TWO of your goals to nil. Two nil. 2-0. The scoreline of undoubted superiority. I’ve seen few undeserved twonils in my time supporting the Reds. It’s a submission scoreline. It’s boxing for the inevitable points win. It’s 6-4 6-4.
Liverpool’s twonil tonight is almost that bit too pure. It was the consequence of the result and performance against City. You just get that twonil. You twonil them. Legs need to be saved. The worst thing about the phenomenon of the twonil for me is watching the opponent take it. Accept it as their fate. Burnley did that tonight. There was no late assault on the Liverpool goal, no throw of the dice, no lashing men forward and exposing the counter. Just a sensible acceptance of reality. Liverpool are better. You have lost.
Liverpool are better. You have lost. There is an irresistibility to Liverpool to the Reds at the minute, a collective certainty that victory is sealed. I can’t imagine this the other way round. Imagine watching a side submit and accept, imagine calling it at twonil. How does that happen? Who does that? Not us. Hopefully never, ever us.
29 – Since Christmas Liverpool have taken 29 points from 11 Premier League games, more than any other team. Gallop.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 4, 2015
What looked good? Joe Allen again, a lovely player. A suddenly certain footballer. This team makes perfect sense both to and around Joe Allen. Philippe Coutinho is endlessly expressive, a joy to behold. He makes football exciting and essential.
Neither Sterling nor Sturridge were perfect while Henderson was again an irrepressible captain. Goals, great balls and assists. That is the business in real terms. His ball for the goal only outweighed by his goal itself. Quality. Genuine quality.
Skrtel again impressed but Emre Can is on the verge of giving people reasons to live. The sheer awareness of the gulf between himself and those who line up against him. He wants to show you and show you he does with aplomb. Moreno felt a defensive player too far but that is part of the whole twonil thing. It is easy to feel you have one too many. But also lovely to have a game won.
10 – Daniel Sturridge has now scored 10 goals in his last 11 Premier League starts at Anfield. Update.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 4, 2015
We can be lazy about inevitable victories. We can tire of them. But they are the best things in football, watching your side win the games they should. They are a luxury few sides have. A luxury denied us earlier in the season. It might not be blood and guts. It might not lead to prose that quickens the pulse and raises the libido. But it is football. Sometimes one side has the better side. Sometimes one side has to be the poorer side. Sometimes results are inevitable.
The Reds. Inevitable. Inexorable. Immovable.
Twonil.
– Read how Mike Girling rated the players v Burnley
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Pics: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda
Is Hendo the new Souness?
Steady one. Fucking hell.
Souness didn’t get that close before blasting.
No. He’s just a very naughty boy.
Genuine, embarrassing LOL at work… quality reply mate.
It was Sounessesque, almost at the exact spot and at the same velocity as that cracker against CSKA Sofia in 1981 and on the exact day 34 years ago!
With the influx of players in the summer and players finding form at different times it’s been difficult to say what our best starting 11 is. I think it’s more or less that tonight. Sakho for Lovren isn’t up for debate and I think there could be a case for Ibe and Moreno sharing a place with Lallana switching when needed. He seems to pop up all over the place anyway. Coutinho, Lallana, Allen, Henderson and Sterling together are so aesthetically pleasing to watch. The tempo, the pressing, the skill and the vision. I was worried about tonight although that’s not unusual. The fallout from the Turkey trip and the unbelievable City game. The game against a relegation team after you’ve demolished the champions and a must win to boot. We’ve been there before. The last 2 seasons though we’re not coming unstuck. We’re just winning game after game. I’m really impressed with that performance tonight and those players. No one is gonna be able to live with our midfield soon. When Sturridge returns to full sharpness we’re gonna be unstoppable. Forget individual performances though, I’m convinced that team is the one that functions best as a team.
Sexy Moves! It seems like almost everyone in this team has some sexy moves at the moment. One that stands out is Can’s flick over the man in the box. Cool, Calm and Sexy. There were many more but I won’t list them.
12 games unbeaten. Well done LFC! Well done Brendan!
A routine win = perfect under circumstances, no scares, no adrenaline rushes, no extra running, lovely
Jordan Henderson = a man’s man, a natural leader, becoming the complete midfielder, pity he’s been too nice a fella to tell the boss he’s too good to be babysitting or doing anyones running for them – build the team around him and watch him fly next season
Top 4 chances = slightly less than they were 24 hours ago, all top 7 won, goal difference is and will continue to be a serious issue & could well cost us
Diver Young’s late winner = as sickening a sight as any utd winner under fergie in fergie time – have never witnessed such a bad team accumulate so many points
1 game per week til end of season = perfect for Rodgers, lots of coaching time & less chances to make mistakes, (and in fairness he is making fewer mistakes in the past month)
All the top 8 won actually!
In this increasingly uncompetitive Premier League it is important to keep winning against the lesser teams – though obviously the games against Arsenal and particularly Man Utd are key. Think Man Utd still have some traces of that Fergie regime in their DNA, with alot lf late wins and saves this season now.
Arsenal will get top 4 though, they always do, so could come down to the game vs Utd at Anfield, with Spurs something of a chance too.
They do like Fu*k,
They were rubbish and beyond poxy to get a win,
A stonewall pen for the barcodes early denied and some good chances also spurned before a Krul Brainfart at the death,
LVG is hugely overrated and last night Giggs couldn’t even celebrate the winner at the end with him and Scholes actually seemed pissed off that the win will paper over the cracks,
They will be put to the sword at Anfield of that I have absolutely no doubt.
Do you not think that the TV companies and the EPL owners would want to see their prized asset in the top four??? I know my local pub owner does & he’s a Liverpool fan, but his taking are seriously down because they’ve loyal followers have all been in hiding for the last 12 months. It’s all about the money.
Goal difference will not be a factor. Man Utd are slipping, and they’ve a hell of a tough run in. If they’re anywhere near us by the end of the season, they’d have earned it.
Some of Chris McFullofshit’s comments from earlier this season. He called Rodgers a Charlatan. He said we’d finish nearer bottom than top and that Brendan can’t work with Young players. He got it wrong. He’s full of shit.
I’d have loved to have been wrong about him. Would love to be sitting here laughing at what a tit I was to question his team selections and tactical nous and transfer dealings. Would love to be too embarrassed to post. But it’s not happened. It won’t happen.
In terms of points we’ll finish a lot closer to bottom than top. We’re not going to be top 6, never mind top 4. The best thing he ever done was hand control of everything over to Suarez. That’s his best management decision. To delegate power and responsibility to a genius. That genius has moved on and we’re left with a charlatan.
The squad is a mess. An unmitigated disaster. We’re so lopsided and imbalanced it’s mind boggling. People will say that’s because there are at least two different entities at the football club signing players. No. It’s down to Rodgers. He, as a manager, should have said I sign all the players or I walk. Take it or leave it. But nope. Too comfortable. Too happy to have an excuse. Too arrogant of his coaching ability. Neil says he can coach improvement from young players. Im not sure. Young players naturally improve. And has Rodgers coached any of these defenders, both young and old, to be better? Why can he not coach even an average defensive unit?
Robin Crimes wrote: “I was worried about tonight although that’s not unusual. The fallout from the Turkey trip and the unbelievable City game. The game against a relegation team after you’ve demolished the champions and a must win to boot.”
Ditto mate. Especially with Burnley’s game being all about running the fuck around and after all our exertions.
We handled it with the utmost professionalism.
Henderson was superb pinging balls around and scoring like the current captain but also smartly positioning himself with a midfield partner just like he did with Lucas.
Sturridge continues to look off form yet still manages to bang in goals. Lovren looking more assured each game.
Loved the Can back-heel inside pass to the midfield. Sakho would’ve loved that.
More loveliness from Allen.
Hendo is not the new Souness. He is nowhere near a Souness. He is becoming the new Hendo though – and y’know what? That is looking pretty damned good.
Newcastle don’t take bribes do they? In the dark days of November even our defence couldn’t have contrived to concede a more Keystone 88th minute losing goal. Dickheads. But it’s up to us to do our own thing.
And we’re doing it.
All these outside the box screamers are doing my head in, there’s like one every game
From last season’s gung ho side we’ve finally evolved to a solid results grinding machine like this current side is. Solid defensively and always find the quality to score the goals required. Long may it continue
Another quietly proficient display from Joe Allen. I hope, I really, really hope, that the endless slagging of this quality player will finally start to die off.
Lovren, perhaps, has stopped trying too hard to impress and is finally starting to just play football. When Marmaduke is back, does Lovren move to the right side of the three and Can into midfield? And if so, who does Can displace?
Hopefully not. Hopefully Sakho just displaces Lovren and everyone else just stays where they are. Because that works.
This is what Bob Paisleys teams did well. Knock over second rate opposition with minimal fuss and exertion
A few people are going on about Utd winning. From what I’ve read they weren’t convincing again. Next up for them is Arsenal in the cup but then more importantly Spurs, Liverpool, Villa, City, Chelsea then Everton. Plus Arsenal a few games later. By the time the Everton game is over we’ll be out of sight if we continue like this.
Carrick’s back for them now and unfortunately LVG seems to have finally twigged that you play Rooney in the 9 to get the best out of him. RVP getting injured is that best thing that ever happened to them.
What will be interesting is if they *do* lose a big game, as it’s obvious there is a bad vibe in that squad right now. I watched their game on BT Sport as I couldn’t get a decent feed on the LFC game, and Fellaini and di Maria were very pissed off with their substitutions. Falcao must wonder when he’s next going to get a game if they’re not bringing on their 30mill striker when it’s 0-0 with 10 to go in a game they really had to win.
They are managing to grind out victories, but I wouldn’t be that surprised by a dramatic collapse if they don’t start this difficult run well. They’re the opposite of us at the moment: brittle.
Why compare Henderson to one of our greatest ever players?
He’ll never measure up to such a comparison.
‘We can be lazy about inevitable victories. We can tire of them. But they are the best things in football, watching your side win the games they should. They are a luxury few sides have.’
This. The Red Machine is back. It’s been a long, long time. Solid tonight, so, so solid. We are the so solid crew (sorry). By far the most balanced team and squad of Rodgers reign. Long may it continue.
Yeah imagine the squad doing version of 21 Seconds, Phillipe would have the best flow tho in Portuguese, Lazar on the hook, JorDan would relish it Ibe n Studge.
Brendan as Megaman, big chain swanging…
Sorry getting carried away, interviewed em once were going to be Uk’s Wu Tang till they all started getting locked up.
Nivea for Men…, Look what its done for Miggs n Hendo, Raheem could use it less sparingly, Lovren needs to use it by the bucket, Daniel could use some on his feet, Big Sak on his hip, Joe Allen has been sneaking some of Hendo, Emre is men and doesn’t require any grooming assistance and Coutinho fell into it as a baby, (Asterix)
Mignolet Header!!!
Ha! V. Funny
Jordan Henderson is way better than Souness in terms of fitness and speed of thought. But even in relative terms, I think Hendo has it in him to be up there with the likes of Souness if he continues to grow like this. He will be his own man though.
Silly and pointless post.
Souness never got to play in 52 inch 1080P HD.
Unfair to compare fitness levels of a modern day footballer to one who played in the 70’s/80’s.
As for the speed of thought comment , did you actually see Souness play?
It was never about fitness, but competitiveness. When Barca were doing the Carousel against United, Hansen stated ‘that would never have happened to us.’ And it wouldn’t. Because those Liverpool teams were full of champions. His point wasn’t that his team would have beaten Barca, but that they’d have found a way to compete.
Good win that.
Solid boxed off win at the business end of the season. Just what we wanted, just what we needed. Hendo is back to his form of last year and has added so much more given his extra responsibility, it bodes well, the cross for Studge was immaculate, four defenders taken out in one swoop of his boot.
Some of the posts are looking towards that lot up the East Lancs Road. Why ? We are Liverpool, just focus on what we are doing if we do what we need to the rest will fall into place. Derek called it spot on, fuck what they are doing, “we will put them to the sword at Anfield”
Confidence breeds confidence in football and we are well into confidence mode, bring it all on, FA Cup or Prem one game at a time and do the biz…
Well done men in red and well done BR.
Spot on, mate.
Only downside was how many times Sturridge gave away possession. It really stuck out compared
to the rest of the side. WTRWWAW
I definitely don’t think United will be a walkover at our place. They have a superb keeper and what reason is there to think that they won’t be outplayed but will get some kind of result (again)?
As ugly as it was, their winner carried an odd kind of calm authority. Like ‘This is the moment we win the game. We’ll make a nuisance of ourselves, make them make a mistake and then clinically punish them. We’ll commit absolute robbery, because that’s what we do’.
Have to say it was terrific work by Rooney and a fantastic finish under immense pressure by Young. They could do that to us and our attack will need to be at its very best to beat De Gea more than once.
We are playing better than any side in the league, at the moment though. It’s amazing how things have turned around. If I had to bet on it, I would now go with us finishing 4th, with Arsenal 3rd and United 5th. I think it will still go right to the wire, even with the tough run of games that United now face.
The end of the season is going to be almost as exciting as last year. Keeping a club like United out of the Champions League, for the second campaign in a row, has enormous implications. It could shape how the next decade plays out.
They are already paying well-over the odds for players that are just enabling them to tread water. If they don’t qualify for the Champions League, then it is going to be really difficult for them to get the players that they need. What they already have, clearly isn’t good enough.
“Emre Can is on the verge of giving people reasons to live. The sheer awareness of the gulf between himself and those who line up against him. ”
I lol’d. This is and will surely remain the definitive Emre Can description. You’ve summed it up perfectly.
1. Remember the old Liverpool mantra – one game at a time. Boring I know , but let’s not get carried away.
2. I imagine wee Brendan doing the thing Shanks did with Ron Yeeeets- ” come and look at my colossus” and pointing to Jordan Henderson.
I don’t like to single players out in Brendan’s brilliant team ethic but the Jordy boy is becoming indispensable.
Hopefully he stays fit and available until the season’s end , his suspension did for us last season.
And he did the lovely little skip again before he scored. New captain or not , he is “The Skipper”
3. Who does Gerrard replace in that team? Who deserves to be left out? Certainly not Joe Allen.
Haha, there were a few things I liked about last night. Henderson’s skip was my favourite. I’ve watched that about 10 times. I love how much he wanted Coutinho’s shot to go in. Obviously I liked Sterling’s look of come on mate you’re taking the piss now, just give me five, to Sturridge. I love the way Skrtel loves it when we score. It’s like kids football, when they leg it over to the goalscorer no matter how far away they are, and he’s always the first there. I found the second goal celebration interesting. I think there’s quite a few players who really buy into the team spirit. Skrtel, Can, Lallana, Allen, Moreno, even Lovren and I think Jordan Henderson’s their leader. The one they look up to and Jordan’s loving it. Theatre aside, he really is coming out of himself. I think he’s gonna be a brilliant captain. Like last year, it just looks like the team wanna play for each other. That’s the single most important thing about watching Liverpool for me.
And all this without Flanno!
Haha. Very good.
I tell you what i’ve loved about this run of excellence, all of these ‘expert’ pundits shutting up about Gerrard leaving. Shearer has shut his gob about how we’ve made a huge mistake not signing him back up. They’ve all forgotten he is even still there now. Interesting to see what happens when he’s back from injury, no way can he replace Joe or Hendo right now. Even more interestingly, will he play in HIS cup final (if we get there of course). I don’t see how he can’t but it will be tough on whoever drops out.