Date: 15 May 2016 Times Telegraph Echo May2016 15 Opposition: West Bromwich Albion Guardian Mirror Bham Daily Mail Competition: League Independent Mail BBC Liverpool reserves make point before Euro final Jordon Ibe’s Liverpool wonder goal earns a point at West Bromwich West Bromwich Albion 1 Albion Rondon 13 Liverpool 1 This match was illuminated by two brilliant goals, first by Salomón Rondón and then by Jordon Ibe, but the brightest points for Liverpool were the returns from Ibe 23 injury of Jordan Henderson and Danny Ings. The draw meant Jürgen Klopp’s team Referee: R Madley Attendance: 26,196 finished eighth in the Premier League but their season will end in glory – and On previous occasions this season when he has rotated his squad, Jurgen Klopp qualification for next season’s Champions League – if they beat Sevilla has insisted that freshening things up was necessary to give Liverpool the best chance of winning. Away to West Bromwich Albion yesterday he made 11 inWednesday’s Europa League final. Henderson, who had been out of action with knee trouble since early April, is changes and the argument stopped holding credibility. This was not about nowin contention to feature in that game, and most of the players in line to start prevailing in this fixture, it was about triumphing in their next one and given that in Basel spent Sunday training at Melwood while a largely second-string held their it happens to be the Europa League final, Klopp's strategy was understandable. A 1-1 draw ensured that Liverpool finished eighth in the Barclays Premier League, own in a keenly contested conclusion to the domestic campaign at The their joint lowest placing since returning to the top flight under Bill Shankly in Hawthorns. Divock Origi also trained at Melwood as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury but seems unlikely to be fit enough to feature on 1962. If that is underwhelming, their season could still be transformed should Wednesday. they defeat Seville in Basle on Wednesday night. It is not only a European trophy Klopp scoffed at the suggestion that he could be punished by thePremier at stake for Liverpool, a place in next season's Champions League could also be earned. League for not fielding his strongest available side here. “I thought I decide what’s the strongest side?” he said. “The problem would have been that we come with Liverpool's first XI, minus Simon Mignolet, an unused substitute at The other players and they already have their minds on the next game, which would Hawthorns, continued their preparations for the final at Melwood, the club's be absolutely normal for human beings. You cannot change this. If the situation is training ground. They were joined by Divock Origi, who has been recovering from that [if] I come here with those players everybody thinks I’m silly, and if I don’t an ankle injury, as the forward's chances of featuring against Seville were boosted. come here with those players everybody thinks I did not do the right job, then obviously it’s not possible for me to do the right thing.” Their second string went through the motions, as did West Brom who enjoyed the The German was pleased that Henderson and Ings showed no ill-effects of the luxury of a final game of the season with nothing at stake having found safety knee injuries that had kept them out of action – for five weeks in the case of the through Tony Pulis's astute management. captain, for 224 days in the case of Ings. Klopp suggested that fielding the striker "We made 11 changes and it made sense because I have experience of finals and it can be hard to focus in the game before them," Klopp said. Asked to rank was “about giving this really nice lad something before the break, being able to say: ‘I am back and able to play football again,’” whereas Henderson could play on Liverpool's next game in terms of importance, Klopp was emphatic: "It's not how Wednesday. “I haven’t made a decision yet about the lineup for Wednesday but important it is for me. It is a European final. What could be bigger?" The quality of it’s nice to have the option,” he said. the goals was out of keeping with the rest of the game. West Brom's, a crisp, low After a well-judged tribute by Albion to the victims of the Hillsborough tragedy, finish by Salomon Rondon, owed much to the quick feet of Jonathan Leko, a 17- year-old winger, who opened up the Liverpool defence. Liverpool's equaliser was sporting hostilities at The Hawthorns got under way, and with slightly less ruggedness than when the sides met at Anfield in mid-season, when Klopp was all about Jordon Ibe who, for once, poured all of his talent into a single, angered by Albion’s approach. Tony Pulis’s side had no intention of making things devastating run beginning with an outrageous dummy on Jonny Evans deep in his easy for the visitors here but it was magic rather than muscle that inflicted the half and culminating in a low finish. first wound on Liverpool in the 13th minute. West Brom enjoyed the better chances in an otherwise humdrum second half as Rondon struck a post with a header and saw a close range effort cleared off the Jonathan Leko, a 17-year-old with thrilling dribbling skills, seized on a slack ball by Joe Allen before skedaddling past three defenders and flipping a clever pass line by Lucas Leiva. By the latter stages both sides were content to see out time. through to Rondón. The Venezuelan smashed a low 10-yard shot in at the near "We had the chances in the second half; Salomon could have had a hat trick," post. The drive was ferociously struck but Adam Bogdan, making his first Pulis said. "But you have to give the team a lot of credit. There was a lot of talk about the changes Liverpool made but their team still cost PS69 million, appearance since January, might have done better. Liverpool were looking lethargic until Ibe injected urgency in the 23rd minute. The compared to ours which cost PS34 million, so that shows the divide. We've winger made Jonny Evans seem oafish as he feinted his way past him on the right finished 14th but next year there'll only be one club in the West Midlands flying and then glided 20 yards forward before racing into the box, past Jonas Olsson, that Premier League flag." and firing into the net despite an attempted block by Craig Dawson. If you are For Klopp, next season can wait; Wednesday is all that matters. With Jordan Henderson enjoying a 26-minute run-out at The Hawthorns, going to wait until the final game of the season to score your first Premier League goal, best make it a beauty. the Liverpool manager is likely to have his captain available to face Seville. The Liverpool, Ibe included, offered little by way of attacking threat thereafter even if bench is likely to be the best that he can hope for, though. Unlike in West they retained possession quite well for the remainder of the first half. Albion Bromwich, Basle will play host to Liverpool's strongest available team and, refocused during the break and almost regained the lead soon afterwards, regardless of Klopp's protestations, that pretty much pick themselves on form. RATINGS West Bromwich Albion (5-4-1): B Foster 6 -- C Dawson 6, G McAuley 6, J Rondón darting between Christian Benteke and Allen to head a free-kick by Craig Gardner against the post and then skew the rebound over the bar from a tight Olsson 5 (sub: J Chester, 46min 5), J Evans 6, J McClean 6 (sub: S Field, 87) -- J angle. Leko 6 (sub: T Roberts, 73), D Fletcher 6, C Yacob 6, C Gardner 7 -- S Rondon 7. Rondón went close again in the 61st minute after another fine run by Leko, who Substitutes not used: B Myhill, Sandro, R Lambert, S Berahino. offloaded for Dawson to fizz a cross from the right into the near post. Rondón got Liverpool (4-2-3-1): A Bogdan 5 -- J Flanagan 6, M Skrtel 7, L Leiva 7, B Smith 5 -- K Stewart 5, J Allen 6 (sub: J Henderson, 64 5) -- J Ibe 6 (sub: D Ings, 64 5), C to it first but glanced his header wide. Four minutes later the Venezuelan was presented with yet another chance but miskicked when left free at the back post. Brannagan 6, S Ojo 6 (sub: S Canos, 80) -- C Benteke 5. Substitutes not used: S He shanked his second effort wide. Mignolet, T Ilori, C Randall, P Chirivella. Booked: Smith, McClean, Roberts, Evans. Lamenting his side’s failure to win here and ignoring grumbles about the dull style of his team throughout most of the campaign, Pulis declared this a triumphant season for Albion. “You can’t become blase because you just have to look at the teams that have gone down this year and look at what we have done,” he said. “We will be the only West Midlands club in the Premier League next year and that’s the first time in 138 years, so I think that’s something to be proud of.” Man of match Craig Gardner (West Bromwich Albion) Compiled by Graeme Riley Date: 15 May 2016 Times Telegraph Echo May2016 15 Opposition: West Bromwich Albion Guardian Mirror Bham Daily Mail Competition: League Independent Mail BBC ALL CHANGE FOR KLOPP AS LIVERPOOL MAKE A POINT Ibe gives Klopp reminder as Albion denied WEST BROM 1 With interest wholly focused on Wednesday's Europa League final, Jurgen Klopp LIVERPOOL 1 had said that nobody was interested in this fixture yesterday.