Jurgen Klopp was left scratching his head as his Liverpool side lost more ground in the title race with a disappointing 2-2 draw with West Ham United. The game at Anfield was supposed to be an easy affair for the Reds and it started positively with Adam Lallana scoring in the fifth minute to give Liverpool a 1-0 advantage.
Call it complacency or naivety, Liverpool took their foot off the gas which allowed the Hammers to crawl back into the game.
Dimitri Payet scored a free kick to level the matters before Michail Antonio gave them a surprising lead at halftime. Klopp's men bounced back almost immediately as Divock Origi again levelled the proceedings in the 48th minute. Liverpool completely dominated the game yet found it tough to find a winner as Chelsea are now six points ahead of them with Arsenal being second on the table.
Let's have a look at the five talking points from the game at Anfield:
#1 The curious case of Loris Karius
When Liverpool brought Karius from Germany, he was to replace the inconsistent Simon Mignolet who was costing crucial points to the Reds with his untimely errors. The situation should have been very different this season but it's beginning to look like the same story is being played out with the German keeper who looks low on confidence.
He was at fault for two errors which led to the West Ham goals.
His positioning for the first West Ham goal was absolutely wrong as it gave Payet acres of space to slot it home. Had Karius stood just two steps to his right, he could have easily saved the freekick with his right hand.
For the second goal, Karius' indecisiveness cost Liverpool as he stood in his place instead of charging and putting West Ham’s Michail Antonio in a spot of bother. He made matters worse for the Reds as Jurgen Klopp's confidence in him seems to be rattled with the manager refusing to answer any question on his no.1 keeper after the match.
#2 West Ham United are slowly finding rhythm
The Hammers are just out of the relegation zone with a draw against a formidable Liverpool side which will help their cause in the long run. After a disappointing loss against Arsenal, the Hammers' result against Liverpool and Manchester United will please them.
Their upturn in form could also be attributed to key players finally returning from long term injuries and making themselves available.
The Hammer’s best player from last season, Dimitri Payet is slowly regaining his lost touch and the Frenchman scored his third goal of the season last night. He has to be at his best to take West Ham our of this mess starting with the midweek clash against Burnley.
Goalkeeper Darren Randolph committed a silly error in gifting Liverpool the second goal but bounced back with vigour as he saved a stunning strike from Jordan Henderson to keep the Hammers in the game.
#3 Liverpool look complacent at times
Liverpool manager Klopp has to work on the complacent nature of his side as they are still struggling to win games that are easy fixtures on paper. If they are to be crowned champions in May, these are the sort of oppositions that shouldn’t pose a problem to a side's title credentials.
The same case happened with Bournemouth when Liverpool conceded a 3-1 lead to lose 4-3 which was their first defeat since August.
In the second half against West Ham, the Reds were back to their free-flowing best but could not muster a winner to take them ahead of the finishing line. Though West Ham were resolute in defence, this draw was a result of Liverpool players taking their foot off the gas after scoring an early goal which allowed West Ham an opportunity to crawl back into the game.
#4 Slaven Bilic loves playing against Liverpool
The Croatian manager has struggled this season but when it comes to games against Liverpool, Bilic has a brilliant record to his name. When he was manager of Besiktas, the former West Ham player ousted the Reds from the Europa League round of 32 clash when Brendan Rodgers was at the helm.
West Ham played Liverpool four times last season and were unbeaten in all them and the record read; three wins and a draw. Bilic led West Ham to complete a league double over the Reds last season; their first since the 1963-64 season. The Hammers also defeated Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup last season which needed a replay to find the winner between the two.
#5 All is not lost for the Reds
A six point difference between leaders Chelsea and Liverpool may seem to be a big ask for the Reds to recover, but the business period of the season has just started with every team expected to have a couple of results that won't go their way.
Teams have gone on to overturn 10-point deficits to win the league and Jurgen Klopp will look to boost his team's confidence starting with the game against Middlesbrough on Wednesday.
Along with that, the performances of Adam Lallana and Sadio Mane should keep Liverpool hopeful of maintaining the pressure on the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea. Lallana returned from injury and scored a goal with an assist from Mane, who was a livewire throughout the game.
