LIVERPOOL started slowly.
Get used to that sentence.
Liverpool started slowly but had almost complete control of the tempo, with an apparent desire to stop things going mad in order to preserve energy for the many challenges to come over the Christmas period.
There will be plenty of time for madness as the season wears on, and we shouldn’t believe otherwise, but this is a period to be managed by Liverpool.
These Reds are dead good at managing games of football. It’s something that requires a lot of mental strength though, and for everybody to be on the same wavelength in every aspect of play.
With that being said, Liverpool got lucky in the first half.
Not lucky in the sense that the goal was rightly ruled out; it was as clear a foul as VAR will have to decide on all season.
But Liverpool were lucky because, for a split second, Trent wasn’t mentally strong enough. His wavelength differed too much to that of his teammates.
The push on Zaha is an increasingly rarely seen moment of naivety from the scouser in our team.
He’ll still have those moments of course, serving as a reminder that these lads are human despite being superheroes in our eyes – and Trent may be one of the most human-come-superhero among them all.
After the break The Reds had the aura of a team that acted like a team who had survived a scare, possibly had a rocket put up them, and came out the traps as quickly as possible – the tempo of the game all of their business once again.
As is becoming routine, it was Liverpool’s quickest player, as much in mind as in physical speed, who came up with the goods.
We shouldn’t overlook Sadio Mane’s contribution to the best of causes in 2019. He’s been right up there in the conversation among the world’s best players and will need to continue in the same vein in the New Year if Klopp’s side are to sustain a commanding lead.
Unfortunately for Liverpool, Palace are a team that don’t seem to like letting them have it all their way, with a player in their ranks also capable of quick feet and quick thinking a la Mane.
And 80 minutes of solid enough work was almost completely undone. Or so the naive among us thought.
It baffles that Wilfried Zaha is still at Palace, but once again he got himself in position to hurt Liverpool, with too many white shirts caught following the ball around the box.
And yet. One of the characteristics of this team is that they just don’t know when they’re down.
Another scrappy goal but another to send the away end into raptures and The Reds still clear at the top.
“A winning habit is crucial” is phrase I’ve heard a few of this squad say over the last few months.
Everything is muscle memory at this stage. Liverpool in delirium.
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Pics: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda Photo
Hodgson is a twat, and I love Liverpool beating him, could watch it every week.
I have no time for Hodgson but I saw his interview were he agreed that their goal that was disallowed was the correct decision
Great review Josh, I watched on a dodgy feed and thought we were terrible first half.
Those F***in’ International breaks really piss me off
It takes us time to remember ourselves again
If we don’t win it this season…
Yes, control of the tempo and our ability to increase intensity, when we have to, is very impressive.
Yet again this team beats another with it’s own MO: winner from a corner at Crystal Palace…
We weren’t good and I put this down to the Internationals. Everything that Palace did was down to everything we got wrong… whole series of wrongs, such as their goal and Fabinho’s booking.
I expected us to struggle yesterday. Just glad we got the 3 points.
Comment
phew.an average performance by the lads. lucky we got the dodgy var decision again.
overseas travel will kill our season and we don’t want our players in internationals they ruin everything. citeh have the stamina, star quality, and deep pockets to win long term. injuries to virgil, Andy rob, Mane and Salad will lose us the title again.
QUE??? It was a fucking foul on Lovren, so how was that lucky??? It was more of a foul on Lovren that Trent breathing on Zaha for them to get the FK in the first place.
Thought Fabinho skipped game before City possibly to prevent another yellow card and subsequent one match ban. He gets a yellow against City and still plays against Crystal Palace.
Can someone please explain the rule to me
Simples, he didn’t get a yellow card in the game against City. Fabinho was spoken to for a trip in the first half but not carded. There was only two yellows handed out all game, both to City players. Hope that helps.