Swansea 1-0 Liverpool: Premier League highlights and recap

Swansea beat Liverpool 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium on Monday, Jan. 22. Here are all the highlights from the match.

Liverpool followed up a famous win against first-place Manchester City with a famous loss against last-place Swansea. The Reds had their chances but were punished for their failure to clear a first-half corner by Alfie Mawson’s tidy finish, which proved to be the winner.

As expected, the away side dominated possession, but their attacking play lacked speed and incision and they struggled to create clear-cut chances early on, though Mohamed Salah volleyed over in good position in the 30th minute.

Other than that, the Reds were restricted to a series of half chances as Swansea defended with discipline and in numbers. Carlos Carvalhal’s side grew into the game the longer they held their opponents out, and took the lead in the 40th minute.

The goal was hardly a classic, but came from exactly the sort of chance Swansea were banking on with their defensive game plan. Virgil van Dijk got his head to a Swans corner, but no distance on his clearance. The ball fell to Mawson, who finished well into the bottom corner.

Liverpool ramped up the pressure in the second half, with Andrew Robertson increasingly dangerous down the left wing, but again their dominance of possession and territory yielded few clear-cut chances.

In an effort to get back into the match, Jurgen Klopp turned to Adam Lallana and Danny Ings off the bench, but neither made a telling difference. The best chance for either fell to Ings in the 77th minute, but his shot was well saved by Lukasz Fabianksi.

Liverpool created their best opportunity in the 95th minute, when Roberto Firmino headed van Dijk’s cross onto the post, and Lallana couldn’t poke in the rebound. It was a huge slice of luck for the home side, but perhaps deserved based on their overall performance.

While the Reds’ inconsistency is likely to dominate the fallout to this match, Swansea deserve credit for an excellent defensive performance. There’s a long way to go, but Carvalhal has given the Swans hope they may yet avoid the drop.

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Highlights

Liverpool remain in fourth place, three points behind third-place Chelsea and two ahead of fifth-place Tottenham. Swansea remain in 20th, but pull level on points with 19th-place West Brom, and are now only three points from safety.