Liverpool vs. West Brom: Winners and Losers from Premier League
Liverpool needed an injury-time equaliser to rescue a point against West Bromwich Albion at Anfield.
Substitute Divock Origi scored with a deflected drive to make it 2-2 deep into the eight minutes of added-on time following an injury to Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren.
The home side took the lead when returning captain Jordan Henderson broke the deadlock after 21 minutes, only for West Brom to reply before the break with a goal from defender Craig Dawson.
Jonas Olsson thought he had scored another for the visitors in first-half stoppage time, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside.
However, the Swedish defender got a legitimate goal after the break, flicking in a corner from Chris Brunt.
Here, Bleacher Report picks out the winners and losers from an eventful Premier League fixture.
Winner: Jordan Henderson
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Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson marked his first Premier League start since August 17 with a goal.
The midfielder—back in action after recovering from a heel injury—ghosted into the penalty area to get onto Adam Lallana's header and sweep the ball beyond visiting goalkeeper Boaz Myhill.
Henderson's strike should have laid the foundations for a home win. Instead, the Reds needed to fight hard just to get anything out of the game.
The result leaves Liverpool in ninth place in the table, but the England international remains confident they can secure Champions League football for next season by finishing in the top four.
He said after the 2-2 draw, per the Premier League's official Twitter feed, "Everybody is fighting to get in the top four and we want to get as high up the table as we can."
Loser: Christian Benteke
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Liverpool's Christian Benteke drew a blank in front of goal—he has now found the net once in his last six outings.
The Belgium international had very few chances to score during the 90 minutes, although he did see a second-half header loop just over the bar.
With Daniel Sturridge sidelined again, Liverpool need their summer signing from Aston Villa to start firing. Benteke, however, is not helped by his static movement and reliance on crosses into the box.
Bleacher Report's Karl Matchett tweeted during the game, "Benteke stands still being marked watching [Philippe] Coutinho dribble and shoot, then waves his arms to say he should have received pass. Erm, move?"
Winner: Divock Origi
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Divock Origi came on in difficult circumstances, replacing the injured Dejan Lovren in the 79th minute after a lengthy break in play.
The decision to send on a striker to replace a defender paid off for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, as the replacement produced a late equaliser.
Allowed to play on after being fouled, Origi fired in a shot that hit a West Brom defender. The deflection took the ball away from Boaz Myhill, who could only watch it bounce into the right corner of the net.
With his fellow Belgian Christian Benteke struggling, Origi—who scored a hat-trick in the 6-1 Capital One Cup triumph win over Southampton on December 2—is waiting in the wings for an extended opportunity.
Loser: Dejan Lovren
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Liverpool's Dejan Lovren suffered a knee injury after a heavy challenge with West Brom's Craig Gardner.
He had to be stretchered off and, per James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo on Twitter, left Anfield "on crutches and in a lot of discomfort."
A spell on the sidelines would be a real blow to Lovren. He had benefited from an injury to centre-back Mamadou Sakho, forging a strong partnership with Martin Skrtel at the centre of Liverpool's defence.
So good, in fact, that the former Southampton player was nominated for November's Premier League Player of the Month award (although Leicester City's Jamie Vardy won it).
Sakho, meanwhile, could be fit to face Watford on December 20, per James Carroll of the club's official website.
Winner: West Brom's Set Pieces
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According to WhoScored.com on Twitter, no Premier League team has scored more headed goals this season than West Brom's tally of seven.
Their latest arrived when defender Jonas Olsson flicked home a wicked corner from Chris Brunt after 73 minutes.
The same player also scored from a free-kick in the opening half, but that effort was ruled out for offside. The Baggies were not happy at the time, with the flag only being raised as they were celebrating.
West Brom's first goal was also from a set piece. A free-kick, floated in from the right, led to defender Craig Dawson eventually hitting home a loose ball (more on that to come).
Loser: Simon Mignolet
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Liverpool seemed to be in control of proceedings with the score at 1-0. However, the game changed when Simon Mignolet paid dearly for his failure to deal with a free-kick.
The Belgian goalkeeper came off his line to try to get his hands on the ball. All he ended up doing was grasping at fresh air.
After the ball bobbled around in the area, Craig Dawson made Mignolet pay for his error by grabbing West Brom an unlikely equaliser.
According to WhoScored.com, "No player has made more errors that have led directly to a goal in the last 3 PL seasons than Mignolet (8)."
However, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp defended the player in his post-match press conference, per Callum Davis of the Telegraph, "I said to Mignolet at half time, if someone says its his fault, tell them it’s not true, it’s mine. I want a GK who tries to get the ball."
