West Brom 3-0 Liverpool
Having sacked Kenny Dalglish at the end of last season and brought in Brendon Rodgers expectations were high at Liverpool for this season, though as we all know things are never the way they should be for Liverpool where stunningly upset today in their league opener by West Brom.
Liverpool started well with the controversial Luis Suarez having a number of chances including an excellent headed chance to put Liverpool in the lead, though couldn't finish any of them. Instead of Suarez it was returning Zoltán Gera that opened the scoring with an excellent strike in the 43rd minute that may well be an early contender for goal of the season. The Hungarian let loose with a thunderbolt from outside the penalty area that gave Reina no chance.
In the second half West Brom had a fantastic chance to double their lead as Daniel Agger fouled Shane Long in the penalty area. Whilst Agger was given a straight red Long couldn't convert the penalty. It didn't take long however for West Brom to be given a second penalty after Martin Škrtel lost track of both the ball and Long. This time Peter Odemwinge stepped up to the spot and he didn't make the same mistake as his team smashing the ball into the bottom corner. The match was finally sealed around 15 minutes from time as Romelu Lukaku headed in a 3rd for West Brom.
Brendon Rodgers was expected to have a midas touch though signings Joe Allen and Fabio Borini both looked completely out of place on the pitch with the pair looking like 2 very expensive accessories. The combined £26 million spent on the two men is looking like a seriously bad move for Rodgers who will almost certainly get the fans on his back if he cannot turn things around quickly.
For West Brom's new manager Steve Clarke this must have been a dream start. Not only did he manage to defeat the team that got rid of him last year but he managed to make a real statement about his team, who will likely be expected to match last season's 10th place finish. The return of Gera (who had been out for 8 months) is a major positive for the Baggies and Lukaku is an excellent loan signing who will seriously give West Brom a threat up front. Don't be surprised if West Brom manage a number of upsets this year.
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