West Brom v Liverpool: Premier League – live!

12.25pm EDT 12:25

“Why would Liverpool need a proper centre-back in the summer?” asks Noel Figueiredo. “They would have Van Dijk, Gomez, Matip, Kabak, Nat, Rhys. All very competent.”

Van Dijk is 29 and coming back from a serious injury, so there’s no guarantee at all that he’ll be what he was; Gomez and Matip are injured a lot; Kabak was a stop-gap; Williams and Phillips are miles off. I might be wrong, obviously.

12.23pm EDT 12:23

OK, it seems that email situation was a situation, so let’s do some emails through the break…

12.22pm EDT 12:22

Half-time: West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Liverpool

That was an enjoyable half featuring two lovely goals. It’s hard to see Liverpool not finding another couple, but their defence offers West Brom hope.

12.21pm EDT 12:21

45+5 min And just as I type that, Jürgen Klopp rages on the touchline when he gives a free-kick against Mane, so we’re warming up.

12.20pm EDT 12:20

45+4 min It’s been a quiet start to the game from Lil Mikey Dean, but I’d expect him to come on strong in the second half, clutch specialist that he is.

Mike Dean, giving withering looks in the Premier League since 2000. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Updated at 12.26pm EDT

12.19pm EDT 12:19

45+2 min Bartley gets a bang to the phizog but his team have a free-kick, 25 yards out and just right of centre. Phillips and Pereira fancy it but the former runs away, the latter curling over wall and bar.

12.16pm EDT 12:16

45 min I should note that Salah’s goal takes him back level with Kane at the top of the Premier League scoring charts – both have 23 now.

12.15pm EDT 12:15

44 min “Love that clip of Robson’s goal,” emails Tom Levesley, “and even happier to say I was there. What a team that was. Agree with your Robson Kanu mash up too. Only shame about HKR starting is it prevented half the sub’s bench being double-barrelled. At this stage of the season I might even trade that for his goal.”

Great stuff. I’m a bit young to remember them, but Robson was my first footbaling hero and still the best midfielder I’ve ever seen.

12.13pm EDT 12:13

42 min Mane, who’s had a good 20 minutes, shifts inside onto his right foot and has a shy, forcing Bartley to hurl his head at it. It probably wasn’t going in but he wasn’t to know and does well to concede a corner – which comes tp nowt.

12.11pm EDT 12:11

40 min These last few minutes have been a bit better for West Brom, but Liverpool have started passing again and I’d not be a bit surprised if they managed a second before half-time – Thiago is bossing this, and sooner or later someone will find a killer pass.

12.10pm EDT 12:10

38 min “Combining players,” says Robbie Borowczyk. “I’d be quite keen to see what would happen if you tried to combine Pogba and Souness in the same body. Nuclear fusion?”

Goodness me. A solar-powered dinosaur?

Souness and Pogba, just imagine. Composite: REX/Getty

Updated at 12.23pm EDT

12.08pm EDT 12:08

36 min But back come West Brom, Phillips and Williams picturing themselves on a boat on river, with tangerine trees and marmalade skies, while Robson-Kaun bursts – to the extent that Robson-Kanu can burst – through at inside-right. He shapes to finish as he did for his goal, but a slightly heavy touch reduces the angle and allows Alexander-Arnold to come back at him, deflecting his shot behind for a corner which comes to nowt.

Updated at 12.22pm EDT

12.07pm EDT 12:07

35 min Eeesh! West Brom need to be careful here, otherwise this game will run away from them. Again, it’s Mane carrying the ball, and when his backheel cannons Yokuslu, the ball drops to Firmino in front of goal! He should score, he looks like he has scored … but his punched shot clatters the bar!

12.05pm EDT 12:05

GOAL! West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Liverpool (Salah 33)

Mane burrows towards the box, loses the ball, then when Bartley hesitates he pokes it back to Salah, 22 yards out and just right of centre. With imperceptible backlift and unfathomable expertise, he swishes a low, early finish into the far corner. Brilliant goal from a brilliant player.

Sublime stuff from Mohamed Salah. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Reuters

Updated at 12.13pm EDT

12.03pm EDT 12:03

31 min Thiago is being afforded a lot of space here – perhaps, given he’s not a killer-ball merchant, that’s part of Allardyce’s gameplan. And he picks another pass to Alexander-Arnold, who sways inside then outside, picking feet over the ball before sweeping a shot over the bar.

12.01pm EDT 12:01

30 min I can’t see any way West Brom can survive this kind of pressure. Liverpool haven’t made many proper chances, but it still feels like a goal is imminent.

12.00pm EDT 12:00

28 min West Brom are struggling to get out – they can’t find Robson-Kanu, picked, in part to be their out-ball. And when another hump is picked up by Alexander-Arnold, still on the left after taking the corner, he swerves a luscious pass over towards Salah on the far side of the box. But the angle is tight, and he can only poke back to Johnstone.

11.58am EDT 11:58

26 min Yep, Liverpool are pushing and win a free-kick 25 yards out, left of centre; Alexander-Arnold will fancy this one and no mistake. But his effort flicks off the wall and behind, for a corner which comes to nowt.

11.57am EDT 11:57

24 min Liverpool knock it about as West Brom sit off, but this is more like it from the ex-champs, Thiago and Alexander-Arnold combining to find to Fabinho who turns a fine pass around the corner, which Thiago squares for Mane to sweep around the near post … just. In fairness, Johnstone probably had that one covered, but that was a loely move.

11.54am EDT 11:54

22 min The more I watch Liverpool, the more of a strange signing Thiago seems. I know he was brilliant and cheap, but it’s a lot like when Man United signed Verón – another lovely player, but a number 6 when they needed a number 10 whose style wasn’t a natural fit.

11.52am EDT 11:52

21 min I don’t think we’ve seen Mane at all yet – Liverpool’s play has been almost uniformly focused down the right.

11.52am EDT 11:52

20 min Liverpool, though, won’t be fazed – after 20 minutes at Old Trafford, they might have been more than a goal down. But United ran out of puff around that point and couldn’t match Liverpool’s tempo; can they find something similar here?

11.50am EDT 11:50

18 min Allardyce has clearly identified Liverpool’s line as a weakness. It works when you’ve got Van Dijk behind a hyperactive midfield, but when there’s no pressure on the ball and not the same presence, authority or recovery pace, it’s a very different thing.

11.48am EDT 11:48

16 min I’m not sure I can think of two footballers I’d rather see combined than Bryan Robson and Nwankwo Kanu.

Bryan Robson-Kanu, an injury-prone magician. Composite: REX/Getty

Updated at 12.11pm EDT

11.48am EDT 11:48

GOAL! West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Liverpool (Robson-Kanu 15)

This is a lovely finish, the ball bouncing about in midfield and attracting Williams to it as Pereira turns around the corner into space …and Robson-Kanu is through! He takes a touch – a lovely touch, caressing on his laces while opening his body, then coaxes a nerveless finish into the far corner. Superbly done.

Coolly slotted home by Hal Robson-Kanu to give West Bromwich Albion the lead. Photograph: Getty Images Goal for West Brom! Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Updated at 12.17pm EDT

11.45am EDT 11:45

14 min Philips goes down the right and slings over a cross, which Alisson comes to collect unchallenged.

11.44am EDT 11:44

12 min West Brom win another free-kick, this time between touchline and penalty box, and the delivery is poor … but then Pereira helps the ball across the face of goal … where no one can quite manage to administer the finish. After which the flag goes up for offside.

A chance for West Brom in the Liverpool box but Ajayi can’t get a touch on it. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Updated at 11.52am EDT

11.42am EDT 11:42

11 min In commentary, Martin Tyler mentions a backheel scored by Bryan Robson against Liverpool. Here it is, with great commentary to boot.

United Rewind (@unitedrewind)

“A ridiculous goal … have a bit of that … Clemence does not see the funny side at all!” A young Bryan Robson scores a backheel for West Brom against Liverpool. pic.twitter.com/irgc3px0Eu

December 1, 2020

11.41am EDT 11:41

10 min West Brom win a free-kick a long old way from goal – it’s not that far from halfway – and send the lummoxes forward, but Pereira’s delivery is poor and misses out all of them.

Updated at 11.41am EDT

11.40am EDT 11:40

9 min Jones and Fabinho combine in midfield before the ball goes wide to Salah; he comes inside, then floats a nondescript piece of kick directly into Johnstone’s arms.

11.39am EDT 11:39

7 min Liverpool concede a throw deep inside their own half, but Furlong’s attempt at a Dave Chllinor special is easily repelled. Liverpool then counter with Alexander-Arnold, but on the touchline by himself, he can’t pick a pass to keep the passage going.

11.37am EDT 11:37

6 min Salah forages down the right and wins a corner, which again finds Phillips; this time, he can’t get enough on it and the ball skids across his forehead and wide.

Nat Phillips with a chance for Liverpool. Photograph: John Powell/Liverpool FC/Getty Images

Updated at 11.44am EDT

11.36am EDT 11:36

5 min A decent ball out to the right, from Yokuslu I think, sees Phillips look for Robson-Kanu with a low cross, but Phillips is there to clear. Yes, both sides have a Philips; I’m a Matsui man myself.

11.35am EDT 11:35

3 min Phillips misjudges Thiago’s long diag to Robertson and when he puts the ball into the middle West Brom struggle to get it away, eventually conceding a corner then another. Again, it’s partially cleared, and Alexander-Arnold comes inside on his left foot to fling over a cross … which Phillips heads over the bar.

11.32am EDT 11:32

1 min Well they start on the front foot, getting on the ball deep inside the Liverpool half before Robson-Kanu, making his first Premier League start in three years, strays offside.

11.31am EDT 11:31

1 min West Brom start with five players on the halfway line down the right, punt the ball towards them, and get nowhere. Now what?

11.27am EDT 11:27

The players are tunnelled, Liverpool in their little tracky tops. Here they come…

Updated at 11.29am EDT

11.25am EDT 11:25

Sam Allardyce is still vexed his team have gone down but says that today, they need to get on the ball in the Liverpool half and play with confidence.

11.24am EDT 11:24

Looking back, the meeting between these sides earlier in the season marked the end of things for Liverpool. After a dodgy start to the season, they were somehow still top of the league and had just won 7-0 at Palace. But Semi Ajayi’s late equaliser kicked-off that dreadful home run, and now look.

11.20am EDT 11:20

Elsewhere: what an absolute disgrace this is. When the Glazers bought Man United they binned off the women’s team as non part of their core business. When they eventually brought it back, they appointed the brilliant Casey Stoney as manager but failed to provide training or matchday facilities that were even in Manchester, and now look. Fit and proper, apparently.

Helen (@helenfootball)

Casey Stoney MBE stands alone on the centre of the Leigh Sports Village pitch for the last time 😞#MUFC #LeicesterCityFC #FACup pic.twitter.com/SLvMDiYSJ0

May 16, 2021

11.16am EDT 11:16

On Mane, I must admit that I’d always considered him a better player than Salah. But this season, when things have gone badly, it’s Salah who’s turned up and prevented them from getting even worse. What a player.

11.13am EDT 11:13

It’s absolutely caning down in West Bromwich. Good day to be in the Vine, one of England’s great football pubs.

11.12am EDT 11:12

Klopp tells Sky that his team knew it’d always come down to the final few games, but despite Jota’s injury he’s really looking forward to the challenge. He expects West Brom to be fresh and thinks their lie-up is slightly more offensive than usual, so he’s excited. Finally, he adds that Mané apologised to him for his Thursday night behaviour, and that’s the end of things.

11.11am EDT 11:11

So what do Liverpool have to do to get top four? Well, if they win their final three games, because Chelsea and Leicester meet again in midweek, that will be enough unless Chelsea win that and win their last game, while Leicester beat Spurs by what would necessarily need to be a big margin. Curently Leicester’s goal difference is better by one, but a defeat for them added to three Liverpool wins would leave them with a lot of work to do.

11.03am EDT 11:03

Spurs have beaten Wolves 2-0 and remain in the mix for a Europa League spot. Rob Smyth has all the reaction.

Tottenham 2-0 Wolves: Premier League – as it happened

Updated at 11.06am EDT

11.02am EDT 11:02

I guess the thing with Liverpool is whether these players can find the consistency that made them champions of Europe and England. Klopp has the ability to turn good players into world beaters, but that might not be sustainable over a succession of seasons – all the more so given Van Dijk will need to come back as good as before, not a certainty following a cruciate injury at 29. On the other hand, they know what it takes to win, and have enough goals in the team to be a threat.

10.54am EDT 10:54

I wonder what Jürgen Klopp’s priority will be for the summer. I’m sure he’ll want a proper centre-back – which will give him a roster of approximately 69 – but he needs something else to keep things ticking over. I’m not sure he’ll be allowed an attacker unless he lets one leave, and I’m not sure he’ll want to do that, but perhaps he’ll replace Wijnaldum if he goes. Liverpool have been on an incredible run of signings these last few years, but whether that means they’re likely to nail the next ones or that it’s impossible to sustain such success remains to be seen.

10.46am EDT 10:46

Elsewhere, Spurs lead Wolves 2-0. Follow the staggering denouement with Rob Smyth.

Tottenham v Wolves: Premier League – live!

10.45am EDT 10:45

On this day in 1987, we were treated to one of the greatest cup final goals in one of the greatest cup finals. Read about that here:

Golden goal: Keith Houchen for Coventry City v Tottenham (1987) | Daniel Harris

10.44am EDT 10:44

As for Liverpool, Jota is injured so misses out with his place going to Mané – apparently he’s apologised for airing Klopp at the end of the United game. Otherwise, Williams replaces Rhys Williams at centre-back and Curtis Jones, who did well off the bench, is in for Wijnaldum. Back to next season – if that’s not a paradox – assuming Wijnaldum leaves but even if he doesn’t, it’ll be interesting to see whether Jones can insert himself into the first XI on a regular. He has that priceless ability to carry the ball through central areas, but needs to find way of getting more involved because when you play in there, never mind when you play in there for Klopp, you can’t allow games to pass you by.

10.40am EDT 10:40

West Brom makes two changes from their defeat against Arsenal, Robson-Kanu and Diangana coming in for Diagne and Robinson. I’m looking forward to watching Matheus Pereira, who I’m sure will have options in the summer and who I’m equally sure will be targeting the space in behind Alexander-Arnold – if his team can get him the ball.

10.36am EDT 10:36

Teams!

West Bromwich Albion (a visionary 4-4-1-1): Johnstone; Furlong, Bartley, Ajayi, Townsend; Diangana, Yokuslu, Phillips, Pereira; Gallagher; Robson-Kanu. Subs: Button, Robinson, Livermore, Diagne, Peltier, O’Shea, Grant, Maitland-Niles, Gardner-Hickman.

Liverpool (an elemental 4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Phillips, Williams, Robertson; Thiago, Fabinho, Jones; Salah, Firmino, Mane. Subs: Adrian, Wijnaldum, Tsimikas, Shaqiri, Origi, Woodburn, Clarkson, Williams, Koumetio.

Star of the show: Mike Dean(Wirral)

10.02am EDT 10:02

Preamble

Next season is going to be an absolute jazzer. Which seems a weird thing to write when this one hasn’t yet finished, but that was my overriding feeling watching Liverpool beat Manchester United on Thursday night, then again watching the cup final yesterday – and in one way or another, next season is what both of today’s teams are playing for.

If I’m running West Brom, I’m doing absolutely everything I can to retain the services of Not-insubstantial Samuel who, for all the obvious reservations, remains very good at what he does. It’s not been enough to keep his team up, but it’s been more than enough to earn him the chance to bring them back up, and I’d be shocked if his players didn’t think it too.

Liverpool, meanwhile, are looking like a team again, hanging in there at Old Trafford before imposing a directness and intensity either side of half-time that won them a valuable victory. Obviously the ultimate goal is to qualify for next season’s Champions League, but either way they showed there’s life left in this team, which is why next season could be so good. Though Manchester City will take some catching, Manchester United and Chelsea are getting there, while Liverpool won’t suffer the series of misfortunes that have befallen them over the last bit. Add to that the return of fans, and we could be looking at something very serious indeed.

Kick-off: 4.30pm BST

Updated at 10.29am EDT