Another scrappy performance but another victory, which is far more important than playing pretty football. It's the sort of result we were being praised for at the back end of last season, where we grinding out one nil victories over Stoke and West Brom. We did that again yesterday afternoon.
We were in total control for the most part. Other than Beneteke's shocking miss, Palace didn't cause us much threat. We dealt with set-pieces very well and I can't wait for the hour long discussion by all media outlets about how we did well because they're only too quick to throw the knives in when we concede via set-pieces.
Going forward we were very short of our best. And yet we still could of had a hatful of goals. Had we been clinical in front of goal we'd probably all be having different outlooks on the game. We'd be purring over our football if Matip, Mane and Wijnaldum put away their chances and we walk out as comfortable 4-0 winners. Alas, we weren't clinical and therefore made it a lot more nervy than it should of been. But what's new there with Liverpool eh?
Mignolet - another solid performance from the Belgian. For me, he's now cemented his place as our number one. But we all know there's a mistake just around the corner. Thankfully it wasn't there against Palace. He looked very comfortable throughout the game, never really troubled and can look back on his first clean sheet of the season with a lot of happiness.
Gomez - there's something about this lad that a lot of us like. He played well without taking much of the limelight. He was solid at the back, helped out in an attacking sense and against a side like Palace that's impressive for a young full back. Palace use their wingers as well as any side in the League so for a young full back making his first start of the season, he can be happy with his performance.
Matip - easily his best performance of the season. And against Benteke, who has a great record against us, that takes some doing. Other than that one chance for our former number 9, Matip and Klavan marshalled him very well. Was the absence of Lovren that much of a help to Joel? Maybe.
Klavan - he wasn't as good as Matip but for a player who receives a lot of criticism he put in a good performance. After the Watford game, I spoke about players, mainly defenders, not attacking the ball aerially in today's football but big Ragnar proved to be one of the few exceptions to that rule yesterday. Everything in the air he was up and challenging for, not being scared to take a whack from an elbow or clash of heads. Attacking the ball, wanting to win the ball. A good performance from a much maligned centre half.
Robertson - quite the opposite to Gomez on the right in that his performance did take a lot of the limelight. He'll be praised to high heavens for his attacking play and quite rightly so. His delivery was outstanding and should of had at least one assist to his name. And once Trent returns on the right, we're going to be looked at as the club with two of the best full backs in the League. Also how good is it to have a Scot back in the team? We tend to do very well when we have somebody north of the border in the team - let's forget Charlie Adam didn't happen.
Henderson - like Matip, this was very easily his best performance of the season. He got around the pitch a lot more than he has done in the previous two games. He harried the Palace team and got stuck in. He still frustrates the F**k out of me when he passes the responsibility on to somebody else. Just put your foot on it, look up and pick a pass. Everybody knows you're capable of it, just have the confidence in yourself. And given the players we have in attack, their movement, their pace and their skill, if you find them they're likely to find a goal.
Wijnaldum - the bashing of the Dutchman continues. And I've come to the conclusion that he's the sort of player who is very unnoticeable when things are going well but stands out like a sore thumb when things are going badly. He, more than anybody else, needs a creative midfielder in the side alongside him and Henderson. Whether that third man be Can or, as it was yesterday, Milner, Gini's lack of anything becomes more obvious. The one thing he does better than any of our other central midfielders is ghost into the box and score important goals, that hasn't been there this year. He's just been very static and, as a result, very poor.
Milner - for me the lad isn't good enough to be a central midfielder in the League. Never has been and never will be. His covering of Robertson though was vital because we could of been exposed down that side had Milner not got across. But he's too samey to the other two in the middle and that has been a problem all season. Whatever combination we've gone with in the middle of the park thus far, they've looked like three carbon copies of each other. Whether Klopp can ask one of the attackers to drop a bit deeper into a more central position like he has previously with Lallana and Coutinho I don't know. I suppose the most likely of that would be Firmino given Mane and Salah are more out and out wide men.
Mane - really is the star of the team. And given that the media are now highlighting that, we're going to have the trouble of keeping him next summer because there will be a campaign from the media for other clubs to pick him up. But he's the one player who has picked up his form from last year. Just keeps going, no cause is lost with him and even when things aren't going right, you know he's likely to either score or create that goal. He's got "it" as they say.
Firmino - another performance from him where he huffed and puffed a lot, chasing down the Palace defenders but didn't do much else. And while it sets the tone at the top end of the pitch, I would like a forward to be more involved with the ball than without it. Seven games without a goal in open play isn't good enough for a man primarily played as our main forward.
Sturridge - very noticeable that he was coming back from injury. He didn't have that spark he usually does but still had flashes of brilliance. That turn and shot from 20-25 yards for instance, while the shot sailed harmlessly over the bar the skill to get away from his man was outstanding. I don't expect him to start in Europe in midweek nor against Arsenal next Sunday but rather coming off the bench in both games to get a few more minutes under his belt before breaking down again while on international duty and him being ruled out until, initially, early October but not actually returning until late February.
Salah - changed the game for us when he came on, offered us more of a threat with him, Mane and Firmino than we had with Sturridge was on. Looked as if he wanted to say to Klopp don't ever put me on the F***ing bench again. His pace alone gives us another option of going over the top rather than passing it to death and going nowhere. I'd say yesterday was a better performance from our new boy than the one against Watford.
Solanke - so happy to see him come on ahead of Origi. He has something about him than Divock simply doesn't. His ability in the air allows to go long if need be. His touch is excellent. He's willing to fight for every ball. And it was that fight that led to the goal. He could of easily allowed Palace to clear it but he got stuck in and, for once, the bounce landed at the feet of one our players. If Klopp is looking at trying to change it up a little in regards to our forward line, I'm more than happy for him to go with Dom.
Lovren - like a few of the side this was easily his best performance of the season. I dreaded him coming on because I knew if we conceded in those final minutes of the game, all blame would of been on his shoulders. Thankfully we kept the clean sheet and Dejan doesn't have to shoulder the blame. But given the performances of Matip and Klavan, I think the Croat should keep his place on the bench for the Hoffenheim game.
Overall it wasn't too pretty but it was three points. I'll take that. We were never struggling defensively, we just couldn't find the net offensively. And it wasn't for lack of trying, we had plenty of chances. We didn't give up or run out of ideas like we have done in previous seasons. So I think the boys can come away feeling happy with yesterday's game.
Progression to the proper stages of the European Cup in midweek followed by beating one of our, so called, rivals for the title on Sunday and we'll be ending the opening month of the season in a rather good position.
Well done Reds.
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