Saturday’s game was yet another Amex classic, as predicted last week the Albion won a point against arguably, albeit injury-hit, the best club in the country, Liverpool. Plenty of talking points from a rollercoaster 96 minutes. Was it a penalty in injury time? Clearly yes, as for the second week running, the Albion result was decided by a prolonged VAR debate. Again it went in the Albion’s favour, but part of me feels that taking that jeopardy from the referee’s instant decision might take some excitement away from the beautiful game, but that’s up for debate on another week. Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool’s boss had all the hallmarks of a sarcastic teenager in his post match interview. TV scheduling is part and parcel of modern day football, and without the money TV provides, the likes of Liverpool and the rest of the top clubs wouldn’t be able to maintain their highly paid squads. I wonder what the late Ron Saunders would have made of it all? His Aston Villa side won the 1980/81 Championship, playing 42 games, using only 14 players the whole season and seven of that squad played in every game. Different times, I know, but the crux of it is, I can never recall the top managers complaining about fixture issues even though there were far more games back then. And did the Albion miss the suspended Tariq Lamptey? An emphatic yes. Given Liverpool’s injury issues, I really think Lamptey would have had a field day, but that in itself is a double edged sword. His performances since bursting on to the scene during ‘Project Restart’ have been flagged up by numerous pundits, potentially ripping Liverpool apart would have moved things up to a different level. Realistically we all have to make the most of Lamptey. It’s almost comparable to a Club 18-30 holiday romance, it’s not going to last so enjoy it while you can. I don’t think he’ll go in the upcoming transfer window but if his level of performances continue, I think the Albion will be hard pushed to turn down some of the potential bids that could be flying around next summer. That said he will be back this Monday evening for the first Premier League game at the Amex in front of fans, since Palace back in February, when Southampton arrive for a South Coast Derby. I’m predicting another humdinger. The petulant Neal Maupay will be back in the fold (just don’t let him take any penalties) and the Albion will get their first Amex win of the season with a 3-2 win.