Match Notes: WHU 0-2 LFC

Sports - Football - Premier League - WHU 0:2 LFC

Liverpool recorded their 15th consecutive Premier League victory, beating 17th-placed West Ham 0-2 in their game in hand at the London Stadium on Wednesday night, to take them to 70 points in the quickest time, 19 points clear at the top of the table, ahead of defending champions Manchester City.

The Reds' historical run continues to 41 league games unbeaten, the third longest run in English top-flight history after Nottingham Forest (42 in 1978) and Arsenal (49 in 2004), having beaten all 19 team they have faced in the league this season.

And I am happy to report, I was there. As an undercover Kop, in the Billy Bonds stand, I can say, the atmosphere was nowhere near Upton Park. Apart from the couple of takes of the bubbles song, the crowd went quiet, frustrated, the Red corner was the loudest.

The visitors had most of the ball, control and chances, but the Hammers were well organised at the back, less so at the front, wasting the few chances they created. David Moyes grew more and more frustrated with all the miscontrol and mess-ups, the fans also, sarcastically cheering the only change the Scotsman made. 

Mohamed Salah put the league leaders ahead from the spot after Issa Diop's foul on Divock Origi and the VAR took its time to confirm (pen 35'). And the great Egyptian turned from scorer to provider after the restart, setting up Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the counter. 

The former Gunner made no mistake finishing off the superb move started by skipper Jordan Henderson, striking the ball with his right boot into the bottom left corner (52'). Here's my video of that counterattacking goal.

Both sides had chances after that, Salah hit the woodwork for the Reds and should have had at least a brace, and Trent Alexander-Arnold with a bit of frantic defending at the other end, but the result never looked under threat and all the records with it. 

It's only the fourth time a run of 15 wins has been completed (Manchester City 18 in December 2017, Liverpool 17 in October 2019 and City 15 in August 2019), 

It was Jürgen Klopp's 150th victory as LFC boss in all competitions (W150 D58 L39). The German played all these records down as always in the post-match interview: "I'm only happy about the three points." he said. 

"Tonight was a normal performance. I have no idea [if anyone will catch us]. The first target is to get the maximum points - there are still a lot of games. Yes we have 70 points, an incredible number, but so many things can happen. I'm not too much concerned about records. 

"We had a record at [Borussia] Dortmund and Bayern [Munich] beat it the next season. We don't feel as though anything is done, I promise you. We take a deep breath and then Saturday it's Southampton."

But one thing is for sure, us Reds fans are making the most and enjoying every single moment of it, whilst and as long as it lasts. This side is making the unbelievable believable, undoable doable, and just move on and go on. Walk on. Win on. 

Many on social media are trying to argue and melt the records down, saying the league is not as competitive, weak teams, not much competition... Really? Have you seen how many English teams compete in Europe? And reach the last 16 at least?

And how much money and players have been exchanged over the last transfer windows?! The numbers cannot lie. This is still the top spending and playing league. And oh, I nearly forgot to mention, we are the European and World champions for a reason. Simply the best.

WE ARE TOP!!! BOOM!!! YEAH!!! YNWA!!!

XxXXxX

Liverpool Goals: Salah pen 35' and Ox 52'.

West Ham Team: 1 Fabianski; 26 Masuaku, 3 Cresswell, 21 Ogbonna, 23 Diop (booked 33'), 52 Ngakia; 10 Lanzini (18 Fornals 69'), 16 Noble (c) (booked 42'), 41 Rice, 11 Snodgrass; 22 Haller. 5-4-1
Subs not used: 20 Cardoso, 4 Balbuena, 27 Ajeti, 15 Sanchez, 5 Zabaleta, 35 Randolph.

Liverpool Team: 1 Alisson; 26 Robertson, 4 van Dijk, 12 Gomez, 66 TAA (8 Keïta 77'); 5 Wijnaldum, 14 Henderson (c), 15 Ox (48 Jones 85'); 27 Origi, 9 Firmino (3 Fabinho 69'),11 Salah. 4-3-3 
Subs not used: 18 Minamino, 13 Adrián, 6 Lovren, 32 Matip.

Match Stats: WHU 0-2 LFC
Possession: 29%-71%
Shots: 7-13
On target: 4-5
Corners: 3-7
Fouls: 6-6
Bookings: 2-0

This game was postponed from match week 18

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match report, own match and RMC Sport coverage.

Let’s Talk About Six Baby

Sports - Football - CL Final - THFC 0:2 LFC 

LFC Make It Six

XxXXxX 

A week to go till the UEFA Super Cup in good old Istanbul (oh yes, we LOVE Istanbul), I thought I would go through my notes to recap and relive the night we became European Champions for the SIXth time:

That Saturday night, Madrid turned red, the whole of Europe and the football world was covered in red, cheers, songs and fire works.

After last year’s heart break against Real Madrid in Kiev, Liverpool came to the Spanish capital to make sure it will all be rectified, by beating Tottenham 0-2.

It took just over 22 seconds for the Reds to get a breakthrough. Handball given against Moussa Sissoko, blocking Sadio Mané’s take, penalty! VAR confirmed the arm moved towards the ball after it bounced off the player’s chest.

Mohamed Salah banged the spot kick in, leaving Hugo Lloris uselessly blank, 0-1 (2’). 

Jürgen Klopp’s men were in control from then on, but had Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker to thank for keeping their cool and very solid on a handful of occasions.

Spurs dominated possession and chances, Christian Erikson’s late free kick was the top pick of the saves, full-stretch (85’). Gulp.

The more relieving and satisfying it was to see sub Divock Origi double the Reds’ lead (87’) and get the party started. Boom!

This encounter was maybe less thrilling, shocking, unbelievable than the semi-finals and THAT 2005 final  (the last time LFC won the CL in case you needed reminding, in Istanbul, I thought maybe just to mention), but still unforgettable. 

The stories leading up to the night, fans and players, of both sides, made this night oh so sweet! That's why we love football! :-D And that YNWA at the end, goosebumps! #YNWA

XxXXxX 

I enjoyed the night in a casino in the South-West of France, I was not the only Red full of joy (and my Gunner husband was happy as well).

The drive back up North was good fun, sharing the motorway with happy Red and not so happy Spurs vans and busses. Again, unforgettable.

I followed the victory parade on my phone, couldn't get the smile off my face and still can't. #LetsTalkAboutSixBaby

And what makes this even better, I am so sure it is just the start, the first, just the opening chapter of an even more glorious, joyous, and oh so happy story. #WalkOn #WithHopeInYourHeart #YNWA

Lots of fans are worried because of the lack of summer transfer activity at the club. WHY? Have you already forgotten what Klopp and co have done?! Why chop and change the record-breaking kings of Europe?! #WeAreTheChampions #WeWillKeepOnFighting

Click here for my last post.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC live match and parade coverage and report.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 14

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 14

The 14th week of the Premier League action saw:

30 goals - most by Arsenal = 4

254 shots - most by Crystal Palace = 29

85 on target - most by Crystal Palace & Chelsea = 9 each

107 corners - most by Crystal Palace = 10

201 fouls - most by Fulham & Tottenham = 17 each

38 bookings - most by Southampton & Man United = 4 each

3 red cards - Mounié for Huddersfield, Capoue for Watford, Vertonghen for Tottenham

3 penalties - 3 scored (Vardy for Leicester, Aubameyang for Arsenal, Kane for Tottenham)

What a game! The Super Derby Sunday was super duper! All three derbies were entertaining to watch, Chelsea ending up comfortable 2-0 winners against a spirited Fulham in the earliest kick-off of the day, followed by definitely-not-shining Liverpool leaving it later than late to find a winner against Everton in the Merseyside derby. But the other London derby between those two matches smashed all expectations, Arsenal firing Tottenham to bits, 4-2 the final score, the Emirates going absolutely mad, goals, cards, penalties, bust-ups galore! The Gunners were relentless, pushing and pressing throughout, absolutely bossing the first half an hour, taking the lead early on thanks to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's penalty after Jan Vertonghen handled the ball in the area (10’). But then a crazy four minutes ensued, Spurs hitting back twice, Eric Dier’s glance and a Harry Kane penalty after Son Heung-min’s pathetic dive in the box, referee Mike Dean falling for it hook, line, and sinker. But Unai Emery’s men did not give up, drew level shortly after the break with Aubameyang’s second (56’) and two crucial substitutions making a big difference: Alexandre Lacazette and Aaron Ramsey. The Welshman set up the equaliser and the Frenchman gave the home side the lead (74’), three minutes before Lucas Torreira settled and sealed it with an outstanding run and finish (77’). Vertonghen’s sending off later on (84’) condemned Mauricio Pochettino’s men to their fourth defeat of the season, their arch rivals taking their place in the top four whilst they slide down to fifth, both sides just separated by goal difference. Tense.

What a team! Bournemouth did brilliantly well and made it very hard for Manchester City, but the league leaders continued their bulldozing run, winning 3-1 to maintain their 100% home record in the league this season and take their unbeaten run to a total of 20 games in the league, sending them five points clear at the top, for just under 24 hours, before the Reds kept the gap down to two points with their late late late winner. More to that goal below.

Manchester United meanwhile were terrible to watch, going 2-0 down inside the opening 20 minutes at Southampton, including an awesome curler by Cédric Soares (20') that put a big fat surprised grin on his boss’ face. But Marcus Rashford inspired a comeback before the break, setting up two goals in six minutes, including Romelu Lukaku’s first goal since September ended his goal drought of 12 games or 981 minutes (33'). It all looked like Mark Hughes’ men were going to collapse and give it away after the restart, but the Red Devils only produced one shot on target in the second half and were a drag to watch. José Mourinho can moan, complain, point and blame as much as he likes, like last week, his job is to manage the team and it will be very surprising if the Portuguese lasts much longer.

What a man! Jürgen Klopp’s celebrations after super sub Divock Origi’s crazy injury-time winner (90’+6’) may be criticised by some, but the fans love him for it. Different to other managers (naming no names), the German just ran on the pitch to celebrate with his keeper, he wasn’t in anyone else’s face from the opposing team nor fans. It shows passion and heart and how much the derby win means to them, keeping the Reds in second, two points behind the Citizens, as mentioned above. Even Toffee boss Marco Silva understood that. Their keeper Jordan Pickford will have woken up today hoping his error was just a nightmare but having to realise it was his fumbling giveaway off the crossbar that cost his side a point and the Merseyside derby honours.

Despite the point against United mentioned above, Saints boss Hughes received the marching orders earlier today. Can’t say it’s a surprise with the side stuck in the relegation zone. As mentioned above, a certain Portuguese manager should be very worried, especially with the high-firing Gunners next on their fixture list!

What a goal! Soares' curler for Southampton mentioned above was a dream. So was Andros Townsend's opener for Crystal Palace against Burnley, an awesome smacker, more to their win below.

It took only 55 seconds for Huddersfield’s Mathias Jørgensen to open the scoring against Brighton, but it went all down hill from there for the home side. Steve Mounié was sent off for a dangerous high challenge (32’), from then on everything and every call went against David Wagner's men, the German-American boss was not happy with Michael Oliver. Shane Duffy equalised deep into injury time before the break. Florin Andone completed the comeback and won it for Brighton with a strong header {69'), his first goal in English football, his club’s first comeback win.

James Maddison’s superb goal (23’) made it 2-0 for Leicester against Watford and his manager Claude Puel a very proud manager, comparing the English youngster to Glenn Hoddle.

And last but definitely not least, Aron Gunnarson’s acrobatic finish (65’) and Junior Hoilett’s curler from distance (77’) completed a perfect comeback for Cardiff after they had fallen behind against Wolves thanks to Matt Doherty (18’) in the Friday night match. Sweet for Neil Warnock to see his side move out of the relegation zone ahead of his 70th birthday, sour for Nuno Espírito Santo, his men dropping down to 12th with the defeat.

What the hell?! After a run of three consecutive wins, Newcastle came crashing down losing 0-3 against West Ham, taking their total of defeats to six of their opening eight Premier League games at St James’ Park this season (W2), the last time that happened was 1953-54. Rafael Benítez blamed the lack of money, the Hammers having spent five times the sum of the Magpies’ investment in the transfer market in the last window. It was very frustrating as the home side had over doubled the chances (16-7 shots). Manuel Pellegrini was full of praise and will surely argue against those numbers, having nowhere near the budget of other sides, and his side in overall control throughout the match.

Crystal Palace scored their first goal from open play and recorded their first home win of the season beating Burnley 2-0. It was a shocking display by the Clarets! It could have been a much worse thrashing if it weren’t for Joe Hart’s saves and Wilfried Zaha’s misses! 29-4 shots, 9-0 on target!!! As mentioned above, Townsend’s goal that sealed the win (77') was an absolute belter! Is Sean Dyche in trouble? Eagles boss Roy Hodgson on the other hand, can be very happy, that’s for sure, his side up to 14th after this win.

My Predictions - Actual Results

Cardiff 1:1 Wolves - 2:1

Crystal Palace 1:2 Burnley - 2:0

Huddersfield 2:2 Brighton - 1:2

Leicester 2:1 Watford - 2:0

Man City 5:0 Bournemouth - 3:1

Newcastle 1:0 West Ham - 0:3

Southampton 1:1 Man United - 2:2

Chelsea 3:0 Fulham - 2:0

Arsenal 1:1 Tottenham - 4:2

Liverpool 3:1 Everton - 1:0

Click here for last week’s Premier League Picks.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, MOTD, BT and Sky Sports match coverage.

Liverpool come back to thrash Stoke 4-1

Sports - Football - Premier League - LFC 4:1 SCFC

Liverpool broke down a stubborn Stoke side coming back from a goal down to beat Potters, comfortably in the end, 4-1 at Anfield.

Jon Walters had headed the visitors ahead from close range, beating keeper Simon Mignolet all too easily, exposing the hosts' vulnerability at the back once again.

Former Reds Peter Crouch and Joe Allen caused the home side's back line all sorts of problems, adding to the defensive headache.

But after a too familiar iffy and shaky start, Jürgen Klopp's side got into gear, with Adam Lallana and Roberto Firmino scoring, turning the game around and giving the hosts the lead before the break.

That turned both side's half-time team talk on its head. And things went from bad to worse for Mark Hughes' men after the break.

First Giannelli Imbula turned the ball into his own net off Divock Origi's cross, before Ryan Shawcross inexplicably put the ball back, intended for keeper Lee Grant, but straight to Daniel Sturridge instead, who netted the gift gratefully to make it 4-1.

It was the striker's first Premier League goal of the season, Liverpool's 100th under Klopp, just seconds after he had replaced Origi.

That makes it 86 league goals for the Reds in 2016, their most in a calendar year since 1985. And the year isn't over yet, Manchester City being the next visitors to come to Anfield on New Year's Eve.

Liverpool Goals: Lallana 34', Firmino 44', Imbula OG 59' & Sturridge 70'.

Stoke City Goal: Walters 12.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 2 Clyne, 6 Lovren, 17 Klavan, 7 Milner; 14 Henderson (c), 20 Lallana (23 Can 69'), 5 Wijnaldum; 27 Origi (15 Sturridge 70'), 19 Mané, 11 Firmino (18 Moreno 79'). 4-3-3
Subs not used: 1 Karius, 21 Lucas, 53 Ejaria & 58 Woodburn.

Stoke City Team: 33 Grant; 8 Johnson, 17 Shawcross, 15 Martins Indi; 18 Diouf (14 Afellay 75'), 21 Imbula, 6 Whelan (32 Sobhi 66'), 4 Allen (booked 36'), 3 Pieters; 25 Crouch (12 Bony 84'), Walters. 3-5-2
Subs not used: 16 Adam, 22 Shaqiri, 24 Given, 27 Krkic.

Match Stats: Liverpool-Stoke City
Possession: 64%-36%
Attempts: 20-6
On target; 6-2
Corners: 8-2
Fouls: 9-6
Bookings: 0-1

Referee: Michael Oliver
Ground: Anfield
Attendance: 53,094

Pictures and stats taken from the BBC match report.

Click here for my previous LFC match report.