Fab four fail, ref gives Baggies the bail: 5 talking points from Liverpool vs West Brom
It turned out to be another frustrating night for Liverpool as they were once again held to a stalemate, this time by West Bromwich Albion. The fans expected the Baggies to pretty much park the bus as that’s how Everton went to Anfield and went away with a point. Having said that, they’ll be disappointed as Liverpool created a few chances in the second half only to be frustrated by the team’s poor finishing and at times, refereeing decisions.
Late on in the game, Liverpool thought they had won it as Dominic Solanke had put the ball in the back of the net, but the referee ruled it out and it seemed a bit controversial as the Englishman had unintentionally put the ball into the net through his arm.
West Brom created very little as Salomon Rondon was left isolated up front, but in the end, is hold up play was enough to drain the momentum out of Liverpool’s play.
Without further ado, let’s look at five talking points from the game:
#5 The disallowed goal
The rule clearly says that play should be stopped if a player deliberately handles the ball. Replays suggested Solanke had no intention of handling the ball as the ball sort of ricocheted off his shin onto his arm and then into the goal.
The West Brom players were immediately on the ref’s tail to get the goal erased and what surprised everyone at the stadium was perhaps the reaction of the linesman who didn’t raise his flag for a handball. The referee, on his own, decided to stop the game and Liverpool can perhaps feel hard done by the decision.
That’s the second time in as many games that Liverpool have been robbed a win due to dodgy decisions from the referees. Words won’t be able to describe the way Klopp will be feeling right now!