Proper pride game that.
Yesterdays admin-
Title Countdown:
11 wins down/ 18 to go.
36 points down/ 56 to go.
Current PL unbeaten run:
P 11 W 8 D 3 F 24 A 12 CS: 4
Current unbeaten home PL run:
P 6 W 5 D 1 F 13 A 4 CS: 3
2 points dropped? Or a point gained?
Under normal circumstances, ending an Anfield run of 9 consecutive wins, with a draw against Fulham, would be a disappointing result. Before the game, I’d have agreed with you, and doubtless been fuming, if you’d told me 2-2 would be the final score.
But, in the context of the game, you were left with an immense sense of pride at the top mentality and character they showed to not only come from behind twice, having played the game a man short for 73 mins. But to be left really unlucky to not have won it. I woke this AM feeling buoyed that it was most assuredly another BIG point gained toward #20.
For a game that ultimately left you satisfied and proud, it was a strange experience getting there.
The first 15, we are as poor as we’ve been at any point under Arne. Second to everything. Woeful passing and intensity. Fulham playing through us at will. Really poor and sluggish from all 10 outfield players. It may all have been so different if the absolutely atrocious Tony Harrington had sent off Diop for a shocking challenge on AndyRobbo first minute. Talking of, some of the criticism I’ve read on him has been
WAY OTT. He nearly had his knee removed by Diop after a minute. Hobbled through the next 15 dealing with that. Was exceptionally unlucky to have Pereira’s opener (Who should never have been on the pitch at that point after he tried to do Gravenberch. Which should also have been a peno. Did I mention the ref was abysmal?
), which was going to be a simple save for Ally, deflect off him taking it over and past Becker's hand. And then, down to still struggling with the knock to his knee, he gets sent off in another shockingly poor piece of officiating. Just HOW is a goalscoring opportunity denied when you played on and let another player attempt to score before you blew the whistle?
With Wilson having NO chance of getting the original ball to start with!
We then madly come to life when down to 10, with Szoboszlai and Gravenberch, playing multiple positions exceptionally, both outstanding. We are back in the game and a tad unlucky to be behind by HT. Start the second half in rapid fashion, suffocating Fulham. Deservedly equalise and are all over them until they regain a foothold and madly they deservedly retake the lead. Then we roar back and should win it by the end. An utterly mad game of conflicting emotions, made all the more bizarre by the horrendous officiating. (He even managed to leave us short in injury time at the end after Iwobi's scandalous play acting for two minutes the start of it.). A wonderfully enjoyable, wild game of football that just adds another dimension to Liverpool finding ways and fight to get the job done, in the face of yet more adversity, in this epic season.
A few standouts-
Arne Slot: Showed superb tactical acumen and flexibility in organising and reorganising his side. Proper nous managing the team through. From going to 3 at the back with wing backs, dropping Ryan in, moving JMG, another who was outstanding, from side to side. To quickly seeing that wasn’t needed and going back to any combination of a 4-3-2/ 4-4-1/ 4-2-3, with multiple players playing multiple roles. Reshaping and reorganising the side as the game flowed, superbly. To then bring Jota on as ostensibly a 10 dominating midfielder. Dutch total football at its finest. I loved that his guard is slipping more and more too from ‘Mr Cool’, to Jurgen-esq pure Scouse.
Telling the officials in no uncertain terms what C they are. Madly applauding all 4 stands at the end. Acknowledging how we are in this
together. The
ONLY way this football club has ever, and will ever, succeed.
Which leads us on to patting myself and everyone else in the ground on the back. We responded to the brilliant resilience and fight from our team in kind. With another raucous, feral atmosphere Fulham wilted under for large spells. On them, proper weird the on-going hatred they have for Harvey. Let it go lads. He left for bigger things. It’s your place on the football food chain.
The two subs of Darwin and Jota were superb. Diogo looking like he’d never been away attacking from a deeper midfield role. Winning headers and tattles and surging forward to drive us on. Scoring a superb equaliser of one touch, turn and finish. But that doesn’t happen without Darwin’s super run and through ball. He was excellent in his half hour and caused the Fulham backline no end of a headache.
Well arguably our best performance to date under Slot in context. A proper pride afternoon and most defiantly a massive point gained toward the end goal.
19 games unbeaten and counting.
Up the Mentality Monster Reds!
