West Brom 2 Liverpool 2: Careless Reds drop points to offer Baggies slim survival hope

West Brom staged an unexpected late comeback to snatch a 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool that offers Darren Moore’s side slim hope of escaping relegation.

Danny Ings struck for the first time in 930 days and Mohamed Salah equalled the record for goals scored in a 38-match Premier League season as Liverpool appeared on course to warm up for their Champions League semi-final against Roma with a routine if laboured victory.

The beleaguered Baggies had other ideas, though, Jake Livermore getting one back in the 79th minute and Salomon Rondon heading home the equaliser from a free-kick with two remaining in normal time.

The result may not prove enough to save West Brom, as they are still eight points adrift of the safety of 17th-placed Swansea, who visit newly crowned champions Manchester City on Sunday.

For Liverpool, the careless loss of points will delay their march to securing Champions League qualification.

And manager Jurgen Klopp may regret the five changes he made to his starting XI, as the Reds are left to refocus on the eagerly anticipated visit of the Giallorossi to Anfield on Tuesday.

Well battled, lads. #WBALIV pic.twitter.com/zzyFx5JF8K

— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) April 21, 2018

Liverpool started brightly and duly took the lead in the fourth minute.

Sadio Mane created the chance, beating Jay Rodriguez from a short corner and firing a cutback into the crowded penalty area.

Georginio Wijnaldum reacted quickly to stand the ball up for Ings, who fired it low and hard from close range, leaving Ben Foster no chance.

Ings had a penalty appeal ignored after being bundled over by Craig Dawson a minute into the second half, which saw Klopp introduce Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Roberto Firmino in the 66th minute as he sought to kill the game off.

And the change prompted the desired effect, Oxlade-Chamberlain’s ball over the top releasing Salah in on goal, the deadly forward lifting a clever finish over Foster in the 72nd minute to match the record of 31 league goals scored in a 38-game Premier League season jointly held by Alan Shearer, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez.

31 – Mohamed Salah has scored 31 Premier League goals this season – the joint-most by a player in a 38-game PL campaign (also Alan Shearer 95-96, Cristiano Ronaldo 07-08, Luis Suarez 13-14). Elite. pic.twitter.com/6xq5A1WTJe

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 21, 2018

From there, Liverpool appeared on course to pick up all three points, until Livermore pounced on Rodriguez’s cutback from a corner to the back post to slam a good finish past Loris Karius.

And a lazy mistake from Joe Gomez led to a West Brom free-kick in the 88th minute, Rondon meeting Chris Brunt’s delivery to beat Karius and snatch a point, although West Brom’s valiant efforts remain likely to prove in vain over the closing weeks of the campaign.

Key Opta Stats:

– West Brom avoided defeat in a Premier League game in which they were two or more goals down for the first time since February 2015 versus Burnley.
– Salomon Rondon has equalled the record for most Premier League games scored in a single season without winning any of them (7, level with Jordan Ayew in 2015-16).
– Salah is just the fifth player in Premier League history to register 40 or more goal involvements in a single season (31 goals, 9 assists) – also Alan Shearer (47 in 94-95), Andy Cole (47 in 93-94), Thierry Henry (44 in 02-03) and Luis Suarez (43 in 13-14).
– Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been directly involved in 10 Premier League goals this season, (3 goals, 7 assists), his best-ever haul in the competition. Indeed, Oxlade-Chamberlain has provided more Premier League assists for Salah (5) than he has for any other player in the competition.
– Jake Livermore scored his first goal for West Brom in what was his 50th appearance in all competitions.
– Chris Brunt has provided 50 assists for West Brom in the Premier League, 26 more than any other player (James Morrison on 24). He is the first Northern Ireland player to reach this feat in the competition.