3 Things We Learned From West Brom Vs Liverpool

Liverpool will undoubtedly be disappointed to leave the Hawthorns with only a point after a Kolo Toure howler midway through the second half gifted West Brom the equalizer in the 1-1 draw. Here are three things we learned from the fixture.

1. SAS is still intact

There were suggestions of trouble in paradise in midweek when there was an ugly altercation between Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge after the later took on a shot instead of passing to his strike partner who was in a better position. The spat continued, and manager Brendan Rodgers had to withdraw the England international to put a lid on things. Even though he apologized for his actions after the game, there were questions as to how the two would link up on the pitch.

They dispelled all doubt after Suarez curled the ball with his left foot into the path of Sturridge for the latter to tap the ball home from close range. It was the 40^th time in all competitions that either of the two had scored. Suarez and Sturridge both had chances to extend their tally but failed to beat West Brom keeper Ben Foster, but one thing is clear- the understanding between the duo is still there.

2. West Brom have enough steel to steer clear of bottom 3

West Brom looked like a compact side against the league’s second highest scorers, and limited them to very few clear-cut chances in the entire 90 minutes. With the draw, they moved into 16^th place with 23 points, above Crystal Palace on goal difference and just one point shy of Swansea in 12^th who are level on points with Hull, Sunderland and Norwich.

West Brom face four of their fellow strugglers within their next six games, and if they can maintain similar level of performances, they should be able to get the points necessary to steer clear of the relegation zone come the end of the season.

3. Liverpool woefully short of squad depth

Liverpool’s performance in the January transfer window was perhaps the worst in the Premier League. The failed to bring in even a single player despite being linked with a host of names. Their primary target, Mohamed Salah, was nabbed by rivals Chelsea while their late move for Dnipro winger Yehven Konoplyanka failed in the dying minutes of the window.

Today, with his side chasing the game, manager Brendan Rodgers had no quality options available on the bench who could act as an impact sub, and had to bring on Joe Allen instead of the far more creative Philippe Coutinho, highlighting the limitations of the squad. With an apparent lack of quality options on the bench, Liverpool could struggle to maintain their lead from the teams just below them, and seeing them drop points might become a more common sight.