FAMOUS FIVE
Forget the Fab Four... now it’s the
BY THE time of the fifth goal, they had almost lost the urge to celebrate. It is said there are no routine Premier League games but here was evidence to prove otherwise.
Liverpool versus Swansea wasn’t a contest, it was 90 minutes of hook- a- duck, the fairground attraction that sees you collect a prize every time. It is impossible to fail at and Swansea were so appalling that it was impossible for Liverpool not to win.
Scoring five unanswered goals should go down as a noteworthy feat but the fact of the matter was that Liverpool did not need to be anywhere near their scintillating best to eviscerate spineless opponents who are plunging towards the Championship.
The Fab Four of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho have dazzled for Liverpool in recent weeks.
Here Jurgen Klopp saw Coutinho, Firmino (two), Trent Alexander- Arnold and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain consolidate Liverpool’s place in the top four but the fact that Liverpool’s manager was very critical of his team’s opening 45 minutes indicates what level they were at.
His criticisms, however, were a shadow of the cutting words that Leon Britton — who has been given the onerous task of guiding Swansea through this period of deep uncertainty — used to describe a performance that bordered on the shambolic.
‘We made a lot of mistakes, some really basic errors,’ said Britton. ‘Against a side with the quality of Liverpool, you are going to be punished. At a place like this, you need a seven or eight out of 10 level of performance from everyone to get any sort of result.
‘But when you are making mistakes that are at academy level, they are going to punish you. We have all been in situations when you face difficulty but you have to remain focused and be professional. To be honest, I didn’t see that out there at times.’
Britton could have gone further and named names. He was livid, as were the hardy souls who made the 350-mile round trip from South Wales for the inconvenient kick-off time, but you could only wonder how much it hurt some of those who were on the pitch.
Presented with such an opportunity, Liverpool were never going to need a second invitation. They had the lead after six minutes after Jordan Ayew made the first of what would be a catalogue of mistakes, allowing Firmino to mug him and set up Coutinho via a pass from Salah. Coutinho’s first Liverpool goal had come against Swansea in February 2013 and it was appropriate, on what was his 200th appearance for the club in all competitions, that he should mark the occasion with a moment of majesty, whipping a 20-yard drive past Lukasz Fabianski. It should have been a goal to open the floodgates but Liverpool did not seem in a hurry to capitalise.
There were a few half chances but there was a lethargy to Liverpool’s play. Were they finding it too easy? It seemed that way. Firmino should have wrapped the three points up on the stroke of half-time but after streaking clear he shot wide.
‘Even in a not really good first half, we had enough chances to score two or three goals,’ said Klopp. That should be enough.’
No matter. Within five minutes of the restart, Firmino atoned, timing his run to perfection to reach Coutinho’s inviting freekick and plant a side-footed volley beyond Fabianksi. It killed the game and what remained of Swansea’s spirit.
Firmino was electric. He gets criticised for not scoring enough but he has nine in his last nine games and the relentless running he does is crucial to Liverpool’s game plan.
‘I appreciate Roberto’s effort and performance always,’ said Klopp. ‘I’m happy that he scored twice but I could not say how many he has scored so far in the season because I feel he is always involved and always in and around the dangerous situations for the opponents.
‘In the first half he was right full back, he was left full back, he was everywhere. At the end he scored two goals so that’s nice.’
Soon the goals were arriving at regular intervals, with Alexander-Arnold thrashing in a wonderful third, Firmino tapping in the fourth and Oxlade-Chamberlain ending the rout in the 82nd minute.
Rather than immerse himself in what should have been a moment to remember — his first strike at Anfield — Oxlade-Chamberlain seemed embarrassed. It had become too easy. For that Swansea’s players should be ashamed.
Britton’s emotions were clear. He does not want the job fulltime and who can blame him?
‘I haven’t spoken to the chairman since Christmas Eve,’ said Britton. ‘As far as I am aware I will be in charge for training tomorrow and for the Watford game.’