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#3 Liverpool boosted by Alisson's return
Alisson Becker was named in the Liverpool starting XI against Sheffield United, which came as a surprise to many. The Brazilian was suffering from a shoulder injury and was set to be sidelined until at least the end of the month.
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However, Alisson returned as he was declared fit to play against Sheffield United, bringing much contentment to Liverpool's back four and Jürgen Klopp. His impact was evident.
The 28-year-old commanded the box during set-pieces and came out charging, sniffing out any danger in his area. While his shot-stopping is undoubtedly excellent, the Brazilian goalkeeper is a composed player when it comes to playing out from the back, establishing confidence in his defenders.
#2 Sheffield United extend their winless streak to 6 league games
Things have gone downhill at Bramall Lane for Chris Wilder and co, as they have now lost five of their last six Premier League games, bagging only a point which came against Fulham (20th) at home. These are troubling times as Sheffield have also lost Jack O'Connell to a long term injury, with the squad already looking depleted.
The Blades have dropped points against Wolves, Leeds United, Aston Villa, Fulham, Arsenal and Liverpool, winning a total of zero games. They host Man City at Bramall Lane next weekend before travelling to Stamford Bridge the week after, as the fixture list only gets tougher for Wilder and his team.
Before Christmas arrives, Sheffield United could be well and truly struggling to stay up in the Premier League; a team which finished in the top 10 last season and fought tooth and nail to secure a European spot.
#1 Sadio Mané leads Liverpool; the "mentality monsters" show their class
In a game where Jürgen Klopp made a tactical tweak, Sadio Mane really stepped up to the plate. Klopp's 4-2-3-1 was as a result of not having midfielders in his ranks because both Thiago and Naby Keita were sidelined for the game.
Salah switched between the centre-forward/ right winger position throughout the game and he did not have the freedom he naturally receives with Sheffield United marking him aggressively. However, Sadio Mané showed why he is one of the most important players for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool.
Creating a goalscoring opportunity for Roberto Firmino to score the equaliser and setting up Diogo Jota to score the winner was precisely the kind of performance required by Sadio Mane. His explosive bursts down the left flank added with his unpredictability with and without the ball at his feet caused plenty of problems for the robust Sheffield United defence.
An efficient Liverpool attack backed by a resurgent midfield was enough to secure Liverpool an important win. 'Mentality monsters' Liverpool showed exactly why they are the champions, bagging a gritty win on home soil and not collapsing while defending small leads.
