Liverpool invited Norwich to Anfield for a game of two halves yesterday, and despite a first-half very much in the hands of the travelling team, Jurgen Klopp’s in-game management changed the forthcoming headlines into his favour.
What was expected to be a fairly easy fixture for the Merseyside giants turned into a battle, as the Canaries took a number of early chances, with a goal disallowed in the first half of the game, and a defensive masterclass from the relegation battling side, to stop Klopp’s formidable front three of Sadio Mane, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah from taking anything away from them.
While Milot Rashica scored in the 48th minute just moments into the second half, Klopp made two significant changes that ultimately u-turned the entire game for Liverpool in the 62nd minute, with Thiago Alcantara and Divock Origi joining the game to make a huge difference in the side, eventually leading to a 3-1 victory.
One player who was pivotal in his position throughout the game, was Jordan Henderson, who picked up an assist for Luis Diaz’s first Premier League goal for the club.
According to SofaScore, the Liverpool captain had an astonishing 123 touches, only losing possession eight times and completed 105 of his 108 passes recording a 97% pass accuracy, as well as winning 3 out of 4 of his duels, making 4 key passes and successful in 100% of his dribbles.
Despite having a shaky season in terms of form, the £190k-p/w machine has definitely proved why he was given a new contract and still claims the captaincy for the Merseyside club, offering an effective presence throughout in the midfield and fans will surely be hoping he can continue to drop performances like the one against Norwich in the remaining months of the season as Liverpool continue to challenge in all competitions.
Klopp will be hoping his side can push on from yesterday’s performance, as they have important games coming up against Leeds United in the Premier League on Wednesday which is a must win to keep the side in with a chance to catch Manchester City for the league title, and then a huge cup final next Sunday as they take on Chelsea in the Carabao Cup at Wembley.
In other news: Jurgen Klopp reveals latest on Diogo Jota