Liverpool labour to Europa League win over USG
Liverpool 2 Union Saint-Gilloise 0, 5th October 2023.
LIVERPOOL 2 (Gravenberch 44, Jota 90+2)
UNION SAINT-GILLOISE 0
For a long time last evening at an Anfield bouncing and bubbling to the sounds of the songs of adoration coming from the near 3,000 Union Saint-Gilloise (USG) fans in the Away End, roared on by a shirtless man with his back constantly to the actual action on the field of play, it appeared that 21 year old Dutchman Ryan Gravenberch’s first goal in a Red shirt of Liverpool would be the only division and deciding factor in a lifeless game that never raised itself past a labouring third gear. Diogo Jota may have rubber stamped another 3 Europa League points late into injury time but the league leaders from Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League never threatened the Reds slender 1–0 advantage, never once threatened an equaliser, and despite a slew of corners only created one bona-fide goal scoring chance of note, a free header on 26 minutes that Swedish striker Gustaf Nilsson rather fluffed and wasted when he could, and should, have scored.
Away from the game itself, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (or the more commonly and simply known Union SG or USG) laid a wreath of remembrance at the Hillsborough Memorial on the day before the game, their fans heartily joined in with a pre-game rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and post game, as they roared their approval and support of their heroes dressed in Blue, their club thanked Liverpool on social media for hosting them this evening (backed by a photo of the players acknowledging the fans after the final whistle) before confirming that sporting battle, a very sporting battle, will resume in Brussels in mid-December.
Without wishing to put too finer point on things, it was all rather old fashioned and warmed my particular sporting soul.
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Two wins from two and a maximum haul of six points is as expected as the Reds cantering to an easy qualification from Group E before the tougher challenges arrive after the return with USG in Brussels and well into next year. On the immediate horizon is the VERY encouraging form of Ryan Gravenberch, another late goal from Diogo Jota, another promising 90 minutes of commanding football from 20 year old Jarell Quansah and a trip to Brighton and “Sussex by the Sea”.
Following last season’s abject and embarrassing surrender in the Premier League and a rather more unlucky dismissal from the FA Cup, revenge must be in the seaside air and one hopes a certain Alexis Mac Allister scores his first goal for the Mighty Reds against his former teammates in their forever pleasingly old fashioned Blue and White stripes.
“Now is the time for marching, Now let your hearts be gay,
Hark to the merry bugles, Sounding along our way.
So let your voices ring, my boys, And take the time from me,
And I’ll sing you a song as we march along,
Of Sussex by the Sea!”
“Oh Sussex, Sussex by the Sea!
Good old Sussex by the Sea!
You may tell them all we stand or fall,
For Sussex by the Sea”.
A final word from The Boss
“We got the result we wanted and know we can do better. But on top of that a lot of good individual things I saw; good performances. Trent back. Quansah first international game; really good. Kosti much improved. Ibou long, long, long really good. So, we could share with our situation now because for Sunday we have only from our fantastic five, we only three players left for the front line, so plenty of positives, but yes it could’ve been better as well. We should be better, play better, use our chances more often if you want to be successful in the competition, that’s clear. But I’m not angry or concerned or whatever, it’s just for today it was like that, and we know we have to do better, that’s it”.
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Knowing that "You'll Never Walk Alone" is used in an entirely different context than what it was intended for by its composers, by people who probably have never heard of the Broadway musical it came from, is a disturbing enough image for me.
British sports fans create songs for their teams; North Americans just (mis)appropriate old rock hits.