This doesn’t hurt anywhere near as much as I thought it would. It helps that we’ve got two finals to look forward to of course, but I just can’t get too worked up or disappointed about this particular game or even the implications of it.
We gave everything we had but came up short because the opponent defended really well. If we don’t win the title it won’t be because of this game and it won’t be because Newcastle put up the most feeble of resistance at the Etihad a day later (did anyone really expect any different?).
I’m more upset about the other game we had with Spurs than this one. Remember, when a couple of manc officials shafted us with two of the worst decisions seen all season? We deserved to win that game, we didn’t deserve to win this one.
I think we played pretty well though and there was a lot to like about the performance. Against most teams it would have been enough for a comfortable victory, but the problem is that Spurs are really good when they play the better teams. They beat City twice and that wasn’t a fluke.
This was always going to be the toughest game we had left but because it was a night game at Anfield I thought that would be enough to help us come through it unscathed. It wasn’t, although the crowd played its part and the atmosphere was great. The players responded and the intensity was there but the quality was lacking. Sometimes that happens, even to the best teams. Winning every game just isn’t possible and when it comes to retreats when we look back on the season, this game really shouldn’t even be a consideration.
It was just really fucking tough. Try as we might, we just couldn’t really play through them and when we did they usually had someone making a great block or clearance. Hugo Lloris hardly had a save to make and we didn’t really do enough to test him. We were almost there on a lot of occasions but just didn’t get it right when we got into promising positions.
Klopp went with the team most of us would have picked and I don’t think a lack of energy or freshness was the problem. Trent and Robbo weren’t at their very best and maybe they were a little leggy but I honesty thought the team looked fresh and full of energy. We just came up against a really well organised opponent who know how to pack their box and play on the break.
But for most of the game we were so good with our counter press that Spurs weren’t able to launch the counter attacks they are so dangerous from. The first half especially we restricted it almost entirely. I think they had one break which ended with them hitting the post, but apart from that we smothered them whenever they tried to break.
The problem was we found it difficult to create anything clear ourselves. There were lots of nearly moments and Van Dijk headed against the bar from a corner, but the only time Lloris was really made to work was when his own player mis-directed a header and he had to scramble across his line to claw the ball off the head of Salah.
The second half was slightly different and Spurs were able to get out more and hurt us. They did it really well when they were able to and their goal was well worked. Shite from us like, but well worked from them. I’m not sure what had happened prior to it but I’m assuming we must have had to defend a corner as Trent and Robbo were on opposite flanks and that usually only happens when we’ve defended a set piece.
It played a big part in the goal as we were disjointed and never got proper set in our usual shape. Trent didn’t cover himself in glory in not getting tight to Kane and Robbo then compounded the problem by tracking the run of Son instead of letting him go offside. In doing that he played Sessegnon onside and he crossed for Son to score from close range.
Bad from us, good from them. They had another chance soon after too as we were wobbling. At one point they went the length of the pitch, starting with a short goal kick, and played right through our press and ended up creating a chance. That never happens to us, but this was hard.
Klopp rang the changes and sent on Jota and Tsimikas for Hendo and Robbo. I can see why Kostas was brought on as Robbo has played a lot of footy and he wasn’t at his best. Kostas should start at Villa I reckon.
Hendo going off wasn’t a huge surprise either but it wasn’t a reflection on how he’d played. I thought he was fine, but Klopp wanted to go with the 4-2-4 we saw turn the derby game in our favour. The difference here is it was Jota and not Divock. who came on. More on this later.
The crowd were really cranking it up trying to get the lads going and when Diaz drew us level the noise was spine tingling. The goal was a fluke as his shot was headed towards one corner and was deflected into the opposite corner off the boot of a defender, but it was no more than he deserved for his desire and enthusiasm.
The problem was that none of the other forwards were having any joy as there was hardly any space to operate in. Mo was so tightly marked all day as Spurs were effectively playing with two left backs in Sessegnon and Davies. If he escaped one there was always a second one there. Trent was playing inside and the only time we were able to get around the side was when Hendo made an overlapping run.
When you play a team who defends like Spurs, the space is down the sides and you’ve got to get around the back to get your crosses in. Instead we were putting crosses in from deep and that’s a waste of time when there are so many big players in the box. Spurs had three centre backs, two pretty tall wing backs and both of their centre midfielders are big strong lads too. We played right into their hands too often.
In his last 16 games Mo has only scored from open play in one of them (the Mancs at Anfield when he bagged a brace). That’s blown my mind. I honestly wouldn’t have thought that was even possible but the maddest thing about it is that I don’t think he’s playing badly. I can’t remember too many games where I’ve thought “Mo’s been shite here”. He hasn’t always been brilliant but it’s not like he’s noticeably struggling.
Yet his goal record in the last 16 games is proper shit. It hasn’t really mattered because we’ve been winning every game anyway, but this was one game when we really needed that bit of magic from him. Sadly he couldn’t deliver and Spurs dealt with him quite easily really. Sadio fared no better either, and Jota was poor when he came on.
Diaz was the only one that posed any real threat and it’s genuinely staggering that Origi didn’t get on. I was a bit miffed about it afterwards but the more I’ve thought about it, the more irritated I’ve become and as I write this two days later I’m proper pissed off about it. Why would you not bring Divock on? Why? It’s fucking madness. He was put on this earth for exactly this kind of situation and he’s delivered for us so many times. Instead we got an out of form Jota and Naby fucking Keita.
Nothing against Naby, but what the fuck was that change going to do? Utterly pointless change. Divock is the ultimate ‘break glass in case of emergency’ player. This is what he does, but he can’t do it sat on the fucking bench. That’s my only gripe about this game but it’s a pretty fucking big gripe the more I think about it.
I can even make a case that this is a good point because we could have lost this game. After going a goal down I’d have probably taken a draw at that point because we hadn’t really looked like scoring. Then we get the equaliser and there’s plenty of time left so I’m thinking we’ll pull it out of the fire because that’s what we usually do. But it never really looked like happening and Spurs probably carried a bigger threat. They could have won it late on but Hoijberg headed back across goal instead of going for it himself.
So given the way the game went a draw isn’t bad and if City do come a cropper somewhere then the equaliser from Diaz might prove crucial. Probably not, it’s unlikely City will lose a game and even if they do we’ve blown the goal difference advantage we had by not punishing shite like Everton and Newcastle recently.
Imagine if we lost the title on goal difference. Fucking hell. I’ve been going on about that Leicester game for months, but I tell you something, if we miss out on goal difference that won’t be the game I look at. I’ll go back to Old Trafford. 5-0 up, United down to ten men and half an hour still to play. And we just declared. It pissed me off at the time and it will piss me off even more if it turns out that it all comes down to goal difference.
It probably won’t but it is not beyond the realms of possibility that City lose at Wolves or West Ham. Put it this way, if we had those two away fixtures coming up next, would you be thinking “that’s two definite wins for us” or would you be a bit uneasy about it? I wouldn’t be taking those wins as guaranteed, so why are we not thinking that City might just slip up? They probably won’t, but they absolutely could. This isn’t mission impossible.
The problem is for me is that we could fail to beat Villa this week, and if that happens it won’t matter what City do because it will be all but over anyway. At the start of the season the league was the one I most wanted but if we get revenge on Madrid to bring home number seven I doubt I’ll feel even the slightest bit of disappointment if we can’t catch City.
I just have this gut feeling that either Wolves or West Ham are going to do something though you know. Part of me hopes they don’t because if they were to lose and we missed out because we didn’t win out or - even worse - because we’ve let our goal difference advantage slip, that would be much harder to take than if City just won every game. We’ll see.
Star man is Diaz.
Team: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson (Tsimikas); Fabinho (Keita), Henderson (Jota), Thiago; Salah, Mané, Diaz:
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