Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane seal commanding win over Sheffield United as Liverpool go 12 months with defeat in the Premier League
Friday 3 January 2020 09:25, UK
Jurgen Klopp has warned there is still room for improvement at Liverpool despite going a full calendar year in the Premier League unbeaten.
The runaway league leaders took another huge stride towards a first league title in 30 years as goals from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane secured a commanding 2-0 victory over Sheffield United at Anfield.
The victory restored Liverpool's 13-point gap at the top of the table, saw them equal the record for points at this stage of a top-flight season and extended their unbeaten run in the competition to 37 games - 12 short of Arsenal's 49-game record - yet Klopp maintains there is more to come from his team.
"We know there is room for improvement," Klopp told his post-match press conference. "It's important for us.
"We care only about ourselves, we can do things better and we have to. Each player wants to do better and knows [they can] do better. There were some things we did better than the last game which helped tonight."
Sheffield United have developed a reputation for disregarding their opponent's stature since gaining promotion to the Premier League, but their plan went out the window inside four minutes at Anfield as Salah slotted Andrew Robertson's cross home after George Baldock's unfortunate slip.
Mane sealed Liverpool's impressive victory midway through the second half with a stunning counter-attack goal, but the off-colour Blades could have been further behind against the superior Reds.
"We played in the exact way you have to play against Sheffield United," Klopp added. "I don't think there were a lot of games like this against Sheffield United in the last year.
"That was the best thing the boys did tonight, they didn't let them get anything out of the game, which is really difficult.
"We played really well; our passing was very good, we broke lines, our positioning was exceptional, and the discipline offensively was exceptional.
"We didn't let them have the moments they wanted, we controlled the game and [the win] was very well deserved.
"It's an intense period of the year but in terms of an overall performance it was as good as anything, really, really good. That makes me happy."
Plenty of people have already publicly crowned Liverpool champions of the Premier League, and Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder came close to adding to their growing number after his side's defeat at Anfield.
He said: "The run they've been on, you just look at the appetite and the desire of everybody around the football club, it's got a feeling of a relentlessness about them and the supporters as well, the way they drive their players on.
"They realise what a huge, important season it is and a fantastic position they're in. It'd be a very brave man to bet against them being the champions of this division."
Klopp has some difficult decisions to make ahead of Sunday's FA Cup third-round tie at home to Merseyside rivals Everton after his team incurred another injury.
Midfielder Naby Keita became the eighth player to be added to the injured list, having failed to take up his place in the team for the win over Sheffield United due to a groin problem sustained in the warm-up.
Liverpool are already without injured defenders Joel Matip, Dejan Lovren and Nathaniel Clyne, midfielders Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Fabinho, and forward Xherdan Shaqiri.
Discussing Keita's injury and what it means for this weekend's derby, Klopp said: "I don't know exactly what he has, it was his groin, but I can say he won't be involved against Everton.
"That makes it 12 senior players we have, plus the kids. That's not cool.
"I have no clue how it happened, I think it was the last shot during the warm-up, he came in limping.
"Everybody who has played football has had this kind of injury, it's not nice. It's painful. I don't know how long it will take, but he won't be ready for Sunday.
"I don't know what the line-up [against Everton] will be at the moment, but it will be the best possible for us at the moment."
