Ryan Gravenberch shines in Liverpool’s 3-0 Premier League victory over Nottingham Forest at Anfield, according to the match verdict.
It’s reasonable to presume that Liverpool’s midfield has been meticulously rebuilt throughout the summer transfer window, even though Rome wasn’t built in a day.
After winning a convincing Europa League match against Toulouse, the Reds won their next two Premier League games at home against Nottingham Forest and Everton for the third time in eight days. With ten goals scored and only one shipped, the future seems incredibly bright.
And at the centre of it all on Sunday afternoon at Anfield were three players: Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Sozboszlai, and Alexis Mac Allister. With the benefit of hindsight, these three have significantly renovated the engine room, which was long necessary.
Naturally, it hasn’t been cheap—the three stars cost roughly £135 million to acquire—but the revamped midfield has provided a much-needed boost to Liverpool’s overall operation at the perfect moment.
The talk around the middle of the park has been much more pleasant lately. Gravenberch added another impressive performance to a week that included a full debut against Everton and another Europa League goal in midweek. The Dutchman now looks like he is becoming an automatic starter in the middle of the pitch alongside Mac Allister and Szoboszlai. Last season, the debate surrounding the midfield was an endless, negative rage that never really settled down.
At the beginning of September, Ronald Koeman acknowledged that the Dutch were not thrilled with Gravenberch’s choice to decline Netherlands Under-21 duty, but it is now proving to be a wise option.
Curtis Jones, who served out the last game of his three-game suspension this month, will likely have a lot to say about that when he returns, but it appears that Jurgen Klopp has found an intriguing combination of technically gifted midfield players who are at ease in possession of the ball wherever they are. It should be emphasised that this season wasn’t like the last one.
Following his £60 million transfer from RB Leipzig, Szoboszlai has appeared to be a Liverpool player from the start, and World Cup winner Mac Allister is adjusting to the demands placed on him as Klopp’s lone No. 6.
An excellent example of that was when he took out Murillo and then found Mohamed Salah to create the breakaway that resulted in Diogo Jota scoring the first goal of the game. The 24-year-old may see himself as a forward in the end, but he is starting to appear more and more like a commanding defensive midfielder.
Mac Allister has bigger challenges ahead of him, and it will be interesting to watch how Klopp handles the trip to Manchester City after the international break next month, but the former Brighton player was excellent today. Although there will be occasions when more durable qualities are required in that No. 6 hole, he is a player who prefers to use a paintbrush over a knuckleduster. This display was all about elegant touches, deft passes, and astute reading.
Gravenberch’s running off the ball, enthusiasm, and quality in possession were also exciting to watch, and Szoboszlai, who is already a fan favourite, picked up his first assist at Liverpool when Darwin Nunez finished off a pass he had laid down just before halftime. His second came soon after.
Around the hour mark, with the Reds pressing for a well-earned third, Klopp substituted Harvey Elliott and Cody Gakpo for Gravenberch and Jota. After further excellent work by the great Szoboszlai, the former’s initial touch most likely ought to have registered it.
And the skipper of Hungary was not done yet. From a Forest long-throw, nine players would have easily chosen to flick the ball away, but the 23-year-old controlled a half-clearance on his chest before pinging the ball the length of the pitch with his left foot, which appears to be weaker than the other two. The incredible pass sent the visiting team’s defence reeling, and Salah scored with a tap-in after the ball flew over custodian Matt Turner’s head, leaving him alone and fatigued. The goal was the Egyptian’s 10th of the season and his 15th in his past 14 home games.
Liverpool’s front players have now scored 28 between them in just 14 games and it could have been an even greater tally had Gakpo not been flagged for offside in stoppage time from Elliott’s cross.
Despite the enthusiastic applause and respect from the home crowd for the players on the pitch that day, the Kop’s moving tribute to the late great Luis Diaz was the ultimate display of class.
The horrific news that his parents had been abducted in his native country on Saturday caused the Colombian international to skip the match. As the game neared its conclusion, Liverpool supporters showed their support for the player.
This season, Klopp’s team will face more difficult opponents, but for now, everything is going well on the pitch thanks to a prolific front line, a defence that is playing with more restraint, and a midfield that is driving them forward.