Jurgen Klopp does not often get the chance to watch many of his rivals in real time. He tuned in to watch Manchester City on Monday – for analysis reasons, he said, and understandably given that they could meet four times in April – but only for 65 minutes. “I was surprised when I saw the result,” he said.
Crystal Palace had secured a stalemate and reframed the title race. Liverpool could close the gap to Manchester City to a solitary point with victory at Arsenal on Wednesday. It left Klopp sounding more bullish about Liverpool’s prospects. “Now everything is in front of us: attack it, chase it, go for it,” he said.
City are still the favourites, he readily concedes, but Liverpool intend to irritate them. “That is the plan, that we keep being as annoying as possible but we have to win our football games,” he said. “It is final after final after final after final after final after final that we play. If I sit here and say we win 10 games that doesn’t sound very likely but as long as it is possible, we will give it a proper try.”
And Liverpool have won their last eight in the Premier League. He has identified a few “especially tough” games in the run-in. One is against an Arsenal side who have reeled off five straight victories in the top flight themselves.
It is, Mikel Arteta thinks, they best they have consistently played since his arrival. Having ended August in last place, they are fourth now and with games in hand; one complication is that their rearranged fixtures will also include Chelsea and Tottenham. They come laced with danger and a manager whose side have already dropped out of the Champions League places once this season is sounding cautious.
“We haven’t done anything [yet],” the Spaniard said. “There are better teams in the country because that's what the league table shows.” The results show that Arsenal have the wrong sort of 100 per cent record against the three above them: played four, lost four. The second heaviest defeat of their season came at Anfield in November when Liverpool won 4-0.
The biggest difference since then, Arteta said, was “it’s five months later.” It has been a transformative time and City required an injury-time goal to defeat Arsenal in January. “We have the right level of confidence, belief and understanding with each other and everything clicks better and quicker,” Arteta added.
Brighton 0 Liverpool 2: player ratings
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BRIGHTON RATINGS: Robert Sanchez - 4 The Spaniard was lucky to escape a red card when he levelled Diaz as the Portuguese opened the scoring. If he had been quicker off the line, he might have reached the ball before the man. AP -
Tariq Lamptey - 4 The 21-year-old was neutralised going forward by Robertson. He also let Diaz run free before the opening goal. Reuters -
Joel Veltman - 5 The Dutchman was bemused by Liverpool’s pace and movement and was often caught in the wrong position. There was too much space between him and Lamptey. Reuters -
Lewis Dunk - 5 The 30-year-old appeared to be a yard short of the pace that was required to control the Liverpool attack. He was solid in the air. PA -
Marc Cucurella - 5 The Spaniard was efficient against a sub-par Salah but was poor in possession. He was unable to generate any threat going forward. Reuters -
Steven Alzate - 3 The Colombian struggled to make an impact. The game bypassed him and he made way for Lallana at half time. Getty -
Yves Bissouma - 5 The 25-year-old was combative in the midfield and made the opposition work in the first half. He was less effective after the break and gave away a needless penalty. Welbeck replaced him in the 66th minute. Getty -
Alexis Mac Allister - 4 The Argentinian showed some nice touches but almost all were in areas that did not hurt Liverpool. In the final third his passes went astray. Getty -
Leandro Trossard - 5 The Belgian hurtled around the pitch but did not get on the ball enough. He blasted a good chance over the bar just after half time. Getty -
Solly March - 5 The winger started to trouble Liverpool late in the game but could not produce a telling pass. The result was no longer in question by the time he started playing. Reuters -
Neal Maupay - 4 The Frenchman left his foot in on Alisson late on and was given a yellow card. It was emblematic of his game. He was repeatedly a split-second too late to the ball. Action Images -
SUBS: Adam Lallana - 3 The former Liverpool player came on for Alzate at half time and lasted just eight minutes before limping off injured. Gross replaced him. PA -
Pascal Gross - 4 The German entered the game in the 53rd minute. He might have remained on the bench for all the impact he had on proceedings. Getty -
Danny Welbeck - 6 The 31-year-old replaced Bissouma with 24 minutes to go. He was lively and tested Alisson with a header. Action Images -
LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 7 The Brazilian had little to do but made a superb save late on from Welbeck. He showed his intelligence when he collected the ball with his body outside the area but with his hands inside the box. Action Images -
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 7 The 23-year-old was largely in control of his flank. His distribution was not as creative as usual but he used the ball well. March gave him some trouble late on. Getty -
Joel Matip - 8 The 30-year-old was at the top of his game, snuffing out danger with a series of tackles and interceptions. His pass to Diaz for the opening goal was sublime. Getty -
Virgil van Dijk - 7 The Dutchman dominated in the air and was assured on the ground. He read the game superbly and saw danger before it unfolded. AP -
Andrew Robertson - 7 The Scot is developing a fine understanding with Diaz. He was incisive going forward and assured when defending. Getty -
Fabinho - 6 A low-key effort from the Brazilian. He was not as quick to the ball as usual and drifted out of the game for periods. AP -
Jordan Henderson - 7 The captain was busy and eager and combined well with Salah. Milner replaced him with four minutes to go. Action Images -
Naby Keita – 7 The Guinean pressed hard and was neat on the ball. He was effective but made way for Thiago in the 65th minute. Getty -
Mohamed Salah - 7 The Egyptian hit the bar with a deflected effort and scored from the penalty spot to take his goal tally to 20 in the league. Even so, he was not at his best and he limped off to be replaced by Jota in the 65th minute. Getty -
Sadio Mane - 8 The Senegalese was on fine form, even though he rarely threatened to score. His movement ensured the defence could never relax. PA -
Luis Diaz - 8 The Colombian was a handful. His brave goal was the highlight of a performance full of guile and threat. PA -
SUBS: Thiago Alcantara - 6 The 30-year-old joined the action in the 65th minute for Keita. He produced one sublime pass but found it hard to get to the pace of the game. Reuters -
Diogo Jota - 6 The Portuguese replaced Salah with 25 minutes to go. His first touch let him down and he had little influence on the match. Getty -
James Milner - 6 The 36-year-old came on for Henderson with four minutes to go. As usual, he put himself about during this short cameo. AP
“A big name, back on track,” praised Klopp. “Other teams may not like it.” He has liked what he has seen of the Arteta revolution. “I see them playing now: clear structure, clear idea, proper team, really well tuned,” he said. “It is possession based and young, full of talent, full of joy.”
If it is a mutual admiration society, Liverpool could represent role models for Arsenal. “They have created a huge cultural understanding of who Liverpool is,” Arteta said.
Part of Liverpool’s identity stems from their top scorer. Mohamed Salah limped off at Brighton on Saturday with a minor foot injury but has not missed a game due to injury since 2019. He has been passed fit. “Mo is a tough cookie,” Klopp said. As Salah has preyed on Arsenal in the past, it may not be good news for them but Liverpool beat the Gunners in the Carabao Cup semi-final without both the Egyptian and Sadio Mane.
Now they have their eyes on a bigger prize. “We want to be in and around these most decisive moments,” Klopp said. “We really enjoy it a lot. But it is intense as well so it is not a holiday trip but we enjoy that as well.”
