A MATCH MADE IN SEVEN
Jurgen’s sparkling, ruthless Reds throw down gauntlet to the title-chasing pack
JURGEN KLOPP’S first title triumph at Liverpool was a stroll in the park.
No long- term injuries, no unseen hurdles of any note, no rows – any opposition utterly crushed, brutally swatted aside in a relentless pursuit of glory.
It was a professional, ruthless, serene, swan-like glide towards a glittering prize that was the Merseysiders for the taking long before lockdown cruelly robbed them of a celebration that would have been as raucous and lengthy as any in a generation.
By comparison, this campaign has been an ugly duckling– a messy, draining affair.
Until yesterday that is – when Klopp’s men pinned a note at the door of every club that might see itself as heirs to their throne.
It read: Think again. This monumental drubbing... yes, the sheer size of the embarrassment that was dished out to a team who will end the campaign in and around mid- table in the Premier League signalled that the handbrakes have been taken off the red bandwagon.
Ominously – for the rest of the pack – it is in gear again.
So far, it’s been competent rather than spectacular. Obstacles, some self-inflicted, others not, have been placed in front of the new champs of English football. The long-term injury to Virgil van Dijk, shorter ones to goalkeeper Alisson and centre- half Joe Gomez have unsettled matters on the pitch.
Off it, unusually, the manager has flirted with controversy, too. Moaning about the schedule and complaining about the five substitutes ruling amid various rants over player welfare in recent weeks. On the eve of this game, there was even a distraction from Spain, of all places, an interview given by Mo Salah (right) in which he talked about his disappointment of not being made captain amid references to Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Yet the one aspect of life at Liverpool FC that has remained a constant while all of this has swirled around has been the strength and quality of the collective on that pitch.
And nowhere was that better demonstrated than at Selhurst Park. This match was a throwback to their very best qualities. Bright, inventive – and callous. The fundamentals of success.
Make no mistake, this trip to south London came at the end of another draining week. The third match in seven days, a second
trip to the capital – with a toe-totoe dust- up with rivals Spurs tossed into the mix for good measure.
And Palace had their tails up – note the use of the past tense – four goals against Leeds, five against West Brom. Victory at Old Trafford this season and a point against J Jose Mourinho’s side have added to their confidence.
In one sense, ense, the Eagles absolutely did d not deserve to be on the end of the kind of brutal lesson they were taught yesterday. But t they tried to play Liverpool l at their own game. And came ame unstuck. Horribly.
This was not ot even
Klopp’s first-choice choice
XI – and the Reds revisited the best of last season in one
90-minute show that demonstrated they have now established themselves as the team most likely to throw off the shackles of inconsistency.
That has been the outstanding hallmark of the season so far. Spurs came through the pack. Chelsea too. No one has made a break for it. But there is now clear water between the Reds and the rest – and even though the personnel has changed there has been no dilution in the quality of the performance. If anything, this was as impressive as any they have produced for a long time.
It helped p when Takumi Minamino marked mar his first anniversary as a Reds R player with a goal after two minutes. As platforms go, it w was a solid one. It just got better. And better.
Yes, Liverpoo Liverpool sent out a message to the P Premier League with this sparkl sparkling seven-goal show: Try and catch us if you can.
And , on the evidence of this, that’s going to take some doing.
MAKING
HIS POINT Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson gets on the scoresheet