It is highly unlikely that Mike Phelan has had too many birthdays as unhappy as this one. The Hull manager turned 54 on Saturday, only to watch his side dismantled at Anfield by an irresistible Liverpool. In fairness to the man, he did admit that the Reds were a class apart from his side and going down to 10 men hardly helped.
Already looking dominant by the time Ahmed Elmohamady was sent off for a handball on the goal-line, Liverpool turned in a splendid performance of skill and movement of an irrepressible quality to bring their tally of goals for the season up to 16 in 6 league games and 24 in all competitions – an average of three goals a game. There was talk prior to the match about how Liverpool’s style was ineffective against the more modest sides, but this was the proverbial banana skin avoided.
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Pack of wolves
Predictably, Hull doubled up and fell back to deny Liverpool space. Playing in a 4-5-1 without the ball, with Abel Hernandez the outlet up front, Hull sought to compress the space between the lines as usual but pressed the home side better than Chelsea did a week ago. Quick and sharp, though, were Liverpool, and their rapid thought and movement pierced holes in the visitors’ defence.
Critical to their approach was, as usual, their pressing. Liverpool’s synchronised exertion of pressure on their opponents kept Hull pinned back in their own half, unable to advance with the ball, losing it mere seconds after they gained it and reduced to long balls in an attempt to find Hernandez. The Liverpool attackers swarmed forwards and the sheer number of threats hovering dangerously between the lines was what made the Reds so difficult to contend with.
Also read: EPL 2016/17: Liverpool 5-1 Hull City - 5 talking points
Their formation was slightly unbalanced – the 4-3-3 had Philippe Coutinho at one end of the attack, while Sadio Mane in an inside forward’s role at the other and the Senegalese freely changed from one flank to the other – but Liverpool sought to open the wings and spread play down the sides. The Merseysiders actively switched play from side to side, and Georginio Wijnaldum did not hesitate in making supporting runs from midfield, giving his side plenty in terms of numbers and width in the attacking third of the pitch.
Deft and devastating
It is more or less how the first goal came about. Coutinho, swapping passes with the scorer of two penalties, the left back James Milner, peeled away from Ryan Mason and set up Adam Lallana. The Englishman halted for a moment before deftly tucking a delicate finish into the absolute far corner to put the hosts 1-0 up.
Lallana was excellent on the day, and despite the supposed unfamiliarity with a deeper midfield role, has shone brilliantly. He is Liverpool's joint top-scorer this season – three goals so far – and is now a crucial part of the side.
Hull were all at sea – no pun intended – even with eleven men. After half an hour, they were 2-0 down and had already entered damage-limitation mode. It was a game where Liverpool enjoyed 75% of the possession, thirteen corners against Hull’s two and took 30 shots, nine on target.
Also read: EPL 2016/17: Liverpool 5-1 Hull City - Player ratings
Really, even after Mane scored to make it 3-0 a mere six minutes later, smartly placing his strike into the bottom left-hand corner with the goalkeeper stranded, one could argue it should have instead been five.
Joel Matip headed over early on, in Liverpool’s first clear chance of the game, while Coutinho inexplicably missed from six yards on thirteen minutes. Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson also cleared the bar with shots from range, while the Dutchman also saw his effort saved just before Mane’s goal.
Indeed, that period was the point Liverpool’s domination reached a crescendo, and they looked like scoring from every single venture forward. That was not to be, however, and half-time was called with the home side having already done enough.
Return of the Can
In the later game, Arsene Wenger chose to start Alexis Sanchez in the attacking role instead of a conventional centre-forward and the ploy worked remarkably well. Before the Chilean, Roberto Firmino had also performed well in a similar position in Liverpool’s game, and perhaps Jurgen Klopp might consider Firmino’s long-term future in that position.
One centre-forward, though, came on from the bench. Daniel Sturridge had struggled with a niggle, and Firmino’s selection in a central role came on this account. Sturridge was introduced in the second half, however, and again demonstrated his ability to instantly pick up where he leaves off by winning the second penalty of the game. Other substitutes were Marko Grujic and Emre Can, both of whom looked a little rusty in a game that was already long won.
Concerns for Liverpool
It seems difficult to imagine a place for Can in the current side, which, in fairness, is pretty much the only kind of problem a manager desires. Interestingly, neither of Liverpool’s two recognised strikers – Sturridge and Divock Origi – have scored in the league thus far. Both have the skill set to succeed in Klopp’s system, but with Firmino playing so well, one wonders if they, especially Origi, will find their way back into the side. It poses a curious selection dilemma.
More worryingly, though, Hull's consolation goal came from one of their two corners, their only shot on target, from Milner's only mistake of the night and in essentially the only moment the league debutant Loris Karius was called into action. It is not a major concern, but the fact that a side which was completely outclassed took full advantage of the one slight sniff of goal makes one wonder if Liverpool’s defence can be breached more easily by a team with a better attack.
Swansea await the Reds now in Wales. Liverpool are currently fourth in the table, level on points with Arsenal and Everton, one behind Tottenham Hotspur and one ahead of Manchester United. The competition for the Champions League places is intense, and Liverpool’s objective next week is simple: maintain your consistency with a minimum of fuss.
