Well that was just daylight - or if you like, floodlight - robbery. We didn’t deserve to go out that like, it was cruel, unfair, unlucky and also entirely self inflicted. We keep finding ways to shoot ourselves in the foot and undo a lot of the good things that are happening, and it’s absolutely killing us.
Over the two games we were by the better side against West Ham even though Klopp made all kinds of changes and on paper we looked significantly inferior to West Ham’s first choice eleven. Be honest, when you saw the team we sent out for this game, how did you like our chances? Lucas and Ilori at the heart of the defence and Stewart and Chirivella in the engine room? Honestly, I didn’t give us any chance of winning this game. Yet they should have won it, and all four of those players outplayed their West Ham counterparts.
Unfortunately the two biggest weaknesses we’ve had all season yet again floored us. What was more predictable; the host of missed chances (especially from Benteke) or conceding from a last minute set-piece? Hard to say as we’ve been missing chances all year and our set-piece defending has now become a national joke. Usually I get angry, this time I’m just gutted. Not just gutted because we’re out of the cup, but gutted for the players (particularly the younger ones) who played so well and deserved so much more.
From the opening seconds of this game they showed they were right at it. They passed it around in the midfield and looked very comfortable. I was surprised by just how well they started the game, but not surprised at how often they failed to capitalise on promising situations in the final third. Brad Smith was absolutely rampant in the first half, West Ham couldn’t handle him as he kept flying forward like an Olympic sprinter into space created by Coutinho moving inside. I lost count of the amount of times he got down the left and got the ball into dangerous areas.He had one or two difficult moments defensively but he must surely be pushing for Moreno's spot now?
There was a real swagger about the football and Teixeira and Chirivella especially looked to be enjoying themselves. Coutinho flitted in and out a bit more but was involved in a lot of our best play. He hot the post after Benteke had done superbly to pick him out. Coutinho’s initial through ball to Benteke was poor and forced him wide, but when the striker picked him out he was unlucky with the finish, which was excellently crafted.
West Ham had hit the woodwork themselves, twice in fact. The first when Ilori gave the ball away cheaply which allowed Payet to pick out O’Brien, whose shot was deflected by Lucas onto the post. The second was a free-kick needlessly conceded by Ibe on the edge of the box. Payet beat Mignolet all ends up but the ball crashed against the upright, and Mignolet did well to regain his feet and beat away the follow up effort.
West Ham will point to those two opportunities and say they deserved to be leading at the break, but they were isolated incidents in a half mostly controlled by us. So many times we got into good positions around the box but as usual, couldn’t turn it into goals. Joao missed a glorious chance when he dragged his shot wide and Benteke had two efforts saved on the line after getting round the back on corner kicks. He’d earlier done the same and nodded one back into the danger area but Teixeira couldn’t turn on it to get a shot in. It was the most dangerous we’d looked from corners all season.
Then the inevitable happened. Just before half time we conceded. When a goal goes in against us we always look for someone to blame. Whose fault was it? Who could have done better? That kind of thing. With this one I’m struggling to point any fingers. Maybe Smith /was sucked in a little too far? I don’t know, but the fact the cross was deflected may well have played a part as it meant the ball sat up perfectly for that LeBron James tribute act, Micheil Antonio, at the back post, who finished brilliantly into the corner giving Mignolet absolutely no chance. A massive kick in the balls, but nothing to what would happen later.
Still, we came out brightly to start the second half and drew level almost immediately. Benteke won a free kick on the edge of the box, and with everybody expecting Coutinho to try and curl one over the wall into the corner, the sneaky little bastard just casually rolled it under them as they jumped, and the keeper was beaten all ends up. Impudent, brilliant, welcome back, Phil.
He was never going to last the whole game and it was no surprise when he was brought off after an hour as Klopp made a double change. I was surprised that Joao was the other one replaced though. Ibe had done nothing and I was sure he’d be the first one off. Teixeira can feel a little hard done by I think.
It was a really attacking line up now though, with Ibe and Origi on the wings and Sturridge and Benteke up top. That meant more responsibility for the two kids in the middle of the park, but they stood up to the challenge well. West Ham brought on Carroll and went even more direct than before, but Lucas and Ilori competed well and Mignolet helped out when necessary. He flapped at one cross but was otherwise fine.
Both sides had chances to win it in the second half but it was in extra time when the chances really started coming thick and fast, mostly to us. Benteke shot wide from near the penalty spot and a minute later fluffed yet another one v one with the keeper after a lovely one two with Sturridge. Did anyone think he was going to put that away? He then headed just over after attacking a cross and it was obvious at that point it wasn’t going to be his night.
If only one of those chances had fell to Sturridge we’d probably have gone through. He had a great effort from 20 yards that went inches wide and it was clear from soon after he came on that he was head and shoulders better than anybody else on that pitch. He’s just so fucking good, that’s why people are so pissed off with him. If he’d been fit all season we’d be in the top four, I’ve got no doubt about that.
Just how long he’ll be available for nobody knows, but we’ll be a completely different team any time he’s in it. I thought he’d won it for us late on when he made a great near post run and produced a clever flick from Flanno’s cross but that big lumbering bastard James Collins inadvertently got in the way. Why is it that fucker turns into Franco Baresi every time he faces us?
Flanno had almost scored seconds earlier when he got his head on a corner but had it blocked, and it was remarkable seeing how he got stronger in extra time. You’d think he’d have been out on his feet but he was still surging into their box in the last couple of minutes of the extra time. Hell of an effort by him. By all of them actually, you could see that there were a lot of tired legs out there; Ilori looked goosed after an hour, Smith had cramp and Stewart pushed himself through the pain barrier too, he was lucky not to suffer a broken leg after a lunge by that Valencia twat.
West Ham’s players had been hitting the deck more than a black jack dealer, especially Valencia. He probably should have had a penalty when he was tugged back by Ilori but his theatrical fall probably counted against him. Not really sure what the difference was between that theatrical fall and all the others that the ref awarded as fouls, not least the one in stoppage time at the end of extra time that resulted in the winning goal. Actually the difference was probably just that it wasn’t in the box.
I feel for Lucas, as that was never a free-kick. Maybe he could have been a little smarter by not putting his hands on Valencia, but if that’s a foul then there are a hundred of those every game. Valencia backed in, Lucas put his hands on his back to stop him, and the twat flung himself to the floor. It was a great ball in and a brilliant header, but maybe we've got to be a bit more cynical and hold people in the box to stop them getting a free run at these crosses? Stewart didn't stay tight enough to Ogbonna but would he have won the header anyway?
We defended set-pieces well all night but if you keep giving them away eventually it will prove costly. I can’t point the finger at Lucas for this though, as his performance was fucking tremendous and as I say, that was never a free kick in a million years. Positionally he was brilliant all night, he made tackles, won headers, and he organised those around him. A real captain’s performance and he didn’t deserve for that to happen at the end. None of them did. Except maybe Benteke.
If anyone carries blame for this it’s him, but even so I find it hard to lay into him too much. I’ve hammered him at times this season because he just wasn’t doing the things he’s supposed to do and was having no positive impact on games. Often he didn’t even look arsed. I don’t think that applies this time. His all round performance was good and he brought a lot to the side, especially after the introductions of Sturridge and Origi who were running off him.
Honestly I’ll take this level of performance from him all day if it’s on offer. Obviously the finishing was unacceptable and that’s why we’re out of the cup, but as Klopp said afterwards all strikers have these kind of runs and Benteke’s confidence must be at rock bottom at the moment. Kicking him while he’s down isn’t going to do any good, and hopefully Klopp will be trying to build him up by emphasising the positives in his display.
Things are pretty shit for us right now, it feels like we just can’t get anything going. Even when we play well we find it hard to win and there’s all the other shit going on off the field over the fans being fleeced. Klopp must be wondering just what he’s gotten himself into, but maybe there’s light at the end of this tunnel? We’ve got a cup final to look forward to soon and we’ve got some of our injured forwards back.
If we can keep them fit then the season can still be salvaged, but perhaps it’s time to play some of these second stringers ahead of certain under-achieving “first choice” players, like Can, Moreno and Ibe for example?
Star man is Lucas, with honourable mentions to Smith, Chirivella and Stewart.
Team: Mignolet; Flanagan, Ilori, Lucas, Smith; Stewart, Chirivella (Milner); Ibe, Teixeira (Sturridge), Coutinho (Sturridge); Benteke:
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