EPL Table: Saturday's Week 35 Results, Scores and 2018 Premier League Standings
April 21, 2018
Liverpool let a two-goal lead slip late on in their trip to the Hawthorns on Saturday, as two strikes in the space of nine minutes clinched a 2-2 draw for West Bromwich Albion.
Salomon Rondon was the Baggies' saviour. His 88th-minute header sealed a share of the spoils for the west Midlands hosts, who were defiant at home as they delayed relegation—for the time being.
Danny Ings opened the scoring at the Hawthorns and was joined on the scoresheet by Mohamed Salah, who matched the Premier League's record tally for goals in a 38-game season with his 31st strike of the campaign.
Elsewhere, Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson saw his side take a step closer to retaining their top-flight status after seeing out a 0-0 stalemate in their trip to Watford.
Read on as we recount the highlights from Saturday's double helping of Premier League action, complete with a look at the updated standings.
Saturday's Premier League Results
West Bromwich Albion 2-2 Liverpool
Watford 0-0 Crystal Palace
Current Standings (Points, Goal Difference)
1. Manchester City: 87 (+68)
2. Manchester United: 74 (+39)
3. Liverpool: 71 (+43)
4. Tottenham Hotspur: 68 (+35)
5. Chelsea: 63 (+25)
6. Arsenal: 54 (+17)
7. Burnley: 52 (+3)
8. Leicester City: 44 (+2)
9. Everton: 42 (-15)
10. Newcastle United: 41 (-7)
11. Bournemouth: 38 (-17)
12. Watford: 38 (-18)
13. Brighton & Hove Albion: 36 (-15)
15. Crystal Palace: 35 (-18)
16. Huddersfield Town: 35 (-27)
17. Swansea City: 33 (-19)
18. Southampton: 29 (-20)
19. Stoke City: 28 (-33)
20. West Bromwich Albion: 25 (-25)
Visit the official Premier League website for a look at the table in full.
Recap
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp rung the changes against West Brom and retained only four of the players from his starting XI that defeated Bournemouth 3-0 last Saturday, with an eye on Tuesday's UEFA Champions League semi-final against AS Roma.
At first it appeared to be sufficient enough as Ings broke the deadlock from close range, poking in after Georginio Wijnaldum steadied the ball, to end a drought lasting more than 30 months, per Goal's Melissa Reddy:
Liverpool website editor James Carroll posted a photograph to summarise what it meant for the former Burnley star, who has had to contend against one of the fiercest front lines in Europe for a place:
James Carroll @James_Carroll84Danny Ings to https://t.co/edMpGfqonH last August on scoring his next goal: “I am craving it like you wouldn’t believe. The feeling you get when you score a goal is like no other, there is no better feeling. I cannot wait to feel it again.” Get in. https://t.co/UXHc31OS6F
That breakthrough came after only four minutes, but the Hawthorns has become a hard place for visitors to score goals in recent years, and the Reds were waiting another 64 minutes before they got their second.
Liverpool still have three games remaining, and Salah is within inches of cementing his place as the Premier League's most prolific example in terms of goals in single season:
But Liverpool were complacent in their work and particularly struggled down the flanks with full-backs Joe Gomez and Alberto Moreno.
Jake Livermore scrambled home the hosts' first from a corner on 79 minutes, and Chris Brunt delivered a free-kick in the 88th minute for 6'1" Venezuelan Rondon to head home. The Liverpool Echo's James Pearce rued a missed chance for Klopp's men:
Two moments of defensive panic in the box and an inability to deal with pressure mean two missed points for Liverpool, while the Baggies, eight points adrift of safety, get a reprieve before their relegation is confirmed.
The clash at Vicarage Road wasn't nearly as eventful as Watford, and Palace saw out a bore draw, where the biggest talking point was Wilfried Zaha being booked for diving when he should have been given a penalty, via BT Sport Score:
Nevertheless, a valuable point in north London brings the Eagles one point closer to top-flight survival, with the club moving up to 15th and six points above the bottom three.