Liverpool 3-0 West Brom: Robbie robbed of hat-trick by Rafa

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Despite scoring his first two league goals for Liverpool, Robbie Keane left the pitch with the look of a man who'd won the Lottery... and lost the ticket.

With almost 20 minutes of the match still remaining - and with a mini-game of attack v defence to follow - Keane was hauled off even though he had a golden opportunity to complete a hat-trick with West Brom wilting like a fortnight-old lettuce.

Keane shook his manager's hand and waved cheerfully to supporters but let's hope Rafa Benitez understands no Gaelic because more than a few choice words will undoubtedly have been uttered in that language.

Keane has been replaced so many times this season that he probably trots off clapping when the numbers flash at the supermarket deli-counter.

No fewer than 13 of his 15 Liverpool starts have ended to give him the chance of the hat-trick, but we needed another type of player at that point, and he had already scored his goals... which will make him feel a lot better."

Benitez may be clinical, as all top managers are, but he is not unthinking, and this week he called Keane into his office to speak about the reasons behind the continual substitutions this season.

"I spoke to Robbie only this week to explain why I need to change him in games so often and he understands my reasons," Benitez explained.

"I told him I am very happy with him and what he has done, and I said that we change things late on to use a different kind of player with pace to stretch the game.

"He has done really well but I know how the pressure builds when you are not scoring. I spoke to him about remaining relaxed, and he said 'no, no, I'm fine'.

"But I know that all strikers think about goals, and now he has got these two it will be a monkey off his back. And the return of Torres will help him also."

Keane was as diplomatic as his manager afterwards, insisting that the substitutions are merely part of a striker's lot in the Premier League these days as managers look to use their entire squad.

But he accepts that settling at Anfield has been more difficult than he expected.

"I've settled in well with the lads in the dressing-room but sometimes it takes longer to settle in with them as players.

It's taken longer than I would have wanted, but there was evidence against West Brom that I'm getting to know them better on the field now," he said. "People make a big deal of me being substituted but it's not about me, it's about the team, and as a team we are doing our job."

Keane certainly gelled with Steven Gerrard on Saturday, with the Liverpool skipper orchestrating the first goal on 34 minutes with a fine ball that the Irish striker finished brilliantly with a little chip over Albion keeper Scott Carson.

The second on the stroke of half-time was an even better finish as Keane rounded the keeper and displayed the sort of clinical finish that has been missing so far this season.

Alvaro Arbeloa added gloss to the scoreline with a brilliant third on the stroke of full-time, and West Brom were well and truly beaten.

But their manager Tony Mowbray believes that despite already being involved in a desperate relegation battle, his side have shown enough to suggest that they can get out of trouble.

"We haven't just rolled over against sides like Manchester United and Liverpool and that's a good sign for us. I think we can stay out of trouble at the bottom, I really do," he said.

Liverpool: Reina 6, Arbeloa 7, Carragher 7, Agger 6, Aurelio 6, Mascherano 6, Gerrard 7 (Alonso 80), Benayoun 6, Kuyt 6, Riera 6 (Babel 66, 6), Keane 8 (Torres 72, 6).
Goals: Keane 34, 43, Arbeloa 90.

West Brom: Carson 6, Zuiverloon 6, Donk 6, Olsson 5, Robinson 5, Koren 5, Greening 6, Valero 5, Kim 5 (Teixeira 56, 6), Miller 5 (Brunt 71, 5), Bednar 6 (Moore 56, 5).

Referee: Philip Walton
Attendance: 43,451

Man Of The Match
Robbie Keane 8 (LIVERPOOL)
Showed real class in his finishing and a return to his Spurs form in front of goal

Villain of the Match
Ryan Donk (WBA) 5
Donk typified the West Brom backline that was too timid... they'll need far more spirit to survive

Anorak
Robbie Keane has been substituted in 13 of his 15 starts so far for Liverpool

Next three games:
LIVERPOOL
Wednesday: Spurs (a) Carling Cup
Saturday: Bolton (a) Prem
Sat Nov 22: Fulham (h) Prem

WEST BROM
Saturday: Chelsea (h) Prem
Sat Nov 22: Stoke (a) Prem
Sat Nov 29: Wigan (a) Prem

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