Swansea 3 Liverpool 1: First Thoughts

Swansea 3 Ayew 21', Cork 33', Ayew 67'
Liverpool 1 Benteke 65'

• Pregame: Perpetuation of narrative by Mustoe going on about the "icy" relationship between Sturridge and Klopp, and how the player's playing in the "B team". Suppose that means Clyne, Lovren, and Coutinho have icy relationships with Klopp, as well. Six subs on the bench for Klopp to back up the youngest Premier League lineup ever for Liverpool. Zoinks.
  
  
• Pretty stout opening defensive moments for Liverpool. Clyne and Skrtel each having good moments, Stewart with a textbook cover on a slightly mistimed tackle from Dejan, and even Smith gets in a good tackle that he showed his studs too much on.
  
  
• Ibe and Smith still haven't figured out who goes and who stays on that left flank, and Ojo still looking so natural finding the rhythm of the game, drifting from one flank to another when needed.
  
  
• A sequence of atrocious possessional play/decision making allows Swansea a few chances. Smith, Stewart, and Ward all having to step up, but Sturridge had a turnover at midfield that his centerbacks won't be thanking him for.
  
  
• Worrying trend of Liverpool players putting their head down and dribbling straight at white shirts instead of letting the ball do the work for them. It's allowed Swansea to have the best of the opening exchanges.
  
  
• GOAL Turnover leads to transition, which leads to a corner. Ball gets put right in the heart of the box, Ward doesn't come and Ayew shakes off Sturridge to beat Dejan to the ball and in. Fun times.
  
  
• Liverpool finally start passing and moving a bit, and it leads to an Ibe shot from the top of the box. Funny how that works, gents.
  
  
• Excellent work by Ward keeps the scoreline at one-nil, but Liverpool keep defending on flat feet like that and Swans will be deserved winners here.
  
  
• Second time in two set plays where Dejan allows a white shirt to get in front of him, and beat him to the ball. This time Amat, and this time not a goal.
  
  
• Swans seem to have realized they can exploit the Stewart-Chirivella partnership, with the Spaniard particularly culpable of needing time that doesn't exist for the passes he's misplacing.
  
  
• Reds clear a set piece! Alright Kevin Stewart!
  
  
• GOAL Again the central midfield too soft, again Swans have numbers crashing right in Skrtel-Lovren's grill, and this time Chelsea graduate Jack Cork takes advantage of the time he's given to curl a beautiful right footer home.
  
  
• Swans just living in Liverpool's defensive third, and Studge almost pips one against the grain on the break. Could really, really do with one of those before half here. 
  
  
• Halftime: For the first time in 2016, Klopp's faith in his depth completely backfires. Pretty hard to play winning football without a midfield protecting the defense or releasing the attack. Our halftime team talk includes bacon, eggs, and an earl grey.
  
  
• How many games have Benteke and Sturridge played together? This is one of them as the Belgian comes on for Coutinho, and Lucas comes on for Chirivella to stabilize what has been arguably the worst half of midfielding for Liverpool this season.
  
  
• Klopp yelling, smiling, pacing, yelling. He must get an absurd amount of steps in.
  
  
• Randall was apparently a late scratch off the bench after getting sick. What are they sharing spoons over there at Melwood?
  
  
• Coutinho out of this game makes it painfully clear that Lucas played AM at Gremio, Sturridge isn't a playmaker, and the less said about Stewart's ability going forward the better. Ojo and Ebay really gotta step up here.
  
  
• Pretty soft call against Dejan kills a decently played corner. Benteke looks like he's up for an aerial battle today. Feed the big guy, lads. Feed him.
  
  
• Lallana's combed his hair sidepart today and Ibe's got blinders on every time he's on the ball. Some things change, some things never will?
  
  
• Even when Liverpool have the ball played into Swansea's box -- Sturridge to Clyne this time -- every Red shirt in the vicinity is standing around flatfooted watching the play. Reprehensible.
  
  
• GOAL Gorgeous inswinger from Ojo finds a wide open Benteke! Will this spark us today?
  
  
• GOAL Embarrassing sequence starts with Lucas asleep on the ball in his own half and getting turned over, then bunch of clearance attempts lead to Ojo probably getting fouled, but should have cleared it by then anyway, and Ayew slots it home. 
  
  
• This is Liverpool's worst performance of the season. Right? As an all around demonstration of uselessness, this one pips Southampton.
  
  
• RED CARD Second yellow for Brad Smith with just a really poorly timed slam into a white shirt that was always going to be a foul. That's the part of the guy's game that worries you.
  
  
• Skrtel with one of the cleanest tackles you'll see, but earns a yellow, because that's just how this cookie's crumbling today, folks.
  
  
• These fucking set pieces, guys...
  
  
• Cameron Brannagan relieves Ebay. Terrible game for the Nigerian-English winger, and he may want to figure out how to play this game with his head up if he wants to make a go of this Liverpool career.
  
  
• Sheyi Ojo can hold his head up a little bit with his performance in this one. Klopp has something there.
  
  
• Skrtel looking around in possession before giving it back to Ward is the image of this game for Liverpool. No ball movement. No off ball movement. No energy. Just the absence of football today from the guys in Red.
  
  
• Game over, and the sort of afternoon that takes the new car shine off the Klopp era.
  
  

We'll be back shortly to take an in-depth look at everything that happened in today's game with the full recap. Until then, let us know your take on the ups and downs of the match in the comments, and if you haven't already, join the community on the Liverpool Offside, where we'll have full coverage and lively in-game discussion for every match this season.