Liverpool 0 West Brom 1ANFIELD TRIUMPHS did not arrive often enough for Roy Hodgson to convince Liverpool's support and owners that he was the man to inspire recovery. He was sacked with a better home league record after six months than Kenny Dalglish has produced in nine this season, however, and this was a return to savour as West Bromwich Albion conjured their first win at Liverpool in exactly 45 years.
Not for the first time in a Jekyll and Hyde campaign between the league and cups, Dalglish struggled to explain how such a dominant display could end without victory. But this outcome was more far-fetched than usual.
Liverpool hit the woodwork for the 30th time in this Premier League season through Dirk Kuyt, sliced several invitations high or wide and saw luck favour the visitors in several goalline scrambles.
They departed to half-hearted jeers from a crowd that has witnessed only five league wins all season and a meagre return of 24 points from a possible 51.
The Albion manager, to his credit, declined to gloat after Peter Odemwingie’s second-half finish gave the Baggies their first Anfield victory since Jeff Astle’s goal returned an identical result on this day in 1967.
“Maybe it was written in the stars because it was 45 years to the day,” said Hodgson. “It was a very determined, gritty effort from our players. We made good blocks, there were good saves from our goalkeeper [Ben Foster] and, when that didn’t work, we had some luck with Liverpool hitting the post and our goalkeeper in the face when he knew nothing about it.”
Dalglish, by contrast, afterwards could have simply brought the needle down on a broken record. “You can go back over the old interviews and it’s the same thing,” he said. “We had a lot of attempts on goal but couldn’t put it right. There is not much more we can add. We can’t even say it was one of those days because this has happened seven or eight times.”
The league offers Liverpool only the mundane target of finishing above Everton but it would be dangerous of Dalglish’s players to slip into end-of-season mode with momentum required and places to secure before the FA Cup final. Despite what the final score might suggest, they were not culpable on that score.
Dalglish’s team, with Steven Gerrard omitted as a precaution against a tight hamstring, controlled the majority of the contest but yet again the penetration that has prevailed in the cups deserted them in the league. It was instructive that in a one-sided first half the only goalkeeper to be seriously tested was Jose Reina. Twice the Spaniard came to the home side’s rescue on his return to the side from a three-match suspension.
Anfield’s familiar sense of bewilderment returned with Liverpool’s first attack when Andy Carroll dispossessed Youssouf Mulumbu and released Luis Suarez against the visiting defence. Suarez picked out the unmarked Kuyt and his low shot beat Foster but evaded the far post too. Suarez repeated that trick and also cut inside the Albion area only for his shot to strike Liam Ridgewell and cannon clear.
The Uruguay international was then denied by Foster, watched aghast as Maxi Rodriguez blazed the rebound over and glanced Jose Enrique’s inviting cross over.
After withstanding the pressure Albion came closest to opening the scoring. Reina made a superb one-handed save to thwart Chris Brunt’s volley at close range.
The second half followed an identical pattern with Carroll, Jordan Henderson and Jay Spearing all denied before Kuyt’s deflected shot struck a post. Then Mulumbu chased and harried Glen Johnson to distraction, forcing the Liverpool right-back into a careless pass that bounced into the path of Odemwingie.
Clean through and with only Reina to beat, the striker wrong-footed the keeper and dispatched a convincing finish. Hodgson sat impassively on the bench. Dalglish stared open-mouthed.
Guardian Service
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