Titles are won on days like this. As the clock ticked deep into added time Liverpool looked sure to regret an inexplicable miss from Diogo Jota, whose inability to convert in the 60th minute appeared to have cost them the opportunity they were granted earlier in the day. Then Mohamed Salah escaped down the right one last time and squared for Divock Origi, who had arrived midway through the second half, to spin and fire beneath José Sá. The visitors’ bench erupted into wild celebrations: they may only top the Premier League for a few hours this evening, but this felt like a significant victory given Liverpool had been on the verge of leaving the Black Country with regrets after doing everything but score.
West Ham’s win over Chelsea meant Liverpool could profit doubly from victory here, not that they needed any kind of fillip. Jürgen Klopp cannot have had many easier decisions than the one to name an unchanged lineup from the selection that embarrassed Everton on Wednesday; Liverpool had been in full flow, scoring four goals in each of their previous three league games, and when a team is in this vein of form a manager’s touch can be mercifully light.
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