I’D have taken it. Before a ball was kicked I would have taken it. Both the manner of it and the eventual result.
I’m not going to be mad about the fact that your Manchester United seemingly offered it. That is their business, not mine, and they will be expecting to feel the benefit of it come the end of the season. There’s no morality in how you approach a football match and remember what this game does to people who get on high horses — it contrives a way to knock you right off.
Instead, The Reds. And for the first time since Leicester, almost a month ago, I was genuinely impressed with Liverpool. Impressed with their patient tempo and their general common sense. These are rarely praised virtues for this side and yet they showed them today in spades.
There will be a rush to say this game reminded people of last season’s encounter between the two sides but it reminded me more of our game in May against Southampton, a game many people said we had to win but, like today, actually a game we couldn’t afford to lose.
Like that game Liverpool were clearly the better side against a side who had come to keep it tight and hope to break in patches but they didn’t get sucked into over committing and leaving the door open. Instead today, as then, they stayed responsible and didn’t get swept away in the occasion or with the emotion of the encounter.
They didn’t decide it was a cup final, didn’t create a mindset where they played like they simply must score at all costs. They didn’t make it win or bust in their own minds. That all of these virtues aren’t particularly exciting means they are easy to overlook, but we’ve got a supporter base who love talking about them when they aren’t there.
This game and performance today reminded of some Rafa Benitez games against United, but perhaps with Liverpool better able to create both chances and chances for chances — Roberto Firmino just overhitting the ball for Mo Salah to nod in an example of a chance of a chance.
Though United’s approach will always be effective to some degree, Liverpool actually spent a fair amount of time in United’s penalty area today, but at no stage did they react emotionally and overcommit when they failed to get their reward. They plugged away and ensured the following sentence was true: the only side likely to win the game was Liverpool.
And that is responsible football, if not pulsating football. Liverpool showed mostly strong game management. There was a minute in the second half when United had worked some momentum up, and Liverpool scrapped it out, won a throw and then took 30 seconds over it. Got their shape back. Took a breather. They didn’t rush into the attack.
All the talk I hear about this Liverpool side is that they can’t or won’t control a game, that they are irresponsible. We shouldn’t rush to criticise when they show control and responsibility. Inside all of us were a voice willing The Reds to throw the kitchen sink, on the pitch from the players, using the bench from the manager.
Loads of talk about Phil Coutinho dropping into midfield and sacrifice one of Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum and Emre Can on 60 I bet, yet those three were doing what was asked in creating a platform for possible victory while offsetting potential defeat.
The back four all impressed, all showed they can concentrate on their task for 90 minutes. Manchester United got very little change out of any of them; Joe Gomez coming out on top against three different opponents across the course of the 90 minutes in his personal battle.
The question I suppose becomes one of how much you think this was a game Liverpool needed to win versus how much you think they needed to not lose. It’s here there is the greatest similarity for last season, for me.
Last season Manchester United came to Anfield and simply couldn’t afford to lose. A season was threatening to slip away. But they dug in and showed something. Got something. They went on to win a couple of trophies and spend six months unbeaten. That’s what we all think we need. To find a route back to the season’s target from this point and this game today was step one for that. Step two is Maribor. Step three is Tottenham.
We do need to look a little bit likelier in front of goal, do need to find a little edge there. But sometimes with this thing of ours, you have to shrug your shoulders, acknowledge you’d have taken it, remember there are 30 games to go and take being deserving of three points and acquiring one as a positive. Today is one of those days.
It’s not right, but it’s OK.
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Nice summary Neil and one I generally agree with.
I wouldn’t have taken a point before a ball was kicked though. I want to see how Jurgen’s Red men perform against the “monied” teams. We usually do OK. And I didn’t buy the hype with United. Up until now I think they have flattered to deceive somewhat.
A good display from our boys though apart from putting the ball in the goal. That will come at some point…..hopefully against Maribor.
That one is fine by me. There won’t be a more boring opponent at Anfield all season, just as there wasn’t last. Mourinho is never keen to engage Klopp’s sides. This was different to last season’s encounter in the sense that we had a few moments in which we could have scored. We’d done the work, got behind them but couldn’t put it away. The fact we didn’t is nothing to do with Urd’s defensive solidity. We carved them open enough to win today. You couldn’t say that about November’s encounter.
Utd played like a small club today. City wouldn’t have come and played like that, they’d have given us a game because they worry only about themselves.
The backline was mainly excellent, especially Gomez in his comfortable containment of Martial and Rashford. When Gomez plays right-back it’s not uncommon for him to have to face a few opponents within the 90, which is testament to his solidity. I remember one of his early games against Arsenal at the Emirates. They sent Welbeck over to test him, then Sanchez and finally Oxlade-Chamberlain. None of them got a penny out of him. It was the same when we decimated Arsenal this season.
Speaking of Chamberlain, I thought he was excellent when he came on.
Overall it feels a good draw. Utd were hoping we’d get frustrated and let something slip at the other end, this is obvious by Mourinho’s comments about us keeping three in the middle. He wasn’t expecting that. Good game-management from Klopp.
I agree completely. Especially your point on Mourinho’s comments about the midfield – which is why I don’t think he came to Anfield for a draw, because if he was planning on Klopp sacrificing our midfield for more attacking players in the second half, then it means he planned on a 1-0 win for them. Surprised Sky’s pundits thought Klopp should have taken the risk, given that’s what Mourinho wanted. De Gea’s world-class save got them their point today, and that they didn’t get their win is a failure of Mourinho’s tactics, not a success as the pundits suggested.
Really curious to see what Klopp does at Maribor now, whether he’d give Sturridge another chance, or try something different with Solanke perhaps. He’s managing Oxlade-Chamberlain really well so far I think, and I hope he’ll be given time to settle in and prove all his critics wrong, but I would like to see him start on Tuesday.
Sky’s pundits just trot out the same old cliches about ‘Mourinho Masterclasses’ to excuse performances totally devoid of any ambition. As you say, their failure to mount any sort of attack on our goal is a failure of his tactics, because he didn’t bank on us keeping the midfield three in place. It’s ok to praise Mourinho, and he does his thing well, but there are many pundits who are far too keen to do so.
With Maribor on Tuesday, I personally can’t decide who I’d pick out of Solanke and Sturridge either. Sturridge rarely does much when he starts nowadays and is far better as an impact sub.
When I woke up at 4:30 am on the West Coast, I’d have taken a draw. Lukaku was a lucky man to stay on the pitch today, and thought it was a pen, just. Defense looked the best we’ve see so far, and long may it continue. Really need Mo to be much, much more clinical. All in all though, I’ll take, I won’t love it, but it ain’t a Siberian wind on my naked bum, that’s for sure.
Only truly annoying part of today is the wretched inconsistency of referees. How that Darmian stayed on the pitch after he blindly, dangerously, recklessly tried to go for a throw with his foot above Can’s head I don’t understand. It must be if there’s no blood it’s not a real EPL level foul.
We had some good chances again. They’re going to go in so better than last year by miles.
Completely agree mate.
At the time of Manes red I said to a few mates that if that happened in the middle of the pitch and not against a keeper he gets a yellow at best.
That same weekend there were several head high tackles none resulting in a red and now we see this Darmain tackle.
Boot into face, not under control and doesn’t even get a yellow. How the fuck?
Earlier Lukaku does Hendo and nothing.
What annoys me most is that none of our lads said anything to the ref! Not a peep.
We’re just too nice.
Mostly agree. Feel we have a year’s worth of evidence though that this formation doesn’t really work without Mane.
Sorry Neil, I would have taken 3 points not 1.
We need a striker more than we need a defensive player in Jan. Reason is we have a group of attacking players that can create fuck-loads of chances, but we need that clinical striker to finish them.
We cannot have off-days with our attack. Our defense survived today and did their job for once.
Against Maribor, who knows, they might crumble again, and will need the attack to bail them out. So what happens then if we cannot finish?
Hope Jurgen takes his meds before the next game so he can make his subs quicker, and give the likes of Solanke and Ox a chance to come into the game sooner rather than later to make more of an impact.
Really good review, Neil.
Sorry mate, take 1 point at Anfield, prey tell the last time you wished for 1 point at Anfield? For the 1st half the Redmen played with your nervousness and then settled down when they realised there was nothing to fear. I hear what you’re saying but when we know Utd are going to arrive and park their whopping huge bus, then subject to us making no defensive errors we’re not losing the game, it’s just a matter when/if we can break them down and win the game. We almost did it and with a little more intensity from midfield, keeping Utrd under siege and putting them under more pressure they would have collapsed. Maybe with Chamberlain and Solanke on the pitch sooner, who knows. Chamberlain was very impressive during the few minutes he had to work himself into the game
We have lots of attacking midfielders and no ‘striker’. I fear it will keep being like this until we get a thirty goal a season man.
Spot on Neil. Mourinho said it himself, he basically said he was expecting us to be more attacking, expecting more holes. But he’s not stupid, he, like everyone, saw how we were able to open them up, but the end product wasn’t there yesterday, where it has been before. On another day Gini, Salah and Can might all have got on the score-sheet and today we’d be discussing a huge win.
Not only were we solid at the back, we were able to breakdown a parked defence. I was fuming at the result but very happy with the performance.
Remember last seasons cliche about not being able to win against the smaller teams? This game felt just like that. The Portuguese Pulis has come to Anfield over the past two seasons and had 2 shots on goal collectively, and no higher than 35% possession in either game. Let’s not forget when Mo’s Chelsea parked the two buses at Anfield. At the end of the day, we lost two points and they gained a point, and that’s what kills me. I wanted nothing more than to roll this smug man’s team, unabashedly reveling in a 4-0 scoreline…on to Maribor and Tott, Up The Reds.