As I walked up towards
Anfield before the match yesterday, it was clear something was different; this
was no ordinary match day. All around me were Liverpool
fans with Carragher shirts, scarves and flags. Thousands of people had come to
bid the club legend goodbye, and the usual pre-game excitement was tinged with
sadness, but also with gratitude towards our great centre-back. Liverpool got the victory, but more poignantly kept a
clean sheet, Jamie Carragher’s 200th and last for the club, the game
finishing 1-0.
We were treated to some
wonderful attacking football right from the off, with Glen Johnson looking
extremely threatening as well as Coutinho lighting up the stadium with his
skill. We deserved a goal for our incredibly bright start, and it seemed as if
Coutinho had provided it after just two minutes, heading the ball into the net
from a corner. From my seat in the Main Stand I had an uninterrupted view of
the goal-line, and at the time I was convinced the ball had crossed. Having
seen replays since, I can see that I was not wrong, and indeed the goal should
have stood.
The team were not
disheartened. 17-year old debutant Jordan Ibe was making some very promising
runs down the left, although he was often outmuscled and dispossessed too easily.
Although Ibe is a winger and Carragher is a defender, there was certainly an
element of ‘the passing of the baton’, and the symmetry of a promising academy
youngster making his debut in Carragher’s final game was excellent. It was Ibe
himself who assisted Liverpool ’s goal when it
eventually came, laying it off to Coutinho who guided it powerfully and
expertly into the bottom corner. As it went in I looked up at the match clock
in the corner of the stadium, and saw that it had been scored in the 23rd
minute. This was as good a tribute to our exceptional number 23 as any of the
ones planned by the club.
The team as a whole played
very nicely throughout the game, but Sturridge simply wasn’t at the races. This
is why we need to ensure we buy a new striker in the summer; Borini is frankly
not good enough, Suarez is suspended and Sturridge is brilliant on his day but
some weeks just doesn’t turn up. Yesterday was one of his poor games, and
consequently Coutinho didn’t have as much of a chance to show his excellent
through-ball ability (although he still demonstrated his all-round talents). It
was immensely frustrating to watch, as Sturridge has tremendous pace, but
seemingly couldn’t be bothered to use it. In his demeanour and playing style he
strikes me as similar to Berbatov, slouching around and not making many runs,
but being absolutely deadly when the chances come his way. At first I was
sceptical about the idea of buying Loic Remy in the transfer window, but now I
see that his willingness to make off-the-ball runs could be very useful to us,
and fully utilise Coutinho’s immense passing skills.
One of the highlights of the
match was Jamie Carragher striking the woodwork with a screamer of a shot from
outside the box. Yes, you did read that correctly! Whenever he got the ball the
crowd were urging him to shoot, and on one occasion he did. It was struck with
a huge amount of power, and would have easily beaten Rob Green. Unfortunately
it was marginally too high, and Carragher was not able to sign off with an
unlikely wonder goal. He was given a standing ovation when he was substituted
in the last 10 minutes. Credit to the QPR fans here, a large majority of whom
joined in with the applause as a footballing legend left the field having played
his final game.
QPR made a couple of
half-chances, but never looked like scoring. In the end the action of the game
was overshadowed by the occasion, Carragher’s farewell. Coutinho scored a
brilliant goal, once again showing that he is a brilliant signing and may well
play a key part in Liverpool ’s push for the
top four next season, but the man of the hour was Jamie Carragher. After the
match he came back on to the pitch, making a short speech. Unsurprisingly,
there were no Beckham-esque tears from the born and bred scouser, but you could
sense that he was sad to have played his last. He then joined the team in a
final lap of honour. Luis Suarez also participated in this, as did Steven
Gerrard, who had his arm in a sling. He then left the pitch to tumultuous
applause from the Liverpool fans, nearly all
of whom had stayed in the ground for this tribute after the final whistle. The
great defensive stalwart will be missed, not only for his defensive prowess but
for his leadership, passion and love of the club. He has been at Liverpool since before I was born, and has walked through
many a storm, but also been part of many glorious ‘golden skies’, most notably
the 2005 Istanbul Champions League Final where he threw his body on the line
despite serious cramp. He will be missed.
Thanks Carra.
-James Martin
Follow me on Twitter
@JamesMartin013
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