- By Ewan Harkness at Bramall Lane
Klopp doesn't care where Arsenal are in the League. For his information, they are top
By Ewan Harkness at Bramall Lane
Sheffield United 0 Liverpool 2
Liverpool piled the pressure on league leaders Arsenal tonight, with a 2-0 victory over Sheffield United.
The Reds were far from their best, and hardly seemed to get out of first gear, however they still managed to pick up all three points.
This will be a concern for Mikel Arteta’s men, who struggled themselves at Kenilworth Road last night, and makes the two sides’ clash at Anfield on the December 23 even more monumental.
Speaking on the threat of Arsenal, Jurgen Klopp said: “I hope the title race won’t go right down to the wire, but I have no clue. Arsenal is obviously fighting similarly to us. They are incredibly strong, the league is incredibly strong.
“We have to play them anyway, who cares where they are in the table, as long as we are around there I’m happy.“
Sheffield United fans felt robbed of a clear penalty in the 87th minute, when Ibrahima Konate pushed James McAtee in the box, with the Frenchman’s immense physicality proving a thorn in The Blades attack.
Speaking on the incident, United's new boss Chris Wilder said: “In any part of the pitch if you push a player with two hands and they go down off balance it’s a foul. It was a penalty, simple as that.”
Sheffield United’s youngest league side since 2014 started strongly.
Wilder, found early success with his counter attacking tactics, with The Blades creating the two biggest chances early on despite a lack of possession. James McAtee looked certain to score following a break, however Caoimhin Kelleher produced an excellent one on one save to deny the Man City loanee. The opportunities kept coming, with record signing Cameron Archer breaking away into the box on the counter, however Virgil Van Dijk tracked back excellently to block the effort.
The Blades promising start was however crushed in the 37th minute after consistent pressure from Liverpool led to Trent Alexander-Arnold floating in a delicate cross to an unmarked Van Dijk, who drove a volley past Wes Foderingham to open his goal tally for the season.
Anel Ahmedzovic protested, with The Blades captain claiming he was fouled by the Dutchman in the box, but Referee Simon Hooper dismissed the complaints and awarded the goal nonetheless.
Liverpool continued to look dangerous from set pieces early in the second half, with Alexander-Arnold's corner finding Mohammed Salah in acres of space in the middle of the box. The Egyptian's excellent volleyed strike wasn’t enough to beat Foderingham’s reflex heroics which kept the scoreline at 1-0. Foderingham continued to be The Blades lifeline, with an impressive one on one save in the 76th minute, where it looked certain Darwin Nunez would double Liverpool’s lead. However nothing is ever certain with the Uruguayan, who picked up a yellow card in the 83rd minute for booting the ball away for no apparent gain.
However only 10 minutes later, Nunez won the ball back after being dispossessed, and floated a delicate ball to a free Dominik Szoboszlai in the centre of the box, who rifled the chance past Foderingham to put the game to bed. The 2-0 scoreline flattered Liverpool, but may prove to be hugely important for their season as they chase down the Gunners.
Liverpool Lineup: Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Gomez, Szoboszlai, Endo
Mac Allister, Salah, Gakpo, Diaz.
Sheffield United: Foderingham, Bogle, Robinson, Ahmedzovic, Trusty, Brooks, Souza, Hamer,
McAtee, Archer, Osula
Capital Football Man of The Match - Ibrahima Konate
31,406 Attendance
