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  • TLW
    Raheem Sterling has spoken strongly in defence of Joe Gomez after he was inexplicably booed by so-called England fans in their 7-0 rout of Montenegro at Wembley on Thursday evening.

    In a continuation of a story that has stretched through the whole week, Gomez was subject to a less than accommodating reaction when the defender came on for Mason Mount in the 70th minute.

    Sterling was not selected for the clash after his altercation with Gomez on Monday, but he was seen to be applauding the Liverpool defender when he stepped onto the pitch.

    Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain set the tone for the rout with an early goal and the hosts followed on from there, sealing their qualification for Euro 2020 with the comprehensive victory.

    In the aftermath. Sterling took to Twitter to condemn the actions of those who took part.

    “Joe hasn't done anything wrong and for me to see someone who keeps his head down and work hard…especially after a difficult week for him to be booed when he came on tonight was wrong.

    “I've taken full responsibility and accepted the consequence. I felt as though I had to say this.

    In speaking to Sky Sports, England manager Gareth Southgate was at a loss to explain what had taken place.
     


    “ I don't understand it because no England player should ever be booed. 

    “We're a team and Joe has done nothing wrong.

    “ I've made that clear earlier in the week so I don't understand that. Raheem and him are very close and the whole team are very close so we don't want to see anybody treated in that way.

    "I'm sure [I'll talk to him] because as a young man that's an upsetting experience so the reason for putting him on was that he's been with us September, October, we haven't got him into the game and tonight was an opportunity to do that."

    However Southgate stopped short of sending a pointed message to the supporters.

    “No, it's done, it's done we move on. I've said what needs to be said, it's for me now to make sure that Joe's okay."

    Leicester midfielder James Maddison also wanted to show his support for the 22 year-old.

    “Joe's a strong boy, a strong-minded boy. I'm not sure why they were booing, whatever the reason, that's behind him. 

    “He's a strong-minded boy, as I said, so he won't let that affect him."

    One thing is for certain, Joe will be given a rousing round of applause the next time he steps onto the Anfield pitch.
  • The father of Joe Gomez has spoken about his son’s altercation with Raheem Sterling saying he felt a deal of pride with the way that his son handled the difficult situation.

    The Mirror reported Augustus Gomez as saying that the Liverpool defender is “doing OK” with all the attention that has come his way over the last few days.

    Gomez Sr. also said that the 22 year-old wants to keep a level head focusing on his football and young family.

    “He wasn’t expecting it, it happened, he brushed it away and he carried on. 

    “He is fine apart from the scratch on his face.
     
    "I spoke to him, I spoke to his agent; let him just be happy and smiling and so-forth.

    “ He is very passionate about what he does.

    “ We just want to see that Joe is happy, that his wife is happy, we are happy and that is it.



    Despite the incident, Augustus did not look to put any blame on the shoulders of Sterling, and felt that the Man City star was still agitated from the events of Sunday evening.

    “ It is not his fault. Fans were agitating him and he took it out because of his frustration.

    “It is normal. Young people are very ambitious and very willing to win for their team and that is what happens. 

    “If Liverpool were losing, one of the players would be agitated as well.

    If there is one piece of advice that Gomez has taken on board from his father, it is to stay grounded.

    “As a public figure like him, you need to try and be a public figure for the children, for his friends, his family and so on.

    “He wants to be like a normal person and run around like normal on the pitch, smile and be happy, go home, be with his wife and his son.

    “His main focus now is to play football and to forget about the hype.
     
    "It is something he does not want to talk about. He keeps his head low."
     
  • Liverpool are among a number of clubs are following of progress of exciting  young West Brom striker Jovan Malcolm

    The Mirror reports that the 16 year-old is impressing a number of observers with the quality of his play at the U/18 level.

    Malcolm has scored seven goals (including four against the Reds) and produced three assists in nine games at the under age level this season.

    It was said that Liverpool coaches were ‘blown away’ by the pure footballing talent of Malcolm and want to take advantage of the fact that the youngster cannot sign a professional contract with the Baggies until his turns 17.

    Liverpool are not the only Premier League team tracking the exciting talent with Man United, Arsenal and Man City also showing interest.

    However, with Jurgen Klopp’s proven record of giving youngsters opportunities, then it stands a good chance that Liverpool will mount a good case for his signature.

    The policy of identifying young stars is a smart one as shown by the signing of Harvey Elliott in the summer.

    If you wait a further 12-18 months down the line, you could be easily be paying 5-10 times more for the player in this inflated market for home grown players.
     
    One player who Liverpool will have to be shelling out a fair bit of coin for is Jadon Sancho who has also been linked with the Reds again.
     


    All the big hitters in European football are interested in the Borussia Dortmund and England star.

    After Jurgen Klopp poured cold water on the Mbappe link last week, it would be interesting to see how keen we are on this fine talent.
     
  • New details have emerged over the altercation between Raheem Sterling and Joe Gomez while on England duty.

    The much discussed incident has created a deal of embarrassment for the national team ahead of their Euro 2020 qualifier with Montenegro.

    It caused national team manager Gareth Southgate to take the step to stand down the Man City star from the fixture.

    The friction between the pair began in the last few minutes of Liverpool's 3-1 victory on Sunday when they clashed and words were exchanged.

    The incident on the day looked pretty innocuous and when the English players gathered in camp, the mood was said to be quite relaxed.
     
    However The Mirror (via The Athletic) reports that things took a different turn when the two players came face to face.

    Gomez had initially said "Hello" to Sterling to which the forward replied.

    “So you think you're the big man?
     
    That line saw plenty of laughter to everyone in the room but Sterling.

    He then reportedly rose to his feet and attempted to get Gomez in a headlock, knocking food over on the table in the process.

    A eyewitness to the incident claimed that  “It was a pretty full-on thing and food went everywhere. 

    “Sterling behaved like a bit of a child."

    Gomez was left with a noticeable scratch mark on his face following the incident.
     


    Leicester City defender Ben Chilwell said that both players have since aired their differences in front of the squad and put the issue well and truly to bed.

    “Raheem wanted to apologise and Joe wanted to get stuff off his chest as well. It's not been spoken of since.

    "[Raheem] was apologetic, he said it's not in his nature, which it's not, but we all know as football players emotions can run high. 

    “No one's trying to make excuses for him.

    “Raheem has come out and said what he thought. We are in the changing room this morning and everyone is fine.

    “Joe is OK. He's good. Himself. 

    “He's a great character and has done very well. It wasn't on anyone's mind this morning

    "It is very important not to forget what Raheem has done for English football. Yes he has made a mistake but he's a very important character in the dressing room."

    While Sterling's international teammates and coaching staff may want to forgive and forget the incident, its fair to say Reds fans will keep the matter firmly in the forefront of their minds.
     
  • Last year we missed out on the title in large part due to only taking one point against City, so this win was huge. It doesn’t guarantee anything, but what needed to happen happened, and while the rest of the nation bleats about phantom penalties and pro-Liverpool conspiracies, we can just laugh it off and celebrate another great win that puts us eight points clear at the top, and nine clear of City.
     
    While Pep Guardiola desperately tried to ensure the narrative was City being screwed by the officials again (he did the same thing when we spanked them in Europe too), the real story of this game was the tactical masterclass by Klopp that allowed us to keep them at arms length for most of the day while completely ripping them to shreds at the other end.
     
    Apparently XG showed that City had more ‘expected goals’. Whatever. My eyes told me that every single time we attacked we looked like we’d score. It might not have always led to a clear chance, but it always looked like it could do. 
     
    City were dangerous and played some lovely football around the box, but we defended them as well as it’s possible to do while also ensuring we never got pinned back by them and were always able to spring counter attacks.
     
    Klopp’s assessment was that you can’t beat City by playing like they do, because they’re the best at playing that way. He’s dead right. They’re sensational at what they do, but what they do at one end does leave them wide open at the other, and we took full advantage of that.
     
    It was a strange start to the game as for the first few minutes we just couldn’t get the ball. City got on top of us immediately and forced some early corners. Everything seemed to be going through Bernardo on the right in the early stages, but we were doubling up nicely on both him and Sterling on the opposite side. 
     
    City had a lot of the ball but our shape was good, and it soon became clear that any time City didn’t have the ball they were in big trouble. It genuinely felt as though we’d score every single time we attacked. They were wide open and I’m surprised we only scored three to be honest, especially as two of them came so early.
     
    And how good were those goals? Just beautiful. City can bleat all they want about the first one, I don’t care. Irrespective of what happened in the box, the way we worked it from back to front so quickly was ruthlessly efficient and a sign of things to come.
     
    Sadio had stayed forward in “the half space” as Klopp likes to say, and Robbo sent him clear with a pass out of defence. Mané drove at the defence, waited for support to arrive in the middle and then tried to pick out Bobby. City were scrambling back and managed to intercept it, but Mo closed down so quickly that Gundogan’s clearance went only to Fabinho, who just fucking leathered it in from 25 yards.
     
    The keeper had no chance of saving that as it was such a sweet strike. It went like an arrow and when you look at the still photo of it you can see the perfect form of Fabinho. Head down, just striking right through the ball. Glorious. He should do that more often really, shouldn’t he? 
     
    Although if he added goals to what he already does then that’s genuinely not fair on the rest of the league and maybe some sort of handicap would need to be introduced. I don’t know, maybe have him carry a dead weight around the field with him or something. After all, that’s what Gerrard had to do for half of the time he played with us.
     
    Fab’s goal was a lot like the one Ox got against them in the Champions League, only it wasn’t at the Kop end, which was a shame as that would have been amazing. Most of us went mental celebrating it but Klopp was quite reserved because he knew there would be a VAR review over what happened in the box. That never even entered my head, I had no idea what was happening or why the City players were surrounding the ref. It was only afterwards I discovered what their complaint was, and frankly it’s all I’ve heard since. 
     
    You’d think this was one of the worst decisions of all time the way some people are going on. It’s genuinely baffling to me.
     
    Tell you what was great about all that nonsense though. The way Gini was right in the middle telling the City players to pipe down and explaining what had happened. You can see him telling Fernandinho and (I think) Aguero that their player handled first and to shut their pieholes. Gotta love Gini and his game intelligence. He’s always one or two moves ahead of everyone else.
     
    I don’t even want to waste time talking about the so called handball. I’ve heard so much shit about it that it’s actually quite funny. Shearer and Crouch both said penalty on MOTD, while this morning I heard Mario Melchiot and Trevor Sinclair on the radio both saying the same. It’s not just them either.
     
    Logic would tell you that it can’t be a penalty because the ball hits Bernardo’s arm first and therefore City would have gained an advantage from it. MOTD claimed that the referees spokesman told them that Bernardo’s handball wouldn’t have counted because it didn’t directly lead to a goal. So a penalty isn’t a goalscoring opportunity now then? Just fuck off with that hypocritical nonsense. I'm not buying that at all and I don't think that's what the rule says.
     
    If the game were to be stopped it could only be for a free-kick to us. Oliver didn’t give that and he didn’t penalise Trent, because he either didn’t see them or he felt that both handballs were unintentional. We then went up the other end and scored, so what do people want the VAR ref to do? He can’t give a penalty, so he can only pull it back to give us a free-kick, and why would he do that when we scored? Really, it’s no different to a ref seeing a foul but playing the advantage.
     
    There’s nothing to see here, people should move along but for whatever reason they can’t. I don’t remember this level of debate and outrage when that bulb headed cunt Kompany took out Mo with a wild two footed lunge when he was clean through on goal at the Etihad last season.
     
    Never forget that City players were singing about that incident when they won the league, and Kompany has been a right fucking smug, smart arse twat about it ever since. So hearing him complaining about decisions that went against them in this game is just music to my ears. Vincent Kompany is a twat, I’ve been telling you that for ages. If you haven’t realised it yourself yet, don’t worry, you will. I’m never wrong on shit like this. I can spot them a mile off.
     
    Still, he’s a former City captain and only left a few months ago so he’s entitled to be biased. Some of the shit I’ve heard from other ex players though just boggles the mind. 
     
    I’ve already said more than I wanted to do about it, so for the other handball shout they had in the second half I’ll just say this; fuck off.
     
    I genuinely think the only reason these decisions are being talked about so much is because that fucking egghead threw a hissy fit on the touchline. If those decisions are against Brendan Rodgers or Eddie Howe for example no-one bats an eyelid because they wouldn’t have caused an embarrassing scene.
     
    Anyway, enough of that for now. It’s 1-0 and then within no time we scored again. This is what I was hoping for prior to the game. I’d said to a few people that it would either be a stalemate or we’d absolutely smash them. And for us to smash them, the most likely scenario would be to score one and then blow them away in a short space of time afterwards. 
     
    We’ve done that before; one goal quickly leads to another and then another as the players ride the wave of emotion from the crowd and the opposition are just overwhelmed. We’ve done it City twice and that’s how I hoped it would go this time. So when we got the second so quickly I was thinking we might add one or two more and win the game there and then. 
     
    That didn’t happen, but oh boy, what a goal that second one was. I’ll never tire of watching that, it was like the lads were doing one of those “recreate a famous goal from the past” videos and they’d been told to copy the Terry Mac header against Spurs. So similar. 
     
    It was just incredible and only we could have scored a goal like that. We’re unique in world football right now because nobody else has full backs doing the kind of amazing shit we’re seeing from Trent and Robbo virtually every week.
     
    Freeze the shot and look at where we are when Trent picks up the ball. It’s almost impossible to imagine that within a few seconds and with only four touches of the ball we’d have scored. It’s genuinely amazing to see. Savour this, because what we’re being treated to currently is as good as anything that any Liverpool fan has ever been privileged enough to witness. It won’t always be like this, so enjoy it.
     
    Trent’s switch of play with his left foot is world class. Robbo takes one touch to get it out of his feet and into the space, and then he delivers an inch perfect cross into the box that Mo meets with a brilliantly controlled header. I don’t think the finish is getting the credit it deserves because we’re all talking about the brilliance of Trent and Robbo, but that was a great header on the run.
     
    Some are trying to claim it’s offside and I even saw some crank claiming that VAR wasn’t working but that they’re trying to keep that quiet. Hilarious. Even better was a tweet I saw from some virgin who had used his iPhone camera app to prove it was offside. Should have seen how many retweets it got too. People are so desperate to think we’re cheating and being favoured by officials. It’s utterly batshit mental, but at the same time it’s great that there are so many knobheads having their lives ruined by the Reds being top of the league. 
     
    So anyway, City had all of the ball but just like that, they trail 2-0. You actually can’t stop that second goal unless you’re playing ultra defensively and haven’t committed players forward. That’s not City’s style though so they were always going to leave spaces. Most teams aren’t good enough to take advantage of that but we obviously are and we did. 
     
    Guardiola said afterwards how proud he was of his team and that their performance was brilliant. Some have laughed at that but I agree with him up to a point. With the ball they’re terrific and we had to be fully committed and switched on to keep them at bay. Yes, they were wide open for counter attacks but that’s a result of how he demands they play, it’s not really down to his players performing badly so he can’t be too critical of that.
     
    What it comes down to for me is that he brought his team here to take the game to us and with an attitude of “may the best team win”. And the best team did win. His team played well, our team played well, but we won because we put the ball in the net more times than they did, but mostly because we defend better than they do. It’s that simple really.
     
    They had chances to score in the first half but the closest they came was when Angelino’s effort was deflected onto the outside of the post by Van Dijk. They always looked dangerous but it’s not as though Alisson was over-worked. We were often at full stretch to stop them and for that you have to give great credit to our defence and midfield. So disciplined, so switched on, so hard working.
     
    For all of City’s possession, Bravo was the busier of the keepers. He needed to make a save to deny Firmino and then another to keep out Mo’s curling 20 yarder. Both of those chances came after some sexy as fuck attacking play. Bobby’s effort was the result of an incredible driving run from Trent. The way he plucked the ball out of the air and then carried it 40 yards was Gerrard-like. Mind you, a lot of what he does is Gerrard-like.
     
    As I say, I thought we looked like we were going to score every single time we attacked in that first half, and it continued after the break. It wasn’t long before it was 3-0. Hendo picked the ball up on the touchline, and with everyone expecting him to pass the ball inside he just put his head down and drove to the byline before delivering a worldy cross to the back post where Sadio had stolen a yard on Walker to head the ball in.
     
    It was as good a cross as you’ll see, just absolutely inch perfect from the skipper. And there was a glorious irony about the way Mané scored. “Sometimes he’s diving” indeed, eh Pep?
     
    Bravo is being blamed for that but that’s a little harsh to me. He had no chance of dealing with the cross and although he got his hands to Sadio’s header, it’s from close range and he could only push it into the net. Still, I don’t really care if he could have saved it or not. The only thing that matters is he didn’t, and we were three goals up.
     
    At this point I genuinely thought we’d score a couple more and really send a message to them, but a fourth didn’t come and the longer the game went the more City began to get on top. A big contributing factor in that for me was Hendo being subbed. I don’t have a problem with the decision because he’d been ill earlier in the week and Klopp obviously didn’t think he could last the full game. There’s no way he’d have been taken off for any other reason as he was fucking brilliant.
     
    The last twenty minutes were stressful. City began to get on top and we couldn’t really get out. The counter attacks dried up and we became less and less of a threat, which allowed them to really turn the screw on us. They only scored one but they had chances to get more. Aguero missed an absolute sitter. He was eventually subbed for Jesus and his record at Anfield is so bad he should change his name to Everton.
     
    It was Sterling causing all the problems though. All of a sudden he came into the game and we were really struggling to contain him. Virtually every attack they had came down that side of the field and we were really hanging on. Bernardo pulled one back with a powerful low shot that went in off the post and all of a sudden I’m having flashbacks to that game two years ago when we ended up hanging on for grim death despite having led 4-0.
     
    This team is more resilient than that one, and it’s not just because we’ve got Van Dijk. Alisson and Fabinho obviously help, but it’s more a collective mentality now. There’s a maturity and composure about them now and they can see games out.
     
    Klopp was doing his nut at the City goal because he’d been trying to make a sub for a couple of minutes but Oliver ignored the signal from his linesman and allowed City to restart the game from a throw in. The lino clearly had the flag raised above his head to signal a substitution and Oliver should have stopped the game. 
     
    We needed to make a change because we were really under the cosh, so Klopp had every right to be angry about that. I’m not sure what happened because I thought that any time a linesman raises his flag there’s a signal that goes straight to the ref, so I don’t know why he didn’t let us make that change.
     
    It was the right move to get Ox on there in place of Bobby, as we couldn’t get out of our own half and clearly a lot of players were beginning to tire. That definitely contributed to City getting on top, but as I say, I felt as though Henderson going off was a real turning point.
     
    It might not show up on the stat sheet (I saw some stat nerd on Twitter mocking his defensive contribution on the basis that he only had one tackle) but Henderson’s influence on this game was massive, and it was all the more noticeable when he went off. 
     
    Sterling had looked lively all day but he hadn’t been able to have much of an influence until Hendo went off. After that he was running wild. Part of that if because as a team we became tired and City were allowed to get on top of us, but the absence of Henderson was huge because all of a sudden Sterling was picking the ball up and he was isolated one v one with Trent.
     
    That did not happen when Henderson was on the field. Klopp alluded to it afterwards without directly mentioning his skipper. He said something along the lines of what a great player Sterling is and how much trouble he gave us in the final 20 minutes, but he also said it shows just what a great job we’d done to keep him quiet until then. 
     
    You don’t need to make tackles or interceptions to be effective defensively. You can be influential in all sorts of ways that there are no stats for. Shutting down space, closing off angles, doubling up to help the full back and forcing the winger to go backwards. That’s what Hendo did.
     
    The social media haters won’t see that, but everyone in the ground did and his name was echoing around Anfield as the players left at full time. The midfielders were all sensational and it was nice seeing them get some recognition from Shearer on MOTD. 
     
    The midfield is the least heralded part of our side (understandably so) but it’s their unselfish play and incredible work ethic that allows the full backs and forwards to do what they do. Fabinho rightly gets a lot of plaudits but the “workhorses” seem to be the first to get stick when we aren’t at our best and the last to get credit when we are.
     
    Henderson was brilliant but Wijnaldum was even better. What a performance that was from him. He’s always at his best in the big games though so this was no surprise. His ability on the ball in tight spaces is just something else. It’s almost impossible to take the ball off him. He was pinging long passes around too in this game, which you rarely see from him normally. One of the best games I’ve seen him have.
     
    You know who else was ace? Big Dejan. He dealt with Aguero very well, he won loads of important headers and he made a fantastic block to deny Sterling that he celebrated like he’d scored himself. Fucking good for him.
      
    In the summer I seemed to be writing every week in the diary about why we’d be stupid to sell Lovren. This is why. He’s fucking good and he was always going to be needed because we have so many games. I’m not telling you he’s better than Gomez or Matip, but a lot of it is based on form and opportunity. He lost his place through injury, but prior to that he’d been great for six months and was man of the match in Kiev.
     
    Gomez, and then Matip both came in and played well enough to keep their place until they too lost it through injury. Now it’s come full circle and Lovren is back in and will take some shifting now. Matip has been brilliant and had made the position his own but if Lovren continues to perform as he has been then ‘Big Bird’ will need to wait his turn, just as Dejan did. We’ve got four top centre backs when most teams, even the good ones, are lucky if they have one.
     
    This is just a huge win for multiple reasons. Every win is important because every three points we pick up takes us closer to the title. Psychologically this is huge though. City could have narrowed the gap to three points, but instead it’s nine and all the pressure is on them now because having lost three games already they really can’t afford many more slip ups.
     
    It’s perhaps significant that they’ve dropped to fourth too. That has to be a jolt to them as they will have spent all season looking up at us and not behind at Chelsea and Leicester. Now it’s not just us they need to reel in, it’s those two as well. How will they react having had things their own way for so long? They’ve got Chelsea next so well see.
     
    There is no love lost between the two sets of players and there was a bit of needle in the game. Unsurprisingly Robbo was involved in some of it when he gave Walker a naughty little shove as he chased a ball into touch. Walker understandably took exception to it and had words, but Robbo just walked away grinning at him. I love that little bit of edge he has to him in these big games. 
     
    It wasn’t just him though. Trent had a little nibble at Sterling in a similar manner, giving him a nudge as he ran towards the Kop. That prompted an angry little exchange between the pair and that was a fiercely contested battle throughout. Trent bossed it for most of the game but in the closing stages Sterling was getting on top and Klopp sensibly brought on Gomez (I’d have done it at least five minutes earlier though), who also ended up getting into it with his England team-mate.
     
    That was smart from Joe as it broke up the play and wasted valuable seconds. It was just handbags, but it was funny the way Gomez just picked him up and moved him out of his space. Loved that.  
     
    At full time it continued as Sterling went over to say his piece and Gomez looked like he was just giving it the “whatever bro, I don’t really care, just shake my hand and fuck off while I celebrate”.
     
    Another boss bit of gamesmanship was late in the first half when a miles offside Sadio gave himself up by lashing the ball into the Anny Road rather than just allowing it to run through to the keeper as you normally would. That was so clever. Only a little thing, but it stopped Bravo from just collecting the ball and starting an attack. 
     
    For so long I have felt that we were a little bit too nice, but we’ve learned and while we’re not exactly kick off merchants, there’s definitely a more streetwise approach in evidence these days and I fucking love it. 
     
    You know what else I love? Baldiola losing his shit whenever we beat him. He was pathetic. Embarrassing. What a bad whiny bastard he is any time he doesn’t get his own way. With his bald head and crying face, he looks like a giant fucking baby with stubble.
     
    In fairness I thought he was fine in his post match interviews once he’d calmed down, but during the game his antics were ridiculous. The screaming to the heavens of “TWIIIICE!!!” is something we’ll be seeing memes of for years. 
     
    He was even having arguments with random fans in the Main Stand at one point when there was a stoppage in play while Jesus got treatment. It was brilliant and I’d love to know what was being said. At times like that I wish I sat closer to the benches as you know I’d have been pulling out the full repertoire of slaphead put downs.
     
    Then he goes onto the field at full time, shakes the hands of the officials and yells at Oliver “THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH”. All that was missing was for him to turn back and say “In case you didn’t know, Marge, I was being sarcastic”. He actually looks like a slim Homer Simpson when I think about it.
     
    He then says afterwards that he wasn’t being sarcastic. Ok mate, sure you weren’t. Should be charged for that, although we’d probably have to wait until after the reverse fixture for his ban to be enforced. Still no word on Bernardo’s punishment, but I bet it’s announced this week. Farce.
     
    It was annoying to see Guardiola on the pitch mocking the ref because Oliver does not deserve to be the focus of any attention. People should not be talking about the ref after a game like this as he did his job well. There were one or two things I didn’t like but refereeing a game of this magnitude is really difficult and all things considered he was excellent. 
     
    That’s what people should be saying, but because of Guardiola’s tantrums all I’m hearing is people discussing Oliver and VAR’s decisions. He stood there stony faced while Guardiola yelled at him, but he must have been thinking “get out of my face you fucking spoilt, self entitled, whiny, sore loser, baldy twat”.
     
    I actually dread to think what would have happened if a lesser referee had taken charge of the game. Oliver really needs to be put in charge of every big game now because who else would you trust? All of the others are terrible, whether it’s with a whistle or a computer. 
     
    I actually said to my Dad before the game that we wouldn’t have to worry about VAR because there’s no way Paul Tierney was going to be over-ruling Oliver, and so it proved. It’s ironic really, one of the few games where VAR was not actually a problem and yet it’s still got everyone complaining just because we won. Still, let them all stew in their own boiled piss.
     
    We’ve got a 50 game sample size now and in those 50 games we’ve picked up eight more points than City and we’ve lost just once compared to their seven. So the logical conclusion has to be that we’re now better than them. That might change, but as things stand they should be more worried about us than the other way around, and I think they probably are given the unhealthy obsession they have from top to bottom of that club.
     
    Nine points is a big gap to close, especially given how few games we lose these days, but I’m taking nothing for granted as we were in a similar (although not quite as healthy) situation last year and the big swing came when we lost at the Etihad. That could happen again and if you throw in a few draws suddenly that nine point lead could be gone.
     
    City can reel off 15 wins on the bounce; we know that because they’ve done it in each of the last two years. I expect them to be really strong and to go on a run in the new year, especially when Laporte is back, so it’s a case of making hay while the sun shines.
     
    They have a tough stretch of six games coming up and there are more points to be dropped there. If we can keep churning out wins we can extend that lead to a point where they might almost throw in the towel. Ideally they’ll have to become more pre-occupied about holding off Chelsea and Leicester and allow us to ride off into the sunset, but it’s us, we never have it easy so I’m expecting us to have a little spell when things don’t go our way, possibly around the holiday period when we have so many games to play.
     
    Hopefully we can build a big enough lead before then that any tricky spell won’t be too damaging.
     
    Star man is virtually impossible. It could be virtually anyone. Virg was Virg, the front three worked their socks off and City couldn’t cope with them. Lovren was great, the two full backs were exceptional and the midfield three were magnificent. If you put a gun to my head and make me choose I’d probably go for Wijnaldum though, just over Fabinho.
     
     
    Team: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson (Milner), Wijnaldum; Salah (Gomez), Firmino (Oxlade-Chamberlain), Mané:
  • Jurgen Klopp is keeping a lid on expectations after Liverpool moved nine points ahead of main title rival Man City with a 3-1 victory at Anfield on Sunday.

    The Reds once again took everything in their stride on a big occasion quickly going out to a 2-0 lead within 15 minutes after a thunderbolt of a strike by Fabinho and a wonderful sweeping move involving both full-backs and finished off by Mo Salah.

    The visitors were clearly furious when a penalty claim for handball by Trent Alexander-Arnold was turned down by Michael Oliver and dismissed by VAR, but they managed but they put that behind them and kept the Liverpool defence on their toes.
     
    However, Sergio Aguero was missing his usual clinical touch in front of goal as his Anfield hoodoo continued.

    The captivating first half did not let up in the second 45 minutes and a inch-perfect Jordan Henderson cross for Sadio Mane which went along a long way to sealing the three points.

    Once again City were chasing the game and grabbed a lifeline through Bernardo Silva with just under 15 minuted left but the defence stood strong and were able to see the game out.

    Speaking after the game, the manager was quick to keep focus on the present moment and not looking too far ahead.

    ESPN reported Klopp as saying:

    “We don't feel the pressure, to be 100 percent honest.
     
    "Where is the pressure? Look, the things will come up now, we know that, and if you are with us you say, 'Wow, nine points.' 

    “There is a long way to go and lose here a point, lose there a point and stuff like this, what will probably happen. Other people 100 percent said already from now on Liverpool can only lose it, but that's a very negative approach.

    “You can see it like this, but we don't care. I promise you we don't care. We were today completely focused on this game and not the situation in the table or whatever, how many points we are ahead of City. 

    “That's crazy. Nine points, you cannot imagine that something like this happens, but it is not important because who wants to be first in early November?

    “We want to be first in May and not only in November. 

    We all know that, but we don't have to say that because it is clear. 

    “We just try what we can and in the end we will see what happens. 

    Just like the fans watching on, Klopp was spellbound by the way that the second goal transpired.
     


    “ I don't think I ever saw a goal like this.

    “Probably not. A right full-back with a 60-yard pass to the left full-back; two more touches and a cross over 40 yards, 50, and a header. That's pretty special.

    “ It was a good moment to score a goal like this. 

    “And the third goal very, very good as well, a sensational cross and Sadio in the right position. That was all good, and all around these three goals it was hardest work, and so the boys deserved these three points. Great."

    The players will now disperse all over the globe for international duty before returning for a clash with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on the 23rd of November . 



     
  • Saturday Nov 2:
     
    Villa 1 L 2  Fucking hell, why can’t we ever just win comfortably? Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t be any more full of admiration for the stones these lads have, but we’re a great side that is capable of blowing teams away, so how about we start doing it so we don’t have to be put through the shredder every week?
     
    I’m not specifically just talking about today, as Villa aren’t a pushover and it was never going to be easy, but so many of our games are going down to the wire. It’s emotionally draining. And yet, we’re six points clear. These late goals are the difference between us and the rest. Games when you’re in trouble and in the past would have lost points, we’re somehow coming away with wins.
     
    The ‘lucky Liverpool’ shite that’s being thrown around though is laughable. How were we lucky today? If anything, we were fucking massively unlucky and had all the excuses we needed to justify dropping points. But we didn’t drop points because no matter what is thrown at them, no matter how many setbacks they run into, these lads aren’t phased by any of it and they just go out and win.
     
    There was nothing lucky about today. We battered Villa and although the goals came late there’s no doubt we deserved them. If VAR wasn’t the worst thing to ever happen to football we’d have been home and dry long before that anyway. The disallowing of Firmino’s goal was so staggering it was bordering on corrupt.
     
    I genuinely don’t know how that can be allowed to happen. Literally the only person on the planet who is saying that is offside is Martin Atkinson. I know the linesman flagged, but I bet when he saw the replay he knew he was wrong. That just leaves Atkinson in his own.
     
    Then there’s the handball that wasn’t given. This is exactly the kind of game you normally lose and everyone blames the officials. Not this team though. 
     
    City won late too but Guardiola decided to talk about us again. In particular, he made reference to Sadio ‘diving’. Interesting. How did he know so quickly that Sadio had been booked today? They probably pay someone to keep an eye on us, the weird obsessed bastards. Who the fuck does this tit think he is though?
     
    Sadio isn’t the type to do this, but he should be demanding a public apology. Guardiola has essentially called him a cheat and questioned his integrity. I wouldn’t let it go if it was me, but Sadio will probably just laugh it off and won’t give it a second thought.

    The u23s won the mini derby today with a winner four minutes from time. Gotta love how these late goals are just a feature right throughout the club. The 18s have had a few this year too. Herbie Kane got this one and it was a cracker. Such a good player him, I can’t understand how he’s ended up stuck here when he’d walk into most teams outside of the Premier League. 
     
    The other goal was scored by Tony Gallacher, who I’ll be honest, I couldn’t pick out of a line up even though he’s been here a few years. I’ve seen him play a fair few times but can’t ever remember anything about him, good or bad. He must be alright as he’s been kept on when loads of others have been released.

    Sunday Nov 3:
     
    More refereeing and VAR nonsense today and once again Martin Atkinson was involved. He was the on field ref this time, and managed to anger both Everton and Spurs. At least you can’t accuse him of favouritism this time. He’s an equal opportunities shitbird, I’ll give him that. I don’t blame him for sending off Son though, as I’d have done the same thing. Fuck him and his crocodile tears, he committed a petulant, snide foul and now he has to live with the consequences.
     
    VAR absolutely ruined this game for anyone inside the stadium though, and this is the thing that isn’t getting enough attention. If you’re at the game and VAR is getting involved, it basically just shits all over your match going experience, sometimes even when decisions go your way. It’s fucking horrible, there are long delays and they still end up with the wrong decision half the time. Fuck it off. Get rid. 
     
    In other news today, fake news, David Silva is a doubt for next weekend. You know he’s nailed on to play. Same with that Rodri fella who is supposed to be out. Shit, I wouldn’t even be shocked if Sane and Laporte are back in time having been given some illegal, state of the art, miracle treatment. Don’t put anything past these fuckers, they’ll do anything to win. 
     
    And why the fuck hasn’t Bernardo been dealt with yet? It was meant to be weeks ago. You watch, his hearing will be next week after they’ve been to Anfield. It’s fucking bullshit is what it is. Anyone else would have been banned by now.
     
    Something else I saw today and it’s really tickled me. Solskjaer has lost as many Premier Leagues as Klopp, despite being there less than a year and having played 104 games less. That’s one of the most incredible stats I’ve seen. I mean, yeah, United have been shite, but even so that seems mad doesn’t it? I mean who’d have thought that a guy who was out of his depth at Cardiff would do so badly at Manchester United? If only there had been some sort of sign?

    Monday Nov 4:
     
    Klopp hits back at slaphead in fine style. Initially he was taking the high road, defending Mané but saying he didn’t really want to get involved. Then just like that he drops a ‘tactical fouls’ reference in there. BOOM! I don’t think we’ve heard the last of this somehow, as they both have to do another press conference before the game, and then we’ll see what happens in the post game.
     
    Klopp and Guardiola have been rivals for some time but they’ve generally enjoyed a cordial relationship until now. I reckon it’s all gonna kick off though, and we might see some fireworks on the touchline this Sunday. Fucking hope so. Would love to see Kloppo sticking one on him. Can also see Hendo calling him a baldy cunt you know. I reckon Hendo hates him. 
     
    Meanwhile, I’ve mentioned before how those Inside Anfield videos the club do are one of the highlights of the week after a home win. Well today they did one from Villa Park, which was equally good. The highlight was Virg walking down the tunnel at full time, recognising the LFC TV cameras and casually saying “it’s what we do”. Robbo’s “GET IN!” was ace too, as was Mings complaining to Hendo about him blocking him off at every set-piece and Hendo just looking at him like “so?”.
     
    The Champions League ones of these videos are shite though because for some reason they aren’t allowed into the tunnel. It’s our fucking tunnel, if we want to film in there we should be able to. Fucking UEFA throwing their weight around as usual.
     
    Tuesday Nov 5:
     
    L 2 Genk 1 Only thing that mattered was the result. The two games with Genk are the key to qualifying from the group. If you beat them twice you’ll probably go through. We’ve done that now, so if we beat Napoli we’re through and we can rest everyone for the final game. We were alright tonight but we missed too many chances and that made it a little more nervy than it needed to be. 
     
    It feels like we win 2-1 every game at the moment. We don’t concede many goals but it seems to be one every game, and then we miss loads of chances and just about scrape the win. One day we’re going to score with virtually every chance and someone is getting smoked. Hopefully it’s this Sunday.
     
    Meanwhile the decision is in. No, not Bernardo’s ban, I told you that will be next week once he’s been allowed to play at Anfield. No, I mean the decision as to when we have to play Villa in the League Cup. Two games in 22 hours. How do we approach that?
     
    This is one of those scenarios where there is no right or wrong way to do it. I’ve got mates who would happily see us pull out of the world club thingy (in part because of where it is, and in part because they don’t think it means anything) while others want to win it and would sacrifice the league cup to do so. I’m in the latter camp, but I’m not really in favour of sending out a line up comprised entirely of kids and throwing them to the lions against Villa’s first team either.

    Wednesday Nov 6:
     
    So we’ve got more info on that clash of fixtures. Apparently anyone who is going to be involved in the world club cup needs to be over there three days BEFORE the first game and if they’re not, they can’t play. This is outrageous really and we should threaten to pull out unless they bend on that rule. Bottom line, they can’t have that competition without us, so what are they gonna do, say no?
     
    We should be allowed to play Origi, Keita, Milner, Ox, Shaqiri etc against Villa and let them join the squad late. Instead, we’ll have to take on Villa’s first team with our under 23 side. I’m not concerned about going out, but I don’t want to see the young lads get smacked around too much. Don’t forget, out best eleven needed two goals in the last few minutes to avoid losing at Villa Park.
     
    So Bernardo Silva’s ban. Still nothing. I’ve googled this and he was charged on October 2 and on the 9th he was given more time to respond. On the 21st he responded to the charge and here we are still waiting for the outcome, weeks later. Wonder how many palms City had to grease to put the ban on hold until after Sunday? This stinks but is anyone remotely surprised?
     
    Two goals and all smiles for Son tonight in the Champions League. Not bad for a fella so utterly distraught by what happened on Sunday that he needed counselling. Must be some counsellor that. Miracle worker.

    Thursday Nov 7:
     
    Guardiola tries to walk back what he said about Sadio, but he can’t because you can’t put that Genie back in the bottle. Doesn’t matter how complimentary he was in everything else he said about Mané and Liverpool, he made reference to ‘diving’ and you can’t take that back.
     
    The rest of what he said was lavish praise about how the late goals aren’t lucky and what a great team we are, but no-one is going to be arsed about reporting that when the real juice is the jibe at Sadio. Really hope Sadio gets a dodgy as fuck pen on Sunday now.
     
    They’re still crying about the coach too, the big fucking babies. Honestly, I’m embarrassed for them. Just because there was something on social media calling for fans to greet our coach and to bring pyro, they’re shitting themselves because they think that means their coach is gonna get Kopparberged again. If the social media post was calling for us to do their coach in then fair enough, but it was about greeting our coach, not theirs. Shithouses. If you’re scared then buy a dog.

    Friday Nov 8:

    Klopp has to answer questions about the coach thing. Fucking hell, City are just the absolute worst aren’t they? Bunch of scared little cryarses. Imagine if they’d had to play Galatasaray back in the day. They’d all be still be in counselling. Fucking bulbhead Kompany was whining about it too, saying he was on the coach when it was “bricked” and that moment put us at the top of their “want to beat” list. Yeah, how’d that work out for you? Tit.
     
    Not one single brick was thrown. There were a load of cans, some pint glasses and then the bottle that smashed the window. Fucking get over it, you bunch of massive quims. “Bricked” hahaha. Give them five years and they’ll be telling everyone we were lashing hand grenades and the bus blew up. 
     
    I can’t stand Vincent Kompany. I hate his “fake nice guy” routine and I’m not falling for it. Loads of people think he’s sound, one of the good guys, but fuck him. I’m never wrong about this shit, and neither is my Mum and she hates him too. She probably hated him before I did actually. Vincent Kompany is a bad twat. Fuck him and his weird head. I wish he was here now so I could lash a can of Kopparberg at him. Or a brick.
     
    Meanwhile, there was a report today that we’ll be leading the fight to land Mbappe at the end of the season. The numbers quoted are utterly unrealistic. We won’t pay £200m and we won’t be paying him 600k a week. That doesn’t mean it can’t happen though, because Nike could well have a say in this. We won’t pay £200m (not would anyone else) but he’s only got two years left on his deal so we wouldn’t need to. 
     
    We can’t pay Mbappe that kind of salary either, but Nike could, if it was worth their while having their number one footy player at their number one footy club. Mbappe at Liverpool would give them a licence to print money, so maybe they help to make it happen. I’m not saying they will, but I don’t think you can dismiss it that lightly either.
     
    And he defo wants to come here. You can just tell. He’s mates with LeBron, and LeBron was wearing his LFC cap when they met last summer. Don’t tell me that wasn’t deliberate FSG didn’t have LeBron working to make his stake in the Reds worth even more, because I won’t believe you. And Kloppo obviously knows him and his Dad well, which again tells me we could get him if the finances fell into place.
     
    This is happening. 

    …..and that was the week that was
  • The two best teams in England meet on Sunday in what has quickly become one the most compelling rivalries in Football. After last season’s title heartbreak, many observers were wondering how Liverpool would respond. 
     
    The answer has been unequivocal as they have looked men on a mission. Man City naturally were the favourites coming into this new campaign having won the last two titles, but head into this showdown six points behind the Reds. However, you certainly underestimate the team from the Blue half of Manchester at your peril. 
     
    It has all the makings of being a classic and TLW asked @tom_brunt from @manchesterisB for his thoughts.
     
    How do you view Man City's start to the new season?
     
    Two defeats to teams that we wouldn’t expect to lose against is always a hammer blow but we have faith in the team and management that we can have a better middle to end of the season, though clearly it would have been preferable to be on maximum points at this stage

    Which player has excelled for City in the new campaign and conversely, is there an individual who you think needs to raise their performance?
     
    Fernandinho stepping into a CB role has looked good although he has made a few mistakes of late. (Phil) Foden, (Tommy) Doyle and Angelino have impressed and I would like to see more of them.
     
    Bernardo needs to improve; I feel the ongoing allegations about racist behaviour on twitter have not helped his cause. BUT he is a quality player and will come good... maybe on Sunday?

    It has been a remarkable decade in Man City's history. Who do you believe has been the pre-eminent player in this period: Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero or David Silva and what makes you come to that conclusion?
     
    For me I find it really hard to differentiate the three, I have pictures of all of them on my wall. The player I will miss the most is David Silva, he is easily the most talented footballer I have watched.
     
    There is unlikely to be a dry eye in the house when David Silva plays his final game for the club at the end of the season. Do you believe Pep Guardiola has the faith in someone like Phil Foden to fill his position for the long term?
     
    Foden is Silva’s natural replacement; this is obvious to any blue. I have full faith that we will see Foden more this season with a view to him being a first team regular next season.
     


    There is a real lack of competition at the top end of the Premier League in the present moment with the usual suspects falling by the wayside for one reason or another. However, there is one team in Liverpool who have matched you stride for stride over the last season and a bit. How do you currently view the competition/rivalry with Liverpool - with frustration because you haven't been able to run away with the league title, or with some grudging respect as it brings out the very best in you?

    I think Liverpool play a really exciting and positive brand of Football and its great to have a rivalry of course as the league will be boring without it and I’m just glad its not United. The media has and will continue to hype up the rivalry for obvious financial reasons but I think there is a lot of mutual respect between the two sets of fans.
     
    While the managerial record of Guardiola speaks for itself over a long period of time, as a observer of the game, what has impressed you most about the work of Jurgen Klopp in his time at the Reds?

    If Pep were to leave, Klopp (or similar) would be someone I would want as manager. Obviously this isn't going to happen however, I like his personality. His positivity shines through.
     
    A victory at Anfield is something that has alluded many City managers over the years. So with that said, do you think that Guardiola will go all-out looking for the three points, or will he look to play it safe and take a point with plenty of water to still go under the bridge this season?
     
    If it wasn't for Mahrez spooning  the penalty over the bar last season this  discussion would be different. I think the teams have a huge respect for each other and will set up that way. It will not be gung-ho but I believe that Liverpool's defence will be stronger than ours.
     
    Who are the key Liverpool players that you feel pose the most threat to City claiming a satisfactory result on Sunday?

    VVD at set pieces and of course your front three
     
    Have you got a score prediction for this important clash?
     
    I am usually not one for predicting scores but I think a score draw.
  • Jamie Carragher says that the animosity which has built up over time between the best two teams in England goes well beyond the football pitch.

    Managers Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have exchanged sly digs at the other team in the lead up to this major clash.

    But in the main, the relationship has looked to be civil with both men regularly giving praise to the other.

    But according to the Reds legend, behind the scenes in a completely different story altogether.
     
    Carragher lifted the lid on the fractious relationship in his piece for the Telegraph which was also reported in The Echo.
     


    "I do not believe I am exaggerating when I say the hierarchies of Liverpool and City cannot stand each other, resentments which are reflected in the fanbases.

    “City appear to suspect Liverpool of lobbying governing bodies to investigate the legality of their transfer spending, while they make no secret of their belief that the positive coverage of the Klopp era is disproportionate when compared to Guardiola’s trophy haul, and City’s in general since the Abu Dhabi takeover.

    “Within Liverpool, eyebrows are raised when stories emerge about fears of another attack on City's bus as happened in the Champions League quarter-final in 2018, and there was incredulity at Guardiola's comments about Sadio Mane's diving.

    “As Klopp suggested, it certainly feels like Guardiola talks about Liverpool more than Klopp does Manchester City, and City generally seem preoccupied with how Liverpool are portrayed in the media."

    It makes things a whole lot more interesting when there is a added bit of spice attached to a quality contest, as seen at the beginning of the last decade when Arsenal and Man United came face to face in a number of fierce battles.

    But to be part of it ourselves brings a new level of excitement, and a true acknowledgement of how far we have come as a team.

     
  • Pep Guardiola has continued to lay on the charm ahead of Man City’s trip to Anfield on Sunday afternoon.

    After his comments regarding Sadio Mane last Saturday raised plenty of eyebrows in the Football world and caused Jurgen Klopp to respond in kind with a sly dig of his own, the Spaniard has seemingly gone out of his way to lavish praise on the Reds.

    That continued at his pre-match press conference on Friday and this time it was Liverpool fanbase which came in for recognition.

    The Echo reported Guardiola as saying:

    “Right now it’s the toughest stadium to go to.

    “I love the atmosphere [...] inside it’s perfect, that is why we’re involved in this business, to experience these stadiums.

    “They are an exceptional team. The stadium is a big influence, it speaks for itself, but it’s more the quality of the players, the manager they have.

    Guardiola then turned his attention to the world-class full-backs and the Liverpool team as a whole.

    “If you play high, they get in behind. They are so fast.

    "Alexander-Arnold and Robertson are incredible crossers. They have fantastic headers, they win second balls. It’s a real complete team."

    “For me as a manager I said last year when we won the league, it was my biggest achievement because we faced my best contender.

    “Right now they are the strongest team in the world. 

    “We know what playing at Anfield means to them and their rivals.

    “We are going to follow our plan."
     


    Man City will be looking to end a 16 year wait for victory at Anfield tomorrow and Guardiola discussed how you have to adapt in regards to the quality of your opponent.

    “Sometimes when the opponents are as good as Liverpool you have to adapt.

    “I was more defensive with Bayern Munich when we went to Dortmund and won 3-0, that was incredibly defensive.

    “The plan at Anfield [last season] wasn’t like this."




     
  • Jurgen Klopp says that he and his players will block out all the outside noise and pre-match predictions and focus purely on the ninety minutes of Football against Man City on Sunday.

    The manager has heard the catch-phrases “must win” and “must not lose” but he is not one to get swept up in all the emotion of the contest.

    The Official site (via Sky Sports) reported Klopp as saying:

    “For me, it's a 100 per cent want-to-win game, 100 per cent with all I have. 'Must win', I never understood because that doesn't change the chances. 

    “For us, as a team, to prepare a game like this, you have to do the right things again and again and again. 

    “So knowing everything in the game, being brave, playing football, defending for your lives, all that stuff.

    “Around has not a real effect on us, that's how it is. I can imagine it's the whole week [with] how the whole world is talking about we must not lose, I think I heard, and they must win or something like that. I don't really care.

    “We want to win and we try everything to make that happen, which is difficult enough. 

    “Then after that we will see how the situation is and use that situation. If it's more positive than now or less positive than now, that's how it is. The season will not stop after this.

    “But we know that it's a big one.
     
    "The whole world is watching the game, I would 100 per cent, everybody I know will, so it's a massive one. I'm really looking forward to it, but the discussions around I'm not part of."
     


    Klopp also discussed the respect that he has for Man City but cited last years clash at Anfield as a example of how far his side has come.

    “In the past couple of years we both gained a lot of respect for each other.

    “Not that I never had respect for Manchester City or Pep Guardiola teams, I had and I had to have.

    “But last year's performance of City at Liverpool was probably the biggest show of respect that I ever got, one of my teams ever got, that's how it is. 

    “They played different to what they usually do, that's true.

    “But that's football and we all have to make a plan for one game - and in this specific case a game against one of the best sides in the world, if not the best. 

    “That's really exciting and that's a job I really like, to think about what we can do, what we have to do.

    “We play at home and even there the game we lost,  - people should not forget - for 11 millimetres or whatever that the ball was not in. Otherwise it's another draw and I think they would have been deserved."

    The German expects a further fascinating chapter of this rivalry to continue on Sunday.

    “They are tight games, that's how it is when high-quality teams face each other. I expect a tight game.
     
    "How it will exactly be? I don't know."

     
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