West Bromwich Albion secured a hard-earned point by holding Liverpool to a goalless draw at The Hawthorns this afternoon.
The Baggies put plenty of men behind the ball and the Reds failed to break them down. Their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League look distant as they now sit fifth, six points behind fourth-placed Manchester City.
West Brom are seven points clear of trouble, but face tough battles against Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal among their final four Premier League games.
Below, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes that unfolded in the Midlands.
Match statistics
WEST BROM
Shots: 10
On target: 4
Possession: 26%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 12
LIVERPOOL
Shots: 22
On target: 5
Possession: 74%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 11
Was the result fair?
Looking at the statistics above, it would seem unfair for a team with 74% possession and more than double the shots at goal to come away without maximum points. However, Liverpool did not show enough quality to get the goals that they needed, and West Brom deserve praise for defending well and doing their jobs properly. It was clear from the offset that the home side intended to frustrate their opponents by packing bodies behind the ball and giving them hardly any space in the final third.
There was not one shot on target in the first half and the closest that an opening goal came was in the second 45 minutes when Jordon Ibe's effort clattered off the crossbar. West Brom stayed compact and executed a game-plan that kept Liverpool at an arm's length and, despite the Reds showing spells of attacking intent, they would not have deserved to win the game, so a point apiece is a fair result.
West Brom's performance
The Baggies set up with the mission to frustrate Liverpool and prevent them from getting shots away in dangerous areas. Throughout, the defensive line looked strong and they handled most of what was thrown at them. Goalkeeper Boaz Myhill was called upon on numerous occasions, but he was relatively comfortable as Liverpool did not have that killer touch to get past him.
In terms of an attacking sense, Saido Berahino and Victor Anichebe rarely had the ball up top. When they did, they struggled to trouble Simon Mignolet in between the sticks. There was a late attacking surge from the Baggies in the second half, but, more often that not, they gave the ball away cheaply when in possession.
Liverpool's performance
Manager Brendan Rodgers would have wanted his team to respond following their defeat to Aston Villa in last weekend's FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. They put in a lacklustre performance on that day, and that too appeared to be the case in the first half this afternoon. It was not until the second half that they showed more intensity in an attacking sense. Philippe Coutinho looked the most likely to make things happen, and Steven Gerrard had a more advanced role after the half-time break.
However, despite numerous opportunities as the game went on, one of which was a decent strike from Ibe, the Merseyside outfit never really looked like scoring. Mario Balotelli got a rare start up front due to the absence of Daniel Sturridge, but once again he failed to show that desire to commit runs into the box and place himself in dangerous positions.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Gareth McAuley: In a goalless draw, it is usually the defenders who have done the most work, and that is definitely true in this case. The 35-year-old put in a solid display at the back and, given that he was handed the task of keeping the likes of Raheem Sterling and Coutinho quiet, the defender did a very good job. Throughout the game, he held the responsibility alongside Joleon Lescott to keep Liverpool at bay, and that is exactly what transpired at The Hawthorns.
Biggest gaffe
Martin Skrtel has improved for Liverpool this season and was missed during a three-game ban, but he came close to giving West Brom the lead in the second half when he messed up a clearance in his penalty box. The ball was whipped into the area and, despite having space around him, Skrtel's limp effort to clear fell to James Morrison. Fortunately for the Liverpool man, his teammate Dejan Lovren was there to clear the ball off the line.
Referee performance
Roger East brandished just one yellow card throughout the entire game and that was to Craig Dawson for bringing down Ibe. In the early stages of the match, the referee received a number of boos from the home fans for awarding Liverpool with free kicks that the supporters believed were soft. However, there were not many contentious decisions for him to deal with and he let the game flow.
What next?
West Brom: A trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United is in order for the Baggies on May 2.
Liverpool: The Reds will face Hull City at the KC Stadium on next Tuesday.
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