Neil Atkinson’s post-match review after Liverpool 3 Wolves 1 in the Premier League at Anfield, as The Reds fell just short in the title race…
LIVERPOOL stood up to be counted.
So too did Aston Villa.
Wolverhampton Wanderers stood up to be counted.
But, in the final reckoning, so too did Manchester City.
That becomes the defining force of the day and, truth be told, it always was going to be. If Manchester City did the business the league title was theirs.
I have seen none of their game, but aspects of it left us breathless today at Anfield. It’s one hell of a weird way to play football, but the essence of it is that Mo Salah thinks he has scored the goal that has won Liverpool the football league.
Liverpool weren’t very good today but they fought and survived and found their way when all the pressure of the world was on, when the football was, in their mind, at its weirdest.
It isn’t the same as a final. In a final you control your own destiny. You have your opponents to beat. Beat them, you lift the trophy. The idea of knowing, as an elite footballer, that there is this whole other thing you can’t control, you can’t even see, that is impacting the likelihood of you winning the trophy at your ground is odd. It is odder still when there are 55,000 maniacs losing their minds about said event while watching you.
But Liverpool perservered. They never quite hit the heights and Wolves played very well in patches, but they found a way at the exact moment when it seemed just possible they may not.
Wolves had a game plan and it was one I was into. A 5-3-2 is a good way to play against this Liverpool side and the lack of Virgil van Dijk meant that going two vs two at centre back could have increased mileage. Raul Jimenez and Pedro Neto gave Liverpool a torrid time and dovetailed marvellously for the opener.
Often in football we talk about running the channels as though the channels is a massive space. Against Liverpool that space is shrunk down, but prior to his injury Neto managed to pick the best specific channel over and over. Wide enough to get Joel Matip uncomfortable, narrow enough to be able to hurt Liverpool.
Jimenez was excellent all game, the best I have seen him this season. Ibrahima Konate found it exceptionally difficult, having his wobbliest game of the season, perhaps because of Jimenez, perhaps the circumstances, perhaps a combination of both.
With an eye on next week, losing Thiago Alcantara was a blow but it was a blow for this game too. The manager lost a sub and Liverpool lost a little control. It wasn’t that James Milner or Naby Keita played poorly but the extra nudge of Alcantara would have helped second half.
Jordan Henderson was good, present and helpful to his centre halves on the whole but he felt he had to force the issue a little too much.
The finishing of Sadio Mane was a real boost: one counted, another didn’t and Mo netting when the pressure was on is excellent with an eye on next week. Andy Robertson scrambled the ball home brilliantly and his relentlessness was a key feature of the display. You’d follow him to the very jaws of hell.
But eyes on next week are all well and good. There was today broiling away in a city that felt frisky, that wanted to explode. It hurts not to be champions because they deserve to be champions, but so this season do Manchester City. Breaking 90 points is remarkable and both sides have managed it again. There is a standard being set which is world-leading.
Liverpool have put in three seasons worthy of being league champions across the last four seasons, but only have one title to show for it. That hurts, obviously it does, but next week is an opportunity to nail on that world-leading standard in front of the world. Next week there is an opportunity to take the biggest trophy in world football to add to the two already in the bank.
Let it hurt. Watch it hurt. Let it scab over and feel every twinge. That’s fine because we start again on August 6 trying to win this again and we will be there throughout.
Post mortems when the season is dead. Ours remains alive in the most glorious way possible. One more big push next Saturday. The European Cup is not going to win itself.
Liverpool will one last time for this campaign stand up to be counted and this time they can control every aspect.
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Well said Neil. It does hurt. Would be weird if it didn’t. Imagine the release if Mo’s goal was *the* goal. Imagine if the rumours of a third for Villa were true. Because the thing is, we’re a classy bunch and we can say that City are worthy champions but there’s a distinction: the team are worthy winners (though not very likeable), but the fake news manager? The club? Frankly, I don’t think so, and while CAS will never land a blow there’s an asterix next to their name. There always will be.
But stuff em. This is about us. We’ve been to the mountaintop and the view is amazing. We’ll be there again, hopefully next Saturday night. This team, this manager, and this club deserve it. We are worthy winners of everything.
Let’s be honest none of us expected us to be be top of the pile as the final whistles blew.
By all accounts Wolves could and should have been 3 to the good by half time, but that didn’t happen. Aston Villa 2 up with about 15 to go did happen. Without playing well and riding our luck we got our noses in front, and for the briefest of moments we dared to dream…we’d done it, from 14 points behind, we’d ascended the summit.
Surely to God City can’t score 3 in 15 minutes!….but they did.
…and that, not just today, but forever will hurt. YNWA
Thank you Neil and all youse Wrappers!
Sterling werk
Springtime in Paris
Can someone explain to me how Wolves goal wasnt offside
The receiving player is in our half when the goal keeper kicks the ball
Our entire back line is higher up
I wish I could post a screenshot or video clip
Surprised no one saw it at the time – no one appealed – VAR missed it completely
I know it doesnt matter based on the final outcome…but for crying out loud
Am I missing something…
You can’t be offside from a goal kick.
You can’t be offside from a goal kick Mark!
Madly, you can’t be offside from a goal kick. Who knew?
Mark you can’t be offside from a goalkick. That’s why the goal is ok.
Mark – you cannot be offside from a goal kick.
You can’t be offside from a goal kick
@Mark.
Yes, you’re missing something. You can’t be offside direct from a goal kick.
Mark,
Can’t be offside direct from a goal kick.
In relation to the game, I knew it wasn’t happening. Absolutely confident, carefree, enjoying the ride.
But then it nearly happened.
Not watching the city game, hearing the reaction of the crowd, checking, feeling the reaction from a group of people miles away and feeling every last shout.
Coming away emotionally drained, feeling somehow distraught that the thing that wasn’t going to happen, couldn’t really happen, didn’t really happen. Liverpool FC getting pipped to the post on the last day.
I was born in 1990, so “being close” isn’t something I’m used to really. To be close in three of the last four years, and bring it home in one of the three, it’s the stuff of dreams for schoolboy me. Instead, this lot have managed to make it so it feels unfair, and that’s not a bad thing. Tomorrow is for getting ready for the biggest stage, once again, for liverpool football club. Today is for being a grumpy get and hating every other football club than my one.
Can’t be offside from a goal kick. Sadly.
84 points used to be enough to win almost every title ( pre Abramovich ) . The Reds will have to contend with a lot of dirty tricks from many actors ( far & wide on saturday ) . 100 points to win the Prem next season . Why was Phil taken off ?
Pity , City didn’t win by 4 yesterday #HopeKillsU
Quadbrutual! I was all in, believing not hoping, however its too much in this league,
I think it will be done though probably by PSG, which of course means it will be bought, Indeed perhaps this European Cup final might be the last pure one. Once one of PSG City, even Newcastle or next state backed sportswash club buy big ears, it will be a sad day and what would follow, unless can be an used as a catalyst to impact drastically needed change.
I feel this title race was also about Spurs, I cant be arsed to go into now, we all watched the games vs Us and City and know the Diaz story, Harry Kane captain of Ingerland, Liverpool part of Europe, scouse nicht English.
Liverpool Kings of Europe in 7th Heaven!!
Genuinely surprised that no-one at TAW mentioned the flat atmosphere when it was 1-1 before City started their comeback. Crowd was really poor and spent half hour biting their nails and worrying rather than singing and supporting. Team needed a boost and it wasn’t forthcoming and a goal at that point could have put the extra pressure on City that made them buckle.