LIVERPOOL: Liverpool displayed the ruthlessness they have
often lacked in recent weeks to dispatch Premier League bottom club
Swansea City 5-0 and retain their grip on fourth place in emphatic
fashion in the late kickoff on Tuesday.
Philippe
Coutinho, the Reds captain for the day, scored a gem to give his side a
narrow halftime lead. But Liverpool’s superiority showed after the
break. Roberto Firmino scored twice and Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alex
Oxlade-Chamberlain also found the net.
“The last half an hour was fantastic, a joy to watch. A very deserved win,” Reds boss Jurgen Klopp said.
Liverpool
moved to 38 points, four behind Chelsea in third and five behind
second-placed Manchester United. They hold a one-point lead over
Tottenham Hotspur with Arsenal, who play at Crystal Palace on Thursday,
on 34.
Coutinho produced a majestic strike to put Liverpool ahead from the edge of the area in the sixth minute.
Andrew Robertson and Firmino both went close as the first period drew to a close, with Swansea rarely threatening a riposte.
Firmino
netted from Coutinho’s free-kick seven minutes after half-time and
young defender Alexander-Arnold notched his first league goal in the
65th minute after he surged into the box to finish emphatically.
Firmino
had his second a minute later, this time finishing from close range
after unselfish play from Mohamed Salah, and Oxlade-Chamberlain rounded
off the thrashing in the 83rd minute as Liverpool’s unbeaten league run
reached 11 matches.
Having fired Paul Clement a week ago, managerless Swansea are on the bottom with just 11 goals, and 13 points from 20 games.
