Having watched the goals, not for the first time I'm left wondering if some of the more vocal people on here have ever played the game before. Either they haven't, or they allow pre ordained agendas to completely cloud their judgement as to what they're watching.
First goal: Yes you'd like Sturridge to be better at holding off Ayew, and yes you'd like Lovren to get there a tenth of a second earlier so he heads the ball rather than Ayews head. The problem though when you defend zonally is people will ALWAYS get a run on you and get there first. The way you alleviate that (and I personally am an advocate of zonal systems) is that your goalkeeper clears anything out close to goal. Ward simply MUST come and punch a cross which ends up on the edge of the six yard box in the centre of the goal, it is an absolute no brain error from the youngster. Under these circumstances you don't blame the fella who conceded the corner, or the fella who gave possession away so they could get the corner, you blame the fella who cost you the goal. It's yet another goalkeeping error I'm afraid, and had it been Mignolet in there people would have been all over it.
2nd goal: We get completely overpowered in midfield to firstly lose possession and then not get back and snap at Cork. You'd like Skrtel to get closer to make the shot more difficult and you'd like Lovren to succeed in his efforts to head it (those who said he "ducked under it"
). Keeper could do nothing. Nobodies fault as such, things could have been done better but ultimately a good goal.
3rd goal: Lucas on the edge of his own box dillies and dallies then gets robbed by a fella who was initially five yards away. Awful play from him, and from there we don't IMHO scramble hard enough. I think the cross could have been prevented coming in, Skrtel actually flicks it over Lovrens head, then I think both centre halves could close down with more gusto before it goes in. Keeper has no chance, but ultimately it's the poor play from Lucas which dropped us in it.
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