Liverpool 2-0 Sheff Utd: 5 things we learned – Nobody could deal with Virgil van Dijk

Teams are scared to play against Reds

Sides don’t want to come out and play against Liverpool. They’re scared of the consequences and Sheffield United were another example of that. The Blades sat back and refused to chase the ball, and when they had it there wasn’t much creativity from the side.

This follows a pattern. Leicester completely changed track and retreated into their shell as Liverpool pummelled them. It was a little different at Wolves but not by much, while Sheffield didn’t want anything to do with it.

They dropped so deep that Liverpool made more passes than any other side in the Premier League era, but it wasn’t even death by a thousand cuts as both goals were quick breakaways caused when the away side dared to venture out of their half a little bit.

Klopp has taken this team from a breathless attacking unit that pressed high but also gave away goals at the other end and moulded it into his finest team yet. This is a relentless winning machine who can beat teams in a variety of different ways.

We are now seeing the Reds be given the ball and this forces them to find a way of winning that doesn’t rely on quick transitions or breaks – although Liverpool can still hurt when they suck the opposition into an attack.