The bottom of the table from Norwich managed to withstand the pressure of the Reds well, for a long time it looked like the second point loss this season. The recovered Sadio Mané sealed the 17th successive Premier League victory with the 1-0 in the 78th minute. Slowly, the Reds are also targeting Man City’s record of 18 wins in a row!
Jürgen Klopp changed little compared to the 4-0 win against Southampton before the winter break, only Naby Keita replaced Fabinho in midfield. It was the 50th use of Keitas in the dress of the Reds! The recovered Sadio Mané and James Milner initially sat on the bench.
Reds dominant from the start
Liverpool got off to a very good start and became dangerous after a shot from Trent Alexander-Arnold after just a few seconds. After that, the game gradually flattened out under adverse external conditions, the Reds had a lot of possession, but could not play clear chances.
The “Canaries” even had the best chance of the first half, Lukas Rupp and Teemu Pukki suddenly ran towards Alisson Becker in pairs. The best goalkeeper in the world somehow managed to steal the ball from Rupp and defused this more than dangerous situation with confidence!
One has the feeling that the strikers are currently throwing their nerves away when they see Alisson coming towards them because it is hopeless to score against them anyway. A self-fulfilling prophecy as it looks!
Strong second half
In the half-time break, Klopp may have corrected some things as so often, because the Reds came out of the booth better. Keita tried the first approach to the goal of the hosts shortly before the 60th minute, but goalkeeper Krul was able to defuse the somewhat central shot. Krul was also able to parry van Dijk’s header from the resulting corner.
Then the first really big chance of the Reds: Mo Salah dribbled wonderfully through the defense of the “Canaries” and fired a placed shot on the far corner, but Krul was there again. He could not hold the ball but Keita had a great shot, but somehow the Dutch goalkeeper managed to fend off this shot with his face. Two brilliant parades!
Then in the 60th minute, Klopp brought Africa’s soccer players of the year, Sadio Mané and Fabinho. You immediately noticed how the Reds suddenly increased the pace and Norwich’s defense stumbled.
In the 78th minute the decision: Mané managed to get to the ball after a wonderful diagonal ball from Jordan Henderson, turned at lightning speed and sank the leather with a rich shot into the short corner. This time Krul had no chance! It was Sadio Mané’s 75th goal for Liverpool!
After that, the Reds played the lead home with confidence, Firmino even gave a 1000% chance of 2-0 shortly before the end.
With this victory, the Reds of course broke some records again. With the 43rd consecutive Premier League game without defeat, they have finally broken Nottingham Forest’s record from the 1970s. Only Arsenal’s “Invincibles” have a longer unbeaten streak (49 games)!
Apart from that, this was the 17th Premier League win in a row, which is a new club record after 16 consecutive wins in the previous year. The only team so far to beat this series was Manchester City, with the Citizens winning 18 Premier League games in a row from August to December 2017.
Theoretically, the Reds should set this record in the next Premier League game because West Ham United is visiting Anfield. But as Klopp always says: “One game at a time!”. Before that, the important away game at Atletico Madrid is on the program in the round of 16 of the Champions League!
game Info
Gates
0-1 – Mané (78th / Henderson)
cards
Hanley (41./yellow)
Keita (83./yellow)
Mané (90th / yellow)
Premier League
Round 26
referee
Stuart Attwell
venue
Carrow Road
Liverpool FC
Alisson – Robertson, van Dijk, Gomez, Alexander-Arnold – Henderson, Wijnaldum (60th Fabinho), Keita (86th Milner) – Oxlade-Chamberlain (60th Mané), Firmino, Salah
Without any effort: Adrián, Lovren, Lallana, Origi
Norwich City FC
Krul – Aarons, Zimmermann, Hanley, Byram (27th Lewis), Tettey (84th Drmic), McLean, Rupp (83rd Buendia), Duda, Cantwell – Pukki
Without any effort: Hernandez, Fährmann, Vrancic, Godfrey
Red Fellas – Man of the Match
Naby Keita
Next game
Atletico Madrid (A)
Champions League – round of 16
February 18, 2020 – 9:00 p.m.
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