Dunk's decisive finish earns Albion a point

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Skipper scores his first goal of the season as Albion draw 2-2 with Liverpool.

Bruce Talbot

2023-10-08T15:02:00Z

Delight for Lewis Dunk after he scored Albion's second-half equaliser.

Lewis Dunk ensured Albion got the point that was the least they deserved with a late equaliser in an Amex thriller against Liverpool.

The skipper side-footed home on 78 minutes after two goals in three minutes at the end of the first half by Mo Salah had turned the game on its head after Simon Adingra had given Albion the lead.

In a cracking contest Albion probably shaded things in terms of chances created but Liverpool also hit the bar and a first league draw of the season was about right.

Roberto De Zerbi had made six changes – making it 50 across our last seven games - from Thursday's draw in Marseille which included a league debut for Igor, a first home start for Carlos Baleba and Solly March playing at left-back.

Simon Adingra celebrates after opening the scoring.

Albion were quickly into their strike and Virgil van Dijk blocked Dunk’s close-range effort after March hooked the ball goalwards. From the corner Joao’s volley was blocked this time by Alexis Mac Allister, on his Amex return.

March was revelling in his unaccustomed role, nicking the ball of Luis Diaz’s toes when he latched onto Trent Alexander-Arnold’s through ball. Albion were the more threatening, though, and a great piece of thinking by Adingra gave them a 20th-minute lead. Mac Allister was slow to react when van Dijk passed to him from the edge of the Liverpool box and Adingra nipped in, took a touch and side-footed past Alisson from 25 yards perfectly into the bottom-right corner.

Baleba had Alisson scrambling to his left after the midfielder raced from deep inside his own half and cut inside Joel Matip to create space for a low shot which was only a yard wide.

Albion were on top but then the game swung Liverpool’s way in the space of three minutes.

Kaoru Mitoma runs at the Liverpool defence.

They levelled on 40 minutes. Dunk’s pass was intercepted by Mac Allister and Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez were both involved before Harvey Elliott intelligently let the ball run into Salah’s path and he stroked it into the bottom corner from ten yards.

Three minutes later it was 2-1 to the visitors. This time Dominik Szoboszlai intercepted Verbruggen’s pass out and Pascal Gross tugged the Hungarian’s shirt as he tried to tee up Nunez. VAR confirmed it was a penalty which Salah drove into the left-hand corner.

Albion regrouped and should have equalised four minutes after the break. Adingra collected Evan Ferguson’s cross-field ball, cut inside Andy Robertson and let fly but Alisson’s strong left hand diverted the ball wide. Ferguson then curled a shot over from Pedro’s set-up.

Albion sensed an equaliser but they remained vulnerable to the counter-attack. Substitute Ryan Gravenberch nearly got a third for the visitors, clattering the post from close range following a swift counter-attack, and on 68 minutes Diaz was found in space on the left and his angled drive flew inches past the far post.

Eyes on the ball from Joao Pedro as Virgil van Dijk watches on.

If Liverpool had felt aggrieved by a bad decision against Spurs last week they were given the benefit of the doubt when Mitoma’s cross struck van Dijk on the thigh and bounced up onto his forearm, but referee Taylor wasn’t moved and Roberto De Zerbi’s touchline protests earned him a yellow card.

But the Italian was celebrating with 12 minutes to go when Albion deservedly levelled. March’s free kick swerved deliciously between Alisson and the six-yard box and Dunk reacted to side-foot it into the bottom corner from a couple of yards. Albion pushed for a winner and Joao was left frustrated when he side-footed over from 10 yards after Adingra’s cross deflected into his path, but a point each it remained.