Liverpool up and running again
TOTAL DOMINATION Panache with which they dismantled fellow topfour rivals Arsenal impresses manager Juergen Klopp
are now off the Premier League roller-coaster and looking in the right direction according to manager Juergen Klopp, who saw his side dismantle top-four rivals Arsenal in a scintillating 3-1 win on Saturday.
In recent months Liverpool have been a shadow of the vibrant attacking side that dazzled during the first half of the season, dropping out of title contention since the New Year.
A run of just two victories in 2017 may have ended any realistic title chances but the panache with which they beat Arsenal will cause concerns for their topfour rivals.
Liverpool climbed above Arsenal to third in what is a congested battle to finish behind Chelsea. Just four points separate second-placed Tottenham Hotspur from Manchester United in sixth.
Against Arsenal, Liverpool’s fluid attacking quartet of Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Adam Lallana cut the north Londoners to ribbons in front of an impassioned Klopp at a buoyant Anfield.
“It was clear we should not forget what we did well (at the beginning of the season). I said to the boys that at this moment we are kind of through the roller coaster of the league up and— down, up and down. But now mainly up, still,” Klopp said.
“The whole thing is a longterm project. You can understand that sometimes people lose a little bit of patience but we can’t. Development is inconsistent. Development generally is inconsistent and until we are the team we want to be — then you will be consistent.
“That’s where we want to go. We will try hard and do everything for it and today we showed our nicest face again against a strong opponent.”
Firmino and Mane scored Liverpool’s first two goals in a blistering first-half performance before Georginio Wijnaldum added a late third after Danny Welbeck had pulled a goal back for the Gunners.
“We are still young and still feel we are learning,” midfielder Lallana told BT Sport.
encounter against Arsenal, Liverpool had won just one of their seven league games in 2017 and there were murmurs regarding Juergen Klopp’s future at Anfield.
he had no regrets leaving Alexis Sanchez out of Arsenal's starting line-up at Anfield. Wenger took the surprising decision before bringing him on at half-time.
they looked listless in the first half with Olivier Giroud and Danny
win over Arsenal will put those voices to bed, at least for the time being, as it kept Liverpool in the hunt for a Champions League spot — if not in the title battle.
Welbeck hardly troubling the Liverpool backline.
number, Klopp, admitted that he had expected Sanchez to play and that his arrival at half-time caused some anxious moments. But Klopp insisted he was not surprised by omission.