Roma 4-2 Liverpool: Kyiv Awaits

Rarely has a defeat been greeted with such joy. Liverpool fans rose as one at the final whistle, their chants becoming a battle cry: bring on Real Madrid. For this is what lies ahead for this remarkable side that Klopp has assembled – a Champions League final against the team looking to win it for the third time in a row. The whispers, if not yet shouts, are becoming more insistent: “we could do this, you know”. Such things dreams are made of, and yet the Liverpool players are one win away from making it an unbelievable reality, forever enshrining themselves in legend in the process.

Memories of the Manchester City tie would undoubtedly have been fresh in their minds as they stepped out onto the pitch with a three-goal aggregate lead from the first leg. Their defence of such a margin began disastrously at the Etihad, but lessons had been learned: Liverpool did not start like a team with a lead to hold onto, instead going about their business in the usual attacking way. Reward was reaped almost immediately – Sadio Mane, who was exceptional throughout the evening, was on hand to fire past Alisson after a defensive error provided the opportunity to score. Some of the tension, inevitable in any Champions League semi-final regardless of the context of the tie, was released; Roma now needed four. Nobody who has supported Liverpool for any length of time thought that this was impossible, and anyone who was labouring under this illusion was quickly disabused of it. The hosts had one back just minutes later in freakish circumstances: a hacked clearance hit James Milner in the face and positively rocketed beyond Karius. It was hugely unfortunate, both for the team and the individual; Milner, of course, was responsible for the penalty at the end of the first leg too, but there was very little he could do about either incident. Roma sniffed a chance, and the crowd at the Olimpico whipped up a feverish atmosphere.

Liverpool, however, were unperturbed. Virgil Van Dijk was imperious in the face of the howls of the crowd, bringing an element of calmness that in the circumstances felt almost out of place. It was his countryman, though, who sparked wild celebrations from the away end – the Champions League continued its uncanny habit of producing irresistible narratives, as Gini Wijnaldum scored his first away goal since arriving in English football on the biggest possible stage. It was not particularly pretty – Van Dijk went up for a header from a corner and missed it, but the defensive clearance looped up towards Wijnaldum who was lurking on the edge of the six-yard box. The ball arched off his head and into the net: the roars of elation rose in a crescendo, as fans realised that it was not offside and that Wijnaldum, of all people, had just scored the vital second away goal. This left Roma needing four once again, and even this would only have been enough to force extra-time. The goal made Liverpool’s the most prolific Champions League campaign ever, surpassing that of Barcelona in 1999/2000; the sheer firepower looked to have proved too much for Roma.

In fairness to the Italians, they certainly did not give up. History, even recent history, can have intangible effects on teams – Roma played like a side who knew they could overturn impossible odds in the face of world class opposition. The first stages of the second half felt in many ways like the barrage to which Liverpool were subjected by Manchester City: wave after wave of attack crashed down upon the defence, which again caved early on. Alexander-Arnold missed his interception, which left the path to Karius free – the German parried the resulting shot into an awful area, and Dzeko made no mistake on the rebound. After this, the back line clung on for dear life as more attacks rained down, just barely managing to repel what was thrown its way. It would be petty not to note the part which the referee played in keeping Roma at bay. Dzeko was wrongly called offside just before getting hauled down in the box by Karius for what would have been a certain penalty, and then Trent Alexander-Arnold got away with a goal-line block which was shown by replays to be a handball. That said, the defence dug deep and deserved their slices of luck, particularly given that Mane had been denied a spot kick for a clear shove in the opening stages of the game.

The clock kept ticking over, and Roma seemed to have expended everything they had. Liverpool looked the more likely to get the next goal with fifteen minutes to play – the physical and psychological effects of constantly attacking without reward appeared to be taking their toll on the hosts. However, there was still time to make things nervy. In the 86^th minute, Radja Nainggolan restored a semblance of hope with a sweetly-struck strike from outside the box. He did not look as though he genuinely believed that there was time for the comeback, but he conjured up a second wind for the players and fans around him. The noise, which had become somewhat muted, returned in abundance, and Roma responded. Klopp’s men stood firm once more, but as in the first leg fell victim to a highly questionable penalty decision. Ragnar Klavan, brought on to shore up the defence, had the ball pelted in his direction from close range – the official, taking it upon himself to stir up some late drama, pointed to the spot. Nainggolan was on hand once again to blast the ball into the net, and suddenly one more goal would produce extra time. In the end, though, it was not enough: the final whistle came just moments after the restart, and was greeted with unbridled joy by Liverpool fans across the world. That blast on the whistle signified the realisation of a dream: Liverpool are in the final.

There is now an excruciating wait until the 26^th May, a date undoubtedly etched into the minds of all supporters. Still, the last time that Liverpool fans had a Champions League final to look forward to it was 2007 – they have waited patiently through the era of Hodgson, of Paul Konchesky and Andriy Voronin, and in that context three weeks is nothing. The context also provides some reassurance: regardless of what happens when Liverpool come face to face with the reigning European champions, it is clear that the club has truly embarked upon a new era. It is an era in which trophies will undoubtedly come, even if the upcoming final proves a stretch too far; Klopp is moulding a team that can compete at the highest level for years to come. All that said, the team will certainly believe that they might just be able to get their hands on the Champions League later this month: Kyiv awaits.  

- James Martin (@JamesMartin013)

Liverpool 5-2 Roma: Post-Match Thoughts

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it looks to have fallen in the space of ninety minutes. Eusebio Di Francesco had marshalled his men through to this point, conquering the likes of Barcelona along the way, but venturing to the fields of Anfield Road was a stretch too far for the Italians. One of the greatest performances ever witnessed in a European semi-final saw Roma put to the sword; a rampant Liverpool smashed five past them, and in truth could have had many more. A late rally from the vanquished side saw them steal two away goals, but Klopp can now march on Rome with a three-goal lead. 

It says something about the new standards that the German has instilled that many fans came away from the match with at least a hint of frustration. The very notion that a performance in which five goals are scored in a Champions League semi-final is somehow not good enough is a bizarre one, and yet that was the feeling amongst some – the two late goals were sloppy ones to concede, and introduced at least a tiny hint of doubt into Liverpool minds. However, to dwell on this would be absurdly negative. Five goals. In a semi-final. The magnitude of the achievement is hard to take in. The Anfield side have very much announced their return to the top level of the game, and they are making opponents at that level look amateur. Such are the usually fine margins at this rarefied peak of the sport, fifteen of the last seventeen home first-leg winners have gone on to win the tie – a home win is often the slight advantage that can settle things, and Liverpool have produced a home demolition. A Champions League final is in touching distance: this is not a time for negativity, this is the most exciting time to be a Liverpool fan in at least a decade.

Not least amongst the reasons for this excitement is a certain Mo Salah. The Egyptian once again produced a display of the highest quality, tormenting his former club with his pace, trickery and finishing. Oh, the finishing. The first was a masterpiece of both power and precision, rifling a strike into the very top corner after he had been allowed to cut inside from the right. Alisson, arguably Roma’s best player this season, was left helpless as the ball flew past him: this was a feeling he would be getting used to for the rest of the night. The second goal, in its own way, was just as good: Salah timed his run to perfection before delicately lifting the ball over the onrushing Brazilian stopper. Anfield held its breath as it looped up – would it drop in? The colossal roar that followed provided the answer. 

This is far from a one-man team, however: both of the other members of the front three would hit the net before the night was done. It was Sadio Mane who made it three, sending the Liverpool fans into total raptures – he had missed some big opportunities in the first half, but was in the right place to turn home a cross from close range. Firmino, who had registered the assist for both of the Salah goals, then set about getting on the scoresheet himself. His first was almost a carbon copy of Mane’s goal. He showed the awareness to pick up a good position, and reaped his reward with an easy finish. His second, to bring the team’s goal tally up to a staggering five, was a simple header from a Milner corner; Roma looked broken, and could not even master the basics at this point. Incidentally, the assist makes Milner the all-time leading assister for a single Champions League season: this fittingly marks his remarkable renaissance. The injury to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, so devastating on a personal level for a player just beginning to hit the form of his career, makes it all the more important that Milner can keep up these high standards.

Of course, the game ended on something of a sour note. Lovren, who had been integral to repelling Roma’s early onslaught in the first half, was caught out – a relatively simple ball over the top towards Dzeko was misjudged, and the Bosnian had time to take it down and finish past Karius at the near post. Then came the penalty: Milner was perhaps naïve to have his arm out as he moved to block the ball, but it is nonetheless a harsh interpretation to call it a deliberate handball. In any case, Perotti converted the penalty coolly to give Roma at least a semblance of hope. However, in any other circumstances, would Roma’s chances even be under genuine discussion having lost the first leg by three goals? The combination of the timing of their two goals and their success in overturning a margin of the same size against Barcelona in the last round have made people underplay the enormity of Liverpool’s achievement. There is an almost an attitude that it is ‘only’ three goals, and that somehow Klopp’s men are still very vulnerable going into the second leg. Anything could happen, that goes without saying, but whether the lead is three or five it would take a disaster to throw it away in Rome. The Anfield side are undoubtedly in the ascendency, and firmly so – for this, every single player on the pitch deserves immense credit.

- @JamesMartin013

Liverpool’s Pre-Season Form- Should We Be Worried?

Liverpool’s Pre-Season Form- Should We Be Worried?



Just over a week ago, Liverpool left Anfield behind to go on their tour of America. Their first game of the tour was against Toronto, which ended in a 1-1 draw, and their second game was a 2-1 defeat to AS Roma. Their next match of the tour is against Tottenham.

Brendan Rodgers has only recently taken the reins at LFC, and I don’t think he will be particularly pleased with his first two results. Toronto is not exactly a world-class team and yet we could not manage to beat them, and losing to AS Roma will have been disappointing. However, it has to be remembered that Rodgers is using this pre-season tour to assess some of the reserves. Liverpool haven’t fielded anything like their strongest team in either of the two matches. The first and second choice goalkeepers Reina and Doni were not even taken on the tour! This makes the results a lot more understandable.

Although the teams fielded haven’t been full strength, there have however been members of the normal starting 11 involved in the games. With Carragher and Enrique both playing against Toronto, it is a little worrying that the team still let a goal in against such a small team. This is also the case against Roma, with two goals being conceded despite Skrtel playing alongside Carragher and Enrique, making it a close to full-strength defence for Liverpool. However, LFC were playing their 4th choice goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.

Also, despite the results, lots of encouragement can be taken from these first two games under the Rodgers regime. For instance, 712 passes were made by LFC in the game against Toronto (the first time Liverpool have made more than 700 passes in a game since 2008), with a pass accuracy rate of 92%. This is extremely impressive, and suggests the tika-taka style of play is already well on its way to being fully implemented at the club.

In conclusion, I don’t think the first two results from the pre-season tour are any particular cause of worry. Although the results haven’t come, the way the team have been playing is very good, and shows the club is heading in the right direction. Also, considering so many reserves are playing, the results (especially only losing 2-1 to Roma) are actually quite impressive and encouraging. Hopefully, with a full-strength team, this new style of play will bring the results that Liverpool need.