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Yet more lazy media from Anfield with the following post match reactions provided by our manager Graeme Edwards on further league and cup games throughout the month of September -
Premier League week nineteen -
Liverpool 1 Leeds Utd 3
This is a sore one to take as we looked to have got things right tactically and we played well creating more of the chances but I look at it again and wonder if it's the difference in quality of the GK's that made the difference - Leeds 26 rater to our 24. Whatever it's yet another home game that we've been the better side but still managed to lose. We often create chances but can't stick them away, our goal return really is lousy.
Credit to Leeds though I expected a counter attacking approach and set up to match it. I know that a good 523P set up can be a handful and so theirs proved to be today so well played Tim.
For us it feels like we'd been gathering a bit of momentum of late and worked our way into a good position in the table but a difficult game against genuine title challengers showed again that we're still not really good enough to be considered serious contenders ourselves.
DPT group game six -
Southampton 1 Liverpool 2
2-1 going on 5-1 to be honest, we totally outplayed them but as usual we make heavy weather of it. However after starting the group with 4 straight draws we've got the 2 away wins when it's really mattered and managed to progress albeit as runners up.
Into the quarters then and we'll face either Blackburn, Atletico Madrid or Crystal Palace. We're capable of beating all 3 of them but on the flip side we're just as capable of losing to them all too.
Tony in particular will be licking his lips at the thought of drawing me given his dominant record in our head to head encounters.
Still, just relieved to be through which is the absolute minimum we should be achieving in this competition.
Premier League week twenty -
Blackburn 1 Liverpool 1
C v C so it was never going to be a classic. We respect Blackburn and the job Tony is doing there, they have the best defensive record in the league and they regularly prove themselves to be masters of grinding out results where they have very little of the play.
We got our noses in front through Mudryk and it was a disappointment to see them equalising as I didn't really feel they were creating very much. Midway through the 2nd half our GK went off injured and I thought here we go again but 1-1 is how it stayed. 3rd time this season Onana has been injured which is incredible really and so it's back to relying on our back up on Monday.
It's starting to feel like the 2 Manchester clubs are flexing their muscles and everyone else are dropping points left, right and centre.
Played Tony - at the very least I stopped the run of victories you've had over me for the past decade or so.
Premier League week twenty one -
Liverpool 1 Aston Villa 0
Another clean sheet for the mighty Bolat. Bizarre how more reliable he's proving than 1st choice Onana. Admittedly he didn't have a great deal to do which in truth was probably more down to fortune than anything else as Villa had the tactical bonus for the most part.
Mudryk showed again that being stripped of the captaincy hopefully isn't going to affect him too much as he fired in a fairly late winner and looking at the stats we probably deserved it.
We get the 2 players that missed this one back for an extremely tough 1st leg in the DPT against a Blackburn side we haven't been able to beat this season and who now have a 27 rater between the sticks. Scoring goals has been a bit of a problem for us and it looks like we'll have our work cut out finding the net against Tony's super GK and all round well drilled outfit
DPT quarter final leg one -
Liverpool 3 Blackburn 2
We expected another counter attacking approach from Tony and plucked up the courage to play the unreliable E hoping that home and tactical bonus would finally get us a result against him.
We took the lead after 10 minutes but within a minute Rovers had levelled. We quickly went back ahead and then on the half hour stretched our lead to 3-1 and were looking in a really strong position. We anticipated that Tony may switch to attacking if he went 2 behind so we changed tactic to a counter attacking style but Rovers continued to stick with this approach too.
We would have been more than happy for the last hour to be a C v C cancel each other type thing but midway through the 2nd half Salah got one back for the visitors and 3-2 is how it finished. We looked to have shaded the play so I think the narrow win is just about right but it's very much still game on. I'm sure Tony will still fancy his side's chances and whereas we were fairly sure how they would set up in this one I think it'll be more difficult to predict their approach in the 2nd leg.
Don't concede and we're through - but with Onana between the sticks it's a nailed on certainty that we will.
Played Tony - see you again shortly
Premier League week twenty two -
Crystal Palace 1 Liverpool 2
This was a resilient display from us at a difficult venue against a side who set up well and were tough to play against.
We benefitted from a penalty with Rashford putting us ahead but Palace equalised and were making life very difficult for us. We made a positive substitution on the hour mark and 5 minutes later Mahrez fired us back in front and we were able to see it out for a very good 3 points. Palace beat us at home earlier in the season so it's nice to get some revenge.
We're ticking away nicely on all fronts of late so just got to try and keep it going.
Premier League week twenty three -
Liverpool 2 Newcastle 1
We ended up facing a random after the Newcastle boss quit yesterday afternoon. Hate playing randoms.
Anyway we went a goal down early on and then promptly had Mahrez sent off so it wasn't looking good at all. Thankfully though we managed to turn it around through de Jong and youth player Halifa.
The win leaves us 2 points behind top of the table Man Utd so we are right in the shake up as things stand. A couple of poor results could see us slip out of the Champions League spots it really is that ridiculously tight.
Next up European 2nd leg at Blackburn who showed again today just how difficult that is going to be.
DPT quarter final leg two -
Blackburn 0 Liverpool 2 (2-5 on aggregate)
Really pleased to come through this tie against an opponent who has generally always had the upper hand on me.
Genuinely hadn't a clue what Tony would play in this game as there was only one goal in it from the 1st leg so went with our preferred passing style in a 52102 formation. It turned out well for us and a 2-0 win looks a fair outcome based on the stats. Rashford and Mudryk with the goals and always a bonus to keep a clean sheet too.
I see we've drawn Rangers in the semi finals which will be tough (we drew with them twice in the group stage) but we have to be pleased to have avoided Atletico who are unquestionably the strongest team in the competition. We will be looking to go all the way though and win some silverware in our first season at the club.
Unlucky Tony, for once things fell my way against you.
Premier League week twenty four -
Southampton 6 (six) Liverpool 0 (zip)
Absolutely incredible game. First 20 mins Saints didn't have a single attack, they then have a man sent off but their 10 men suddenly start pinging them in from all angles. They then go down to nine men and still keep scoring!
Horrific day for us both in terms of the result and the fact de Jong got sent off and now misses 3 games and Mudryk picked up an injury and misses 2 games. Gaz's dream of taking Millwall into the cup final just got a lot more realistic
Southampton are a good side and we knew it would be a tough game but honest to god. Anyway well played to them but we'll write it off as one of those esms specials.
Premier League week twenty five -
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 0
Read the Chelsea PMR and it was a load of gobbledygook in all honesty. I'm only interested in the match report I witnessed and it showed us winning 1-0 with a dominant 14-4 shot count.
We went into the game without the injured Mudryk which was a blow as he's been performing well of late and we also chose to start with Mahrez on the bench as we knew that he was one booking from a suspension. However with the game still level 57 mins in we introduced Mahrez to try and boost our attacking threat and 15 minutes later the winning goal came albeit from an unlikely source in the form of new signing Diego Carlos. We actually started the game with 5 debutants - all signed from Blackburn - in the side and it was encouraging to see them performing so well particularly the 2 lads at the back.
Our fans booed Rudiger throughout and we don't blame them. A player that quite honestly should not have been allowed to sign straight back for Chelsea. No excuses whatsoever. Weak from the FFO hierarchy who should have stood tall and ruled against it however a precedent has now been set that others will quite rightly expect to be allowed to follow.
FA Cup semi final -
Liverpool 1 Millwall 0 (aet)
Knew this wouldn't be easy and so it proved. Gaz had his depleted side well organised and for long spells it looked like it could go all the way to penalties. We matched their counter attacking approach for the first hour and then switched to attacking when we hadn't found the breakthrough and it honestly wouldn't have surprised me if they'd nicked a winner late in regulation time.
Into extra time it went and finally we made the breakthrough and once again it was one of our new boys from Blackburn that came up trumps with Dumfries lobbing in what proved to be the winner. We were very relieved to see the full time whistle which tells you everything and all the plaudits have to go to Gaz and his spirited troops for what they've achieved throughout this competition. I wouldn't have begrudged him a place in the final. I know he's enjoying the rebuild with his beloved Millwall and I'm sure in time he'll have them up in the Premier League mixing it with the big boys.
Onto the final and an extremely difficult challenge against a very strong Man United side. For me Steve is not only one of the good guys but also one of the best managers out there and I always find him difficult to play against. We would certainly have preferred to play Chelsea who are more our level but if we play to our maximum there is absolutely no doubt we can beat United. Certainly something to look forward to at the end of the season and a nice boost financially.
What can I say Gaz? Sorry pal but yet again the luck was on our side. All the best for the run in and well done on getting to the semis.
Premier League week twenty six -
Barnsley 0 Liverpool 1
This feels like a really good win as Barnsley are absolutely no mugs and can be a tough nut to crack. We went with the E tactic and it's paid dividends again and for the 3rd straight game this week we've won 1-0 with a goal from a player we signed from Blackburn in that bumper deal in the early hours of Sunday morning. This time Grealish with the all important finish midway through the 2nd half to keep us right in the mix in the title race.
That said the top 6 in the table all won with only Southampton missing out. I'm sounding like a broken record but the battle at the top end of the table is absolutely unreal - only 5 points covering the top 7 places.
Next up for us a trip to Old Trafford to face top of the table United. A massive challenge against a very good side that hardly ever lose.
Premier League week nineteen -
Liverpool 1 Leeds Utd 3
This is a sore one to take as we looked to have got things right tactically and we played well creating more of the chances but I look at it again and wonder if it's the difference in quality of the GK's that made the difference - Leeds 26 rater to our 24. Whatever it's yet another home game that we've been the better side but still managed to lose. We often create chances but can't stick them away, our goal return really is lousy.
Credit to Leeds though I expected a counter attacking approach and set up to match it. I know that a good 523P set up can be a handful and so theirs proved to be today so well played Tim.
For us it feels like we'd been gathering a bit of momentum of late and worked our way into a good position in the table but a difficult game against genuine title challengers showed again that we're still not really good enough to be considered serious contenders ourselves.
DPT group game six -
Southampton 1 Liverpool 2
2-1 going on 5-1 to be honest, we totally outplayed them but as usual we make heavy weather of it. However after starting the group with 4 straight draws we've got the 2 away wins when it's really mattered and managed to progress albeit as runners up.
Into the quarters then and we'll face either Blackburn, Atletico Madrid or Crystal Palace. We're capable of beating all 3 of them but on the flip side we're just as capable of losing to them all too.
Tony in particular will be licking his lips at the thought of drawing me given his dominant record in our head to head encounters.
Still, just relieved to be through which is the absolute minimum we should be achieving in this competition.
Premier League week twenty -
Blackburn 1 Liverpool 1
C v C so it was never going to be a classic. We respect Blackburn and the job Tony is doing there, they have the best defensive record in the league and they regularly prove themselves to be masters of grinding out results where they have very little of the play.
We got our noses in front through Mudryk and it was a disappointment to see them equalising as I didn't really feel they were creating very much. Midway through the 2nd half our GK went off injured and I thought here we go again but 1-1 is how it stayed. 3rd time this season Onana has been injured which is incredible really and so it's back to relying on our back up on Monday.
It's starting to feel like the 2 Manchester clubs are flexing their muscles and everyone else are dropping points left, right and centre.
Played Tony - at the very least I stopped the run of victories you've had over me for the past decade or so.
Premier League week twenty one -
Liverpool 1 Aston Villa 0
Another clean sheet for the mighty Bolat. Bizarre how more reliable he's proving than 1st choice Onana. Admittedly he didn't have a great deal to do which in truth was probably more down to fortune than anything else as Villa had the tactical bonus for the most part.
Mudryk showed again that being stripped of the captaincy hopefully isn't going to affect him too much as he fired in a fairly late winner and looking at the stats we probably deserved it.
We get the 2 players that missed this one back for an extremely tough 1st leg in the DPT against a Blackburn side we haven't been able to beat this season and who now have a 27 rater between the sticks. Scoring goals has been a bit of a problem for us and it looks like we'll have our work cut out finding the net against Tony's super GK and all round well drilled outfit
DPT quarter final leg one -
Liverpool 3 Blackburn 2
We expected another counter attacking approach from Tony and plucked up the courage to play the unreliable E hoping that home and tactical bonus would finally get us a result against him.
We took the lead after 10 minutes but within a minute Rovers had levelled. We quickly went back ahead and then on the half hour stretched our lead to 3-1 and were looking in a really strong position. We anticipated that Tony may switch to attacking if he went 2 behind so we changed tactic to a counter attacking style but Rovers continued to stick with this approach too.
We would have been more than happy for the last hour to be a C v C cancel each other type thing but midway through the 2nd half Salah got one back for the visitors and 3-2 is how it finished. We looked to have shaded the play so I think the narrow win is just about right but it's very much still game on. I'm sure Tony will still fancy his side's chances and whereas we were fairly sure how they would set up in this one I think it'll be more difficult to predict their approach in the 2nd leg.
Don't concede and we're through - but with Onana between the sticks it's a nailed on certainty that we will.
Played Tony - see you again shortly
Premier League week twenty two -
Crystal Palace 1 Liverpool 2
This was a resilient display from us at a difficult venue against a side who set up well and were tough to play against.
We benefitted from a penalty with Rashford putting us ahead but Palace equalised and were making life very difficult for us. We made a positive substitution on the hour mark and 5 minutes later Mahrez fired us back in front and we were able to see it out for a very good 3 points. Palace beat us at home earlier in the season so it's nice to get some revenge.
We're ticking away nicely on all fronts of late so just got to try and keep it going.
Premier League week twenty three -
Liverpool 2 Newcastle 1
We ended up facing a random after the Newcastle boss quit yesterday afternoon. Hate playing randoms.
Anyway we went a goal down early on and then promptly had Mahrez sent off so it wasn't looking good at all. Thankfully though we managed to turn it around through de Jong and youth player Halifa.
The win leaves us 2 points behind top of the table Man Utd so we are right in the shake up as things stand. A couple of poor results could see us slip out of the Champions League spots it really is that ridiculously tight.
Next up European 2nd leg at Blackburn who showed again today just how difficult that is going to be.
DPT quarter final leg two -
Blackburn 0 Liverpool 2 (2-5 on aggregate)
Really pleased to come through this tie against an opponent who has generally always had the upper hand on me.
Genuinely hadn't a clue what Tony would play in this game as there was only one goal in it from the 1st leg so went with our preferred passing style in a 52102 formation. It turned out well for us and a 2-0 win looks a fair outcome based on the stats. Rashford and Mudryk with the goals and always a bonus to keep a clean sheet too.
I see we've drawn Rangers in the semi finals which will be tough (we drew with them twice in the group stage) but we have to be pleased to have avoided Atletico who are unquestionably the strongest team in the competition. We will be looking to go all the way though and win some silverware in our first season at the club.
Unlucky Tony, for once things fell my way against you.
Premier League week twenty four -
Southampton 6 (six) Liverpool 0 (zip)
Absolutely incredible game. First 20 mins Saints didn't have a single attack, they then have a man sent off but their 10 men suddenly start pinging them in from all angles. They then go down to nine men and still keep scoring!
Horrific day for us both in terms of the result and the fact de Jong got sent off and now misses 3 games and Mudryk picked up an injury and misses 2 games. Gaz's dream of taking Millwall into the cup final just got a lot more realistic
Southampton are a good side and we knew it would be a tough game but honest to god. Anyway well played to them but we'll write it off as one of those esms specials.
Premier League week twenty five -
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 0
Read the Chelsea PMR and it was a load of gobbledygook in all honesty. I'm only interested in the match report I witnessed and it showed us winning 1-0 with a dominant 14-4 shot count.
We went into the game without the injured Mudryk which was a blow as he's been performing well of late and we also chose to start with Mahrez on the bench as we knew that he was one booking from a suspension. However with the game still level 57 mins in we introduced Mahrez to try and boost our attacking threat and 15 minutes later the winning goal came albeit from an unlikely source in the form of new signing Diego Carlos. We actually started the game with 5 debutants - all signed from Blackburn - in the side and it was encouraging to see them performing so well particularly the 2 lads at the back.
Our fans booed Rudiger throughout and we don't blame them. A player that quite honestly should not have been allowed to sign straight back for Chelsea. No excuses whatsoever. Weak from the FFO hierarchy who should have stood tall and ruled against it however a precedent has now been set that others will quite rightly expect to be allowed to follow.
FA Cup semi final -
Liverpool 1 Millwall 0 (aet)
Knew this wouldn't be easy and so it proved. Gaz had his depleted side well organised and for long spells it looked like it could go all the way to penalties. We matched their counter attacking approach for the first hour and then switched to attacking when we hadn't found the breakthrough and it honestly wouldn't have surprised me if they'd nicked a winner late in regulation time.
Into extra time it went and finally we made the breakthrough and once again it was one of our new boys from Blackburn that came up trumps with Dumfries lobbing in what proved to be the winner. We were very relieved to see the full time whistle which tells you everything and all the plaudits have to go to Gaz and his spirited troops for what they've achieved throughout this competition. I wouldn't have begrudged him a place in the final. I know he's enjoying the rebuild with his beloved Millwall and I'm sure in time he'll have them up in the Premier League mixing it with the big boys.
Onto the final and an extremely difficult challenge against a very strong Man United side. For me Steve is not only one of the good guys but also one of the best managers out there and I always find him difficult to play against. We would certainly have preferred to play Chelsea who are more our level but if we play to our maximum there is absolutely no doubt we can beat United. Certainly something to look forward to at the end of the season and a nice boost financially.
What can I say Gaz? Sorry pal but yet again the luck was on our side. All the best for the run in and well done on getting to the semis.
Premier League week twenty six -
Barnsley 0 Liverpool 1
This feels like a really good win as Barnsley are absolutely no mugs and can be a tough nut to crack. We went with the E tactic and it's paid dividends again and for the 3rd straight game this week we've won 1-0 with a goal from a player we signed from Blackburn in that bumper deal in the early hours of Sunday morning. This time Grealish with the all important finish midway through the 2nd half to keep us right in the mix in the title race.
That said the top 6 in the table all won with only Southampton missing out. I'm sounding like a broken record but the battle at the top end of the table is absolutely unreal - only 5 points covering the top 7 places.
Next up for us a trip to Old Trafford to face top of the table United. A massive challenge against a very good side that hardly ever lose.