EPL 2016/17: Liverpool 2-2 West Ham United - 5 Talking Points
Jurgen Klopp was left scratching his head as his Liverpool side lost more ground in the title race with a disappointing 2-2 draw with West Ham United. The game at Anfield was supposed to be an easy affair for the Reds and it started positively with Adam Lallana scoring in the fifth minute to give Liverpool a 1-0 advantage.
Call it complacency or naivety, Liverpool took their foot off the gas which allowed the Hammers to crawl back into the game.
Dimitri Payet scored a free kick to level the matters before Michail Antonio gave them a surprising lead at halftime. Klopp's men bounced back almost immediately as Divock Origi again levelled the proceedings in the 48th minute. Liverpool completely dominated the game yet found it tough to find a winner as Chelsea are now six points ahead of them with Arsenal being second on the table.
Let's have a look at the five talking points from the game at Anfield:
#1 The curious case of Loris Karius
When Liverpool brought Karius from Germany, he was to replace the inconsistent Simon Mignolet who was costing crucial points to the Reds with his untimely errors. The situation should have been very different this season but it's beginning to look like the same story is being played out with the German keeper who looks low on confidence.
He was at fault for two errors which led to the West Ham goals.
His positioning for the first West Ham goal was absolutely wrong as it gave Payet acres of space to slot it home. Had Karius stood just two steps to his right, he could have easily saved the freekick with his right hand.
For the second goal, Karius' indecisiveness cost Liverpool as he stood in his place instead of charging and putting West Ham’s Michail Antonio in a spot of bother. He made matters worse for the Reds as Jurgen Klopp's confidence in him seems to be rattled with the manager refusing to answer any question on his no.1 keeper after the match.