Liverpool vs Swansea live: Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino inspire rout of hapless Swans
Follow the latest from the Premier League clash at Anfield
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Liverpool will look to return to the Premier League top four after witnessing Tottenham’s demolition of Southampton to leap ahead of the Reds, with Swansea visiting Anfield in the final match of a busy Boxing Day schedule.
After seven previous games, Liverpool and Swansea take centre stage with the two sides very experiencing differing fortunes this season. Jürgen Klopp’s side can move back into fourth with a victory and maintain their Champions League aspirations for next season, while Swansea will start the match rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table and unable to escape the bottom three even if they win.
Jordan Henderson is absent for Liverpool due to a hamstring injury suffered in last Friday’s 3-3 draw with Arsenal, but Joel Matip could return from a month out injured, while Swansea are without Kyle Naughton meaning that Angel Rangel could be recalled.
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Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of today's final Premier League encounter as Liverpool host Swansea at Anfield to wrap up a busy Boxing Day in the top flight.
What a place to make your Premier League debut.
Good luck to 21-year-old Oliver McBurnie.
This is the size of the task ahead of Swansea.
And let's remember, Liverpool were good then.
KICK-OFF: We are up and away in the final Premier League game of the day! A victory for Liverpool would take them back above Tottenham in the table and into fourth place. For Swansea City, managerless and bottom of the Premier League, defeat would leave them four points from safety. A routine home win? Perhaps not, it's the time of the year when miracles can happen.
6 mins: GOAL! LIVERPOOL 1 SWANSEA 0:
What a wonderful goal from Philippe Coutinho! It was an extraordinary strike that brought an abrupt end to a sentence in which Swansea were being described as having started well. Jordan Ayew went down under pressure from Roberto Firmino just inside his own half, but no sooner had the Swansea midfielder appealed to referee Kevin Friend than the ball was in the back of the net. Firmino quickly found Mo Salah, and his pass went straight into the feet of Coutinho 25 yards out. Taking the shot on first time, the Brazilian let fly with a whipped shot that had found the top right corner before Lukasz Fabianski could even more. What a strike!
11 mins: The home side are pouring forward again looking for a quickfire second. It will be no surprise to know that it was Coutinho, Firmino and Salah were all involved once again with the goalscoring taking the ball to the touchline. Looking for a man in the middle, Coutinho's cross was semi-cleared as far as Andy Robertson in a similar position to where the opener was struck. On his weaker right foot, the Scot took aim first time but his shot flew off target.
18 mins: Here's a Christmas cracker joke for you. How many Swansea players does it take to stop Mohamed Salah? Three - and then they only just about manage it. Yeah, it's not great, but no worse than the ones I got through yesterday. The Swans defensive trio in question have just had to track Liverpool's in-form Egyptian as he tricked and teased his way inside the penalty area, eventually dispossessing him as he looked set to lay on a pass for a teammate.
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