MX23RW : Wednesday, May 1 15:20:39| >> :120:59279:59279:

Match Analysis: Liverpool 0-2 West Bromwich Albion

Match Analysis: Liverpool 0-2 West Brom
© PA Photos
Sports Mole casts its eye over a shock win for West Brom over Liverpool this evening.

West Bromwich Albion stunned Liverpool with two late goals to put an end to a run of eight games without a win this evening.

The Baggies actually failed to register a shot on goal until the final 10 minutes but nicked the win thanks to Gareth McAuley's header and Romelu Lukaku's smart turn-and-finish.

Liverpool had the perfect opportunity to go ahead before all of this when Jonas Olsson was adjudged to have shoved Luis Suarez in the box, but Steven Gerrard saw his penalty saved by Ben Foster.

Here, Sports Mole pores over a bit of an Anfield headscratcher.

Match statistics:

Liverpool:
Shots 23
On target 14
Possession 57%
Corners 13
Fouls 9

West Brom:
Shots 4
On target 3
Possession 43%
Corners 5
Fouls 9

Was the result fair?

As you can see from the stats, West Brom didn't have anywhere near as many shots as Liverpool and the four that they did have came in the final 10 minutes. However, the Baggies took their chances unlike the home side. If Liverpool had won the game then you would have said that they definitely deserved it.

Liverpool's performance

They were okay until the final 20 minutes when they moved up a gear or two. Suarez won a questionable penalty and you would have expected Gerrard to score. Take nothing away from Foster though, it wasn't a bad penalty but an excellent save. Defensively Liverpool didn't allow a shot until the final stages but when they did it had to be saved for a corner and from the set piece McAuley was given a free run at the ball to thump a header home.

West Brom's performance

The Baggies went into this game bottom of the form guide and extremely low on confidence. Steve Clarke was able to welcome back Youssouf Mulumbu though and he joined his favourite hustling partner Claudio Yacob to break up many an attack. Foster was immense in goal and rightly wins our man-of-the-match award (see below). Lukaku was also a beast when introduced and he was able to hold onto the ball and not allow Liverpool to completely bombard the goal.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Ben Foster: The West Brom keeper didn't have much to deal with in the opening 45 but was tested much more regularly after the break. He did well to keep out Jordan Henderson's clever flick before producing arguably the save of the season to stop Gerrard's volley from flashing into the net. This was then all capped off by an excellent one-handed save from Gerrard's firm penalty to the bottom corner.

Biggest gaffe

This could have gone to Steven Reid if his inadvertent ricochet had gone into his own net, not just over the bar in the first half but we have to give it to Gerrard for squandering the spot kick chance to put his side ahead.

Referee performance

Jon Moss was having a solid game until he awarded Liverpool an extremely soft penalty. Olsson did make contact with the back of Suarez but it was never enough to warrant a foul.

What next?

Liverpool: Next up for the Reds is a tough trip to Zenit St. Petersburg in the last 32 of the Europa League on Thursday.

West Brom: The Baggies will look to continue this upturn in form when Sunderland visit the Hawthorns on Saturday.

ID:68824: cacheID:68824:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5548:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard rues a missed chance during his side's match with West Brom on February 11, 2013
Read Next:
Live Commentary: Liverpool 0-2 West Brom - as it happened
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal35255585285780
2Manchester CityMan City34247382325079
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa35207873522167
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs33186967521560
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle341651374551953
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
9Chelsea33139116359448
10Bournemouth35139135260-848
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35137154855-746
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton341111125257-544
13Fulham35127165155-443
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton35128153748-1136
16Brentford3598185260-835
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3579194262-2026
18Luton TownLuton3567224877-2925
19Burnley3559213870-3224
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd3537253497-6316


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!