Southampton 1 Liverpool 2
Easy win on the south coast and the title dream is still alive
Easy win on the south coast and the title dream is still alive
Statistics drown the current game of football and hence I endeavour to write about the beautiful side of the beautiful game, or at the very least write these footballing communiques from different and sometimes tangential points of view. I often find you discover the narrative within the overall story.
For example: Between scoring a deflected goal off James Milner’s knee that left Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker utterly helpless and giving his side a 1–0 lead after 13 minutes, it took goal scorer Nathan Redmond a further 72 minutes in which to register his team’s next shot on Alisson Becker’s goal, and his late effort which Becker beat away to safety was only the home side’s 3rd shot on target all night. Southampton broke the relentless Liverpool forward press and offside trap on 10 minutes with Armando Broja forcing a fine smothering save from Alisson Becker but aside from this, the example above and his utter helplessness at the game’s opening goal, the Reds goalkeeping custodian had nothing else to do in the entire game.
The simple through story therefore is that even when trailing 0–1 and still losing after 25 minutes of tonight’s clash on the south coast of England, the Reds in their pleasingly beautiful all yellow alternative kit were in full control of a one sided game played almost entirely and exclusively in the Southampton half of the field. Manager Jurgen Klopp changed 9 of his 11 FA Cup final heroes from Saturday but the game plan didn’t change one iota: constantly press and counter press until Southampton didn’t have an “out ball” to striker Armando Broja any longer and they were simply penned inside their own half. It took the Reds 27 minutes to equalise through Japanese International (and somewhat good luck charm) Takumi Minamino, but when the goal came it was a gem: Joe Gomez fizzed a pass into the instant controlling feet of Diogo Jota. His quick layoff was pounced on by Minamino and he drilled a hard and high shot into the top corner of Alex McCarthy’s Southampton goal.
With the score now at 1–1 the established pattern of play was even further reinforced as it became a small sided game of attack versus defence for the rest of the first half. The ageless James Milner (and my pick for “Man of the Match”) was joined by Roberto Firmino and Harvey Elliott in particular in wave after wave of pressure from the Reds dressed in all yellow. Milner, playing in the middle of the park was pun intentionally central to everything that Liverpool threw at Southampton, with Firmino and Elliott full of quick witted endeavour and tricks and flicks as they tried to prise open gaps between 10 resolute and doggedly defensive red and white striped home shirts.
Right the way through this heavily changed team, the blueprint was apparent. Whether it be Saturday’s ultimate hero Kostas Tsimikas pushing forward ala the man he deputises for so well Andy Robertson and all the way across the makeshift defensive line of Joel Matip, Joe Gomez (impressive before his game ending injury) and particularly the colossus that is Ibrahima Konate who is, lest we all forget, a mere babe in arms at 22 years old and an age that is belied by both his footballing ability as well as his Marvel superhero size and stature. The midfield was anchored by the ageless and supposedly 36 year old James Milner flanked by Curtis Jones (21) and Harvey Elliott (19) and when duty called in the second half to move from central midfield to right wing back, Milner heeded the call. Aside from the equalising goal and being a good luck charm, Takumi Minamino was busy and energetic in attack, Diogo Jota a little less so (but he contributed the deft “assist” for the equaliser), which leaves the loudest and heartiest of plaudits for Roberto Firmino who was supreme tonight. Flicks, tricks, touches, vision and his “Number 10 nous” of finding space between the lines to retain possession and link transitions from defence into instant attack. Bobby was magnificent tonight and only just shaded out of “Man of the Match” status by the ultimate club man and Uber professional performance from James Milner.
The crazy cat that is Joel Matip scored a bizarre if utterly deserved winning goal on 67 minutes. Kostas Tsimikas’ corner was surprisingly headed backwards by a covering Southampton defender rather than away, seemingly catching everyone in the penalty area off guard. Not so Cameroonian International Matip. His reactionary header flicked off Southampton defender Kyle Walker-Peters, looping and curving out of the despairing grasp of “Saints” goalkeeper Alex McCarthy and the 3 precious league points were all but secured. Klopp’s self titled “Mentality Monsters” held firm against a late attacking Southampton charge, and that same team of beautifully artistic monsters will now fulfil every single possible fixture open to them in this incredible season for the most incredible of times.
I don’t recall there being any “dead rubber” games and I can’t be bothered to ponder on such things. Here’s the tale of an incredible tape:
2022 League Cup Winners (scoring 10, conceding just 3 on way to the final)
2022 FA Cup Winners (scoring 13, conceding just 5 on way to the final)
2022 European Cup finalists (winning 10 games, drawing and losing just 1)
And with one game to go in famed Liverpool Manager Bill Shankly’s oft quoted “Bread and Butter”, the Premier League, the Reds have accumulated 89 points from 37 games, 27 wins (TWENTY SEVEN!), 8 draws and just 2 defeats. Alas, in this most incredible of footballing seasons even that is not enough and so, come 4pm on Sunday, the Blues of Manchester City and the Reds of Liverpool, separated only by 25 odd miles and yet the two most accomplished club football teams in the world, will begin their final games of the Premier League season separated by just a single point and a redundant handful of differential goals. Anything less than a Manchester City win would open the door for Jurgen’s red dressed monsters half an hour away.
Is there still a fairy tale ending to a league season many Reds fans wrote off and conceded as done and dusted even before they’d taken their Christmas decorations down?
Will Pep Guardiola find a wolf at his door come 4pm Sunday?
Or will it be the existential weight of an albatross?
And do the sporting Gods have a sense of supreme irony?
I do hope so.
Time will tell.
It always does.
Thanks for reading. My archives are packed with articles on the one true Red faith, and here’s some handy links to the 3 most recently published articles on Jurgen Klopp’s Mighty Reds:
Jurgen Klopp’s “Mentality Monsters” triumph again
Luis “The Kid” Diaz lights up Wembley as the Reds win their 8th FA Cupmedium.com
FA Cup Final Preview
Star Date: 14th May 2022. Venue: Wembley Stadium, Londonmedium.com
Aston Villa 1 Liverpool 2
Ugly win keeps the Reds in the Premier League title chasemedium.com