Alisson scores injury-time winner as Liverpool boost Champions League chances with win over West Brom

Deep into added time at the Hawthorns, with desperation gripping like wet rope, it was the surreal sight of Alisson brilliantly heading home to maintain Liverpool’s pursuit of Champions League qualification.

Alisson became the first goalkeeper in Liverpool’s long and illustrious history to score after powering Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner past Sam Johnstone to spark scenes of wild celebration on the Liverpool bench.

The Brazilian was mobbed 90 seconds later by jubilant team-mates after the final whistle, and rewarded with a huge bear-hug by manager Jurgen Klopp, after an utterly remarkable finish at the Hawthorns.

What an emotional, magical moment it will have been for Alisson, who tragically lost his father three months ago and revealed after the match that he wishes he had been here to witness it.

For 90 odd minutes it had appeared that Klopp would once again be haunted by the image of Sam Allardyce.

Allardyce continues to prove a serial irritant and was threatening to extend his unbeaten record against Klopp to six Premier League matches, leaving Liverpool’s top-four aspirations hanging in the balance.

• Champions League 2021 final, Man City vs Chelsea live

‘Big Sam’ was the first manager to stop Liverpool winning at Anfield this season in December and here was another challenging afternoon for Klopp.

But just when it appeared that Allardyce would sentence them to a potentially damaging result, four minutes into stoppage time Alisson ventured forward to claim the three points and keep up the heat on Chelsea and Leicester.

Allardyce said: “Jurgen’s got away with one here, and he knows it. He’s a lucky man.

"Both the quality of the cross and the header [by Alisson] were brilliant. If we had someone marking him it might have been better but it's not to be. It's bitterly disappointing.

“We have been killed by a last-minute goal which is our fault but also what's happened prior to that.”

Allardyce’s fury centred around a disallowed goal in the second-half after a Var review, with Kyle Bartley’s finish ruled out as Matt Phillips was adjudged to have blocked Alisson’s vision.

It appeared a harsh call, and prevented Albion from taking the lead for a second time.

For long periods they had been typically resolute and organised and if Allardyce is to leave West Brom this summer, his record against Klopp remains a huge source of personal pride.

West Brom have already been relegated to the Championship but Klopp must have known this was going to be far from easy.

In a desperately tense encounter, Liverpool fell behind early on after displaying the defensive vulnerability that has plagued their season.

Matheus Pereira’s clever flick breached the Liverpool back-line and Hal Robson-Kanu advanced into the area before directing a fine shot across Alisson.

Robson-Kanu was making his first start at this level since December 2017 and it was a brilliantly taken goal.

Liverpool dominated possession from that point but often lacked the killer instinct, with Sadio Mane shooting wide from six yards after a patient forward move.

Klopp revealed before kick-off that Mane had apologised for his refusal to shake his hand after Thursday’s victory at Manchester United.

Liverpool were finally level in the 33rd minute through Mo Salah, whose composed, crisp finish from inside the area caught out Sam Johnstone, after the ball had taken an unfortunate deflection off Kyle Bartley.

Salah has now scored 13 of his 22 league goals this season away from home.

Roberto Firmino, Liverpool’s captain, struck the upright after further defensive hesitation from West Brom and the visitors were in the ascendancy.

Mane had the ball in the net four minutes into the second half, but was flagged offside, while Salah was denied by Johnstone after a Liverpool breakaway.

Frustration was beginning to creep in with both managers. Klopp appeared irritable all afternoon while Allardyce was turning the air blue in his technical area. “You know what we f------ do, f------ stick to it!” was one particular instruction.

Desperation was also gripping Liverpool as time began to tick away. They escaped a second Albion goal 19 minutes from the end after a Var check, with Matt Phillips adjudged to have blocked Alisson’s vision when Bartley poked in from close range.

Trent Alexander-Arnold lifted a shot over the bar six minutes from time and Johnstone dived to his right to save from Thiago Alcantara.

Four minutes of added time cranked up the tension, and the image of Alisson running up into the Albion area will now go down in Liverpool history.

Allardyce will make a decision on his future before the final game of the season at Leeds on Sunday.

"I wouldn't answer the question about my position, even if I knew,” he said. “I’m just so dejected by this result. I don’t believe it.”

He wasn’t the only one, after a day that will be forever etched into the minds of those who were present.

05:58 PM

Jurgen Klopp

"When I was a player, our goalie once scored a goal, but then when we got back in the dressing room they told us we had an ineligible player on the sheet and they took the points away from this!

"Everything, the game was like our season in a nutshell. We did a lot of good stuff, got hammered for our first mistake, and then had to work like crazy. But I liked it: nobody got over the top. We had the best shots in the last few minutes, we had shots. It is hard against this side. They made some good saves. I was happy nobody lost the plot, kicked somebody or whatever.

"It was an unbelievable header. The technique. I turned round and asked, did we score?! I saw the faces of the boys. So I say, chapeau to West Brom, they fought with all they had.

"We are really close, so I know what it means to him. It is only football but it means the world to us. And now lets go again. make sure we are ready for Burnley. Our last part of the season looks exciting. Last minute, yeah you want an extra man, but yeah it was his decision to go up."

05:40 PM

Alisson talks to Sky Sports

"I am too emotional... this smiles is for everything that has happened to me, and my family these last months. Football is my life, I hope (wish) my father was here to see it but I am sure he is seeing it with God on his side and is celebrating. For my family, for the boys. What a fight. Sometimes we are fighting and things are not happening, like this afternoon. I am really happy to score because the boys fight for everything. We want to qualify for the Champions League.

"I looked at the bench but nobody called me. But then Johnny (John Achterberg, the goalkeeping coach) called me up. The cross was perfect, brilliant. I think it was one of the best goals I have saw! The best goal I have scored. I want to say thank you to the players. We fight, we train, we are exhausted from this season. I am happy that it happened tonight for a win. Sometimes in training I practice headers, yeah but just to have fun, not to do it in the game. But I do have a sense of how to head a ball, I might try to do that to help defensively. I was just there to help my players but nobody (no opponent) went with me.

"God put his hand on my head today. I have been away from interviews for a long time because when I talk I get emotional. I want to thank other Premier League teams, Everton and Ancelotti sent me a letter. Chelsea sent me a letter. Others too. If it wasn't for you I would never get through this. I have been away from things. But my wife and kids have been amazing. This is how God shows his love, through people.

"Hopefully I won't have to get in the box and do it again! The players will do that and I can just focus on defending."

05:27 PM

Full time: West Brom 1 Liverpool 2

It's the last meaningful action of the game, Liverpool have done it - and it was their keeper who has won it. Amazing.

05:25 PM

GOAL!! West Brom 1 Liverpool 2 (Alisson 90+4)

Absolute scenes! It's the keeper! A last throw of the dice, a corner from the left. Alisson comes to the near post, and flicks a header into the far corner. It's a brilliant, brilliant headed finish - from the keeper! Klopp is absolutely beside himself. The Liverpool guys are mobbing their number one.

05:23 PM

90+ mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Corner. Shaqiri, slips it to Wijnaldum, who feeds Thiago. He has the shot but it is repelled. West Brom under pressure, as of course they would be, but Liverpool are not quite delivering the key ball or setting up endless brilliant chances.

05:21 PM

90 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

The sub Wijnaldum has another shot, this one charged down.

05:20 PM

89 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Oh Liverpool! They're doing everything they can. A nice move here, Salah lays it off and Wijnaldum has a clear shot at goal, time to pick his spot from 18 yards and he ends up curling it well wide.

05:18 PM

87 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Cleared. Shaqiri, under pressure, blooters it out of play.

05:17 PM

86 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Corner cleared but it comes back at the hosts. Firmino to Thiago... has a shot. Tipped around the post.

05:16 PM

85 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

All Liverpool. Camped on the edge of the WBA box. They win the corner.

05:16 PM

84 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Liverpool drive onwards. Shaqiri now.

05:14 PM

82 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Trent down the right. Cuts inside, hits it with his left but puts it well over. That was a major chance. Liverpool will be kicking themselves if they don't get all three here.

Liverpool have had 20 shots but only four of them on target.

05:13 PM

80 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Thiago tries a shot himself, slicing wide of the post by not by much.

05:08 PM

76 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Ajayi slides in to to deny Mane, who looks all set to score... for a second it looked like Ajayi had put that into his own net.

Nat Phillips needs to work on his positioning. Again drifting out of the right areas as the ball comes down that channel for Hal Robson-Kanu... and Liverpool are lucky to concede just a corner.

05:05 PM

73 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Thiago a cut above, today. Finds a way to find Firminho... who fires into the side betting from an unlikely angle.

05:04 PM

72 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Bartley nearly had himself a goal, but makes a vital intervention at the other end. Thiago picks out Trent, who crosses dangerously. Bartley makes it safe.

05:02 PM

70 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Gallagher delivers the corner... a knockdown from Ajayi, Bartley tucks it away. Goal - but goal disallowed for offside. The scorer himself is not offside, but Phillips, adjudged to be in front of the keeper but nowhere near the ball, was offside.

That's hard lines for West Brom. A lot of people would have called that a goal.

05:00 PM

69 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Salah has it on the edge of the WBA box but well defended by Yokuslu.

And WBA manage to get up the pitch and win a corner.

04:59 PM

67 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

The pressure is constant, though, for West Brom. Liverpool fashioning half chances rather than good ones. That may change...

04:58 PM

66 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Firmino has a shot, deflected behind. Corner.

04:57 PM

65 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

WBA doing a decent job here. Good work rate. Crowding Liverpool.

04:53 PM

62 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Furlong of WBA puts that wide. Goal kick.

04:52 PM

61 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Mane gives away a soft freekick by his own corner flag and WBA have a chance to sling it into the box. Surely their best route to a goal.

Thiago heads it behind for a corner. Half cleared, back in, and Nat Phillips has to head behind for another corner.

04:51 PM

60 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Liverpool bring on Shaqiri on for Jones.

04:48 PM

56 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

But Nat Phillips can break with the ball.... it is a great break. Salah denied. Think that might have been offside anyway.

04:47 PM

55 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Baggies have a corner here.

04:45 PM

53 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Pereira buys a ticket from outside the box but Alisson is not paying out on that one. Easy save.

04:40 PM

49 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Liverpool have it in the net. Trent and Thiago doing a nice link, it is half cleared, Salah plays it back in with a peach of a cross. Mane tucks it away but that looked well offside, and thus it proved.

04:37 PM

47 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Phillips of WBA wins a corner.

04:36 PM

46 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

No changes that I can see. Liverpool on the front foot as the half begins.

04:36 PM

Players are ready

Liverpool are going to kick us off.

04:20 PM

Half time: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

West Brom took the lead with a nice finish from Hal R-K. But Liverpool, notably Thiago, really started to dominate and the equaliser was coming when it came, if you know what I mean. Mo Salah the man who slotted it home and Liverpool have looked the most likely to score again. But West Brom not without their moments on the break.

04:20 PM

45+ mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Bartley is back in. Plenty going on in this period of added time. Klopp goes crackers when there is a free kick given against Mane.

04:19 PM

45+ mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Delay of a couple of minutes.

Now we get to the WBA DFK. Pereira the man who hits it, left foot, curling but not dipping enough.

04:16 PM

45 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Bartley gets a sore one in the head going up for a header with Phillips. Blood is pouring out of the lad.

Play goes on, Fabinho trips a West Brom runner. Okay Yokuslu. Central, about 30 yards out.

There will be a delay while they patch Bartley up, he's got blood coming out of a cut above his eye.

04:14 PM

43 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Salah, by the way, has pulled level with Harry Kane on 22 for the PL Golden Boot.

04:13 PM

40 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Thiago with a dangerous run, slips to Mane who curls his effort at goal. Headed behind by Bartley.

Corner leads to nothing.

04:11 PM

39 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Liverpool still well on top. Camped in the WBA third. Thiago is at it. WBA cannot handle him.

04:07 PM

35 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Robson-Kanu breaks and tries to apply the exact same finish that led to the goal... but Trent nicks it off his foot in the nick of time.

04:06 PM

34 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 1

Liverpool again get the break of the ball. Mane tries a backheel, it hits a West Brom player and rebounds very kindly to Liverpool's Firmino... who likewise just swing his boot at the ball, crashing it high up into the upright!

04:05 PM

GOAL! WBA 1 Liverpool 1 (Salah 31)

Liverpool pressing on. Mane plays it forward. Firmino lays it off. West Brom look like they've got it covered, plenty of guys back and everyone is picking up. But a half tackle comes in, Liverpool get the break of the ball and Salah just swings a boot at it and beats the keeper into the far corner. Came out of nothing, in one sense, but on the other hand: there was an inevitability.

04:03 PM

30 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 0

Thiago is making things happen. Another decent move here, Thiago prompting and dictating terms. Trent Alexander-Arnold gets the shot - well over. It's coming, I think...

03:59 PM

27 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 0

Gorgeous long diagonal from Trent AA, controlled skilfully by Salah in the box but there are enough player back to muscle him out and he can do no better than a powderpuff poke at goal.

03:58 PM

26 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 0

Liverpool have a freekick about 26 yards out, let hand side, central. Trent tries to flip it over the wall, it is headed behind for a corner by a man in the wall. Big team, WBA.

Corner is half cleared but Liverpool keep the ball and recycle it.

03:56 PM

24 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 0

That's more like it from Liverpool. Lovely bit of interplay, Thiago drives forward and slips it to Mane, who hits a low shot the wrong side of the post. WBA keeper had it covered to be fair.

But Liverpool's best moment by a street.

03:54 PM

23 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 0

West Brom digging in well. Liverpool looking a bit jaded, short of ideas.

03:51 PM

19 mins: WBA 1 Liverpool 0

Liverpool, as you would expect, looking to hit back without delay and Trent AA is the man driving them on with a good run down the right.

03:47 PM

GOAL! WBA 1 Liverpool 0 (Robson-Kanu 15)

Excellent finish! A scrappy period of play. Rhys Williams has been dragged out of position, Hal Robson-Kanu races onto the ball and tucks it away with a seriously classy finish into the corner.

Pereira was the man who played an intelligent little pass through for the veteran Wales forward.

03:43 PM

10 mins: WBA 0 Liverpool 0

West Brom have a couple of freekicks. First one floats harmlessly for a goalkick. Second one looks a lot more promising, Yokuslu and Ajayi look to have got the run on the defenders at the back stick but... that's offside.

03:39 PM

7 mins: WBA 0 Liverpool 0

Liverpool with another corner, this time thanks to Salah. Again Nat Phillips is the man who gets the header on it, again to modest effect.

03:38 PM

5 mins: WBA 0 Liverpool 0

Liverpool are the side asking the questions early on.

03:36 PM

3 mins: WBA 0 Liverpool 0

Thiago tries a shot from outside the area.

Liverpool have a couple of corners.

Nathaniel Phillips puts a header over from Trent Alexander-Arnold's cross.

03:31 PM

1 mins: WBA 0 Liverpool 0

WBA enjoying a bit of the ball at the back, they play it forward. Not a lot comes of it.

03:31 PM

Knees are taken

Whistle is blown.

Kick off is... kicked?

03:30 PM

Both teams

are ready.

03:28 PM

The players are out on the pitch

at the Hawthorns.

03:23 PM

Sam Allardyce

"We have to get over it. You have to fight to the end. Professionalism has to be taken into account, and we want to give the fans a little bit of pleasure by upsetting one of the big teams in the PL. Our limited possession has to be used to its maximum."

03:17 PM

It is absolutely tipping it down

at West Brom.

03:12 PM

Klopp speaks

"Very important. But we cannot make it bigger than it is anyway. We know it. We knew it for weeks. We knew we might get in a situation where we have to win all the games. But it is positive. Yes, it is pressure, it is stressful, it's not like we can play a little football: we have to go with all we have.

"Results wise it looks okay recently. But we just have to win good games, bad games, average game.

"Jota... yes, no good thing without a bad thing. Yes, we won at Man United, but.... Something with the bone. MRI and scans don't help us. Whenever goes in those machines they never come out and go 'oh it's ok just a bit of pain'. That ends the season for him. Curtis is coming up. Oxlade has been ill, so we are giving him a space. Milly could be fit for Wednesday. WBA bit more of an offensive line up and they will give it a go."

"Line has been drawn under Mane. We spoke, he apologised, that's it."

02:55 PM

Quiz

TYLER'S TEASER 🤔

There are 6️⃣ players who have played in the Premier League for both Liverpool and West Brom...

Who are they? 🧠 pic.twitter.com/66VDb0uyhY

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 16, 2021

02:53 PM

Jota shocker

Klopp says he is out for the rest of the season.

Always sounds a bit more dramatic than it needs to, when it's late May!

02:31 PM

Team news

West Brom: Johnstone, Furlong, Ajayi, Bartley, Townsend, Diangana, Yokuslu, Phillips, Matheus Pereira, Gallagher, Robson-Kanu. Subs: Robinson, Livermore, Diagne, Peltier, Button, O'Shea, Ahearne-Grant, Maitland-Niles, Gardner-Hickman.

Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Phillips, Rhys Williams, Robertson, Thiago, Fabinho, Jones, Salah, Firmino, Mane. Subs: Wijnaldum, Adrian, Tsimikas, Shaqiri, Origi, Woodburn, Clarkson, Neco Williams, Koumetio.

Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)

02:02 PM

West Brom vs Liverpool: what is at stake?

West Brom, sorry to say, are playing for pride only. Liverpool, fifth in the table and four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea having played a game fewer than the Londoners, badly want a win.

Jurgen Klopp's guys will no doubt be right up for it. Here is the great man talking about passion in football, and how it is NBD to fall out with players when emotions run high.

Here's m'coll Luke Edwards with a nice read about Klopp and Mane.

Jurgen Klopp has offered a stout defence of striker Sadio Mane and will not punish the striker for his very public and angry show of dissent at Manchester United.

Mane made sure everyone knew he disagreed with Klopp’s decision to substitute him in the 74th minute at Old Trafford on Thursday, turning his back on his manager when he approached him. Klopp though, has handled things with a gentle touch rather than a heavy hand.

Klopp has a difficult choice to make this summer. His forwards, with the exception of Mo Salah, have been off the pace and nowhere near as good as they have been for the previous three years. There is a suspicion, although it has not been stated publicly, that Mane could be tempted by a move after winning both the Premier League and the Champions League during his time at Anfield. If that is the case, Klopp is not going to push the 29-year-old out on the back of a manufactured row over a substitution.

“I cannot make a bigger story of it as it is,” said Klopp. “Football is an emotional game and everyone expects us to control our emotions always. “But it doesn’t work out always. It happened to me as a player, it happened to other players when I was their coach. We had no real chance to talk about it but we will and there will be nothing left."

"Everything will be fine. Do you want these things to happen? No. But it’s not the first time in my life and I’m afraid to say it won’t be the last time.

“If somebody shows me five million times respect and one time not, what is then more important?

“If you had seen me as a player, what I did out of emotion it was insane – and I’m a completely normal guy but it happened to me. We will talk about it, then it will be sorted. That’s all.”

Klopp was also calm when asked to assess whether his side have a realistic chance to secure a top four finish after the win over United, repeating his belief that they will have to win all three of their games and hope Chelsea or Leicester lose form after the FA Cup Final heartbreak/celebrations.

“The season will not be defined by the last three games,” he added. “The season is defined by all the games but these three games can give an extremely positive outcome.

“Most of the teams in the world fight the whole year to be in a position, three match days before the end, [to] have it in their own hands to go to the Champions League and we are one of them.”