Premier League 2019/20: Four key takeaways from Liverpool vs Sheffield United
Sheffield United should be proud, they should be really proud of how they played. But football is a game of results and unfortunately, all they lacked was a result.
Just as the ball slipped through his legs, everyone in the home crowd let out a collective sigh, with a feeling that the inevitable has happened. Dean Henderson’s goalkeeping error was the difference-maker in an entertaining weekend opener in the Premier League between Sheffield United and Liverpool.
For 70 minutes, Sheffield United held on admirably. And they didn’t just hold on, they were dominant at times. Facing the league leaders and European champions, they were given a free hit in cricket parlance. There would have been no shame in losing to this Liverpool side. And hence, we were treated to an entertaining game of football.
Showing the hallmarks of a well-coached team, Sheffield United finished the first half by matching Liverpool at all fonts, keeping Liverpool from having even a single shot on target. This was the first time since January that Liverpool had zero shots on target at halftime.
Many believed that Liverpool will come back stronger in the second half. Yet, it was more or less the same story after the break. Sheffield United were proving too much for Liverpool to break down. And unfortunately, Chris Wilder’s men conceded a goal during their most dominant period of the game. If not for an error by Henderson, we would probably be discussing another result right now.
That said, it sure was an entertaining affair for the neutrals. Let’s have a look at some of the key takeaways from this game.
#1 Liverpool are capable of winning the title
It is 2020 and Liverpool have been crowned as the champions of England after pipping Manchester City to the title. As we look back at their journey, the mistake by Dean Henderson to help Liverpool grab a 1-0 win seems too significant.
Well, not exactly. But, we could be hearing something like this come May 2020. This is too early to talk about the title but seeing what happened last season, we could expect similarly small margins deciding the title race. When you have two juggernauts like Liverpool and Manchester City fighting for the crown, every point matters. And so, these 3 points would be hugely important for Klopp’s side
A lot must go right for a side to win the Premier League title. For sure a team needs to be consistent, but there is also a factor of luck. Just ask Steven Gerrard about the 2013-14 season.
Liverpool have the credentials to win the title. They have an extremely balanced squad with quality in attack and defense. Barring an untimely injury, if The Reds can build a healthy lead in the first half of the season, one can see they are capable of retaining it. This Liverpool team is more mature than those teams of the past. This is a Liverpool team hungry for more silverware after their UCL exploits last season.
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