I COULDN’T sleep last night. I woke at 1.30am after trying to get an early night and was wide awake for three hours. Wide-eyed and wired. Why? It could be other things. It could be thinking about work or thinking about bits of writing.
It could be The Reds. That nervous energy of a game that feels must-win. The Reds because the game is afoot and the game makes you lie awake at night and contemplate.
If it is The Reds then there is a long eight months ahead. Because there is a long eight months ahead. Liverpool aren’t likely to go anywhere but forward. It is exciting and exhilarating.
It may even lead to sleep. There was an assurance about The Reds today that could — should — make us all rest easier. There was nothing that Hull City could do to get at Liverpool. They were toyed with from the start of the game to the end. They knew Liverpool were better and Liverpool knew the same. Only my subconscious wasn’t in on that reality.
Therefore the game became dull quickly. Around the point Liverpool make it 4-1 both sides have accepted the result to the game. Hull verging on playing dead, Liverpool verging on being bored.
If we fancy having a very churlish face on, there’s a point here, which is that goal difference matters and has mattered hugely in our recent history and this was a chance to hammer the for column.
Read: Jürgen Klopp: Five-Star Reds Can Still Get Better
That would be churlish though because The Reds were marvellous. Completely outclassed Hull in every department and further laid the blueprint for Liverpool’s home games against the likely bottom 10. Everything made sense from the outset and Hull acquiesced to the reality so early.
Roberto Firmino was again outstanding for the first 30 minutes. He was baffling for the Hull players. They spend the whole game passing him on. He’s everyone’s man. He’s no-one’s man. How do you cope with it? He is the outstanding performer. The one who sets the tone.
Henderson, too. Ever more assured and frankly bullying his Hull opponents today. It will be harder than this but it was a splendid display of flat track centre-midding.
Neither of these lads scored. Neither assisted. Imagine that, imagine playing this side. They attack from all angles. Joel Matip should have scored. Gini Wijnaldum should have scored. Neither did. Instead Liverpool carry more threats than I have ever seen and all of Adam Lallana, James Milner, Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho deserved their goals — all are so very good in tight spaces, all play football on the turn.
Liverpool spending their lives on the turn. How can you cope other than playing dead? 5-1 felt like a bare minimum, Show Them The Way To Go Home first heard on 39 minutes and it never felt too early. The M62 must feel like sweet relief from physical and mental exhaustion for Hull’s players. Rest now boys. The worst is over.
If anyone should be having sleepless nights now it should be Liverpool’s opponents. It should be Liverpool’s rivals. Rest easy, boys and girls because The Reds are coming up the hill.
Up the half turn Reds.
Liverpool 5 Hull City 1: Match Ratings
Liverpool 5 Hull City 1: How It Happened
Funny you say that. I wanted a lie in today, been a long week. I was wide awake earlier than a work day.
All that tension in the week about this game. All that panic that it might be another Burnley. It’s funny but when the game finished I wasn’t even ecstatic. Had you told me midweek we’d win 5-1 then I would have been. I just took it in my stride. It was only Hull. This side demolishes teams like them. We’re far too good for their ilk. Saying that, I had a pint with my mate tonight. He’s a City fan and said Swansea were excellent today. So it starts again. More worry, more Stress. It’s one of them. This is just how it is when we’re as brilliant as this. Each game is too big to bear. One negative from today though. Winds me up how many of our fans are saying the only problem is City are too good. They’re not. Let’s at least wait and see how they get on at Spurs next week. How can anyone say there’s a better team than us around?
Had the same nerves for this game. Too many Burnley results over the last ten years. Knew those days were gone when Milner gets the yellow. Knew I wouldn’t need to worry again this season when Wijnaldum megs the referee on 20 min.. City are good, but so are we. Both teams will finish over 80 pts. this season. Results against the Hulls of this world will be the difference.
This. Only this.
that was probably our best performance for 2 to 3 years! i thought we were brilliant! this result gives me more encouragement than the away games we’ve had this season in London as it showed we can break teams down who do not have any interest in playing front foot football. The interchanging between Couts, Firminho, Lallana, Mane and Milner first half was outstanding and Hull couldn’t live with us!! I can’t wait for our next game!! My first game at Anfield today and i was in the new main stand, thought it was awesome!! lets keep making it a fortress !! up the red!!
sorry meant first game at Anfield this season, up the mighty reds!!
The guy on the tele has it wrong – “it doesn’t get any easier for Hull. They are at home to Chelsea next week.”
Neil “Rest now boys. The worst is over.” Is right.
How good is our new left back?
As for Karius, I suspect he isn’t actually a keeper. Who needs one of those?
This. Is. The. Real Thing.
The. Real. Thing.
Love klopps reaction to a question, something like not being interested in statements but the points. Well played Jurgen. What a statement.
It’s v early days, and this was relegation fodder Hull. That’s it. Keep it going Redmen.
One more thing; stop wanking over Jurgen, it’s embarrassing.
Embarrassing for who? Stay off the mozam mate, you’re taking yourself too seriously.
I’ll deffo take your advice, coz you seem to know what you’re talking about.
Ok great, good lad. I’ll have more soon but for now let’s work on being miserable. It’s an awful trait. A few exercises for you to try. 1) Next time liverpool score try a smile. Doesn’t matter who it’s against, just let go and grin. 2) Ok mate, once you’ve got that, try and look around you for people who are happy or laughing because Liverpool won. What I want you to do is get near them and catch their eye. When you make eye contact, give a little smile. As soon as you feel that urge to be angry or bitter that others are enjoying themselves suppress it.
Contact me when you’ve done that and I’ll give advice on your negativity. Good luck mate.
My mistake, you don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, and neither do I. Do you know Larry? I’m as happy as him.
Are you happy as Larry we’ve got Klopp?
If you can’t get excited by how klopp has brought the team together, playing so well and add to that his intelligent answers to stupid press questions then that’s a shame for you.
If it is The Reds then there is a long eight months ahead. Because there is a long eight months ahead. Liverpool aren’t likely to go anywhere but forward. It is exciting and exhilarating.
There IS a long 8 months ahead Neil. And I buzzing.
Shock horror- Atko encapsulates the essence of where LFC are at any given time.
Strap in gang. There are going to be downs, but there are going to be a lot more ups on this Rollercoaster. We left a major marker for the dross today. Prepare for what Brendan promised but ultimately didn’t deliver- the longest 90 minutes of your life at Anfield. Because you’re only half a football team compared to the team in red.
WTRWWAW.
P.S. Not sure about new look on phone but you’ve got pretty much everything else right so you get benefit of the doubt until I adapt.
Credo.
There was a brutality to our play today. More than merely ruthless, the Reds were brutal. At a certain point, I found myself hoping that we’d give them just a little bit of the ball. Instead, it felt like the first 30 minutes of Saving Private Ryan.
The questions answered so emphatically that you begin to wonder why they had seemed so anxious, if they had even been questions and not merely impatience.
Hard to believe that Emre Can feels so far lagging behind the others – I’m sure he finds it hard to believe, too. When I thought before that he would have a hard time getting into the side, it was said almost jokingly. Now it seems quite genuine.
Absolutely made up about the ovation for Lallana. Same for Captain Hendo. Same for Vice-Captain Milner.
They are ours.
A footballing masterclass….
I just don’t get our fans (RC) If you’re worried re the forthcoming result prior to the game. HTF can you be underwhelmed with a 5-1 result!? Answers on a postcard please
Just enjoy the moment Laa. Have a few be vies shagg the Missus or whoever and get drunk on 1:38 of the required success ratio to Glory
If you don’t mind mate, I’m not really big on sending postcards so I’ll just answer you here.
The problem is, I think Liverpool are the best team around at the minute but the truth is the Burnley game shocked me to the core. I turned up at the bar in Ibiza 100% confident we were gonna win (I placed a bet on 4-1). Had we won I wouldn’t have been driving round Ibiza town with a Liverpool flag hanging out my car window beeping my horn. I’d have gone back to the beach and read the analysis. Happy but not over the top ecstatic. After all, I expected a Liverpool team playing this well to beat them.
But, as you’re probably aware, we didn’t win. It taught me a valuable lesson. No game is a given in the Premier League. Yesterday, I expected us to beat Hull convincingly. I actually had a dream that we won 8-0 which suggests to me it was somewhere in my psyche. So, prior to the game I worried this could be another Burnley. After 20 minutes I realised it wasn’t going to be so I relaxed and my natural expectations took over. At the final whistle, again, I wasn’t ecstatic like we’d come back from 3 down to beat Milan. I took it in my stride. Happy that my expectations were met, pleased with the performance but not delirious. To reach that stage it would have needed to be preceded by a draw with a few minutes left. At that point I would have been angry, tense and worried and the joy of getting a winner would have tipped me over the edge.
So it starts again. I expect this team to beat Swansea comfortably but remember Burnley. You don’t always get what you expect in life and things being out of my control worries me. P.s I had a few bevvies but much as I’m always up for ‘shagging the missus’ as you so eloquently put it, I find after the match is one time I’m not. I find it a distraction of what I want to be doing which is talk / read about and analyse the game. I wish you could have a word with her and give her your wisdom and tell her to just stop pestering me for sex when the reds have won. I don’t need it. I already have that content feeling. Sorry about the postcard but I hope this clarifies it.
I jokingly said that as Elmohamady walked off the pitch Phelan said to him. “Elmo get the coach warmed up we’re leaving here at 4:50”
V happy to have Klopp.
So is everyone else. So, please stop telling people not to be happy about it. It’s not embarrassing to happy about it. Thanks
To sum up, I find it embarrassing to wank over a man. You do not. We’re both happy. Yay!9
To sum up myself, I’ve not seen, heard or thought that anyone is wanking over men. These thoughts all seem to be in your head and nowhere else. It’s up to you if you want to turn images of happiness into the thoughts you’re having about men masturbating but please don’t share such thoughts in public for your own sake. That’s embarrassing. I’m gonna bid you farewell now. I think you’ve got issues you need to address. I would just say, It’s 2016 and not many people are narrow minded anymore. Think about it. Later mate.
Presumptuous in extremis. You have no idea. I’ve often read your comments and thought that, but you’ve totally proven my thoughts correct. Bloody hell, putting masturbation and men in the same sentence certainly gets your gander up. Lighten up, don’t try and be some amateur Freudian and jog on lad.
For Jurgen’s Reds:
I’ve got to admit it’s getting better
A little better all the time
I have to admit it’s getting better
It’s getting better since you’ve been mine
Magic.
Love it.