So that’s the game in hand finally out of the way and now we know where we all stand. It’s no longer a 13 point lead with two games in hand, or a 16 point lead with one game in hand. It’s a 19 point lead. 19 points. NINETEEN. Incredible.
Of course nobody at the club is going to make any declarations about it being over. It would be unprofessional in the extreme if they did. They know it though. Everyone knows it now. Klopp knows it. The players know it. The reason they know it is because they know that they are far too good, and more importantly, far too professional and diligent, to lose the amount of games it would take between now and May for them to not win it.
So yeah, it’s over. We’ve got the league title sewn up and it’s only a matter of ‘when’ it becomes official now. Talk has already started about where we’d like to win it. I’m not really thinking about that, I just want it done as soon as possible and ideally I’d like to clinch it at Anfield.
The way things are going it will be sooner rather than later because this team is just relentless. They don’t just want to win the league, they want to win every game and smash every record possible. Again, they won’t say that, they’ll talk about “just winning the next one”.
Games that used to be seen as tricky are now routine. Like this one. We drew here last year and those two points proved costly in the end. Lessons have been learned though. The lesson being ‘don’t drop ANY points at all and you’ll win the league’.
It was clear from the opening kick off that this was just damage limitation for West Ham. I didn’t think for a second that we wouldn’t win this game because you could just tell that West Ham’s only intention was to keep the score down. They played five at the back and just strung them across the width of their 18 yard box. They were so deep that at one point I switched the TV on (I was watching the game on the laptop) and they were in Eastenders, lined up against the bar in the Queen Vic.
We’ve had a lot of joy this season with the ball over the top but that was never happening here as there was no room in behind them at all. Counter attacking wasn’t really possible either, because to counter attack the other team actually has to attack, and they only ever did that with about three players.
So there was no way we were losing the game and the only question was whether we could break them down. It wasn’t easy and I thought some our passing was too slow and the tempo wasn’t great, but we were still creating chances, especially when we were able to get Robbo round the back.
He went agonisingly close when he ran onto a beautifully weighted ball from Salah but he didn’t get enough on the little dink and the Hammers were able to clear off the line.
I have to confess that during the opening 10 or 15 minutes Mo had been doing my head in because it felt like he lost the ball every time he had it and it was frustrating me. That pass to Robbo was great though and after that he was just a constant menace.
The breakthrough eventually came from the penalty spot after brilliant work by Firmino, who produced a wonderful piece of control before picking out Origi. The big man’s touch and turn was superb and he was hauled down before he could tuck it away.
I find it incredible that there are people claiming that wasn’t a pen. That includes Moyes, obviously. But it’s not just him. The commentator on Sky’s highlights (former Midlands jabroni journeyman Don Goodman) wasn’t having it either. “Soft” he called it. What exactly would they have needed to do to him to make it not “soft” then, Don? Take an axe to his legs and chop him down like a big tree?
I don’t think I’m being extreme when I say that he should never be paid to commentate on footy again. Seriously, if he doesn’t think that’s a foul then he’s in the wrong job. Simple as that. Fuck me.
When you look at the reactions of the West Ham players you see Mark Noble complaining (has there every been a decision he hasn’t complained about?) but the lad who committed the foul knows and just walks away.
It looked a stonewall pen in real time and it’s even more clear on the replays. In fact, it was probably two fouls. The young right back pulls him back and Ogbonna fouls him. There’s no argument here. Not unless you’re fucking mental.
Moyes wasn’t disputing the actual foul, he was claiming a handball against Firmino, which is even more ridiculous. Just because VAR had a look to check if it hit his hand does not mean it did actually hit his hand. Frankly its pathetic. We’ve had a few of these this season and it’s embarrassing listening to the whining over them.
There was Trent against City, when the City player handled first. Virg against Wolves, when it didn’t actually hit his hand. There was Lallana in that same incident and there was another one recently too but for the life of me I can’t remember it. Then this one. It never hit Bobby’s hand but even if it had it would have been because the defender was holding his arm.
Have a search on twitter for LiVARpool though. It’s funny because it highlights just how desperate people are to cling to any little thing or perceived sense of injustice. There are some nonces out there who think we’re top because of VAR. It’s mental. There an awful lot of hard drives out there that need checking and I’d start with Moyes. Right after I’d dealt with the Man City press office, obviously.
So yeah, penalty. I’ll be honest, I’m not usually too confident when Mo takes pens and this was no different. I needn’t have worried though as it was right out of the top drawer. Fantastic penalty. Unsaleable.
The one thing about that wide run up he does is it makes it really difficult to know where he’s going to put it. He’s gone down the middle a few times, he’s gone to the keeper’s right, but this time he went to the keepers left and just hammered it into the bottom corner. Superb pen, and by mixing it up like that he’ll keep them guessing for his next one.
Usually at 1-0 I’m always a little concerned that it won’t be enough. It only takes one freak incident or mistake for the opponent to equalise so you can’t relax until you get the second. I never felt like that this time because I didn’t think West Ham posed any threat at all.
And yet they did actually have a few decent chances. It was weird. I thought they were fucking abysmal yet Alisson has still had to make two or three really good saves. I just think we were a bit sloppy. Most of their best moments were handed to them by us giving them the ball needlessly.
They had a chance in the first half when Robbo gave it away, and they had two in the second courtesy of Gini and then Fabinho. The closest they came to a goal was when Trent smashed one against his own post. Like I say, all their best moments were gifts from us.
At the other end we were rarely at our fluent best but there were enough moments of genuine quality to see us through. The second goal was a thing of beauty. You know how much I love those ‘Red Arrows’ goals, when we just swarm out from our own box and run the length of the field. This was right up there with some of our best.
I actually look forward to position corners now because we score more goals from them than we concede. I don’t have stats to back that up but it would be interesting to know if that is the case. It certainly feels like it. You know how when we get a corner the crowd chants “Liiiiiiverpool, Liiiiiiverpool”. We should do that when the opponent has one now, because we’re fucking lethal from them.
It usually follows a similar pattern too. We head out the initial set-piece and then Mo or Sadio charges out to pressure the last defender, who can only knock the ball back towards the box where everyone has sprinted out to try and win the second ball. And if we do win that second ball, look out.
That’s what happened with this one. Mo pressured the defender, Hendo won the second ball and just knocked it into the space where the sprinters had already set off into. Mo collected it, but Bobby was there waiting if he didn’t.
The control, touch, vision and then pass from Salah was glorious. I thought initially he’d slightly under-hit the pass but it was perfect. If he’d put more on it then Ox would have had to alter his run to get it. Any less and the defender cuts it out.
The first touch from Ox to cut in front of his man was brilliant too, as was the strength and balance he showed to ride the challenge and then set himself of the shot. Just a brilliant goal, and trademark Liverpool. Those are defo my favourite type of goals, I can’t get enough of them. Glorious.
The game was over at that moment as while there was an outside chance the Hammers might fluke one goal, they were never getting two. We should have wrapped it up as we had numerous chances. Firmino and Origi both forced Fabianksi into great saves while Salah hit the post with a lovely snapshot following a slick as fuck passing move.
Bizarrely though considering how inept West Ham were, Alisson still had to make four saves. The first was an easy take after Lanzini mis-kicked on the volley 12 yards out.
The second was a full length dive to tip a Snodgrass shot round the post after Gini had passed the ball straight to Lansing.
The third was a flying stop to keep out a header from Rice following a free-kick, and the fourth was from Rice again, who collected a sloppy Fabinho pass and surged into the box before blasting the ball straight at Alisson. Trent then made a mess of the rebound and hit it against his own post.
As I keep saying, some of these clean sheets we’ve been getting have been rather fortunate as the opposition seem to get clear chances every game. This was no different. West Ham probably deserved a goal but equally they were fortunate not to concede four.
There’s little point in dwelling on these things though. I thought we played well within ourselves and had we needed to play better we would have. As has been the case for most of the season, we just played as well as we needed to to get the win. If we needed to go up another couple of gears we could have done, but we didn’t.
We won at a canter because West Ham are shit and because Moyes didn’t even try to win the game. He more or less admitted as much afterwards when he spoke about the importance of not losing heavily and dropping into the bottom three on goal difference. For a self proclaimed winner he doesn’t half talk like a fucking loser doesn’t he? The cunt.
Moyes is such a fucking dour shithouse. I’d stop watching football completely if he managed my team, as it’s just such a miserable existence having to watch his teams play and listen to the shite he comes out with. He’s the worst. On a list of people I wouldn’t want to be my manager, I genuinely think he’d come out as number one, because it’s not just that he’s shite (in fairness there are loads of managers as shite as him), it’s that he talks like he’s got a CV like Bob Paisley. Such an unlikable turd.
There are other shit managers who have an equally high opinion of themselves, but at least the likes of Pardew and Sherwood are funny. Those two at least have charisma, their arrogance is entertaining in a WWE villain type of way. Moyes has none of that. He’s just a conceited, charmless, miserable cunt.
West Ham have one player who I’d class as dangerous (Antonio), and Moyes left him out because he’s saving him for games that are more winnable. We’re so good now that the only hope most teams in the league of beating us if they catch us on a really bad day and they play out of their skins.
It’s incredible how superior we are to everybody else now. I don’t think there has ever been a more dominant team take the field in this country. In fact, I know there hasn’t because nobody has ever done this before. We’re 19 points clear and we’ve already beaten every team in the league, and we’re still in January.
The only negative on the night was a potential injury to Origi. He thinks it was just cramp and hopefully he’s right, because with Sadio out we could really do with Big Div fit and firing.
Ox initially went to the left wing but I wonder if it was significant that Jones got the nod over Minamino to replace Ox late on? Maybe it meant nothing, but it did make me think that maybe Curtis might get a start against Southampton if Origi hasn’t recovered. If he does, it’s well deserved. Maybe it was just a birthday present from Klopp. We’ll see on Saturday I guess.
The selections over the next few weeks are going to be interesting I think. Trent looks like he needs a rest as he’s not been at his sharpest lately. Robbo has been a little bit up and down too, although I thought he had a good game in this one.
We’ve got some players coming back that should allow Klopp to freshen things up now, and with such a big lead it might be tempting for him to prioritise the Champions League games. It’s a difficult one really because I want us to keep winning every league game and not drop any points. Not if it comes at the expense of progression in the Champions League though.
I do think it might be time to give the odd start in the league to the likes of Jones, Williams, Hoever and Elliott. Not at the same time, but I’d be looking to throw one or two of them in whenever possible now. I’d give Williams a start on Saturday for example, because we can’t afford Trent to pick up an injury due to overplaying him.
Great to see Naby back on the field too. It might be too soon for him to go back into the starting line up but having him back just in time for the resumption of the Champions League is perfect timing.
Same with Fabinho, although right now he’s definitely struggling to shake off the cobwebs. In fact he’s so covered in them he looks like Frodo Baggins after he was attacked by that giant spider in Return of the King.
Having them back will allow Klopp to give Gini and Hendo a break now and then, because it feels like those two have been playing every game and they must be close to breaking point in terms of a hamstring or a calf going pop.
Mo is another who seems to play all the time but with Sadio out there’s no way we can rest him any time soon. It’d be nice to get a few goals ahead in a game for once and be able to bring him off after an hour though. We never seem to be in that position though, despite the fact we win every single week.
We’re just so dominant at the moment that the only thing I can see stopping us doing the double (and possibly treble if Critch’s kids can get us past Shrewsbury) is untimely injuries to key players. Hopefully Klopp can manage the squad well enough to avoid that.
Star man is Salah just ahead of Alisson. Honourable mentions to Bobby, Gomez and Hendo as well. Ox too, just for that brilliant goal.
Team: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold (Keita), Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain (Jones), Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Origi (Fabinho):
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