Outplaying Man City, Michael Edwards Returning, and More
A great week for Liverpool Football Club
How good was that? The football from Liverpool, I mean.
And how bad was that? The VAR, of course, who had various angles in order to prove himself incapable of doing the job.
I won’t go over the terrible decision again to not award Liverpool a last-kick penalty, beyond this quick quote from ex-PGMOL head Keith Hackett, who seems to be the only neutral expert who knows what he’s talking about every week, and said it was a “nailed on” penalty.
“I find it difficult to understand why referees at the elite level should not see that, first of all, as a foul,” he added. “It’s that close between either a yellow or a red [card], but not to give a penalty is completely unbelievable.”
But I’ve got my ref-ranting out the way, for this week anyway.
It’s hard to remember a better display in adversity, with 11 players missing, against a full-strength Man City, who had extra time to prepare.
As Martin Samuel wrote in the Times:
This was, after all, far from his best result against Manchester City at Anfield. It wasn’t, in fact, even in the top six. Yet it was unique, in its way. It was special. And not just because this will be the last fixture of its kind. Against that City XI, who else could have taken this Liverpool XI and emerged level, if not slightly ahead, on points?
To go with the League Cup final win against Chelsea (and yet again more awful VAR work), this was right up there. A raw, cobbled-together Liverpool side tore City apart in the second half.
City’s youngest starter was 23. Almost all of the others, bar two, were over 26. Phil Foden, 23, has almost 300 career games to his name. Erling Haaland, also 23, has over 300 games to his name.
Liverpool had a right-side of a 21-year-old centre-back in his first season, a 20-year-old right-back in his first season, and a 20-year-old who has played virtually every minute week after week lately. The Liverpool bench was full of kids who’ve barely kicked a ball in professional football; one of them hadn’t even done that yet, and another has yet to do so in the league.
City started with no new players.
Liverpool started with almost no one who had played this fixture before. Some of the City players had played more league games at Anfield than the Liverpool players.
Liverpool’s keeper has played a dozen Premier League games, while Bradley and Quansah just about pass a dozen between them. They barely reach two dozen Premier League games as a trio.
That was 3/5ths of Liverpool’s backline.
Liverpool’s entire midfield was new, and due to injuries and international duty, have barely started a league game together. Two are brand new to the league.
City’s team was full of expensive signings; Liverpool’s far from it.
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