West Brom v Liverpool player ratings: Grady Diangana 4, Hal Robson-Kanu 7; Alisson Becker 9, Mohamed Salah 7

Goalkeeper scores dramatic winner against Baggies

WEST BROM RATINGS: Sam Johnstone - 6. The goalkeeper could not have prevented either goal and made some good saves as Liverpool turned on the pressure. He was let down by his markers at the end. Getty

Darnell Furlong - 6. The 25-year-old made a series of blocks and largely kept Robertson’s raiding to a minimum. He threw his body about to stop danger. PA

Semi Ajayi - 6. The centre back was strong in the air in both areas. He thought he had set up a second-half goal to give his side the lead but it was ruled out for offside. There will be questions for both centre backs about how Alisson could stroll into the area unmarked for the winner. Getty

Kyle Bartley - 6. The centre back ended up battered and beaten with a cut over his eye. His header to clear Mane’s curling shot characterised his last-gasp defending. He was unfortunate to have a goal ruled out for offside but should have been aware of Alisson’s threat. EPA

Conor Townsend - 5. A difficult afternoon for the 28-year-old. He never got to grips with Alexander-Arnold or Salah and was poor on the ball. AP

Matt Phillips - 5. Found it hard to get into creative areas. His biggest contribution to the game was taking up an offside position and blocking the view of Alisson, a move that lead to Bartley’s goal being ruled out. PA

Conor Gallagher - 5. The 21-year-old never got close enough to Thiago, who was able to take his time and pick his passes. He ran a lot but too often arrived late when the ball had gone. PA

Okay Yokuslu - 5. The Turk was lucky to get away with a poor touch when Firmino hit the bar. He did little of note and was withdrawn in the 75th minute when Livermore entered the game. Reuters

Grady Diangana - 4. The 23-year-old’s aimless challenge played the ball into the path of Mane to set up Salah’s equaliser. He struggled to impose himself and was replaced by Maitland-Niles with 17 minutes left. EPA

Matheus Pereira - 6. The Brazilian supplied the clever ball for Robson-Kanu to open the scoring. He wasted a good counter-attacking situation by shooting when he had passing options. Better decision-making would have made him more threatening. AP

Hal Robson-Kanu - 7. The Welsh striker was making his first start in four years but looked anything but rusty when scoring the opening goal. He had another two chances but dwelt on the ball for the first and was closed down by Alisson on the second. Replaced by Grant with eight minutes left. AP

SUBS: Ainsley Maitland-Niles - 5. Brought on for Diangana in the 83rd minute to see off Liverpool’s late charge. He provided some extra energy but little craft. PA

Jake Livermore - 5. Replaced Yokuslu with 15 minutes left to bolster the rearguard action. He needed to be more composed in possession. Reuters

Karlan Grant - 5. Sent on in place of Robson-Kanu with eight minutes left. Never troubled the Liverpool back line and was not effective holding up the ball. Getty

LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 9. The goalkeeper has often saved Liverpool but this was the first time he has been a goalscoring hero. It might have been the most important strike of the season for Jurgen Klopp’s team as it keeps top four hopes alive. AFP

Trent Alexander-Arnold - 8. The 22-year-old’s passing and crossing were good and his defensive work was impressive, too. Robson-Kanu might have restored Albion’s lead if not for the full back’s awareness. He could have scored with a late chance but shot over the bar. PA

Nathaniel Phillips - 6. The centre back lost track of his position on a number of occasions and played Robson-Kanu onside for the first goal. A nervy performance, although he improved as the game went on. AFP

Rhys Williams - 5. The 19-year-old got sucked into the midfield for the opening goal and his inexperience showed. He was good in the air but less assured on the ground. Taken off in the 84th minute for Wijnaldum as Liverpool chased the win. EPA

Andrew Robertson - 5. The Scot looked weary and his attacking forays were rare. He was forced to defend and was not as assertive as usual. EPA

Fabinho - 7. The Brazilian broke up Albion attacks and moved the ball forward quickly. He shifted position to centre back for the closing stages. Getty

Thiago Alcantara - 8. The 30-year-old influenced the tempo of the game and his passing forced the opposition midfield to chase the ball. One of his best games since arriving at Anfield. Reuters

Curtis Jones - 5. The 20-year-old worked hard and went looking for the ball but was unable to have any real impact on the game. He was withdrawn for Shaqiri in the 59th minute. PA

Mohamed Salah - 7. The Egyptian pounces on the slightest mistake by a defence and his goal was a great example of his sharpness. He worked hard to add a second to his tally but was upstaged by Alisson. Reuters

Roberto Firmino - 6. The Brazilian hit the bar and squandered two second-half chances but his intelligent movement and passing impressed at times. PA

Sadio Mane - 5. The Senegalese shot wide in the first half but his buzzing presence was a worry for the defence and he teed up Salah’s goal. He lost his way in the second half. AP

SUBS: Georginio Wijnaldum - 5. The Dutchman was introduced for Williams in the 84th minute to add some forward thrust. He shot from the edge of the box but his effort flew over the bar. Reuters

Xherdan Shaqiri - 6. The Swiss replaced Jones in the 59th minute and saw plenty of the ball. He showed some clever touches but rarely looked like opening up the packed defence. AP

May 17, 2021

Goalkeeper Alisson Becker's dramatic 95th-minute goal gave Liverpool a 2-1 victory at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday to maintain their bid to play in the Champions League.

Alisson Becker keeps Liverpool's season afloat with 'one of the best goals ever'

Liverpool trail fourth-placed Chelsea by one point and Leicester by three, with two league games left to play this season thanks to Alisson's late header.

The already-relegated Baggies took an early lead through Hal Robson-Kanu before Mohamed Salah equalised before half-time.

But Liverpool were still heading for a damaging draw when Alisson headed in from a corner in the fifth minute of stoppage-time.

Player ratings from the match can be seen in the picture gallery above. To view the next image, click on the arrows or swipe if on a mobile device.

Updated: May 17, 2021, 3:06 AM