Liverpool produced an impressive display in their second outing of the summer on Wednesday night, beating League One side Fleetwood Town 5-0 at Highbury Stadium.
Marko Grujic, Lucas Leiva, Ben Woodburn and Roberto Firmino (2) grabbed the goals, and Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has much reason to be happy with his side’s run out ahead of trips to Championship side Huddersfield Town and Wigan Athletic over the coming weeks.
After the win, Ashley Thornton-Jones discusses five things to take from the emphatic victory:
Marko Grujic’s impressive debut
Perhaps any judgement on the Serbian is slightly premature considering the level of opposition he faced, but the 20-year-old did his chances of instantly breaking into the first-team no harm in his first outing in a Reds shirt. He won the penalty with some tremendous strength and quick footwork, scored the opening goal, and was then unlucky not to add a second when he strike from a tight angle met the post. Further back the pitch, he looked at ease in possession and utilised his strength well against an outfought Fleetwood midfield. But what was most impressive was his confidence to get up the pitch and get involved in attacks when his side were dominating the game and an anchor was not needed. After years of rigid and safe defensive midfielders, it was incredibly refreshing to see one that was so forward-thinking.
Sadio Mane looks the real deal
You would expect a player who is supposedly worth in excess of £30m to be more than comfortable against the likes of Tranmere and Fleetwood Town, and as expected, he looked a class above during both outings. After playing centrally against the non-leaguers, Mane adopted a wide left position this time out and gave Fleetwood’s right back Victor Nirennold – playing his first game of the summer – a torrid time prior to his half-time withdrawal. If he showed the former Southampton man inside, he risked allowing him the chance to bring others into play or even get a shot away himself, and if he showed him out wide, Mane’s pace was simply too much for him. Even when it looked like Mane was tamed, the overlapping Moreno gave Mane an exit route and that’s how the opening goal came about.
Maybe our youngsters aren’t so bad after all?
The Liverpool academy has faced criticism in recent years for a lack of top players coming through the ranks, but it finally looks we may have a few young Reds to keep an eye on in the coming months and years. Ryan Kent and Cameron Brannagan had already briefly broken into the first-team, but the manner in which they’ve performed – not just tonight, but also vs Tranmere – suggests that they might finally be able to make an impact in Jurgen’s XI. Kent’s directness, pace and quick feet made him undefendable at times, whilst Brannagan’s confidence on the ball was something you would expect from someone way beyond his years. Whilst they may be a few years or so away from being considered as regulars for the first-team, 16-year-old Ben Woodburn and 18-year-old Ovie Ejaria also look well worth keeping an eye on over the coming months.
