Liverpool secured a hard-fought victory against Sheffield United, although it was not the straightforward win many had expected. 

In the 37th minute, Trent Alexander-Arnold took a corner kιck from the right side, and Virgil van Dijk volleyed the ball into the near corner of the goal, beating Sheffield United goalkeeper Wes Foderingham. The Sheffield United players believed that Van Dijk committed a foul, as Anel Ahmedhodzic was down on the ground before taking the shot with no one marking him. However, the referee, Simon Hooper, did not award a foul, and the VAR did not intervene.

With that goal, Van Dijk scored his first goal for Liverpool in 14 appearances across all competitions this season. And Dominik Szoboszlai’s late strike sealed the three points for Liverpool, but it was a relatively off-night for Mohamed Salah.

A cause for concern for manager Jurgen Klopp is the ιnjury suffered by midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, who was forced off in the 60th minute with a knee ιnjury. With other key players already sidelined due to injuries, such as Alisson, Joel Matip, Andy Robertson, and Diogo Jota, losing Mac Allister further complicates matters for Liverpool ahead of a crucial run of fixtures.

Mac Allister plays a significant role in Klopp’s revamped midfield and is essential to the team’s build-up play. Liverpool will have to regroup quickly as they face Crystal Palace in a Saturday lunchtime kιck-off, and Klopp may have substituted Salah early in the previous match to preserve the fitness of his key players for the demanding schedule ahead.