Liverpool dropped points with a second 1-1 draw in six days against West Ham.

The visitors’ bid to consolidate a five-point lead got off to a flying start as Sadio Mane broke the deadlock with a shot on the turn early in the first half.

But the Reds were pegged back courtesy of a cleverly worked free kick which saw Michail Antonio evade Andy Robertson’s watch to fire low past Alisson.

Jurgen Klopp’s side could find themselves overtaken by Manchester City in the Premier League title race if their closest challengers beat Everton on Wednesday.

Here were the key talking points from the London Stadium:

Reds officially feeling title heat

 

Dropping points once at the business end of a title race is unfortunate, twice is careless.

But Liverpool find themselves in an all-too-familiar scenario as their near three-decade quest for Premier League glory looks set to go right down to the wire.

For now at least, destiny remains with Jurgen Klopp’s side but that could change in 48 hours’ time unless Everton can do their local rivals a massive favour.

Manchester City can take comfort from the Reds relinquishing a sizable points gap with a fraught showing against a defensively robust West Ham.

Make no mistake, the pressure has cranked. Now Liverpool have to respond to it.

January haste returns to haunt Klopp

 

If this season goes down as another wasted opportunity at Anfield, Klopp’s decision to send Nathaniel Clyne on loan threatens to be a watershed moment.

Clyne was allowed to join Bournemouth last month due to a lack of first-team opportunities available at Liverpool since Trent Alexander-Arnold’s emergence.

How costly that move is starting to appear after a third disjointed defensive performance in succession with a midfielder attempting to fill the right-back void.

James Milner fared slightly better than his previous outing in the role against Crystal Palace but the imbalance in the visitors’ defence is still noticeable.

Normal order will be restored this weekend, when Alexander-Arnold is set to return, yet the intervening period of disruption could have been easily avoided.

Lallana shows why he’s still in vogue

 

News of Adam Lallana’s fourth league start of the season was greeted with relative dismay by Liverpool fans ahead of kick-off in east London.

It is far to say that he does not stir the imagination in the same way as during Klopp’s formative months in charge. How quickly these things are forgotten.

But there is a reason why Lallana remains highly regarded by the Liverpool manager, as he demonstrated in the build-up to Sadio Mane’s opener.

An exquisite turn and pass allowed Milner to tee up the Senegal international for the game’s opener, even if there was more than a hint of offside to proceedings.

That may have been the sum of his efforts but it was an insight as to why he still remains Klopp’s go-to guy, even with time and injuries diminishing his influence.

Keita failing to meet expectations

 

Heavy is the head that wears the crown, but Liverpool’s no.8 shirt is just as hefty.

Naby Keita continues to struggle with the weight of expectation that Steven Gerrard’s former moniker brings after yet another inauspicious display.

In a week where Ralf Rangnick had opined that the Guinea international was ‘struggling’ since leaving RB Leipzig, he did not exactly disprove the theory.

Lethargic and devoid of creativity, this was another to add to a personal showreel for a debut season which has failed to live up to the hype of multiple levels.

In time, Keita will most likely silence his critics but there is currently little to suggest that he will be doing so anytime soon.