Goals by Dimitri Payet and Michail Antonio exposed Liverpool’s defensive frailties again as West Ham climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone with a hard-fought draw at Anfield.
After conceding four in last weekend’s loss at Bournemouth, Liverpool shipped two avoidable first-half goals on their way to ceding more ground to Chelsea and Arsenal in the title race.
Adam Lallana’s smart low finish had put Liverpool ahead inside five minutes but the visitors were level before the half-hour when goalkeeper Loris Karius – at fault for Bournemouth’s winner a week ago – failed to deal with Payet’s saveable 25-yard free-kick.
Karius was less culpable for West Ham’s second scored by Antonio, but it was a scruffy goal that did not reflect well on a Liverpool backline that has now conceded 20 goals in 15 league games – the worst record among the teams in the top six.
But errors were not the sole preserve of the Liverpool defence, and a big mistake by West Ham goalkeeper Darren Randolph, dropping a cross into the path of Divock Origi, gifted Liverpool the equaliser.
Randolph made amends with a quite stunning late save to keep out Jordan Henderson’s equally sublime strike as West Ham held on for a point that sees them climb to 17th.
Karius under scrutiny again
Liverpool’s new goalkeeper had largely gone under the radar since joining from Klopp’s former club Mainz in the summer.
He missed the start of the season with a broken hand, but after returning to full fitness at the end of September was drafted in ahead of Simon Mignolet – where he has remained ever since.
The German had a relatively untroubled time of it in his first nine games, although small mistakes were in evidence – but nothing as high-profile as the last-minute spill that allowed Nathan Ake to score Bournemouth’s winner last time out.
And the pressure is sure to intensify on the 23-year-old after his part in West Ham’s opener, with Payet’s free-kick nicely struck but much too central to be considered unstoppable.
West Ham’s second goal was also avoidable from Liverpool’s perspective.
Havard Nordtveit’s hopeful drilled pass from his own half struck the head of the retreating Henderson, deflecting the ball high into the air and wrong-footing Reds centre-back Joel Matip, allowing Antonio in.
The West Ham man might not have had the chance to score had Karius been further advanced in his area, but nothing should be taken away from the finish, a cute poke with the outside of his boot that just had enough force to cross the line.
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.