Daniel’s Debrief: Sheffield United 0-2 Liverpool

It’s another evening that makes for grim viewing at times but it’s yet another essential three points that Liverpool collect.

Like Fulham, we perhaps come away from this with more questions than answers but winning is winning and at this stage of the season, you really have to be in the results business.

Six out of six for the week so far and a chance to round off a highly productive seven days at the weekend.

There’s not a lot of quality on show tonight from the Reds but the two goals that do the business are both fantastic, calm finishes from pinpoint crosses.

Not much really happens in the opening embers of the game, with Sheffield United creating a lively atmosphere, as you’d expect. Liverpool control the game reasonably well early on and attempt to quieten the crowd.

Joe Gomez, at left-back, is slack in possession and it ends up with James McAtee having a chance, which Caoimhin Kelleher saves. It’s a reasonably comfortable parry, but one which he needed to make both for himself and the team.

The first half an hour, or perhaps even more, feel like the Luton game all over again. Flat, devoid of intensity and energy. Was this again down to application or simply a raft of personnel changes?

Gomez is one change that doesn’t really work. I like him at right-back and at centre-back but it’s such an issue not having natural width on the left, particularly when so many of our openings come down that left flank with Luis Diaz early on.

Ibrahima Konate plays a few nice switched diagonals to Diaz but Gomez, more often than not, looks to cut inside before crossing, and momentum slows so much.

Because of how well James Milner did there for a full season in 16/17, it can get underappreciated how hard it is for a right-footer to play at left-back in a team that is a dominant one.

Aaron Trusty in the Sheffield United team shows that a centre-back playing at left-back can work well, and he has a tremendous game there.

So, the Reds have loads of possession but create pretty much nothing. That is the one difference from the Luton fixture - at least on that day you could say that Thomas Kaminski was well-worked, but other than Konate’s header from one of a multitude of corners, Wes Foderingham has little to do in the first half.

Then, one of the corners pays. From Trent Alexander-Arnold’s delivery, Virgil Van Dijk meets it first-time on the volley and it crashes home.

Van Dijk makes no mistake with this. His connection is superb and the composure he shows to keep the ball down is a timely reminder of what a technically good footballer he is.

Minutes later, he has a much easier chance to make it 2-0, when he heads over from another corner. 

Aside from the goal, Van Dijk is colossal at the back tonight and doesn’t miss a beat. His return to top form has been one of the highlights of the season and tonight is another example of this. He controls the back line and defends with both authority and urgency.

Next to him, Konate has an interesting game. His performance in the air is extremely good but on the ground, his defending at times is passive. 

At the start of the season, Konate was nailed on first-choice alongside Van Dijk but he’s played fewer games than Matip this season, and that’s been performance-based.

I don’t think he’s looked anywhere near as good so far this season as in his first two at Liverpool. Part of that might be down to a lack of having a run in the team - but he’s about to get that now with Joel Matip sadly out long-term, and Liverpool will need him to improve his performance levels.

It’s another night where the attack simply doesn’t click. Mohamed Salah has two chances all night - one which is well saved by Foderingham from a spookily similar situation to the Van Dijk goal, and one which is a tame effort.

Cody Gakpo is largely ineffective - some of his physical work is quite good but he really drifts in and out of games.

Diaz is Liverpool’s main outlet but his end product leaves so much to be desired on the night.

Darwin Nunez comes on and has a horrendous cameo until he sets up the second goal. Not one of Liverpool’s attackers are in form right now.

In fact, you could extend that to much of the team as a whole. Since the resumption of the international break, Liverpool have put in three pretty middling performances but have taken seven points from nine.

Results are the main thing, of course, but there’s very few Liverpool players that are actually playing well right now - Van Dijk, Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister and Alexander-Arnold are the ones who are standing out right now, but a few are not at the levels they are capable of.

Dominik Szoboszlai rounds the game off in added time with a calm finish after good work from Nunez to win the ball back and then pick him out with a lovely floated pass.

But, the Hungarian has another quiet evening. He starts the game brightly and with some intricate movements, before fading. Him staying on for the whole game is a bit of a mystery, but he does deserve credit for the quality of his goal.

Alexander-Arnold is playing with immense confidence right now and some of his passing tonight is a joy to behold. There’s one where he plays Nunez in, and the striker should be looking to dink it over Foderingham rather than find the bottom corner.

Mac Allister, playing further forward tonight, is kicked off the park at times. Vinicius Souza leaves one in on him, and after a few other knocks, leaves the field through injury in the second half.

The misfiring Salah and Diaz are also withdrawn and the Reds finish the game with a makeshift attack of Harvey Elliott, Nunez and Curtis Jones.

Squad rotation is key at this time of year and especially now that Matip is added to an injury list which boasts Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota, Andy Robertson, Thiago and Stefan Bajcetic.

Endo has been thought of as a squad player and in his third Premier League start tonight, is one of Liverpool’s better players.

I enjoyed his performance a lot.

He wins balls, he competes in the scrap, and he always looks for a forward pass. He’s improving with every game.

It’s a win, an away win, a rare one against a newly-promoted team, one that never looks in much doubt, but it’s hard to know how much confidence to take from it.

What we can take confidence from is Liverpool’s league position, points and the fact that Arsenal and Manchester City both look a little unconvincing too.

Remember, City only won here 2-1 and United 1-0. 

Liverpool aren’t pretty tonight but this isn’t a beauty contest.

Daniel