YOU don’t always get what you deserve.
You can make an argument that Liverpool have been the better side and deserved to win in every game they have drawn this season. It may not be a winning argument but it is a strong one.
Today though, Liverpool didn’t get what they deserved. They didn’t deserve three points. They perhaps might not deserve one. But they have them, they have all three. These points will prove precious. They heap the pressure on Chelsea tomorrow and they offer some wriggle room against Everton.
Liverpool weren’t very good. Liverpool weren’t at the races. But my word they worked hard and had to work hard. That was digging something out that often didn’t seem to be there.
Trent Alexander-Arnold showed what it is to dig a performance out. He was prominent throughout for better or worse and he never let his head drop. Being done early and often has broken Liverpool players in the past. Not today, not quite. But there is undoubtedly something to watch there, something to keep an eye on.
Andy Robertson was marvellous bar lashing too many balls in the air first half. At half time, someone must have told him Martin Kelly loves heading them clear. Robertson’s willingness to play is what marks him out at his best. He’s a footballer first and foremost.
The midfield was dire first half. Joel Matip of no real use. Virgil van Dijk gave us his poorest performance so far. Mo Salah not in it, nothing coming off for Roberto Firmino and, over there, Sadio Mane was everything.
He was the centre of Liverpool’s first half, scored an equaliser, booked for diving, stopped van Dijk from scoring and so on. You’ve seen it all. What strikes me is that when he is at his most rambunctious he is at his most dangerous. Him being everywhere was sufficiently exciting. It bodes well. He’s a massive personality and him showing it is very good news for Wednesday.
It’s another game where the refereeing was rubbish and rubbish on its own terms. Referee Neil Swarbrick repeatedly let the game down.
A word for our opponents today as well — they played really well today on the whole. The left-hand side of Patrick van Aarnholt and Wilfried Zaha looks to be top-five quality and that pair insist Palace attack down that flank. The centre mids are tidy. We know Mamadou Sakho can be good and that Christian Benteke can be a handful. We also know they are very capable of falling short in key moments.
There was a lot of complacency around this game from some Liverpool supporters. Palace have a top 10 squad and shouldn’t be where they are. They will pull themselves out.
The challenge laid down today needed a response on and off the pitch. On the pitch Liverpool stood up and were counted, even though they didn’t improve and should have found themselves behind. They kept their nerve. This also bodes well. The scrapping, the nerve, the personality. But also the changes.
In recent times the manager has had his impact on the training pitch; at the weekend he was been able to watch his lads do the business. Not today. Today he clearly sorts them out at half time — Jordan Henderson and James Milner significantly improved from a very low base first half.
He makes a big change to reshape midfield and look after Mane on the hour and then he improvises after the Adam Lallana injury. He got every call right and Dejan Lovren impressed as a sweeper, not for the first time.
It gave us the platform and those lads on the pitch built on it. Robertson brilliant. Salah not to be denied to take what wasn’t deserved.
Football’s a game. We’ve all won games we haven’t deserved to win. We’ve all been opportunistic and wandered off into the distance. It’s something to remember when it goes against us.
Liverpool have been spending much of the season making the game not be about the odd goal in three. But today it was. The spoils are ours; we all know we will need to improve but we all know we have a side that will battle.
Liverpool showed more character than quality, perhaps for the first time this season, and got their reward. Just don’t say they deserved it.
Listen to our Palace post-match show for FREE and subscribe to TAW Player for more…
“I think what you’re starting to see is a DNA in them that is enabling them to find ways to win games of football.”
” I think what we’re seeing is an ability to win ugly.” 👊
Today’s Palace Post Match Show is FREE & out soon!
Subscribe for more: https://t.co/JaNSChm2u9 pic.twitter.com/241yofIqmA
— The Anfield Wrap (@TheAnfieldWrap) 31 March 2018
Recent Posts:
[rpfc_recent_posts_from_category meta=”true”]
Pics: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda Photo
Rare event lad. You’ve got it right.
Benteke might be a handful but he couldn’t finish his dinner – thank God!!
He is fucking crap!!
Neil, respectfully…you’re not seeing the forest for the trees here. Don’t believe your lying eyes. They may be bleeding from witnessing some ugly stuff in this match, but the reality is we just went 2nd for a few hours by dogging out an early away match after an international break and just before distracting CL and derby fixtures. That’s not a small thing and Klopp said as much in his post-match interview.
We did deserve this (68% possession and 16 shots to 6 if you care about such things), working hard is just as essential to winning as top quality (they had one, we had both today), we don’t have a good enough squad to win without some luck, and the lesson from this match is not “we need to improve”, it’s “we have improved and this is the proof”. Klopp is world class and these players are performing near their maximum levels over time. You want next level improvement and 90 pts over a season, absolute domination for 90 mins and zero mistakes? See if adding Keita can do that. But don’t ask players like Gini, Milner, and Hendo to suddenly become £66m players or 19-year-old Trent to turn 22 before the end of this season. That’s just silly.
Very reasonable comment. Agree with most of this.
Spot on!
It was a classic dogfight of a game. Palace scored from a misjudged pen, and the ref was poor all along. Liverpool fought back and scored two class goals. How on the mighty earth can you say it was not a deserved win by Liverpool?
Neil, I also must quibble with your assertion that Liverpool didn’t deserve the win. This is exactly the kind of game the team lost last year, or even earlier this season. The game was ugly at times, no doubt, but to me, this is exactly what makes it so remarkable. The team faced adversity. Mané was definitely all over the place but the handball and the dive were embarrassing and beneath him. I adore Mané but I think he struggled today. He struggled and played through it.
Most of our players were a step slow and the intensity just wasn’t there. We weren’t pressing like we usually do and there were too many errant passes, especially in the first half.
But, they didn’t put their heads down. They battled and they stood strong and came away with the win. Hard work got them to this point of the season and hard work got them the win. And, yet, they probably left a little in the tank for City. This is a great win for us ahead of our biggest game of the season yet.
And now they can turn their attention to smashing City at Anfield. Up the Reds!
At least FIFA realise what a blind man can see. Best league in the world with probably the worst collection of referees since it started. I’m convinced he was about to blow for a foul on Mane before the hand ball.
Anyway, to the game. Really gutsy win with the Milner/Robbo combination really important. Trent will get some pelters but he really deserves some protection from the right side centre half. I’ve a feeling we might see 3 at the back again before long.
I think that’s why he did not send Mane off , he must have realisesd he got it wrong and then compounded it with another poor decision ( i was glad he did but Mane should have gone) . The refereeing standard is beyond a joke now.
Sorry Neil, disagree with you the Reds worked their way to a deserved win, especially after an international break.
However, if you play like Benteke all throughout the game then you get what you deserve.
For me TAA is still developing and we were fortunate it was Zaha not Leroy Sane blazing through, though I worry about TAA on Wednesday. I hope Clyne comes in to offer some support as I don’t know what else Klopp will be trying.
Karius did the right thing and let Zaha have it at the cost of a penalty. We’ve often been too passive against sides like this, and Milner added extra stuff too.
Klopp really let the hairdryer lose at half time I think. That’s the same kind of stuff Ferguson built his reputation on, and Klopp will too as he knew we deserved to win, if we picked up our game.
Feel sorry for Lallana, but I think he’s done for the season and probably with LFC. He’s 29 now and will need to triple his efforts especially if Klopp buys in the summer for similar positions. Might just make the squad though, I’m hoping.
Robertson did a great job. I hope he continues his excellent run.
Refereeing was average and also thought Mane was lucky to not get sent off. This guy can be a real moron at times with his decision-making, a discount Moreno perhaps. Thank goodness Klopp subbed him off. Good call.
Let’s hope the right team turns up on Wednesday. We need the Red Machine in full effect.
Good stuff Neil.
Deserved. That’s an interesting word. We were far from our silky fluent best and Palace played well. IMO the following two statements can simultaneously be true: Palace ‘deserved’ something from the game and Liverpool ‘deserved’ to win. For all those things you alluded to. Fight, refusal to give up, sheer determination to get the three points. Some say we didnt’deserve’ to win in Istanbul. I disagree with them as well. Not that it matters like
I think Neil’s point is that this was a game we weren’t at our fluent best, mistakes were being made all over the park but we persevered and also had a bit of luck with some poor finishing from Benteke. City were winning games like that around Xmas. Any great team needs that reslience. It was a joy to be there yesterday and the support kept going to the end. So did the players and for that it was deserved but we will need to be sharper on Wednesday and presume Ox and Can will be in midefield.
Fans don’t really want justice, they want emotional satisfaction. Which we got from this game.
Gotta stop this ‘deserved/not deserved” -nonsense. It’s a myth.
Edit: Football, like life, is not fair.
How many games have we completely dominated and come out in the wrong side of a beating?
Deserved or undeserved doesn’t come into it and nor should we question weather it was deserved or not. Dont see teams who beat us questioning the result. Just take ut an march on.