4th February, 2019
Premier League leaders Liverpool suffered an uncharacteristic defensive lapse as they only managed a draw against West Ham to boost the hopes of their title rivals.
The Reds extended their lead over second-placed Manchester City to three points but the odds strongly favoured them taking all three against the 12th-placed side.
It started well for Jurgen Klopp’s men when Sadio Mane fired past Lukasz Fabianski in the 22nd minute, but prior to the goal the Hammers showed enough threat in attack to suggest it would not be one-way traffic.
Six minutes later they got a deserved equaliser when Liverpool’s defence failed to read Felipe Anderson’s disguised free-kick and spot Michail Antonio’s run into the area. The English winger finished off with a low angled drive which went in off the post.
BBC reports that Liverpool did not put the West Ham defence under severe pressure, with two efforts from Salah and a header from Mane comfortably dealt with by Fabianski before Divock Origi shot straight at the keeper when he had a clear sight of goal right at the end.
It was a match where very little went right for Klopp’s side at either end of the pitch after Mane’s opener.
There was a suspicion of offside for that goal when Adam Lallana outmanoeuvred a couple of defenders on the right before playing a pass to the overlapping James Milner.
Milner looked to be a yard ahead of the final defender, but there was no flag as his square ball found Mane who turned and fired in.
Fabianski had little else to do until the final kick of the game when substitute Origi, who also looked offside, struck his effort straight at the Polish keeper from six yards.
The attack might have lacked its usual potency on Monday, but it was the defensive display that would have had Klopp most concerned.