Liverpool grinded out a tough, battling victory to get themselves back on track after a slow start to January, beating Brighton at the Amex stadium a goal to nil to go seven points clear at the top of the table.
Normal Service Resumed
Despite losing to Manchester City which cut the gap to four points, followed by being knocked out of the FA Cup in the early stages, Liverpool managed to get themselves back on track at the first time of asking with a 1-0 away win. The win puts them seven points clear again before their closest rivals, Man City, take to the stage on Monday night against Wolves at the Etihad.
The Reds firmly kept the pressure on the Citizens after pulling through their 22nd game of the season unscathed. It was another victory on the South Coast for Liverpool and it was the December player of the month, Mo Salah, who took all the plaudits. The Egyptian scored the only goal in the match from the spot after being pulled down in the box as he sped away from Pascal Gross.
Some pundits say it was controversial and the crowd booed him for the remainder of the game but for me, it was a penalty. The German midfielder tugged at Salah, putting him off balance, and there also seemed to be a coming together as the legs of the Egyptian were taken from under him.
The goal was his 14th of the season, levelling himself with England captain Harry Kane and Arsenal’s front man Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Man City have it all to do against Wolves to keep up the pace in a fixture which left them with rueing dropped points earlier on in the season, as they drew 1-1 at Molineux.
Defensive Issues Quashed
It had been feared Klopp’s defensive woes would start to see them struggle with Matip, Gomez and Lovren all injured and Clyne sent to Bournemouth on loan, but that wasn’t apparent against Brighton. The £40 million summer signing, Fabinho, filled in alongside Van Dijk and he rightfully gained all the plaudits.
It is not too far from his favoured position as a holding midfielder but it is a different task completely as part of a Liverpool side who have managed 13 clean sheets from the 22 games they have played so far in the league. The next closest Premier League side is currently Chelsea with 10 which says a lot about how much the Liverpool defence has played a part in the title charge so far.
Liverpool have now had four results ending 1-0 so far against Everton, Huddersfield and twice against Brighton so the backline holding their own has managed to grab them a fair few points which is not something they have been able to say in the past. With Matip, Lovren and Gomez all to return in the next 2-3 weeks, Liverpool will be mostly back to full strength before the Champions League gets going again which will definitely be welcomed by the manager.
Possession Key
Possession was the key factor in the Liverpool win as they ended the game with 71% of the ball, one of the highest totals they have managed this season away from Anfield. In the first half, they posted 78% of the ball and that is where the problem lay for Brighton.
With so little possession, the Seagulls managed seven shots in total during the match, not one of those shots was on target and Alisson didn’t have to make a single save. There is a maturity about the current league leaders, they can not only blow teams away but also show the grind and desire to see out the closer encounters.
Brighton Safe for Now
Brighton sit in 13th, currently eight points from the relegation zone and five points from 8th place. They’ve had a season which has been short of consistency, but I fear for them slightly as they may start to slip down the table.
They visit Old Trafford next for a matchup against a rejuvenated Manchester United but also have trips to Stamford Bridge, Spurs’ new stadium and the Emirates with a home game against Manchester City also, in the final game of the season.
I can see them dropping further points in the next couple of weeks and there is a danger they could fall to just outside the drop zone. The likes of Burnley, Southampton and Cardiff all picked up points this weekend which has seen them gain some pace and close the gap.
Next Up
It is three home games from the next four for Liverpool and they’d hope their own fans will pull them through anything Crystal Palace, Leicester and Bournemouth can throw at them. If they are still four points or more clear in the next few games, Manchester City may start to blink as they think Liverpool won’t falter.
Guardiola’s men need to be in a position to pounce should the Reds give up any more points but they need to keep up the pace and win their own games too as and when Liverpool do. It is going to be one hell of a chase coming into the final quarter of the season.
Brighton, on the other hand, have a visit to Old Trafford who they beat in the first match, 3-2, at the Amex. They then also have three of their four fixtures at home, with an FA Cup match against West Brom to come too. Fulham, Watford and Burnley are all winnable fixtures for Brighton, they just need to get their shooting boots on and start scoring some goals as they’ve only managed 24 in the 22 games played so far.
