Well, well, well, the quadruple is still well and truly on again.
Oh and if anyone wants to know how we'll cope while Mo and Endo are off with their national sides, we'll cope with a very hard-fought, well deserved victory against a full strength side who are the, so called, nearest contenders to City's League title. And it wasn't just our Egyptian King and Japanese Warrior we were without, we were missing at least five of our first choice XI. Nearly half of what would be JĆ¼rgen's first XI were missing and we still walk away with a clean sheet, a victory and progression into the next round.
First half we were second best for the vast majority, though if Elliott plays the right pass in the opening two or three minutes to Nunez then there's a chance we actually take the lead early on. But football isn't a forty-five minute game, it's played over ninety minutes and over the course of the game we got what we deserved.
Couple of kids got some valuable minutes under their belts and not only that, they played a huge part in seeing us beat Arsenal. And some of these kids just continue to impress. Jarell Quansah, I am looking squarely at you when I say that. What a F***ing star you've been this season.
Well done Reds (or purples last night).
Alisson - couple of fairly decent saves that you'd expect him to make but was there when we needed him. Thought he'd of been given the night off but I reckon JĆ¼rgen will do what he back in 22 and leave Kelleher for the League Cup games even if we make the final.
Alexander-Arnold - gobsmacked that people have him down as man of the match because I thought he was really poor last night, especially in the right back position. Their most dangerous players were Nelson and Martinelli, both of whom were up against Trent. The chance where Nelson ran through to Ramsdale's long ball, he just left Trent for dead. Martinelli made him look like a schoolboy twice in a matter of minutes. His set pieces weren't great. Even the one that led to the opener was met by an Arsenal head, not ours. Once moved into midfield he was a bit better but was nowhere near as good as people (including MOTD) were making out.
Konate - tie this big b***ard down to a long-term deal now because in a couple of years he'll be the best centre half in the world. And while he's already at the biggest club in the world, money and the lure of going back home to France or playing for one of the Spanish giants may turn his head. But he's well on his way to being to Liverpool 2.0 what Virgil Van Dijk was to JĆ¼rgen's first great side. Absolute beast again last night, practically flawless.
Quansah - looked a little unsure of himself in the first half up until that injury scare but that seemed to liven him up and he then matched his centre half partner for flawlessness. I've already said it but what a F***ing star this lad has been for us. I don't know how many of us was expecting him to play this big a role in the team this season but he's taken it with both hands, so much that I'm not nervous going into games with him playing.
Gomez - got caught a couple of times dallying on the ball but once he switched his brain in gear he kept Saka so very quiet - for the second time in a couple of weeks. And I've been saying for weeks that he will score this season, now the commentators are saying the same thing. A thirty yard effort from left back by cutting in on his right foot wasn't how I was expecting him to break his duck but he tried. Been a big upturn in form this season from the previous years.
Gakpo - fairly invisible for most of the game bar that one turn, run and pass that led to Trent hitting the bar. I was one who thought he could play in midfield back in the summer but I'm really doubtful now. He's had a few go's there now and hasn't done much of note.
Mac Allister - wasn't bad by any means but didn't really do much either. I think over the last few weeks where Endo has been outstanding in that role, it was coming back to earth to see our "number 6" play the way Mac did. But he's coming back from a lengthy lay off so it's no surprise he wasn't quite at peak form.
Jones - last time I said he didn't play that well, the stats said otherwise so I'm a bit fearful saying he wasn't great again last night. And I thought there was a clear gap in quality between himself and Odegaard. Second half he grafted a bit more and got us going again but I don't remember too much else from his performance other than that turn that led to one of their lot getting booked.
Elliott - a real Jekyll and Hyde type player. His cameos from the bench this season have been, generally, top class but his starting berths have been way below par and last night was another in that category for me. First couple of minutes he should have played Nunez in with the outside of his left foot so Darwin could just run onto it and slot it home but he tried to pulling it back with his right foot which, even if it reached Nunez, would have forced Darwin to take at least a touch and lose the momentum of the attack. And it just got less effective from Harvey after that. Second half moving back into midfield seemed to help us but he still didn't really do much. How he got booked for disent yet Odergaard did the same thing three times and recieved nothing is beyond me.
Nunez - another Jekyll and Hyde type player. Almost anonymous in the first half but one of our better players in the second and seemed to relish playing on the left instead of through the middle. I think while Mo is with Egpyt, it should be Diaz on the right, Nunez left and Jota centrally. His sheer pace and power must give defenders nightmares though. His inability to finish on a regular basis must give keepers some hope though - but they must also have nightmares because there's always the possibility that against them is the day he turns it on.
Diaz - thought was getting unfairly bashed in the first half, when as usual he was our most threatening attacker. And then second half, moving over to the right, he showed his qualities on the opposite wing. Fantastic finish as well. I would like to see him release the ball a bit earlier at times rather than thinking he has to dribble past five players all the time but his feet are that good that I can see why he does try these things.
Gravenberch - he's been poor recently and while he wasn't outstanding last night, it was a step up from where he's been in the last few weeks. Nothing special by any stretch but no clear cock ups. I think he's one of those players who needs a good run in the team to really see the best of him. Not everybody is Danny Sturridge who can just turn it on after a number of weeks out.
Jota - here is a perfect example of someone who has just turned it on since his return from injury. He's been such a plus since returning to the side. Fantastic run and pass for Diaz's goal to settle the game. The lad just oozes class.
Bradley - fantastic showing from the young lad. Martinelli got no change whatsoever from this kid. Hopefully he can stay injury free and kick on from this performance because he's clearly got quality. He's gonna struggle to get regular games with Trent ahead of him but he can provide decent back up.
Clark - nice to see him get his first senior minutes of the season after a couple of showings last year. Didn't do much to stand out but wasn't made to look out of his depth either. With still plenty of games to play this year, he might get another run out somewhere down the line.
Overall we can be really proud of the performance last night.
We showed fight and heart in the first half and then showed our class and quality in the second.
Thank you once again JĆ¼rgen and our Redmen.
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