Had we not bagged that second goal late on I was going to describe this game as a “1-0 hammering”. We’ve played better, but there was a lot to love about this performance and the only blemish was that Leicester hadn’t been killed off much sooner.
Other than a bit more luck and ruthlessness in front of goal there’s not really much more you can do. Leicester couldn’t get out because we just penned them in. The pressing was great and any time they were able to get by that, Joel and Virg were there to snuff out any danger.
Some of the interplay from the forwards - especially after the double substitution on the hour - was hugely exciting and bodes well for the months ahead. Jota continued his hot streak, Diaz looks like he’s been a Liverpool player his whole life and Mo came back looking like he’s about to take out his AFCON frustrations onto any opponent that crosses his path. We’re in a good way, as Jurgen likes to say.
I was extremely confident prior to the game but that means very little as we saw in the reverse fixture a few weeks ago. That being said, there was just no way these lads were going to slip up twice against the same opposition. They had a score to settle and settle it they did. Not so much in the result itself, but by the utter dominance of it.
Brendan spoke all kinds of bollocks afterwards about it being a performance that restored pride. Nah, they got battered and on another night our chances go in and he’s walking away with a five goal defeat and having to face all sorts of questions about his future. In fairness, when you look at that Leicester starting eleven how could you expect any different? It feels like they’ve got half a dozen players out with injury every week. Their defence and midfield had a makeshift look about it and there was no Vardy.
Contrast that with us. We’ve got virtually everybody available now (Hendo missed out with a slight knock and Sadio wasn’t back in time) and it can’t be easy for Klopp deciding who to leave out. For this one he left Mo on the bench as Diaz made his full debut, and also elected to go with Jones in midfield over Ox, Keita and Elliott.
Other than that I think we could have predicted the rest of the line up. Maybe Mo could have started ahead of Bobby but having played 120 minutes on four consecutive games inside a fortnight for Egypt it was probably wise to be cautious on that.
It felt like this was a big game for Bobby. It sounds mad to say he has something to prove, but currently we’ve got five forwards and he’s a distant fifth. Maybe not in Klopp’s eyes, but as much as the boss is Firmino’s biggest fan, he’s going to find it hard to get him minutes on the pitch in his current form. This was a chance for Bobby to show he belongs in the shake up with the other forwards. He didn’t do it though. He didn’t really do much at all, and he gives the ball away so often it’s definitely a problem now.
We’re at our most vulnerable when we give the ball away cheaply and he does that more than anyone else in the squad. Even when he doesn’t lose it now my heart is in my mouth expecting him to get tackled and give it away. I hate feeling like this, but it’s been going on for a couple of years now. Be honest, even those of you that still believe in Bobby, you knew it was only a matter of time before he was subbed in this game, right? It was obvious.
You look at how lively Diaz and Jota were and you know Mo is coming on at some point, so it was just obvious that Bobby wasn’t going to last as he just wasn’t doing enough. He wasn't shit, he was ok, but ok stands out for all the wrong reasons when you're surrounded by so many players looking great. The same applies to Curtis really, but I’ll get onto him later.
The first half was decent enough in many respects. The control of the game was good, we dominated and Leicester looked like a team that were only here to hopefully keep the score respectable. Even though we weren’t creating loads of chances I felt like we were always close to doing something.
Diaz almost made an immediate impact right from the kick off when a ball over the top (Trent I think?) released him. He tried to cut back inside the last defender but had it robbed off his toe. Shame, what a start that would have been for him. He was the brightest spark in the first half I thought, he was popping up all over the place and was full of energy and purpose.
For all the attacking talent we had on show though, corner kicks were always going to be the most likely source of a goal. Not just because we’re good at them, but because Brendan’s team is fucking hopeless trying to keep them out. The joint worst in the league and their fans are worried now every time they concede a corner. We’ve been there, it’s not a nice feeling.
They’d done pretty well with the earlier corners we’d had but then Virgil broke free of his marker and had a free run at Trent’s delivery. His header was straight at Schmeichel who parried it out, and there was Jota sniffing around in the right spot at usual. 1-0, another goal for Jota and another chance for the Kop to belt out his new song.
We had other chances in the first half. Thiago went close with an overhead kick, Trent stung Schmeichel’s palms and there were several near misses from dangerous crosses that were whipped in. Bobby had a snapshot straight at Schmeichel too, while Robbo almost broke his back colliding with the post. Of course he got up and carried on. The post probably needs replacing though.
The second half was more of the same until the subs were made on the hour mark, and then business picked up significantly. Elliott makes a difference as he seems to be able to lift the tempo of a game. Everything is one and two touch and done at pace, and he was pressing with great energy too. Curtis did that part of the game well enough too, but he takes too many touches at times and slows things down when everyone else is speeding it up.
He was ok, he didn’t have a ‘bad’ game but similar to Bobby he stood out for not quite being at the same speed and level as everyone else. Harvey just immediately picks up that pace and slots in perfectly. The little one twos with Mo especially are really encouraging. There’s a real understanding there and they look like they enjoy playing together.
Mo though. Fucking hell, how good was he when he came on. Schmeichel denied him after one of those typical little mazy dribbles in tight spaces. I think he picked the ball up there after Harvey cheekily nutmegged the defender, but that might have been a different occasion. It would have been an incredible goal.
Not quite as incredible as the outrageous curler a bit later. I sit behind that and when it started out I thought it going into row Z of the Kop near the corner flag. Then it bent and dipped and smacked off the angle of post and bar. Wow, what a fucking effort that was.
We were swarming all over Leicester in this period and Jota suddenly began linking up nicely with Diaz on that left side. I thought it was interesting how well they seemed to have gelled already and that 25 minutes or so when we had Mo up there with them two looked fucking amazing. Can’t wait to see more of that, and also how Sadio will fit into it as no doubt there will be times when him and Diaz are on the pitch at the same time too. Diaz was twice denied by Schmeichel but you can tell already he's not going to be one of those wide forwards who scores half a dozen goals a season, he's gonna score shitloads in this team.
Mo should have scored when he went clean through the middle but I never fancied him at all for some reason. It never looked right, and I think it’s just because he was running straight on and wasn’t able to open up his body. He didn’t do much wrong to be fair, but that’s a great save by Schmeichel.
Tell you what though, Mo got absolutely chopped down after he got his shot away and really that should be a pen. In general I’m not in favour of pens being awarded when the challenge hasn’t hampered the striker from getting his shot away, but sometimes those fouls are just too much and this was one. I think that should have been a pen but I do understand why they usually aren’t given. This one though, it was awful. A dangerous lunge from behind that didn't get the ball and went right the man. It's a pen.
What annoyed me most was the defender (Amartey I think) trying to drag Mo to his feet when he was clearly in pain. Leicester didn’t put the ball out either, which was a bit naughty. Thankfully Mo was able to shake it off and eventually the second goal arrived when Joel picked the ball up on the edge of the box and rolled a sexy little pass through a defender’s legs into Jota, who controlled and then beat Schmeichel with a shot on the turn. Not the most clinical of finishes and the keeper almost saved it, but that was game over and we could relax for the final few minutes.
Not that it had been in any way stressful prior to that. Leicester didn’t look like they had a goal in them, but when you have chances and aren’t able to kill the opposition off you always have to be a little wary of something freakish happening. Jota’s goal ended any chance of that.
Jota was boss and was a strong contender for the star man, as was Diaz who is one of those “fits like an arse in a bucket” signings we’ve become so good at. I love him already, he’s fucking quality. The two centre backs looked great too, while Robbo had a strong game and got himself into some great crossing positions.
Fabinho was monstrous and at times was almost single handedly keeping Leicester pinned in their own half. They tried to play out but every time the ball was played into a midfielder, Fabinho just came fucking bounding in and took it off him. Top drawer stuff from him.
Star man though, well for me it’s Thiago who was an absolute joy to watch. The full repertoire was out, the no look passes, the little him shimmy sending the opponent for the Echo, progressive passing and generally just being fucking boss. They couldn’t get near him and at one point Maddison kind of threw his arms up in mock resignation after being completely turned out of his fucking boots by Thiago.
We need to pretty much win every game now as the margin for error is miniscule. With Thiago in the team playing behind this array of forward talent, we might just be able to do that. Our record with him is spectacular so keeping him fit and fresh is vital.
I’d probably bench him on Sunday though and start with Hendo and Harvey. Only because we’ve got so many games coming up I think protecting Thiago (and Joel for that matter) might be wise this Sunday. Klopp has so many options now though he’s almost certainly going to be chopping and changing a bit to keep everyone involved.
Burnley away is always a game you tend to think is more difficult than it actually is. We usually beat them and I’d be shocked if we didn’t win on Sunday. I’ve been shocked before though, so you never know for sure. I can’t wait for it though, Diaz coming in has given me a real spring in my step.
There’s nothing quite like having a boss South American Luis to idolise. I just can’t get enough.
Team: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Thiago, Jones (Elliott); Jota, Firmino (Salah), Diaz (Minamino):
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