As has been the trend in modern times,
The whole game felt like it had been scripted for maximum
entertainment value. Right from the off the game had an exceptionally high
tempo to it, with both teams eager to press the ball and stop their opponents
from gaining the upper hand. Liverpool looked
the better of the two sides though; their pace on the break made the side look
very dangerous indeed, and chances were coming thick and fast thanks to
multiple sloppy passes from Spurs in dangerous areas. 15 minutes in the reds
opened the scoring – Lazar Markovic received the ball after Daniel Sturridge
had done well to hold it up, then fired across Lloris (who should probably have
done better) to get his first Anfield goal. Two excellent chances for Sturridge
followed soon after, but the striker looked understandably rusty and the hosts
failed to extend their lead. Barely 10 minutes after the Markovic goal it was
level again; Harry Kane decided to get his obligatory goal out of the way nice
and early, slamming it through Mignolet’s legs.
The rest of the first half continued in much the same vein –
both teams looked properly up for it, and the game was very much end to end.
However, it wasn’t until eight minutes into the second half that Liverpool struck again. It was from the penalty spot:
Gerrard just managed to squeeze it into the corner beyond Lloris after
Sturridge had been brought down by a clumsy challenge from Danny Rose. Phil
Dowd, who had an awful game, did his best to deny us the pretty blatant penalty
kick – fortunately the assistant was competent, and flagged for the foul. Sadly
the same cannot be said of the other linesman, who’s error cost us a goal just
nine minutes later. The first mistake came from Phil Dowd; Gerrard won the ball
cleanly and fairly, but the referee blew for a foul. The resulting
free kick
was taken brilliantly by Eriksen, but the Dane was denied by an excellent save
from Mignolet, who had a brilliant game. The ball then fell to Kane, who was
standing in an offside position – this was missed by the assistant referee, and
the subsequent Dembele goal stood.
Credit must go to Rodgers for the response to this second
equaliser. His three switches were an unmitigated success. Firstly, Gerrard
(who had a slight hamstring issue) was taken off for Lovren, allowing Can to
move into midfield. The German was already a man of the match contender for his
performance in the back three, but was arguably even better in his preferred
role in the centre of the park. After this, with 15 minutes to play, Sturridge
– who still isn’t quite ready for a full 90 – was replaced by Mario Balotelli.
This change was quickly followed by a tactical switch that saw Markovic make
way for Lallana. It was Balotelli and Lallana who combined for the winning
goal: with seven minutes to play, Ibe showed immense skill to beat his man and
then flick it into Lallana. The ex-Southampton man then drilled it across the
box with excellent precision, and then the fairytale moment that has been
threatening to happen for so long finally came to fruition. Balotelli made a
nice run in behind his man, and coolly guided the ball into the far corner of
the net from close range. What a moment.
The result is great for Liverpool, as it sees us move to
within a point of Tottenham and just three points of fourth place (although United
and Southampton wins tonight would increase
that to a gap of five). However, just as pleasing as the result was the
performance. Everyone played well, but there are a few main positives that I
want to highlight. The first is the exceptional performance of Jordon Ibe –
despite being just 19, I voted him my man of the match for the second game
running. He terrorised Danny Rose throughout the match, and showed great
positivity with his multiple cut-ins and direct runs. The fact that his
performances are good enough to prompt people to draw comparisons with Sterling
says it all; whether or not he does have equal or better potential to Sterling
is of course debatable, but he certainly has a very bright future ahead of him.
The second positive was the performance of another young player, Emre Can. He
made a couple of vital blocks and tackles while in defence, and then showed his
exceptional power and pace with some bursting runs from midfield. He was voted
man of the match by LFC fans on Twitter. For me, he’s the most exciting of our
summer signings – he has all the hallmarks of a potentially special player.
Thirdly, Sturridge is closing in on a full 90 minutes; although he wasn’t at
his sparkling best in this game, he still managed to get two assists. If you
can do that on an off day, that pretty much says it all. Fourthly, Balotelli!
He’s finally got his first Premier League goal for Liverpool ,
and at a wonderful time. Hopefully that will give him confidence, and also give
Rodgers the motivation to reintroduce him to the team regularly – I’d love to
see him given a chance up top with Sturridge. Fifth, the first Anfield goal for
Markovic: he’s another summer signing with huge potential, and hopefully he can
kick on having scored his first home goal against one of the league’s best
keepers. Finally, Mignolet deserves a special mention. I’ve been defending him
all season – although he had a definite dip in form, he was never the root of
our problems – but now he doesn’t need me to defend him. He’s drawing praise
from even his most ardent of critics by not only continuing to show off his
excellent shot stopping abilities, but also suddenly showing confidence and
authority when claiming crosses. It’s a big claim, but I think he’s been one of
the league’s best goalkeepers since Christmas.
To sum up, this win is huge for Liverpool Football Club. As
well as properly putting ourselves into the intensely close race for a top four
spot, the multiple amazing individual performances were extremely encouraging.
Even if we do miss out on fourth place this season (which, for the record, I
don’t think will happen), we’re certainly building a formidable outfit for the
near future. Don’t be surprised to see us back competing for the title next
season – for now, let’s get that Champions League spot.
-James Martin
Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013
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