West Bromwich Albion hit back to earn a 2-2 draw against Liverpool in a match that saw Mohamed Salah net his record-equalling 31st Premier League goal of the season.
The Reds were two goals up at The Hawthorns after Salah dinked the ball over Ben Foster to add to an early Danny Ings strike.
Jake Livermore dragged his side back into the match with a scrambled finish, before Salomon Rondon headed home to snatch a late point.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between West Bromwich Albion and Liverpool at The Hawthorns. The Baggies could drop into the second tier this weekend after an eight-season stay in the top flight if results go against them, despite last week's shock 1-0 win away at Manchester United.
If nothing else, that win at Old Trafford last weekend should provide a warning to Liverpool that this match may not be as easy as it looks on the face of it. The Reds are still not assured of a top-four spot just yet, leaving Jurgen Klopp to ponder whether to go with a weakened XI this afternoon with Tuesday's huge showdown against Roma in mind. Let's find out by checking out the confirmed team news...
LIVERPOOL TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Karius; Gomez, Klavan, Van Dijk, Moreno; Milner, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Mane, Salah, Ings
SUBS: Mignolet, Lovren, Firmino, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Robertson, Solanke, Alexander-Arnold
Well we have our answer... sort of. Klopp has made five changes on the back of the 3-0 win over Bournemouth last weekend, but he has included Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane in his starting lineup. The German hinted that he would use Salah from the off, as the Egyptian forward aims to set a Premier League record for the number of goals scored in a single campaign, and that has proved to be the case.
Roberto Firmino is left on the bench, with his spot in the starting XI taken by Danny Ings. Joe Gomez returns at right-back after missing a month through injury, while on the opposite flank Alberto Moreno is back following an even longer absence from the side. Ragnar Klavan, James Milner and Ings are the other three players to return to the fold, taking over from Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dejan Lovren, Andy Robertson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Roberto Firmino.
Virgil van Dijk is no sacrificed, however, retaining his spot in the heart of an otherwise new-look defence, and Loris Karius is now very much the established number one at Anfield. Joel Matip, Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne and Emre Can are all currently nursing injury problems, although each of those bar centre-back Matip could still feature again before the end of the season.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Foster; Nyom, Dawson, Hegazi, Gibbs; Phillips, Livermore, Brunt, McClean; Rodriguez, Rondon
SUBS: Myhill, Robson-Kanu, Yacob, Evans, Burke, Krychowiak, Field
Albion caretaker boss Darren Moore has once again gone with an unchanged starting lineup, which is not at all surprising considering his side's slight upturn in fortunes. Four points from the last six on offer is a decent return considering how poor they were under former boss Alan Pardew, but time is now fast running out and even a draw will not be enough for them this afternoon.
Daniel Sturridge is not involved today as he is ineligible against his parent club, but Jonny Evans is back on the bench after recovering from a knee injury. Also absent today are James Morrison and Gareth Barry, while Hal Robson-Kanu's return to the matchday squad has given Moore a boost of sorts as he can turn to the Welshman from the bench if required. Oliver Burke is another attacking option.
Jay Rodriguez has played a big part in Albion's improved form, scoring three in his last four outings to make it a fairly respectable 11 in 38 overall for the campaign in this struggling side. The Englishman's header against United last weekend at least managed to ensure that there is something riding on this lunchtime kickoff, and another unlikely victory today could well leave supporters dreaming of the greatest of great escapes.
Roberto Firmino has been left of the bench for Liverpool this afternoon with Tuesday's Champions League clash against Roma in mind. The forward could well play a part from the bench, though, and should that be the case he will become the third Brazilian to reach 100 appearances for the Reds after Lucas Leiva (247) and Philippe Coutinho (152).
Last weekend's win at Old Trafford provided us with arguably the biggest shock of the Premier League season so far - a result that was cheered in the blue half of Manchester as it gifted City the title. Albion's drop into the Championship still seems inevitable, however, as they are nine points adrift of 17th-placed Swansea City, who also have a game in hand to play.
Rodriguez's header gave Albion just their fourth win of a pretty dreadful Premier League campaign, and after seven seasons back in the top flight the Baggies' fate could well be sealed before this matchday is over. It is a relegation that not many would have predicted last summer, having seen West Brom finish 13th, 14th and then 10th in the last three campaigns - a mid-table side in every respect.
Albion's plight goes to show what can happen when you take your eyes off the ball, which has also proved to be the case for Stoke City and Southampton. It all started so well for the Midlanders this term, too, as Tony Pulis guided them to back-to-back wins and everything looked to be pretty rosy. Incredibly, though, they won just one more match over the following eight months - a 2-0 triumph at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Their recent eight-match losing run set a club record and was enough for the club to part company with Pardew, who was brought in to help keep the Baggies above the dotted line - what a terrible appointment that proved to be. Moore has since taken four points from a possible six - as many as Albion has managed in their previous 10 matches - but it is very much too little, too late as they will almost certainly be going down.
Four wins from four is needed if Albion are to have any hope of beating the drop, with that taking them to 36 points. Even then, with goal difference factored in, the Baggies need Swansea to lose each of their remaining matches. One game at a time will be the message from Moore, who has impressed since taking temporary charge, and he will know that Swansea are unlikely to add any points to their tally at Man City tomorrow.
Even the most optimistic of Albion supporters cannot envisage their side taking maximum points off Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur during their difficult run-in, though, on top of trips to Newcastle United and Crystal Palace. If they do go down this weekend, which is a real possibility, it will mark their fourth relegation; a record shared with Norwich City, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Palace.
DID YOU KNOW? West Bromwich Albion have won just one of their last 16 Premier League home games - against Brighton & Hove Albion in January - giving them the worst home record in the division, with 14 points from a possible 51. The Baggies have also scored just 27 league goals home and away - the joint-lowest tally along with Huddersfield Town and Swansea City.
Interestingly, West Brom would be 12th in the Premier League on 37 points if games finished at half time. Five of the last six goals that they have scored since the start of February have come in the second half of matches, however - whichever way you look at it, the Baggies have been the worst side in the division and cannot argue that they deserve to stay up. Relegation is now inevitable.
West Bromwich Albion have taken four points from a possible six since Darren Moore replaced Alan Pardew - as many as they had managed in their previous 10 outings. The Baggies produced one of the shocks of the season last time out when edging out Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford, but they now need to follow that up with four wins from four.
Albion's dismal campaign is in stark contrast to Liverpool's, as the Reds sit third in the Premier League and are into the semi-finals of the Champions League. The visitors have not quite made certain of a top-four finish, sitting seven points above Chelsea heading into this weekend's matches, so they will be hoping to stretch that lead into double figures to make all but certain today.
Rather than worry about fifth-placed Chelsea, though, Liverpool are more focused on ousting Manchester United to finish in second. The Red Devils' 2-0 victory at Bournemouth in midweek strengthened their hold on the runners-up berth, which you must say they would deserve, but the Reds can reduce the gap to a point today and put just a little pressure on their arch-rivals ahead of the final set of fixtures.
Three more points could well be enough for Liverpool to seal back-to-back top-four finishes for the first time in nine years, but Klopp will want to match 2013-14's achievement by snatching second place from United, meaning a winning run to see out the campaign. Either way, Klopp has certainly improved the Reds in terms of league position and his side now appear well positioned to challenge Man City for the title next time around.
The Champions League is very much top of the agenda in the remaining weeks of the season, of course, with the first leg of their semi-final against Roma to come at Anfield on Tuesday night. Liverpool head into this match with a record of just one defeat in 14 matches in all competitions, winning 10 of those, and momentum is key heading into their final-four showdown in midweek.
Liverpool have lost only one of their last five away league matches, meanwhile, keeping a clean sheet in three of those. The ability to shutout opposition attackers has been a theme in the second half of the season, coinciding with the arrival of world-record defensive acquisition Virgil van Dijk. Five Prem sides may boast a better defensive record than the Reds, but they have certainly improved in that regard over the past three months.
It goes without saying that the Merseyside outfit's attack has been phenomenal throughout the season, even when losing Philippe Coutinho midway through, boasting 78 goals in the league alone - only Man City can better than with a whopping 93. Key to that success has been the form of Mohamed Salah, who needs one more goal to equal Luis Suarez's Liverpool record of 31 in a single Premier League campaign.
Salah has netted in nine of his 11 Prem outings in 2018 and has also impressed on the continent, becoming the highest goalscorer in a debut campaign in Liverpool's history. The Egypt international has not shied away from the fact that he is desperate to prove a point to former Chelsea by finishing top of the goalscoring charts, and he is just seven short of matching Ian Rush's club-record tally from 1983-84.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! West Bromwich Albion are winless in nine Premier League meetings against Liverpool, drawing five and losing four of those, while their last home triumph in this fixture was by a 3-0 margin in August 2012. The Baggies have failed to score in seven of the 11 Prem encounters here, meanwhile, but they did stun the Reds with a 3-2 win at Anfield in the FA Cup earlier this year.
With kickoff at The Hawthorns now less than five minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Darren Moore: "We can't change what has happened before. We are just looking to the future now and the remaining games. The biggest thing that fills me with joy is how everyone at the club has pulled together and supported me in this role. It's been great."
Jurgen Klopp: "West Brom want to show that they believe in that little last chance, and we need to be at our best. We lost to them in the FA Cup, I don't have to remind anyone of that! Then, after the game, we think about Rome."
Klopp pointing out there that Albion derailed Liverpool's hopes of domestic success this term by coming away from Anfield with a shock 3-2 win three months ago. The Reds, it is worth pointing out, have also lost two of their last three league games against sides starting the day bottom of the division, most recently tasting defeat to Swansea City five days before their FA Cup exit.
KICKOFF! We are under way in the third meeting between West Bromwich Albion and Liverpool this season. The Reds looking to exact revenge for the FA Cup defeat in January, at the same time effectively consigning the Baggies to relegation.
Liverpool seeing plenty of the ball, as you would expect, but they have yet to get it into the feet of Salah. Not a great deal of pressure on the Reds today, though they would like to get their top-four spot sorted sooner rather than later.
GOAL! WEST BROMWICH ALBION 0-1 LIVERPOOL (DANNY INGS)
The worst possible start for Albion, who are in need of all three points today, as Sadio Mane's short corner is worked to Danny Ings and lashed past Ben Foster. That is the striker's first goal since October 2015 - what a huge relief for him!
Good movement from Ings for that opener, blasting past Foster from six yards out after some good work from Mane. The Reds will fancy scoring a few more goals now after getting off the mark so early on at The Hawthorns.
Albion now starting to get their foot on the ball a little more. It could be a long afternoon for the hosts, having fallen behind to Liverpool's first attempt of the match. Only another 80 minutes, plus added time, to see out!
CLOSE! Salah's first sight of goal, simply drifting past Egyptian teammate Ahmed Hegazi and firing over the crossbar. The forward needs one more goal to become the highest-scoring player in a single Prem campaign.
Mohamed Salah's intended pass is cut out but it deflects into his path. Unfortunately for the in-form forward he could not quite control it, with the ball going out for a goal kick before he could think about testing Ben Foster.
West Brom win a corner as they attempt to wrest back some control of the match. Craig Dawson got his head to the deep delivery but a few home players appeared to have drifted offside - as confirmed by the linesman who put his flag up.
SAVE! Liverpool have looked dangerous when Salah gets involved - nothing new there - but Albion have also looked a little more settled since going behind. Matt Phillips is having some joy down the left, getting a weak shot on goal, although chances are otherwise at a premium.
A key part in the game as West Brom are looking lively and pushing Liverpool well, but the visitors are look ready to move back through the gears. Moore will want to keep the game tight, but he knows that two goals are required.
The Reds always appear to have a man spare when they attack. From the latest move, Milner sends a dangerous cross towards the penalty spot, where Ings was unable to adjust his body and sent the header well over the opposition goal.
Salah is fouled by Hegazi about 25 yards from goal, and Van Dijk looks as though he will take it on. We all know what that means - power over precision tends to be the order of the day when the Dutch centre-back is involved.
CLOSE! It was actually Salah who took on the free kick, getting a little too much whip on the ball as Foster watched it fly past the target. The Egyptian has looked like from open play, and he has now also come close from the deal-ball situation.
Another free kick won by Liverpool, this time from a little deeper. Salah elects to chip the ball into the area but Albion were able to clear their lines. The home side have done well to restrict their opponents since falling behind early on.
Half an hour played at The Hawthorns and, while Liverpool have looked the more dangerous, Albion will argue that they do not deserve to be behind. Danny Ings's close-range finish from a well-worked corner the difference between the sides.
Liverpool have seen close to three quarters of the ball in the opening half an hour and do look as though they could quickly move through the gears if needed. Livermore's poor pass prevents Phillips from charging forward on the break.
Joe Gomez loses the ball and Albion attack down the right through James McClean, but the best they get from it is a corner. Chris Brunt swings it in but it sails over the head of Hegazi, Dawson and Co. for a Liverpool throw.
Another corner won by Albion, as they start to build some momentum. Brunt's cross was dangerous and caught Karius out a little; the German racing off his line but getting nowhere near it. Fortunately for him, Hegazi also missed it.
The corners starting to pile up for Albion, with this looking their best route through. Klavan did enough to block his man off the ball, and Rodriguez also could not quite get there. The Baggies are the side on top at the moment.
CHANCE! Klopp does not look all that happy at the moment, despite his side's slender lead. No wonder - Albion really should be level. McClean volley's Livermore's pass across goal, and Rodriguez is inches from sliding it over the line.
Half time now fast approaching in the West Midlands and the Reds will be the happier of the two sides to hear the half-time whistle. Moore is urging his players on after seeing them come close to levelling up on a couple of occasions.
SAVE! The visitors have taken the sting out of the game over the past couple of minutes. Better still, they should have had a second as Ings pounces on a loose ball but is denied by a quick-thinking Foster down low.
HALF TIME: WEST BROMWICH ALBION 0-1 LIVERPOOL
Danny Ings's first goal in 930 days has given Liverpool a 1-0 lead at the interval. The Reds had a good chance to double their tally late in the half, but in-between the division's bottom-placed side gave a good account of themselves and could yet salvage something from this contest.
Danny Ings's long wait for a goal, spanning 930 days, came to an end with just four minutes on the clock as he drilled home from close range following some good work from Sadio Mane. Seeking the goal that would take him level with Luis Suarez's Liverpool record of 31 in a single Premier League campaign, Mohamed Salah drifted past international teammate Ahmed Hegazi before firing over the crossbar.
The half's next big chance would fall the way of Ings, who could not lift the ball over Ben Foster after it fell nicely into his path late in the first half. Albion were far from out of the contest, however, and perhaps boosted by their shock 1-0 win at Manchester United last weekend they gave a good account of themselves in-between Ings's opener and missed chance.
Matty Phillips tested Loris Karius with a weak attempt, and the goalkeeper was almost at fault soon after as he raced out to collect a corner but got nowhere near it, only for the ball to sail over the head of Hegazi. Fresh on the back of his matchwinner at Old Trafford, Jay Rodriguez came within inches of connecting with James McClean's first-time cross, which flashed right across the line.
BENCH WATCH!
WEST BROMWICH ALBION SUBS: Myhill, Robson-Kanu, Yacob, Evans, Burke, Krychowiak, Field
LIVERPOOL SUBS: Mignolet, Lovren, Firmino, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Robertson, Solanke, Alexander-Arnold
RESTART! We are back up and running at The Hawthorns, where neither manager has made any changes at the break. A pretty entertaining opening 45 minutes, so fingers crossed for something similar in this second half.
PENALTY APPEAL! Ings wants a penalty after getting blocked off by Dawson in the box. The ball was a long way from the striker, but for me that has got to be a penalty - he wiped Ings out and knew exactly what he was doing.
Brunt seemed to have all the time in the world to set himself for the shot, which he drilled wide of goal from 25 yards. As long as this remains at 1-0, the Baggies are certainly in the game and will fancy their chances of taking a point.
As things stand Albion will be relegated tomorrow if Stoke beat Burnley or Swansea earn a point at Man City. Rondon got to the ball before Karius but the German recovered by getting a touch and taking it out of the striker's path.
Karius has looked a little shaky all-round this afternoon, it must be said, which is in stark contrast to his form in recent weeks. Approaching the hour mark now - will Klopp turn to Firmino to bolster his attacking options?
Albion have made a good fist of things against the Reds, as they did against Man United last week and Swansea the week before. Unfortunately for them it is not looking likely to be enough to claim so much as a point.
An incident that I initially missed a few minutes ago, with replays showing Hegazi appearing to punch Ings in the stomach when both men were on the ground. No real power in the swipe but that is one that the FA will no doubt look at.
An hour played in the West Midlands and there remains very little between the sides on the balance of things. Roberto Firmino has been sent to warm-up and we may well see the Brazilian in the next five minutes or so.
Brilliant play from Matty Phillips to get past two opposition players and he even managed to pull the ball back into the direction of teammate Jay Rodriguez, but Virgil van Dijk read the danger well and cut it out for a corner.
Liverpool have an attacking gem in Roberto Firmino to call upon, of course, but West Brom also have a couple of options in Oliver Burke and Hal Robson-Kanu. Moore will be happy with his side's display but they have to gamble soon.
LIVERPOOL SUBS! A little surprising to see Danny Ings taken off, but he can be pleased with his first goal in 930 days. Roberto Firmino takes over up top, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is on for Sadio Mane in the second alteration.
The second half has not really got going, as we still await the first shot on target. Plenty of positives from Moore to take away from this game, but it remains to be seen how many of these players will be here next season.
YELLOW CARD! The first booking of the afternoon is shown to Alberto Moreno, who resorted to wiping out Matty Phillips as the winger tried to get away from him. Phillips has been impressive down the right for right today.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION SUB! James McClean has pulled up with an injury and has been replaced by returning centre-back Jonny Evans, leading to a slight rejig. A little under 20 minutes left for Albion to find an equaliser.
Thirty-one Premier League goals for Mohamed Salah, who equals the record for most goals in a single season. Oxlade-Chamberlain slid the ball through and, after a couple of touches to settle himself, the Egyptian lifted it over Foster.
Salah is now equal with Alan Shearer, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez for the number of goals in a 38-game league season. Not sure if he will remain on the pitch for much longer, but if he does then you would fancy that record to tumble.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION SUB! Oliver Burke is on for Kieran Gibbs as Albion go all out for a goal. The hosts were a little disjointed in the build-up to Salah's strike, coming soon after a change at the back.
GOAL! WEST BROMWICH ALBION 1-2 LIVERPOOL (JAKE LIVERMORE)
Game on at The Hawthorns thanks to Livermore's first goal in Albion colours! A real scramble in the box after Jay Rodriguez's shot culminated in Jake Livermore hooking it over the line from close range. This one is not over just yet...
It must be said that Albion do deserve that goal, which may very well turn out to be nothing more than a consolation. It is the Baggies who are in possession of the ball, though, and we can surely expect a bombardment on the Liverpool goal.
LIVERPOOL SUB! Salah lasted 84 minutes before being subbed, with Dejan Lovren coming on in his place as Klopp goes a little more defensive. A case of seeing through the final stages of this contest now as far as the Reds are concerned.
Ben Foster scrambling a little but there was no real danger from the cross. Up the other end, there is certainly an opportunity for West Brom to claim an unlikely point from this match, keeping their good run of form going.
GOAL! WEST BROMWICH ALBION 2-2 LIVERPOOL (SALOMON RONDON)
Albion are not dead and buried just yet! Another brilliant dead-ball delivery into the box from Chris Brunt is met by the head of Salomon Rondon, who guided it past Loris Karius at the front post. Hal Robson-Kanu is now on for Rodriguez.
A late Albion winner should not be ruled out here. West Brom mean business and it is fair to say that they have momentum on their side, as they look for the three points that they desperately need. Liverpool having to hold on here.
FULL TIME: WEST BROMWICH ALBION 2-2 LIVERPOOL
West Bromwich Albion have hit back to earn a 2-2 draw against Liverpool in a match that saw Mohamed Salah net his record-equalling 31st Premier League goal of the season. The Reds were two goals up after Salah dinked the ball over Ben Foster to add to an early Danny Ings strike, but Jake Livermore dragged his side back into the match with a scrambled finish, before Salomon Rondon headed home to snatch a late point.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from the West Midlands. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while reaction from The Hawthorns will be available elsewhere on the site shortly. Thanks for joining!
