Liverpool vs. West Brom: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Liverpool recorded their first win in league play since August with a 2-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion Saturday at Anfield.
Adam Lallana and Jordan Henderson combined well on the first goal, while Henderson notched the game-winning goal in the 61st minute.
Sandwiched in between the two strikes was a goal from the spot by Saido Berahino, who was taken down by Dejan Lovren to earn a penalty.
Continue reading on to see who the biggest winners and losers were from this clash at Anfield.
Winner: Brendan Rodgers
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While all the credit will be handed to the Liverpool players for the win, manager Brendan Rodgers deserves his fair share of praise as well.
Rodgers adjusted his lineup to use Jordan Henderson in an advanced role instead of starting him next to Steven Gerrard.
Henderson made his boss look like a genius after he played a role in both Liverpool goals.
The other key decision made by Rodgers came in the form of Rickie Lambert, who started in favor of Mario Balotelli.
Lambert did not do much to cause a major threat on the West Brom goal, but he didn't carry a flight risk in a tight match, which can be seen as a positive given Liverpool's recent form.
Loser: Dejan Lovren
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Dejan Lovren certainly did not endear himself to the Anfield crowd Saturday, as he conceded a penalty in the 55th minute.
The big-money signing from Southampton made an unnecessary challenge on Saido Berahino, which led to an equalizer by the West Brom forward.
Some may dispute that the challenge began on the outside of the box, but regardless of where the tackle occurred, Lovren shouldn't have lunged at Berahino in the first place.
Winner: Adam Lallana
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Adam Lallana eased the nerves at Anfield right before the half-time whistle with his first goal in a Liverpool shirt.
The goal was the first in 189 days for the former Southampton player, per Opta.
With West Brom playing tight on defense for most of the half, Lallana needed to find a bit of space, and he did after receiving a clever backheel pass from Henderson.
Although he did not reignite his old combination with Lambert, the winger did put in a strong shift to give the Reds momentum heading into the international break.
Winner: Saido Berahino
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Saido Berahino extended his scoring streak to three games with his 56th-minute penalty.
The young forward posed a threat up top all match long, as he put three shots on target and was fouled on five occasions, per WhoScored.com.
Now that he has proven he can score in a string of games at a high level, do not be surprised to see Berahino get a call from England manager Roy Hodgson in the near future.
Loser: Rickie Lambert
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Rickie Lambert was handed a golden opportunity to shine up front for Liverpool, but he exited in the 64th minute after not making a massive impact.
The 32-year-old could only muster one shot on target, and he seemed to take a back seat to the attacking flair produced by Henderson and Raheem Sterling.
To make matters worse for Lambert, Mario Balotelli came off the bench and looked impressive in the final third of the match to leave a good imprint in the mind of Rodgers.
Winner: Cristian Gamboa
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With Andre Wisdom ineligible to suit up against Liverpool, Cristian Gamboa stepped in and delivered a fine performance at right-back.
The Costa Rican defender flashed his pace on numerous occasions to hand the Baggies an extra threat in attack.
Gamboa also played well defensively, as he recorded five tackles for a back four that held up well on the road.
Whether or not he gets another start when Liverpool loanee Wisdom is eligible for selection remains to be seen, but he did nothing but leave a good impression in his first league start.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
