Observations: Heroes and Villans
Liverpool made it through a very chaotic game to manage a 2-1 victory against Aston Villa, but it was far from easy. This was incredibly stressful watching, and it started right from the off. Jurgen Klopp will be very irritated by the manner in which the game began, however, as the Reds conceded after just 3 minutes. In the build-up to the goal, Ollie Watkins was clearly offside, but the assistant didn't flag it and play continued. About a minute …
Aston Villa 1 - 2 Liverpool - The Player Ratings
Alisson Becker - 7.0
A frenetic start saw Liverpool go behind, and Ali could probably have done little more to stop it. Nearly gifted an open goal, with an amazing pass into Watkins early on. Had little else to do in the second half as the Reds controlled, but was alert to stop Ings late on.
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 7.0
Showed good defensive awareness, as Villa looked to exploit the wide areas. His dangerous delivery started to explore the Villa …
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 …
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 …
Liverpool 4 - 0 Manchester United - The Player Ratings
Alisson Becker - 8.0
A relative spectator for the first half, and did fine things in possession. Was able to stay focused throughout. A very nice outing as sweeper keeper.
Trent Alexander-Arnold 8.0
Brilliant work early on, with a rampaging urgency to help create the opening goal. Was a keen tracker when Sancho came on, and showed fine defensive ability to snuff out that threat.
Andy Robertson - 9.0
Up and down as always, his enthusiasm wasn’t entirely matched by …
Liverpool 3 - 2 Man City - The Man Of The Match - FA Cup Semi Final
Liverpool 3 - 2 Man City - The Man Of The Match - FA Cup Semi Final
Sadio Mane
In a period where questions surround Sadio’s future, he seems to have reinvented himself after the arrival of Luis Diaz. His contract is quickly reducing, and soon mist come the decision as to stick or twist with the Senegalese forward.
A switch to the central striker role was always going to take time, but the success that is now being garnered …