BEVERLY HILLS, Aprill 04, (THEWILL) – Defending champions of the English Premier League Liverpool took full advantage of Chelsea’s implosion against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday to reignite their once-fading top four chances with a thorough and convincing 3-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium against a lethargic Arsenal.
The fact that they had truly missed the free goal-scoring talents of Portuguese forward Diogo Jota, whose lengthy injury layoff coincided with Liverpool’s overwhelming decline, was evident as he scored twice to move the Reds to within two points of the top four.
It was a dominant away display by Jurgen Klopp’s charges who controlled proceedings thoroughly and for long spells though the goals were not forthcoming until after the interval, when their enduring persistence paid off handsomely and Jota’s quickfire brace, scored within four minutes of each other was capped by one from Moh Salah.
It was a decisive and significant three points earned for the Anfield club, who appeared to have not only thrown away any chances of defending the league title but were on the fringes of not even making it to the slots of qualification for elite European football next season. Their Sunday, March 7 loss to Fulham at home, their sixth consecutive home defeat, looked like a nail in that coffin.
Yet, here they looked to have found a spark that was missing and it reverberated across the team. It will be timely if it proves to have some depth, which Liverpool’s next series of matches, like the double-header UEFA Champions League ties against Spanish champions Real Madrid and EPL fixtures against Aston Villa and Leeds, at home and away respectively, will demonstrate.
If the fresh centre back partnership of Nat Phillips and Ozan Kabak, which proved solid again in the Emirates game, persists, then Klopp will have plugged a damaged portion of his side’s fragility responsible for some of their slide. In addition, the assuredness of Fabinho’s return has helped bring some excellence to the midfield.
Klopp will pray nothing else happens to Jota. The urgency he brings to the attack conjoined with the pacy runs of Salah can do immeasurable damage to any backline. And, Jota appears to have an infectious drive, which has added a renewed belief that is flowing through the others.
Trent Alexander Arnold had a super-sub showing that could be categorised a fantastic response to his omission from the England squad. The player demonstrated to Three Lions’ coach Gareth Southgate that he could still be a significant part of the England Euro 2021 squad with a wonderful assist for the opener, moments after he was introduced off the bench.
Liverpool have not a chance in hell to defend their title but they have some fight left them and they illustrated their determination against the Gunners to clearly pass on the message that they still have a lot to play for this season. Should there be more slip-ups by teams above them, April 2021 will be a favourable Liverpool month especially if they continue to build on such a display. They could very well be in contention for a top four finish.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
