The Reds boss praised his players’ effort despite falling short against a resilient Baggies side at Anfield, bemoaning the superb performance from the Midlands side’s defence

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers defended his side despite their 2-0 defeat at the hands of visitors West Brom.

In a match the Reds dominated, Gareth McAuley and Romelu Lukaku netted late on for the Baggies after Steven Gerrard missed a penalty, but Rodgers praised his players’ efforts after the final whistle.

“The players gave everything,” he told Sky Sports. “It was one of those games where we just couldn’t make the breakthrough.

“The longer the game goes on the more likely it is that they nick one. I can’t fault the players efforts today, it was just one of those games where we couldn’t get the first goal.

“We weren’t at our best but we were certainly on the front foot and looking to create. Full credit to West Brom, [Ben] Foster’s made some brilliant saves.

“It was a good away performance from them and the longer it was 0-0 the riskier it got.

“I can’t blame Gerrard for missing the penalty, he had a fantastic game and he had the courage to step up and take it.”

The Reds had won their previous three at Anfield, while drawing at Manchester City and Arsenal in their last two fixtures and Rodgers is keen to get his side back into form.

He added: “I’m just disappointed that our good run, particularly at home, has come to an end.

“But we gave everything tonight and the keeper had a fantastic match. But we’ll go again, we’ve got an important game in the Europa League on Thursday and we’ll be ready for that.”

Liverpool were stunned as a combination of poor finishing and superb goalkeeping from Ben Foster saw West Bromwich Albion come away with their second consecutive win at Anfield, a result that surely marks the end of the hosts’ top-four challenge.

Brendan Rodgers was forced into making one change from the XI that took a point away from Manchester City, with Jonjo Shelvey coming in for the injured Daniel Sturridge while for West Brom, Liam Ridgewell and Yousouff Mulumbu returned to stiffen up the visitors.

The early stages were far from frenetic but typically, it was Suarez who was the first to threaten with a flashed volley that drifted wide of Ben Foster’s right-hand post before Shelvey stroked home a rebound only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.

The hosts were in control and could have taken the lead when first a free header from Daniel Agger was tipped over the bar well by Foster before Stewart Downing, an impressive performer throughout, saw a fierce left-footed effort from long-range sting the hands of Foster.

Opportunities for the out-of-form Baggies to break were few and far between with Agger next to threaten on the half-hour mark, failing to make contact with his head despite having the freedom of the West Brom box.

Steven Reid then came close to an embarrassing own goal when he horribly sliced a drilled Shelvey cross that only just cleared the top of his crossbar as the two sides closed out a poor first-half on level terms.

The second half began in much the same vein as the first ended with Foster making a sprawling blocked save to deny first Downing and then Steven Gerrard from breaking the deadlock. Minutes later, Jordan Henderson’s improvised back-flick finish brought good reactions from the excellent former England goalkeeper.

On the hour mark Rodgers reacted by bringing on Fabio Borini and youngster Raheem Sterling as he looked to find more of a cutting edge and with just over 20 minutes on the clock, Borini went close to scoring his first Premier League goal for the Merseysiders but again found Foster equal to the effort.

The Baggies again had Foster to thank when the keeper made a super one-handed save from a drilled Gerrard effort, with the follow-up put wide of the post by the onrushing Borini. The best was still to come from the former Manchester United shotstopper when Liverpool were awarded a penalty after Olsson was adjudged to have felled Suarez with 15 minutes to go. Gerrard stepped up but saw his spot-kick superbly stopped by a diving Foster.

That miss would come back to haunt the home side when first Mulumbu’s daisy-cutting long-range strike was tipped wide by Pepe Reina before from the resulting corner, Gareth McAuley thumped in a header off the bar.

Liverpool were stunned and their misery was complete in stoppage time when substitute Romelu Lukaku ran through and slotted past Reina.

The England international has had his impressive start to his Anfield career halted by injury, however the Reds will be hoping to keep up their home form despite his abscence

Daniel Sturridge has failed to recover from a hamstring injury as Liverpool host West Brom, but new signing Coutinho could make his debut from the bench.

The Reds are in a rich vein of form at Anfield and will be hoping to inflict another blow to the Baggies who are without a win in their last eight games in all competitions.

Jonjo Shelvey replaces the injured Sturridge in the only change to Brendan Rodgers’ team from the one that drew 2-2 to Manchester City.

New signing Coutinho could also be poised to make his first team debut for the club, albeit from the bench, with the Anfield faithful hoping the Brazil international will be able to add some more creativity to the Liverpool midfield.

Steve Clark makes two changes to his side, with Liam Ridgewell replacing the suspended Goran Popov, who received a red card in the defeat to Tottenham after spitting towards Kyle Walker, while Youssouf Mulumbu comes in for Romelu Lukaku, who drops to the bench.

The visitors are yet to win a game in 2013 and they will be hoping they can put in a good performance against a Liverpool side looking to keep pace with its top four competitors.

Liverpool starting XI: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Enrique, Lucas, Gerrard, Henderson, Suarez, Shelvey, Downing
Subs: Jones, Wisdom, Skrtel, Allen, Borini, Sterling, Coutinho

West Brom starting XI: Foster, Reid, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell, Mulumbu, Yacob, Dorrans, Morrison, Brunt, Long.
Subs: Myhill, Lukaku, Fortune, Jones, Rosenberg, Tamas, Thomas