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Attendance: 26,196
West Brom logo
Premier League
May 15, 2016 at 3pm UK
 
Liverpool logo

1-1

Rondon (13')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Ibe (23')

Liverpool finish eighth following West Bromwich Albion stalemate

Liverpool finish the season in eighth after being held to a 1-1 draw by West Bromwich Albion on the final day of the Premier League season.

Liverpool failed to finish in a Europa League spot after being held by West Bromwich Albion to a 1-1 draw at The Hawthorns on the final day of the Premier League season.

The Reds have ended the campaign in eighth position, with West Ham United, Southampton and Manchester United above them.

The point on home turf means that Tony Pulis's men have moved up to 14th in the standings, while Liverpool will only play European football next season if they beat Sevilla in Wednesday's Europa League final.

This afternoon, Salomon Rondon gave the Baggies the lead, but the Merseyside outfit were able to respond with an equaliser from Jordon Ibe, who was trying to catch the attention of Jurgen Klopp ahead of next Wednesday's showdown in Basel.

Liverpool players celebrate scoring during the Premier League game between West Bromwich Albion and Liverpool on May 15, 2016© Getty Images

It was a slow start in a sun-drenched Hawthorns, but the breakthrough was made in the 13th minute when Rondon managed to beat goalkeeper Adam Bogdan at his near post.

The goal came from a mistake by Joe Allen as he gave the ball away to Jonathan Leko, who evaded two tackles before slipping the ball through to Rondon, allowing the forward to finish off the move.

Liverpool responded well, though, as they ramped up the pressure searching for an equaliser, and Christian Benteke came close when he picked the ball up in the penalty area before shooting into the side-netting.

The Reds spent most of the first half with the ball, and young Cameron Brannagan tried to get some personal glory after weaving his way into the box before directing a shot towards the bottom corner, but goalkeeper Ben Foster dropped to the ground to make a comfortable save.

In the 23rd minute, Liverpool drew level thanks to some individual skill from Ibe, who cut inside from the right flank before charging into the box and drilling a left-footed low shot into the back of the net.

Allen then tried to go it alone by shooting from 25 yards out, but it missed the target and sailed into the stands, failing to trouble Foster, who had it covered anyway.

Ibe and Sheyi Ojo impressed on the wings, and the former managed to get in behind after Leko lost the ball in a dangerous position, but the Liverpool youngster was brought down by a well-timed tackle from Claudio Yacob.

West Brom were on the back foot for the majority of the first half, and they could have conceded a second when Benteke lined up to take a free kick in a dangerous area, but his attempt smashed into the wall.

Rondon could have put the Baggies back in front just one minute after the restart as he got on the end of a free kick and launched a close-range header.

The ball bounced off the post and into his path, but his rebound from six yards out flew over the bar, missing a great opportunity to score his second of the afternoon.

Once again, Liverpool had the majority of possession, but the Baggies had a decent spell when James McClean cut away from his marker before dropping inside and unleashing a shot, but it was wide of the target.

Minutes later, the ball was fizzed across the box to find Rondon, who was able to connect, but he failed to direct his header on target.

A big moment came for Danny Ings when he was brought off the substitutes' bench in the 64th minute to make his first appearance since suffering cruciate ligament damage in October.

The Baggies ramped up the pressure and Rondon came close again, this time from a corner, but his close-range effort was deflected behind by Martin Skrtel for a corner.

The game was relatively open in the end, but neither side could add to the scoreline and the points were shared.

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Christian Benteke of Liverpool celebrates as he scores their second goal during the UEFA Europa League Group B match between Liverpool FC and FC Girondins de Bordeaux at Anfield on November 26, 2015 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.
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