What, no game thread, well after this amazing game? Let's face it, we should have won, but we were also incredibly lucky. Two amazing goals. Wayama's altered time it was so fast. Salah's second goal was jaw-dropping in control in tight spaces. Penalty calls, both soft, but I do think the second was a fair call and fortunately, it was the one that scored. Should we have won? Yes, on the overall balance of play, or weak-passing back line notwithstanding. Sanchez nearly lost the game for us about 4 times. Argh. We survived a big one. 10 matches without a loss in all comps. COYS!!!
undeserved pt in my opinion spurs defended well for the most part, but spurs defenders were awful with the ball. vert, sanchez,, and dier all made some awful giveaways. but Liverpool was fairly well contained in possession, it was only the counterattacks off bad passes where they looked dangerous, and there were plenty of those 2nd half was different, spurs were much better, but Liverpool backline was solid all match. Dele gotta stop the dives. it cost him a legit penalty last week because of the reputation, and this week he did nothing to restore his rep
Neither penalty should've been given if we're going to be fair. That Wanyama strike though was top class. Either that ball hits the back of the net or someone would've ended up in a hospital. Don't know what else there is to say except rest everyone who started today against Newport.
this is from the referee forum regarding the first penalty. you can hear the refs talking about it fairly well. it certainly was NOT the linesman making that penalty decision. the question was whether the Liverpool defender touched the ball. the linesman clearly says if the defender did not touch the ball then it was offside. but if the defender did touch the ball then it was by deliberate action and therefore not offside. I think the replay pretty clearly shows the ball changed direction and bounced a bit higher as it passed the defender. thus correct call https://streamable.com/fkrh0 you can also hear eriksen say "he did touch the ball" and Can say "he didn't touch the ball"
Both penalties correct and a fully justified point. I know I'd be mad if our opponents had been given 2 late penalties but that's the way it is. Meanwhile the scouse industrial journalism complex is in meltdown. Reminds me of the year they finished outside the top 4 and one of their fans claimed a CL place was 'morally' theirs.
I dunno. looked kinda soft penalty to me at the time. still kinda does. I can see either way tbh. I probly wouldn't been happy had the roles been swapped. but the excuse the studio guys were making about van dijk not knowing lamela was there was a dumb argument.
I didn't see it live, so I have no idea how it appeared as it happened. But here's what the lino saw. I honestly don't know how anyone could expect that not to be called. Linesman view. Gets it spot on. pic.twitter.com/naLUBijkpJ— Alex Richards (@AA_Richards) February 4, 2018
ok, from that angle it does look much more like a penalty. the other angle looks like he pulled back, but that angle shows the calf being hit a fair bit earlier than the pullback
What a mad game that was! I guess that is why we love the PL, you would never see an ending like that anywhere else. Lots of talking points here. 1. Poch still gets his tactics and team selection wrong away to the top sides. Why Wanyama was not in from the start for Dier is beyond me - and then to play a diamond formation at Anfield with Dier as one of the pegs was pure madness. I was praying he would look at the mistakes we made there last year (trying to play out of the back against their press) and play more direct, but that was wishful thinking. On the feed I was watching, Alan Shearer and Tim Sherwood got it spot on at half-time, that we were playing into Liverpool's hands and as soon as the ball fell to Dier or Sanchez, they would activate their press and force giveaways. Fortunately, we survived the first half with no more damage incurred. 2. Thankfully Poch came to his senses at half-time and we looked much better when Lamela came on for Sanchez and Dier moved back into the back 4. 3. The penalties. It is amazing how so many people paid to analyze football don't know the rules. On the feed I was watching, the host Steve Bower and the 2 pundits Shearer and Sherwood were schooled by ex-referee Dermot Gallagher who explained that becasue Lovren attempted to play the ball, it effectively played Kane on. On the second one, am I mising something, or is kicking an opposing player in the back of the leg not a foul? And for all the moaning of Klopp, he surprisingly had nothing to say about the terrible challenge of Alexander-Arnold on Davies in the first half.
Lamela coming back from offside. But the kick is a pen all day, dunno what most LFC supporters are thinking defending that "clearance" by VVD.
not just sanchez. dier had 2 or 3 bad ones. vertonghen had 1 or 2. it was the whole backline in the first half. Spurs were better off having Liverpool possess the ball In the first half because the counterattack was their most serious threat and the spurs backline gave them more than a few chances to do just that
You cannot go to Anfield and try to play out of the back, it is exactly what Liverpool want you do. How Poch cannot see this is beyond me, you just have to look at our game there last season and how Arsenal and Man City were dismantled there earlier this season. I thought Alan Pardew got his tactics spot on for West Brom's win there in the FA Cup. Get the ball quickly up to the attacking midfielders and the forwards and force their defence and GK to make mistakes, which as we saw Sunday in the 2nd half, they will do.