Great result, TBH Newcastle didn't turn up really, but you can only beat what's in front of you.
It's very hard to make any assessment of our keeper or defence as they had next to nothing to do all game, I do remember a couple of good bits of defensive play from Carra & Hyypia but I genuinely can't recall either fullback having to do one thing defensively. Going forward I feel both fullbacks could have offered a bit more, but on a day like today it didn't really make any difference.
Our midfield today just bossed absolutely everything, and right in the middle of it who else? Stevie Gerrard. He had a phenominal game today, and it should have helped get the pain of Wednesday night out of his head. Lucas looked promising, but TBH I'm not sure where these reports that he can play holding midfield have come from, he definitely looks a lot more comfortable going forward than defending. Kewell obviously isn't back to his best yet but had a good game for me, it's just a shame that I find myself breathing a sigh of relief after every game that he hasn't got injured. Sissoko was easily the worst of our midfielders, but to be fair he did get better as the game went on. I've always maintained that he shouldn't get a game without Alonso alongside him & I stick by that, so I won't be too critical of him today.
Up front Torres should have had a hatful. It's hard to be critical when he carved the opportunities for himself rather than being supplied them, but he lacks that clinical edge in front of goal. As someone else mentioned though he does drag defenders out of position and can create openings for others, but I would still like to see us sign a poacher style player at some point. Kuyt for me had a good game too, I know he gets slated a lot but he unsettles defences & I feel he would definitely be missed if we were to get rid of him like some have suggested.
Crouch & Riise weren't really on the pitch long enough to judge them, although I do recall one terrible bit of play by Riise just after he came on, he ran about 30 yards in the wrong direction with the ball just to play it back to where he'd been 5 seconds earlier & where there was blatantly not another Liverpool shirt. Babel though was absolutely awesome. Some people I feel were too quick to jump on his back when he had a slow start with us, but recently he seems to have found his feet a bit & we are now starting to see what he's all about.
After the press coverage the club has been having the last few days this is the best possible answer the boys could have given. It is also the first time I've predicted the score correctly this season, and I forgot to enter it in the prediction league!
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