The Reds are flying high thanks to more mad last‑minute winners, and hosts Jim Boardman and Jay Reid are back to natter about it all in a new episode of Scouser Tommies. After a little breather thanks to the international break, proper footie’s back and there’s plenty to discuss with maximum points, in the end, from the trip to Burnley and that rollercoaster against Atletico. And of course, the derby is next.
The first game back after the internationals saw Liverpool make the journey to Turf Moor where it’s almost as if Sean Dyche never left. Jay and Jim wonder how you can even get into football as a kid if that’s what you’ve got to look forward to every week, but their fans seemed happy enough with it. Somehow. And they were a lot less happy when Mo stepped up and put that late penalty away. Not the prettiest of games, but three points is three points, and no one’s moaning.
Midweek at Anfield was another story: back under the floodlights on a European night, it’s hard to explain just how different those games feel. And with Slot’s Red men two up in no time against Simeone’s Atleti, it looked like it was going to be one of the extra special European nights. But Liverpool seem to have no plans to make it easy for themselves this season and some sloppy play gave the visitors hope - and two goals. But, before anyone could write it off as a night to forget, Big Virg rose like the giant he is, fending off a lot of holding before smashing home a bullet header in stoppage time. Now it was a European night to remember.
Simeone’s antics all night were eye-catching enough - Jay pointing out he was on the pitch more than many of the players - but then he exploded when he saw Liverpool’s winner go in. Says a lot that he was about to be so made up with a draw, but he took his anger out on Liverpool fans behind the dugouts who, as far as we can tell, were just being fans and shouting stuff fans shout. Nothing as sinister as maybe some coverage tried to make out. Not that Simeone’s actions on the touchline were anything to really complain about, who wants a manager that isn’t passionate? Some of his staff seemed a lot worse anyway, as many a phone video has shown.
A debut for Alexander Isak showed some promise, we know he’s not ready yet after his extended summer break, but there were signs already that Liverpool’s new No.7 and No.9 will be forging a partnership that brings back memories for Reds of a certain age. Florian Wirtz has had some stick for not hitting the ground running the way the previous incumbent of that shirt did, but as with Isak we all know the quality is there and it’s only a matter of time before we see it in all its glory. And after all, as Jay points out, they didn’t set their own transfer fees.
Next up, it’s one of those games where you’ve got to set an alarm on a Saturday, thanks to TNT, as Everton arrive for the derby when everyone will still be rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. As Jay and Jim point out, dragging everyone up so early takes some of the edge out of a game, whoever you’re playing, and that even applies to this fixture.
What kind of Everton will turn up? With Dyche long gone could they actually play some footie instead of parking ten men on the six‑yard line, roughhousing through a game, and trying to steal soft free kicks? With signings like Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall maybe they’ll come to play, but it’s still David Moyes.
The Reds need to keep it tight, stay professional, avoid giving the referee (one who was once ‘banned’ from doing Liverpool games) any excuses to flash his cards and nullify the essence of this fixture. All while knowing that with all that firepower we’ve got the chances will come. Derby belly will be kicking in soon enough, but with five played and five won, late show or not, this could be a derby to keep Reds smiling for a long time.
