Topic: RAWK Round Table LFC 5-1 AFC

[Hinesy]

It seems plain as day to me. Hire in players whose names begin with 'S'.
What a smashing start to the weekend. We always worry about Arsenal home and away, much more of a bugbear team than most others in the league and yet by the time the Kemlyn had sat down with their bovril, it was 1-0 up. Skrtel, recently criticised, played for me, one of the finest games of his career, up and down the field.
I felt for Aspas, everyone wanting their own goal, at the end, but Sterling shone out, Coutinho was just wonderful to watch, an intelligence reminiscent of Litmanen at his finest, and Suarez. Luis' ability to hold up the ball belies the notion that you need a Heskey sized creature up front to hold the ball, at the end he took out two players and almost put in Sterling with a sublime trap and turn.

Flanagan seemed to grow in authority during the match, and was excellent in keeping the ball on the ground and pushing on, and to be fair there were few bad performances. Even Ibe's short spell was as sweet as a spoon of sugar coated in honey that's been sweetened.

Happy days. Can we play you every week? Oh, we are...

Who stood out for you and why?

PS what was that Suarez volley like... oh my.

[Harinder]

Jack Wilshere stood out for me. Because he was still on the pitch come the end of the match 

But seriously the tenacity of Flanagan is something to be admired and appreciated.

It's not everyday you get to see the 2 best Suarez efforts not scored in one match. It will be a crime if Match of the Day doesn't show the volley hitting the post AS well as the free kick in the second half

The power and accuracy were phenomenal from the distance and Szczesny only just got to it.

[E2K]

I normally don’t like bullies. I’ve been on the receiving end of enough of them in my life to hate their guts with every fibre of my being, but in sport, especially when it’s your team doing the bullying, there are few sights as powerful. Maybe half an hour after the final whistle blew at Anfield today, just a few miles across the Irish Sea, Ireland were winning a lineout in Lansdowne Road, getting a maul of maybe five or six players driving towards the Welsh line and their opponents, who were many people’s favourites to win before the game, simply couldn’t do a fucking thing about it, they were just swept aside as the home side powered to a try on their way to a one-sided 26-3 victory. It was beautiful (unless you were Welsh, of course), and what we saw at Anfield was almost a mirror-image: an utterly mesmeric, gutsy display of organised destruction controlled to the nth degree by a team which chased down its prey time and time again, inflicting one grievous wound after another until they had to simply give in. For ‘Welsh’ read: ‘Cockney’, and to be fair, it was way worse for Arsenal supporters today. At least Wales were still in with a shout at the hour mark over in Dublin…

The most pleasing thing for me? Let me start in my praise where many of us often start in our post-mortems, at the back. Arsenal were top of the league in February (and may be again). With three months left in the season, that makes them a serious fucking team, and yet they rarely (if ever) carved Liverpool apart today. Aside from a couple of rash moments, by Mignolet in the first half and Gerrard in the second, Arsenal had fuck all chances and they created nothing. Nothing. That pleases me as much as anything because it wasn’t like they weren’t knocking on the door at times, yet whether it was Skrtel or Touré, Flanagan or Cissokho, Gerrard or Henderson, we kept nicking the ball away from them at the crucial moment and rarely was a foul given away in a dangerous area, suggesting a nous that we have no right to expect from what is ultimately a makeshift back-four and a midfield anchor learning the role in this system. At no point did they ever panic or get caught out by the League-leaders, a club that has been building and rebuilding in relative serenity for the best part of two decades under one manager and one philosophy that has been in place since 1996. Think about that. Just shy of 18 years vs. 18 months. A team that hasn’t been out of the top-four since 1996 vs. one which hasn’t finished inside it since 2009. No Johnson, Sakho, Agger or Enrique. And yet, 5-1.

As for the team’s goalscoring exploits, well I feel like one of those kids who immediately and inexplicably starts bawling when they meet their hero. I simply don’t know what to do. When I saw Sturridge stick the fourth away today, I almost felt like crying myself, not out of happiness at what was, at the end of the day, just another three points on the way to what will probably still be, at best, fourth place, but just out of not knowing what else to do. Who are these guys? Where the fuck did they come from? A £12m striker deemed not good enough for Chelsea wasn’t supposed to have this many goals in him. A lightweight Brazilian that Inter were happy enough to let go for pennies on the pound wasn’t supposed to be a genius who also found time in his busy schedule to square up to the likes of Wilshere and N’Zonzi and vent his anger at referees like some kind of boss. Jordan Henderson, where’s he come out of? Raheem Sterling? Did you see him destroy two Arsenal players on the way to going this close to a hat-trick? And Luis Suárez? £40,000,001? For that?! For that?! Oh my word, I’ve never seen anything like him in a Liverpool shirt. To me, he’s the very definition of priceless. And Brendan Rodgers...

I swear, I haven’t seen the likes of this since 1988. This team is downright scary in its potential, and if you didn't believe it before, believe it now. Believe it now.

[Hinesy]

That made me smile.

[Corkboy]

I would like to talk about Coutinho's pass for Sturridge's goal, for a moment, if nobody minds. There are so many sumptuous things to reflect on in this game that I'm going to pick just one and leave you all feast on the rest.

You know in lawn bowls, where they roll these obloid things a great distance towards a small target area and they get it to rest right in that area, and sometimes in the middle area of the area? That's what he did. He robbed some somnolent Arsenal player of the ball, stole upfield and then played a ball that a) ripped the covering centre half out of existence, b) told Sturridge where to run (look at my curve, that's where you go) and c) slowed down almost to a halt right in front of Sturridge, so he didn't have to deal with a travelling ball, thereby putting the ball on a plate, arranging Sturridge's napkin and gently placing the correct fork in his correct hand. Watch it again, if you don't believe me. That fucker did a speeded up lawn bowl pass so that Sturridge wouldn't have to control a fast ball.

Awesome. I also love how the meedja are spinning it as a Coutinho V Wilshere contest and Small Phil won. Is Big Phil watching?

[Aristotle]

As many have noticed by now, I'm a bit obsessed with Julius Caesar. He once said that "Fortune, which has a great deal of power, [...] can bring about great changes in a situation through very slight forces." And although the great man got a great many things wrong, this wasn't one of them.

I was shitting bricks before kick off. I HATE playing against Arsenal. For years now they've felt like the team we want to be, but aren't. And as someone put it after our previous engagement with them, it was a game of athletes and footballers vs. athletic footballers. But as Caesar said, fortune can bring about great changes through very slight forces. Every stress I had in me vanished the moment Oliver gave the free kick after 30 seconds. I know it probably sounds silly, but it did. Deep down, instinctively I knew we were good after that. It was a feeling I haven't felt since I played sports myself. That feeling where every shot you take, every pass you make, no matter how slim the chances, it's falling your way. They had to resort to fouling Suarez after 30 seconds. The ref knew it was a foul and gave it despite theoretically having been able to say the advantage was played. I was so confident we were going to score from that free kick that being cut off from the internet was the only reason I didn't be my life savings (Well that and being piss broke). I was convinced it would've been Touré, but he missed the ball so I settled for Skrtel. Arsenal were broken after that. All their gameplans were out the window. They were without Flamini and Ramsey in the midfield (and Källström ) and their slow but reliable center back pairing had been done for in a minute.

That was it for me. I felt more at ease after that goal than I have in a game for ages. After Skrtel's opener against Chelsea, there was still that sneaking feeling in the back of my head that it wasn't enough. After Coutinho's opener against City I still felt very uncomfortable. But now, it was something different. Arsenal were broken and both teams knew it.

Skrtel's header for the second was as good as any you'll see this season. In fact it was probably the best one I've seen from a Liverpool player since Hyypia's against Arsenal back in '08. The angle, the dip, the spin and he did it all reaching back too. It was a strange one. Because Skrtel's headers tend to be an extension of the delivery. Drilled crosses that he headbutts, rather than heads. But this was an absolute beauty that I don't think even he knew he had in him!

The third was amazing too. Apart from the hilarity of watching Özil fall on his arse. It was as amazing a counter as you want to see from your team. We broke quickly, fiercely and with purpose. Considering where we won it, we broke 5v5 and had 4 in the box when the ball is shot on goal and the 5th on the 'D' line. The beautiful thing about that goal is what the media wants you to forget. It wasn't an 'SAS' (which is still a fucking airline btw!) goal. Or the "individual partnership" thing everyone is talking about these days. It was a Liverpool thing. And more importantly. It was a Rodgers' Liverpool thing. Because as we showed in the end. Take out Suarez, Sturridge and Gerrard and it was still a Liverpool thing. And that, my friends, is a thing of beauty.

Corkboy has already done Sturridge's goal great justice. But it just has to be said again. What an amazing thing that was. It was as close to perfection as you will get. Coutinho nicks the ball beautifully, a topic in and of itself, before playing a pass that was everything it had to be and more. It was like some kind of CIA experiment from the 80's. A dash of Rui Costa, a pinch of Pirlo with sliced Laudrup thrown in to make the perfect passing tool. It's out of reach for Wilshere, Monreal and Koscielny, it's curled so Sturridge only has to keep his run going and it's precise and accurate enough to draw the keeper off his line only to realise he will never get it.
Sturridge's run and finish was almost as good as the assist. It was the type of goal Arsenal fans were used to seeing when Henry was around. Just whisper it very quietly, because apparently, Sturridge isn't even as good as Welbeck.


The 5th summed up the game. Liverpool draw Arsenal in, sprint behind the pass and the difference in mentality was summed up when Sterling was allowed to play a one-two with the goalkeeper, with Suarez or Sturridge more likely to get to the follow up than any of Arsenal's players.


The penalty was a bit funny, really. It was the culmination of everything in the game up to that point. Everything went our way and nothing theirs. Gerrard didn't have to go into that tackle, but it was the only way to get back into the game. They sure as hell didn't give him any cause for concern up until that point. And let's be honest here. If a penalty kick when down 5 goals is the best the league leaders produce from 90 minutes, you did pretty fucking good.

The team was quite magnificent out there. They were quicker to every ball. They wanted it more. They deserved everything they got and Arsenal got everything they put into the game too. Although the numbers won't stick out as much, I thought this was a far worse game for them than the 8-2 humiliation. This time they were top of the league and looking at their team, a lot better too.

Just to highlight how much better they are (or should have been).

Manc game - Today
Szczesny - Szczesny
Koscielny - Koscielny
Djourou - Mertesacker
Jenkinson - Sagna
Traore - Monreal
Rosicky - Wilshere
Ramsey - Arteta
Walcott - Cazorla
Arshavin - Özil
Coquelin - Oxlade-Chamberlin
van Persie - Giroud

Their keeper is more experienced (and had the most clean sheets too). Their back 4 a considerable upgrade. Their attacking midfielders then and now are beyond questioning, with only van Persie being a loss for them. Yet we absolutely pummeled them. They had 20 shots against the Mancs and only 11 today (how the stats say 11 I don't quite get though). They never looked threatening and they were lucky only to concede 5 times today. With Suarez's world class attempts, both from the corner and his direct free kick. Kolo missing the open net. Sturridge's one-on-one. Flanagan nearly scored. Henderson was through on goal. Coutinho's shot that went straight at the keeper. And that's before we get to the dozen or so chances wasted by playing backheels or shit crosses.

For me this was the best we've been this season. Better than against Spurs away. Better than against Everton. This was a one-sided pummeling of the highest. It was everything you can expect from a Brendan Rodgers side at home and it was un-fucking-believably fun to watch. It was amazingly satisfying seeing the smugness slowly die from the faces of Arsenal supporters and Wenger's holier-than-thou-go-fuck-a-blue-cheese transfer fiasco in the summer made it all the sweeter. He didn't even look at Rodgers' way after the whistle, much like with Kenny a few years back. It brought out the annoying Frenchman he has done so well to conceal.

Which brings me, like any good narration, to a full stop and we depart where we first took off, with Julius Caesar. Whose many quotes fit, but none quite as accurately and satisfying as this one. Galia est pacata. Gaul is subdued.

[Vulmea]

The first twenty five mintes went in a heartbeat - it was great - the type of time when you just can't stop grinning - unstoppable - rampant - we've done this before to teams and not scored, missed the lot - we did it to Arsenal under Kenny and lost but not this time, this time we scored and scored - a shame Suarez's shot didn't go in it was a belter

Arsenal are a good team and we battered them - we battered them up front and we smothered them at the back - thats the type of death by football I want to see - when you suck the belief out of teams - grind their confidence into dust - not by simply passing it and keeping it but by ripping their belief apart, again and again - whether it was goals or tackles - we just bossed them around

the second half was controlled, we did well with their intricate passing, always a player there to intercept, fill a space - I dont like it when we sit back, it does my nerves no good but we did it well today and Arsenals usual bravado was buried under 5 goals - I thought we restricted them to long range mostly, few, if any clear chances a much more solid game than everton or spurs

on the down side - feels weird writing that - I would have liked to see us continue to be more clinical second half - do the forward players begin to play for themselves because the midfield drop back and leave them largely isolated giving them little choice or is it because they think the game is won and they take more individual risks?

now can we get three points from Fulham? One game at a time lads, one game at  a time



 

[Azi]

I would like to talk about Coutinho's pass for Sturridge's goal, for a moment, if nobody minds. There are so many sumptuous things to reflect on in this game that I'm going to pick just one and leave you all feast on the rest.

You know in lawn bowls, where they roll these obloid things a great distance towards a small target area and they get it to rest right in that area, and sometimes in the middle area of the area? That's what he did. He robbed some somnolent Arsenal player of the ball, stole upfield and then played a ball that a) ripped the covering centre half out of existence, b) told Sturridge where to run (look at my curve, that's where you go) and c) slowed down almost to a halt right in front of Sturridge, so he didn't have to deal with a travelling ball, thereby putting the ball on a plate, arranging Sturridge's napkin and gently placing the correct fork in his correct hand. Watch it again, if you don't believe me. That fucker did a speeded up lawn bowl pass so that Sturridge wouldn't have to control a fast ball.

Awesome. I also love how the meedja are spinning it as a Coutinho V Wilshere contest and Small Phil won. Is Big Phil watching?

Watching the game yesterday all i could think when he played that ball was how it reminded of this



Just to add someone that seems to have gone under the radar is 19 year old Raheem Sterling, the boy is yep that's right 19 and has been arguably our motm for the last three games he should have got his hat-trick yesterday but for poor finishing, but hes been immense and while everyone is praising our attack can we just take a moment to give praise to our back 4 since Skrtel got his head stapled at Bournemouth hes been a rock and apart from Kolo's brain fart our defence has improved tenfold as for flannagan when did he learn how to pass ?

[Tony19:6]

Interestingly probably only to the statto's on here...

Arsenal had...

more possession 57.5% v 42.5%
more passes 499 v 372
more crosses 20 v 16
Territorial adv 60.2% v 39.8%

...so were obviously the better team

Apart from the one which matters that is 5-1

Just shows you really what a load of shite stats can be at times

[Timbo's Goals]

It was beautiful and what we saw at Anfield was almost a mirror-image.

No, No, No.

A million times no.

[My missus is Welsh and I was seduced by her and Barry John many moons ago.] 

On the one hand Liverpool were beautiful, beguiling, exhilarating.  An enchanting  rhapsody in red.

On the other Ireland were dour, efficient, ugly, boring as fuck - a crushing machine striving for set piece after set-piece to suck Welsh life-blood like Christopher Lee on some heinous Hammer binge.

To compare the two entities of red and green is a sacrilege. The contrast could not be greater. The red a thing of true sublime beauty. The green a visual atrocity, an affront to taste and decency. Euk.

 

   

[Timbo's Goals]

It seems plain as day to me. Hire in players whose names begin with 'S'.
.

 

Are we allowed just one 'C' as well ?

[HBAHFH]

Watching the game yesterday all i could think when he played that ball was how it reminded of this

This remains one of the finest goals I have seen in my life. Which made it all the more heartbreaking at the time.

All's well that ends well though

[ElstonGunn]

Interestingly probably only to the statto's on here...

Arsenal had...

more possession 57.5% v 42.5%
more passes 499 v 372
more crosses 20 v 16
Territorial adv 60.2% v 39.8%

...so were obviously the better team

Apart from the one which matters that is 5-1

Just shows you really what a load of shite stats can be at times

No it doesn't, it shows what a load of shit those stats are for assessing overall performance.

Liverpool prime location shots: 12
Liverpool prime location shots on target: 7
Arsenal prime location shots: 3
Arsenal prime location shots on target: 2

Statistically, that's what you call a beat down.

[stockdam]

It's hard to assess a game where we were so dominant. For me it started in defence including the back 5, Gerrard and Henderson. All of them had very solid games and stiffled Arsenal's attack and midfield. Not long ago we had many people on here explaining how much Skrtel stopped us playing the way we wanted to. Now he's back to his best. All of the defence put in a great game.

That gave Coutinho the freedom to run the game and he produced some glorious passes. The way he turned and left three Arsenal players for dead and then played a perfect pass to Henderson was sublime; pity Jordan didn't finish it off.

Sturridge and Sterling were just far too fast for Arsenal. Suarez is a one off and his shot that hit the post was one of the best that I have seen.

However for all the incredible play yesterday we are still only 3 points (plus goal difference) above Spurs. Looking up the table we aren't that far behind the top three and if we can keep up this quality and win every game left then we could be in with an outside chance of winning. One game at a time but let's play with high pace and intensity every match.

[Spraynard Kruger]

Spurs at WHL, Stoke at the Britannia, Arsenal at home. 3 fixtures in recent history that have given us tons of trouble that we've exorcised emphatically this season. Sign that the times are well and truly changing.

[Djimi Smicer34]

To sum it up in one word: wow.

That was quite simply one of the best performances I've seen from a Liverpool team, those first twenty minutes are as good as you're ever likely to see anywhere.  We killed them, we wanted it far more than they did from the first minute and nullified any semblance of of a threat they could muster.  A clean sheet would have been nice but the only way Arsenal were going to score yesterday was from a penalty; we needed the defence to put in the type of performance they did against Everton and they did so, as a team I thought we defended brilliantly.

Suarez, Sturridge, Sterling and Coutinho were quite simply unstoppable, Gerrard and Henderson were brilliant, Flanagan was outstanding, Skrtel was a colossus at both ends of the pitch, Toure and Cissokho were excellent, Mignolet had one moment of uncertainty but was otherwise faultless and made a very good save from Cazorla's free-kick, it was brilliant to see Ibe sample the atmosphere of a big game at Anfield, the first of what I'm sure will be many for him as a Liverpool player.

We were exciting, we were relentless, we were committed, we were ruthless, quite simply we were awesome.

[WheelerLFC]

Fantastic win and just shows the rest of the league how hard its going to be coming to Anfield. People saying that suarez and sturridge are our only threat cant have anything to say after some of the performances yesterday. Iv been saying how much we have missed coutinho's high stanards we have been so used to and in the last two home games, for me has given two of the best performances since his arrival throwing his weight about and being nucance off the ball most winning us possention back high up the field.  My only complaint, even though we have scored 9 in the last 2 games i feel aggrieved that we havent scored more.   

With all or big games bar utd all to be played at home 4th and quite possibly 3rd (depending on if the mancs can get a result against arsenal) is looking promissing. Spurs sneeked them 3 points from the blue shite today in a game where everton dominated at times and i think they will drop points before coming to Anfield with chelsea away and arsenal at home on the bounce.

[BabuYagu]

Interestingly probably only to the statto's on here...

Arsenal had...

more possession 57.5% v 42.5%
more passes 499 v 372
more crosses 20 v 16
Territorial adv 60.2% v 39.8%

...so were obviously the better team

Apart from the one which matters that is 5-1

Just shows you really what a load of shite stats can be at times

Crosses are a very poor indicator of successful attacking play. Infact it usually means the opposite. If you stop a team like Arsenal playing through your center eventually they do 2 things, start going wide and firing crosses in and start shooting from places they just won't score from.

ElstonGunn did a good job earlier of showing you better attacking stats to use. However, I would also like to point out the importance of through balls. You can play as many passes as you like to move a team around. However, if you never get someone on the ball who can cut a side open with a through ball then all those passes account for nothing.

Liverpool had 7 through balls to Arsenal's 2. Against Everton it was 5-1 in through balls. Against Spurs it was 10-0 in through balls. I am not saying the team with the most through balls wins as against Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea we had more through balls than them. The number of through balls is just a good indicator of how many times a side was opened up.

Remember that Manchester City 6-0 hammering of Spurs. Lots of people said all the stats showed Spurs were unlucky not to get anything from the game with more passes, crosses, etc etc. 4-1 in through balls to Man City. Passing without penetration is basically just defending with the ball.

Also I would just like to add my press match quote:-

I think Arsenal have had a lot of good results against us recently. Some deserved and some jammy jammy fucking results too. If ever there was a side who we owed a beating to it's this lot. I'm sure Rodgers already has 40 million & 1 things to say to motivate the fire up the players that little bit more before kick off.

[farawayred]

Spurs at WHL, Stoke at the Britannia, Arsenal at home. 3 fixtures in recent history that have given us tons of trouble that we've exorcised emphatically this season. Sign that the times are well and truly changing.

Add to that the available players; we are missing a few that might be considered automatic starters.

To me, the biggest improvement Rodgers has made is that we are no longer one-man or two-man team. We don't degrade to a Championship team without either of Suarez, Gerrard, Sturridge, or Lucas, others are capable of filling their boots through hard work and organization. Thank you, Brendan!

[Ada069]

Stats of possession, crossing and shots on goal have long since meant nothing to a result.

 honestly thought a draw would be a good result for us considering our past performances at Anfield against Arsenal but those floodgates at Arsenal's defense opened.

It's interesting that they had an almost full squad of players apart from Vermaelan, Walcott and Ramsey

Where as we had what some people can call our second string back four because of Agger, Sahko, Enrique and Johnson and along with our safety net at the back Lucas are all out injured.

I loved also that the people who shot up Gerrard and said his not good enough and needs to retire are probably not even man enough to say it now. He caused the penalty, probably his only fault for the game. They were talking (the commentators jabbering on as they do but I was in such a good mood I put up with it) just before the penalty about how on key he had been for the game at breaking down the Arsenal attack. His adapted into it. He probably won't be as good as Lucas in that holding role but to play him further forward would mean sacrificing Coutinho or Stirling.

And the ones that jumped down Toure's throat with WBA for his mistake. It does happen btw. But noone has mentioned his B-E-A-utiful pass for Stirling's second. It was a good run to take them on then the pass was sublime.

Flanagan roaring down the right side was brilliant early, he won the corner for our second as well.

I think the back four put in a good 90min shift for the club and hope it's something that continues.


But still, no cleansheet

[Redeo]

I would like to talk about Coutinho's pass for Sturridge's goal, for a moment, if nobody minds. There are so many sumptuous things to reflect on in this game that I'm going to pick just one and leave you all feast on the rest.

You know in lawn bowls, where they roll these obloid things a great distance towards a small target area and they get it to rest right in that area, and sometimes in the middle area of the area? That's what he did. He robbed some somnolent Arsenal player of the ball, stole upfield and then played a ball that a) ripped the covering centre half out of existence, b) told Sturridge where to run (look at my curve, that's where you go) and c) slowed down almost to a halt right in front of Sturridge, so he didn't have to deal with a travelling ball, thereby putting the ball on a plate, arranging Sturridge's napkin and gently placing the correct fork in his correct hand. Watch it again, if you don't believe me. That fucker did a speeded up lawn bowl pass so that Sturridge wouldn't have to control a fast ball.

Awesome. I also love how the meedja are spinning it as a Coutinho V Wilshere contest and Small Phil won. Is Big Phil watching?

Love it!

[ElstonGunn]

Liverpool had 7 through balls to Arsenal's 2. Against Everton it was 5-1 in through balls. Against Spurs it was 10-0 in through balls. I am not saying the team with the most through balls wins as against Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea we had more through balls than them. The number of through balls is just a good indicator of how many times a side was opened up.

Thanks, BY, wasn't aware of that. Those are some mighty impressive throughball numbers. I think you're right that our ability to get behind the defense is a huge part of what makes us so effective offensively, and lots of througballs was a hallmark of Rodgers' Swansea as well. I'm guessing we didn't have many at the start of last season though.

[Redeo]

ElstonGunn did a good job earlier of showing you better attacking stats to use. However, I would also like to point out the importance of through balls. You can play as many passes as you like to move a team around. However, if you never get someone on the ball who can cut a side open with a through ball then all those passes account for nothing.

Also, if you get to a stage where your ball control leads to quick through ball opportunities, your possession % will inevitably go down (and vice versa).

[Leosheer]

I normally don’t like bullies. I’ve been on the receiving end of enough of them in my life to hate their guts with every fibre of my being, but in sport, especially when it’s your team doing the bullying, there are few sights as powerful. Maybe half an hour after the final whistle blew at Anfield today, just a few miles across the Irish Sea, Ireland were winning a lineout in Lansdowne Road, getting a maul of maybe five or six players driving towards the Welsh line and their opponents, who were many people’s favourites to win before the game, simply couldn’t do a fucking thing about it, they were just swept aside as the home side powered to a try on their way to a one-sided 26-3 victory. It was beautiful (unless you were Welsh, of course), and what we saw at Anfield was almost a mirror-image: an utterly mesmeric, gutsy display of organised destruction controlled to the nth degree by a team which chased down its prey time and time again, inflicting one grievous wound after another until they had to simply give in. For ‘Welsh’ read: ‘Cockney’, and to be fair, it was way worse for Arsenal supporters today. At least Wales were still in with a shout at the hour mark over in Dublin…

The most pleasing thing for me? Let me start in my praise where many of us often start in our post-mortems, at the back. Arsenal were top of the league in February (and may be again). With three months left in the season, that makes them a serious fucking team, and yet they rarely (if ever) carved Liverpool apart today. Aside from a couple of rash moments, by Mignolet in the first half and Gerrard in the second, Arsenal had fuck all chances and they created nothing. Nothing. That pleases me as much as anything because it wasn’t like they weren’t knocking on the door at times, yet whether it was Skrtel or Touré, Flanagan or Cissokho, Gerrard or Henderson, we kept nicking the ball away from them at the crucial moment and rarely was a foul given away in a dangerous area, suggesting a nous that we have no right to expect from what is ultimately a makeshift back-four and a midfield anchor learning the role in this system. At no point did they ever panic or get caught out by the League-leaders, a club that has been building and rebuilding in relative serenity for the best part of two decades under one manager and one philosophy that has been in place since 1996. Think about that. Just shy of 18 years vs. 18 months. A team that hasn’t been out of the top-four since 1996 vs. one which hasn’t finished inside it since 2009. No Johnson, Sakho, Agger or Enrique. And yet, 5-1.

As for the team’s goalscoring exploits, well I feel like one of those kids who immediately and inexplicably starts bawling when they meet their hero. I simply don’t know what to do. When I saw Sturridge stick the fourth away today, I almost felt like crying myself, not out of happiness at what was, at the end of the day, just another three points on the way to what will probably still be, at best, fourth place, but just out of not knowing what else to do. Who are these guys? Where the fuck did they come from? A £12m striker deemed not good enough for Chelsea wasn’t supposed to have this many goals in him. A lightweight Brazilian that Inter were happy enough to let go for pennies on the pound wasn’t supposed to be a genius who also found time in his busy schedule to square up to the likes of Wilshere and N’Zonzi and vent his anger at referees like some kind of boss. Jordan Henderson, where’s he come out of? Raheem Sterling? Did you see him destroy two Arsenal players on the way to going this close to a hat-trick? And Luis Suárez? £40,000,001? For that?! For that?! Oh my word, I’ve never seen anything like him in a Liverpool shirt. To me, he’s the very definition of priceless. And Brendan Rodgers...

I swear, I haven’t seen the likes of this since 1988. This team is downright scary in its potential, and if you didn't believe it before, believe it now. Believe it now.

Almost cried reading this. I am so happy

[ElstonGunn]

Also, if you get to a stage where your ball control leads to quick through ball opportunities, your possession % will inevitably go down (and vice versa).

Yeah, there's something of a trade off, though Guardiola's Barcelona, Wenger's Arsenal and even Brendan's Swansea were all way-above average throughball teams. It doesn't necessarily have to be one or the other.

[Veinticinco de Mayo]

Interestingly probably only to the statto's on here...

Arsenal had...

more possession 57.5% v 42.5%
more passes 499 v 372
more crosses 20 v 16
Territorial adv 60.2% v 39.8%

...so were obviously the better team

Apart from the one which matters that is 5-1

Just shows you really what a load of shite stats can be at times

The problem with stats come when people lack the wit to interpret them.  What does that show?  It shows that Arsenal were chasing the game for 89 minutes of the 90.  It shows that LFC were happy to contain and counter for 80 minutes of the 90.

Come back with the stats for the first 20 minutes that decided the game and we'll take a look.

[Mal]

So I just got back from seeing my gooner mate. We immediately agreed not to talk about it. And then he did. I tried not to gloat. This was difficult. But I think I coped

Simply put we were in total & utter control from the 9th minute. There were a few things we had to deal with between goal 1 & 2. Nothing super concerning, but just a feeling that if they scored quickly it could still go either way but the 2nd goal really punctured their belief. I read somewhere today, or maybe last night, that Ozil is great if you're 1 or 2 up & a total liability at 2-0 down. I hadn't noticed it before but it's dead on. The guy was absent. Worse than absent, he seemed not to give even one ounce of a fuck if he gave the ball away. And boy did he give it away... It has to be said that this was largely because we didn't give him, or indeed his teammates any time on the ball.

I'm 41 years old. We've put in some astonishing performances at Anfield in my time supporting Liverpool. I've even been lucky enough to be there for a few of them. This though, this was extra special. The harrying, the interceptions, the passing, the incisiveness, the dynamism, the energy and obviously, the goals. Simply put, we were absolutely spectacular. I wish I'd been there.

[Tony19:6]

The problem with stats come when people lack the wit to interpret them.  What does that show?  It shows that Arsenal were chasing the game for 89 minutes of the 90.  It shows that LFC were happy to contain and counter for 80 minutes of the 90.

Come back with the stats for the first 20 minutes that decided the game and we'll take a look.

You're right in so much as its how people interpret them which was my point entirely.

These stats were taken from a national newspaper with a circulation of millions so who knows what people will take from this ?

Sorry, I wont be coming back with any stats for the first 20 mins, I'll leave that to others, not really my bag...

[Greyfox]

No .... I didn't see it

[cowtownred]

I don't usually go in Round Table threads, because I'm not expert in the way PoP, Corky, E2K and a few others are regarding tactical masterclasses.

However, I just must add my feelings in a few lines.

That, from an ordinary fan viewpoint was absolutely stunning.  Complete destruction, fast incisive football from a young side who are (on their game... as is often the case) the most exhilerating team in the country.  You think of the best sides to watch in the 25 years since we ruled the League, you think Arsenal 2003/4,  Mancs 1999, and again 2007/8.

Well, the way we are shaping up in the last 4 months, and you think we can better any of the above.  That front 5/6 we have now... I include Henderson..  is just on a par with anything I've ever seen at Liverpool. And what's the average age of our front 6  ?22 perhaps? (and only because we have an old 27 year old leading the line)  Suarez=Henry,  Coutinho= Pires, Sterling=Lunjberg.......   I think you can see where I am.

Its a magnificent, beautiful thing that we're watching at Liverpool.

There's a great dynamic in place headed up by Rodgers.  What a wonderful team is getting built in front of us.  Seriously, I was excited in the latter part of the Benitez era until the rug got pulled. But if the owners are as true to their word as they seem to be, then we are potentially embarking on another Shanks/Paisley/Fagan/Dalglish era.   Except we appear to have sidestepped the Shanks rebuilding period, and almost gone direct to Paisley. 

Its amazing.


I forecast..if we can sort our focus out.. by the time we go to Old Trafford, a win will put us 2nd.   And if we can do to City and Chelsea what we did to Arsenal, then the title is NOT beyond this team.

[Redeo]

Yeah, there's something of a trade off, though Guardiola's Barcelona, Wenger's Arsenal and even Brendan's Swansea were all way-above average throughball teams. It doesn't necessarily have to be one or the other.

Naturally. It all really depends on almost innumerable permutations of such things as: a. the quality of your team (to keep possession, find a through ball, etc.), b. the character and quality of the opposition in terms of (keeping possession, parking the bus, etc.), c. nature of the game (you or your opponent chasing the score, content with the score, etc.).

The quality of, say, Barcelona's players and system would ensure that they would out-possess, out-pass, and out-through ball almost any opponent in almost any game.

[Bird Bird Bird The Bird Is The Word]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/ElX7x_qNUYQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/ElX7x_qNUYQ</a>

I'm absolutely loving Rodgers' brand of blitzkrieg football.

AVB, Martinez and Wenger have all been left in a sorry state, with soggy tactics notebooks as Rodgers has drowned them with a torrential flood. We are simply overwhelming teams with unrelenting pressure. Pushing and pressing till they buckle. Grabbing a handful of goals early on and leaving them stranded in no man's land, not knowing what has hit them or what to do about it.

I've hailed Rodgers in the past and one word that always rings true is pragmatism. Some of my favourite performances this season have been with Lucas, Allen and Henderson in the midfield, our team was purring. Now Rodgers has been able to build a unit just as good and possibly better with Gerrard, Henderson and Coutinho. This season, in no small part down to injuries, our team has been like a Rubik's cube that changes itself once it's starting to click, Rodgers has been wrestling with it all season and successfully clicking it back into place, time and time again, for that he cannot be commended enough.

Phil Coutinho, what a revelaaaaaaation. He's had 3 starts in this "Iniesta" role and two of them have been genuinely world class. If the intelligent pressing, tackles and interceptions weren't enough, he's making those defense splitting passes that he seemed to be making two or three times per game last season. I think that he's better creatively from a deeper, central position and it allows him to get his foot on the ball more, playing him as one of front three hasn't consistently gotten the best out of him this season.

Our front three is scary, the SSS Makeyoushityourpants is the most lethal front three in the premier league. Sterling is the clear unsung hero of the trio, the way he glides past players with such ease is incredible for a 19 year old, and whilst he has great pace, he doesn't rely on it, it's the speed with which he dribbles, not the speed with which he runs that makes me confident he can become a world class player. I loved the way he did a proper school boy trick on Mertesacker to get around him, who's probably still turning as I type, and then blitzed past Gibbs who is quick himself, it was that aggression that makes brilliant attacking players, just a shame about the finish.

I've been a major Skrtel skeptic and that makes me a sinner this season, he has proved me wrong, and let me say now that he has brilliant this season and has been a rock at the back. Hearing the commentators talk about Skrtel "being on a hat trick" from the 10 minute mark was one of my favourite moments of the match.

Incredible win, a performance that will live long in the memory. FSG give Brendan a new contract now!

[Gnurglan]

Couldn't believe how we played the first 20 minutes. We were a threat as soon as we had the ball. When we made it 2-0, they were a wreck. Loved that we kept going at that point. We destroyed them and won the game before they knew what was going on. It would have been so easy to sit back to protect the lead, but we didn't. At 4-0, I hoped that we'd be able to score five, six, seven,... as many as possible to make it a game people would remember for decades. But also because a real hammering could have a real impact on the mentality, both for them and us.

The game? I was thinking back of the last game vs them. They controlled the event. After the game, many were saying we didn't have their class yet, so the game then was a display of the difference of where we were as teams. If I recall it right, they overloaded the center. The game was played the way they wanted.

This time? I don't know what Rodgers did, but the game was played the way we wanted. This time, we looked superior. Our transitions for 3-0 and 4-0 were so quick. I'll leave it for the analysts, but it seemed like they had so many players upfield and when we won the ball, it was wide open to counter-attack. A key moment for me was when Henderson won the ball from Özil, who just dropped dead and expected the freekick. It wasn't given and a few seconds later, we had scored. The 4-0 goal... there was no way Sturridge could miss that one. No way. The first thing that struck me when I saw the replay was how much space he had to place his shot. Still can't get over it. Watch where the ball hits the net. It's not even close to the post.

After Spurs away and this game, there can be no doubt what potential this team has. We're still not the finished article. I'd like us to be more solid defensively, but the attacking quality in this team is great. To think that we scored five against the league leaders and SAS only got one goal between them - how about that?

Hopefully, this is one of those games we will look back at and say "that's when it all started, that's when we showed we had what it takes". Because it's a game worth remembering.

[The Playmaker]

The team should be incredibly proud after that performance. I've watched the game twice because it was that damn good! I thought it was one of those masterclass performances from start to finish. I mean, Arsenal came to Anfield, top of the table, having not conceded many goals and in pretty good form. We just brushed them aside. I was so impressed with our pressing from the start. We forced errors which ultimately led to goals. We also could have scored seven or eight goals! We cut them open every time we went forward.

I mean, I had some confidence that we would win (despite Arsenal having had the better of us in recent times) but I honestly felt before the game that it would be a close encounter and that it might be a 2-1 or something along those lines. How wrong was I?! I also felt that even though the team took their foot off the gas which was understandable, they still kept the tempo at a decent level. They kept the ball quite well too and we countered excellently. In terms of the attacking side, a big well done but the defence and midfield deserves the same level of praise too.

Despite giving away a penalty, I felt that Steven Gerrard cover the back four well. I like it when he drops in between the two defenders and allows them to push forward. He offered a lot of protection in that area and he got two assists. I also felt that Flanagan did really well, defensively and offensively and I genuinely believe that he can make the right back spot his own.

Cissokho also deserves some praise too - he has improved too recently in that position despite not being our first choice left back. Skrtel did very well and has improved massively in recent times. It is weird to think that some of our current squad almost left and yet they're performing really well. Kolo Toure looked a lot better than what he did against West Bromwich Albion. It was a good response from him and fair play to Brendan Rodgers for sticking with him too.

Sterling was excellent too. I think he just needs to work on his final ball (in terms of setting others up) but he is still very young and is performing at a good level for us and he got two goals. His movement was excellent. Luis Suarez didn't score for a change but almost scored two beautiful goals and played a part in Sterling scoring. He also set up some other good chances. Oh, and what about Coutinho! He played some lovely through balls (especially the one for Sturridge which led to a goal) but my favourite was the one for Jordan Henderson. It was a shame that Henderson couldn't finish that chance.

This performance wasn't just a one off though and I think is what has impressed me most. We did the same to Tottenham Hotspur away from home and we did the same to Everton recently at home. To beat teams around you by those margins is very impressive. I know we've had a couple of bad days this season but the good far outweighs the bad and in any given you will have bad days. Look at Arsene Wenger, he has been at Arsenal for so many years and even though they're having a good season they've still had bad days. It happens. In terms of results, our team has done fantastic over the course of this season and I'm really looking forward to the final run in because anything is possible.

[Resurrected]

Credit where it's due, our young manager played a blinder.

He knew that, in Arsenal, we were playing arguably the best footballing side in the league. He knew that they were likely to have a high percentage of the ball and that they'd look to play their game in our half. Not only did he exploit their weaknesses at the back, but he used their strengths against them too. Poor old Arsenal never had a chance.

Each time Arsenal managed to get both possession and numbers in our half, we used our midfield trio and full backs to break up play and win possession. From there, it was a simple case of playing quality balls beyond their centre backs, where our lightening quick forwards could exploit the space. But it didn't stop there because we were quick to push up in support. If they tried to press us, we punished them. If they tried to sit back and stifle our play, we punished them.

We scored 5 but realistically, we could have had 10. Tactically, physically and mentally we were on another planet. I don't agree with those who say that Arsenal played badly; We were great and no matter how hard Arsenal tried, the outcome was always going to be the same. There was simply nothing they could have done to alter that.

So i'd just like to say well done and thank you to Brendan. We're all quick enough to point out when you get it wrong, but this time you really showed your genius.

[steveeastend]

When I saw Sturridge stick the fourth away today, I almost felt like crying myself, not out of happiness at what was, at the end of the day, just another three points on the way to what will probably still be, at best, fourth place, but just out of not knowing what else to do. Who are these guys? Where the fuck did they come from? A £12m striker deemed not good enough for Chelsea wasn’t supposed to have this many goals in him. A lightweight Brazilian that Inter were happy enough to let go for pennies on the pound wasn’t supposed to be a genius who also found time in his busy schedule to square up to the likes of Wilshere and N’Zonzi and vent his anger at referees like some kind of boss. Jordan Henderson, where’s he come out of? Raheem Sterling? Did you see him destroy two Arsenal players on the way to going this close to a hat-trick? And Luis Suárez? £40,000,001? For that?! For that?! Oh my word, I’ve never seen anything like him in a Liverpool shirt. To me, he’s the very definition of priceless. And Brendan Rodgers...

Love this post.

That's football mate, the real one. The one everyone is talking about when they saw a game on the streets (or on the beach) in brasil for the first time and then the transition of it a couple of years later in a world cup final. Your emotions in this post comes across as from someone who experienced the pure joy of football for the first time because somebody gave the players the tactical framework for that and, first and foremost, let them play football. Let them give us their talent.

A lot of players and teams actually would have it in them though, but a lot of players never get a chance to get even close to games like these as their talent is wasted by shite managers who forgot everything football is all about. Just look what Klopp did a couple of years ago to a bunch of no name players. Brendan is our Klopp, but then again, frankly, I think he is even better.

I said prior the game that Coutinho and Sterling are our most important players at the moment exactly because of that. Because they have the pure talent to make the transition from defense to attack in a way which would suit the talent of our two star players upfront best cause that's exactly what makes the difference here at the moment. Besides that, ALL our players more or less shine and have improved dramatically with the help of Rodgers approach simply because he WANTS them to play football instead of working football. He wants Skrtel to make a run in the box and ask for the ball, go for a difficult header. He wants Sterling to turn and get past defenders, he wants Coutinho to play Futsal with the likes of Ozil, Wilshere and Arteta. And he wants Suarez to do whatever it takes to amaze people. (Yes, the workrate has to be there as well but those are the basics we kind of "forgot" as a team during those years of crisis which we brought back step by step over the last two years).

This football is all about the vision of Rodgers and people just have to wait when he gets his hands on some quality signings to close our last couple of weak spots. It will be brasilian football in rainy England, just wait for it. Personally, I love and enjoy every minute of it, be it in an unlucky game vs WB away or in games like this one which will be remembered for years. It's the way we play, which makes the difference, to me, and obviously to a lot of others as well. 

[BabuYagu]

(1) I don't usually go in Round Table threads, because I'm not expert in the way PoP, Corky, E2K and a few others are regarding tactical masterclasses.

(2) Suarez=Henry,  Coutinho= Pires, Sterling=Lunjberg

1) I think I speak for many of the scribes when I say you really should post in here more often. While the round tables are built up by the scribes to begin with, it is more a place for people to properly reflect on the game as opposed to the initial wave of emoting that the post match thread usually is. It is intimidating for anyone to follow a post by Yorky or E2K but there is no snobbery in here. I don't "get" football in the way PoP does.... I can watch us and know we were fucking amazing but I could never visualise the training sessions required to get us to that point like he could.

As a maths geek, I understand things a little better with numbers as the creative part of my brain is massively inferior so I feel that is the little something I can add. Although, my favourite posts to read in here sometimes though are the ones that just gush over the performance. Especially from people who have seen us from the 60's and make the most beautiful observations that I would never read anywhere else in a match report.

What I am saying is, you most certainly have a lot to add. Everyone does (unless it's a formation/meme!)

2) If we were going to draw comparisons to THAT team, I would have Sturridge down as Henry due to the pace. Also I read that statistically, Sturridge this year is almost exactly on a par with Henry aged 24 in goals and assists per game. Frightening stuff!

Suárez would be Bergkamp 2.0 with more pace, power, determination, aggression & nutmegs.

[helmboy_nige]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Is that enough for a round table? No.

So many of us walked away from that match disappointed that we'd not only conceded but that we'd only won by 4 goals. Make no mistake, this was a total humiliation. If Arsenal could have walked off the pitch at 20 mins and forfeited without them being completely torn apart by the media and their fans then they would have.

The early set piece goals were vital, but our performance in between and after those goals went further than anything we've seen to date under Rodgers. We hassled and pressed in threes from the kickoff and exploited Arsenals one defensive weakness (their pace).  Rodgers talked about this after the match and we really should be singing the mans praises. People have been raving about the strength of the Arsenal back two CBs but by pushing Sturridge up and moving Suarez out wide they had no answer.

How many times did we break clear? I lost count, but we could easily have been 6 or 7 up at half time.

In terms of standout performers it's hard to pick. In the aftermath I said that Suarez had been relatively quiet. That was unfair given his two huge shots and his linkup play with Sturridge, Coutinho and Sterling.  He deserved a goal, but it was nice to see goals shared around the team a bit.  Sterling was remarkable and I can forgive him for not squaring the ball when on a hat-trick. Defensively we simply didn't seem in trouble at any stage. Mignolet flapped a couple of times, but even in the second half when Arsenal tried to press forward, they just seemed slower in every area.

Now let's destroy Fulham please.

[bepoq]

not my idea—i initially noticed it referred to in passing in one of the write ups (and I'd tell you which one but I've done that celebratory reading thing you sometimes do after a big result where you spend the next 24 hours, or week, reading everything anybody wrote on the game and either nodding sagely, grinning gleefully, or, and only occasionally, snorting with smug derision). Anyway, I went back and had a look, and it was tough rewatching that first half-hour I can tell you, but the lad's point (the bloke with the original idea) was, I think dead on and speaks to VdM's interpretation of those stats, and so I'll drop it in here and maybe one of our resident analysts can comment. It was that after the fourth went in, the lull that was the rest of the half wasn't us, it was them—it was them actually collectively deciding (or maybe getting orders from Wenger, who knows) to stop trying to go forward and score and to play really, really timidly, clear out of fear and the acknowledgement that they were unable to stop our attack (and I really wish I knew how to find a font that makes fear look like it does at in the titles of a Hammer HOH film). Basically, at that point it really was literally over as a contest and the whistle might as well have gone then, at least until the second half (which lasted until they realised it again when Sterling ran off, played his one two with Scztsgezszxney (sp?), which I thought at the time was an odd choice, but really cooly taken, and slotted home). I think at that point, the fourth that is, and again with Sterling's second, they came to the conclusion that if they lost the ball, no matter how innocuously, if we didn't score from it, it wouldn't be because of anything they did, but would be down to the post, an inexplicable miss, or maybe a top save at a push, and that they needed to spend all their vaunted Arsenal short passing in just holding onto the ball. Basically, twenty minutes into a game, we forced the great passing top of the league, slickest midfield ever, Arsenal to shut up shop at four nil down! They didn't swash, they didn't buckle, they played only passes that were guaranteed on and played them quickly, not to probe, but to pass on the ball.

On a side note, I'd just like to say that I've been a bit jaded about footy in recent years—more or less since Purslow's reign, when I think I concluded that the money/businessmen had won, not only on the business side but even on the pitch, but when the fourth went in, I may have threatened the current mark for the lying high jump (look, it was about 5am at that stage, I'm an exile) and bounced about the bed in a fashion utterly unbecoming for someone well into their fourth decade—was lucky herself was off at some conference).

Finally, POP—was never sure where your confidence in Rodgers came from (I confess I just thought smug POP was smug)—I agreed that he seemed to be a very well educated  coach, etc., all the modern approaches and such, fair enough, but couldn't figure out why you could conclude he was better than other contemporary, fully up to the latest understanding of coaching, managers. I still don't know, and would be interested if you can say (ie, not why he's better than Moyes, but why he's better than Pochetino (sp?) or Martinez, or any other example that you know better than I) why you think so (other than the results and some of the play in retrospect). But given the results and some of the play in retrospect, I'm becoming a believer.

[robgomm]

I liked the Benitez comparison PoP made at half-time (or Mourinho):

Control the space
Superb block defending
Pressing the ball in a pack
Ruthlessly exploiting gaps
Lightning fast counter-attacks
Excellent on set-pieces

The interesting thing for me is that it's by circumstance we're playing like that, because of who we have available and how we're trying to get our best players out there (so not dropping Sturridge). All will recall the difficulties of beating "lesser" sides under Benitez and this is where Rodgers shines for me because his basic way of playing football works wonders against those sides. And now he has a new trick in his repotoire where his basic way may not be as effective. That he is willing to branch out is a huge thing. He's an imaginative and clever manager.

If we do keep up this way of playing in the short-term, though, it may be trickier against sides like West Brom or Fulham, who don't come at you in the same way or leave as much exploitable space. Especially if Fulham line up 4-5-1. I think we may see a sustained spell of pressing early on, scoring early and then dropping into the pattern outline above by PoP.

It's an exciting time to have a manager who is relentless positive, very smart with the full respect of his players. We've put in a variety of great performances this season, in different styles with different players. The one constant is the man in charge.