Liverpool took a massive step towards the Champions League knockout stage as they survived a Genk fightback to win 2-1 at Anfield.
Source: liverpoolfc.com
An instinctive finish from Gini Wijnaldum gave the Reds the lead after 14 minutes before a thunderous header from Mbwana Samatta pulled the Belgian side level just before half-time.
Some nice work from Mohammed Salah then set up Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for an emphatic turn and finish to steal all three points for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
In what was a lowkey game with a number of changes ahead of Sunday’s massive clash with Manchester City, Liverpool scraped through but ultimately came out with all three points.
Nevertheless, the overall tight nature of the final result does not highlight the statistical dominance that Liverpool held throughout the match.
Liverpool dominated the ball with 72% possession and had 28 shots compared to the six of their opponents on top of completing more than twice the number of passes that Genk achieved.
The only factor that was lacking in Liverpool’s performance was end-product, a good chance for Origi went begging as well as numerous opportunities of Naby Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain.
However, one player that epitomized Liverpool’s performance tonight was talisman Mohammed Salah.
The Egptian looked at his jaw-dropping best in all aspects of his game despite the fact he failed to claim his customary Anfield goal.
Sharp touches and Firmino-esque vision helped set up the deciding goal as well as laying on countless opportunities for his teammates including one delicious back-heel for James Milner.
Salah has been accused of being selfish and single-minded since the start of the season despite the fact he has the same amount of assists as Roberto Firmino (33) and 14 more than Sadio Mane since the Egyptian signed for Liverpool.
However, following such display this claim cannot be lodged against Salah after what was arguably his most creative performance of the season so far.
Looking ahead to City on Sunday the performance of Salah against Genk should wet the appetite of Liverpool fans as a similar output then as he put out tonight would surely be the difference between the sides.
Despite another Liverpool victory the biggest news both pre-match and post-match was the EFL’s decision to schedule the Carabao Cup quarter-final just 24 hours prior to the Semi-final of the Club World Cup.
Liverpool will now be forced to field two separate squads in two separate continents with just hours separating the games.
We are so far unaware how Klopp is going to deal with the given scenario but he has suggested that there was no other option.
He told BT sport:
“The final decision about the teams we lineup has not been made but of course we are in Qatar so it’s not like we can play here then play the next day.
“It’s not fine but we have to decide it now as all the other alternatives were just not doable for us and we were like how would that happen?
“It would have been really difficult for Aston Villa as well because if we move that game nobody knows where to move it… so we decided and now we have a little bit of time to think it through.”
Although the decision was ultimately agreed between both parties it seems a rookie error on the part of the EFL that they had no viable solution to the conundrum despite knowing of the possibility months in advance.
However, Champions league progress and fixture congestion must now be pushed to one side as Liverpool begin preparations for the biggest game of the season so far .
Sunday’s clash with Manchester City is in no way a title decider this early on in the season but the consequences of both winning and losing are mammoth.
Liverpool and more importantly Anfield must be at their excitingly electric best to come away with a result that pushes Liverpool one step closer to that elusive Premier League title.
The mind games have already begun in Manchester but with a days extra rest, no european travel and a positive result against Genk, Liverpool are in a prime position to open up a nine point gap at the top of the Premier League come Sunday night.
Brandon Russell
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