HOW many times have you seen that first half there.
What is it? The pitch? The ground? The referee? Answer, probably all of the above. We need a massive, big think about how we manage games when we go one down. Heads went. Collective heads. Forcing it left, right and centre. Can we shorten their pitch for the inevitable Champions League game?
Loris Karius: 7
Did nothing wrong. Unlucky for the second but that type of shit at this gaff is to be expected I suppose. Punched Marouane Fellaini right in his wig which was sound, and then come out into Si Mig no man’s land and threw a tackle in like Franco Baresi.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: 4
Under pressure early on and asleep for their first goal. Can’t help but feel playing next to The Big Dog when he is adrenalined off his pan is a big ask, but his head went too. Was poor throughout, mind you, and probably could have been put out of his misery earlier on.
Degsi Lovren: 4
Oh Big Dog. For all the signs of improvement, or progression or whatever else you call it, there he is. Mentally weak, physically weak. Run ragged in the first half an hour basically because he was like an over-hyped bellend. Like a jarhead ready to run into war, shouting “kill, kill, kill” and then getting over enemy lines and forgetting his gun. No ta. Undermined his lack of a brain by whacking their lad, getting away with it and instantly raising the bar. What about that one then? Liked his attempt at a keepy-up scissor kick, in the same way I would like someone to chop my arm off.
Big Virg: 6
Tried to calm the world down while playing next to a fella who had the manner of someone who had left the chip pan, iron and oven on, the bath running, the front door open and his car defrosting with the keys in. Missed a sitter and went for a big walk for Juan Mata’s overhead kick.
Andy Robbo: 6
Guilty like everyone first half of trying to force it whenever he got it but by no means the worst.
Alex Oxlade-Chambo: 6
Great foul, great yellow. Tried to get The Reds playing, which took some doing in fairness. Thought he was one of our better players and was unlucky to come off. That said, our midfield was shite.
Emre Can: 5
Had hard lines when the ref decided to break our focus and gift them some momentum by giving them a phantom free kick. Didn’t really recover. Part of a midfield three that seemed to revel in making bad decisions.
James Milner: 6
Tried to get us playing, tried to keep the ball. But didn’t.
Mo Salah: 6
Like trying to play blindfolded in a forest, mate. Everywhere he turned there was a grock booting, pushing, blocking him. No protection from that referee who must have had a memo first thing about players in white socks not being able to take their feet off the ground. Not in it, but then has that chance. That chance. That chance so we could have thrown their referee in our end.
Sadio Mane: 5
Oh Sadio. Took up some brilliant positions, but then gave it away. Took up some decent positions but then gave it away. Dangerous but ineffective in equal measure. A marker for of our lack of game intelligence there today. Does well for the goal.
Roberto Firmino: 7
Thought he was the most effective of any of our front three. Didn’t flap it, didn’t force it.
SUBS
Gini Wijnaldum:
Did well. Got a brain in his head.
The Rest:
Can’t remember.
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Referee -0. Seriously, how does this bellend get away with it. Same fella who was quick as hell to award Everton the softest of pens back in December, but sees nothing in the three shouts we had second half. The same bellend that got all the key decisions wrong in our FA cup game against West Brom, hence needing VAR to correct them. So fed up right now. We always seem to have the softest of pens go against us, but can’t get the blatant ones for us.
Yeah, Pawson is a shithouse.
You ask for consistency amongst referees – they might say they try, we don’t get it though; one man’s red is another man’s yellow is another’s ‘tut’.
You ask for consistency with each ref – You knew David Elleray was a headmaster-disciplinarian, you knew Jeff Winter was a wanker, you knew Uriah Rennie was shit, you knew Clatzy wanted to be centre of attention. So many of the current mob flip-flop from one match to the next in their idea of what is or isn’t a foul / booking / penalty.
So, if nothing else, you ask for consistency within the 90 minutes of the game – if a studs up slide with force gets a yellow early doors, it’s a yellow all game. If a high foot from one team gets a card, it gets one for the other. So what was all that dogshit from Craigy-baby today? Disgrace. Hundred grand a year to guess and make wrong decisions while running around a bit. Fuck me.
4 penalty shouts for us today, I’d claim them all as nailed on, even 50% would be generous to that horrible lot.
Why won’t English officials give Liverpool a decision? This is ridiculous now…
After Everton and West Brom I thought he was just very incompetent. But now, now the evidence is a bit more than that, isn’t it? It’s not just incompetence, it’s hard to argue there is no bias against Liverpool from him. Every way I look at it. The decisions today, and the lack of decisions, just incredible. And yet, I would not be surprised if he’s given the derby in April as well.
I’d say the incompetence levels of British officials are at an all time high.
We’re about a month removed from Jon Moss asking the fourth official if he’d seen an incident on tele, admitting he’d seen fuck all and then given a penalty anyway. This was a watershed moment. The moment we realised that they simply make it up as they go along.
Pawson, it will be remembered, is the one who gave Calvert-Lewin the penalty at Anfield.
Yes, but it would be lovely if some of those make-it-up-as-you-go-along decisions went in our favour especially in the big games! It’s very strange.
Anyway, Craig Pawson has reffed five of our matches this season so far. I feel that’s enough now.
The thing that gets me is that the united players looks like the had got the memo ahead of the game that they could kick, grab and push with impunity otherwise they don’t take the crazy risks they did by rugby tackling our players in the box.
Anyone else think it was a foul on Lovren for their second, I mean he wins the ball but gets a push in mid-air and lands on his arse. Not as blatant as the non-penalty decisions but then pretty critical to how the game pans out
I don’t know about any foul on Lovren, but the United players absolutely thought they could rugby tackle our players and get away with it. And why wouldn’t they, at OT, with Pawson in charge.
@Amy @Tom C @Dan,
If this was happening every minute of the game (every game) I would understand.
However to be fair, we didn’t do enough to break them down, and only had an own goal to cheer about. That’s not good enough against an expensive Stoke team.
So why is it always Liverpool? A tale of two halves with Klopp and his teams? Either we’re on 5th gear in the first half and go bust by the 70th minute, or we sleep for the first half and then try to turn it on in the second.
Maybe Klopp should have done something about TAA or Lovren after the first goal and understand the approach going on. Or maybe TAA and Salah at least learn how to employ the dark arts from time to time.
Maybe we would have seen some decisions go our way as well.
Hi Sash – this often comes up when the ref has a shocker and people are discussing it, the idea that we didn’t play well and therefore don’t deserve to get decisions in our favour. But us making mistakes around their goals doesn’t suddenly make the laws of the game redundant! There is no law that says when Liverpool players make defensive mistakes or their midfield is not very good then the ref should make it extra difficult for them by ignoring the laws of the game. Pawson has now been in charge of three of our games in which he has been poor. Not just incompetent, but every one of his incompetent decisions awards the opposition points. Surely a red flag needs to be raised somewhere? The trend is there, I don’t think I’m imagining it. Jon Moss has two matches in which he’s done the same. Has anyone else this season received a red card for a high boot? no. Did he see the full situation when he awarded a penalty to Kane? no. I think it’s fair for people to be bringing these things up, regardless of what Lovren did in the match.
As for breaking down United’s bus, what do you think was happening when Valencia stopped a cross with this hand, a cross that very likely would have reached an LFC player for a tap in? Or when Mane was fouled in the box, one second away from having a shot at goal. Or when other players were fouled in the box.
And as for the dark arts, yes, in general I would agree, but Mane was literally on the floor and nothing was given. Salah v Newcastle as well. Is it our players, Klopp, or the officials?
And FWIW, I think they understood the approach, I just think the players didn’t execute it well enough. And not just Trent and Lovren – MOTD highlighted Emre Can as well. The last time we won at OT in the league we were awarded three penalties (scored two), and one of their players was sent off. Similar to this match, the correct officiating makes their “tactical masterclass” ineffective. If the ref had done his job yesterday it’s very possible we’d have at least gotten a point. I think that’s a fair assessment of the match.
Tried to calm the world down while playing next to a fella who had the manner of someone who had left the chip pan, iron and oven on, the bath running, the front door open and his car defrosting with the keys in.
Classic made me lol
Fair play Ben. Difficult I know. I didnt think we were that bad. Thought we deserved a draw. Always the same at OT. Bollocks..
Chambo was abysmal at pretending to be a playmaker first half. Glad he got hooked but had the audactiy to pull a face. Lad’s gotta take it up a few notches. This wasnt good enough, especially when facing adversity.
It was the standard Old Trafford fixture. The game and outcome most of us secretly feared it would be. They’re not much Utd, to be honest. I think not having Pogba there helped them immeasurably. They’re not much but they are physical and functional. They did what they do and we gave them the two openings they needed to have an excuse to literally do nothing second half. Their two goals are on us. Lovren knows he’s fucked up there and Trent didn’t do marvellously either.
One. Of. Those.
Bobby tried and didn’t deserve to be on the losing side. Karius is becoming the guy we thought we’d bought – good on the lad. That midfield though, it had absolutely no cohesion, creativity or ability to protect our back four. Keita will be a welcome addition but more quality is required. Felt sorry for Mo, fouled continuously and nothing from any official, appalling.
Seen this before. Nothing to see though, as United were given the chances more than created them via their hoof-ball tactics.
What notes Mourinho was jotting down frantically, only he knows. Probably “hoof it some more to the Wig in the second half”.
So let’s pick ourselves up and move on to the next which needs to be sound!
Route 1 , snow on it, flick on, powerful finish. Route 1, bulldozer Lukaku, Trent doesn’t want to block deflected shot. No excuse for turning your back on a shot TAA, especially after you’ve been turned on the 1st goal.
In 2014 we went down in their area when we were fouled. Needed to do that today to put pressure on Poor-son. They blocked well in fairness, though some Sunday morning passes in 1st half from us.
Wouldn’t have made any difference. Lallana and Mane were literally knocked off their feet and he still didn’t give it. Crooked.
Why are you lot still pretending Lovren is anything other than a shit defender?? How much more evidence do you need? There were no signs of improvement. He’s been shit all along.
The fact Lallana played 30mins and you can’t remember him says it all about how poor he was.
This season a number of the top six sides have been targeting Alexander-Arnold as a weak defensive link and yet we keep giving them what they want. This isn’t to imply anything negative towards Trent, he’s a good all-round player, but other teams know he is not a defensive strong point for us. Isn’t it time to admit that against the top teams we need a more defensively adept player in that position to avoid the back line being breached so easily?
A word about the kit. That black and white kit is like a bad luck charm at top six grounds this season. Don’t think we’ve won at any top six ground wearing it this season. At Wembley, 1:4 ,at Etihad 0:5, at Emirates 3:3. On the other hand our orange kit saw us score 7 twice and 5 once in the CL. Why weren’t we wearing it, we should have known we would need all the help we could get at Old Trafford.
We were wearing red against City and Spurs.
So confussed how lallana played when he came on. Totally random like hes forgotten how to link up play. Thought Mane had a better gane than Mo tbh.
Indeed. Mane tried things and showed for the ball. It didn’t work all the time but at least he was in the game.
Salah was mostly anonymous and apart from a couple corner kicks, he contributed nothing to the game.
Didn’t turn up and got beat by a weak man u team
Who was marking Mata….shocking
When Liverpool scores Man Utd immediately took 3 minutes out of the game with a fake injury and a substitution to stop any Liverpool momentum. Not pretty but something Liverpool could learn from