Liverpool’s title hopes suffered another blow following a 2-2 draw with West Ham United on Saturday afternoon.
Jarell Quansah filled in for Ibrahima Konate with Alexis Mac Allister maintained in the midfield three before Harvey Elliott and Coady Gakpo stepped in for Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez in the changes for the visitors after disappointed to Everton in the Merseyside derby.
The title-chasers, who have had a disappointing run-in lately, targeted a strong start and had Elliott drag a loose ball from a cross into the side-netting after making a blind-run.
It remained intense afterwards and towards the midway quarter with the Hammers coming alive to see a point-blank drive by Sofiane Boufal put Alisson Becker in a spot of bother.
The Reds were extremely close to going ahead late in the half as Diaz hit the post after he managed to come in from the left and cut inside.
West Ham began to up the tempo and saw Jarrod Bowen’s curling shot from the area force Alisson to go down and parried for a corner-kick.
From the corner, the lead followed two minutes to halftime as Bowen made a decent leap in the area to head in a surging cross from the left-side.
The lead were cut three minutes in the second half after Diaz ran in from the left and placed a cutback for Andrew Robertson to fire in off the near post.
West Ham felt the pressure afterwards and very nearly went further behind through a curler from Trent Alexander-Arnold, but it was well parried by Alphonso Areola.
Areola was breached again though midway through the second stanza after a snap shot from Gakpo ricochet off Tomas Soucek and in the net.
Liverpool were unable to consolidate the lead, as the host levelled 12 minutes from time when Michel Antonio rose unmarked in the area to nod in emphatically.
At the same time, the Reds send on Salah for Diaz and sacrificed Japanese international Wataru Endo to bring on strike-partner Nunez.
Liverpool should’ve secured victory in the last minute from a quick counter after a corner at one-end, but Elliott’s ferocious shot clattered the upright, as it finished all square.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
Click HERE to register!
