GEORGINIO WIJNALDUM HAS saluted Liverpool’s battling qualities, with the match-winner at Sheffield United admitting that 1-0 victories of that kind would have been beyond the Reds a few years ago.
Jurgen Klopp’s class of 2019-20 are a different animal to many of the teams that have gone before them.
They came agonisingly close to landing the Premier League title last season, with a Champions League triumph offering some consolation.
A faultless start has been made in the Reds’ bid to end their long wait for an English top-flight crown this term, with a narrow success at Bramall Lane making it seven wins in a row.
In total, Klopp’s side have now secured 16 successive wins and are laying down an early marker to their rivals.
There was a large slice of fortune in Wijnaldum’s winner in Sheffield, with the Dutch midfielder seeing Dean Henderson make a mess of what should have been a comfortable save.
Nobody at Anfield is going to complain, though, about how the victories come about, with Liverpool showing that they have the spirit to dig deep when free-flowing football deserts them.
Wijnaldum told BT Sport after blunting the Blades: “We didn’t start the game well. In the first half we slowed the game down too much and that’s why they could stop us.
“It was not the best game we had but we won. A few years ago we would not have been able to win these games.
It could be a really important three points. It’s really good to keep collecting the points.”
Liverpool have opened up clear daylight at the top of the table.
They are, however, aware that any untimely stumbles will open the door to a chasing pack which includes defending champions Manchester City.
Klopp’s side squandered a commanding lead in 2018-19 and will be desperate to avoid seeing history repeat itself.
Matching one Premier League record owned by the Blues would help to carry the Reds towards their ultimate target.
With 16 successive wins wrapped up, Liverpool are now just two away from matching the division-high that City set between August and December 2017.
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