Liverpool was able to beat Luton Town comfortably in the end at Anfield, but it was far from easy in the first half against Rob Edwards’ side. Luis Díaz had missed a couple of big chances and Harvey Elliott had blazed over the bar with frustration building.
Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo scored a quick-fire double, though, and then Díaz and Elliott added their names to the scoresheet as well, with Liverpool winning 4-1 and putting the pressure back on Arsenal and Manchester City in the race for the Premier League title. That pair play on Saturday as the Reds gear up for the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea.
Liverpool will definitely be leading the way in the Premier League table after the weekend’s games with a four-point buffer now in place to Pep Guardiola’s men. The Reds host Manchester City at Anfield in a couple of weeks.
Rob Edwards said it post-match and it was clear inside the stadium: Anfield, when it is all pulling in the same direction, is a real force. There are only another six home league games left of the Klopp era (the next one being Manchester City) and you get the impression that this was just the start.
In the first period, there was frustration. Fans and players left that behind at the interval, though, and after the break, things turned around quickly. They needed to, but they ultimately did.
Even with so many players out injured for Liverpool, it was still a second-half surge that won the game. There are almost as many senior options unavailable as fit and ready at the moment but even so, the Reds came on stronger when the pressure was on. There were openings in the first half but none were taken. Only in the second half did that change, with Virgil van Dijk leading the way.
The substitute’s bench was a very inexperienced one at Anfield but that did not matter. The senior pros who did start the game were able to do the job without the need to make wholesale alterations from the sidelines. That is what Jürgen Klopp would have wanted before kick-off, with all fingers crossed that he might have a couple more options back before the weekend.
The shouts came from the Main Stand at Anfield with regularity: ‘Move it quicker!’. There was quite often some more choice language thrown in there as well as the frustrations grew and the tension mounted.
