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Another year and another routine victory for Liverpool. Goals from Mo Salah and Sadio Mane handed the Reds a 2-0 win over Sheffield United at Anfield, enabling Jurgen Klopp's men to regain their 13 points advantage at the summit, which coupled with their outstanding fixture in effect means that they are on course for a first league title in three decades.
Despite losing the in-form Naby Keita to a groin injury in the warm-up, the hosts needed little time to stamp their authority in the fixture. Andrew Robertson was on hand to take advantage of a slip by George Baldock on the right flank before delivering an incisive cross that was finished one-time by Salah. From then on, it was largely cruise control for Liverpool and Sadio Mane made sure of the result in the 64th minute to give Liverpool a 19th win of the campaign.
With this win, Liverpool are now unbeaten in 37 league matches and have moved one step closer to ending their Premier League drought.
Here are three reasons why Liverpool won the game.
#1 Fortress Anfield
By now, it should be fairly common knowledge that Anfield is one of the most solid fortresses in football, with Jurgen Klopp playing a key role in turning the iconic stadium into a formidable ground where Liverpool rarely loses.
The Reds currently boast the longest unbeaten home run in Europe's top five leagues, a run stretching 52 Premier League matches, with the last loss at Anfield in the league coming way back in April 2017 when they fell to a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace. For context, the last time Liverpool lost a league game at home, Antonio Conte was just about to win the Premier League with Chelsea.
It has been almost 1,000 days since the red half of Merseyside lost a home match and this has instilled a sense of near-invincibility at Anfield, with visiting clubs already defeated psychologically before the ball is kicked.
Given Liverpool's imperious record at home, it would have taken something extraordinary for Sheffield United to have left Anfield with anything and as it happened, the Blades became the latest in a long line of clubs to have left the stadium empty-handed.
#2 Dominant performance
Liverpool are performing at levels arguably never seen before in the history of English football and while the Manchester City teams of the last two seasons might have something to say about that, the Mancunians indirectly played a role in catapulting the Merseysiders to the current levels they operate at.
The two clubs were engaged in a fierce battle for the league last season that saw them rack up an unbelievable 195 points between them, with Liverpool losing just one match across the entire season.
This term, Pep Guardiola's men have surprisingly floundered but the Reds have continued from where they stopped and are currently the only unbeaten club across the four divisions in England and in Europe's top five leagues.
This season, Liverpool rarely lose to any club (they became only the 5th side in history to go a year without defeat in the Premier League) and beyond their current status as world champions, a genuine case can be made to consider them as the best club in Europe right now.
Few if any club at the moment can match the Reds when they are on their A-game but the most impressive thing about the side is that despite their numerous injury setbacks, they always find a way to grind out results even while not playing at their best.
Against Sheffield, the home side controlled the game without really entering second gear and were dominant right from the whistle until the dying embers of the match when Chris Wilder's men fashioned a few scoring opportunities.
In total, Liverpool had 75% of the possession, made 970 passes (90% accuracy), compared to the 326 (74% accuracy) managed by their visitors, while they also fashioned 17 shots, hitting seven on target, compared to the three (two on target) of Sheffield and had eight corners to their opponent's four. The Reds were dominant in virtually every aspect of the game and they were good value for their victory.
#1 Mo Salah
Salah's transformation from Chelsea flop to becoming one of the best players in the world in just under five years is the stuff of legend. The Egyptian international has grown in stature and influence since arriving Anfield in the summer of 2017 and his numbers in his debut season were groundbreaking. The former Basel man managed to score 27 goals in all competitions the following year despite being labelled a 'one-season wonder'.
This season has been less illustrious for the 27-year-old and he has been usurped by Sadio Mane as the Reds' most important player on the field. However, despite his relative struggles in front of goal, Mo Salah is still one of the most decisive players in the world and Sheffield United were first-hand witnesses of his lethal nature in front of goal.
He showed great instincts to finish a square ball by Andrew Robertson with the first touch in the 4th minute while he also played the decisive pass for Sadio Mane to put Liverpool 2-0 up 19 minutes into the second half. He was substituted for youngster Harvey Elliot in the 90th minute to a rapturous ovation by the Anfield faithful.
