YOUR heart pounding when James Milner steps up.
Your head hurts a little bit, that might be a sign of last night, your head hurts and your heart pounds, and you watch James Milner step up and you are pleased he is there but know what it all means. It means everything.
James Milner scores and your heart speeds up. James Milner scores and you throb with what it means. Everything. On the replay Sadio Mane falls to his knees. Remember this: Sadio Mane needs to win this league more than you do. And you want it for all time.
There was a lot of hot air about this Fulham game. A lot arguing that it was a chance for Liverpool to improve their goal difference. As with so many football arguments that manages to be both true and untrue, all that is seen and unseen.
The fact remains this was the end of a massive Liverpool week, a Liverpool week that ends with all of its objectives intact.
Fulham were poor, a team who spent more time in crisis at the back than many but Liverpool could never be as crisp as we’d like. They should have done more, won by a distance, streaked away and proved the argument right.
In the end we are delighted with the one-goal win, the three points in the boot, flying up the North Circular our dreams held together with spit and string and a bloody minded unwillingness to yield.
Liverpool were by a mile the better side, the game’s dominant force. But across the pitch performances became sloppy, sharpness dwindled.
The only exception was Fabinho who had his sharpness taken from him by the yellow card and follow-up challenge. He had to be supremely disciplined second half, his manager keeping him on for his height and his quality but his brilliance going to ground diminished.
Elsewhere performances were bumpy, Arnold and Robertson epitomising the inconsistency, almost as if they had had a big night in Munich midweek.
The goal Liverpool concede is a howler but they should have conceded prior to that, Fulham wasting a three on one. It became a three on two and a three on three as Salah and van Dijk ran back.
Salah will get a lot of chatter but in that moment you saw what this side and this opportunity means to him. His job was to harry there and then and harry he did. He needs a goal but nowhere near as much as we just need him. He is a treasure, a grafter, a true believer.
The performance from van Dijk and Alisson after the goal that they concede is simply marvellous. The level of assurance and certainty from the pair shows their character and their confidence. The goal itself is dreadful. Everyone needs a shout but no one should need a shout. Ryan Babel’s finish ends up being sheepish, he practically apologises as he kicks it over the line.
Yet again Sadio Mane is the best of Liverpool’s front three, yet again he scores. He is irresistible currently. Part of Liverpool occupying the half spaces.
Out of possession Adam Lallana was again excellent until he tired. It’s fascinating this small lad suddenly being Liverpool’s enforcer but that he is. He is a barrel of aggression and nous. He knows when it is there for him, for us, and hunts accordingly.
Divock Origi came on and made all sorts of sense, switched on, sharp, doing bits, being part of the enterprise. James Milner the best of us, celebrating in front of the collected Reds. Nothing but sense as the clock ticks down.
When the whistle goes Trent on his haunches, Trent punching the air. When the whistle goes Liverpool are indeed released and relieved and realised. Top of the league.
Fulham away in spring, man. You remember it. You remember it for Yossi and you remember it for Steven. You remember it for sounding the siren — there is a title challenge happening here.
Steven Gerrard doesn’t need to whirl the shirt. No one needs to sound the siren. Liverpool want to be champions. And while they put you through the wringer they are your boys, each and every one of them. You will hold them close. You will forgive them everything. You will adore them.
They are the kings of Europe, they have scraped through against 19th. Lord, lord, lord, let us adore them. You know they deserve it.
Thirty-one hurdles cleared. Seven to go.
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Really hope we get no more injuries and everyone will be fit for the run-in.
With a good portion of luck, it could happen this season. Even if I couldnt give a toss about their fans, the club and team of Manchester City are simply astonishing in their achievements so far. On the back of a 100points season, still hungry for more, won the League cup again and remain contenders in every other competition at this stage. If they win the League, kudos to them. They will be worthy champions and we just got to hold our hands up and say “fair play” (no pun intended). But not simultaneousely slag our own team off. The Reds dont deserve that. The fact that in April, we are the (only!) team left in the a title race with this beast from Manchester is a success in itself.
Performances are not that important for me now. With 7 games to go, it’s just about winning. No matter how pretty or ugly. Our lads should already be celebrated and I, for one, am not going to take any win for granted for the rest of the season. Up the celebrated Reds!
Hi Titus, I agree that we need to celebrate these lads of ours. We are witnessing a very good Liverpool team, with many amazing players. For me they are comparable to our greats.
I have only one thing I disagree with and that’s the statement of ‘fair play’ and City in the same sentence. Having read those articles were it is alleged that they are not adhering to the rules, then they are not being fair when other are. Rules are rules, be it to stop drug cheats or playing ineligible players… Like drug cheats, City are enhanced, they are financially doped. That said though, they are am amazing team (the likes we have not seen before) with a World Class manager. As you have put it TS, we are going toe to toe with them.
Seven left to go in the League. One game at a time. Next up in the league we have Spurs at home. We owe them for 2 dubious penalties last season. In fact Spurs got 2 pens at the Kop end in approx 22 mins. We haven’t had 2 pens award at the Kop end in the league in 22 months. That puts it all into perspective of what we are up against. Even the refs have a bias not to award us penalties at home and certainly not at the Kop end. Yet the media would have you believing we get 2 or 3 per game and all won by the Kop. Reality shows different.
Relieved we won away, though it was on the back of an away European night, which then makes it somewhat impressive to say the least.
I’ll take the three points thanks very much Fulham Goalkeeper. Good to go into the break knowing we are in top.
Salah needs a break to regroup and have another try at scoring goals. I love how he tracked back this game and overall tenacity. It helps the team for sure. He will score.
As for City, fuck them, they aren’t that great as some supporters think they are. It’s the least you’d expect from unfair financial team building if they cannot beat teams after all that.
Watching the FA Cup match against Swansea, I think there’s some hope to other teams to have a go at them as long as the Ref doesn’t intervene.
But I don’t think it will be United who will undo them, as their honeymoon is over with Smiley.
All we can do is keep winning whatever way or capacity we can and get as many points when City drops them.
See you in two weeks. Up the League Topping Reds!
Good post Sash, couldn’t agree more with all of this.
Mane is stupidly good. He has been little else other than brilliant since he signed, but he’s in simply marvellous form at the minute. As for Mo – he’s a footballer with so much courage on the ball. The one thing that kept occurring to me was his absolute refusal to hide from the ball. He was never going to score today. Wanted it too much. Having said that, the way he was charging back when they had that break is yet more evidence, if needed, of what an asset he is. Love him.
Their goal was actually quite funny in the sense it was such an unprecedented aberration. Allison & Van Dijk just weren’t even arsed and Milner went and buried the pen. He’s a man you’d go into battle with.
I love this team. I love our manager. To think we could actually register 97 points and still not win the league is just astonishing. It would also really piss me off. Let’s hope we find a way as this team deserves nothing less than the big pot, the bread and butter.
Dreamt last night that there was a 90 minute stalemate in our last match of the season against Wolves and Connor Coady popped up and lashed one into his own goal from 20 yards to win us the league. Always liked the lad.
And in other news, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola yesterday admitted to appealing to a higher force (god, not FIFA) for help to ensure none of his players come back injured from the international break due to the “crazy” fixture pile up his team must now face.
He’s officially shitting himself.