Liverpool continued their charge for a top-four finish at least in the Premier League with a tough 2-0 win over Sunderland at Anfield. The Reds were held to a 0-0 draw at Southampton last week and it seemed that the home side would have to settle for another draw.
Sunderland came with a plan to stifle the Reds and the injury to Philippe Coutinho seemed to have set the story for an opportunity lost for Klopp’s men. But Divock Origi came on to replace the Brazilian and scored the opening goal of the game for the Reds.
It wasn’t plain sailing after that 75th-minute goal as Sunderland did try their best to break the Liverpool side down but the home side got a breather when Sadio Mane won a penalty in the 90th minute and James Milner scored the second goal of the game.
Liverpool did return to the top of the league but Chelsea overtook them thanks to their win over Tottenham. We look back at the game and provide the three talking points from the victory for the Reds.
Coutinho’s injury
This certainly was the biggest takeaway from the game, Philippe Coutinho picked up an injury when trying to go into a challenge and he had to be stretchered off in the first half. The Reds were already without Adam Lallana in this game and even Daniel Sturridge missed out due to injury.
Coutinho, though, has been one of the best players in the Premier League this season and we are still unsure about how long he might be injured. If the Brazilian does not return to the side soon, it would certainly affect the attack of the team.
The Reds might get Adam Lallana back in a couple of weeks as he recovers from a groin injury but not having both the players, in the long run, will certainly hurt the club more than anything else.
Liverpool pushes on for the win
The Reds had been held to 0-0 draws by both Manchester United and Southampton and it seemed this was going to be a similar story for the home side against Sunderland. David Moyes’ side were defending with 10 men behind the ball and without the intricate passing of Coutinho and the movement and guile of Lallana missing, this could have been a tough game.
However, the Reds kept pushing on for the win and they got their just rewards, through a bit of luck. Divock Origi might not have, though, his shot going in, but credit should be given for trying.
Liverpool will have to grind out results and that is going to be the key if they are to make it to the top four at the end of the season.
Is Origi the right man for the Reds?
That question was partly answered tonight as the Belgian dragged Liverpool out from the dumps. While Liverpool struggled to break down Sunderland, Origi gave them another option thanks to his physical presence.
He was more than willing to do a lot of the dirty work as well. The Belgian does give Liverpool a different dimension when he plays and certainly can be useful in tough games like this.
With Daniel Sturridge seemingly set to leave the club sooner or later, the Reds have to find the replacement for him and Origi could be the man who does that and much more. Klopp has turned a few things around at his time at Liverpool and Origi becoming better certainly is one result not many expected.
Hopefully, the youngster will get a few more chances to impress and score more goals too.
