West Ham United 1-1 Liverpool
Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham held Liverpool to a draw at the London Stadium to reduce the Reds’ lead at the top of the Premier League to just three points.
Sadio Mane put the visitors ahead with a controversial strike before Michail Antonio equalised for the Hammers. Liverpool struggled to get into their stride, and the hosts fully deserved a point at the least.
With Manchester City playing again on Wednesday, Jurgen Klopp’s side is coming under increasing pressure.
The Hammers love to play the underdog, and they fought tooth and nail to deny the Reds. This was a big night in the top flight, and the Premier League 2019 betting odds will now take a little shift back towards Manchester.
Highlights of the game
With Marko Arnautovic ruled out injured, Javier Hernandez made a start. The Mexican came so close to opening the scoring in the first minute when Mark Noble put him through, but his shot curled just wide.
And then, after a lovely move from the Hammers, Aaron Cresswell fired a shot past the right-hand post. Former Manchester City head coach Pellegrini knew he could do his old employers a big favour tonight, and they certainly started on the right foot.
The Reds were having plenty of possession without really getting anywhere, while West Ham looked dangerous on the counter-attack And after another move started by Noble, Hernandez stung Alisson’s palms with a fierce drive.
After a difficult opening 20 minutes, however, Liverpool went ahead thanks to a huge slice of luck.
Adam Lallana made good progress down the right and then fed James Milner who was clearly offside, but the linesman’s flag stayed down as he found Sadio Mane who finished clinically.
That was really hard on the Hammers, but they responded brilliantly with a great move straight off the training ground. Felipe Anderson, shaped to swing a free-kick into the box, instead slid a clever ball down the right to Antonio whose first-time shot was perfectly placed into the far corner to make it 1-1.
And the Hammers had a golden opportunity to go ahead when Declan Rice got on the end of a free kick and had all the space in the world with a free header. Nonetheless, he planted it wide with the goal at his mercy.
James Milner made another chance for Mane, but this time his header was straight at Lukasz Fabianski.
Jurgen Klopp said all he had to say at halftime and sent his team out early, which spoke volumes. The Reds put the first decent move of the second half together which ended with Lallana setting up Mo Salah, but the Egyptians’ shot was held by Fabianski.
As Liverpool tried to up the tempo, Salah made space for himself before curling a shot towards the bottom corner, only to be denied again by Fabianski.
Noble had another chance for the Hammers, but he sliced his effort over the bar. As the game wore on, a winner for either side seemed unlikely. Liverpool pressed but without penetration and the West Ham defence held firm.
Key statistics
Liverpool fluffed their lines last week when they had a chance to strengthen their lead at the top, drawing at home with Leicester City. They suffered the same fate tonight.
The Reds, though, can have no complaints. Despite having over 70 percent possession, the Reds lost the shot count by 13 to 11. After failing to register a single shot on target in a 3-0 defeat to Wolves, this was a good comeback by the Hammers.
So West Ham have ended a run of three consecutive defeats, but Klopp’s faltering Reds have now dropped more points in the last five league games than in the previous 20.
And the Hammers seem to do okay without Arnautovic, enjoying better points per game record without him this season—up at 1.6 as opposed to 1.2 when the Austrian takes the field.
What’s next?
Liverpool fans will have a nervy few days before their team plays again.
Manchester City have a game against Everton on Wednesday, and you can get all the big Premier League 2019 news from that one right here at SBOBET.
The Sky Blues can take the top spot with a win.
Next weekend, Jurgen Klopp’s side hosts Bournemouth, and it’s anyone’s guess how the Cherries will play after hammering Chelsea 4-0 before losing to Cardiff City.
West Ham have a tasty London derby away to Crystal Palace. Roy Hodgson’s side is not out of the relegation mix just yet, but is up to 14th in the table.
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