February 19, (THEWILL) – On Saturday afternoon, a heavily rotated Liverpool side avoided an upset by coming from behind to win 3-1 at home against relegation-threatened Norwich City in the Premier League.
Jurgen Klopp made seven changes from the team that beat Inter 2-0 in the Champions League three days before.
Norwich surged out of the blocks, targeting the vast chasms behind Liverpool’s famously high, but totally well-drilled, backline, with just one change to the lineup that was thrashed by Manchester City last week. This was just as Klopp had warned pre-game.
Liverpool’s new-look side, on the other hand, retained the attacking fluency that has earned the team the division’s highest goal total. In a first half in which the hosts had 15 efforts to two, Kostas Tsimikas squandered a clear chance in the first five minutes, while Mohamed Salah had a header pushed off the line.
Despite their low opportunity total, Norwich missed one of the clearest chances of the first half. With Liverpool disorganised at the second phase of a set piece, Teemu Pukki dragged an effort wide, when it was seemingly easier to bury it.
Liverpool appeared to have regained their shape three minutes after the break during an open play transition. However, Milot Rashica, who had been denied by an offside flag in the first half, broke the deadlock with a viciously deflected shot.
Shortly after the hour mark, Klopp switched up his completely different midfield to impose even more pressure on his feisty opponents, bringing on Divock Origi as a fourth forward.
Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, though, shifted the game decisively back in Liverpool’s favour with a pair of goals in 155 seconds. Salah grabbed onto Alisson’s sharp-witted kick forward in the 64th minute after Mane acrobatically converted an equaliser.
Salah took his time before pushing Liverpool ahead for the first time, teasing Norwich’s scampering defenders like he had done all afternoon.
Luis Diaz, who was moved into a more central role for the final half-hour, ensured Liverpool’s eighth successive win in all competitions. Within the closing ten minutes, the winter arrival was picked out by Jordan Henderson’s scalpel through ball and scored his first goal for the club.
Liverpool has now won each of their past eight games in all competitions, putting them six points behind Manchester City, who face Tottenham Hotspur shortly. Leeds United is their next opponent. It is another costly defeat for Norwich as they fall to the bottom of the table after Burnley and Watford both won today. Their next opponent is Southampton.
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.
