OH go ed the Reds. For a while record scores were threatened, but in the end even the greedy will take Liverpool 4 Everton 0. The first twenty minutes were very open. Liverpool dangerous, remarkably easily, from balls over the top. Everton, Barkley and Lukaku especially, threatening on the break. But Liverpool gradually got on top.
Lallana and Firmino should score. Just when you started to worry Origi did. Then Sakho. Second half they resort to desperation and thuggery and Liverpool reverted to passing and finesse. One touch, two touch, three Lucas Leiva. They toyed and battered and could have scored six. Some of the last ditch defending by the Blues should be commended. But by the end Liverpool looked happy to save goals for another time. Saying that, it’s now 12 in the last three home games. Fancy it, Rafa?
Simon Mignolet 6
Hope he enjoyed watching as much as the rest of us. Nice throwing out.
Nathaniel Clyne 7
Some great bursts forward, especially towards the end. Seems to have a great attacking sense of when the opposition look a bit rubbish. Nearly scores late on.
Alberto Moreno 7
A couple of big Alby tackles to get the away crowd going. Enjoyed him volleying one at Coutinho. Phil controlled it, obviously.
Dejan Lovren 8
Before we scored it is worth remembering just how well our centre halves dealt with a considerable threat. It’s not their fault Everton packed in second half. Lovren still won everything.
Mamadou Sakho 9
All of The Lov plus a goal. Still winning tackles high up the pitch in stoppage time. World class challenge on Lukaku at 0-0.
Lucas Leiva 7
Rolled back the years to his Gremio days for his assist. Felt he struggled a bit early on, but no doubt finished on top.
James Milner 8
Not convinced he is a central midfielder but he collects assists like Craig Hannan collects phone numbers. Not so much a big game player as a big moment player.
Adam Lallana 7
Quiet night on the ball, but his pressing and workrate first class.
Roberto Firmino 5
Mad how rubbish he is at loads of aspects of football. You notice it more when he fluffs his big chances. That’s a lie, I notice it all the time.
Phillipe Coutinho 8
Not his most fluid game, but he purred at 2-0, and it’s a lovely goal from a player currently adding many.
Divock Origi 7
Should probably do better against a backline which didn’t fancy much. But he headed one in the goal, and that’s what matters. Come back soon.
SUBS
Daniel Sturridge 7
Lovely finish, but still think he is dropping too deep.
Joe Allen 6
Can’t wait to watch him on Saturday.
Jordon Ibe 5
Was a nice move to put him on, even if it didn’t quite work out
I felt that was Milner’s best game this season..
Enjoyed it all though even the extra 7 minutes, so cruel :)
I feel a bit sorry for Everton. We humiliated and embarrassed them.
and now they’ll probably end up losing Saturday. Haha, do I fuck!!!
Let themselves down tonight in every way.
I’m supporting them Saturday. It’s emotionally impossible for me to support the Mancs.
Utd win stuff mate, Everton don’t. It’d be funny if they got knocked out and it stayed that way. An FA Cup to Utd is still a failure without 4th place so I can take positives out of Utd winning.
We could be in for an interesting finish to the season.
I’d like to see Leicester and Spurs qualify for the CL. Not by choice but someone has to. I’d like Arsenal to finish 3rd and Utd 4th. Then us win the Europa and City win the CL taking CL qualification from the 3rd and 4th placed teams.
There could be a strange situation where City finish 5th and make the CL final against Bayern where Guardiola obviously wants to win the CL but in doing so puts himself out of next years CL. Gonna be interesting.
Teams are now granted an extra place for the winners of the Europa if required. That could leave 5 teams in the CL next year. You can’t have 6 however so if City win, and finish outside the top four, then the 4th place team misses out.
Apologies, that’s right. I heard it on local radio and assumed it was correct. The UEFA site backs up what you say. I’m absolutely gutted, I had in my head that we could take Utd’s 4th place qualification away from them by winning the Europa but we can’t.
We’ve had our disagreements in the past by I’m right on board with this, Brownie!
Talking of which, maybe he’d like to apologise to me for insinuating I’m a misogynistic rape apologist, caveman for putting forward the idea that Ched Evans conviction was unsafe. I think a few others could apologise too. It wasn’t pleasant for me to be looked at that way for suggesting there may have been a miscarriage of justice. Obviously, we can’t comment on the details so I’ll save this for another time.
I’d have given Lucas a 6, because he did make me curse his name at least 3 times in the first 20. Under normal circumstances I’d have said Clyne was my Motm – Snuffed out every threat and grew as an attacking force. But of course there was Mama.
That goal. Pow!
That Celebration. Yes!
That tackle. Woof!
Just think – there’s gonna be an FA Cup semi final with both teams bricking it that they win and keep their manager.
Get the popcorn out Reds.
Don’t really understand your point about Lucas. Having rewatched that first 20 he gives one ball away whilst making two very timely interceptions in defence.
He deserved an 8 for setting up the Sturridge goal and doing what so many claim he cannot do anymore, continues to confound the cynics
What about the numerous times they walked past as if he wasn’t there?? Or the three interceptions he tried for and didn’t get? Lucas and Lovren were poor first half.
Didn’t see that i’m afraid. Saw him get beat to the ball once and they broke and he got nutmegged once ( very high up the pitch)
What about the 3 interceptions on the edge of our box?
Where was his fellow midfielder at that point?
Some people love to slate Lucas though!
Think thats overly harsh on Firmino. His touch hasn’t really come back since his last injury but the guy nips in so often to win it back when he does lose it. Made a great run to support Lalanna too and really prob should have been slipped in. I think next season we’ll see the best out of him. His interplay with Coutinho seems miles better than it is with his other teammates and I think thats just them not all being on the same page yet. Still a successful transfer so far imo.
Agreed. Firmino presses well and works the angles well, too. But he does frustrate. Gets the simple things wrong too often. Suspect this is easily remedied in time.
Yeah, but how often does he win it back after losing it in the first place?
I don’t really get where this idea of Coutinho and Firmino’s brilliant interplay has come from. I think it’s conventional wisdom because they’re both Brazilian and both ino’s. For me Firmino and Lallana are the duo with the consistently impressive interplay, generally down our right-hand side (with Coutinho acting as more of a genius individualist on the left). Thought Lallana & Firmino were both fantastic to watch in the first half last night with their quick passing, dribbling & pressing, but just couldn’t bloody stick the round thing in the rectangular thing.
I missed the game live and watching the full re-run I specifically looked out for Bobby given his 5 rating which seemed harsh in a 4 miller.
I completely agree with your point Brett.
Lukaku fuming at Martinez and their cat at 0-0 because he obviously can see the utter domination coming TEN.
For teams this season at Anfield, I’m sure Exeter were better. Don’t hold your breath, blues.
I watched the LFC.com highlights after the game (mainly to see again just how bad that tackle was on Origi) and I realised I hadn’t really appreciated at the time just how beautifully weighted Milner’s assists were. The accuracy of his crosses at varying speeds is really quite something and I don’t think LFC fans really give him the credit he deserves (probably because he’s so ‘boring’).
Apart from corners. He is w*** at those but great from open play. Weird.
I’m a miserable old fart so would knock a few points of Lallana for them boots.
Mignolet doesn’t put a foot wrong and only gets a 6…..how does that work?
It’d be interesting to see what you would give him and why. Surely, 9 and 10 would be classed as an excellent performance. 7 and 8 would be a very good performance. So, what would you give him and why?
P.s please don’t say I thought he was excellent because he did absolutely nothing.
10 out of 10 for me. Clean sheet. Didn’t put a foot wrong, as I said. Why knock off points just because the lad didn’t have a save to make. Seems a little unfair to me that. ;)
Haha. Imagine an Olympic diver doing the kind of dive we’d do at the local baths and getting a perfect 10 because he entered the water perfectly straight. No somersaults or turns. I think there’d be uproar. It’s unfortunate for Mignolet but sometimes you need to excel to score well. I think that’s your answer to how does that work.
James Milner is an industrial footballer. His football can be likened to the Brutalism style of architecture of the 50s to the 70s. It is rugged and has a lack of concern to appear easy, graceful comfortable or easy. I think many more would appreciate him if he were a German.
No, they wouldn’t at all. He can cross the ball in open play. Otherwise, he’s crap.
Laughable stuff on Milner. Keep those agendas going Mark
And the aqueduct Mark, and the aqueduct.
Considering the ball spends 90% of the time in open play I’ll happily take that trade off.
Laughable stuff on Lovren and Firmino. Keep those agendas going John.
I would bump everyone up a mark except for Lallana for missing 2 sitters although I suppose he chose the right night to do it. I don’t get that 1-on-1. He has such fast feet surely his option is to get the keeper down and go around him – don’t they practice this?
I hope they get thrashed on Saturday as well.
Thought Lallana was pretty ineffective once again. We carried him against Dortmund where he was hooked in the Anfield game when we were losing 1-3. We can’t afford to carry him again against Villarreal. Workrate isn’t enough at this level from an attacker with very little end product.
At least Firmino often gets on the score-sheet.