Jurgen Klopp secured his first home Premier League win as Liverpool manager as the Reds edged out Swansea City 1-0 at Anfield this evening.
James Milner settled an otherwise dull affair on Merseyside with a 61st-minute penalty which Jordon Ibe won when his cross was handled by Neil Taylor.
The introductions of Bafetimbi Gomis and Jefferson Montero looked promising for the visitors, who ultimately failed in their task of bringing a result back to South Wales.
Here, Sports Mole looks at how the points were won.
Match statistics
LIVERPOOL
Shots: 10
On target: 2
Possession: 56%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 12
SWANSEA CITY
Shots: 8
On target: 0
Possession: 44%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 6
Was the result fair?
Overall, yes. Swansea City deserved their half-time draw, but a stupid penalty concession from Taylor undermined them. It was not until the final 10 minutes when City began to apply some pressure, but the damage was already done. Liverpool were far from impressive, and against better sides they would have been exposed here, but they did just about enough to merit three points this evening.
Liverpool's performance
By no means brilliant, but Liverpool got the job done. It was a case of third-time lucky for Klopp, whose first two home games in the Premier League had yielded one point. It was not the way in which he would have liked to open his account at Anfield, but it is another three points and the Reds continue their ascent up the Premier League table. They now sit four points adrift of fourth-placed Arsenal, and six behind leaders Manchester City. Klopp's side certainly have an outside chance of the title, but the focus must be on the top four because, on the back of this, there are still flaws which need ironing out.
When Ibe went through on goal and Kyle Bartley's recovering tackle hit the post after seven minutes, it seemed like Swansea were in for the same onslaught which the Sky Blues endured eight days ago. But that incident was not a sign of things to come. Instead, Liverpool, despite an abundance of possession in the first half, simply could not break down the visitors. By half time, they had not deserved a lead and it was clear that a big second half was needed. Ibe took matters into his own hands early in the second period by forcing Lukasz Fabianski into his first and last meaningful save, but again, the Reds could not build on the chance.
The breakthrough came shortly after the hour mark when Ibe's cross was handled by Taylor, before Milner casually stroked home the winner. Klopp, with his back to the penalty, could not watch. He could have kept looking into the stands for the final half-an-hour and still not missed much. It was a dull affair which was heightened by the arrivals of long-term absentees Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge, making their first appearances under the German, but the fans had precious little to applaud after welcoming the duo. Far from perfect overall, but it sets Liverpool up beautifully for a top-four assault.
Swansea City's performance
"I think one result or one good performance can change your whole mentality," said Swansea City boss Garry Monk in his pre-match press conference. The under-fire manager demanded an improvement, with City winning just once since August, and he certainly got one in the first half. Swansea were excellent defensively during the opening 45 minutes. They had an early scare when Bartley hit his own post, but beyond that, the visitors did not give Liverpool a sniff. Ashley Williams and Bartley were superb in the heart of their defence as they bullied Christian Benteke for large spells, while Ki Sung-yueng negated Adam Lallana's creative talents.
Admittedly, they did little at the other end, with Eder, preferred to Gomis up front again, finding himself isolated, but they reached the break to move halfway toward what would be a morale-boosting result. But it all went horribly wrong just after the hour mark. Taylor, who had struggled with Ibe in the first period, handled the winger's cross inside the area and was rightly penalised. It would have been crushing for Monk, whose side looked comfortable in truth, and there was no way back from there. Gomis and Montero added something extra, but with zero shots on target in 90 minutes, it is clear that Swansea never looked like scoring.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Jordon Ibe: In a game which provided few stand-out candidates, it simply has to be Ibe. The 19-year-old was ever so lively in both halves, and won the penalty which sent the Reds on their way to a first home victory in the Premier League under Klopp. He will develop into a fine player if and when he adds goals to his game.
Biggest gaffe
There can be no doubt that Ibe has improved since Klopp took over at Anfield, but question marks remain over his composure in goalscoring positions after passing up some golden chances in recent weeks. He did little to answer those questions this evening after dithering in a one-on-one with Fabianski in the early incident which saw Bartley hit the post. He needs to improve his finishing if he wants to be a prominent figure in Klopp's Liverpool revolution.
Referee performance
Anthony Taylor had an ordinary game. He relied on his assistant's testimony when awarding Liverpool their 62nd-minute penalty, which was the right thing to do and Monk will accept the decision after seeing a replay. He booked three players in total, all of which looked the right decision, and Taylor can be satisfied with his performance.
What's next?
Liverpool: The Reds are back at Anfield on Wednesday for a League Cup quarter-final with Southampton.
Swansea City: Monk and co host in-form Leicester City at the Liberty Stadium next Saturday.
Shane Callaghan
