea respectively. Shinji Okazaki scored Leicester's second, while De Bruyne has joined David Silva on the scoresheet at the Liberty Stadium.
Good pressing from Rondon as he forces Can into an error, which in turn ensures that Klavan needs to put the ball out for a throw-in.
CHANCE! Half a chance for West Brom as Yacob finds a bit of space in the box to get on the end of Nyom's cross, but he cannot steer his header on target.
UPDATE: It is turning into a dream return to St Mary's for Claude Puel, whose Leicester side are now 3-0 up against Southampton courtesy of an Andy King strike.
West Brom have their first corner of the evening, which may be their best route to a goal tonight. Firmino deals with this one well, though, heading it clear at the front post.
Liverpool aren't quite at the races in this one so far. West Brom are making things difficult for the home side, defending in two banks which refuse to be dragged out of position, but Liverpool haven't had the zip we are used to seeing from their attackers.
Coutinho tries to play a long ball over the top for Salah, who races through on goal, but there is just too much on it and it runs all the way through to Foster.
OFF THE BAR! West Brom are inches away from breaking the deadlock! Robson-Kanu tries to bend an effort into the top corner from range and it flies over the outstretched hand of Karius before dipping and striking the top of the crossbar. That was not far away at all!
SAVE! After a good spell for West Brom, Liverpool go up the other end and Coutinho makes space to shoot before firing his effort into the arms of Foster.
UPDATE: We have our first goal of the 8pm Premier League kickoffs tonight, with Manchester United taking the lead against Bournemouth through Romelu Lukaku.
West Brom have shown enough signs to suggest that they could nick something from this game tonight. They have packed men behind the ball when Liverpool are in possession, but they have also been quite enterprising when they win it back. They have certainly shown more attacking intent than Everton did at the weekend.
Firmino bundles through a challenge from Nyom before firing a pass in to Robertson, but it arrives at the full-back too hot and he cannot control it inside the area.
CLOSE! Alexander-Arnold strides forward down the right flank and bends a peach of a cross into the middle towards Salah, who has escaped his marker. The winger sticks a leg out, but he is just short of making contact with it.
Liverpool pour forward on the counter-attack again as they deal with a corner before launching the break. Coutinho plays a fine ball into the path of Mane, who tries to cushion it into the path of Salah, but his touch is poor and the chance goes begging.
CHANCES! Liverpool are really starting to knock on the door now! Firmino dances inside from the left flank and into the box before seeing his shot blocked, but the ball only falls to Salah in an even better position. The box is so crowded, though, and Evans gets in the way of Salah's subsequent effort.
Good defensive work from Nyom here as he nods a testing Coutinho delivery behind for a corner.
This is the closest we have come to the opening goal so far, with Robson-Kanu's curling strike coming off the top of the crossbar...
There will be one minute of added time at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: Liverpool 0-0 West Brom
The first half comes to an end at Anfield, then, and we're still goalless at the interval following a tight an fairly uneventful first half.
Liverpool have dominated possession, as expected, but they have found it difficult to break through this West Brom defence and the Baggies have actually come closest to scoring so far. It is very finely poised heading into the second half.
The hosts created the first big chance of the match after 17 minutes when Salah threaded an incisive pass through for Firmino inside the box, but the Brazilian's subsequent effort went inches past the far post.
Firmino did have Coutinho in support and his compatriot would have been left with a simple finish into an empty net, although Firmino cannot really be blamed for going for goal himself.
West Brom have come even closer, though, hitting the crossbar when Robson-Kanu's dipping strike beat Karius from range.
The shot never really looked like going in, but it took a sharp dip at the end of its trajectory to clip the top of the woodwork on its way behind.
Liverpool haven't been at their free-flowing best so far tonight, but West Brom also deserve credit for their organisation. The Baggies have packed men behind the ball, but it would be harsh to suggest that they have parked the bus tonight - certainly not to the extent that Everton did at the weekend, anyway.
It will be interesting to see whether the Baggies take encouragement from that first half and go even more attacking in the second half, or whether they are happy to settle for a point.
KICKOFF: Liverpool get us back underway for the second half at Anfield!
Positive start to the half from West Brom as they win a couple of corners in quick succession at the start of this second half, but Liverpool deal with both of them.
SAVE! The wind is swirling around Anfield tonight, and it almost catches Karius out here. Krychowiak whips what is meant to be a cross into the box, but it catches the wind and Karius is needed to backpedal and tip it over.
CHANCE! Karius is called into action again here as Yacob gets on the end of the resulting corner, forcing the Liverpool keeper into the save.
CHANCE! West Brom have started this second half very much on top. This time they play a short corner and work one straight off the training ground, but hegazi puts his header over the top when he should have done better.
Coutinho again tries to lift a clever pass over the top of the defence for Salah, but once more the winger is just short of making contact with it.
Alan Pardew will be delighted with what he has seen from his side so far tonight. They have been the better team in this second half so far and have limited Liverpool to only one really good chance throughout.
CHANCE! Just as I say that, Liverpool have another chance as Mane steers an effort wide of the target having been found by Firmino inside the box. It was a good sight of goal for the winger, but he couldn't control his finish.
CHANCE! Suddenly Liverpool do look like scoring! Alexander-Arnold's cross from the right is flicked on by Krychowiak, which only takes it as far as Salah. The Egypt international isn't really expecting it, though, and he mistimes his header to see the chance go begging.
Liverpool fans want a back-pass given against Hegazi here after Foster picked the ball up when the final touch had come off Hegazi. Firmino had a half-chance before Hegazi got his foot in, but the referee is right to ignore the fans' pleas.
Less than half an hour remaining in this match and still West Brom are very much in it. If they can hold out for a point here then that would be a very good result for a team in their position, even if it would extend their winless run.
Mane has a chance to open his legs and drive forward into the West Brom box, but he is eventually stopped in his tracks by Hegazi. Free kick to Liverpool, but it looks like it is just out of shooting range.
SAVE! Well, Coutinho does go for goal from range, but his effort lacks power and is easy for Foster to collect.
CLOSE! Almost an absolute howler from Foster! The keeper makes a mess of a high ball into the box, only punching it further into the air. He then tries to claim it again, but spills it into his six-yard box and is fortunate that Krychowiak is quicker to react than Wijnaldum.
It is just so crowded in the middle of the park right now, with Liverpool unable to find a way through all of the bodies. Time is ticking away for the hosts!
YELLOW CARD! Emre Can is the first name in the book tonight for a barge on Robson-Kanu, although it may have been his dissent which earned him the yellow card.
We're into the final 20 minutes now and still Liverpool find themselves frustrated. Could they even nick a winner here?
WEST BROM SUB: A first change from the visitors sees Jay Rodriguez replace Robson-Kanu.
UPDATE: A quick update from elsewhere: Manchester City are now 4-0 ahead against Swansea at the Liberty Stadium, Leicester lead Southampton 4-1 and Tottenham are a goal to the good against Brighton.
Liverpool have seen plenty of the ball inside the West Brom half tonight, but they have been stopped dead once they have reached the final third. There is just no way through this Baggies backline right now.
LIVERPOOL SUBS: Time for some Liverpool changes here as
Dominic Solanke and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replace Mane and Wijnaldum.
A bit of a flash point here as Yacob takes offence with Salah telling Evans to get up after the Liverpool man was penalised for a high boot. It all calms down quickly, though.
WEST BROM SUB: Chris Brunt racks up his landmark 250th Premier League appearance for West Brom, replacing Krychowiak.
LIVERPOOL SUB: The hosts make their third and final change as Joe Gomez replaces Alexander-Arnold.
DISALLOWED GOAL! Liverpool think that they have taken the lead as Solanke wheels away in celebration, but the referee has taken his time to make the decision and eventually rules it out for offside. Gomez swings a cross into the box which Hegazi cannot cut out, only diverting the ball against Solanke. The ball bounces off the Liverpool striker and the final touch comes off his hand, although there is nothing Solanke could have done about that. Controversial!
CHANCES! More chances for Liverpool as Nyom misjudges a long ball over the top, allowing Oxlade-Chamberlain to collect it in the area. Foster is quick off his line to smother the ball, but it squirts out to Solanke inside the box. The striker takes his time before getting his shot away, but West Brom have scrambled back and Hegazi is there to clear it off the line!
SAVE! Another chance for Oxlade-Chamberlain as he collects Solanke's pass, only to then drill his finish straight at the keeper.
Liverpool are really frustrated here, and Klopp may have a few choice words about the officials once again after this match. That Solanke disallowed goal promises to be a major talking point.
There will be just three minutes of stoppage time at the end of this match!
YELLOW CARD! Sam Field, who is not even on the pitch, picks up a booking for withholding the ball from Liverpool at a throw-in.
FULL TIME: Liverpool 0-0 West Bromwich Albion
More dropped points for Liverpool at home, then - their fifth home draw of the season and second in the space of just four days, from games they would have expected maximum points from.
The Reds thought they had broken the deadlock with eight minutes remaining when Solanke bundled the ball home from close range, but referee Paul Tierney belatedly disallowed it for a handball - a decision which is sure to cause plenty of debate. The ball did come off Solanke's arm last, but it was entirely unintentional from the striker.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's Premier League clash as Liverpool are held by West Brom at Anfield, missing the chance to move back into the top four as a result. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
