Liverpool moved six points clear at the top of the Premier League table with their win against Crystal Palace, with the advances for Jurgen Klopp even more plentiful than the number of goals scored by his side.
It was just over three years since Liverpool scored their last three goals in the first half of a Premier League game away from home, and added four more in the second half to make it the real margin they won in the top flight.
That level was as good as the seven goals scored by Liverpool, Jordan Henderson’s curved end probably into the corner from outside the box, after good work from Takumi Minamino and Trent Alexander- Arnold in the build up, largely neglected.
But not only was his goal unique, with Henderson’s performance from midfield just the latest example of the true quality he possesses off the ball in terms of his energy, but also on with his technical ability.
Eighty-six percent of Henderson’s 118 attempts found the end against Crystal Palace, even though he had just 11 fewer times than Naby Keita and Gini Wijnaldum combined over the 90 minutes, get the upper hand in the middle of the pitch.
“There’s no question in my mind that Henderson is one of the top midfielders in the world,” football coach Mark Baker said on the Post-Game podcast after Liverpool’s 7-0 win at Selhurst Park .
“One of the rarest things about a footballer at that level is the ability to keep the team going and the ability to always make the right choice and play slow or accelerate when necessary. tu.
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Henderson ‘s ability [level at the moment] at the highest level.
“He’s up there in the top one per cent of players in terms of advanced passes and he has the perfect balance to turn the ball when he needs to, but also look for the painful passes – he was ever an outstanding football technician.
“Look at Thiago Alcantara now in Liverpool and during his time in Barcelona and Bayern Munich – he is a prime example of ‘easy on the eye’.
“Henderson does not look like that but in terms of his ability to control football and the range he passes, he is an elite footballer.
“It’s the force behind how the team plays.”
While there were so many good performances from Liverpool players against Crystal Palace that Henderson’s outstanding performance was far from the main takeaway, the Liverpool captain quietly – somewhat differently to the orchestrating voice he was making inside Selhurst Park – he submitted one of, if he does not have it. best, a show of the season so far.
Thiago will help Liverpool take control of games to another level once he returns to action, but at Henderson, Klopp has already found a midfielder in good condition and a key form that makes the That works well enough on its own.