Liverpool 1-0 Swansea: James Milner penalty wins it for Reds

A James Milner penalty was enough to secure Jurgen Klopp's first home Premier League win as Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge returned in Liverpool's 1-0 victory over Swansea.

Neil Taylor was judged to have handled a Jordon Ibe cross by referee Anthony Taylor and Milner made no mistake in finishing past Lukasz Fabianski and sending Liverpool into sixth place.

Klopp's side were also boosted by the return of captain Henderson and striker Sturridge, who were both introduced as second-half substitutes.

But for Swansea, it is now just one win in 11 games as the pressure continues to pile on Garry Monk.

Klopp made three changes from the side that beat Bordeaux in the Europa League on Thursday night, with Martin Skrtel, Emre Can and Adam Lallana all returning to the starting line-up.

But it was the men on the bench that were the big news before kick-off, with Henderson and Sturridge both among the substitutes.

Liverpool started the better, and they nearly took the lead in the opening few minutes when Kyle Bartley rattled his own post after sliding in to tackle Ibe in the area.

The home side continued to dominate, with Swansea more than happy to sit back, but they failed to create any real opportunities until Christian Benteke won a free-kick on the edge of the box in the 41st minute.

It was just the kind of position from which Steven Gerrard, watching on at Anfield, used to excel. And Klopp probably would have loved to have seen the former captain standing over the ball instead of Alberto Moreno, who sent it harmlessly over the bar.

Liverpool started the second-half on top again, but it took until just past the hour mark to find the breakthrough when Ibe's cross hit the arm of Taylor, who was flailing as he turned away from the ball.

Referee Taylor pointed to the spot, and Milner stepped up and sent it high into the middle of Fabianski's goal. 

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Klopp wasted no time in introducing Henderson and Sturridge, the former making his first appearance since August, while Monk put on Bafetimbi Gomis in place of the ineffective Eder.

Swansea improved slightly as they went in search of an equaliser, but quality was sorely lacking in the final third as they failed to threaten Simon Mignolet's goal.

Liverpool eventually saw it out, and Klopp's side are now just four points off the top four after Arsenal could only draw against Norwich. 

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Player ratings

Liverpool: Mignolet (6), Clyne (6), Skrtel (6), Lovren (6), Moreno (6), Can (6), Milner (7), Lallana (5), Ibe (6), Firmino (6), Benteke (5)

Subs: Henderson (5), Sturridge (5), Toure (5)

Swansea: Fabianski (5), Naughton (6), Bartley (6), Williams (6), Taylor (4), Britton (6), Ki Sung-Yueng (5), Sigurdsson (5), Routledge (5), Ayew (5), Eder (4)

Subs: Cork (5), Montero (6), Gomis (5) 

Man of the match: James Milner