- Liverpool fell to a 2-2 draw with West Ham on Saturday afternoon
- Bowen and Antonio on target for hosts; Robertson scored before an own goal for Liverpool
- Reds lose more ground in Premier League title race
Liverpool's Premier League title hopes took another huge blow on Saturday as they were held to a 2-2 draw with West Ham United.
A poor first-half showing saw them deservedly fall behind to Jarrod Bowen's strike, but Andy Robertson equalised early in the second half before an own goal gave Liverpool the lead.
Jurgen Klopp's side couldn't hold on, however, with Michail Antonio heading home an equaliser with 15 minutes remaining to almost certainly end any slim hopes of a triumphant farewell for the Liverpool boss.
How the game unfolded
Liverpool made a lively start and the first real sight of goal fell to Harvey Elliott, whose strike from a tight angle went crashing into the side netting ten minutes in, but West Ham offered plenty of threat down the other end as well.
Mohammed Kudus saw a strike deflected wide before Bowen's effort from distance ultimately ended in a routine save from Alisson as the game started to become somewhat turgid.
26 minutes in, there was some confusion when Cody Gakpo went down in the box seconds before a clear handball from Angelo Ogbonna. The flag was raised and referee Anthony Taylor initially pointed to the spot, before realising the call was actually for offside. A VAR check confirmed Luis Diaz had made his run too early.
Vladimir Coufal stung Alisson's gloves with a fierce strike on the half-hour mark, before Diaz cut inside from the left wing and fizzed an effort against Alphonse Areola's near post.
With two minutes left of the first half, West Ham snatched the lead as Bowen headed home from a quick corner which left Liverpool flat-footed.
Clearly on the receiving end of a tough team talk, Liverpool came out strong after the break. Ryan Gravenberch thumped a volley over the bar but the equaliser came in the 49th minute when Robertson managed to squeeze an effort into the back of the net.
15 minutes later, Liverpool were in front in the ugliest of fashions. Cody Gakpo poked a volley towards goal and the ball crashed off Ogbonna, Tomas Soucek and Areola before crossing the line.
Diaz and Alexis Mac Allister both missed chances to make it 3-1 shortly after, with the latter's timid header particularly disappointing.
Alisson messed up a simple catch and invited a chance from Emerson, whose powerful strike drew an impressive save, but the passage of play ended in heartbreak for Liverpool when Antonio rose highest to head home a cross from Bowen, tying things up with 15 minutes to go.
Elliott clipped the top of the crossbar with a strike from range in the dying embers but Liverpool could not find a third goal and remain behind both Arsenal and Manchester City with three games left to play.
West Ham player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Alphonse Areola - 5/10 - Should have done better with Robertson's equaliser, which squeezed into his near post. Unfortunate to be credited with the own goal.
RB: Vladimir Coufal - 5/10 - Clearly targeted by Diaz and did not have the athleticism to keep up with the Liverpool winger.
CB: Kurt Zouma - 6/10 - Under pressure throughout but stood tall and did what he could to keep Liverpool away from the six-yard box.
CB: Angelo Ogbonna - 5/10 - Impressed in the first half but struggled as soon as Liverpool picked up the tempo. Got the main deflection for the go-ahead goal.
LB: Emerson - 6/10 - Elliott found space behind him a little too often but Emerson did well to limit the quality of Liverpool's efforts on goal.
DM: Tomas Soucek - 6/10 - Thoroughly impressive in the first half but looked to tire after the break and was part of the chaos that led to Liverpool's second.
DM: Edson Alvarez - 6/10 - Happy to get the ball at his feet to try and relieve pressure. Some really nice touches.
RM: Jarrod Bowen - 8/10 - Was always going to be feeding on scraps but Bowen relished the challenge. Really lively on the counter and walked away with a goal and an assist for his efforts.
AM: Lucas Paqueta - 6/10 - Perhaps a little fortunate to avoid punishment for a tough challenge early on. Needed a more reserved performance to help his side here so didn't always get to strut his stuff.
LM: Mohammed Kudus - 7/10 - Happy to charge forwards whenever West Ham got the ball. Caused real problems for Liverpool's back line.
ST: Michail Antonio - 7/10 - Not involved in much directly but Antonio's energy was a problem by itself and his hard work was rewarded with a smart header.
Substitutes
SUB: James Ward-Prowse (74' for Soucek) - 7/10
Subs not used: Lukasz Fabianski (GK), Kaelan Casey, Ben Johnson, Aaron Cresswell, Kalvin Phillips, Maxwel Cornet, Divin Mubama, Danny Ings
Manager
David Moyes - 7/10 - Knew this was always going to be ugly but set his side up for the battle. Bringing Ward-Prowse off the bench to regain some control of the ball was a smart move.
Liverpool player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Alisson - 5/10 - Couldn't do a whole lot about either header but did invite the pressure for the second goal by missing a simple catch.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold - 5/10 - Was given the freedom to play all over the pitch but didn't make the most of that. Some sloppy passes saw him caught out of possession at the back.
CB: Jarell Quansah - 5/10 - Guilty of a few nervy moments which ended up costing his side when it mattered most.
CB: Virgil van Dijk - 5/10 - Looked tired and more interested in complaining than actually addressing Liverpool's issues at the back.
LB: Andy Robertson - 6/10 - A quiet first half before picking up his levels after the break. Took his equaliser well.
DM: Wataru Endo - 4/10 - A shell of the dominant player we saw just a few weeks ago. Could not compete with Soucek and Alvarez.
CM: Alexis Mac Allister - 5/10 - Played in a more advanced role here but found space hard to come by in front of West Ham's congested defence. Some delightful crosses which helped Liverpool get back into the game.
CM: Ryan Gravenberch - 7/10 - Involved from start to finish. Clearly determined to stand out from the crowd and was unfortunate not to grab either a goal or an assist.
RW: Harvey Elliott - 5/10 - Found some spaces in the first half but a handful of poor decisions prevented him from making an impact.
ST: Cody Gakpo - 6/10 - Not always graceful but regularly involved in everything Liverpool did going forwards. His speculative punt created the second goal.
LW: Luis Diaz - 7/10 - Alongside Gravenberch, probably the only Liverpool player who actually turned up from the first whistle. The clear dangerman in attack and definitely deserved a goal.
Substitutes
SUB: Joe Gomez (79' for Alexander-Arnold) - 6/10
SUB: Darwin Nunez (79' for Endo) - 5/10
SUB: Mohamed Salah (79' for Diaz) - 6/10
SUB: Dominik Szoboszlai (90' for Quansah) - N/A
Subs not used: Caoimhin Kelleher (GK), Ibrahima Konate, Kostas Tsimikas, Stefan Bajcetic, Curtis Jones
Manager
Jurgen Klopp - 4/10 - A bold lineup ultimately did not pay off. Liverpool looked so disjointed for large parts of this game and he looks to be overseeing a real collapse towards the end of his farewell tour.
