Jurgen Klopp picked up his first league win at Anfield as James Milner’s second-half penalty gave Liverpool the points in a stale game against Swansea.
Milner converted after Swans full-back Neil Taylor was penalised for handball.
Liverpool – so impressive in their win at Manchester City last week – were flat for large periods but did see captain Jordan Henderson return from injury as a substitute.
Swansea have now won once in 10 league games since August.
Garry Monk’s side failed to record a single effort on target in 90 minutes and face the top two in Leicester and Manchester City in their next two games.
Liverpool’s last two Premier League games away from home have seen them record hugely impressive wins at champions Chelsea and leaders Manchester City, with Klopp’s preferred ‘gegenpressing’ style well suited to winning the ball back quickly and hurting teams on the break.
But in three league games at home, the Reds have scored just three times under Klopp and remain a work in progress.
Despite a bright opening spell, during which Jordon Ibe forced defender Kyle Bartley to clear against his own post, the hosts soon ran out of steam and did not have an effort on target until the 52nd minute, when Ibe’s tame shot was saved by Lukas Fabianski.
In truth, they were grateful to referee’s assistant Simon Beck for the decisive moment when he awarded a penalty as Taylor blocked an Ibe cross with his arm.
Milner lifted the spot-kick high into the net to give Liverpool a sixth win in seven games in all competitions, which lifted them up to sixth in the table.
With former captain Steven Gerrard watching from the stands, perhaps the biggest plusses Liverpool fans can take from the win are the returns of Henderson and Daniel Sturridge.
Henderson – missing with a broken foot since the second game of the season in August – was handed the armband when he came on for the final 25 minutes, while Sturridge had a 19-minute run out for his first appearance since Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers in October.
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