LFL: LIVERPOOL

This was a great result and a deserved one as we held our own against the reigning champions on their own turf. The lad next to me said, “We’re now a properly good team” and I couldn’t argue with that.

BEFORE

By their own very high standards Liverpool have been on a really bad run but they remain eighth in the league, only two places and one point below us, and should never be underestimated. This season they haven't bothered with draws in the league and have either won or drawn all their games so far. I still feel that we're going to get something out of this match, though, and that it'll be a draw. Before this season's fixtures were released I was looking forward to this game as I would've enjoyed a weekend with my Liverpool friends with the match at the centre of it but a Wednesday 8.15 kick-off couldn't have been more inconvenient. Speaking of those friends one of them told me yesterday, “It's a brave man that predicts any LFC result at the moment.” There don't seem to be any injury worries for us and we go into this match with our tails up after the thrilling win against Bournemouth. There's been a lot of debate about whether Brobbey should start but as long as he has a good half-hour

or more, I'll be happy as he's clearly shown that he can make a major impact. I'll be watching the game in the company of a lot of members of the London Branch and am really looking forward to it. Match prediction: 1-1.

I got to the venue around 7.30 and there were a few of our lot in already. When I checked the team-news, I saw that there were two changes in the starting line-up from Saturday with Brobbey in for Isidor and Hume replacing Traore. Both Isidor and Traore were on the bench and they were in the company of O’Nien among the usual suspects but Rigg was missing. I didn’t want to look too closely at Liverpool’s starting eleven in case I started to worry but I saw that Isak was starting and Salah was on the bench. The place was really filling up as kick-off approached.

THE MATCH

In the third minute Brobbey went down injured after a tackle from Van Dijk but he soon recovered, as you would expect. We looked comfortable enough in the opening stages and had the edge in the attacking department. Roefs was called on to save a long-distance shot from Szoboszlai in the ninth minute but we were still getting up their end a good deal. The game ebbed and flowed evenly and in the nineteenth Isak created some space for himself at the right angle of our box but then skied his shot to much guffawing in the bar. 

We’d done well in the first quarter of the game, defending comfortably and showing some good build up play without creating a serious chance on target. Liverpool were starting to get the edge, however, though when Alderete coolly chested the ball back to Roefs while under pressure I felt reassured. Next thing, in the twenty-eighth, we had our first shot on target, a rather weak long-distance effort that was easily collected by Alisson but a shot nonetheless. Liverpool won the first corner on the half-hour but the danger was finally averted. Alderete had a scissors-kick on target and then Alisson parried a powerful Hume shot onto the bar. Things were looking decidedly up. As half-time approached a fierce shot from Szoboszlai was tipped over by Roefs and from the corner a McAllister header went narrowly wide. I was looking forward to that whistle but then we won our first corner in the last minute. It was promptly followed by our second on the other side and though it came to nothing, I’d been very pleased with our performance so far as had those around me. 

As the teams emerged for the second-half we could see the familiar face of M. Salah, who’d replaced Gakpo. Liverpool pressed from the off but we defended in numbers and robustly. Le Fee was booked in the fifty-fourth, a bit harshly considering some of the meatier challenges earlier on, but it was the first card of the game which made it a bit different to Saturday’s match. Gomez very soon joined him in the book for a far worse tackle on, I think, Reinildo. We wasted the ensuing free-kick and soon Liverpool were up our end winning a corner. We cleared it and started putting some pressure on them as a chant of, “Haway the Lads!” erupted in the bar. We won another corner on the hour from which an Alderete header clipped the post. Isidor soon replaced Brobbey and I imagined him running on to a long ball on the half-way line and putting us into the lead. 

As we entered the final quarter of the game (well, not counting the usual lengthy added-time) things were looking good and they suddenly became a lot better when Talbi received a lay-off from Le Fee just outside their box and hit a lowish shot into the bottom left-hand corner. Apparently it took a deflection but so what, eh? The bar erupted and we could see Kevin Phillips being embraced on the screen. “We are Sunderland!” burst out in the bar. It looked like we had a good shout for a penalty when Szobiszlai pushed Ballard over but I suppose that would’ve been too much to hope for. Liverpool were of course going for the equaliser but we continued to look composed. 

We brought on Geertruida for Le Fee with just over ten minutes on the clock. With nine minutes to go a Talbi error allowed Liverpool the space to press and we backed off too much before Wirtz smashed in the equaliser. Liverpool replaced Isak and Robertson with four minutes left but there’d been one or two injuries and I was anticipating maybe five minutes of added-time. We were being pressed back most of the time and it was going to be a nervy end to the game We conceded a corner in the eighty-ninth and it immediately led to another on the other side. We got that clear but then seven minutes of added-time were announced, which surprised everyone around me.

There was a great cheer in the bar as we saw O’Nien coming on, for Talbi. He was smiling his head off, as usual, as well he might. Soon we conceded another corner. Next thing Isidor broke loose into their half, just as I’d imagined, but he hesitated a bit and his shot was blocked near the line. Two minutes to go and we were still holding on but then Liverpool won another corner. It culminated in a goal-kick to us and as we entered an extra minute tension was rising in the bar with many a curse shouted at the referee but it finally ended to much applause.