Liverpool boosted their hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League by beating Swansea City 1-0 this evening.
Bafetimbi Gomis and Gylfi Sigurdsson forced saves from Simon Mignolet in a dominant first-half display from the Swans.
However, the Reds improved after the break and Jordan Henderson grabbed the winner when Jordi Amat's sliding challenge inadvertently rebounded off him and ended up in the back of the net.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the events that unfolded at the Liberty Stadium.
Match Statistics:
SWANSEA:
Shots 10
On Target 3
Possession 46%
Corners 4
Fouls 13
LIVERPOOL:
Shots 16
On Target 5
Possession 54%
Corners 5
Fouls 16
Was the result fair?
Swansea were probably the better team in the first half and they had plenty of chances to take the lead, but a combination of good goalkeeping and poor finishing saw them head into the break level. That all changed following the restart, as Liverpool took control and started to show some of the form that has propelled them up the table since the turn of the year. They eventually broke the deadlock thanks to a freak goal from Henderson and held on to deservedly take the points.
Swansea's performance
Garry Monk will have been pleased by what he saw from his side from his side in opening 45 minutes, as they caused the Liverpool defence plenty of problems. Gomis and Sigurdsson both forced good saves from Mignolet, but they were unable to make their advantage count while they were on top. They were far more subdued in the second period of the match and created very little in terms of chances. When they did eventually concede you would have expected some kind of response, but it never came as they fell to a second successive defeat.
Liverpool's performance
The Reds have played some great stuff in recent weeks, but it took them a while to get going this evening. They barely troubled the Swansea backline in the early stages, but Brendan Rodgers must have had some strong words to say at half time, as his players came out after the break and took charge. A goal was already looking increasingly likely when Henderson finally struck and they had further chances to kill the game. There is no doubt that Liverpool can produce more impressive performances, but a fifth win in a row ahead of next week's crucial showdown with Manchester United was all that mattered this evening.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Simon Mignolet: The Belgian may have received plenty of criticism for his displays in the early weeks of the season, but he was solid once again today and made some crucial saves in the first half. He has now kept seven clean sheets in his last 11 league games and has been a crucial part in the Reds' upturn in fortunes.
Biggest gaffe
With just over a minute of the game played Lukasz Fabianski almost made a shocking mistake when he miscontrolled a back-pass and gave the ball away to Daniel Sturridge. Fortunately for him, Ashley Williams got back in time to put the ball out for a corner and spare his blushes.
Referee's performance
Roger East won't have too many more easy games to referee in his life. He wasn't called upon to make any controversial decisions or game-changing calls and there can be no complaints about the yellow cards that he handed out to three of Liverpool's players.
What next?
Swansea: The Swans will travel to the Midlands to face an improving Aston Villa side next Saturday.
Liverpool: The Reds are back in action next Sunday with a clash against rivals Manchester United at Anfield.
Alex Meyers
