Liverpool vs West Brom: Five things we learned from the stalemate at Anfield

Liverpool 0 West Brom 0: The Reds were held at Anfield in a strangely underwhelming display

Mohamed Salah reacts after a missed opportunity (Getty)

Liverpool were strangely subdued as they failed to repeat their recent rampant attacking performances at home to West Brom in a goalless draw.

Alan Pardew set his Baggies team up with a defensive mindset and they successfully kept the hosts at bay.

Dominic Solanke seemed to have won the game late on but he was adjudged to have handled the ball.

Here are five things we learned from Anfield.

Alan Pardew gesticulates from the touchline (Getty)

West Brom show Pulis-like qualities – and deficiencies

There was a familiar whiff of Tony Pulis about West Brom's tactics at Anfield. They were organised, a dense unit which proved difficult to break down, and perhaps Alan Pardew took a leaf out his predecessor's book. However, were they wasteful in front of goal – another trait of the recent Pulis era – in particular when Ahmed Hargazi and Hal Robson-Kanu might have done better with good chances before Liverpool began to wake from their strange slumber. The Baggies are still yet to score under their new manager despite his supposedly more adventurous approach, and it remains an issue he must quickly address.

Fab four left floundering

Only days ago pundits were stumbling over themselves to praise Liverpool's 'fab four' of Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah – who in fairness had some bright moments. Liverpool may not be in the title race but they are in a fight for the top four, a fight with a lucrative prize which Klopp cannot afford to miss out on. It is a worrying sign if they can destroy teams one week, and be so blunt the next.

Does Klopp have a plan B?

It has been a regular criticism by Jamie Carragher in Liverpool's most difficult recent times that Klopp has a thrilling plan A but not plan B whatsoever. It's not only that he doesn't have a Peter Crouch or Marouane Fellaini to sling balls towards; neither does Pep Guardiola and a target man isn't always necessary. But the City manager will flex his formation in order to put more attacking players on the pitch, or find a different angle of attack. Likewise Mauricio Pochettino, who can switch his system when needed. Klopp rarely deviates from 4-3-3 and when it isn't working – as it wasn't at Anfield against West Brom – he seems frustratingly reluctant to change the game from the touchline, and even the appearance of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Solanke in a double change on 76 minutes did not bring a change in shape.

Mohamed Salah tussles for the ball in midfield (Getty)

Mignolet misses out

Jurgen Klopp left Simon Mignolet out and started Loris Karius, and before the game he had another one of those moments where his attempt to justify rotating his goalkeeper came across as though he was trying to convince himself. “Si got a little knock in the last game, swollen around the ankle. If you don’t have another goalkeeper Si could have played, but there’s Loris. So I think it makes sense that we make the change and hopefully we don’t have to make a change during the game. Si did OK today in training, absolutely, but we only had a little session. Yesterday, he couldn’t train. So, that’s the reason for that.” It is hard to be truly convinced that Klopp has faith in the Belgian.

The handball rule remains is cruel as ever

Dominic Solanke thought he had scored the winner, yet he was adjudged to have handled the ball. Replays showed it did strike his arm but it certainly did not seem an intentional act – something specified in the rulebook for a referee to make the call. The rule is policed differently to how it is written down, and that will continue to create debate.