12th March 2019 - I
was sat at Anfield at approximately 12:15pm on Sunday feeling deeply hard
done by. The whole world seemed like it was against anyone of a Liverpool
persuasion.
The Reds found themselves 1-0 down to rugby-playing team in Burnley,
to a joke of a goal. Alisson, clearly impeded by James Tarkowski, was
incredulous about a foul not being given, and that sinking feeling came
flooding back. At least two goals required to win, against a horrible side.
All I heard from beside me was my dad, who hadn’t been all season until that
point, mumble, “I’m a bloody curse on this team”. My look told him exactly
what I thought.
We had sat in a bar the previous evening seeing luck benefit Man City
greatly, with Raheem Sterling’s incorrect opener turning the game on its
head. (A quick word on Sterling, before I continue this sob story. He is
someone I have so much time for.
He has been magnificent this season, producing the kind of response
David Beckham did after similar abuse after the 1998 World Cup. At least the
criticism Beckham received was partly justified!
For me, Sterling is now Virgil van Dijk’s main rival for the two
end-of-season Player of the Year awards, with Sergio Aguero in the mix as
well. As he scored his third of the night against Watford, I found myself
happy for him, rather than angry about another City goal going in. It pleases
me to see the tide turning with regards to the way in
which he is perceived both on and off the pitch. Hats off to him.
Not for a second did I expect Watford to get anything from that game,
even at half-time, but decisions like that first goal still leave you feeling
infuriated. To see that happen to City and then Liverpool have such fortune
go against them felt unjust, and I
sat at Anfield convincing myself I was witnessing the title race
ending before my very eyes.
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Craven Cottage: both Liverpool and City visit next |
Then the Reds reminded me that they are not the Reds of old -
spineless outfits who would never win once they went behind, and who would
drop endlessly soft points at home to weaker opposition. No team has won more
points from losing positions this season and Liverpool showcased their
ability to battle back from adversity in style, in bizarre weather
conditions.
The sign of true ‘bottlers’, right?
People can poke fun at Jurgen Klopp all they like for using the wind
as an excuse recently, but when you’re in the ground witnessing it firsthand
you realise the effect it has on a ball-playing team. It was on another level
on Sunday, with a specific area of the pitch out towards the Kemlyn Road
bordering on laughable.
One ball was rolling out for a throw-in, only to spin back behind
Mohamed Salah and effectively allow him to beat a man without doing anything.
Liverpool didn’t let that bother them, though, or Burnley’s scandalous early
attempts to waste time, and Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane had soon turned
the game on its head in an instant.
It all felt plain sailing from then on, apart from when Burnley made
it 3-2 in stoppage time, then sent a cross into the windy sky almost straight
after.
I almost fainted as Alisson came for it, but as he (eventually)
grasped hold of the ball with both hands, it felt like the most glorious of
releases. Mane did the rest with seconds remaining, as the Reds picked up
what I believe to be one of their most important, and impressive, win of the
season so far. Many of those watching the Premier League title race unfold
appear to be waiting for Liverpool to tail off, just like Tottenham have in
such emphatic fashion.
The Reds won’t, though. There is every chance they won’t win the
league come May, but they will not be going away until the death. You don’t
accumulate your joint-best-ever points tally after 30 matches, for a club
with 18 league titles, without being a fantastic football team with bags of
belief. The dynamic has switched up at the top, with Liverpool becoming the
chasers and City reaching the Premier League’s summit. It should only be a
momentary thing, however, as City face FA Cup commitments this weekend and
Klopp’s men head to Fulham. If you want to win the league, you have to
beat the team in 19th place, and that extra incentive of returning to the top
should aid the Reds further.
Yes, they will have played a game more than City by Sunday night, but
it could put that extra bit of mental pressure on the champions in the coming
weeks.
Incidentally, by the time City themselves go to Fulham on March 30th,
Liverpool could have a five-point advantage, should they see off the
Cottagers and beat Southampton at St Mary’s on the Friday night. The latter
is not an easy one at all, particularly as Saints are the latest club to
create a weird rivalry with the Reds, simply because they have signed a lot
of their best players. In some ways I loathe Liverpool being chased, in terms
of it not being good for my health, but the pressure it puts on those below
you not to come a cropper means it is always the position you want to be in.
City have been fantastic since Newcastle away, not always hitting top
gear but showing precisely why their tally over the last two seasons is
beyond belief. I haven’t expected a single slip-up since that shock defeat at
St James’ Park and they have proved
me right. Frankly, I am still relatively resigned to the fact that
they will prevail in every remaining fixture, too, which while bitterly
unfair, is also something I would accept and applaud.
Dealing with the pressure of being behind again can only be an added
hurdle to overcome, so hopefully Liverpool can breeze past Fulham, nick a win
at Southampton and then sit back and watch their rivals. It would have to be
Fulham they face in the league next, wouldn’t it? Haven’t they played them
eight times already this season?
-
Henry Jackson
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