OPINION
Liverpool produced a clinical second half performance to secure a crucial 2-0 win away at struggling Cardiff City on Sunday.
Goals from Georginio Wijnaldum and James Milner – from the penalty spot – were enough to ensure that Jurgen Klopp’s team returned to the Premier League summit.
It wasn’t a perfect performance, indeed, the Reds made hard work of it for much of the contest. Ultimately, though, they had more than enough quality to overcome the Bluebirds.
As usual there is plenty to be gleaned from the game, and Live4Liverpool has rounded up three things that can be learned from Liverpool’s win over Cardiff.
Wijnaldum roars back to form
Wijnaldum was one of the worst players on the pitch in the mid-week win over Porto, but he ensured that there would be no repeat of that dodgy display as he put in a tremendous shift on Sunday.
Not only did he open the scoring with a tremendous strike, he also put in the hard yards defensively and made sure his presence was felt against a scrappy Cardiff side.
Eyebrows were raised when he was selected ahead of the in-form Fabinho, but the Dutchman sent his manager a message in the Welsh capital. This was very much a timely return to form for a player who has looked a bit jaded in recent weeks.
Fabinho injury a worry
It’s not often that you see a substitute get substituted himself, but that was what occurred to Reds midfielder Fabinho against the Bluebirds. No sooner had the Brazilian entered the fray before he was shuffling back off the pitch.
A clash of heads with Kenneth Zohore is what ended the 25-year-old’s afternoon, and Klopp will be hugely concerned by the setback his midfield general suffered.
Head injuries are always worrying and so all we can do is hope that nothing serious occurred. This shouldn’t be something that keeps Fabinho out for an extended period of time, but it’s not good all the same.
Salah produces hot-and-cold display
This wasn’t a classic Mohamed Salah performance, that’s for sure. The Egyptian produced a hugely uneven performance as he struggled to truly influence the game in his inimitable way.
He did cause the hosts problems at times and he tested Neil Etheridge on occasions. However, he hadn’t done a whole lot until he won the penalty that Milner converted to secure victory.
Even when he’s not at his best, though, he still found a way to get the job done. Klopp will be hoping for much better displays from his talisman in the crucial weeks to come, though, there’s no doubt about that.
