Liverpool picked up three points over two of its opponents over the weekend, teaching a major lesson in the Premier League. The Reds beat Wolves on Saturday, while Chelsea and Manchester United lost.
After losing 1-0 in the seventh minute, Jürgen Klopp’s team struggled to recover at Molineux after 45 minutes. After introducing Luis Díaz at halftime, the German coach added Darwin Núñez 11 minutes later.
Liverpool won 3-1 as Klopp’s team pressed forward and attacked in numbers. Wolves struggled to stop them. Cody Gakpo, Andy Robertson, and Harvey Elliott scored, however Hugo Bueno called Elliott’s goal an own goal.
Liverpool has scored 12 goals this season, averaging 2.4 per match, with Klopp benefiting from genuine firepower in the final third. Over the last month, Gakpo, Robertson, Elliott, Díaz, and Núñez have been bolstered by Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, making them almost unstoppable.
“They bring on Díaz and Núñez,” said Wolves manager Gary O’Neil in the post-match news conference. “Their substitutes changed the game.”
Liverpool completed the match with a very attacking team, with Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones playing as a midfield two despite their forward expertise. The Reds have goals everywhere, unlike Manchester United and Chelsea, who are struggling.
Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea team is excellent, but they’ve lacked an offensive in recent years. Over the years, Chelsea has battled with talented attackers like Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Romelu Lukaku, and Raheem Sterling.
For whatever reason, London cannot mount a hazardous offensive to improve. For Liverpool’s rivals, Manchester United, Erik ten Hag faces a difficult period with injuries to key offensive players like Antony, Jadon Sancho, and Mason Mount, and new signing Rasmus Højlund not known for his poaching skills.
Liverpool has more firepower than Manchester United, and few teams in the league can compete in the final third.
Everton may provide another perspective on the pattern. Sean Dyche’s side are 18th in the table after scoring just once in five games because they rank 20th in the division for goals, shot conversion, big chances missed, and finishing performance against expected goals.
Liverpool will play poorly at Anfield, but Klopp’s offense may yield undeserved triumphs. England typically values each goal scored at the top of the table as one point. Though not perfect, the trend is a good indicator of success.
Manchester City won the Premier League last season with 94 goals and 89 points. Newcastle United scored 68 times and gained 71 points, ending fourth, while Arsenal scored 88 times and placed in second.
Klopp has several weapons on Merseyside, which bodes well for the season. However, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Everton may need to look to Liverpool for inspiration.
After Liverpool won, Manchester United lost 3-1 at Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea drew 0-0 with Bournemouth. In five Premier League matches this season, the former has scored six goals and the latter five.
Chelsea has scored just 43 goals in its last 43 matches in England’s top flight, averaging just one goal per game, despite Todd Boehly’s consortium spending over $1b on transfers since taking over the club in 2022.
