Sheffield United 0-2 Liverpool: 5 Hits and Flops as Reds ease to win over rock-bottom Blades | Premier League 2023-24

Control of possession and two smart finishes proved the difference as Liverpool comfortably beat Sheffield United 2-0 in the Premier League on Wednesday, December 6.

A 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Burnley on the weekend meant Sheffield United made a change in the dugout, with Paul Heckingbottom fired. He was replaced by Chris Wilder, now in his second stint in charge of the club, who made five changes from the loss to the Clarets.

Liverpool, on the other hand, lost Joel Matip to injury. He was replaced by Ibrahima Konate. Jurgen Klopp also handed starts to Wataru Endo, Cody Gakpo and Joe Gomez as the Reds looked to rotate the side ahead of a busy schedule.

Liverpool enjoyed complete dominance of possession but could not create clear-cut chances early on in the game. Besides a weak penalty shout which was checked by VAR, the Reds did not pose much of a threat to Wes Foderingham in the Sheffield United goal.

Virgil van Dijk finally broke the deadlock in the 37th minute when he found himself unmarked from a corner. The defender slotted the ball in the bottom corner with a first-time effort, making it 1-0.

The second half also did not see many chances created as Liverpool were content to hold on to the ball and run the game out. Foderingham produced a couple of good saves to keep it at 1-0.

Late in stoppage time, Dominik Szoboszlai made it 2-0 with a cool finish after being set up by substitute Darwin Nunez. The win saw Klopp's men (34) cut the lead to Arsenal (36) to two points at the top of the table. Here are five hits and flops from the game.

#5 Hit - Virgil van Dijk

The Dutchman put in a solid shift at the back for Liverpool on a night where they were largely untroubled by a toothless Sheffield United attack. He also bagged his first goal of the season with a great finish, finishing the game with four clearances, two recoveries, one block and one interception.

#4 Flop - Sheffield United's attack

It was always going to be a tough first test for new manager Chris Wilder against Liverpool. Coming into the game, the Blades had scored just 11 goals in the season, the worst tally in the league. They managed just one shot on target all game, indicative of their struggles in front of goal and a key reason behind their dreadful campaign.

#3 Hit - Dominik Szoboszlai

The Hungarian midfielder put in a strong shift on the night, making his presence felt at both ends of the field. He put the game to bed with a composed finish late on for his third goal of the season. Overall, Szoboszlai finished with 12 recoveries, and one interception, won 10 duels and created 10 chances.

#2 Flop - Liverpool's front three

Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz did not have their best game for the Reds. The trio were unable to seriously trouble the Blades' defense and rarely found themselves with good opportunities to score.

#1 Hit - Trent Alexander-Arnold

Another stellar performance from the in-form right-back saw him notch another assist. He was a lively threat throughout the game with his dangerous deliveries and set up Van Dijk's goal. He finished the game with seven chances created, 17 passes into the final third, six accurate crosses and five accurate long balls, indicative of his attacking prowess.