Crooks slams Klopp’s decision to sub Danny Ings in Liverpool draw

Follow us on Google Discover

Liverpool looked to be in cruise control against the Premier League’s bottom side, but ultimately had to settle for a point.

Garth Crooks has told BBC Sport that it was great to see Danny Ings score for Liverpool again during their clash with West Brom, but insisted that he cannot work out why Jurgen Klopp decided to replace him during the second-half.

Ings has endured a hugely frustrating time since joining the Reds from Burnley. His last league goal before the weekend came back in October 2015 with injury plaguing much of his career since then.

He has been in and around the first-team since December, and with plenty of game-time for the youngsters over the last few months, it certainly appears that he is putting his previous problems behind him. And he repaid Klopp for his faith by scoring his first goal since the German’s arrival in the fourth minute of their clash at The Hawthorns – and it was clear just what that goal meant to the forward.

Ings would ultimately be replaced by Roberto Firmino shortly after the hour-mark. And while Mo Salah would double Liverpool’s lead after the change, Crooks suggested that West Brom’s task to come back and secure a point was made easier by Klopp’s decision to take Ings off.

“It was great to see Danny Ings back in a Liverpool shirt and looking so effective. Two years he spent recovering from injury and, from the look on his face, putting Liverpool 1-0 up must have felt like winning the lottery,” he told BBC Sport.

“Why Jurgen Klopp took off the striker, I don’t know. Ings needs game time and was running Ahmed Hegazi ragged at the time. The West Brom central defender must have been delighted to see Ings substituted. Liverpool’s game started to fall apart the moment the striker left the field.”

While Liverpool would have loved a win to maintain their momentum and boost their chances of finishing in the top three, it would be little surprise if Klopp’s attention has already moved on from Saturday’s clash.

Liverpool have the first-leg of their Champions League semi-final clash with Roma ahead on Tuesday, and it seems unlikely that any potential mistakes that were made against the Baggies will linger in the manager’s mind for too long.