Liverpool’s roller coaster season continues. Strap yourself up. Every game is a roller coaster. Hell, every half is a roller coaster. We had no right to win that game. Tottenham deserved the tie. We looked dead and buried.
A word on Jota: his finish for the winner was CALM. As soon as he got the ball, everything felt slow motion.
A word on Klopp VS head referee Paul Tierney. If you haven’t yet, watch the post-game interview with Klopp. He went OFF on Tierney.
A short history: in 2021, coincidentally also after a Tottenham v Liverpool game, Klopp went to up to Tierney post-game and said “I have no problems with referres, only you.” [regarding lack of red card for Kane]
2001:
Today, in the post match interview:
According to Klopp: he fully deserved his pulled hamstring after berating the 4th official following Jota’s winner, but says he didn’t say anything bad or demeaning to the 4th official. However, Klopp said Paul Tierney clearly has something personal against him and Liverpool. To quote:
“How they can give a foul on Mohamed Salah [before Spurs’ third goal]? We have our history with Tierney, I really don’t know what he has against us, he has said there is no problems but that cannot be true. How he looks at me, I don’t understand it. In England nobody has to clarify these situations, it’s really tricky and hard to understand. My celebration was unnecessary, which is fair but what he said to me when he gave me the yellow card is not ok.“
Notes:
- Tottenham fans were leaving the stadium 15 mins in, when Liverpool went up 2-0. What a feeling it must be for them. As much as Chelsea’s season has been in tatters, I’d argue it’s worse to be a Tottenham fan. Bet those fans regretted leaving.
- I love British commentators nobody drops quotes like them. Conor McNamara (first half): “Porro goes for the fairytale, but it’s not the sort of move Spurs are starring in at the moment” (when Pedro Porro shot from his own half, trying to catch Alisson out of goal).
- The game turned at 38 mins. First, van Dijk made a goal line clearance and I got PUMPED! The next minute, van Dijk slips defending, and the ball is passed to Harry Kane to score.
- My thought at halftime was: yup, this is why both these teams are out of Champions League.
- Luis Diaz’s goal was incredible. The way he bent his body, and made contact with the ball from a acute angle, is something to behold.
- Salah penalty: I was scared. I didn’t want him to take it. Well done.
- My friend OB on Richarlison: “Hot take. I think Richarlison is on the spectrum”.
Don’t look now, but: Fabinho and Curtis Jones continue to play well. Jones with the lovely left foot finish to score his goal from….
Don’t look now, but: …Gareth Southgate, actually, please do look now (he was at the game). Another brilliant cross by Trent Alexander-Arnold. Midfield England role an option? Making a strong case each game.
Let’s do some ‘Winners’ and ‘Losers’:
- Winner: Multilingualism. Thiago’s contribution to the game: getting off his seat, to come and translate Klopp’s instruction to Darwin Nunez as Nunez was about to come on.
- Winner: Jota’s left foot: Scored the winner.
- Winner: Jota’s right foot: the high foot to Skipp’s head at 80 mins that stopped the game. Let me explain: I don’t want anyone to get seriously injured. Liverpool were on the ropes, Tottenham had all the momentum, and that halted it.
- Winner: goal celebration: Jota’s winner, did the video-game joystick, I’m-Playing-FIFA-on-PS celebration. Criminally underused.
- Winner: Karma. Klopp, right after Jota’s winner, ran up to the assistant ref and taunted him, only to pull his hamstring immediately after.
- Loser: Skipp. He exaggerated contact a few times to try and draw a foul+penalty, to no luck. Then, the guy hot his face smashed by Jota’s boot, was bleeding, and couldn’t get Jota kicked out for a high boot. If Jota got a red, I don’t think you can really argue it. Sure, there was no intention and Jota had his eyes on the ball, but I’ve seen those given.
- Winner: Premier League. Two teams duking it out in a thriller for Europa League spots and nothing else to play for.
- Winner: Manager-Referee rivalry. Just put Klopp and Paul Tierney in a cage match already. Klopp really added some fire to the flame here.
- Loser: Darwin Nunez: comes in late, and his contribution was not blocking/defending Richarlison defending the set piece, who also just came in, and scored the goal that tied the game. Was Klopp’s instructions to him…mistranslated by Thiago?
- Loser: Lucas. Lucas Moura. I was shocked when he came on. Had no idea he was still on this team. His contribution to the game was coming on in stoppage time and making the bad pass, giving the ball away to Jota who scored the (undeserved) winner.
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