On January 16, Beijing time, the 22nd round of the Premier League, Liverpool sat at home to meet the promoted Mabrandford. In the previous first leg of the match between the two sides, the two teams were drawn 3-3, but liverpool did not give the opponent too many opportunities in this game, even in the case of a lack of neat lineup, it still won 3-0 against the opponent and successfully scored 3 points. The victory in this game also allowed Liverpool to surpass Chelsea again in the table, ranking second in the league, and there are still opportunities left before Manchester City at the top of the league table.
There was not much suspense in the course of the game, and Liverpool, sitting at home, had an absolute advantage, hardly giving the opponent any chances, and even threatening Alisson was very small. Whether it is the possession rate or the number of shots on goal, you can see the huge gap between the two sides, and it is difficult to believe that this team has ever played a draw with Liverpool at its home. Towards the end of the first half, Fabinho scored and almost declared the victory of the game, with goals from Chamberlain and Takumi Minamino more than icing on the cake.
It is worth mentioning that Takumi Minamino, who scored the third goal for Liverpool in this match, celebrated his birthday on this match day, scoring a goal in just 3 minutes of coming off the bench, and this goal is also thanks to the selflessness of his teammate Firmino and the mistakes of his opponents. The 27-year-old Japanese star is not an absolute starter in Liverpool's squad, but at least he can get a chance in the cup. With Salah and Mane competing in the Africa Cup of Nations, Takumi Minamino was also given more trust by Klopp, the goal was the best birthday gift he had ever given himself, but it may take more effort to secure a stable starting spot for himself.
Although the game was won and the lead was huge, Liverpool still exposed the problem. First of all, there is the problem of the team's goalscorer, 27 shots on goal, but only one goal was scored, whether it was Jota, or the young Gordon, or even Arnold who tried several times to score, but failed to score. It is no exaggeration to say that if Salah and Mane are still in the team's lineup, perhaps this score will be further expanded, and Takumi Minamino and others will not be able to replace their role for the time being.
Secondly, Liverpool did not face too many tests in the backcourt in this game, but their attacking style is actually relatively single, and the simple breakthrough of the two sides can help the team get a chance, and even form a goal. However, such opportunities may not be so many against strong teams, and Liverpool still need more changes in midfield. Fabinho has played well in recent games, but he is not a top midfield organizer and of course his versatility is not available to many players. However, it may still be very difficult for Liverpool to complete the task of surpassing Manchester City in the remaining time and to make greater progress in the Cup.