Plymouth 0-1 Liverpool: The Kids Are Alright

Liverpool avoided an embarrassing early exit from the FA Cup with a fairly comfortable win in their third round replay away at Plymouth. The scoreline ended up being a narrow one, but the visitors looked in control for most of the game – no mean feat for what was not far away from being an u23s side. Some of the young players to whom Klopp gave a chance have come under criticism following the match: this is extremely harsh. To put in a professional display and come away with the desired result against a senior football league side desperate for a result is a testament to the calibre of the players.

As in the initial game at Anfield, Klopp selected a second-string starting eleven. This included a handful of senior players – Origi, Sturridge, Coutinho, Moreno and Lucas – but was largely made up of products of the youth system. In fact, it was the youngsters who impressed the most in the early exchanges: Alexander-Arnold and Woodburn looked particularly assured, whereas Moreno floundered and Sturridge and Origi struggled to influence the game. Daniel Sturridge must be getting increasingly frustrated; he has now failed to take the last few chances he has been given to impress, and in a squad with as much attacking talent as this one he cannot bank on getting too many more. Fortunately, his lack of goals was compensated for through the most unlikely of candidates – Lucas Leiva of all people opened the scoring midway through the first half. Coutinho showed the benefits of having a competent set piece taker back in the side, and Lucas got on the end of his teasing corner to power the ball into the net. It was his first goal in seven years, and in the end proved to be the goal that saw Klopp’s side safely through to the fourth round.

There were chances to add to the lead – Origi had the most blatant of these, seeing a tame penalty saved late on. However, the failure to extend the gap never really looked like being punished. Alexander-Arnold had to make one excellent last-ditch challenge and Karius had to be on his toes to keep out a sweetly struck long-range effort, but on the whole Plymouth were contained professionally and effectively. This makes some of the criticism of the performance even more odd: it wasn’t the most exciting, end-to-end game of all time, but if anything this is a testament to the temperament of our young talents. The questions asked of Sturridge and Origi are a little more valid – they would undoubtedly have wanted to have made a bigger impact against a League 2 outfit – but facing a deep line who undoubtedly had specific instructions to keep close tabs on them, the performances were certainly forgivable. In any case, performance was always going to be secondary in this fixture; nobody really wanted the extra game in an already congested schedule, so the goal was simply to get through it with minimal fuss.

The next round sees Liverpool host Wolverhampton Wanderers. It will be interesting to see what kind of team Klopp puts out – it will be an even tougher challenge for the young players than Plymouth, but it seems likely that they’ll be given a chance. Perhaps Harry Wilson will have won himself a long-awaited start: he has been in excellent form for the under 23s side all season, and impressed after coming on in the Plymouth game. Whatever the exact personnel, on paper at least Liverpool have been handed a strong chance of progressing further. The FA Cup is clearly not the priority, but it serves the dual function of blooding youth talent and giving the team a shot at some silverware. In the meantime, Liverpool return to the test of league action: a win against free-falling Swansea is a must in order to keep title ambitions alive.
-James Martin
Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Manchester United 1-1 Liverpool: Post-Match Analysis

Liverpool had to settle for a point in one of the most significant clashes with their biggest rivals in recent years. The home side needed a win to gain ground on the top four, and Liverpool made the trip to Old Trafford knowing that three points would keep them in touch with league leaders Chelsea. In this respect neither team came away satisfied; given the way the match went, however, United fans can be thrilled with a point. Klopp’s side were superior for much of the match, but were undone by a late Ibrahimovic goal.

It was apparent from the outset that Liverpool had shown up determined to put in a more energetic performance than the lacklustre showing at Southampton midweek. The pressing, which in truth has not been particularly impressive over the last few weeks, was well and truly back: Origi was perhaps a little brainless in his charging down of the ball at times, but United nonetheless felt the pressure. That said, Mourinho’s men probably enjoyed the best of the first fifteen minutes – once they had settled down and accustomed themselves to the pressing, they managed to put Liverpool on the back foot. The game remained open, however, and Firmino was unlucky not to make the breakthrough after robbing Phil Jones of the ball on the edge of the United box. The disappointment did not last long – Pogba handled the ball from the resulting corner, and Milner dispatched the penalty excellently.

This was the first in a series of errors from Pogba, who frankly looked out of his depth. He should have been sent off minutes later for essentially putting Henderson in a headlock, but apparently the penalty signalled the first and last decision the referee would rule in our favour. Somehow United ended up with a free kick following the fracas, which forced an excellent stop out of Simon Mignolet. This was one of three vital saves in the first half – he has excelled this season, and was faultless once again today. This can partially be attributed to the competition from Karius, who also put in a strong display in his most recent appearance, but it also worth noting that the Belgian has always been a world class shot-stopper. Other areas of his game let him down, but there are few keepers in the league who perform the fundamental duty of the goalkeeper better than he does. Sadly, Mignolet’s contribution was not quite enough to see the team over the line with the three points. Wijnaldum, who aside from his finishing put in a very strong performance, spurned two very good opportunities to double the lead in the second half; this was eventually punished with less than ten minutes to play, as Ibrahimovic forced the ball over the line following a scramble. To add insult to injury, Valencia was offside during the build-up: this adds to the rapidly-increasing list of recent Old Trafford goals that should not have stood.

The case could also be made that Rooney should have been sent off. He was beaten to the ball by Milner, and in his follow-through planted his studs on to the left-back’s ankle. It should certainly have been at the very least a yellow, but even this was not produced – this was just another factor that added to a frustrating day. Still, perspective is definitely needed: a point away at Old Trafford is a good result, and would have been taken by a lot of fans before the game. Also, there was little wrong with the performance: it has to be accepted that sometimes in football things simply don’t go for you. Looking forward, Liverpool can be encouraged – nine times out of ten, Klopp’s men will be rewarded with a win for this kind of showing. A few people worthy of individual praise are Emre Can, Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Can was under immense scrutiny following some poor recent performances, but barely put a foot wrong. He tracked back well when needed, and provided a good option going forward. Henderson demonstrated exactly what the team have been missing in his absence – he was the heartbeat in terms of passes when on the ball, and provided cover when the team were out of possession. Alexander-Arnold was very much thrown in at the deep end with this game, following the injury to Clyne, and he can be very proud of how he handled the pressure. He dealt with Martial admirably, and also made a nuisance of himself going forward with some overlapping runs. A couple of his crosses left something to be desired, but it would be wholly unreasonable to expect him to come into a fixture of this magnitude at his age and be the complete full-back. It is fair to say that the youngster has an exciting future.

The seven-point gap to Chelsea is not, of course, ideal, but nor is it insurmountable. Provided Liverpool can prevent the gap from widening further before the two teams clash at the end of the month, the title is still very much to play for. If nothing else, the top four picture continues to look very promising – regardless of league position, it is clear that we are making steady progress under Klopp.
-James Martin
Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Everton 0-1 Liverpool: Mane Happy Returns

Liverpool recovered from a poor start to snatch a late derby win at Goodison Park. A horror challenge from Ross Barkley looked set to be the main talking point until Sadio Mane pounced, beating the defenders to the rebound after substitute Daniel Sturridge’s shot came back off the post. On balance Liverpool probably deserved the win after a strong second half showing – there could be no better Christmas present than a late victory over Everton.

There were very worrying signs in the first thirty minutes. Everton seemed eager to press, and Liverpool were regularly forced into playing long, hopeful balls just to escape the pressure. Romelu Lukaku looked dangerous, and it was only some stellar defending from stand-in centre-back Ragnar Klavan that prevented him from firing the home side in front. Lukaku’s compatriot counterpart, Divock Origi, struggled to get involved; the ball rarely found him, and when it did he struggled to do anything telling with it. Firmino was even more ineffectual in the opening minutes – playing out on the left he looked completely off the pace, and was only really noticeable by his poor touches and misplaced passes. However, Klopp reacted to this – the last third of the opening forty-five minutes saw Firmino move central with Origi out wide, and Liverpool looked much better for the change. They slowly started to take control of the match, and by the end of the half Everton had just begun to be forced on to the back foot.

This dynamic continued into the second period. Perhaps Everton’s high-intensity start had taken too much out of them, or perhaps Liverpool had simply woken up a bit; either way, the home side struggled to get close to the performance levels that they started the match with. Neither team threatened hugely, but when there was a threat it came from Liverpool: Firmino in particular had chances. He had a one-on-one saved by Stekelenburg, and then an inventive volley was kept out very well by substitute keeper Robles. In addition to these chances, the second half brought more of a derby feel – a couple of nasty challenges flew in, none worse than that of Ross Barkley on Jordan Henderson. The playmaker came in on Henderson’s ankle, with his studs showing: had the referee properly seen the incident it would surely have been a red card. In the long run, however, the awful challenge actually worked in Liverpool’s favour – Henderson was ultimately fine to carry on, and the time which it took for him to receive treatment was part of what allowed the away side a lot of added time to snatch their late winner. This they did: Sadio Mane, who in truth had failed to have a huge influence for most of the game, was quickest to react after Daniel Sturridge struck the post in the 94^th minute. It is a testament to his pace and reactions that he was able to beat two defenders to the ball, despite starting significantly behind them. Sturridge, too, deserves praise; his tenacity and willingness to shoot led directly to the goal, and he is sure to have been pleased with his impact off the bench following a recent injury layoff.

That Sturridge played such a big part shows the importance of options. Origi is a very good player, and prior to the derby had five goals in his last five appearances, but sometimes games simply need a change in personnel up front in order to make something happen. It is no coincidence that the loss of two strong attacking options in Sturridge and Coutinho has led to a dip in results: whilst those who have filled in are extremely talented in their own right, it is hard to consistently pick up results when there are no experienced alternatives to call upon from the bench. It should be said that Klopp used substitutes sparingly even when he had a full squad available to him, but the Everton game highlighted that he is not averse to making changes when he feels they would be beneficial. Sadly, one attacking option will be lost in early January – Sadio Mane is heading off to the African Cup of Nations. At least Sturridge has returned; his impact in the derby has given some hope that Liverpool will get by in the absence of the Senegal international, but the directness and pace of the winger will undoubtedly be missed.

In the meantime, Liverpool fans can carry into Christmas that glowing feeling that only a derby win can bring. Festive cheer will also be derived from the fact that Klopp’s men sit second in the league – a top four finish looks very much on the cards, and a six point gap to Chelsea is hardly unassailable. Hopefully the reds can show some resolution in the new year and mount a serious title challenge.
-James Martin
Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Liverpool 2-2 West Ham: One of Those Days

Liverpool compounded their recent dip in results with a frustrating draw at home to relegation-threatened West Ham United. Klopp’s team played some nice football and were much the better side, but were unable to create enough clear-cut chances. Coutinho’s creativity and Sturridge’s lethal touch were sorely missed – with either of them fit it seems likely that Liverpool would have won this game. However, the biggest issue was at the other end of the pitch: Karius put in another wholly unconvincing performance, and was at fault to some level for both goals.

Things got off to a very good start. Mane made the most of some hesitant defending to drive Liverpool forward; he reached the byline and put in a dangerous ball. Lallana controlled, turned, and fired the ball past Randolph. At this point it looked as though it would be a comfortable victory to get us back on track after the disaster at Bournemouth. Liverpool being Liverpool, however, this was not the case: there was a sense of inevitability as Payet’s free-kick flew in twenty minutes later. In actual fact, it was not inevitable at all – it was entirely preventable, and was allowed to happen through a combination of a poor defensive wall and awful positioning from Karius. Most of the wall jumped but Lallana stayed grounded: the ball went sailing over his head and in, past the outstretched hand of Karius. This hand would surely have been able to palm the ball away had the German not stood so far over to the right of the goal (Karius’s left): Payet hit it well but it was fairly central, and it should certainly have been kept out. This is the latest in a string of unconvincing moments for Karius, who has not really shown any shot-stopping prowess at all since arriving at Liverpool. He is supposedly a sweeper, who brings attributes to a team other than shot-stopping – maybe this is true, but again he hasn’t showed it much since joining the club. This is exemplified by West Ham’s second goal: the ball hit Henderson and bounced over Matip to Antonio in a very unfortunate fashion, but Karius was very slow off his line. The angle was not closed quickly enough, and Antonio just had the space to roll the ball over the line. At the moment, it is very hard to see what he brings to the team that Mignolet does not; for all his faults the Belgian is a truly world-class shot-stopper, and that’s an improvement on where Karius is right now. He may well develop, but if the club want to compete in the here and now then it cannot wait for Karius to catch up.

Things were only marginally better going forward. Multiple players went close, with Wijnaldum firing narrowly wide and Clyne skying a shot at the end of a lovely team move, but the equaliser proved elusive until the start of the second half. Another Mane cross was flapped at by Randolph, and Origi was on hand to capitalise. It looked as though it would only be a matter of time before Liverpool pulled themselves back in front, but it was not to be. Randolph atoned for his mistake with a spectacular save to deny Henderson a beautiful goal, and although the hosts constantly threatened they could not find a winner. In truth, it was not a bad performance – there is no real crisis, and the result feels much worse than it actually is due to the fact that it comes straight after the Bournemouth loss. However, another failure to win in the next game really will mean trouble: we are already six points adrift of the league leaders, and no wins in three would essentially strip us of any title credentials we may possess.

The next match is against Middlesbrough, and is surely winnable even without Coutinho and Sturridge. Klopp has unsurprisingly come out in support of Karius, and will almost certainly not drop him – if this is the case, it Is time for the young keeper to step up and prove himself. He cannot complain about critics when his performances have warranted such criticism; hopefully, for the good of the team, he silences the doubters by showing exactly what Klopp has seen in him. The forwards, too, have a point to prove: although the goals have continued in Coutinho’s absence the results have not, and if this squad have any ambitions of winning the title then they need to show that they can cope when key men are out. In other words, this result has taken the team to a point of make or break: the players must stand up and be counted now, or else resign themselves to falling short yet again.
-James Martin
Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Liverpool 6-1 Watford: Post-Match Thoughts

Liverpool moved to the top of the table for the first time under Jurgen Klopp with a dominant win over Watford. The eventual scoreline of 6-1 did not flatter; in fact, there could easily have been more goals. Sturridge hit the woodwork twice after coming on, Coutinho and Lucas both spurned good opportunities and Firmino skewed a one-on-one wide with a strange outside-foot effort. Nevertheless, the hosts will undoubtedly be thrilled with their performance – Watford were utterly dismantled, and Klopp’s men will now go into the international break high on confidence and deservedly top of the league.

It was immediately apparent that Liverpool were going to put on an attacking masterclass. The movement of the forwards, always excellent, was perhaps even more fluid than it has been all season; the Watford back line looked helpless. Coutinho was once again instrumental, popping up in pockets of space and threading lovely passes around. Lallana, too, was a constant thorn in the Hornets’ side – he regularly pushed forward to turn the nominal front three into a front four. However, it took a frustratingly long time for the breakthrough to come. Klopp said after the game that some of the best chances were created before Liverpool managed to take the lead; at the time, there was a slight worry creeping in that it might be ‘one of those days’.  These fears were alleviated by Sadio Mane after 27 minutes: a nicely worked short corner allowed Coutinho space to cross, and Mane stooped at the near post to flick the ball brilliantly beyond Gomes and into the far corner.

From this point, Liverpool did not look back. Just three minutes after the opener Coutinho himself got in on the act, receiving a pass from compatriot Firmino before rifling it into the corner from outside the box. Watford were clinging on, but with Can and Henderson beginning to push up a little more there were simply too many players for the visitors to deal with. It was Can who notched the third goal before half time: his run was not tracked by Amrabat, and he was left free in the box to head home Lallana’s inch-perfect cross. Things continued in much the same way after the break – Firmino’s performance had warranted a goal, and he managed to get one after 57 minutes. He lurked in the box, waiting for Lallana’s delivery, and when it came he was on hand to steal half a yard on his man and knock it home. Firmino was involved once again minutes later: he held up the ball brilliantly in the box, then squared it for the rapidly arriving Mane to tap into the empty net. This made it 5-0 inside the hour mark – Watford fans were probably just hoping that it didn’t reach double figures!

Liverpool briefly took their foot off the gas after the fifth, however, and Watford started to play some fairly nice football going forward. Karius was called upon to make a couple of good saves before Janmaat eventually beat him with a placed shot into the corner. In fairness it was probably deserved – the Liverpool back line will nonetheless be frustrated at yet another failure to secure a clean sheet. This frustration translated into a renewed attacking vigour up the other end: Sturridge, who had been introduced shortly before Watford’s goal, looked particularly dangerous. He hit the crossbar twice, slamming the ball against it from a tight angle before hitting it again with an outrageous curling effort from outside the box. This latter attempt was tipped on to the bar by a fingertip save from Pantilimon, who had come on in the first half to replace an injured Gomes. Had a goalkeeper who wasn’t 6”8 still been on the pitch, perhaps Sturridge would have got his goal! He did at least manage an assist late on – yet another good shot was parried by the Romanian keeper, but Wijnaldum was on hand to slot home the rebound and add a final flourish to an absolute rout.

It was a performance that showcased why Liverpool are now being treated as serious title contenders. The relentless energy, fluid movement and constant creation of chances make for an extremely potent side – in this game, Liverpool recorded the most shots on target (17) of any team in the Premier League since Opta records began in 2003/04. Coupled with this ability to score plenty of goals is a defence that is an improvement on recent years: whilst there are obviously still issues to iron out, as evidenced by the seeming near-impossibility of keeping a clean sheet, on the whole the back line is stronger than the one Liverpool had in 2013/14, when defensive frailty ultimately cost them the league. This is thanks in no small part to Joel Matip, who has brought an assurance to the defence that has been missing for some time. A sublime attack and functioning defence sounds like a recipe for success: Klopp doesn’t want to talk about it yet, but that won’t stop fans thinking about the title.
-James Martin
Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

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