West Ham vs Liverpool result: Sadio Mane goal not enough to see off valiant Hammers

Five things we learned from West Ham's 1-1 draw with Premier League leaders Liverpool

West Ham held Premier League leaders to a hard-fought 1-1 draw at the London Stadium on Monday night.

Sadio Mane gave Liverpool an early lead after some brilliant work from Adam Lallana, although James Milner appeared to be offside.

But West Ham quickly equalised through Michail Antonio.

And they should have taken the lead shortly before half-time, only for Declan Rice to head over.

They dug deep in an entertaining second-half, holding Liverpool to a second successive draw which leaves Manchester City just three points behind in second.

The title race is alive

Should Manchester City beat Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday night, they will return to the top of the Premier League.

This man did Manchester City a favour (West Ham United via Getty) (West Ham United via Getty Images)

Liverpool still have a three point advantage, of course. But their last two results will come as a huge psychological blow and it is imperative they return to winning ways against Bournemouth on Saturday.

The Reds have finally hit choppy waters and this title race is very much alive. Just five points now separate league leaders Liverpool from third-place Tottenham – who looked to be completely out of things just a few days ago.

Adam Lallana back with a bang

Out for so very long and no longer the first-team regular he once was, Adam Lallana was under a lot of pressure here at the London Stadium.

Adam Lallana impressed (Getty) (Getty Images)

But the England international was brilliant. And he was integral to Liverpool’s opening goal.

Collecting the ball on the right flank, he impressed with his nimble footwork, dancing around some lumbering tackles before laying off (a clearly offside) James Milner. Milner whipped the ball into Sadio Mane and, in a flash, the Reds took the lead.

But Naby Keita struggles again

Liverpool fans were sent delirious by Naby Keita’s £48m arrival from Bundesliga upstarts RB Leipzig. Here was a player, we were told, that would help Liverpool dominate matches with his tough tackling displays in the middle of the park.

Naby Keita had a tough game (Getty) (Getty Images)

But it hasn’t quite worked out like that. And after a reasonably bright start, his performances have tailed off in recent weeks.

He was poor again today. He frequently found himself in possession, only to repeatedly pass backwards or sideways rather than attempting to drive forward.

Declan Rice fluffs his lines

Declan Rice, still only 20-year-old, was absolutely everywhere in the first-half.

How did he miss?! (Getty) (Getty Images)

The youngster really was West Ham’s heartbeat in an impressive performance. No player on the pitch made more than his three tackles, while his 85.7% pass accuracy was higher than any of his team-mates.

But when he found himself with a huge opportunity to head West Ham into the lead just before the break, he fluffed his lines, sending the ball over. It was a shame he could not crown such an impressive display with a goal.

Liverpool’s defence uncharacteristically shaky

Liverpool have the best defence in the league. Heading into this fixture, they had conceded just 14 goals in 24 matches.

It was a tough night at the back (Getty) (Getty Images)

Something went wrong here, however. And Liverpool particularly struggled defending set pieces, with West Ham enjoying so many chances to take an unexpected lead.

Liverpool’s struggles came at an especially bad time given the earlier news about Joe Gomez. The 21-year-old is set to have an operation on the leg fracture he sustained against Burnley in December and will be out for longer than expected.