An Excellent Performance

[MikeyRed]

We looked really good today. Obviously Torres is a great player but Gerrard looked good in the centre of midfield and he's the sort of player you can rely on to put in a defensive stint as well. Mascherano I thought was really good and Babel and Rodrigez looked okay. I think Babel playing more is a plus point for me - sometimes he gets robbed going passed someone but he provides pace and tracks back. Kuyt was quiet - I still don't rate him - but the balance of the side looked good. If we can play like that for the rest of the season we have a decent chance of 4th. Really happy with that.

[crazydog]

+1

Have to disagree slightly with you, Kuyt's first touch in the first half and movement was excellent.

Only negative for me was Maxi throwing himself about with minimal if any contact pretending he'd been Uzi'd. Holding his face when he got a hand in throat is embarressing.

Hopefully someone will have a word in his shell.

[jraindallas]

agree with both of you.
When gerrard plays a solid all around game as he did today AND we play with 2 up top, we can beat anybody.

[ger_ryan22]

I was at the game today and for the first time in a long time we played some beautiful stuff, fair enough, Sunderland were beyond bad but we knocked it around well today. Unfortunately, you could have heard a pin drop if it wasn't for those rabid Sunderland fans chanting. It was a joke of a support from the crowd. Quite possibly the worst atmosphere I've ever experienced at Anfield.

[ferg_g]

You know its quiet when you can hear some berk with a rattle over the crowd. Thought the away support was quiet as well

[ohcampione]

From the 1st minute today you could sense the hunger our XI had.

Really enjoyed game today as we have little to cheer about in a while. Glad to see Gerrard back in Midfield and thought made difference today.

Alot of positives out of today, most of all saw an actual good all round team performance where we actually passed the ball. Agger was imense and reminded me of Alan Hansen the way he carrys ball out of defense. Unlucky not to off been on score sheet today.

[crazydog]

I was at the game today and for the first time in a long time we played some beautiful stuff, fair enough, Sunderland were beyond bad but we knocked it around well today. Unfortunately, you could have heard a pin drop if it wasn't for those rabid Sunderland fans chanting. It was a joke of a support from the crowd. Quite possibly the worst atmosphere I've ever experienced at Anfield.
Thank fuck you criticised the crowd's lack of effort because if I had mentioned it I'd have got the usual rabid posters all lining up for cheap shots.

The atmosphere at home has been nothing short of non-existent for months now

[TCStorm]

I was next to the Sunderland fans and the only time I heard them was when Jones came on.

I agree it was quiet in parts... But it was not silent.

[ianlfc]

I thought the new Bruce song was very good.
"You've got a head like a beach ball!!"

[Ducatiboy749]

loved it

more of the same please

[ianlfc]

It looked very like 4-4-2 today.

[tonk]

More offensive players, more goals. Who'd a thunk it?

[North Wales Red]

Johnson MOM?

[kenbo74]

I was at the game today and for the first time in a long time we played some beautiful stuff, fair enough, Sunderland were beyond bad but we knocked it around well today. Unfortunately, you could have heard a pin drop if it wasn't for those rabid Sunderland fans chanting. It was a joke of a support from the crowd. Quite possibly the worst atmosphere I've ever experienced at Anfield.

Was you singing? Just a thought like.

[donkeykongdazza]

[QUOTE=crazydog;1364368
Only negative for me was Maxi throwing himself about with minimal if any contact pretending he'd been Uzi'd. Holding his face when he got a hand in throat is embarressing.

Hopefully someone will have a word in his shell.[/QUOTE]

Don't just repeat everything Andy Gray tells you on the telly. Why not try having your own opinion?

[dannykos]

back OT - just finished watching the game as I had to be out today. All I can say is that I'm really chuffed for the lads - everyone played great today.

Highlight for me, other than torres first goal was the backheel from Insua for gerrard in the first half… quality!

[Viken5]

I overenjoyed that first half - I haven't seen us play sexy football like that in a while. I could see signals against Pompey, but this was even better. I mean, we even had longer sessions of one-touch football, always finding a fellow red. I'm thrilled with this performence, even though it should have been 6-0 - at half time!

Torres' first goal was cracking, and you could see that he was up for it. Working hard and fair for every ball - he was all over the place! Fantastic attitude, and it was good to see him look somewhat more satisfied. His second coooool as ice.

Bring on Benfica, let's keep this going :D

[robbieB]

I overenjoyed that first half - I haven't seen us play sexy football like that in a while. I could see signals against Pompey, but this was even better. I mean, we even had longer sessions of one-touch football, always finding a fellow red. I'm thrilled with this performence, even though it should have been 6-0 - at half time!

Torres' first goal was cracking, and you could see that he was up for it. Working hard and fair for every ball - he was all over the place! Fantastic attitude, and it was good to see him look somewhat more satisfied. His second coooool as ice.

Bring on Benfica, let's keep this going :D

Agreed I thought Torres' second was actually better than his first if that is possible, subtle and adept. He can score from anywhere:cool:

[Jag-man]

For 90 minutes yesterday it was as if the clocks had been turned back the way we played.
Torres scoring twice and Gerrard driving us forward from his central midfield position of old. Gerrard relentless in midfield, Johnson surging forward from right back and Maxi excellent on the right wing (does go down a bit to easy).
Agger, some of his runns where just great, and was unlucky not to score.

I still wonder why it took Rafa so long to restore Gerrard to the centre of midfield, and get back to playing football the Liverpool way, i just hope its not to little to late to get 4th.

Reina 7 Johnson 8 Carragher 7 Agger 7 Insúa 7 Gerrard 8 Mascherano 7 Rodríguez 8 Kuyt 7 Babel 7 Torres 9

[FootieCritic]

Best performance in a very long time.

What was the deciding factor. Might be a certain player called Lucas was left out of the line-up...

[lfc-saudifan]

I was at the game today and for the first time in a long time we played some beautiful stuff, fair enough, Sunderland were beyond bad but we knocked it around well today. Unfortunately, you could have heard a pin drop if it wasn't for those rabid Sunderland fans chanting. It was a joke of a support from the crowd. Quite possibly the worst atmosphere I've ever experienced at Anfield.

I agree we played beautiful football yesterday, but this wasn't the first time in a long time, as i thought we played as good as yesterday if not better against Portsmouth.
very good game, and finally Rafa changed our formation and played a different game from the 4-5-1 formation. :)
Bable is looking more and more sharp.
Maxi is still going to need some time, i think he is just a goal away from shinning, if only Kuyt didn't interefere with that pass by Babel to Maxi, i thought he could have scored that.
good job.

[redsam]

If we can match that performance in all our remaining games, including at home to Chelsea, we can get 4th and win the EL to make it a positive end to the season.

[ferg_g]

Thank fuck you criticised the crowd's lack of effort because if I had mentioned it I'd have got the usual rabid posters all lining up for cheap shots.

The atmosphere at home has been nothing short of non-existent for months now

You earn the right to criticise the athmosphere by attending the game. If you don't attend how can you complain?

[crazydog]

Don't just repeat everything Andy Gray tells you on the telly. Why not try having your own opinion?
I didn't need Andy Gray to tell me that it was there for all to see.

[rixf666]

a very enjoyable game, it was worth the 12 hour round trip for me which included endless car troubles along the way, got home at 3am and up for work at 5am this morning :eek:.

i said the same thing about maxi being on the floor more than he was on his feet. not been very impressed with him at all so far but he might need more time, dont think he deserves a starting place in the team though.

was impressed with the workrate and nice interplay between the team, looked much more balanced with gerrard back in the middle.

i think babel is really trying hard and it shows with all the tracking back he did, i just wish he would take it to the line and try and cross it once in a while, it seems like even if he beats his man, he turns around and trys to go past him again just for the sake of it, it can be quite predictable.

[HenderRed]

Best performance in a very long time.

What was the deciding factor. Might be a certain player called Lucas was left out of the line-up...

:rolleyes:

[ger_ryan22]

:rolleyes:

Ignore it.

[Viken5]

Christ.

Some people.

Oh. Ignore it... Sorry. :rolleyes:

[Viken5]

You earn the right to criticise the athmosphere by attending the game. If you don't attend how can you complain?

This is interesting.

Yesterday, he claimed that 'if you did not take part in the protests - you cannot complain EVER about lack of transfer funds, the ownership and in general the way the club is run'.

I can smell hypocrisy on this one.

[homer jay]

The atmosphere was pretty non existent but, with a couple of big game exceptions, it's been like that for the majority of the season. As I mentioned on a previous post, this has been by far the worst atmosphere that I've known in the 20 or so years that I've been going.

I'll divert away from the negative stuff though because we played extremely well. A high tempo, crisp passing and movement and a genuine threat in the final third. Glen Johnson was outstanding and is starting to recapture the form we seen when he first arrived. Maxi is starting to get use to the pace of the game and more importantly, the pace that you get closed down. He's a very intelligent player and has great awareness of the situation around him and I think that we'll start to see this more consistently now. Babel was positive and threatening, Gerrard looked his old self, Kuyt used the ball very well and Torres continues to reinforce my belief that he is the best striker on the planet when fit.

Great performance and lets keep this attacking momentum for our next couple of tough games.