Yesterday -- Matt, Monday, January 26, 08:40:23am
It seems for some reason we are able to defend well against Everton's aerial bombardment. Zat Knight dealt with Ferguson pretty well & Goma put in an improved performance (though he is still nowhere near his best form). Bocanegra looks an excellent signing especially as left back is meant to be his less favoured position. He is surprisingly quick & has excellent ball control. Volz is great but has been coached the Arsenal way so goes forward a little too much for my comfort leaving a big gap behind him. Davis was excellent for the full 90 minutes,MOM again. Clarkie seemed to be feeling it near the end & Malbranque was a class apart even if all his tricks didnt come off. Djetou tackled well but his passing remains suspect (is he really French?) Hayles tried hard & Boa drove me close to a breakdown. Despite being under considerable pressure we had a number of decent chances to finish the game but Hayles & Boa looked hesitant every time. It seemed that we would need the ball to fall to Clark or Davis to finish them off. Had the usual mellee near the end after Malbranque tripped one of their players as he was clearly too tired to chase back with him. The away seats give a good view of how reluctant Van Der Sar is to come off his line & that could have cost us.
Final points. Everton are the quietest crowd I have come across. No singing for 89 minutes. One in three shops in Liverpool is a tanning salon.