The Soccer Blog: United 1, Liverpool 0: The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place

Sunday 9 January 2011

United 1, Liverpool 0: The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place

By: Ed | January 9th, 2011
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Out of the FA Cup, but a certainly a performance worthy of praise.

As predicted, today ended up being all about Kenny Dalglish’s return—once the Proactiv ads ended that’s all we heard about. Not negative of course, as it’s what most of us wanted. It was as close to surreal as things can get in football, and it was a joy to behold.

But as the match progressed, it also became all about the type of display that Liverpool were turning in. From the time the team sheet was announced we hoped things were changing, and from minute one to minute ninety it was clear that something was quite different.

Today Liverpool were aggressive and positive for one of the few times all season; they pressed high up the pitch, closed down quickly, and looked like a squad that believed they were capable of winning the match. Clear-cut chances were few and far between, but at Old Trafford and down to ten men for the entire second half, it was always going to be a difficult ask. This one wasn’t entirely about the result, though, and hopefully today is a sign of better things to come.

The football itself was scrappy and fiery at times, and the opening minutes did plenty to set the tone. A medium-range ball over the top was collected by Dimitar Berbatov on the right side of the penalty area, and while Daniel Agger closed down relatively quickly, the Bulgarian was a step ahead and able nudge on. There was never any contact, and I won’t listen to any argument to the contrary, but United were awarded the penalty due to Agger’s lazy leg, Ryan Giggs blasted past Pepe Reina, and United were on their way thanks to Howard Webb’s incompetence (and resistance to asking his assistant for help) and Berbatov’s floppery.

Obviously not a dream start, but there was a newfound hope in the past 24 hours that made it seem like a resurgence was possible.

And, for the most part, Liverpool did just that. The aforementioned approach emerged once the early pressure from United subsided, and Liverpool were able to work their way back into the match. They were strong from back to front but struggled to create chances; it wasn’t as though United were much of a threat past the first few minutes, though, and Howard Webb debauchery aside, Liverpool were the better side for most of the first 45.

Unfortunate that the first 45 also included the Steven Gerrard sending off, which merits a brief discussion at the least. In the moment, I thought clear yellow and nothing more. Rafael had a similar challenge on Raul Meireles just minutes earlier and didn’t even hear a whistle, Gerrard won the ball, it was poor timing, etc. In the time since, I think my Howard Webb Hate Goggles might have informed my opinion a bit too much. It was a bad challenge at best, and in any other circumstance I wouldn’t have been so vehement in shouting the decision down.

That provided Liverpool any and every opportunity to curl up and wait for the final whistle—hell, it would have almost been expected. Down a goal and a man at one of the more hostile grounds they’ll encounter, a regression to a tightened, counterattacking style would have been understandable.

But this was different across the board. Liverpool continued to press, and their intent was signaled by a dual substitution at the 60 minute mark—Ryan Babel on for Maxi Rodriguez and Jonjo Shelvey on for Raul Meireles. Both were positive substitutions, made at a time when they could make an impact, and both gave the impression that Liverpool weren’t here to survive. The substitution of David Ngog for Fernando Torres was similarly inspired, as the Spaniard struggle to influence the match yet again and had a difficult time alone up front, particularly after Gerrard was sent off.

Fabio Aurelio’s free kick in the 65th minute proved to be the best chance for either side (other than a goalmouth scramble marked by five Pepe Reina saves in a matter of seconds) in the second half, and ultimately it marked the Liverpool’s debut and exit in the FA Cup. Disappointing result in that it was a loss, but I don’t think I’m alone in saying that the performance and change in atmosphere far outweighs result.

I thought we also saw some quality individual performances, led by Martin Kelly yet again. Called on late, he more than held his own against Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra. On a few isolated occasions Giggs got the better of the young fullback, but on the whole it was another high-level performance from Kelly. Plenty of discussion about him pushing past Glen Johnson in the pecking order after today, and I can’t say that it’s unwarranted. Seems like every time he’s called upon he delivers, and today was no different.

The rest of the back line was effective, with Martin Skrtel turning things around from the Blackburn disaster and Daniel Agger making an impact both getting forward and at the back. Not a vintage performance from Aurelio, but serviceable and still miles better than Paul Konchesky (missing from the squad completely, no less). And when they needed it, Pepe Reina stepped in with a number of fantastic saves, including the aforementioned lightning round midway through the second half.

Midfield was a slightly different story—both Maxi and Meireles deserved to be taken off, and the latter’s partnership with Lucas lacked most of the cohesion we’ve come to expect from them. Lucas still worked his socks off, though, as did a slightly more influential Dirk Kuyt. Shelvey and Babel were positive after coming on, with the latter getting a shot on goal within a minute and the former winning a number of tackles and pushing things along. David Ngog tried to make the most of his ten-plus minute cameo after replacing Torres in the 80th, but in the end it was too tall an order to break down a tough United defense.

So it’s a loss, it’s one less chance for a trophy to salvage some dignity from the early season’s failings, and it’s not the start Kenny Dalglish would have hoped for. As far as negatives go, that’s it for me. Yes, some individual performances were lacking, but that’s to be expected.

This was a completely different Liverpool matchday—one I found myself looking forward to and actually enjoying. The impact of yesterday’s events hopefully spur the club forward; early returns make it seem that’s the case, but only time will tell. For now, I’m contented with watching a Liverpool side that look confident in their ability to win football matches. Lord knows it’s been awhile.

Hope you’re all able to enjoy the rest of the weekend, and leave your reactions below.

Some Related Liverpool Posts:Match Preview: Liverpool v. Manchester United, 01.09.10Matchday: Liverpool v. Manchester UnitedUPDATED–Manchester United 3, Liverpool 2: Not Quite EnoughMatchday: Liverpool v. Manchester UnitedMatch Preview: Liverpool v. Manchester United, 09.19.10

Category: FA Cup, Match Recaps, Miscellaneous, Team News

Tags: FA Cup, Howard Webb is a Dirty Cheating Bastard, Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool v. Manchester United, Match Recaps, Miscellaneous, Team News, Your Liver Might Recover
Tweet « Matchday: Liverpool v. Manchester United | Home | redtrev73Not sure I've ever had this feeling before. Beaten by the hated mancs, out of the cup and The King's return marred by a typically dodgy decision by webb at castle greyskull....and yet im grinning like an idiot. The sight of Kenny in an oversized match-coat in the dugout; the clever, respectful, dignified and inspiring words he spoke in interviews; the presence of heart and spirit on the pitch; the use of substitutions to ACTUALLY MAKE A CHANGE; and the refusal to die, even in the face of matron ferguson's favourite ref....all of these things are good. All of these things are quintessentially Liverpool Football Club. Stevie let us down today, raul looked out of his depth and nando's form and demeanour continues to worry me BUT i believe a week with Kenny will do wonders for the two iberian peninsula men and the captain can be forgiven under the circumstances, given the atmosphere and injustice of what went before. So yeah, i'm smiling. The King is back and so is the heart of LFC. It feels like MY club again.RussellKing Kenny had the balls to take off torres and put on ngog as well as put on shelvey, who had that great steal from rafael, and babel, who right when he came on threatened. They weren't game changers, but at least he made some star players know that their position wasn't guaranteed. That's what I liked.Rjbg09I agree, completely. In fact, I wrote what's below before I read yours. I'd go so far as to say the majority of Liverpool supporters won't ever have a chance to feel this good after losing to Manchester United. The tide has turned and the talisman arrived.

Fabio Aurelio and Dani Agger were back. Raul Meireles and Lucas reunited. Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt and Maxi Rodriguez joined up front. Ah, it's what any of us would have done, right? Then - penalty. Infuriating! But what transpired immediately after was what mattered. Possession and passing. Passion and pressing. The presence of team that was Dalglish personified! (Then again, far less than what was on display would have still provoked fervent feelings and hyperbolic write-ups - such was the thick haze of disillusionment the club that had been lifted out of.)

Then, Gerrard was shown red. A penalty and a red card to our captain, is this referee out of his fucking mind? Dirty, dirty Manc sympathizer! Obviously fresh out of Sir Alex's deep pockets, bloody Old Trafford bastards. We all felt it - we were victimized! Something that was robbed of us when He-Who-Will-Not-Be-Named was around. A month ago, the feeling of dispair was foremost - even if the referee hadn't swung a game in the favour of the opposition - there was always the feeling we wouldn't have come out ahead anyway. No longer - in fact, had Aurelio's free kick curled in and Torres was on form (or if Vidic was on the pitch!) there was a distinct feeling we could have won it (Away from Home no less!), even after Webb's shenanigans.

And a bloody good feeling that was. He-Who-Will-Not-Be-Named could never have hauled off Torres with 15 minutes to go, because, what rite did he have? Only a man like Dalglish can make such decisions. Only a man like Dalglish can throw an 18-year-old into the fray against Man United, and to his never-ending credit Jonjo Shelvey did well, and the list goes on. Kuyt was at his tireless best - substitutions made at the right time with the right men - Torres held accountable for not scoring - no hoofing the ball even when a man down - Reina making five saves in quick succession - Agger, and even Martin Skrtel, marauding forward, bringing the ball out of defence - Konchesky nowhere to be found!

So the loss was secondary, the exit from the FA Cup insignificant, the return of the Liverpool team we all knew was there all along all important.

Man to man, even after losing our main man, we (out)matched Man United, on their own patch of grass, no less. In fact, Ferguson's men were a little boring in comparison to our new-found blood and thunder (insert optimistic smirk here). Now all Kenny needs to do is say something along the lines of "...and I'll knock those dirty Mancs off their fucking perch" and I'll put him up for Sainthood. But no, the King's got more class than that.Barcafolifeliverpool really have the funniest fans in the world..calling berbatov a diver when your own captain is one of the biggest divers the world has ever seen..i bet you wouldn't complaining about the ref when he dived for the penalty in the cl final or when n'gog got you a last minute penalty with one of the worst dives ever..have some persepective liverpool fans...i know it hurts that manchester united has knocked you off your focking perch but don't cry wolf whenever a decision doesn't go your way against themRjbg09I think you maybe, sort of, missed the point of what was written there. Basically, a cause for optimism.

Read: So the loss was secondary, the exit from the FA Cup insignificant, the return of the Liverpool team we all knew was there all along all important.

I don't think the penalty was mentioned so much!RustyShacklefordThe sad part about the game is that the player's performances will be overshadowed by Webbs stupidity.NoelNot happy about the result, obviously, but about the best I can sum up my overall reaction (in as short a space as possible) would be to say that for the first time in a long time, when the match ended, I immediately found myself eager for the next to roll around.

Though on the player front, Meireles was still carrying a knock, and after Gerrard's sending off Torres was largely isolated as he has been for much of this season. Maxi also looked better with 11 men and him able to play a more inside forward role than the wide midfield position he ended up having to slide into after that sending off.

Will be interesting to see if the single-pivot, tucked in wide forwards, pair of swapping central attacking mids, and width from the back 4-3-3 that seemed to take shape for a while there will be the blueprint going forward. If it is I wholeheartedly approve (though with Gerrard out now and Meireles perhaps not quite fit, you're perhaps down to Maxi and Shelvey--or the return of Pacheco from the wilderness--for the more attacking portion of the midfield triangle, so who knows)JoelHave to say I'm not broken hearted about the result- we played well and frankly, it's one less competition to worry about which will allow us to focus on the league. While a cup run can be nice, we absolutely must ensure that we are in Europe next season in some form.

Yes, a win would have been nice, but we can walk away with heads up and focus for the rest of the season on what we need to do- building for next season, further blooding Pacheco, Shelvey, Kelly, and Wilson, and getting the team back on track mentally and tactically.JoelMore brilliance from the Howard Webb school of refereeing- let everything go and throw out cards randomly to keep the players on their toes. And give penalties to the team you want to win. Completely agree on the Gerrard incident, really should have been a yellow. Yes, he went in two footed, but there was no standing leg as Carrick was sliding in as well. Further more, it wasn't a right angle challenge, as both Gerrard and Carrick were coming from the same direction, Gerrard was more or less sliding in front of Carrick. Gerrard also won the ball. I don't think it was a 'wrong' decision, as Webb had justification for the red, but it was a very very harsh red considering the circumstances around the tackle, thus it was simply another 'bad' decision in a long line of ones from Webb. Especially considering that Rafael was not even called for a foul for a tackle remincent of Soto's sending off last year against the afro haired twat- two footed jump which came in over the ball. Lucky for Raul that he pulled out of the challenge, otherwise that was a nailed on broken foot/ankle/leg.

Re: Kenny- was very refreshing to see how the side went out to play, not trying to simply defend, but actually try and do something with the ball. Also was very nice to see the manager recognize when and where a sub needed to be made to change the flow of the game, as well as actually having the players on the bench to do it. Really hoping that Kenny in charge means some games for Pacheco and Shelvey, as playing in the reserves won't help their development any further.

Re: Kelly- great game from him today, further solidifying a place in the first team squad for me. However, Johnson should still be the first choice RB in my book, as he brings much more to the side when we're playing flowing, attacking football. Johnson is a solid defender, but not a back to the wall type- he's at his best up the pitch, making interceptions and breaking up attacking moves in front of the back line, which works well when playing Agger+1 at the back. That being said, Kelly should be on the bench every game and should get some starts this season when resting Johnson.

A final note on Torres- while he looked sulky today, I think it's just a hangover from the Roy days, and I fully expect Kenny's tactics to kick him into gear for a flying second half of the season. Kenny speaks his football language.JoelHave to add that I'm really disappointed in Stevie for the challenge on Carrick. As was noted on the Zonal Marking piece, he's a leader by example and he let his team down on the pitch today by allowing the red haze to cloud his vision.DanielIf there was no penalty it would have been replay time at home with some time for Dalglish to settle in, unfortunately, Webb is rubbish at his job and so we no longer have that chance. The positve things are that we managed to hold our own 1 man down against the best club in the Premier league. A sign of things to come?ClivetheredThe referees are manure fans,incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!!RustyShacklefordHoward Webb is an embarrassment to the game. How many times does he have to fail during the big games for people to see he is an inept and biased official?blog comments powered by Disqus