The Reds welcomed Cardiff City, in a match that was expected to be a more or less one sided encounter and the home side did not disappoint. Though the first half was rather close and there weren’t too many goals, it was quite evident that this was due to the changes in squad selection that manager Jurgen Klopp had employed, after his team’s mid-week triumph in the Champions League. The former Borussia Dortmund manager wanted to rest a few of his stars and not over-utilize them, while giving opportunities to some of his other stars who had not played much so far this term.
The home side were not just expected to win this game, but with a huge margin, that would put them on top of the Premier League table. To the delight of the fans, they did just that.
The game was not the most exciting one in the first half, though after constant attacking, it was Mohamed Salah, who gave his team the lead in the 10th minute. This seemed to be a sign of things to come, as the Merseyside outfit were expected to dominate the match from there on.
However, Cardiff fought on and did not give Liverpool an easy first half to cherish, as they managed to put in some attacks of their own and defend well till half-time. The teams went into the break, with the home side leading just 1-0. This meant that the visiting side were still in the game, if they played better in the second period.
Despite that, it was not the case and Jurgen Klopp’s side claimed three more goals, making an average performance seem like a really good one. Cardiff also scored a consolation goal to make it a 5 goal affair. Mane scored a brace, while Shaqiri added one too. Salah claimed a couple of assists as well.
Just when it seemed that the Egyptian international still looked rather rusty and was having an ordinary day, he proved everyone wrong yet again. He got himself a goal in the first half and took over the creative role in the second period. This will be a huge boost for the German manager, with the match against Arsenal next week.
Klopp will want his team to be in the best shape and had rested a few of the first-team stars, with the likes of Robertson, Gomez and Milner on the bench this week. This means that he is focused on the task at hand, which will be a crucial tie against Unai Emery’s Arsenal side, who have been putting up a winning run of their own.
The match at the Emirates will surely influence the title race and both teams will want to take back all three points from the game. With that being said, it will not be easy for Klopp and his team, as the Spaniard has done a really good job with his team too and they are in fine form at present. Who wins this tough game, only time will tell!!
