Observations as Liverpool Do It The Hard Way vs Palace
Liverpool hung on in a pulsating, incredible game against Crystal Palace at Anfield to keep the pressure on Man City by going seven points clear. Here are the observations from an unbelievable 4-3 win on a cold Saturday afternoon at Anfield.
Win At All Costs
It’s impossible not to look at a game like this, where Liverpool were brilliant in spurts and tragic in others, and not think that it’s the biggest win of the season. Obviously, every game is …
Brighton 0-1 Liverpool: Who was man of the match?
Grinding out a win when not at your best is a mark of champions, according to the old footballing axiom. Brighton made life difficult for Liverpool on Saturday afternoon, but when the Reds found the breakthrough their game-management was superb.
It was a pedestrian first-half performance for the visitors, who predictably encountered a compact and deep-lying Brighton backline. The only real moments of excitement were a near-miss from a sliding Roberto Firmino and a header which Xherdan Shaqiri planted narrowly …
Player Ratings as Liverpool get back to winning ways
Liverpool returned to winning ways with a second-half penalty from Mohamed Salah enough to see the Reds through a resilient Brighton side. The result means Klopp's side are now seven points clear at the top, with Manchester City playing Wolves on Monday night.
Here are the ratings from the match.
Alisson - 6
Didn't have a save to make in the first-half given Liverpool's dominance in possession, but coped well with anything thrown at him as Brighton tried to respond …
Ageism Is Working Against James Milner
When a footballer hits 30, or at least in and around that age, something instantly changes in the way they are perceived by supporters.
Every bad performance is suddenly due to their advancing years, every misplaced pass is because they’re not as young as they once were and they are used as target practice every time their side suffers defeat.
Steven Gerrard even suffered from it, which says it all.
This is something we are suddenly seeing come to the …
Observations as Liverpool lose their cloak of invincibility at the Etihad
Well... That was a bit shit, wasn't it? Many of us went into the game praying that Liverpool don't lose tonight, and for large parts of the game, it seemed as though the players heard the prayers as Liverpool were largely in their shell. Liverpool needed an Aguero goal at the Etihad (for the zillionth time) to wake up from their slumber. Liverpool equalised with an exquisite move but lost out to a great goal from Sane.
The key observations …
Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool: What went wrong?
Liverpool have been beaten for the first time in the Premier League this season. It was closely-fought, but Manchester City, the ultimate in title rivals, were deserved winners.
The Reds were punished for their first real defensive lapse late in the first half when Sergio Aguero lathered it past Alisson but managed to snatch an equaliser after raising their level just after the hour mark.
Supporters may have dreamed of a glorious three points at that stage, but it was …
Reds stutter as superb City end the unbeaten run
That Brexit midfield. That Dejan Lovren. Why? Just why?
Liverpool finished second-best in all departments as they lost 2-1 to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, and saw their lead at the top of the Premier League cut to four points, with seventeen games left to play. Leroy Sane scored the winner for City after Sergio Aguero's superb opener was cancelled out by Roberto Firmino.
Liverpool can have no complaints, and from the off, City looked like the side with more …
Is it time to reconsider Jordan Henderson in a midfield two?
The selection of Jordan Henderson in a midfield pivot has long been met with derision by Liverpool fans, but is it time to reconsider the skipper's capabilities in the position?
Henderson was often the main midfield driver during his earlier years at the club, moving in from right midfield to partner Steven Gerrard in the title run of 2013/14, often described as 'doing the running for two' whilst Gerrard sat back and pinged balls around the pitch in his twilight …
Liverpool 4-0 Newcastle: A Tactical Breakdown
Liverpool FC vs. Newcastle United FC; it's one of the most historic games in the Premier League, supposedly always meant to be a toe-to-toe, all-action, enigmatic thriller. Add in the magic of Boxing Day - a day which Liverpool have not lost a league match on for over twenty years - and the return of Rafael Benitez, and there was a recipe for something fantastic.
Newcastle are not the force they once were though, and despite their manager, on a …
Liverpool's 48 From 18
See!
And there’s you – YOU! – slagging off Roy Hodgson! Roy Hodgson, for God’s sake! The very pinnacle of the establishment. The embodiment of the English game. Dignity personified. How dare you —YOU of all people — have the infernal GALL to do so much as raise your voice in criticism against this much-loved figurehead of the beautiful game.
This is why I’m different to you. You and your filthy kind.
At no point did I give up on …