Steve Nicol reacted furiously to Liverpool’s 1-1 draw against the Baggies yesterday, placing the blame squarely on the shoulders of the club’s front three.
Sadio Mane was the only scorer for the Reds on the day, netting the opener after exercising great control over Joel Matip’s lofted ball.
“We have applauded this front, three patted them on the back, said how brilliant they are, how they can produce something from nothing,” the Liverpool legend told ESPN (via the Mirror). “And you know what, these are the sorts of games where you have to earn that sort of praise.”
“It’s one thing to go and play in a big atmosphere against the big teams and you turn it on and it’s razzle dazzle, but when it comes to down to the nitty gritty, Mane, Firmino and Salah for me are the reason Liverpool didn’t win the game,” Nicol added.
Though the ex-Liverpool man did acknowledge Mane’s goal in the first half, which handed Liverpool the lead, one might reason that criticism of the Senegalese is a little unfair.
While Salah and Firmino did, admittedly, look somewhat lacklustre – particularly when compared to their dazzling performances in the prior fixture at Selhurst Park – the blame must be apportioned across the whole side.
As Andy Robertson noted post-match, every single Liverpool player was at fault for the result – something we’d be inclined to agree with.
When coming up against a Sam Allardyce side – the Englishman having been responsible for snatching a host of points from Anfield with various sides – we can’t afford to drop off at any point; ultimately, a draw was probably deserved.
It was an uncharacteristically slack outing from the Reds in the second-half, but hopefully it will push us on to a more well-rounded performance in our midweek visit to Newcastle.