Every Liverpool win this season seems to come with an asterisk. Yes, they beat Brentford, but Brentford had a man sent off. Yes they beat Villarreal, but they conceded three.
On Sunday, against Brighton the asterisks finally ran out. Liverpool beat the Premier League’s top scorers 2-0, kept a clean sheet against a side that had scored 23 goals in their first seven games, and won a league match at home for the first time since April. Liverpool have won their last five games – including knocking Chelsea out of the Carabao Cup at Anfield on penalties – and are fourth in the Premier League, but there is still the sense that nobody quite trusts what they are watching.
Liverpool remain a work in progress, with questions about their ability to create enough chances and break down stubborn opponents. Arsenal’s visit to Anfield this weekend will give us an indication of how much they have progressed under Andoni Iraola. Given Liverpool’s spending and squad, this fixture should be seen as a title race six-pointer.
Signing three attacking players for more than £100m – Florian Wirtz, Bradley Barcola and Alexander Isak – brings with it a certain level of expectation. The league table hardly dismisses their case for a title charge. Liverpool are fourth, a point behind Brighton and six adrift of Manchester City and Arsenal.
A win at home on Sunday would put them just three points behind the champions. And they have been impressive in the Champions League, winning all three of their games so far to sit third in the 36-team table. Since the 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City at the start of October, Liverpool have scored 15 goals in five games.
Even that defeat at City comes with context. The game was goalless until Ryan Gravenberch’s red card changed it. It is a strong foundation, though cautious Liverpool fans – who have been watching the performances as closely as the results – will tell you there is still plenty to fix.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
