The Premier League game between Swansea and Liverpool at Liberty Stadium saw a fighting comeback from the visitors as they won 2-1 to record their fourth consecutive win in the league and jump up to a provisional second spot on the table. The hosts started the game strongly and went ahead 1-0 in the 8th minute with a Leroy Fer goal from a corner.
The Swans dominated most of the first half and had the opportunity to increase their lead on multiple occasions. Their wastefulness was punished by Liverpool as the Reds made an impressive second half comeback with a header from Roberto Firmino and James Milner’s coolly taken penalty.
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We take a look at the talking points of the game:
#1 Liverpool were given more than just a scare but did well to fight back
After seeing the Swans dominate the game in the first half, many Liverpool fans were left wondering if the game would end on a similar note as the game away at Burnley, where the Reds’ attack struggled against a lesser fancied opposition after conceding early.
However, as Jamie Carragher also pointed out at half-time, the fact that Liverpool had managed to keep the deficit to just 1 goal at the break gave them a better chance to make a comeback in the second half, and the team managed to do just that against a dogged Swansea side.
Jurgen Klopp will be pleased with the fact that the team showed good fight to get 3 points from a tricky game in which it appeared at one stage that they may leave with no points.
#2 Firmino continues to enhance his reputation at the club
Roberto Firmino continued his impressive form for Liverpool as he equalized with a header off Henderson’s cross early in the second half and later drew a foul that won a penalty, which turned out to be the match-winner from James Milner.
Despite having the likes of Sturridge, Origi, and Ings in the squad, Klopp has shown his preference to playing Firmino in the centre of the attack this season. Adam Lallana’s early injury meant Firmino had to move to a deeper role in the game behind Sturridge, but the Brazilian didn’t let the role change affect his play and was central to both goals in the match.
#3 Karius needs to do more to cement his spot
The fact that after seven games into the season, Liverpool are yet to register a clean sheet, will give Klopp plenty of food for thought going into the international break. However, Klopp has identified a back four of Nathaniel Clyne, Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and James Milner to do the job for him, with Ragnar Klavan a very capable deputy on the bench.
But the position of goalkeeper will be again up for debate with Loris Karius having another below par game. The German seemed nervous and struggled with his game. The keeper didn’t look assured and often made mistakes. The fact that Swansea failed to score more goals in the first half can be attributed more to their wastefulness in front of the goal rather than Karius’ presence.
It can be argued that Karius deserves more time to settle down and adjust to the pace of the league, but Simon Mignolet will surely fancy his chances of starting the game against Manchester United on October 17.
#4 There may be still some fight left from Francesco Guidolin at Swansea
Swansea have had a disappointing start to the season and find themselves just above the relegation places. The poor show along with the recent takeover of the club by wealthy American businessmen has led to questions on the manager Guidolin’s future at the club.
The club has been linked with former USA coach Bob Bradley and Ryan Giggs as possible replacements for Guidolin. It was speculated before the game that a defeat to Liverpool could cost the Italian his job. But the owners, Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien, are said to have indicated that Guidolin’s future will be determined by the team’s performances and not results.
On the evidence of the Swans’ performance in today’s game, Guidolin may have bought himself some more time at the club to convince the owners that he’s the right person to manage the side.
#5 Record signing Borja’s misses in the first half probably cost the Swans 3 crucial points
As mentioned before, the fact that the Swansea lead was just 1-0 at halftime probably had a major role in the team dropping points – possibly all 3 crucial points, which would otherwise have helped the Swans to move away from the relegation spots battle. With the team in full control in the first half, they should have made the most of the chances that came their way.
And the culprit on more than one occasion was team’s record summer signing Borja, who missed two relatively easy chances to increase the side’s advantage. A 2-0 lead at half-time was sufficient for Burnley to close out the game against Liverpool, and Borja and his teammates will definitely wonder if today’s result would have been on similar lines had the team converted the chances they had.
