Middlesbrough 0-3 Liverpool: Three things we learnt

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‘Keeper question marks remain for Klopp

Having taken a solitary point from their last two games, Jurgen Klopp made the bold decision of omitting German goalkeeper Loris Karius from his starting line-up, after the young shot-stopper had been deemed culpable of giving away crucial goals in the fixtures against Bournemouth and West Ham. The reinstated Simon Mignolet did keep a clean sheet, but in reality had precious little to do as Liverpool dominated proceedings.

Klopp’s decision to drop Karius will raise eyebrows, particularly after he had spoken out in support of his compatriot in the midst of media criticism.

Mignolet in his absence was reliable when called upon, pulling off a great reflex save to thwart Viktor Fischer right on half-time to preserve Liverpool’s lead, but he also has a history of high-profile errors in key matches, and with two goalkeepers seemingly susceptible to a blunder as his first-choice options, this may still be an area where Klopp needs to intervene in January. That is of course unless one of the two vying for the Number One jersey can step-up to the challenge.