Richard Buxton: Dead balls adding life to Liverpool's title challenge

Innovation, rather than intensity, is propelling Liverpool's English Premier League title surge.

Juergen Klopp knows that "heavy metal football" alone will not keep alive their hopes of ending Anfield's 30-year wait for the domestic top-flight title.

As Sunday's 2-1 win over Chelsea showed, the Reds have also honed the art of scoring from dead-ball situations.

Both of the visitors' first-half goals at Stamford Bridge, scored by Trent Alexander-Arnold and Roberto Firmino, were derived from well-worked set-pieces.

The first came in the 14th minute with Jordan Henderson, Mohamed Salah and Alexander-Arnold all standing on the edge of the box, covering their mouths as they communicated their intentions.

Salah then backheeled a free-kick for Alexander-Arnold to blast into the net.

The second, on the half-hour mark, saw Firmino planting a header past Kepa Arrizabalaga from Andy Robertson's cross, following another well-rehearsed free-kick routine on the left.

Thanks to their dead-ball deliveries, Juergen Klopp's men became the first EPL club to win their opening six matches for a second season running.

Klopp credited assistant manager Peter Krawietz, nicknamed "The Eye" of Klopp's previous backroom triumvirate, for honing their set-pieces at Melwood.

When the Liverpool manager's long-standing assistant Zeljko Buvac walked out on the eve of the 2018 Champions League semi-final, Klopp supposedly lost his footballing "brain".

But his propensity to mask the finer details of his technical set-up has understated Krawietz's role.

Like his compatriot, the German has been forced to adapt to new surroundings.

Video analysis was his forte during spells at Mainz and Borussia Dortmund, but he is now credited with developing the European champions' previously untapped source of goals.

No EPL team are able to compete with Liverpool's impressive conversion rate from dead-ball situations.

Since the beginning of last season, they have found the target 34 times from set-pieces - seven more than any other side, according to Opta.

PRAGMATIC

Yet there is more to their street-smarts than mere set-pieces.

Klopp's players have also showed a pragmatic side by making tactical fouls to stave off a late Chelsea fightback, after N'Golo Kante pulled a goal back.

Chants of "same old Scousers, always cheating" will invariably permeate stadiums whenever Liverpool are in London, but it is hardly a new phenomenon.

Their more successful predecessors, both in the EPL and closer to home, were served incredibly well by such time-wasting tactics.

Klopp is all too aware of the impact that fine margins have, especially after Manchester City edged out his side last season by a single point.

Cutting out previous seconds can make the difference between maintaining and killing off a five-point margin at the summit.

That is the fundamental difference between the Liverpool teams of seasons past and today.

Consecutive Champions League final appearances have taught them that aesthetically pleasing football may earn an army of admirers, but will not deliver long-awaited silverware.

Where they once fell prey to gamesmanship, they are now embracing it and redefining competitive standards, keeping City at a comfortable distance at the title race's outset.

The Reds will be hoping to at least maintain that gap until Nov 10, when Pep Guardiola's back-to-back champions visit Anfield.

City's penchant for playing their way to a third crown, coupled with mounting injuries, has allowed Liverpool to take top spot with a battle-hardened swagger.

Unlike last season, Klopp's players are showing that they are no longer purist pushovers.