Liverpool fans sing ‘we’re going to win the league’ but Jurgen Klopp keeps calm

Premier League Liverpool 2 Manchester United 0

Liverpool fans left Anfield yesterday singing about how they’re going to win the league.

Now the rest of the country believes them after they maintained their unbeaten Premier League campaign with a 2-0 win over rivals Manchester United.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

It was embarrassingly easy for Liverpool, evidence of their dominance over the rest of the league, but also a damning indictment on United.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were never in the game and although Anthony Martial wasted a good opportunity to equalise Virgil van Dijk’s first-half header the visitors were second best in all areas.

Mohamed Salah doubled Liverpool’s advantage in injury time to give the scoreline the gloss that the hosts’ performance deserved as they made it 13 wins on the bounce.

“We played sensational football,” said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. “We could have scored more and maybe should have scored more.”

Sweet 16

As it was, the victory extended Liverpool’s lead at the top of the table to 16 points on a weekend when Wolves were the only other top ten club to pick up three points.

Manchester City’s 2-2 draw at home to Crystal Palace marked the end of any lingering hope they harboured of catching their title rivals, while Burnley’s 2-1 victory against Leicester City yesterday means the Foxes lie third, 19 points shy of the Reds, but six clear of Chelsea, who are still fourth despite being beaten 1-0 by Newcastle.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise, balanced take on the week’s news - try The Week magazine. Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Catch me if you can

Asked if he agreed with the Kop in their belief that the title is as good as theirs, Klopp replied: “They can sing that, they have sung that a couple of times in the past I think. I have no problem with that. Everyone should celebrate the situation, apart from us.

“Nothing has changed, we have the same situation plus three points… I have no idea whether we will be caught or not, I don’t care. First and foremost it’s the Premier League.”

Rashford injury

For United, who are an astonishing 30 points behind Liverpool, the defeat increases once more the pressure on manager Solskjaer, whose side are fifth, but only on points difference from Wolves.

To make matters worse for the Norwegian, his star striker Marcus Rashford faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines - expected to be around three months The Times reports - after it was confirmed he has suffered a stress fracture in his back.

The absence of Rashford highlighted what Solskjaer called the lack of “quality with our finishing or last pass”.

As a result, he said: “It might be because the window is open that we look at some short-term deals as well and that could take us through until the summer.”

Cavani to the rescue?

The Daily Express claims that one player on United’s radar is Paris Saint-Germain marksman Edinson Cavani.

The 32-year-old Uruguayan is unsettled in the French capital and according to the Express the club’s sporting director Leonardo has confirmed that the striker “has asked to leave”.

Today’s back pages

Rashford is ruled out and Liverpool march on towards the title

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise, balanced take on the week’s news - try The Week magazine. Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––