I’M meant to do player ratings now but I’m not going to. Its irrelevant. It’s always slightly irrelevant, of course, but feels even more so tonight.
What score do you give Simon Mignolet? I don’t want to criticise Nathaniel Clyne for being up against their only good player. I don’t want to assess James Milner as a full back when he’s not a full back. I don’t want to judge centre halves against each other when they were both brilliant.
I’ll rate Emre Can. He can have nine. What a player.
- Read – Manchester United 1 Liverpool 1: Match review
- Read – Manchester United 1 Liverpool 1: Five from Fitzgerald
- Listen – Manchester United 1 Liverpool 1: Immediate post-match reaction
To the side of big Emre, Jordan Henderson struggled. But then it’s since emerged he was throwing his ring up at half-time. So….
Ahead of them Adam Lallana and Roberto Firmino struggled. It’s all well and good looking pretty when you’re on top, but what about when your team is struggling?
Phil Coutinho showed how to contribute at all costs. It’s why he’s still the best player in the team. He was dreadful and then he danced through them and scored. My hero, my mate.
After that we got to enjoy the second half, knowing we would win. They didn’t have three in them. Just a shame we didn’t get the winner.
Five minutes to go we just watched the upper tier. A dozen Reds emerged with a flag. Soon they were inevitably attacked. They stood firm. Liverpool taking the piss. The away end chant at them. “You Scouse bastards”
And now back at the van. In one way, we’re just through to the next round of a competition we don’t care too much about. In another way we’ve showed our dominance over our local rival. As a feeling that’s right up there.
Up the Reds.
You’re a good lad but I’d swap you for Coutinho.
haha. a good one.. John’s ratings are funny usually, but today’s a bit ‘gloomy’ imo. But your comment made up. cheers
Why did you not call the boy Patrick with a birthday like that?
Well done to you for getting as good a read as this up after this, I’d have struggled for basic coherence.
Highlight of my night, seeing Gibbo and wishing the lad a happy birthday in the old Trafford bogs!! Well maybe the highlight after Coutinho’s goal and that half time, and that dozen lads standing firm!!
Lovren wasn’t brilliant. Far from it.
Ok Dendrick
Please go boil your head
Drinking a celebration caiparinha in São Paulo, Brazil and fucking loving it.
Wish I’d have been there.
10/10 UPPER TIER LADS.
Sakho was immense
Well said Gibbo it’s not a night of judging players and performances we stood toe to toe with them over 2 legs and came out on top .
Care about this competition…
Clyne’s first ropey game of his Liverpool career tonight doesn’t change the fact he’s had really good season and been a marked improvement on what’s came before in that position. Remember when Glen Johnson would make having that type of nightmare game the norm across a season?
Sakho legimately put in the best centre half performance I’ve seen from a Liverpool player in years (so possibly since Carragher started to lose his legs? The best since ages is what I’m getting at).
And for someone who had to have had one of the worst debut seasons in the club’s history Lovren doesn’t look too shabby either. Fair play to him.
Couldn’t argue with any of that,
Apart from not challenging for one header, Milner did well also,
Migs distribution and overall performance is dangerously veering towards solid/dependable,
Ditto Lovren,
And then we have Emre,
Cannot believe the improvement in this fella, I just can’t get my head around how quick he’s gone from doin my head in to being a vital cog,
The manager & player deserve bags of credit for this,
I didn’t rate most of these players,
These were the ones who have done my head in the most,
fair play indeed Tom.
Can’s been great but I actually think tonight was the low end of his recent performances which says a lot about how he’s come on. Frustrated in how easily he squandered possession early on but then he just started cutting across United players and relieving them of the ball (another John Gibbons shout on a recent podcast) which has become his special move of late.
Milner did an admirable job and you can add left back to the list of positions I enjoy watching him play over centre mid trying to dictate it.
And I can’t remember Mignolet doing anything which made me want to have his contract ripped up in front of him tonight so a big well done to him too.
Spot on comments Tom. Sakho was simply outstanding tonight. O Magico cool as a cucumber for the goal. Mr Versatile looking competent at full back. Refusal to yield to the great grass at Grayskull. What a great night. I can’t be any more coherent, can’t find anymore alcohol, off to have sweet dreams. Soz Abar Tha. Up the Reds.
Tom, spot on about Clyne. He’s been our most consistent player this season 6~7 range. This was his one and only off game so far.
About Can too. he did better than Hendo obviously. but the lower range of his standards (past few games standards I mean).
Hendo played well in the first leg. but he was off..gave too much space to MU especially in the first half.
Milner at left back ..at least I was relax, knowing he won’t make silly mistakes.
Totally very much care about this cup, it’s a good comp this year, and a CL spot is the prize (?), along with belief potentially being instilled in the side that things can be won. I honestly feel (chest puffed up, no doubt, after that result), that this team can go the distance! It’s the best game in town for us. There’s continuity and consistency here. The league is just madness and I’m going to sit back and simply enjoy how it plays out, rooting for another side to win it for once.
The upper tier lads can fuck off in my opinion.
Disgracing the club for a few laughs.
Our reputation suffers every time a tit does something like that.
What are all the radio and television stations talking about this morning??
That’s right the upper tier Butes….
We should be talking about a glorious win over our greatest rivals.
People who do that put themselves on a pedestal above the club when we all know…. no-one is bigger than our club.
I am happy about the result though… just unhappy about highlighting them in your article.
They don’t deserve it.
Most thought it was great.
Daft, almost suicidal, but great.
We are the blacks of Europe.
When I was a kid and I told my dad I had been called all of them usual names, he told me I should get used to it because that was just the start. He told me in life if there was ever any doubt I would get the blame and others would get the credit. I had to, not only be better than everyone else, I had to make sure everyone else knew it.
The mud stuck to Liverpool fans some time ago. No matter what forthcoming events occur, the stain will never be removed completely. Where there is any doubt we will be blamed. We will never get the credit.
We are not Man Utd we can’t do what we want!
Very strange the way i see it we had a small allocation. They got tickets in with the limp wristed mancs. There was enough of them to stick up for each other.
Well done lads.
You need to stop worrying what other people think as you say the muds already stuck with some people. I prefer just to put 2 fingers up to them people. Your wasting your time trying to convince them otherwise.
Yes well done lads, We are now being investigated by Uefa.
Great that.
What a great way to show your support.
Get the club a massive fine.
Sound.
Massive fine? I very much doubt that.
Uefa are investigating “illicit” chanting and setting of flares.
You cant blame them 6 lads who were a bit cheeky got a few digs and fought back. Stop overreacting.
It seems that Liverpool FC, having had its fans and the memory of lost fans loudly abused on national television for 180 minutes by thousands of Man U followers, is to face UEFA sanctions. No such sanctions will be faced by Manchester United. I think Jay’s analogy, of one law for one and no law for the other is very appropriate.
As for matters on the pitch, it gives me great pleasure to witness the shambles that MUFC has become. Mediocre and humdrum and very much going backwards. I hope we’ve given them a further shove in that direction. Meanwhile, on the other side of the slope, the Reds are coming up the hill, boys…
Personally, thought Lallana was great, though more for what he did without the ball than with it. But then it was perhaps that type of game…
Howard Webb for finally calling Fellaini a thug? Only 6-7 years too late.
Even Scholes was having a go at him for being a twat. I enjoyed that.
Yeah Howard Webb telling us what decisions he would’ve given against United at Old Trafford was rich. Looked like he was coming from that prison in dark knight rises as well where it’s underground with a little telly set up. Good.
Nice read, totally agree!
Brilliant rating as always John. Not so much more generally to say, other than a quiet `thank you lord`having wiped those of the Europa competition. And as a first meeting in that competition, there is another One Nil.
As for mom Emre Can, Sahko and the rest up there as well.
Up to the top reds!
And who can write a better script then us meeting Dortmund next? Ahhhh… you football gods.
https://theredsoliloquy.wordpress.com/2016/03/19/majesterial-coutinho-man-utd-1-1-liverpool-europa-league/