Liverpool utterly blew Hull City away at Anfield today, to continue to set a ferocious pace in the Premier League. Liverpool have picked up more points in London than any other side this season - including those who are actually from London - but their proclivity for slipping up against lower sides meant fans approached this afternoon's tie with a degree of trepidation: their solitary defeat this season has been their most surprising result: a 2-0 loss away to Burnley.
That didn't repeat itself today, as Klopp's side did the footballing equivalent of gripping Hull City in a headlock, and ruffled their hair for an hour and a half. Here are some of the reasons why Liverpool didn't the failings of Burnley.
Jurgen Klopp sets the tone
Klopp was in particularly determined mood ahead of this game, calling on supporters to create a good atmosphere in the ground, while talking with a kind of righteous anger that Hull had the temerity to come and Anfield and try to take "our points". His players responded in turn, and started the game with great sound and fury. They were relentless in their pressing, and were eternally on the front-foot. Take a look at their average positions in the first-half:
Average position each player touched the ball in that first half. Attacking. pic.twitter.com/DyL4w7Xu7G
— Anfield Online (@anfieldonline) September 24, 2016
Jordan Henderson was vital in setting this tone on the field: pushing up early on to pass the ball with pace and intent, facilitating the dazzling movement ahead of him.
James Milner a surprising answer at left-back
Among football's general rules, there lies one, less heralded outside of Liverpool and Spain: if the answer is Alberto Moreno, then you're asking the wrong question. Moreno has lost his place at left-back to James Milner and, initially, Milner failed to impress. Liverpool's solitary Premier League defeat this far came against a Burnley side who were happy to put ten men behind the ball and cling on to an early lead.
Milner has been excellent both defensively and going forward so far. Another crunching tackle on Snodgrass. #LFC
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) September 24, 2016
Milner's proclivity for stopping to cut back in on his right foot greatly encumbered Liverpool's attacks in that game. Here, he was far more willing to take on his opponent, and cut the ball back from the bye-line. His link-up play with Coutinho a huge positive for Liverpool also. Took the penalties very well, although it was his mistake that caused the corner from which David Meyler scored.
Liverpool's days of reliance on Daniel Sturridge are over
Between the departure of Luis Suarez and the arrival of Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool fans hung on Daniel Sturridge's injury updates with a kind of manic obsession, so bereft of cutting edge were they in his absence. Given Sturridge's injury record, selecting him is a luxury, but it was once a necessity.
Now, however, with a fluid front-line of Mané, Coutinho, Firmino, Lallana and whoever else happens to find themselves around the penalty area, Liverpool have goals in every department. In this game, Roberto Firmino started through the middle, with Coutinho to his left and Mané to his right.
Firmino, in particular, was sensational. While Sturridge was rightly praised for the intelligence of his running against Leicester, Firmino matched him in this regard. Firmino did not touch the ball for the first goal, but was vital nonetheless: look at this run into the channel to create room for Coutinho and Lallana to open the scoring:
Sturridge still has one of the finest goal-scoring records in Liverpool's history, but he is probably not in Liverpool's first-choice XI at the moment. Which is quite something, considering how lost Liverpool looked without him a year ago.
Apart from solely Firmino, Liverpool's team is full of players willing to get beyond the ball and to get in the box: a critical part of Jurgen Klopp's approach. Liverpool have a very good spread of goals, making them all the more difficult to stop.
Chief among these is Sadio Mané, who's mazy dribbles and direct running was reminiscent of *whisper it*, Luis Suarez.
As good as Liverpool were, they were helped by some crap Hull defending...
Liverpool were undoubtedly brilliant, but boy were they helped by some insipid Hull defending. Hull were totally befuddled by the myriad red shirts darting around them. Hull came to defend deep and cling for a point: a decent plan if you're capable of defending well.
Hull failed miserably in this singular task: have a look at the space they gave Sadio Mané to fire home the third:
Also, Hull inexplicably decided to give Phillippe Coutinho the freedom of Anfield: an error which ended in a goal and two assists.
..but they still can't keep a clean sheet themselves
New goalkeeper Loris Karius had just one thing to do on his Anfield debut: stoop to pick the ball out of the back of the net after he failed to keep out a David Meyler volley from close range. It means that Liverpool have yet to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League this season, and it is also too difficult to judge whether Karius will prove to be an adequate replacement for Simon Mignolet, so useless were Hull as an attacking force.
What is encouraging is his high starting position, something Simon Mignolet seemed terrifying of committing to:
Sweeper keeper. When @LFC attack, this is where Loris Karius stands. pic.twitter.com/LISoSEnOQs
— Dominic King (@DominicKing_DM) September 24, 2016
And finally...
Andre Marriner has clearly improved as a referee. He correctly sent Hull's Ahmed Elmohamady off for handling on the goal-line in the first half. Marriner infamously sent Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain off after Kieran Gibbs handled on the line in a 6-0 defeat for Arsenal away to Chelsea in 2014.
