History Is Being Written
The weekend's games brought up a variation of emotions for all Reds fans, with the jubilant FA Cup Final victory quickly replaced by pure viewership of the West Ham v City battle.
Both games ended in a draw, and where Liverpool's score line eventually produced silverware, it could be that City’s draw will inevitably do the same. Points will still need to be dropped by City for Liverpool to stand a chance, and a stand-alone win against Southampton will keep …
Observations: Groundhog Day
I've seen this one before. Liverpool vs Chelsea in a domestic cup final. Both teams create lots of chances, though the Reds are slightly the better side. None of these are scored, with two excellent goalkeeping displays. Thomas Tuchel makes a sub deep in extra time, gambling on a penalty specialist. But eventually, Liverpool triumphed, holding their nerve to seal it in the shootout. Really someone should be asking what the scriptwriters have been doing these last few months, because …
Observations: Hard Work for The Reds against solid Spurs.
Let's address the issue on everyone's minds first. With only 1 point gained against Tottenham, Liverpool are now 3 points behind Manchester City if they won their game in hand. This means Jurgen Klopp and his boys now need City to lose a game rather than just draw. This makes it less likely, but it still can turn on a single result. Fingers crossed then. With that covered, onto the game itself.
The most striking thing from this game was …
Liverpool 1 - 1 Tottenham - The Player Ratings
Alisson Becker - 7.5
The monster keeper started in this clinical game, with his brilliance most required. A couple of good early stops saw him start brightly. Could do nothing for the opening goal, as the away side calved open the reds backline.
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 7.0
Back into the league line up after a rest against Newcastle. He had an early sighter that flew over, and a few good deliveries in a possession heavy opening period. Was called to …
Footballs Of Steel
The past weekend saw a remarkable run of results continue, as Liverpool saw off Newcastle at St James' Park. The Reds are in the midst of a battle across three remaining fronts, with Villarreal dispatched after a minor scare in midweek.
Earlier in the year I wrote a piece named ‘Rotation, Rotation, Rotation’, as the Reds continued to smartly use the depth of their squad. It’s always been a tricky subject for clubs that partake in rotation, as the squads' …
Villarreal 2 - 3 Liverpool - The Player Ratings
Alisson Becker - 7.5
The most assured pair of gloves in football, and with no fault for Villarreal’s first half goals, made one brilliant one on one stop. Became a spectator until Liverpool scored, which was a welcome sight. Had very little from there to deal with.
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 6.5
After given a much needed breather at the weekend, the playmaking fullback came back in for Joe Gomez. He looked shaky, and unsure of how to play the ball …
Observations: The Reds celebrate Jurgen's new contract with a win
Today Liverpool were the calmest ones in the room. Many fans will have been increasingly nervous as the seconds ticked by and the scoreline stayed at just 1-0, but despite a few misplaced passes, the Reds stayed as calm as you like, defended the space, and gave up nothing to see out the win. Newcastle had a measly 4 shots in the game, all of which were from considerable distance and didn't give Alisson much trouble. Joe Gomez, rotated in …
Observations: Half Time against Villarreal
Only half time, that will be the message Jurgen Klopp gives to his lads after they beat Villarreal 2-0 at Anfield. But it was a truly dominant first half, with the yellow submarine only managing a single shot in the whole match, and even that could barely be called such as Lo Celso stretched to get to the ball. It was a pretty much perfect display from Liverpool. The counter-press was particularly impressive today, as Fabinho had a fantastic game …
Liverpool 2 - 0 Villarreal - The Player Ratings
Alisson Becker - 7.5
The monster keeper was a certain starter, but he was a virtual spectator through the first half. Concentration (and whether to grab a snack from the crowd) was all he had to do, before a poor Villarreal corner on 73 minutes.
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 9.0
After a tricky derby, he was tasked with showing more composure. He seemed keen to show strength in defense from the off, and he really started to purr as the half …
Observations: Siege Warfare
Divock Origi absolutely loves playing Everton. I'm sure you'll hear that in every article about this game, but it's worth saying anyway. There is no-one better at coming up with the goods at the perfect moment, in the hour of direst need. It seems very likely that Origi will be leaving Liverpool at the end of this season, but if that is to be the case, what a way to say goodbye. Liverpool beat Everton by 2 goals to 0 …