LFL: LFC

After a first-half in which Liverpool dominated we fought back in the second period but couldn’t do enough to grab an equaliser. Overall we didn’t create enough chances in front of goal. We’ve got a break from the league now so let’s hope we can enjoy our F.A. Cup game on Sunday.

BEFORE

I don't think many of us expected much from the Arsenal game but we certainly didn't disgrace ourselves. Anyway, I'm hoping for a decent result this evening and I think we'll definitely get something from the game. I watched the Liverpool v Man City match on Sunday and I thought the Liverpool defence was generally very tight but on the other hand their finishing was poor, apart from Szoboszlai's great free-kick. He did us a big favour by getting himself banned from today's match and last I heard it looks like Salah may also miss out because of a family bereavement. We almost won the away fixture and with our great home atmosphere to boost us and intimidate the opposition we can do better than we did at Anfield. A win would move us up three places and a draw would put us above Newcastle. Once again I'll be watching the game in the company of other members of the London Branch and I'm expecting that there'll be a good turnout. Match prediction: 1-0 to us.

I got to the venue around 7.45 and on checking the team-news I saw that there was only one change from last time out with Angulo coming in for Talbi, who’d dropped to the bench. For Liverpool Salah was starting after all and despite the recent criticism he’s received, I’d never underestimate him. There were at least a dozen members of the Faithful in the bar as the game kicked off.

THE GAME

Liverpool looked very unfamiliar in their green away tops. We won a corner very early on but it ended with a Hume cross/shot being easily collected by Alisson in goal. It was pouring with rain and Hume was using a towel to dry the ball before taking throw-ins. Liverpool won their first corner in the sixth minute and Ballard headed it well clear. By the tenth minute Liverpool were having much more possession but they hadn’t created a chance yet. We’d done very little upfront either and were making too many back-passes for my liking. We had our first real chne in the nineteenth when a Mukiele cross from the right reached Brobbey but he couldn’t get a clean touch on it. We conceded a second corner shortly afterwards and Roefs punched it away.

Reinildo was booked in the twenty-fourth for protesting about the ball hitting Salah on the shoulder. There was loud applause in the stadium and in the bar for the late George Forster whose image appeared on the screens. Liverpool continued to do most of the pressing and Roefs saved well from a Wirtz shot, pushing it out for another corner. Van Dijk headed it over the bar and the danger was over. But not for long as Liverpool were soon pressing again and had a couple of chances, the second of which hit our left post. Alderete blocked a van Dijk effort resulting in another corner but I wondered how long we could hold out. In the thirty-eighth we saw the first real glimpse of Angulo’s talent when he went on a jinky run down the left and then got a shot on target. Liverpool were getting far too much space down our right enabling them to keep putting low crosses in and we couldn’t keep them out forever. We conceded several more corners and I was hoping for the half-time whistle as we needed a break from all the pressure. Diarra went down after getting a stomp on his foot but he managed to continue. There was only one minute of added-time and I was happy about that. There was a tussle in their box between Brobbey and Konate which ended with the former hitting the deck but referee Chris Kavanagh wasn’t having a penalty. It remained 0-0 as the whistle went. Our midfield hadn’t got a grip on the game and Liverpool had had much the better of things so far but it was still all to play for and I was sure Regis would try his best to give us a boost.

There were no changes to either side as we kicked off again. As I’d hoped, we had a lot more bite in the opening stages of the half and, five minutes in, Hume had a decent effort from outside the box but it was always rising over the bar. Our fans were in good voice, though. Ekitite’s hand made some kind of contact with Roef’s head as the latter was preparing to punt the ball upfield and it resulted in him rolling around a good deal but no card was shown. Liverpool won another corner in the fifty-fourth and though we got it clear, we were quickly under siege again for a short while. Just after that Brobbey was on a break but Konate, with whom he’d been tussling all night, managed to get the ball clear. Next thing a Mukiele shot went narrowly wide of their right post. On the hour Liverpool went ahead from another corner when in a packed area a van Dijk header deflected in via Diarra. We responded well to going behind and started to pepper their goal with attempts at last. Endo was down injured for a good while and was finally stretchered off, to be replaced by Gomez.

We had another penalty appeal waved way when Konate and Brobbey clashed and then a Hume header wasn’t far over the bar. There was still plenty of time for us to get the equaliser and we were having a good go. Liverpool swapped Jones for Gakpo with fifteen minutes to go but we still hadn’t made any changes. There was bound to be a good deal of added-time. Ekitite headed a good chance wide and then we made some changes at last, bringing on Talbi, Mundle and Geertruida for Hume, Alderete and Angulo. Alderete had looked injured so let’s hope it’s nothing serious. Our fans were roaring us on as we battled for that goal but we couldn’t quite manage to link up in the final third. Seven minutes of added-time were announced and then we brought on Isidor for Diarra. Geertruida conceded a corner and they took it short, keeping several players back. We kept trying but couldn’t muster another attempt and it ended 0-1.