Liverpool (H) | Post match thread

[Katsunari Takayama]

we could have been 2 up and flying. but like the other post said you have to give some credit to the keeper
but i still feel a kane or haaland score that

Kane would have been gently jogging through the centre circle rather than busting a gut to get in behind like Raz was.

Haaland would’ve been on it quick as a flash and absolutely smashed it home

 

[Norbert D]

Apart from Alty/VAR and poor finishing all of which we have no real control over what did for us was not being 'on it' at the very start of the second half.

Alty once again stunk the place out. It’s obvious the club can’t call him cheating red twat, but, what they could do is turn it on its head….”we don’t feel Anthony had a good game today, Anthony is a very good referee but put in an impossible position being born and bred in Manchester, whatever he does will be wrong and he shouldn’t ever be put in that position“. In our small way stir shit up for the wanker and get wheels turning, he’s had it too easy for too long. What we don’t mention is we would love to throw the **** into an active volcano.

 

[Mid Wales blue]

Looking at it again, I wonder if Mahrez had VAR in mind and wasn't taking the chance that Phil might be offside.

Could be, but I’m pretty sure all he was thinking was the shot.

 

[Mid Wales blue]

I have watched it, many times, to capture those frames, and I have posted the one *just* before he attempts the chip to show the pass to Foden (or the sweep pass in to the far post) were very much the easier of the potential options, and far more likely to result in a goal.

Spot on Seb.

 

[SebastianBlue]

This still frame isn’t really fair on him though, as in the split second that is still to run before he actually kicks the ball, the opening for the pass shuts that little bit more. He was right to shoot but the execution let him down.

It's very easy to freeze frame and pick out easier options but at full speed Mahrze could not be sure foden is onside, it wast a clear cut pass for me, I think the pass or shoot choice was 50/50. I think the mistake was trying to lift the ball, he should of tried to curl it nto the left corner

If you watch a reply he takes a bad touch which puts the ball behind him so he has to adjust and is not quite at the right angle for the perfect shot or pass.
His lob did get deflected over too which may have made a difference.

I really should have just made a gif, so here it is.

He could have easily feigned the shot and passed it to Foden (that used to be one of my go-to tricks when I played and I had a 20th of the skill Mahrez does on my best day, and if he can chip the keeper he can ship the defender trying to close the space to find Foden’s left boot), but he certainly could have also set his body to make the ground pass instead of the shot earlier, as well. I just realised he actually looked up when he was setting up to shoot, when Foden was still wide open and onside, and still chose to shoot.

Watch Phil’s reaction—and especially Kev’s, as he had a full view of the opportunity he created with a truly stunning pass—when Riyad sends it over. They knew all it took was a simple pass forward and City would have won it at the death.

I am not trying to have a go, but I do think it is important we don’t sweep these types of glaring failures of decision-making under the rug. As always, Pep backed Mahrez in his post-match interviews, but I can guarantee you he or the match video analysts will be having a word about it and I am sure he get some off Phil and Kev for it in training, as well.

By the way, it can’t be said enough: that pass from Kev deserved a game winning goal.

 

[East Level 2]

Who’s making excuses you splat. Btw I am East Stand L3, maybe I can buy you a beer or pour one over your head :-)

If the stadium beer is on a par with the beer in City square then I'll have the beer shampoo please.
Last beer shampoo I had was at PSG away a few years ago. Not convinced it was beer though.

 

[Mid Wales blue]

I thought City were the better team by a margin yesterday and it certainly wasn't the close contest we are now being told it was. Much that was said about Liverpool proved not to be the case. Jorgen Klopp's fabled gegenpress was never seen which meant that City were frequently able to hit the space behind Liverpool's high-line back four while their famous front three never really put any sustained pressure on our back line. And our midfield is so much cleverer than theirs; Rodri reads the game so well, KdB runs with the ball, passes it and causes chaos more and better than anyone else and Bernardo is such an intelligent workaholic. They were simply too good for their Liverpool counterparts and the gap became clearer as the game progressed. A t least one, arguably two of them should have seen red. But it was up front that Liverpool were supposed to have the potential to win the match and I suppose that 2 goals from 6 attempts is rather better than 2 from 11, but this does our front three scant justice. Liverpool's may finish better, may live off scraps better but the contribution of our front three to our team play is so much better. Phil is a delight: his close control is exquisite and his feet delightfully quick. He is certainly not a poor finisher but his play is so creative. Raz is not the best finisher in the world, certainly not the worst and he doesn't allow defenders to rest for a second. And Gabby! It seems harsh to say finishing is his weakness after the goal he got yesterday but Gabby kept his back penned back yesterday and Liverpool do rely on their backs getting forward.

If yesterday’s game finished 6 - 2, there couldn’t have been any complaints from the dippers. That’s how much we we in control.

 

[SebastianBlue]

He still looks off on the earlier frame (if the vertical line does the same).

The issue is the red line in the VAR offside frame is actually exaggerated beyond the blue one so as to indicate offside. In reality it would have been mostly overlapping with the red line barely misaligned toward goal. Go back a frame (the one that is now making the rounds on here and Twitter is the one I posted on here yesterday, so I know the timing exactly) and he is likely just onside, as he was leaning forward and the defender was leaning back to try to trap him.

Beyond all of that, this is all under the assumption that they accurately placed the vertical line on the tip of his shoulder, not slightly ahead (which would be easy to do with the resolution of the video available), and that the offside distance calculated is not within the margin of error of the spatial distortion correction system they are using (which the PL refuses to release).

All of this means there is an incredible amount of freedom given to VAR officials when reviewing these tight calls for onside/offside decisions, which means substantial room for manipulation.

 

[5 Hit Gibbon]

Overall I thought we played really well yesterday. Only downside is our lack of being clinical in front of goal. We created enought good chances to win the game comfortably.

 

[Uncle Wally One Ball]

This still frame isn’t really fair on him though, as in the split second that is still to run before he actually kicks the ball, the opening for the pass shuts that little bit more. He was right to shoot but the execution let him down.

Agree. Taking a still freeze frame doesn't show how quickly that move was breaking and the direction of the ball travel. It looks a bit of piss to slide Forden in there taking it from a photo, but it probably was the opposite

 

[Mid Wales blue]

Apart from Alty/VAR and poor finishing all of which we have no real control over what did for us was not being 'on it' at the very start of the second half.

I will give credit to Salah for that second goal, as it was a wonderful pass through the defence, setting Mane an easy finish.

 

[SebastianBlue]

Agree. Taking a still freeze frame doesn't show how quickly that move was breaking and the direction of the ball travel. It looks a bit of piss to slide Forden in there taking it from a photo, but it probably was the opposite

It was not that difficult, even in real time, as testified by Kev’s reaction (if he can make the pass he did whilst a player was trying to take him down, Riyad can make a simple 8 yard pass forward whilst under no real pressure). He could have even chipped it to Phil’s side for a tap in.

Here’s a close up of him looking over when Phil was wide-open and onside.

 

[Grassland Blue]

Yesterday proved we are streets ahead of that shower, however they are far more clinical than us. We should of smashed them yesterday and I am hopeful we will win the league but we will only have ourselves to blame - mistakes do cost us but when we look back at the season, Southampton both games, Palace away - there's 6 points if we were clinical in finishing the chances we had

2 disallowed goals we had though.

 

[ancoats]

We wouldn't have scored the first goal without Allison saving Sterlings shot though.

question
bang centre with only the keeper to beat do you put your house on

sterling or haaland

 

[Chi-town blues]

He still looks off on the earlier frame (if the vertical line does the same).

If you are on phone or ipad , turn that shot 360 degrees and align your eye sight parallel to the line and see for yourself.Now you get the top view like bird eye . Compare raz’s shoulder with Van dick left foot .
This is the real flaw of var because their angle is from side view but the decision is based on height compared to base in this case raz’s shoulder which is still on even though the ball is a foot away from kdb’s boot.

 

[ancoats]

Yeah I don’t think the goal we scored would have happened if Sterling had scored though. I think it was virtually the same passage of play wasn’t it?

it’s the story of our season. However, would we have played as well with a striker? I have no idea.

the only problem i see with playing a striker in pep setup is trying to keeping him from wanting to play every game

 

[domalino]

question
bang centre with only the keeper to beat do you put your house on

sterling or haaland

I think we’ve spent so long without a striker people have completely forgotten they get shots saved as well.

 

[Norbert D]

Just imagine for a second we still had peak Yaya, fucking hell that Mahrez chance late on!

 

[big gaz]

Fabinho is slower to than Gareth Barry.

 

[jimmygrimblesboots]

Should've ,Would've ,Could've is all very well , we probably didnt get the decisions but we never do against the Dippers its nothing new , but that game would have demoralised their players because we bossed the game for 45 minutes and left their defence in pieces.Even in the second half with their presumed better performance they had to resort to rough house tactics to keep us at bay.
In the grand scheme of things the semi-final is not a must win the FA Cup is recognised little more than the Carabao Cup nowadays , but we do need to do football the service of stopping the deluded Dippers even considering a quadruple.
Wouldnt be surprised if Pep plays some fringe players like Steffen,Ake,Zinchenko and fill the bench with kids , it is third in the list of priorities , but even a weakend team playing the same system will give the Dippers a game.