Crystal Palace 2-4 Liverpool: Post-Match Thoughts

There’s something about playing Crystal Palace that brings out the inner crazy in Liverpool. It has been well-documented (perhaps too much so) that Liverpool possess huge talent going forward and suffer from defensive deficiencies, but this fixture always seems to highlight these dual features at their starkest. That this was the second six-goal contest between the sides in the last three years speaks volumes – indeed, a meeting between these two teams has not yielded fewer than three goals since 2005. Fortunately this particular goal-fest went in favour of Klopp’s side, and their impressive run continues.

Liverpool started brightly. The deadly front three of Firmino, Coutinho and Mane that has proved so effective this season was a constant menace, and the home side did not look capable of containing them for long. Coutinho in particular was superb; many are calling his performance the best individual display from a Liverpool player since the days of Suarez. His constant movement made him almost impossible to mark, meaning he nearly always had an extra half-yard of space. He certainly made the most of that space, pinging passes around with delightful incision and precision. It was Moreno, however, who provided the assist for the visitors’ eventual opener. It came after 16 minutes – the Spaniard, only in the team due to Milner’s illness, squared the ball in from the left flank to Can, who finished well. Moreno was a constant threat throughout the game, hitting the post later on: it was an impressive staking of a claim for regular football from a player who many Liverpool fans are far too quick to criticise.

The lead did not last long, however. Barely a minute after Can had fired Liverpool in front, a Lovren error allowed Palace back into the match. He received the ball from a Matip header, but misjudged his own header horribly – it looped up and McArthur nicked in to nod it over the oncoming Karius. It was an utter shambles: Lovren was clearly the main villain, but Matip’s decision to give it to him initially was questionable and Karius’s failure to raise his hands to try and make the save was bizarre. It was the kind of series of errors that Liverpool fans have grown all too accustomed to seeing; particularly given that Palace were the opponents, many started to think that it might just be ‘one of those games’. As it happened, Lovren had other ideas. Determined to atone for his error, he headed in the third goal in the space of five minutes following a lovely corner from Coutinho. After re-taking the lead Liverpool continued to dominate, and in truth should have added to their lead: Mane was guilty of a poor miss from close range, leaning back and striking the ball over the bar. They paid the price – with 33 minutes on the clock, Palace were level once more with just their second shot of the game. Again the circumstances were infuriating, a poor clearance allowing the hosts to shift the ball wide and then cross it in for McArthur’s second goal.

It looked as though Liverpool were going to go into the break level despite their domination, but with scarcely a minute left of the half Joel Matip restored the lead for a third time. Again it was from a corner, remarkable given Liverpool’s impotence from corners in recent times and Palace’s aerial prowess. The Cameroonian, who has been hugely impressive since joining on a free transfer in the summer, was left unmarked in the middle. He jumped well and powered his header towards goal, over Mandanda but under the bar. Nevertheless, Klopp was probably less than impressed with his team at the break. Certainly things had tightened up in the second half: Crystal Palace had in truth not created much in the first period, but produced even less going forward in the second. Liverpool, by contrast, looked just as dangerous – they could only add one more goal to their tally though. Mane came close, but was denied by the feet of a sprawling Mandanda after being put through by Firmino. It was Firmino himself who added the fourth, latching on to a glorious through ball by Henderson before chipping the ball delightfully over the oncoming keeper. His shirt was off in celebration before the ball had even hit the back of the net: that’s the confidence in this Liverpool side right now!

It was definitely a deserving win, and it extends Liverpool’s unbeaten run to an impressive eleven games. They remain level on points with top of the table City, and are starting to be discussed as genuine title contenders. It is early days, but if Klopp can keep his team performing as they are currently then they must be considered not only contenders but favourites – the attacking football on display is truly sumptuous. The defence, too, is getting better on the whole. This was not the best game for showcasing that fact, but generally speaking the open play defending has improved significantly since Matip came into the side. Set pieces remain the one persistent problem, but with the forwards scoring so freely it frankly doesn’t matter if a few goals from corners get shipped. Next up is Watford at home: a good opportunity for Liverpool to keep the pressure on City and Arsenal going into the international break, and maybe even make inroads into their goal difference advantage.
-James Martin
Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United: Post-Match Analysis

Despite having the bulk of possession, Liverpool were unable to break down a Manchester United side that had come to Anfield purely to defend. Mourinho essentially adopted a slightly less ambitious version of the game plan that saw Burnley take all three points off Klopp’s men earlier this season – the emphasis was firmly on defence, with seven or eight men routinely behind the ball. In fairness it was executed well, and Liverpool rarely threatened; they did manage two dangerous efforts, but both were saved excellently by De Gea. Manchester United looked even less likely to score than the hosts did, failing to spring any sort of counter-attacks despite seemingly being set up to do so: Zlatan Ibrahimović made a mess of their only real opportunity. On balance, 0-0 was probably a fair reflection on a drab match.

It was apparent from the outset that this was not going to be a game that lived up to the considerable hype. Indeed, given the gargantuan reputation of both sides, the lack of quality on display was astounding – loose touches, stray passes and poor decision-making abounded, culminating in an opening period full of scrappy turnovers of possession in the middle of the park. Henderson, who has been very good in the last few games, was particularly culpable in this respect. The visitors probably looked the least bad, but they were far from good: the only moments of anxiety for the Anfield faithful were caused by highly questionable decision-making from new signing Loris Karius, rather than any great attacking prowess on United’s part. Liverpool did pick up a little towards the end of the half, but could produce nothing better than a tame Firmino header straight at De Gea.

Any attacking impetus United had possessed in the first half vanished in the second. Liverpool dictated the game, dominating possession and probing the United defence to try and find gaps. This was of no use though, as an odd combination of lack of urgency and lack of composure meant that the home side could not find the breakthrough. The lack of urgency manifested itself in a failure, in the most part, to run at defenders and really stretch United’s back line. The exception to this would be Can, who drove the team forward a few times with powerful runs from deep. Can, however, was also one of the most culpable on the lack of composure front – he, along with others, wasted a few well-worked positions by taking on overly ambitious long-range strikes. Long shots do not have a high conversion percentage, and are not a sustainable method of triumphing over the low block; they can be excused from a specialist like Coutinho, who has demonstrated that there is some repeatability to his goals from range, but in general the best idea is to try and pass a way through. Indeed, the biggest opportunity of the game came from a lovely ball into the path of Can on the edge of the area. The German was unable to create space with his first touch, and consequently had to writhe past a couple of defenders before snatching a shot away, but it nonetheless forced an excellent save from De Gea.

The other major chance came from an aforementioned Coutinho long shot. It was a trademark move, cutting in from the left and curling it with his right foot towards the top right hand corner. David De Gea was equal to it, however, stretching to turn the ball past the post. Frustrating as this was for the hosts, on balance it was not a game that anybody deserved to win. One minor positive for Liverpool is that it was their first clean sheet of the season, although as Klopp hinted at in the post-match press conference this is something of a bittersweet achievement in the circumstances. Perhaps the bigger positive is that Manchester United felt the need to simply shut up shop – big teams fear us once more. This is not without cause: the 0-0 is a blip in an otherwise generally superb start to the season, and this result should not dent confidence. Not every team can defend as well as a Mourinho outfit, and with a nice run of fixtures on the horizon Klopp’s men will be hopeful of a return to free-scoring ways before long.
-James Martin
Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013 

Give Them Hull! Merciless Liverpool Trounce The Tigers

Liverpool kept their fine form going with a wholly convincing 5-1 win at home to Hull City. They looked in control from the outset, and this was only increased after Ahmed Elmohamady was dismissed midway through the first half for handling the ball to prevent a goal.  In truth they could easily have had more than five, but Jurgen Klopp and his men will certainly be satisfied with their day’s work. The only blemish on an otherwise excellent performance was the continued failure to keep a clean sheet – whilst immaterial in the context of the game, it is a slight worry that the back four are seemingly unable to go ninety minutes without shipping a goal.

It was immediately apparent that it was going to be a long afternoon for Hull. Liverpool were clearly in the mood: crisp, dangerous passes were exchanged when the hosts were on the ball, and after losing it there was an eager counter-press response. The Tigers initially combated the pressing nicely with a few quick pass combinations of their own, but the relentless pressure inevitably began to force some turnovers before long. Soon a pattern emerged whereby Hull were barely able to get a touch on the ball; when they did they were left with little option but to play it long looking for Hernandez, usually with no success. All of Liverpool’s possession came to fruition after 17 minutes when Coutinho beat a couple of men before slotting the ball into Adam Lallana, who calmly passed the ball into the corner of the net. The space for the pass was opened up by an intelligent run from Coutinho’s compatriot Roberto Firmino, who took two defenders with him when he peeled off to the left. As is Klopp’s way, Liverpool did not ease up after opening the scoring – the intensity was if anything increased, and it seemed a matter of time before the lead was doubled. Sure enough, with thirty minutes played the referee pointed to the spot following an Elmohamady handball on the line. To make matters worse for the visitors a red card was also shown. Milner coolly slotted away the penalty, leaving Hull with ten men and a two goal deficit.

Liverpool piled on the misery just six minutes later. Lallana beat two defenders with a trademark turn: he looks a different player this season, utilising his undoubted on-the-ball talents in a much more direct, effective manner than in the past. He then used the space to pick out Mane, who also swivelled before firing the ball past a hapless Marshall and into the bottom corner. Wijnaldum also had a good chance, and another Mane effort deflected on to the crossbar, but the half ended 3-0. Hull had neither the ability nor the numbers to threaten a rampant Liverpool in full flow, and at the interval it seemed very likely that the hosts might finally register a clean sheet. It was not to be, however: the old set pieces Achilles heel showed itself shortly after the break, as David Meyler scored from Hull’s first corner of the game. This trend of failing to secure a shut-out is getting quite wearisome, and must be preying on the minds of the players at this point – this could have a spiralling negative impact, as they will go into games with no confidence in their ability to keep the opposition from scoring. Far from wallowing in self-pity, however, Liverpool restored the three goal lead within moments. Staggeringly, just nine passes were made between the Hull goal and Liverpool’s fourth – Lallana’s was the final ball of the sequence, laying it into the path of Coutinho who scored a superb curler from outside the box.

The rest of the match played out in perhaps the most one-sided manner ever witnessed: Hull offered literally nothing whatsoever going forward, and simply sat back trying not to get completely humiliated. Even so, they were unable to prevent a fifth from going in – minutes after being introduced, Sturridge bamboozled his man in the box with some quick feet to win another penalty. Milner once again converted, albeit with a touch of fortune this time. Nobody could argue that a four goal margin was not fully deserved, however – indeed, six or seven might have been a more accurate reflection. This will probably not bother Liverpool too much: they scored more than enough to get the job done in what was a thoroughly professional performance.

The result extends the winning streak to three games, and leaves the team with an impressive 13 points from a tough opening six fixtures. Liverpool now lie fourth in the table; the position is of course all but irrelevant at this stage, but it always nice for the players and fans to see the team in the Champions League places. However, the top four may well not be the summit of this squad’s ambitions: in this sort of form, it is hard not to consider them genuine title contenders. It is important, however, that the players continue to take things game by game – next up is a trip to Swansea. Jurgen Klopp’s pre-match talk will surely be a simple one – “same again, please!”
-James Martin
Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool: Post-Match Thoughts

Liverpool continued their impressive start to the season with an excellent win away at Chelsea. After a dominant first half the visitors had to hold on in the second period, but some steadfast defending ensured that they came away with a 2-1 victory.

Pre-match nerves were increased somewhat when it was revealed that Firmino was unavailable through injury, but Liverpool fans needn’t have worried. The attacking depth in the side is the best it has been for some time, and Coutinho was certainly a more than adequate replacement for his compatriot. Indeed it was he who created the first goal; the ball came to him following a wide free kick, and his glorious delivery was met by an unmarked Lovren at the far post. The defending was lax to say the least, but the lead was thoroughly deserved – it was the culmination of sustained pressure. On the few occasions that Chelsea did venture forward Costa was marked well by Matip, and Hazard was tracked effectively by Clyne.

Source: liverpoolfc.com

A meagre one-goal advantage would not have been a fair reflection on the first half, and captain Jordan Henderson ensured that this was not the case with a stunning strike. A Cahill clearance fell to the ex-Sunderland man and he bent the ball exquisitely into the very top-right of the goal, leaving Courtois helpless. There have been growing murmurs of discontent about his performances: this was an emphatic way to silence them, at least for the time being.

Whilst it is always good to see entertaining, attacking football, in a sense the second half was even more impressive. Liverpool’s prowess going forward is well-documented, but their shaky defence is infamous – it was heartening, therefore, to see them dig in and hold a lead. Frustratingly the first clean sheet of the season continued to prove elusive – Matic jinked through multiple challenges before squaring for Costa with about thirty minutes to play – but this was essentially the only defensive lapse in an otherwise steadfast performance. Matip was at fault for the goal, but aside from that looked imperious throughout. Milner appears to be growing into the left-back role – he even attempted a left-footed cross or two! Hazard’s lack of influence is a testament to Clyne’s performance, and Lovren was solid on his return to the team. Henderson, too, deserves a mention – as well as influencing things going forward, he also provided some good defensive cover. It was always going to take him time to adapt to a deeper role, but there are signs that he is growing into it.

The Burnley result is the only major blip in an otherwise extremely impressive start to the season. 10 points from matches against Leicester, Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea is highly commendable – it is no surprise that Liverpool are now being viewed as, at the very least, top four contenders. Even the title itself has been mentioned, and why not? We have no European football in midweek and have shown we are more than capable of going toe-to-toe with the big guns. Now it is imperative that the team demonstrate that they can also get it done against smaller teams – a win against Hull next week would consolidate our position nicely. For now, the players can relish their satisfying and deserved win.
-James Martin
Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Liverpool 4-1 Leicester: This Is Anfield

In front of their biggest crowd since the days of standing in the terraces, Liverpool marked their return to the expanded-capacity Anfield with an emphatic win over champions Leicester City. The attack looked deadly and, one freak moment aside, the defence looked very strong – there were certainly signs that the extra fans in the Main Stand could be enjoying many more convincing victories this season.

The front three was altered from the trip to White Hart Lane; Coutinho missed out, having just returned from the Brazilian national team, and Sturridge came in to play in between Firmino and Mane. There were fears that the oft-influential playmaker would be missed, but these were allayed rapidly – roared on by the home crowd the hosts started quickly, and never really let up. Sturridge looked eager to make his case for regular inclusion in the first team, and had a big hand in the opening goal. His intelligent run drew two defenders wide, leaving Firmino free to drift through the middle and unerringly find the corner. This highlighted the fluid movement that has become ingrained in the Liverpool attack – the ‘centre-forward’ drifting wide left the centre-halves with a dilemma, and Firmino capitalised by coming central himself. Mane, too, had a good game: it was he who doubled the lead, finishing off a sumptuous move with a delightful chip over Kasper Schmeichel. Again, Sturridge played a significant role – after latching on to a nice pass he cleverly back-heeled the ball into the path of Mane. The Senegalese winger has enjoyed an electric start to his Liverpool career, delivering with consistency the quality that he could only show flashes of at Southampton. It is no coincidence that the one game where he was absent was Liverpool’s only defeat of the season so far: his direct, skilful runs would have asked questions of the Burnley defence.

At 2-0 up and approaching half-time, Liverpool looked in complete control. They were outplaying Leicester going forward, and Matip in particular was putting in an accomplished, assured performance at the back. Whilst his career at Anfield is still very much in its fledgling days, he looks as though he has the potential to be the commanding central defender that has been missing for so long. However, the solid defensive work was undone by a freakish incident involving make-shift defender Lucas. He received a pass from goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, initially controlled it well, but then took a bizarre, ballooning second touch. With Okazaki (who had incidentally run into the penalty area prior to the goal kick, technically an infringement) oncoming, he then stabbed the ball desperately back in the general direction of Mignolet. Unfortunately it raced past him into the path of Vardy, who was gifted the simplest of finishes into an empty net. Liverpool thus went into the break with only a slender one goal lead.

This, however, apparently did not prey on the minds of the players heading into the second period. Far from it, they looked determined to put the game to bed – Lallana did just that ten minutes into the half, rifling home a ferocious strike from the edge of the box after a nice lay-off from Wijnaldum. Having also struck for England during the international break, he is certainly doing a good job of dispelling fears about his finishing abilities. The tempo subsequently dropped off a little, although Liverpool still looked by far the more threatening team: Sturridge will have been disappointed he didn’t manage to notch a goal or two, having got into a couple of excellent positions. At the other end the assured defensive display continued, although in truth Leicester put it under minimal strain. Just as it looked set to end 3-1, Firmino and Mane combined to cap an excellent performance from the hosts. Mane ran through on to a long ball, getting there ahead of Schmeichel – he then had the presence of mind to find the better-positioned Firmino, who coolly sold his marker a dummy before slotting home. They were probably the two best players on the pitch, and the goal was no more than they deserved.

It was an excellent way to mark the opening of the expanded Main Stand – the bumper crowd had plenty to cheer as Liverpool extended an impressive home record against the previous year’s champions. The performance of the players on the pitch coupled with Klopp on the touchline and the new stand made it hard not to look optimistically on the future: there was an abstract sense of progress. Everything appears to be moving in the right direction – a return to former glories in the long term seems on the cards. That is not to say that in the short term Klopp and his men will settle for mediocrity: if Liverpool can keep on putting in excellent team performances such as the one witnessed against Leicester, there is no reason why we can’t be in the picture for the title race this season. At the very least Klopp will be hoping to challenge for a Champions League spot. Friday night sees Liverpool travel to Chelsea in what it sure to be a thorough test of the team’s credentials: based on the evidence of this game, there is no reason why they can’t come away with all three points.
-James Martin
Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Tottenham 1-1 Liverpool: Post-Match Analysis

Liverpool missed the chance to chalk up their second win from three matches after a Danny Rose strike cancelled out Milner’s first-half penalty. Despite dominating for large periods the away side were unable to notch more than one goal, and were eventually punished – whilst a point away to a direct rival for a top four spot is by no means a bad result, Liverpool will feel they should have secured all three.

A few nervy opening minutes notwithstanding, Liverpool started quickly. It didn’t take long at all for the first clear cut chance to be created - with less than ten minutes played Mane’s ball found Firmino, who then squared it for his compatriot Coutinho. The attacking midfielder had time and space, but somehow failed to knock the ball past Vorm from close range; the stand-in keeper made an excellent save with his legs, but in truth the Brazilian should have scored. The visitors continued to apply pressure, prompting Pochettino to make a tactical switch with half an hour played: full-back Kyle Walker, who was in any case unwell, was replaced by striker Vincent Janssen. This had little effect, and Liverpool continued to dominate – Mane in particular looked a constant threat. He is rapidly becoming the key figure in the Liverpool attack; his directness and movement both add new dimensions to a front line that can look impotent in his absence. It was Firmino, however, who finally made things happen: his bursting run was halted in the area by a trip from Erik Lamela. It was unfortunate in that the winger was simply trying to track back and in doing so unwittingly caught the heel of Firmino: nevertheless, it was clearly a penalty. Somewhat surprisingly it was James Milner who stepped up to take it, but he allayed any doubts by tucking it into the bottom left hand corner and sending Liverpool in 1-0 up at half time.

The second half commenced in much the same fashion. Liverpool looked by far the superior outfit, and were only denied a second goal by the offside flag. Mane fired home what would have been a well-deserved goal after a square ball from Lallana, but Lallana himself was adjudged to have been offside when the initial ball was played through to him. It was a marginal decision, but one which the assistant referee probably got right. It would be stretching the truth to say that this acted as a catalyst for Spurs, but their performance levels did gradually improve. They began to threaten a little more – although Matip and Lovren looked very capable of dealing with the threat of Kane and Janssen – and with about fifteen minutes to play they grabbed an equaliser. Both full-backs have to take some blame: Milner was too slow to close down the cross from Eric Dier, and Clyne was unable to get to Rose in time at the far post. The Spurs left-back duly fired home, beating the onrushing Mignolet at the near post with a sliced effort that he may or may not have meant. On the balance of play it was wholly undeserved, but it was always a risk that Liverpool would be made to pay for failing to capitalise on their sustained pressure.

That is not to say that there are no positives to take away from the draw. As previously alluded to, the newly-formed central pairing of Matip and Lovren looked impressive: they were up against the physical type of forwards who can so often prove real handfuls for central defenders, but dealt with them admirably. Lovren had one sticky moment early on where Kane simply shrugged him aside and ran through towards goal, but he settled down and had a strong game on the whole. Matip also demonstrated his aerial threat from set pieces, skimming the bar with a header from a corner – Liverpool have been hugely wasteful with set pieces since the 2013/14 season where Skrtel bagged seven goals, and Matip could be the player to change that. Henderson, too, put in an impressive performance: he has been widely criticised for his performances in the Arsenal and Burnley games, but really stepped up in this one. His passing was generally accurate, his defensive work was as good as can be expected from a box-to-box type player and his pressing contributed to the creation of the Coutinho chance early on – hopefully he can keep this up and silence his critics. Finally, Mane once again impressed: he has staked a big claim for man of the match in each of the three competitive games he has played, and is rapidly establishing himself as a pivotal part of the Liverpool attack.

Klopp will of course be frustrated that his team were unable to convert a good performance into three precious points, but it is unlikely that he will be overly concerned at this stage. It is still very early in the season: Liverpool have time to address their issues, and they certainly have plenty more points to play for! They will look to do just that in their next game against Leicester, which comes after an international break – the champions will present a tough challenge, but with the increased-capacity home crowd cheering them on for the first time this season Liverpool have a good chance of getting the win.
-James Martin
Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Arsenal 3-4 Liverpool: Post-Match Thoughts

So much for easing us in gently. Liverpool started the new season with a dramatic 4-3 win away at Arsenal in a game that forced fans to endure a whole range of emotions, chief amongst which were stress and tension.  In the end though it was elation, as the visitors clung on to secure an excellent three points against their rivals.

This was always going to be a high-scoring game. Arsenal were missing Gabriel and Mertesacker through injury. Koscielny, who joined up with the squad late after reaching the European Championship final with France, was also unavailable – this left something of a crisis at centre-back for the hosts. In the end it was the inexperienced pairing of Chambers and Holding that were left to deal with the potent attacking threat of Mane, Firmino and Coutinho. Meanwhile, Liverpool lined up with an extremely attacking side: a central three of Henderson, Lalllana and Wijnaldum meant that at times our shape was a de facto 4-1-5 that almost entirely bypassed the midfield. As such the defence was exposed, a defence that is prone to errors: Moreno in particular is a weak point, and he was constantly targeted. It isn’t often that you go into a game predicting a scoreline of 5-3, and it’s even less often that you’re nearly right – regardless of the inevitability of it, however, it made for a great, albeit stressful, spectacle.

The first half was surprisingly drab. Liverpool seemed sluggish and altogether un-Klopp-like, failing to put much pressure on Arsenal when not in possession and unable to string any passes together when on the ball. The (lack of) midfield was a primary factor: transition from the back was nigh on impossible, meaning the options were to smash the ball long or risk losing it by passing through the lively Arsenal press. It was this latter route that led to the opening Gunners goal – Lallana lingered too long and was robbed of the ball in a very dangerous area, and Moreno, who had just surged forwards to support the potential developing attack, was left hideously out of position. Iwobi then found Walcott who finished well, having been denied from the penalty spot by a good Mignolet save only moments previously. Liverpool looked destined to go in at the break deservedly trailing, but on the stroke of half time Coutinho came up with a piece of pure inspiration. The free kick, which he himself had won, was a fair way out; this did not put the Brazilian off, and he found the top corner with unerring accuracy and power.

Despite this equaliser, Klopp cannot have been a happy man in the half time dressing room. The performance was well below the levels that the squad are capable of – this point was emphasised by the storming fifteen minutes immediately after the break. Liverpool came out looking rejuvenated: suddenly the energy and skill was evident throughout the side, and beautiful moves were strung together seemingly effortlessly. The second goal for the visitors came quickly, as it seemed it must – Wijnaldum squared the ball for Lallana, who controlled it beautifully before rifling it between the legs of Petr Cech. The third goal followed soon after, this time coming from the right hand side: Clyne drilled in a cross following a wonderful passing build-up, and Coutinho was on hand to steer it in for his second. The fans were sent into ecstasy when Mane bagged the fourth – his excellent run was followed by a staggeringly good weak foot finish into the top corner. It’s only the second day of Premier League action, but already we have a possible contender for goal of the season.

This is Liverpool, however, so of course we did not cruise on to an easy victory. The lead was pegged back to two almost immediately after Mane’s strike, with Oxlade-Chamberlain’s shot deflecting wickedly off Lovren and past a helpless Mignolet. This seemed to breathe new life into Arsenal, who seized control of the match once more. They made the most of their newfound dominance with 15 minutes to play – Callum Chambers rose above the defence to head home, leaving the score at 4-3. An extremely nervy end to the match ensued, but Klopp’s introduction of Origi paid dividends – rather than inviting pressure Liverpool retained an outlet and were able to prevent Arsenal from creating too many more chances, and consequently held on for the win.

Certainly this was far from a perfect performance, but this team is far from a finished product. This is day one of Liverpool’s season, and the key was always going to be the three points: an invaluable three points against a potential rival. A rival for what position remains to be seen, but there is no reason why this team can’t be pushing for the title itself. Of course the defence will need to tighten up if we want sustainable success this season, but the attack looked immense at times today – if Klopp can find a balance, Liverpool look like a formidable force once more.
-James Martin
Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013