Liverpool threw away a two-goal lead as they were held by West Brom.

Danny Ings gave the visitors an early lead at the Hawthorns by opening the scoring with his first goal in 931 days after excellent work from Sadio Mane.

Mohamed Salah doubled the scoreline for Jurgen Klopp’s side midway through the second half when he bagged his 31st league goal of the campaign.

However the relegation-threatened Baggies fought back with Jake Livermore before Salomon Rondon salvaged an unlikely point with an 88th-minute header.

Here were the key talking points from the Hawthorns:

Reds put themselves under pressure again

 

It took a final day win over for Liverpool to confirm their place in this season’s Champions League.

For most of this game, and indeed the overall campaign, it appeared they had taken a major step to securing it with some considerable time to spare.

And then they handed a cheap goal to Jake Livermore by failing to deal with a cross into the box and repeated the trick for Salomon Rondon’s equaliser.

A win over the Baggies would have meant that Jurgen Klopp’s side only needed one win from their final three games to secure a top-four finish.

They are still likely to achieve that aim but this result has added pressure they could have really done without heading into a Champions League semi-final.

Van Dijk still standing tall

 

A £75 million price tag is clear indication that Virgil Van Dijk is already the best defender Liverpool have at their disposal.

His performance here alongside the likes of Ragnar Klavan, Joe Gomez and Alberto Moreno only helped to further emphasise that point.

When the Reds were leading comfortably he was easily their best player on the pitch at the Hawthorns, marshalling Rondon into obscurity.

He also remained impressive as his fellow defenders wilted around him to hand West Brom an unlikely point.

Indeed, his performance compared to his fellow defenders only helped to show how big a gap in quality there is in Liverpool’s back line.

Van Dijk is miles ahead of his cohorts and this draw demonstrated it clearly.

A day to remember for Ings

 

It may not have been a day to remember for Liverpool but the disappointing finish to the game will not take the gloss away for Danny Ings.

The delight, relief and every other emotion were all etched on his face as he celebrated scoring the opener. So too, was the delight of his teammates.

They have seen both his struggles and the lengths he has taken to put himself back in contention and shared in his joy.

Ings has waited a long time for a day like this; 931 days since his last Liverpool goal. This will be a memory he shall cherish for some time.

No slowing down for Salah

 

It seems there is no stopping Mohamed Salah, even on his quieter days.

The Egyptian was largely quiet at the Hawthorns but was still sharp enough to get himself onto Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s pass and finish superbly past Ben Foster.

That goal took him to 31 league goals to date, equalling Luis Suarez’s record and the Premier League record for the most goals in a 38-game season.

One more and he will hold the record on his own right and in current form you would not back against him getting it.

Even Lionel Messi can’t keep up in the race for the European Golden Shoe.