Liverpool vs. West Ham: Score and Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

Liverpool lost ground in the Premier League title race despite coming from behind to draw with West Ham United at Anfield on Sunday. Divock Origi drew the Reds level at 2-2 early in the second half after a mistake from goalkeeper Darren Randolph. 

Adam Lallana had opened the scoring for Liverpool, but goals from Dimitri Payet and Michail Antonio put West Ham in front at the break. Liverpool pressed relentlessly in the second half but couldn't add a winner to Origi's goal.

The two dropped points see Liverpool stay third and slip six points behind leaders Chelsea at the top of the table. Meanwhile, the Hammers climbed out of the bottom three thanks to this priceless point.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp gave Origi the start at centre-forward, while playmaker Lallana returned to the heart of midfield, per the club's official Twitter:

The Reds were also missing midfielder Emre Can, who had sustained an injury during midweek training, according to James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo.

West Ham were once again counting on stylish forward Payet for flair and inspiration, but he would surely receive better support with intelligent attacker Andre Ayew also in the starting XI, per the club:

Predictably, Liverpool were quick off the mark against a Hammers team hovering in the drop zone. It took just over four minutes for Lallana to score after he pounced on a nice pull-back from Sadio Mane.

The England international's finish confirmed his burgeoning efficiency in the final third, with numbers from Squawka helping prove the point:

Lallana is becoming more of a goal threat, but Mane's assist merely continued his habit of making a difference where it counts for Liverpool, per WhoScored.com:

The Hammers weren't stunned for long, though. In fact, they nearly found a rapid equaliser after centre-back Winston Reid sent Antonio clear with a raking long ball. His shot flicked over off the fingers of under-fire Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius.

Antonio had come close, but Payet is the man the Hammers usually look to whenever they need to get out of trouble. So it proved again when the Frenchman netted the equaliser in what's become typically memorable fashion.

Payet beat Karius from distance with a superbly struck, curling free-kick. The league's official site confirmed how deadly West Ham's attacking talisman has been from such set pieces:

Meanwhile, conceding the equaliser was another reminder of Liverpool's frailties at the back, a weakness Squawka put into depressing context for the Reds with these numbers:

An away side determined not to rest on their laurels despite their unlikely equaliser soon breached Liverpool's suspect defence again.

Antonio had already posed a threat as a makeshift centre-forward through the middle. The Hammers were content to try to release him with long balls, and another clip over the top put Antonio in.

He scuffed his finish somewhat, but he still put enough on the ball to give West Ham an unlikely lead. Scoring with his foot is something of a rarity for the 26-year-old:

The Hammers had weathered the early onslaught and their reward was a surprise half-time advantage, but only after Liverpool centre-back Joel Matip had crashed a header off the crossbar in stoppage time.

Karius was under the spotlight after his shaky first-half performance, but it was the West Ham 'keeper who invited criticism at the start of the second half. Randolph dropped a Mane cross at the feet of Origi, who made no mistake from close range.

Ayew should have put West Ham back in front, but the former Swansea City man couldn't stoop low enough to get his head to another terrific free-kick from Payet. The miss was the Ghana international's last contribution, as he was soon replaced by former Liverpool striker Andy Carroll.

Jan Kruger/Getty Images

His introduction did little to lift the Hammers as an attacking force, though. Instead, Georginio Wijnaldum twice went close for Liverpool, before Randolph somewhat made amends with a superb save to deny Jordan Henderson.

The Reds kept the pressure on, as another slick move teed up Nathaniel Clyne, but the full-back blazed over after fine work from Mane and Lallana had created his chance.

It was all Liverpool in attacking areas, a fact confirmed by BBC Sport:

Yet for all their pressing, the hosts never got their reward.

Post-Match Reaction

Klopp admitted it's not going to be easy for his team to keep pace with leaders Chelsea, per Andy Kelly of the Liverpool Echo:

Ultimately, though, the German chose to endorse his team's current position in the table while also explaining the decision to remove centre-back Dejan Lovren at half-time:

Klopp had seen Payet punish Karius, but he suggested he was surprised by the accuracy of the free-kick in game conditions:

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic welcomed a useful point but also said he felt his team could have taken more advantage of Liverpool's expansive and risky tactics:

Bilic also explained his decision to start Antonio through the middle, endorsing the player's versatility, per the Hammers' official Twitter account:

Klopp is right to be downbeat after earning only one point from the last two league games. Both Chelsea and Arsenal have been setting a quick pace above them, with the Blues looking relentless at the moment. Liverpool won't catch either until they plug their leaky defence.