Liverpool v West Brom: Big Sam looking to pull off another Kop shock

The man who masterminded that victory was none other than Sam Allardyce, who was embarking on a great escape with Crystal Palace at the time.

Now the 66-year-old is aiming to upset the odds again when he takes charge of Albion for only the second time tomorrow.

And while there are still very few fans who believe the Baggies can pull off a shock – Allardyce’s tendency to upset and rile the game’s top bosses does lead to hope it can be done.

Just hours after his arrival at The Hawthorns, Allardyce was asked how much he is looking forward to locking horns with the likes of Jürgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho once again.

His answer was simple and short.

“I just hope I can wind them up again,” he said.

You get the feeling if anyone can topple Klopp’s side when they are at home, it’s Big Sam. But while he goes to Anfield with nothing to prove, the same can’t be said for his players.

Albion may have secured an impressive draw at Manchester City less than 12 days ago, but their subsequent performance in the derby against Villa was shocking.

Not helped by captain Jake Livermore picking up a red card – which means he will now miss three games – it wasn’t just quality that was missing from the Baggies display.

The truth is the performance was bereft of hunger, desire and energy.

It may have been down to the players being upset at the dismissal of Slaven Bilic following that draw at Man City.

It may have been they simply exhausted themselves – physically and mentally – during their performance at the Etihad. But in a derby, and in front of a new boss to boot, their display really was unacceptable.

Now they have to go out and impress their new manager because if they don’t, Allardyce will have no problem consigning them to the scrapheap.

The Dudley-born chief knows better than anyone what it takes to survive in the Premier League.

And he showed he is all about efficiency and getting the job done by confirming after Villa that Albion’s captaincy is now up for grabs.

In his first training session, Allardyce told his new squad they cannot afford any reckless sendings off. Livermore failed to take that on board and was rightly dismissed against Villa.

His performances last season made it almost unthinkable he wouldn’t be captain this term.

But Allardyce has no room for sentiment and confirmed whoever gets the armband at Anfield will have a shot at keeping it.

Livermore’s absence also leaves a vacancy in midfield. With no out-and-out holding midfielder in the squad except for Sam Field, this is an area Allardyce will surely strengthen next month.

Albion fans would love to see Field get a run of games. But having recently recovered from injury and coronavirus, Anfield may not be the place to throw him in.

Another alternative is shifting Semi Ajayi from central defence to the holding role.

But that only leads to questions as to who will partner Dara O’Shea at the heart of the back four – with it still unclear if Kyle Bartley is fit following a niggle picked up in training.

Whatever team Allardyce picks, though, Albion’s players have to perform.

They have to perform for the fans following that shocking display against Villa. And they have to perform for themselves otherwise they will not be part of Allardyce’s long-term plans.

A result at Anfield would, of course, be wonderful. But the truth is what Allardyce learns from this game is likely to be a lot more important.