After losing five valuable points in their last two Premier League outings, Liverpool travelled to the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday night to take on newly-promoted Middlesbrough. The Reds failed to win at the venue in their last seven League outings but Jürgen Klopp’s boys hardly struggled to get all three points this time. Adam Lallana’s brace and a Divock Origi strike helped Liverpool win 0-3 and once again become the top scorers in the division.
The win brings the Reds back to the second position as they leapfrogged ahead of Arsenal. On the other hand, Boro dropped down to 17th and Karanka will be a concerned man due to his team’s inability to create chances. Here are three talking points from the game-
Lallana- the most influential player of the Reds right now
Adam Lallana was hardly a key player at Liverpool before Jürgen Klopp arrived at the helm but since the German took over, the English midfielder has improved as a player day in day out. His ability to work hard for the team, press the hell out of the opponents and incredible flair has slowly made him the lynchpin of the Liverpool side.
He was all over the pitch against Boro and his end product was superb. Lallana was missing his decisiveness in front of the goal before this season but has improved and added the goals and assists to his game which have made him indispensable to the Liverpool attack.
Middlesbrough’s lack of attacking outlet could prove to be costly
In the system Liverpool play in, they create plenty of chances for themselves but if the opponents have a good attacking department, they can trouble the Reds on the break. The likes of Bournemouth and West Ham showed that in the last couple of games but Boro hardly looked threatening yesterday.
Apart from a young Adama Traore trying to dribble his way past the Liverpool defence, Boro struggled to trouble the Reds’ defence. Boro have scored the least number of goals in the English top flight, which is a worry considering we’re already in mid-December. Such an impotent attack might cost Karanka dearly at the end of the season.
Divock Origi is better suited for Liverpool than Daniel Sturridge
Daniel Sturridge might be one of the best strikers in the Premier League but his lack of work ethic is not suited for Jürgen Klopp’s system. On the other hand, Origi is a hard-working striker and has vastly improved on his finishing, too.
Still only 21, Origi can improve a lot as a striker. The Belgian has everything a striker dreams of having. He has pace, he has skills, and he is fairly strong in the air and gives his all for the team. What else do you need?
