Spurs 0 -5 Liverpool: Post-Match Thoughts

Yesterday (Sunday 15^th December), Liverpool travelled to White Hart Lane to face a team who have been widely tipped as their rivals for a Champions League spot, Tottenham Hotspur. If Liverpool were at all concerned about the potential season-long ramifications of the game then they did not show it- despite (or perhaps in part thanks to- I’ll get to this later) the absence of the skipper Liverpool put in arguably their best performance of the season to come out, astonishingly, 5-0 victors.

For the first five minutes it looked as if the game would pan out as widely predicted. Both sides were piling on the pressure, trying to get in the faces of the opposition. If anything, Tottenham had the better of the early exchanges. However, they were quickly overwhelmed by the rapid passing and movement of the Liverpool attack- Sterling in particular wreaked havoc. The reds deservedly broke the deadlock after 18 minutes, with Henderson and Coutinho combining nicely before Suarez exquisitely beat his man in the box and curled the ball into the corner. Spurs had no answer to the Liverpool pressure, and consequently Liverpool were able to add a second before half time- Suarez this time turning provider for Jordan Henderson.

When the first half ended it was a disappointment- we had the upper hand, and I was worried the break would kill our momentum. It wasn’t to be- Liverpool came out very strongly. In all fairness Spurs made a half-decent attempt to rally- they had a few decent attacks, but in truth never really looked like scoring. Any distant hope of a comeback was quashed on 63 minutes when midfielder Paulinho was sent off. There has been a fair bit of debate surrounding the red card, but I definitely think it was the right decision. Accidental or not the fact is Paulinho caught Suarez in the chest with his ridiculously high boot, a dangerous ‘challenge’ (in inverted commas as it was never really a contest for the ball- Suarez was always getting there first) worthy of a sending off.

12 minutes later Liverpool took advantage- Suarez played a nice cross into the middle, where Jon Flanagan of all people hit the bouncing ball expertly into the very top corner. This crumpled the last of Tottenham’s resistance; the floodgates opened and Liverpool slammed two more past Spurs in the latter stages, Suarez scoring the 4^th with an excellent lob and Sterling rounding things off in the 89^th minute.

Although Tottenham were not at their best, it cannot be argued that Liverpool weren't deserving of the win. They played some sumptuous football, moving the ball round expertly in midfield then making a slick, smooth transition into attack. This may well have been partially down to the absence of Steven Gerrard- though his long balls are exceptional when they come off, he does have a tendency to be wasteful. His age also means he isn’t quite as mobile as he once was- the role of technician that Allen played in his place was a breath of fresh air for the team. 

To sum up, Liverpool put in one of the performances of the season to thrash Tottenham away from home. Suarez was excellent as usual, involved in all 5 goals, but the emphasis was more on the team than the individual. If we can keep up this standard of play we will certainly be in with a very real chance at the title come the end of the season. A lot of people are still dubious, but if a 5-0 win away from home against the team that finished just a point off 4^th last season isn’t enough to make people reassess just what we’re capable of, I don’t know what is. The future is bright.

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Defences Beware- Liverpool are Back

On Saturday 26^th October, Liverpool took on West Brom at Anfield. Having lost to them in the last thee games between the sides, they came out determined to end that streak. They did so, and they did so in style. They eventually came out 4-1 victors, but it could conceivably have been a much bigger score line. They played some glorious attacking football at times, and there were lots of encouraging signs to suggest that Liverpool, finally, are returning to the top of their game.

Liverpool took charge of the game from the very start, and were ahead after just twelve minutes. The goal was entirely down to Luis Suarez, who since his return from suspension has quickly re-established himself as the best player in the Premier League. He slotted the ball through the legs of Jonas Olsson, then fired coolly home into the bottom corner. The individual skill was immense. However, he wasn’t finished. Just 5 minutes later he showcased his vast range of talents again, with a simply astounding header from 17 yards out. Cissokho’s cross somewhat luckily fell to the Uruguayan on the edge of the box, who somehow generated enough power to send the ball flying into the top corner, past the helpless Boaz Myhill. Liverpool stayed on top for the rest of the half, with Suarez wreaking havoc in the West Brom defence, but they could not add another goal before half time.

They started the second half where they had left off, immediately blowing West Brom away with their excellent off-the-ball movement and fast attacks. Sturridge’s quick feet won Liverpool a free kick in a promising position 10 minutes into the half. A glorious free kick from the captain, Steven Gerrard, put the ball on a plate for Suarez to head home, thus completing his hat-trick. His performance certainly warranted at least three goals, and he could well have had more. The positive effect he has had on our already solid attack since his return has been immeasurable. Whilst he was out of action, some people seemed to forget just how good he was. Indeed, due to his less than ideal conduct during the summer transfer window, some fans called on the club to sell him! That now seems absolutely ludicrous. He does come with some excess baggage, but he more than makes up for it with his sublime talent on the football pitch.

That said, Liverpool are by no means a one man team, and Daniel Sturridge was eager to prove this. Not to be outshone, he really came to life after Suarez’s third goal. He very nearly made it 4 just minutes later; his powerful shot had Myhill totally beaten, but it somehow stayed out after hitting the underside of the bar. With both of our world class strikers into their stride, it looked set to become a rout. However, the assistant referee apparently had other ideas! After Lucas dispossessed Billy Jones in the box, the linesman inexplicably flagged for a foul. The referee seemed just as befuddled by this as the rest of us, but decided to bow tot the ‘superior’ judgement of his assistant and give the penalty. It was bizarre- it simply wasn’t a foul, and had the game been closer I would have been livid about it. Fortunately, the penalty (which was subsequently converted by James Morrison) had no impact on the result, but it was frustrating to be denied a clean sheet by such a ridiculous piece of officiating.

Liverpool were temporarily put out of their stride by the West Brom goal, and for a few nervous minutes it looked as if there might be a way back into the game for West Brom. However, any hopes of a West Brom comeback were well and truly crushed on 77 minutes, when Daniel Sturridge scored one of the best goals I have ever seen. He was just outside the box, and saw the goalkeeper marginally off his line.  What he tried next is a mark of the confidence flowing through him at the moment, and the fact that he managed to pull it off is a mark of his pure class. He chipped Myhill, measuring the lob to perfection so it dropped over the keeper and right into the top corner. Good as Suarez’s three goals were, this one blew them all out of the water.

To have both of these quality strikers on our team gives us what is what is undoubtedly (unless you’re Alan Hansen) the best strike partnership in the Premier League. Coutinho is set to return next week, and the thought of those three together is tantalising. Coutinho- the playmaker- has the ability to feed great balls into the path of one of our two front men, who, in their current form, are almost guaranteed to finish it! If we can play like we did in this game for the rest of the season (and that is a huge if), there is no reason why we cannot compete for not just the top 4, but also the title. Admittedly West Brom are not the most prestigious of opponents, but the way Liverpool played yesterday was, without a shadow of a doubt, the performance of potential champions. Defences- beware.

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Wigan vs Liverpool- My Post-Match Thoughts

In the late kick-off game yesterday (Saturday 2nd March), Liverpool  faced Wigan at the DW stadium.  Before the game many fans were concerned, as Daniel Sturridge was not playing and in the past we haven’t  proved particularly  clinical in front of goal without him. However, those fears were soon forgotten as Liverpool  ran riot, in the end winning 4-0. A very positive part of Liverpool’s play recently is how quickly they get out of the blocks. This game was no exception, and Stewart Downing headed Liverpool in front (yes, you did read that right) after just 110 seconds! The goal was made by Philippe Coutinho, who showed phenomenal skill to beat his man out wide, and then delivered a perfect ball into the box. The next goal was also created by Coutinho. Whereas the first goal demonstrated his excellent on-the-ball skill, this one showed his vision and sense of timing. He held the ball up, waiting for Suarez to make the run, and when he did Coutinho slotted it through to him perfectly. Suarez then finished extremely coolly, slotting it past the helpless Al-Habsi. After this it got even better for Liverpool, when they got a free kick just outside the area. Suarez slipped as he took it, but it deflected off the wall, off the post and in. It wasn’t ‘El Pistolero’s’ finest goal,  but it put Liverpool 3 goals in front. After half time Liverpool continued to dominate. The 4th goal seemed inevitable, it was just a question of who was  going to get it. The answer, of course, was Luis Suarez. Johnson slotted a lovely ball through to him, and he  completed his hat-trick by clinically slotting the ball into the Wigan net. So far I have only talked about the attackers, but one player who certainly deserves a huge amount of credit is Pepe Reina. He was back to his old self, making some absolutely stunning reaction saves. Although it is unlikely that Wigan would have got anything from the game with Liverpool in such a rampant mood, they did  have 4 big chances, all of which Reina managed to keep out spectacularly. Were it not for the outstanding play of Suarez, Reina would have been my man of the match. In conclusion, Liverpool played brilliantly. The attacking play was brilliant, the new signing Coutinho is proving  himself to be just as good a signing as I said he would be (see my previous article), and Reina appears to be  back to full form. If we can keep this up we should certainly qualify for the Europa and with a big game against  Tottenham next week, who knows? Maybe the top 4 still is just possible.