Liverpool 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Oct 27 2019)

[tlw content 9,546]

 

 

 

Report by

Dave Usher

 

What a brilliant performance. The scoreline doesn’t reflect it, just as it didn’t against Leicester, but this was really outstanding football and a proper big boy win.

 

Spurs have been shite this season but as so often happens, we got their best effort. Teams don’t ever seem to have days off against us, do they? 

 

I’ll be honest, I thought we’d smash Spurs everywhere. Usually I’m the first to predict a tight game whenever we play them, because they nearly always are. It’s always tough against them though, and so it proved again. Sort of. 

 

It was close in terms of the scoreline but the balance of play and gulf between the teams was as I expected. I thought we’d play well and we'd win 4-1. And we ought to have. It certainly wouldn’t have flattered us.

 

Spurs were right up for it and I doubt they’ve put more effort into a game all season. This wasn’t the meek bunch of half arsed cowards we’ve seen for most of this season. This was the Spurs we’ve come to expect from all those hard fought encounters we’ve had with them.

 

It probably helped that they got off to such a great start. If we’d scored in the first minute then maybe they’d have capitulated the way they did against Bayern and Brighton. We didn’t score in the first minute though, they did.

 

Hendo was caught in possession in midfield and they broke quickly on us. It’s the only real weakness we have. The only time we really look vulnerable is when we lose the ball unexpectedly and are caught out with men upfield. Teams don’t play through us, but they can break on us when we lose the ball cheaply.

 

We did have men back but Sissoko burst forward past a few challenges and fed Son. He cut inside Trent and hit a shot from outside the box that hit Lovren on the head, wrong footed Alisson and came back off the post to a waiting Kane who headed in.

 

I hoped that he was offside but my gut feeling was he wasn’t. I knew there’d be a VAR check but wasn’t holding out much hope. There was a brief delay but the goal rightly stood. A terrible start but it’s better to fall behind in the first minute than the last.

 

For some reason conceding in the first minute always feels like a right kick in the balls, but really it’s the best time for it to happen as you’ve got longer to turn it around. I wasn’t worried at this point, I just saw it as a minor inconvenience. I was worried later, but I’ll get to that.

 

The goal was a bit of a shock to the system and in those early stages it was a little jittery. The crowd weren’t fully into it and when Spurs went within a whisker of getting a second there was a collective exhaling of breath. After that though we just astride to build up a head of steam and fucking battered them. 

 

The problem was, their back up keeper was having the game of his life and we just couldn’t find a way past him. It was exasperating. We were playing football at a pace that few teams can even come close to matching. When we get on a roll like that it’s spectacular. 

 

There was a five minute spell when I think Spurs only completed one pass and we had four shots on target. It was relentless pressure and Spurs shit themselves. At one point the ball was rolling back to the keeper only for Alderweireld to run over and smash it out of play. Pochettino let to his feet and was screaming at his players to calm down, but it’s hard.

 

Better teams than Spurs have folded under that kind of pressure, with the crowd right into it and the Reds swarming all over them. The noise during that spell was deafening. I mentioned that I thought the crowd was a little subdued early on, but that spell of pressure woke everyone up and the place was bouncing the rest of the way.

 

 

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[3 Stacks 1,831]

Disagree with your second sentence. We didn't get Spurs' best effort at all. They stunk. The 2-1 score line was an aberration and we had them on the ropes, pretty much for 80 minutes. They've played us much, much tougher than that in the past.

[Lizzie Birdsworths Wrinkled Chopper 21,952]

Sissoko started like he’d been looking at pictures of us lifting big ears since June and desperately wanted to atone for gifting us that early pen.

 

Can’t help but feel whether it proves to be this season or not we’ll eventually profit from the widespread desire of teams and their fans to stop us winning the title again. All these tough games, the weekly occurrence of sides giving it their all to stop us while rolling into a ball for City, it’s like extra conditioning mentally, physically and tactically.
 

For all City’s gifts and obvious financial advantages, they’re simply not as used to running into adversity in a game as we are, and when they do they’re inclined to drop points.

[DaveTucker 29]

I fucking love Fabinho. What a player he is. Keep everything crossed he doesn't get booked against Villa or we'll have a problem against City.

 

[bigal 160]

Kane going down holding his face when Lovren had his hand on his shoulder and possibly patted his neck. I share your hate for that tool

[dylstar 840]

AURORA  recovered and almost won the ball back, but he’s a clumsy fucker and Sadio knew it. He just positioned himself between AURIER.....LMAO

 

Sorry for being a pernickety cunt Dave

 

 

 

 

 

[Rico1304 5,328]

Gini’s missed header was bad, thought that was going to haunt us. Luckily I know fuck all. 

[piphomer 29]

1 hour ago, DaveTucker said:

I fucking love Fabinho. What a player he is. Keep everything crossed he doesn't get booked against Villa or we'll have a problem against City.

 

He's got to be rested against Villa, surely?

[Bridgey 177]

Great report as usual Dave, as soon as we went 1 0 down I’d knew we’d still win we’ve got that swagger about us especially at home.

[dave u 5,146]

3 hours ago, 3 Stacks said:

Disagree with your second sentence. We didn't get Spurs' best effort at all. They stunk. The 2-1 score line was an aberration and we had them on the ropes, pretty much for 80 minutes. They've played us much, much tougher than that in the past.

We got their best 'effort'. They haven't played with that kind of intensity and work rate all season. If they had, they wouldn't have been so shit.

 

I agree with the rest of what you say, but they've played us much tougher in the past because the teams were quite evenly matched. We're miles better than them now.

[dave u 5,146]

1 hour ago, Rico1304 said:

Gini’s missed header was bad, thought that was going to haunt us. Luckily I know fuck all. 

Forgot about that. It was surprisingly weak from him, he's really good with his head usually.

[dave u 5,146]

1 hour ago, dylstar said:

AURORA  recovered and almost won the ball back, but he’s a clumsy fucker and Sadio knew it. He just positioned himself between AURIER.....LMAO

 

Sorry for being a pernickety cunt Dave

 

Autocorrect does me in all the time.

 

Always changes Salah to Sarah for example.

[scudger99 1,365]

Did anyone see the sniper in the crowd who shot Kane in the face when Lovren put his hand on the slobbering twat's chest ?  No ?  Thought not.

Just for that alone I'd love Lovren to have gone to him at full time and said to him "European trophy and 3 points, cheers y'cunt."

If we have all these cameras and VAR now too, how is nothing being made of the slobbering twat and Rose's constant losing battle with gravity ?  And that drool monger is the captain of England ?  'nuff said.

Glad I'm a Jock, at least we've got a captain who commands respect all over.

[dave u 5,146]

Forgot to put this in the report, but at full time Milner made a beeline for Lovren and gave him a massive hug that lasted about 10 seconds. I assume it was because of what happened against Kane at Wembley and that Milner knew how fired up Lovren was for this one.

 

Just watched 'Inside Anfield' and Klopp did the same with Lovren in the tunnel.

[Arnaud 240]

Kane is a cunt, could be French really .... 

[RedHeadedRed 41]

Loved it when Milner came on and one of the first thing he does is a tactical foul to stop a spurs counter attack he then runs the ball up to the corner flag and wins a free kick. It was exactly what was needed at that time. Anyone else notice the total silence of the commentators when Kane went down screaming holding his face yet when Mo was challenged in the box it was " stayed on his feet for once" or something to that effect.

[Waitak 7]

Did anyone see the sniper in the crowd who shot Kane in the face when Lovren put his hand on the slobbering twat's chest ?  No ?  Thought not.

Just for that alone I'd love Lovren to have gone to him at full time and said to him "European trophy and 3 points, cheers y'cunt."

 

Lovren could also have reminded Kane about Croatia's 2-1 semi-final defeat of Engurland in the 2018 World Cup.....

[Peter Cormack 89]

Slobbergob on twitter was saying how lucky Liverpool were. Of course having a deflected shot come back off the bar onto one’s head is pure skill not lucky in any way, 

is it Harry you soft cunt?Delusional cheating twat.

[Shooter in the Motor 6,290]

 

[Pistonbroke 9,555]

16 hours ago, dave u said:

We got their best 'effort'. They haven't played with that kind of intensity and work rate all season. If they had, they wouldn't have been so shit.

 

I agree with the rest of what you say, but they've played us much tougher in the past because the teams were quite evenly matched. We're miles better than them now.

 

Every Spurs fan I know, and an awful lot on the various on-line forums are more than happy with how Spurs performed. They acknowledge the fact we battered them on possession and chances created, but defending is also part of the game and they were happy with the effort which has been lacking for ages. 

[Pistonbroke 9,555]

14 hours ago, Arnaud said:

Kane is a cunt, could be French really .... 

 

If Kane moves abroad to play his football he'll get kicked to fuck, he'll be out injured loads. 

[Reckoner 1,029]

I’m struggling to get the vibe on here on how people feel about Harry Kane?