It rained and rained. Continuously, without pause and prolifically. The final whistle though left us feeling burnt rather than soaked. It was one of those unfathomable feelings that you can’t explain. But that wasn’t the only anomaly of the day.
The tie presented the top side travelling to the bottom placed side and as we said a couple of days earlier the table never lies. It can be a bit detached from reality though. As much as a result is the all black on white verdict of the match, the deliberation can be far from unanimous. These were two sides that were riding high on confidence, Liverpool fresh from their Stamford Bridge exploits while Tottenham still riding high from their first victory and a smash and grab draw against their better off neighbours Arsenal. Coupled with that, they have acquired a new manager that they are keen to impress. It shows you all want to know, whether this particular set of players play for the shirt and the fans in the stands or merely their boss in the dugout.
A mere three minutes after kick-off Liverpool started in the most perfect way imaginable. Winning a throw-in while attacking the Spurs end Alvaro Arbeloa played Robbie Keane in who in return played Dirk Kuyt in expecting him to return the favour. But from a rather angled position the Dutchman sacrificed his altruism side in him and just let fly to give Liverpool the lead, confirming his rich form at the moment and making us forget that a certain Fernando Torres is not even on the bench. It was the springboard set for Liverpool to dictate matters and control the match and result. And in the ensuing half, Liverpool did just that, controlling the whole area with authority and occasionally knocking on their door to remind them of who they are.
And in the start of the second half, Liverpool even upped their tempo and left the Spurs at sixes and sevens. They took full advantage of the pouring rain and the slick pitch as they passed from one to another with aplomb and got to the opposition’s rearguard with remarkable creativity. The woodwork though was a much harder nut to crack than the Spurs back four and keeper, and it repelled back Steven Gerrard twice. Firstly he went with power and then a teasing lob still didn’t do the trick.
On the other side of the pitch, a teasing corner just did the trick as an unfortunate header by the solid Jamie Carragher ended up beyond Reina. Sometimes a rock repels wave after wave but circumstances leave it weak on its knees after a bout of sand thrown in its direction. With the last of the quarter of the match remaining, the reds rather found themselves in a dilemma as to whether fight back to get what is rightfully theirs or accept the cruel situation. With the fourth official signaling four minutes of added time, and Reina diving brilliantly to push Bentley’s drive adroit as much as possible there was still time for another twist as a lurking Bent played Pavlyuchenko in to tap home.
The lad from the KGB country let us taste a bit of our own medicine. It is a reminder of how long a season can be and how simple episodes can turn the course of a season. Liverpool have overturned the tide during the ninety minutes four times this season so far. It is now time not to overturn but to merely get back in track.
The tie presented the top side travelling to the bottom placed side and as we said a couple of days earlier the table never lies. It can be a bit detached from reality though. As much as a result is the all black on white verdict of the match, the deliberation can be far from unanimous. These were two sides that were riding high on confidence, Liverpool fresh from their Stamford Bridge exploits while Tottenham still riding high from their first victory and a smash and grab draw against their better off neighbours Arsenal. Coupled with that, they have acquired a new manager that they are keen to impress. It shows you all want to know, whether this particular set of players play for the shirt and the fans in the stands or merely their boss in the dugout.
A mere three minutes after kick-off Liverpool started in the most perfect way imaginable. Winning a throw-in while attacking the Spurs end Alvaro Arbeloa played Robbie Keane in who in return played Dirk Kuyt in expecting him to return the favour. But from a rather angled position the Dutchman sacrificed his altruism side in him and just let fly to give Liverpool the lead, confirming his rich form at the moment and making us forget that a certain Fernando Torres is not even on the bench. It was the springboard set for Liverpool to dictate matters and control the match and result. And in the ensuing half, Liverpool did just that, controlling the whole area with authority and occasionally knocking on their door to remind them of who they are.
And in the start of the second half, Liverpool even upped their tempo and left the Spurs at sixes and sevens. They took full advantage of the pouring rain and the slick pitch as they passed from one to another with aplomb and got to the opposition’s rearguard with remarkable creativity. The woodwork though was a much harder nut to crack than the Spurs back four and keeper, and it repelled back Steven Gerrard twice. Firstly he went with power and then a teasing lob still didn’t do the trick.
On the other side of the pitch, a teasing corner just did the trick as an unfortunate header by the solid Jamie Carragher ended up beyond Reina. Sometimes a rock repels wave after wave but circumstances leave it weak on its knees after a bout of sand thrown in its direction. With the last of the quarter of the match remaining, the reds rather found themselves in a dilemma as to whether fight back to get what is rightfully theirs or accept the cruel situation. With the fourth official signaling four minutes of added time, and Reina diving brilliantly to push Bentley’s drive adroit as much as possible there was still time for another twist as a lurking Bent played Pavlyuchenko in to tap home.
The lad from the KGB country let us taste a bit of our own medicine. It is a reminder of how long a season can be and how simple episodes can turn the course of a season. Liverpool have overturned the tide during the ninety minutes four times this season so far. It is now time not to overturn but to merely get back in track.
posted by jean paul at 9:02 am
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