(A) Zenit St Petersburg - Pre Match Thoughts

Europa League

                                          Thursday 14th February 2013

                                         Petrovsky Stadium 

                             Zenit St Petersburg VS Liverpool


It seems like a lifetime ago now. The images are still relatively clear. A smiling, rueful Antionio Di Natale, having just missed the chance to knock Liverpool out of Europe. Jordan Henderson and Brendan Rodgers embraced and the midfielder applauded those that had made the trip. It had been a battle but was by no means Liverpool's best ever victory on the continent but it didn't matter. We had won and with it claimed top spot in the group. Our reward? A trip to Russia in winter. Great.

It may not be at the top of everybody's wishlist but the fact remains that realistically, this is our only chance of even a glimmer of success  That being said I would be surprised if there weren't a couple of changes made, both in the wake of what happened on Monday and with another game on Sunday to follow. Daniel Agger has been left at home and Martin Skrtel will be given an opportunity to balance out his performance in the Oldham game against his former club.

The first leg of any tie is usually quite defensive and tight with neither side wanting to give anything away. In recent years things have swayed in that direction even more with home teams have become more accepting of a goalless draw and the focus being on preventing the travelling side from any away goals. Without Sturridge to call upon there will likely be changes in the attacking areas also, Fabio Borini the likeliest to get the nod given that he didn't play against West Brom. Scoring at any point in this game will could be pivotal to the entire tie.

Zenit are quite possibly the most difficult opponent we could have been drawn against in terms of quality, let alone the fact that we've had to travel so far. Hulk is someone that was touted to be one of the top strikers in Europe and we'll do very well to keep him quiet. If we can do that then with Suarez at the other end there's always a chance we could make something happen.

Playing in Europe is always something to cherish. The chance to match up with sides all across the continent and tonight we really have to be on our game against a side that is packed with talent. Whatever happens we have to make sure that the tie is still alive and well for the second leg next week. Just because Anfield is a place where special things happen in Europe - and I always feel confident about a tie when that is the case - we shouldn't be relying on it. 

(A) Stoke - Post Match Thoughts

Final Score: Stoke 3-1 Liverpool

Stoke Goals: John Walters (5, 49), Kenwyne Jones (12)
Liverpool Goal: Steven Gerrard (2 PEN)

We said we'd have a party if Suarez won a pen.  As it turned out, this wasn't a very good party.  It was every bit the kind of horror show you expect from a visit to Stoke and for all the pre match optimism I had that something had to change in respect to our form here, in the end it turned out all too predictably.  A lot has been said about the way in which we approached the game from a tactical stand point and that playing our regular 4-3-3 was playing into their hands and that we should have switched to a back three, I can't help but feel as if trying to match them in a physical battle would have dragged the game down completely and we'd have been lacking in any creativity should things have gone wrong.  It's a tough situation whereby the only real right answer is to win the game and I think with the team that we did put out, Rodgers was going for the win rather than to be happy with matching them in some sort of midfield gridlock.

The surprise was twofold.  Firstly that the team playing the long ball was us rather than Stoke.  We do go direct more often than people seem to think, especially given that Suarez is such a good hold up player.  Here he had Ryan Shawcross turned and got the wrong side of him with the ball being played in behind the Stoke defence.  What happened next was then was truly unexpected.  Unable to get back goal side of Suarez, Shawcross began grabbing at his shirt as he drove into the penalty area.  Howard Webb then pointed to the spot and awarded a penalty.  Having gone so long without one, it would have then been absolutely typical that Gerrard would step up and have his kick saved but he calmly placed it into the left hand corner while Begovic was helpless as he dived the wrong way.  We could have wished for a better start to the game.  If only it had finished that way.

Both sets of supporters had vocally gone up a gear.  We'd even lit a red flare in the away end to add some extra atmosphere to proceedings, while Stoke fans vocalised their feelings of faux injustice.  Because it was Suarez that means it couldn't have been a penalty.  Or something.  On the pitch things were equally as frantic as neither side could really settle down and players on both teams were flying into each other, Geoff Cameron receiving a yellow card for his challenge on Lucas during it all.  As it turned out, the drama was only just beginning.  Another straight ball played forward from back to front, this time by Ryan Shawcross.  Kenwyne Jones backed into Agger who held his ground and won the header but due to the presence of Jones was unable to get any real distance on it.  Martin Skrtel would have been there to clear up the second ball but he slipped over, leaving John Walters to pick up the pieces and slot the ball home for a near instant leveller.

In the minutes that followed after Walters' equaliser, Stoke pressed us with an intense ferocity that I haven't seen matched this season by an opposition side.  They ran everywhere trying to bully us into mistakes and having lost the lead so quickly our collective brains were scrambled and there was nobody who could get on the ball and take the sting out of the game.  When we did have any kind of possession, there was a loose pass or miscontrol never too far away and against a side playing with such energy and directness it was always going to come straight back on to our - increasingly deep - back four.  For Tony Pulis' side, it was a case of get the ball as close to the goal as often as possible and see what kind of havoc you can create.  Lucas was doing what he could do help win the aerial duels that Agger and Skrtel were having to contend with but on the whole we weren't sharp enough or good enough to hold onto it.

Stoke continually bullied us into giving away one set piece after another and all of them in close enough to Reina for their towering players to come in and make a nuisance of themselves.  The second goal arrived soon afterwards and it wasn't particularly inevitable, or even well worked.  It was after a succession of long throws and corner kicks that were all cleared, though none of them particularly convincingly.  Glen Whelan's cross was not of any great quality and Kenwyne Jones' header was good enough to find it's way into the near post but it was the fact that he'd been able to wriggle free of Daniel Agger so easily and that Glen Johnson couldn't block it on the line when it seemed like he was right there to stick a leg out and prevent it.  We'd taken the lead in the second minute and ten minutes later we were losing.  There was still a long way to go yet.

Going ahead seemed to settle them down briefly.  Subconsciously or not, when a side that doesn't concede many at home comes from behind to go in front, they then don't expect you'll have enough to score another.  Luis Suarez did have a half chance with the ball having been played flat across the box by Jose Enrique but he could not make any real contact with it and they were able to clear.  Our defence - despite wanting to push out further than our own penalty area - was constantly on the back foot as they played balls into the channels and then into the box for Jones or Walters to make something of.  Reina had no saves to make but our clearances were becoming increasingly frantic.  At the other end Suarez was virtually having to play four Stoke defenders on his own.  When we did manage to get players forward on the counter attack again it was a player slipping at the wrong time that cost us.  Johnson slid in Downing on the right hand side and his ball across may have been behind Suso but he was in a lot of space and had he not fell over might have been able to do something with it.

After the initial fifteen minute bombardment, we did start to get on the ball and catch our breath.  The situation may not have been ideal but we still had plenty of time to come back from what was a solitary goal deficit.  Agger was even afforded the space to stride forward with the ball and link with Luis Suarez but was unable to find a way through Stoke's packed defence.  Moments later Lucas played a magnificent ball over the top to Jonjo Shelvey but he just couldn't gather it in and finish.  The problem was that for the most part Stoke were the team winning all the battles, more specifically Kenwyne Jones.  He was causing Skrtel some real problems and the fact that as a back four we were so deep, this allowed them to come on to us even more.  Both our failure to do simple things while retaining the ball and our predictability when it came to try and win it back - both Suso and Gerrard sold themselves far too short twice in the space of a few seconds and in Gerrard's case it led to a chance for Etherington which he fortunately blazed over.

Our attacking play was starting to come into the game once more but we were unable to create anything clear cut.  In general build up play when we were in control and playing the ball around in their half there were eight Stoke defenders strung across the middle and on the few occasions we did catch them on the break our final pass wasn't there.  The one real quality pass we did manage was Suso to Suarez and it split the centre halves perfectly but Luis was unable to gather it in.  A lot of what we did try was coming from those wide areas because of how congested it was down the middle.  Downing was in the thick of a lot of the action to the point where Tony Pulis was forced into moving Geoff Cameron over to the other side to save him from a potential challenge that would see him receive a second yellow.  When he did manage to get into those areas though we weren't able to finish with a Gerrard side foot going just wide before Suarez had a wild effort with his wrong foot.

The most worrying aspect of this game to me wasn't anything to do with our toughness or battling qualities - even Suso was getting the better of the more physical Stoke players at times - but rather our naivety in dealing with their squeezing of the play when we had the ball along our own defensive third.  Time and again we had chances to either clear the ball or those around had the chance to move into better space but we continued to knock the ball around in increasingly smaller areas of the defence, allowing them the opportunity to focus their efforts and make it much harder to play the ball out.  Even so much of an inkling of that kind of disruption from a Stoke player seemed to have this hold over us that we forgot how to play football and would either give it straight up or put ourselves in increasingly difficult situations.  When they come onto us like that, there should be gaps elsewhere - ones that our midfielders should be occupying and ready to exploit.  What shouldn't happen is this idea that we force ourselves further and further back, too stubborn to clear it but knowing that the danger is imminent.  We're supposed to be better than that.

After breaking the shackles of their relentless pursuit of our centre halves, we were at some degree of comfort for the most part.  Stoke had their set up and held a very good shape making sure that any gaps were plugged as quickly as possible.  That being said Suarez was still trying to make things happen and he was having mixed results, in trying to nutmeg Robert Huth and failing miserably before turning Geoff Cameron off a throw in and firing in between the legs of Begovic.  The Stoke goalkeeper can consider himself lucky not to have conceded again, having just about kept the ball out by virtually sitting on it.  Even Jonjo Shelvey who was having a torrid time in the middle of the park found space and controlled the ball brilliantly but could not match this up with a finish and his tame shot went straight at the goalkeeper.

At the other end Reina was forced into action once again when his mis-hit clearance looked to have put Stoke in for a third.  The eventual cross that came in evaded everyone and fell at the feet of Matthew Etherington who was about to fire but Reina managed to smother him.  It was good work to make up for his initial mistake but another sign that we needed to improve our passing as a whole and not invite them onto us.  As half time arrived it wasn't the end of the world by any means, we'd taken the lead and then succumbed to a bombardment by a ravenous home side.  There were chances for us to come back level and the hope was that if we continued to play like that and create some better chances then there was definitely a chance of leaving the Brittania with at least a point yet still.

The resumption of play would see a change in the form of Raheem Sterling coming on for Suso.  It was both an understandable change in that we needed more of a spark up front and for all that's been said of Suso being potentially lightweight - which is something he needs to improve on but I think is a little harsh - Sterling is certainly someone who may be of a slender build but has no problem throwing himself into challenges and won't shirk the fight if he's in one.  Unfortunately the change that hadn't been made was one in the minds of those who had already been out there for the first half.  Within seconds we had the ball back toward our goal and hadn't woken up to their constant rushing, which led to Agger giving the ball away on the left hand side.  Fortunately we were able to regroup and even create a good chance of our own.  Gerrard played it to Sterling who was being watched by two Stoke defenders.  A quick burst of pace saw him get to the line and put a ball across, where Suarez had ghosted in front of Robert Huth.  The angle was a little tight and with Begovic right on him however, the attempted chipped finish went narrowly wide.  Only a single goal down there was still hope.  From one end to the other then, Stoke were about to make the task a whole lot harder.

Lucas had been watchful and knocked the ball out for two successive quick throw ins.  Having played the first one short it was clear that the second was going to be launched into the box and we played right into their hands.  Jones was being watched by two defenders but neither could prevent him from winning the header and as a result there was no attention paid whatsoever to the second ball.  Walters was able to chest the ball down and volley it beyond Reina from inside the penalty area with no defender getting anywhere near him.  It's not about any style of marking rather than it is slack marking.  If you're going to pay that much attention to the intended target then you have to win the initial header, otherwise make sure you're there to mop up whatever happens following that.  We did neither and now found ourselves two goals down with just a few minutes of the second half having been played.

From here, virtually the whole team fell apart for the next few minutes.  Even the most basic of passing was beyond us as we looked to let Stoke in at every opportunity, who themselves needed no invitation to come at us given how comfortable they were in the game.  The exception was Luis Suarez; bane of the Stoke netherworld.  They continued to voice their disapproval louder than any kind of support for their own players and it appeared as if the more they booed him the harder he worked.  He was causing problems for defenders and winning corners as well as chasing down everything to the point where Robert Huth and latterly Ryan Shawcross had to be right on their toes as he very nearly got on the end of a misplaced back pass.

Steven Gerrard likewise saw the need to get us further up the pitch both in the sense that we needed to create something as an attacking force to get back into the game and allowing us some respite from their harassment but his range wasn't quite there and even when he did manage to find Glen Johnson he found himself being closely marshalled by two Stoke defenders but was still able to cut on the outside and earn a corner.  One set piece closely followed another and if anything was more likely to lead to another Stoke goal rather than a way back into it for ourselves with a potentially lethal break being halted by a marginal offside call.  We were showing signs of recovery in the sense that we rediscovered our ability to pass the ball and though Stoke had men back behind the ball we were fighting hard to get beyond them, Jose Enqique using his strength to barge through.  When in those positions however there weren't enough men forward and the final ball was lacking.

In terms of changing personnel, there was one player who had to stay on the pitch.  While Brendan Rodgers looked to inject Jordan Henderson's energy onto the game as he came on for Lucas, within moments of the switch there could have been disaster in terms of Luis Suarez's involvement.  He came into a challenge with a high boot and caught Begovic.  It looked a difficult one to call and certainly one which would draw a great deal of anger if the circumstances were reversed but overall the right decision was reached.  While the crowed bayed for a red and Howard Webb infuriated them by only showing the Uruguayan a yellow.  It was looking a near impossible task the way we were playing with Suarez.  Without him there would have been no hope whatsoever.

The two goal cushion had lead to Stoke pulling men deep somewhat as we started to enjoy more of the possession again.  They still were hard in the tackle and very well organised but Gerrard was now able to run forward with the ball and look for room beyond their back line or even be tempted into a shot.  Aside from Suarez, our best chance of getting back into the game was with the free kicks that we were winning on the flank.  Downing won one right on the edge of the penalty area which was headed clear whereas moments earlier Gerrard's effort was similarly dealt with.  Against an opponent which has a distinct height advantage, I'm really not sure the way in which we went about trying to exploit these opportunities was particularly clever - especially when considering that we've been better at that on the whole this season.  In the midst of it all we did have the ball in the net however.  Suarez combining with Gerrard then Sterling and finally Henderson before falling down on the ball.  Luis hammered the ball into the net but the whistle had already gone as Jordan was judged to have handled it.

Defensively we were coping better, partly because Stoke had no reason to venture into our half and even on the occasions when they did we looked petrified of what they were going to do.  Enrique and Johnson very nearly both gave the ball away in dangerous areas only to make amends  Jose using his strength to atone for his earlier error and Gerrard on the cover to force Stoke inside where we cleared it.  It wouldn't take long for the ball to be up the other end.  As had been the case for some time, it wasn't before long that Suarez was involved again first having his shot blocked and then being flagged for offside as Gerrard tried to play him in.  Very little good came out of this game but Suarez's effort must be commended.

A collision between Dean Whitehead and Pepe Reina allowed more time to be eaten away but also gave us a small window with which to regroup.  Reina was okay to continue after not too long and it then took us a whole two passes before one was played astray.  This is under minimal pressure and we were fortunate enough to get it clear and not be further punished.  On the break meanwhile, Sterling left it for Shelvey and he played it across field to Glen Johnson.  What followed looked every bit the player we'd seen for some weeks now right up until the finish.  Under different circumstances, he'dve driven in and shot - to which I would have gladly accepted the consequences, whether it went miles wide or not.  Johnson could easily have gone for the pass also, but what with the way the game had gone and our growing desperation he delayed it far too long and the pass eventually rolled straight to a Stoke defender.

Coping in a game like this - especially with the circumstances the way they were - is all about mental strength.  Having the physicality to get involved is one thing but it's about belief, desire and how you use that. Jose Enrique is one of the strongest players we have and there were times when the pressure would get to him and they'd be able to get there first.  The first touches were deserting our players completely - right throughout the team - and if you can't get it right in that kind of intensity, it undermines everything we're trying to do.  As a last resort, Joe Cole came on for Stewart Downing followed immediately afterwards by former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch making an appearance for Stoke.  I did fear that with any kind of chance he'd end the game completely with one of those goals that are only ever scored by players that used to play for you.  As it was, they were doing a perfectly good job of shutting it down themselves.

Much to the absolute delight of the Stoke crowd, Luis Suarez was growing ever frustrated with the way things were going.  Every misplaced pass or attempt at something that wouldn't come off would be greeted with the kind of cheer you'd normally reserve for goals.  When Enrique played one over the top from the left hand side it finally looked like he'd got goal side for a second.  However he was forced to turn back and then lay it off to Sterling on the edge of the box whose shot hit a defender and allowed Begovic to pluck it out of the air with ease.  Suarez aside, pretty much everything we were attempting to do was slow and tentative, as if we were frightened of them coming out to attack us once more.  Conversely when Stoke snapped in at our heels it was purposeful and they drove forward with a real menace, although they were lacking in any real quality and Reina was only ever troubled by a few potentially short backpasses that they were determined to chase all the way down.

To their credit, Stoke retained their concentration all over the park right to the very end.  There were times when they had ten players inside the penalty area, making it near impossible for anyone to get through.  Suarez was still trying desperately however but completely unable to get anything going.  His free kick hit the wall and when Joe Cole found him on the right hand side with a flicked header he played a dangerous ball in across the back line only for no-one to be on the end of it.  Gerrard managed to force a camera save out of Begovic in the time that remained and when Suarez had one last shot and fell over on his backside in the process, that pretty much summed up the entire game.  Once again we take a small step back after having a good result against Fulham and once again we're caught completely off our game plan by a team that gets in our faces.  My worry would not be the fact that we didn't match them in terms of shape or personnel (although I've really no explanation as for how Jonjo Shelvey managed to stay on for ninety minutes) - I like the idea of trying to impose our game on them - my concern would be that we didn't match their desire and that's the one thing you'd expect them to have.  Incredibly disappointing.  We move on.

(A) Stoke - Pre Match Thoughts

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                                            Premier League

                                      Wednesday 26th December 2012

                                          Britannia Stadium

                                         Stoke VS Liverpool

Even after Lionel Messi broke Gerd Muller's record of goals in a calendar year, there are still questions that remain.  Maybe we'll never know if he really has what it takes but for this Liverpool side tonight, we'll see just how prepared they are for what could very well be the stuff of legend.  It is the ultimate challenge, far greater than any Champions League game and more esteemed than winning the world cup.  Winning away at Stoke on a cold Wednesday evening.

Boxing day fixtures are something that still warms my ever increasingly cynical heart.  Perhaps as I'm getting a little too old to be enjoying Christmas the way I used to, this has become the tradition that I look forward too the most.  A win seems to underline the good feeling that comes around with the festive period - like the last present being delivered - and can potentially give way to some momentum as we go into the new year.  This fixture however represents a real lump of coal in my stocking.  I just hope we can get out of there with the three points as comfortably as possible.  Joy to all men? Not if they've ever seen Stoke play.

Hyperbole aside, this is one of the most difficult away games we have left, quite possibly the hardest if you take out the two Manchester Clubs.  Stoke have conceded only three goals at the Britannia this season which is frightening.  Luis Suarez has a decent record against them in recent years having scored both home and away last year (in the FA and League Cup respectively) as well as scoring against them on his Anfield debut.  If we're going to get anything out of this game tonight he really has to be at his best.  We're not likely to create a massive amount of chances given their sturdy defence so if we're ever going to become clinical, today would have to be it.

What with it being a televised evening kick off there will be a real occasion for the home fans to rally around.  They seem to relish playing against - and indeed stifling - us in recent seasons, with our first victory at this ground in the Premier League still to be registered.  It doesn't seem to matter how well we play here either, for we've been terrible and gotten what we deserved but last year we were pretty good and got stung by a really soft penalty.  The crowd will no doubt be loud and in the ear of the referee as you would expect of a partisan, passionate home support.  That does leave us a problem in terms of the physicality we're likely to come up against.  Huth, Shawcross and co will likely be as ruthless as ever with our front players but if we get sucked into it then Agger and Skrtel will no doubt be punished.  Howard Webb will have his hands full and I'm more than a little sceptical as to how well he'll be able to cope.

Were it not for the result against Aston Villa, this would be the one in which it would be almost forgiven for dropping points.  We'd take a hard earned draw and coming away with anything - limbs intact - would be an achievement.  A win however would virtually undo a lot of the bad work we did at Anfield eleven days ago and would certainly give us a boost ahead of the coming new year.  I always come into these games with a grudging respect for Pulis and end them with a horrible, disgusting after-taste.  The manager - as much as I respect what he and Stoke have "accomplished" over the years - is something of a hypocrite and it would be so wonderful to see him and his players/cavemen beaten.  A belated Christmas miracle.

(H) Fulham - Post Match Thoughts

Final Score: Liverpool 4-0 Fulham
Liverpool Goals: Martin Skrtel (8), Steven Gerrard (36), Stewart Downing (51), Luis Suarez (90)

There must be something in the air.  It may be the season of goodwill but I was not expecting Fulham to be this accommodating, though I do thank them for it.  A wonderful early present, with a victory that was not only gift wrapped but all around about as pleasant an afternoon as we've had for some time.  It began with the starting eleven.  Rest for Raheem Sterling and Joe Allen as well as the return of Jose Enrique whom we badly missed last week against Aston Villa.  Suso's introduction was an intriguing one and even though I would much rather he and Gerrard be swapped around it was a team I thought was capable of going out there and getting the three points.  How right that proved to be.

Some teams come onto us early.  Given our problems with passing it out from the back coupled with the adrenaline that naturally comes at the start of a game that's understandable.  Perhaps serving as a metaphor for the rest of the game, Fulham decided to charge Jose Enrique within the first few seconds then decide they'd had enough of that and sat off completely.  Even when we had the ball in our own half Berbatov was the only Fulham player who was that side of the pitch as they set their stall out early and he's not exactly the most workaholic of strikers.  As such we settled into a rhythm of passing very quickly looking to probe as there were battles being fought either side, firstly with Suso on Dejagah and then Downing clashing with Riise - all of which coming to nothing.  Moments later the first real chance of the game as Jose Enrique tried to barrel his way through four defenders to earn a corner, from which Daniel Agger has a free header which he skied.  He wouldn't be the only Liverpool centre half left open from a corner.

Though they had nine of the ten outfield players back in their own half, there was still a gap between their midfield and defence which Shelvey and Suso could be seen drifting in and out of.  At the back Steven Gerrard was working hard in conjunction with Lucas to make sure there was no similar gap in our own set-up nor would there be any easy shots on goal on the few occasions in which a Fulham player managed to stride forward with the ball.  One of the advantages of having Gerrard in this deep lying role is his range of passing and the speed with which it helps us change gears from defence to attack.  His long pass out from the right to left hand side over to Jose Enrique was as outrageous as it was accomplished and the Spaniard flashed it first time across the box brilliantly, only for there to be no-one on the end of it.  Fulham recovered for maybe half a second before Downing had it back and his cross was then nearly audaciously put in with a Jonjo Shelvey back flick but it was blocked for a corner instead.  From the restart Steven Gerrard was able to find Martin Skrtel in acres of space right by the penalty spot, so much so that he had time to chest it down before thumping into the back of the net.  A perfect execution in both how you finish and how you start a game.

With an early lead and being allowed virtually all of the ball, confidence was flourishing.  We had time and space all over the park and the passes were being exchanged both long and short in abundance.  One thing that did catch my eye however was that on one occasion whereby Lucas lost the ball and Fulham did go off on the break, Glen Johnson came into the centre to try and neutralize the situation.  I would have been interested to know which of the following (if either were applicable) were his reasons for this.  Firstly because they only had one man up front and he was comfortable in leaving Skrtel behind him to cover, knowing that there would be time for either Gerrard to be the extra man or Lucas to get back.  A more interesting thought however would have been as a direct result of Villa's second goal against us last week.  Both Downing and Johnson were bypassed as fullbacks by the movement of Benteke and by the time either of them had the chance to be involved in play it was too late.  By stepping up and trying to affect the play earlier, he has a much better chance of success.  As it was, Berbatov was forced wide and the chance evaporated very quickly.

From one wide player to another, Stewart Downing was lining up his shooting range and coming very close to doubling the lead with an effort that just flashed wide.  If he was starting to grow in confidence then our opposition were going the other way.  Their passing was forced and control even worse, as if a lot of them wanted rid of the ball rather than were trying any kind of advancement of the ball.  It didn't take much for us to recover it and even with a few more men behind the ball we were still able to keep it on the edge of their penalty area with Downing's eventual cross just about headed clear by Hangeland.  No more was their nonchalance prevalent than when we had the ball at the back.  Agger, Skrtel, Gerrard and Lucas were allowed to stroll forward with ease and as Johnson and Enrique provided the width, there were options everywhere as Fulham allowed us to dictate virtually every aspect of the game.

It may have taken them about twenty minutes but our defence did have some work to do.  Martin Skrtel had to be alert when Dejagah tried to play Berbatov through the middle and his sliding tackle forced the ball to rebound back off him and then away by Jose Enrique.  Fulham had weathered what was an early battering and for once had some degree of possession, however they were blocked off from any attempt at getting near Pepe Reina's goal.  Our foot had been taken off the pedal just a little but even so it didn't take much to recover the ball and get on the attack once more and when we did there was more than enough space for us to cause problems with Suarez dropping off to receive it and then shooting just wide.  Because of the way in which Fulham were passing the ball, they were so relieved for us to lower our tempo it was almost as if we were lulling them in by backing off a little and then pouncing when the time was right.  This kind of pressure led to what can only be described as miss of the season so far.

We picked it up just in the final third as Fulham stood on the ball too long.  Downing passed it through to Suarez on the right who tried to cut inside with the ball eventually coming to Steven Gerrard on the edge.  His shot deflected off Hangeland and right back to Suarez.  The ball across the six yard box should have been a tap in for Daniel Agger as Schwarzer was already beaten but instead of it being a second goal he inexplicably ballooned it into the stands.  Suarez had it gift wrapped for Agger just in time for Christmas but clearly he doesn't open his presents so early.  While a defender was up front missing clear cut chances, Fulham's main threat could not get any more advanced that the halfway line.  One thing you're never going to get from Berbatov is someone who will run defenders ragged and though some of his touches are sublime - one in particular to hold it up was fantastic - he was being forced so far away from goal the threat of him was all but extinguished.

Leaving space is dangerous but it's what the opposition do with it that counts.  Fulham were backing off and leave gaps, coupled with the fact that we were completely overrunning them in the middle of the park and they really had no answer for us.  At one point there was a counter attack with seven of their players running back against four red shirts piling forward.  One pass played from the right of centre down to the other side took out four Fulham players and had Suarez through on goal.  The only thing that saved them was a - questionable - flag being raised for offside.  At the other end with no luck breaking down our defence, Keiron Richardson tried to bypass it altogether.  Having found a little room in the middle of the park for pretty much the first time in the game he decided to let one fly from long range and nearly embarrassed Pepe Reina.  The shot may have taken a slightest deflection (having watched it a few times I really can't tell) and as it was Pepe dived well beyond it and was fortunate to save the ball with his feet.  It was to be as close to Fulham would come all half.

Despite the fact that they had a man extra in midfield, it wasn't helping stem the tide at all.  With Berbatov isolated and not the kind of player who'll chase lost causes, they had no real outlet and were trying to make a concious effort to step up and at least contain us further up the pitch instead of letting us have the ball around their penalty area. The bodies coming together made it so that a few cheap free kicks were being given away either side with no-one being able to take advantage and if there was any sense that Fulham would escape a half in which they'd been very abject by being only one goal down then we were about to make them pay again.  It started with Gerrard having the ball around the halfway line, which tells you everything about how bad of a marking job they did in what followed.  After passing it around at the back Johnson got it wide and drove inside before passing it out to Downing who was on the right hand edge of the box.  He passed a ball inside which Gerard - having timed his run to perfection - ran onto and although he was at a tight angle managed to put the ball into the far corner for his second goal in as many matches.  Unlike last week against Aston Villa however, this was in much better circumstances.

It's not possible to be a beaten side before half time.  Football is a magnificent game because of the way players are able to completely change what's happened in the minutes prior no matter how radical the scoreline.  However, for the result to be different however it was going to take a complete one eighty degree turnaround. We were showing all the signs of a team that was brimming with confidence, playing good football and was generally had more of an appetite for the fight than our opponents.  Glen Johnson and Stewart Downing showing all this in one move when Johnson won the ball in midfield and launched us on the break.  He made a little bit of a mess of the play out wide but then ran back with his man all the way and managed to recover it.  What made it even better was that Downing had already moved himself back into the right back spot as cover just in case things went wrong.  Martin Jol was going to have to give one hell of a team talk to recover this one.

The fun with which we were having out on the pitch was about to be stopped.  Not by our opponents but by the fact that half time quickly approached.  Leading up to the break was a series of moves that didn't quite have the same venom as the sweeping move that lead to our second nor the complete absence of a defence that made the first possible.  Suso got on to the end of a move created by Downing and then Suarez and though his initial touch was good he was unable to hold off the defender and his shot was tame and wide.  Jonjo Shelvey then showed his inexperience by making a bad run toward goal when Suarez had the ball on the right hand side of the box, narrowing his angle.  Had he dummied his run Luis could have laid it back to him but instead he was forced to shoot and they were lucky in that it just about stuck between Schwarzer's legs as it threatened to go through them.  First Johnson and then Enrique both had opportunities to cross as the one minute of stoppage time elapsed and both were promptly dealt with by the Fulham defence.  Forty five minutes gone and having been punished a week ago for not taking our chances we had done just that.  More of the same was needed in the second half.  More of the same was what we got.

Fulham added a striker to their ranks as we headed out for the second half but left the dressing room without any real fire.  Two goals down isn't the biggest deficit to claw back but right from the off we were seeing once again that they were happy to sit off and let us play around them while the opposite was true for how we would respond to a period of Fulham possession.  The first chance of the half fell to Luis Suarez who would have expected to have done better, the chance arriving after Gerrard had found Stewart Downing and his shot across goal deflected high and over everyone else only for Suarez to poke it well over.  Both the way in which we dealt with their main threat as well as the ease with which it was accomplished compared to their approach was a small summation of the game itself.  Berbatov was continuing to drop off and was being smothered by the midfield - Lucas particularly - while Suarez was giving Hangeland all sorts of problems.  A Fulham goal really would have had to come out of nowhere and yet it was still not quite as surprising as what happened next.

Whether it was due to the circumstances of the game being so comfortable that Downing was so confidence or that said confidence was affecting the play in such a way I'm not sure.  Fulham allowing us to have a lot of the ball made it easier for someone like Downing whose decision making isn't great to have the time and space while options present themselves.  I've said before that his movement out wide cutting inside is perhaps the most predictable of any player I've ever seen and that a defender could read it quite comfortably.  This pretty much summed up how well of a day Downing was having and how bad it was going for Fulham.  Suarez picked the ball up in the middle on the break and they reacted by going very narrow.  The ball then found it's way to the right hand side where Stewart had a few days to think about what he wanted to to.  Riise didn't get out to him and when he did move, created a gap which Downing cut inside to try and get through and then once he had a sight of goal decided to shoot.  It sort of squirmed under Schwarzer, who put out an arm as only a polite attempt to save it and at least making sure that he shared some of the blame with his team-mates for the slackness which produced the goal.  Nobody would have predicted it before the game but Downing had all but ended it.

If they were dejected before the third goal, after it was downright lethargic.  We were quicker to every ball even when they had a man advantage and generally far more eager to get things going than our opponents, this then leading to a particularly harsh yellow card for Glen Johnson.  The most effective thing that we continued to do was given their lacklustre tempo and the fact that they wanted so many touches in midfield, pressing them forced them back and into dangerous areas which we could potentially get the ball back and be in on goal all within one pass.  Our comfort levels were nearly shattered when Rodellaga could have headed in from a corner while being watched by three defenders and it's momentary lapses of concentration like that which can on other days completely punish you.  As it was with nothing going Fulham's way, the ball was too high for the Colombian striker and it drifted wide.

Scoring so early in the half and all but sealing the victory did sap our ruthlessness as time went on.  It could have been a very high scoreline but we dropped back and they had a little more possession, as well as the introduction of Kerim Frei who had given them a little more pace out wide.  If I were to be overly critical, there was a pocket of space in which Shelvey was pushing forward as the head of the midfield and Suarez was there anyway as the focal point of the attack.  Jonjo in particular should maybe have done a little more given the room he was afforded.  As we backed off a little and let them come onto us, the only time the game really rose in tempo was when one of our defenders would come forward.  Agger burst forward looking to make amends for his shocking first half miss and passed it out wide to Suso, whose cross was headed clear and likewise Enrique's attempt at breaching their backline came to nothing before Glen Johnson went for a long range hit which went just wide.

While our defence were trying to score, theirs were just about getting away with not conceding further.  Sloppy passes were being played in their own half and the constant running of Luis Suarez made it so that they were always likely to be pounced upon.  We then made our first change of the game, Suso coming off in much better circumstances than being switched after half an hour against Wigan.  Raheem Sterling came on to replace him, looking for a goal to celebrate having just signed his new contract.  It could have arrived straight away as he and Shelvey combined.  Had he taken the shot on rather than try to loop it over the defenders head, Sterling may very well have scored.  Another change was soon to be made as Joe Allen came on for Jonjo Shelvey, giving Gerrard a little more freedom to move forward as the game entered it's final phase.  In truth, it was well over a long time ago.

Three goals up into the final ten minutes, there was no sign of any consolation for Fulham.  As it was, the only team that looked like scoring was the one that had been doing it all game.  Sterling could have made it worse as he drove in and was somewhat sandwiched between Hangeland and Riether but it would have been a little harsh.  Gerrard then forced Schwarzer into a smart save after Glen Johnson had inadvertently deflected a Luis Suarez free kick into his path.  Suarez too was - as ever - still hungry to do more damage to the Fulham back four, combining with both Sterling and Gerrard before cutting inside the defender and very nearly getting to it ahead of Schwarzer, who just about avoided having it poked through his legs.  At the other end Dimitar Berbatov, while not showing the same kind of hunger for the game that Suarez does, was still showing his sharpness.  Having been given room for practically the first time in the game he forced Reina into a long range save with Martin Skrtel there to clear the rebound and moments later Berba drove it into Pepe's hands once more except this time he was able to hold on to it.

Lucas came off and Jamie Carragher ran on to make his customary appearance as we looked to see out the minutes that remained.  Fulham had the majority of the possession now and knocked it around better than they had for the most part but it was still of nowhere near any real quality and anytime they looked to get close to our goal we cleared it comfortably.  A couple of free kicks at either end forced decent saves out of both keepers, Luis Suarez's effort disrupted at first by the referee's moving of the ball before taking it and then kept out by Schwarzer before Rodellega had one tipped onto the post by Pepe Reina.  Fulham might have wished he'd never even had the chance to score, for on the break they were unknowingly about to be punished.  Suarez - who was still angry at the lack of options as we entered the ninety second minute of a game we were three nil up in - decided to go alone on the counter and won a corner.  Sterling played it short to Enrique, who managed to trick his way down the goal line and then pull it back for Suarez to get a well earned goal and seal the win perfectly.  The final whistle was blown to put an end to Fulham's misery moments later.  After the Villa game we were looking for a response which we got completely.  Now we need to kick on from here and going to Stoke next will be sure to see a lot of kicking indeed.

(A) West Ham - Post Match Thoughts

Final Score: West Ham 2-3 Liverpool
West Ham Goals: Mark Noble (PEN 36), Steven Gerrard OG (43)
Liverpool Goals: Glen Johnson (11), Joe Cole (76), James Collins OG (79)

Victory, in perhaps the most bizarre circumstances I can care to remember.  At the final whistle my first thought was not something I've often been perplexed by but the fact still remained; just how exactly did we win that one?  Having on many different occasions this season in which our performance has deserved more points than we've ended up with, this isn't something I'm going to complain about.  Regardless of it's merits, we now have back to back victories in the league for the first time in a long time.  There's a real momentum behind us now and with a decent run of fixtures to come, this could be the start of something really good.

Team news prior to kick off was surrounded by the absence of Luis Suarez through suspension and the confirmation of what seemed most likely in that Jonjo Shelvey would be taking up the main strikers position.  Behind him it was more straightforward, with Jose Enrique and Stewart Downing rather more conventionally playing in their more natural positions at left back and on the wing respectively.  The travelling kop were in marvellous voice as we kicked the game off and it began with some quick passing in the midfield with the aim of getting high up as quickly as possible.  This was capped off by an early sighting of Glen Johnson very high up the pitch trying to make things happen, something that would become a feature of the game as it went on.

He may not be the most popular man to ever put on a Liverpool shirt but Stewart Downing has been far more involved than I thought he would at this point.  He did his best to get at the West Ham defence early and take on O'Brien at full back and it eventually led to Steven Gerrard having a shot on goal.  At the other end their tactics were anything but a surprise with the strength of Nolan and Diame in the middle of the park being used to get the ball and the wide men to deliver it, often and early.  This was the kind of attack we had to be very weary about getting too deep for they were keen to play in front of us as long as possible and hope that we would entrap ourselves by moving too far back.  As it was we coped relatively well with the high ball but needed to be extra watchful of whatever rebounds dropped in and around the penalty area.  Mohamed Diame reminded everyone of this fact when Agger only half cleared a cross from Matt Jarvis and his shot was then deflected horribly and wrong footing Pepe Reina in the process.  Fortunately for us it went wide instead of nestling in the far corner of the net.

Recycling the ball high up the pitch was not only important to stop West Ham from pushing us back, it's the way in which we put a large amount of pressure on an opponent.  Lucas Leiva helps this process so much, not only was he the outlet for possession if we needed to start over again but he was constantly winning it back in the middle of the park and distributing it very tidily.  Someone who does his passing in a much more unreserved style is Steven Gerrard.  With Downing occupying and subsequently drifting inside to take his marker with him, there was acres of space for Glen Johnson to work with on the right hand side.  This was something they were going to pay for, with immediate effect.  Johnson took the long ball from Gerrard and drove inside with it.  He shifted it onto his right foot where nothing looked on for him and then thundered the ball with devastating accuracy into the top left corner.  I very much doubt he'll score one as good as that for a long time but I'd love to be proven wrong.

For a time after the goal it was West Ham versus Glen Johnson, and the one man was winning.  They simply couldn't live with anything he did.  First he cut inside and sent a panic through their defence making them swarm around him to block any shot attempt.  This led to a shot by Gerrard which scuffed along the ground and in turn could have put Joe Allen or Jonjo Shelvey through on goal but they were blocked off.  Even then the clearance came straight back at them as Sterling picked up the ball and fired narrowly wide at the near post.  Raheem would have another - much more gilt edged - chance moments later as Johnson again won the battle out wide and then drove inside but his attempt on the turn wasn't timed perfectly and was dragged agonisingly wide. It was one way traffic, and not at all how you'd expect the team with no striker to be playing.

West Ham's efforts to close the space down in our own half were a fine idea.  We've not been the best at keeping the ball under intense scrutiny this year and Allardyce would have seen how Spurs managed to exploit that in the early goings last Wednesday.  However, even though they tried to rush us we were always able to find an extra pass which helped keep the ball moving.  When we did lose possession, the pressure put on by the midfield - Gerrard and Lucas were particularly effective - made it so that it wouldn't be long before we had it back.  There was also the matter of the gaping hole on one side of the pitch that they still hadn't been able to close.  Once more Stevie found Johnson with a long ball out wide and again he cut inside with ease.  This time there were around four or five claret and blue shirts around him, desperate to stop him but Johnson kept on going.  Eventually the ball went out to Sterling and then back to Lucas who held the ball in quite an advanced position while we regrouped.  The panic that seemed to set in whenever Johnson was on the ball was really quite something.  Rarely does a right back upset a team like that.  Then again, he is indeed a rare talent.

In an attempt to get back into the game, West Ham did Sam Allardyce proud; they went even more direct.  It did lead to their first half chance for some time when Carlton Cole managed to get a head onto a really difficult ball and force Pepe Reina into a save but other than that we were dealing very well as a defensive unit in terms of stopping them from getting any knock downs.  What was starting to creep into our play however was a little sloppiness in the middle of the park which allow West Ham some easy possession.  Sterling losing the ball to Diame when Johnson had already gone ahead of him could have been a cause for major concern, likewise Downing and Shelvey giving it up softly.  All the while Carlton Cole was starting to grow into the game as the Hammers continued to supply long balls for him to try and make something of.  So much so was he becoming a nuisance that Martin Skrtel had to resort to a very dangerous shirt pull which the referee could easily have given a penalty for.  A game which we had been in control of was about to slip out of our grasp completely.

Maybe Joe Cole's introduction wasn't the direct cause of our play for the rest of the half but it certainly contributed.  Jose Enrique's injury meant that he had to come off and the former West Ham man make his return with Stewart Downing now moving over to the left back slot.  This disruption to our shape was bad enough but in Joe Cole they saw a man they could target and a way to win the ball back very easily.  His first touch very nearly gifted them possession and it was only when Cole was helped out by Lucas and Glen Johnson that we were able to get it up the field.  By now the ball seemed to be coming straight back at us on every given opportunity, certainly West Ham would not turn down the chance to put the ball back into the box.  We did have one chance on the break with Joe Allen releasing Stewart Downing in his new position down the left hand flank but his shot was blocked and the following attempt by Raheem Sterling was way over.

Getting a sense that they were starting to grow into the game we were faced with two options.  Look for a second goal which would deflate them completely or take the sting out of the game by keeping the ball.  We showed no signs of slowing and wanting to keep the ball for possessions sake in looking for the gaps to further keep West Ham down.  While no real chances came out of our attempts to fashion a second goal they did look increasingly menacing on the counter attack, with Gerrard being forced into taking a yellow card for his challenge on Diame as he strode through the middle.  It was a period in the game that we had to ride out and that if we could not give something silly away then the crowd and the tempo with which West Ham were playing would both die down.  Unfortunately we couldn't do that however and when a cross was half cleared out to Guy Demel on the edge of the box and Joe Allen tried to close him down, the subsequent shot struck Allen's hand from about two yards.  The referee pointed immediately to the spot.

It felt incredibly harsh, even agonising as Pepe Reina was so close to getting to the ball after Nolan stepped up and slotted it into the left hand side of the goal.  Another contentious decision followed directly from kick off, with Sterling being kicked in the stomach by Matthew Taylor and the West Ham man only receiving a yellow card for the so called challenge.  He may not have meant it but it was a really horrible looking attempt at winning the ball, which he came nowhere near doing.  Having gotten back on parity, they sat back a little more and we once again camped out on the edge of their penalty area.  The only problem this time was that we weren't able to do it for any real length of time for we'd give the ball away and they'd counter.  Diame was taking over in the middle of the park and they really should have done better when he put Matt Jarvis through out wide but the break was so fast there was nobody there to take advantage.  Still they managed to regroup and put another dangerous ball in which Taylor came close to heading goal bound with Reina coming out to meet him and not getting there.  Though he was clearly in an offside position no flag was raised, fortunately for us however it went over.

Along with the extra muscle that seemed to be pushing us over in the middle of the park, Carlton Cole was really putting himself about in a way that was making the defence very anxious.  Skrtel had already dealt with him with a couple of last ditch tackles and was clumsy in coming out and climbing all over the forward, conceding a free kick in the process right before half time.  Having put all the big men in the box, West Ham played it out wide to Matt Jarvis whose cross was then met and put away beautifully, by Steven Gerrard of all people.  In front and on top for so long we were now facing going into the break a goal down and as they backed off once more and let us play in front of them for the few minutes that remained, we did try to readdress the balance before Brendan Rodgers would have them in for a few words.  Agger and Johnson strode forward but were unable to cut through their defence and Downing produced two half chances for Shelvey, both of which he was isolated by West Ham defenders but still managed to poke the ball goal ward - even if they did both go wide.  The story of the first half was a strange in many ways but it's also one that we've read far too often recently.  We were the better side for the majority but went into half time with nothing to show for it.

When things got back under-way they began with a microcosm of how the two teams had applied themselves thus far.  West Ham went for a high hopeful ball into the forward positions, which led to Raheem Sterling winning the ball and running forward with it at pace.  Neither side imposed themselves on things early on, mostly because the ball was bouncing around from one end to the other.  There was space for us to pick the ball up in front of their back four but they were perfectly happy for us to have it there, knowing that they could funnel men back and stay strong so that we couldn't get through them. This allowed West Ham to put us instantly on the back foot whenever we would give up the ball and with them being so quick to get it out wide and then into the box we were constantly having to go back and forth between trying to attack and rescuing the ball.

As we went forward, our midfield play was naive for the most part in the second half.  They wanted to get forward in support of Shelvey as quickly and often as possible and so Gerrard and Allen would stride into the attacking third, usually one of them with the ball and the other simply trying to make up the numbers.  The problem with this was that Diame would be laying in wait and there he would be able to pick them off as there was no real attempt to play around him.  Whenever he would get the ball back, virtually our entire midfield would be rendered redundant and this would be compounded even further by the play of Carlton Cole who was really getting in the faces of Agger and Skrtel, dragging them out into the wide positions and always managing to hold the ball up for West Ham.  The final ball would always be either cut out or not good enough but the approach play and how effective it was is something of a worry.

While they had lots of room to play the ball in for Cole to drift and make a nuisance of himself, Jonjo Shelvey  was having to come increasingly deep and move though a lot of traffic in an effort to get anything going.  When he played it inside to Gerrard who then found Johnson finally in enough space to cross the ball, there was an illustration of how crowded it was in the penalty area with fourteen players (nine West Ham and five Liverpool) cramped inside there.  Johnson continued to try and add some attacking verve just as he had done in the first half and likewise Daniel Agger went up the pitch but there was so much in the way of bodies in there that it would be difficult for anyone to find a way through.  The one time we did manage to circumvent this was when they came on to us as Skrtel and Reina tried to play it out from the back.  Pepe looked to have given it away completely but Lucas was able to come out with it.  As we went ever forward though, instead of the speed of the move picking up it slowed right down and they were able to pull players back into position to which the move very quickly broke down.

Just as it looked as if the imagination had gone out of our play completely, there was a flicker.  Stewart Downing had the ball on the left hand side and played it inside for Joe Cole who let it go through his legs.  Sterling came on to it and hit the ball with the side of his foot first time to force Jaaskelainen into a save.  Downing would have another chance for an assist moments later when he crossed in for Jonjo Shelvey who headed the ball just wide.  West Ham may have seemed the more threatening side - especially on the counter - but with there only being one goal in the game it still hung in the balance.  The problem was that there was no obvious direction that anyone could point to and say that they were likely to do it for us.  Scoring wasn't even our immediate problem for that we needed to stop the stranglehold that they had in the middle of the park.  A substitution for either side in the space of a few minutes changed all that.

The first change was made by Brendan Rodgers, with Lucas being replaced by Jordan Henderson.  Adding his tenacity to the midfield was one thing but what happened next would help us win the battle in that area even more.  Diame was running with the ball down the right hand side when he pulled up and reached for his hamstring immediately.  Unfortunately for both he and West Ham his game was over.  Injecting Henderson into the middle of the park was like adding a hyperactive person to a room full of insomniacs.  There was a moment where Skrtel lost the ball with a pass forward and in the blink of an eye Jordan had tracked the man twenty yards to close him down.  It was so much of a difference to the pedestrian way in which we'd approached the second half so far but we needed to make it count.  Enter Joe Cole of all people.

When Stewart Downing had the ball at the back, nothing really looked on.  His ball forward to Henderson then found it's way to Raheem Sterling on the left hand side.  He drifted in and played a one two with Jonjo Shelvey and two things made the goal.  The first was Sterling's pass which was first time and played to perfection while the second was Joe Cole's run in beyond to get onto the ball.  Cole was at an angle and it wasn't the most straightforward of finishes but he managed to put it into the far corner to level the game up out of seemingly nowhere.  Having found a goal we very quickly found our passing once more as West Ham were suddenly knocked by the idea of having to score again in a game they were so comfortable in.  Sterling and Shelvey very nearly linked up immediately after the goal and behind them Henderson was having an affect on Joe Allen who looked like he'd woken up and was now rushing in to win the ball also.  Even Martin Skrtel was winning his battle with Carlton Cole for a change.  The game had all but turned around completely.  It wouldn't take long for us to finish the job.

I'm not too concerned who go the final touch - although I would like to give credit to Jonjo Shelvey - it was a real sight to see us turning around a game which for so long had appeared completely lost.  Once again the move that led to it was one of real quality also.  First Gerrard came out with it on the left hand side and passed it off to Sterling and then Downing who cut inside.  From one side to the other it eventually came to Glen Johnson on the right wing who slid a ball through to Jordan Henderson unmarked on the edge of the penalty area.  The cross was good and even if Jonjo didn't get a touch, it was a marvellous flick over the head of Jaaskelainen that saw the ball bounce into the net and reclaim the lead for us once more.

After the third, West Ham looked down and out - more so than we had at any other point in the half.  Joe Allen was bursting forward and looking dangerous on the break and nearly played in Raheem Sterling before moments later Downing was allowed the same space to approach their penalty area before he laid it off to Joe Cole who gave himself half a yard before shooting well over.  When we weren't creating chances the ball was being passed around at the back with a great deal of ease.  They were now leaving gaps and if a team was likely to score it would be ourselves rather than our hosts.  Gerrard had two chances to cross, the first blocked before holding it up a second time and giving it to Glen Johnson.  He then jinked inside and looked to be creating a chance for himself before eventually the ball came to Downing whose shot was blocked.  If Downing had scored, that would have summed up just how much of a strange game this was.

Sebastian Coates came on for Joe Allen with just under five minutes to go as Brendan Rodgers looked to tighten things up at the back and prepare for the aerial bombardment that was coming.  If anything, so much so had we taken them by surprise that they appeared to forget all the things they'd done well in the game prior to our second and we were able to clear with relative ease.  Coates head, Reina's fists and Downing's boot.  At the other end Jonjo Shelvey looked to put Raheem Sterling in one on one with the goalkeeper but appeared to have put too much on the pass as Jaaskelainen just about got there ahead of him.  Then came a soft free kick won by Carlton Cole on the edge oft the penalty area which Modibo Maiga wildly put into the stand, wasting what was West Ham's last real chance of the game.

Into injury time and there was still time for the referee to make a questionable decision against us.  Shelvey controlled a free kick with his chest and then turned into the penalty area.  He was probably being fouled as he turned but when he was through on goal and taken out there would surely be no other recourse than a Liverpool penalty to wrap the game up completely.  Apparently not.  Raheem Sterling did manage to get the referee to blow in his favour shortly afterwards and then had a talking to Winston Reid which helped in our attempts to let the seconds tick by and for time to run out.  There were a couple of high hopeful balls launched in the direction of Pepe Reina but nothing at all to make him worry.  For the most part we had the ball in the final third and were keeping it in and around their penalty area.  When Jonjo Shelvey went down with cramp we ended up playing another minute of stoppage time than was required but there was nothing left of this game and full time was called.  The period after Jose Enrique went off up until our second goal was probably as bad as we've been all season but a win is still a win.  The run we're on now is a good one and with some winnable games coming up we really could be marching up the table.

(A) West Ham - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                         Sunday 9th December 2012
                                            Boleyn Ground

                                     West Ham VS Liverpool

The trials and tribulations of a managers first season will see many challenges, I can't recall ever having to go into a game with no recognized striker to call on however. A lot of people will focus on the situation that's led to this position but whatever the outcome, those at the top need to make sure something like this never happens again.

As a trio that runs through the spine of the side, it will be good to recall Lucas, Gerrard and Agger. Lucas will have to be fully cleared if he's going to have as much of an impact as we'll need him to have. West Ham and the way Sam Allardyce will set up will require a lot of running and for that reason it may be better to see Gerrard in a more attacking role. This will also help in that he's our best finisher but we'll only be able to do it if Lucas is good to go.

Jonjo Shelvey is the one earmarked for the head striking option and having seen him play the role against Young Boys I think it'll work fine so long as those either side of him are prepared to run in behind. There is every chance we could be very narrow and have little numbers in attacking areas - both Gerrard and Shelvey would drop deep at certain times so then a lot would rely on either Allen, Henderson or Sterling's running ahead of the play to stretch it. A lot of the game will be played in the middle third and despite our - lack of - striking options we have to be conscious of this and make sure that we are able to get people further forward.

An alternative option - albeit a radical one - would be if Rodgers decided to go for three at the back. Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique would be able to get forward and support whomever in attack and with Lucas in midfield we would have enough solidity at the back to deal with what is sure to be an aerial bombardment. Allardyce teams pull no punches with their direct approach to the game and I'm a little worried about how we might be susceptible to the set peice but I firmly believe Skrtel and Agger are capable of dealing with them in open play, although they're certain not to get much peace.

With two winnable home games to come, it will be difficult but if a run of victories is ever going to materialize then this will be the biggest stumbling block. Get through this with anything would represent a decent effort but in order to move higher up toward where we want to be in the table then nothing less than a win would do. It's probably not going to be the best exhibition of football that's ever been on display but we're becoming rather good as of late of getting the job done. Doing it here would be a very good sign indeed.

(H) Southampton - Post Match Thoughts

Final Score: Liverpool 1-0 Southampton

Liverpool Goal: Daniel Agger (43)

Job done, move on.  It wasn't as comprehensive as some might have liked but it was important that after a few draws we got the win.  Home records are a wonderful vicious cycle in that teams will make it easier for you the more games you win but if that process gets interrupted then it becomes ever more harder to start all over again.  The return of Lucas Leiva to the starting line up took all the headlines and I wanted to temper my delight at his recovery with the apprehension that it may have been a little too soon.  Still, Southampton were not the kind of side that would resort to any rough tactics in that area of the park and like to try and play some football so in that respect they were probably a good fit for him to come back in.  Despite our opponents coming into this game on a decent run I couldn't help but think how the two sides looked a world apart on paper, but given how difficult it's been as of late so long as they were separated by a goal or two in our favour at the end of ninety minutes - that's all that would matter.

It was a fairly standard affair for the first few minutes as we looked to pass and move the ball around, controlling the ball and tempo in the early moments with relative ease.  The first shot of the game did come from Southampton however and Rickie Lambert had Reina scrambling when he hit a powerful curling shot.  For the most part we had enough to keep them away from any real danger areas and they were content to back off whenever a red shirt was in control of the ball.  Lucas' presence in the midfield was having an immediate impact in that this was allowing Joe Allen to play further up the pitch and it was the first time I'd seen our defence step up so high so early, allowing Agger and Skrtel to deal with anything that came in the air with the knowledge that Lucas could slot in and clean up alongside them.

The one player who wasn't getting involved in the short passing game in an attempt to get us further up the pitch quickly was Steven Gerrard.  It's clear that when the gaps are there that this team does have the licence to play more direct passes and when he is on his game nobody can play them like Gerrard.  His ball to Luis Suarez should probably have led to an early goal for Jonjo Shelvey who arrived on the edge of the box at the perfect moment after Southampton failed to clear it properly, only for his effort to be miss kicked back into the arms of a grateful Gazzaniga.  Jonjo was - as well as the long ball - involved again moments later, spraying the ball some thirty yards out wide to a wide open Glen Johnson who found Suarez.  Luis harassed the defender enough to get clear and lay it back to Johnson, who shot ended up flashing across goal.  The pressure continued to build as Joe Allen and Jose Enrique put the ball back in from the left side but it resulted in a corner, which was well worked between Gerrard and Johnson but ultimately came to nothing.

With Agger and Skrtel so far forward, when Southampton did try to play the ball in over the top it allowed them to come in and head the ball clear and in addition to Lucas getting in at their midfield before they were even allowed to turn and face, it really helped stem the tide of what had been a very open area in the middle of the park as of late.  Gerrard looked to have far more energy than he has in recent weeks too, popping up all around the middle of the park and because of that there was a real gap in quality across the middle of the park.  Stevie's radar appeared to be at it's very best as well, first providing a flick to send Luis Suarez bearing down on goal (who should have done better to see the run of those to the left of him before taking the ball too far and losing it) and then moments later being able to slide in Glen Johnson in between the centre half and fullback.  Johnson's subsequent cross to the near post was then only just cleared before Suarez was to tap it in.  The captain could even have had a goal for himself when some good movement from the resulting corner saw his shot blocked on the line.  It was encouraging stuff without being a total onslaught, we just needed to make it count.

When it came off against Newcastle the first time, it was one of the best goals that had been scored at Anfield for a long time.  They've tried it again and even Rodgers has commented on the fact that it's something that Suarez and Enrique have clearly worked on and once again it very nearly came off.  Jose's ball this time was arguably better than the one for the goal, cutting out and landing in between the full back centre half.  Unfortunately Suarez was unable to take it in quite as readily as he did in our last home game and it bounced off his hand and resulted in a free kick for Southampton.  One of the things that helped us greatly and at the same time made sure that things never got too anxious despite the scoreline being goalless was their continued giving up of the football.  It's hard to concede goals - regardless of how susceptible you are to the counter - if the opposition never touches it beyond an aimless clearance.

Something I noticed here that was more prevalent than at any time I can remember for a while is the sheer number of players we had pouring forward into the penalty area.  When Glen Johnson cut inside to force another save, there were four players waiting inside the box for a cross and Steven Gerrard on the outside ready for anything that landed there.  Even in the last few weeks when we were lightweight in midfield and teams were cutting through us, it wasn't because we had this many people in advanced positions.  In that respect I wouldn't imagine - even in spite of Lucas' inclusion - that this is something we're going to be doing every week regardless of opposition, especially due to the problems highlighted in the recent past but still it was nice to see some urgency that doesn't come in the form of a panic with ten minutes to go.

The chances began to start coming at a steady rate once more with Gerrard sliding Shelvey through and although his first touch let him down Jonjo still managed to get a shot away and had there been anyone following in it would have been a certain goal.  Sterling then found no way through but another failed clearance saw Shelvey take over, lay it off to Suarez who worked a one-two away with Joe Allen and then still managed to get a shot on goal away even though his shorts were being pulled.  Not that something like that is a penalty or anything.  At this point it's hard to even get angry about the denied penalty shouts, regardless of how legitimate they are.  Eventually we'll get a really soft one, in a game where we're already three or four up and the commentary will be all "well that's evened things up then".  Right.

Pepe Reina, having had virtually nothing to do all game prior, was called up upon to earn some of his wages for a change.  The first instance involved racing out to clear the ball when Southampton pinched it in midfield and were away in behind.  Following that he fancied a go at setting up a goal down the other end, one long bouncing ball over the top in saw Suarez through between both centre halves.  With the goalkeeper and his two defenders unable to really take charge of the situation, Luis flicked a leg out and had it just about blocked and away for a corner.  The pressure continued for a while as Southampton were unable to clear it and the next clear chance fell to Martin Skrtel from a Steven Gerrard cross.  Had it been with his head he would have done better but as it fell quickly to his feet, the effort wasn't great and then blocked.

To say it was the same kind of performance we've had all season would be inaccurate  although only just.  The idea that we were dominating the play and potentially moments away from being caught with a sucker punch lingered like a bad smell, but there was never anything really from Southampton that gave the impression it could actually happen.  They had two free kicks from decent positions, both of which we were able to counter and look far more threatening.  From the first one, Suarez played in Shelvey on the left hand side who tried to find Sterling.  His ball wasn't great and was cut out only as far as Gerrard, who passed it back to Jonjo.  The shot that followed was hit incredibly hard and smashed against the far post.  After Fonte's set piece was claimed by Pepe Reina moments later, he set Sterling away and it looked like we could be in, only for the pass to be slightly delayed and a questionable offside call on Luis Suarez.

For all the comfort that it seemed we were enjoying, it was important that our defence remained resolute throughout.  There weren't many through balls that had to be dealt with but both Agger and Skrtel had to stop them from going through on the occasions that they did try to get in behind.  Out of every passage of play that had gone on so far, it was the most even the game had been.  In that sense it was a little surprising that what came next was the breakthrough we'd been waiting for.  As the game had gotten a little more combative in the middle of the park, first Joe Allen, Lucas and Gerrard were having to get involved in a few battles and then further up with Sterling and Suarez as they tried to make something out of nothing.  When Suarez was taken down then, he lined up the free kick on the left hand side of the box and struck a beauty - for it to then come crashing down off the bar.  Fortunately the rebound came to Glen Johnson, who held the ball up and then crossed it for Daniel Agger to twist his body and put in a really powerful header for the goal.

There are moments in games that seem to go unnoticed because only goals change them.  Agger's header going in just before half time was the perfect reward for all our good play and yet there were chances at either end for it not to be the defining moment.  Suarez tried to go down the right hand side and when he was stopped the ball came back to Jonjo Shelvey.  He put another cross much like the one for the goal, and five foot six inch Raheem Sterling leaped clear of six foot one Jose Fonte only for the header to go just wide.  Even more alarming was the chance out of the blue that fell to Rickie Lambert.  His thirty yard effort had Reina scrambling again and for a second appeared to be creeping in.  Fortunately for us it was tipped just wide for a corner, which came to nothing and was the last act of the first half.  A forty five minutes which had seen us on top for the most part.  What's more important however, we were going into the dressing rooms in the lead.

Whatever the message sent out by Nigel Atkins to his team as we began the second half, keep the ball was not one of them.  Only a few seconds had passed before a wild clearance was launched into the Main Stand.  This continual surrendering of possession allowed us to build up without any real pressure and even allow for a much bolder pass selection, such as Lucas threading the eye of a needle to find Gerrard some twenty five yards on.  That's not to say the Southampon players weren't being hassled, we pushed them back aggressively very high up the pitch but even with that being said it didn't take much for them to give it back to us.  All over the park there were huge gaps for us to play in, especially in between their midfield and defence.    Most importantly, the players who would arrive in those gaps to pick up the ball had enough time to turn and face goal.  It looked like at any time we could overwhelm them.

It wasn't so much that we had all the answers but more like Southampton failed to ask us any real questions. On the occasions that they would have any real possession, we had more than enough to deal with them with even the minimal of tracking back.  At no point did it look like they could get in behind us or an upping of the tempo to try and get at the heart of our defence.   The likely reason for this is that maybe while the lead was only one they were content to let the game drift and catch us cold in the last fifteen and in that sense perhaps they lulled us in perfectly, but in retrospect they will probably be disappointed by not trying to get at us sooner.

So much has been said about the return of one Lucas Leiva and that even so much as having him back in the team would impact on our shape regardless of his form but it was remarkable to see just how adeptly he was applying himself.  For the first time in a long time, our midfield appeared to have more bite to it.  His ability to read the play and the tackles that come with that are so helpful in stopping the opposition before anything has even had a chance to look threatening.  Southampton seemed to respond to this by narrowing the pitch to a dramatic extent, the gaps that were there in the middle of the park were still there but now there were also huge spaces out wide which Gerrard in particular was drifting out to exploit.  It would become a feature of the play as Glen Johnson, Sterling and then Suarez also looked to do damage by taking on the fullback and getting around him but the final ball was never of the required quality to carve out a clear cut opening.

Rickie Lambert and Gaston Ramirez - dangerous though they are - could do very little in the face of some very unimaginative build up play.  The ball was being put forward into the box now in an attempt to make something out of nothing but all the while Agger and Skrtel never looked anything less than comfortable.  At the other end we have a player who is anything but predictable - and that doesn't always work out in our favout - in Jose Enrique.  He could easily have doubled our lead after playing a one-two with Suarez and driving inside with a very purposeful run.  Luis's return ball put him through on goal but he snatched at the chance with his right foot and it bobbled wide for a - subsequently uneventful - corner.

Jordan Henderson was summoned from the bench with just over twenty minutes to go, coming on for Joe Allen.  His energy in the middle of the park is always welcome but in truth it wasn't really needed as Skrtel and Agger were allowed all the time in the world to pick out their passes or to stride forward with the ball.  We were guilty of overplaying a little in trying to push forward into the final third as we looked to wrap the game up completely but even so Southampton would always give us another chance to go again as they constantly surrendered possession.  As their back four were camped on the edge of the penalty area, both flanks were involved in trying to get in behind with Jose Enrique first shooting hard at Gazzaniga which he couldn't take in, allowing the Spaniard another chance at the cross.  This was well over hit but Gerrard rescued it at the back post and then gave it off to Johnson whose attempt was way over.  Though the second goal looked to be a million miles away, it was safe to say that the one we had would be more than enough.

Over confidence does sometimes lead to a lack of concentration and though we weren't to be punished on this day for it, there's something to be said for the way in which Luis Suarez was booked which we could later pay the price for.  The move itself was fantastic, first being held up in the middle before going from left to right before Glen Johnson slid in Raheem Sterling just on the edge of the penalty area.  The subsequent ball played onto an onrushing Steven Gerrard was taken in brilliantly and his cross was just over the head of Suarez, who then handled it over the bar.  It was an act of frustration more than one of intended malice but the referee was given no choice but to show Luis a yellow card and because of that he will now be suspended for the trip to West Ham next week.  Not the smartest thing he's ever done on a football pitch.

Being put under minimal pressure, coupled with the space and time that we were afforded in high areas of the pitch - this allowed Steven Gerrard to showcase some of his range passing.  Of all the criticism that's been levelled at the captain this year, one thing that you can't do is allow him to pick the pass because though his engine may have died down somewhat the ability is still there.  What it does also is turn what would be a hopeful clearance into an effective pass for the counter, when he and Lucas were called in to do some work on the edge of our penalty area it was Gerrard's ball to Suarez that set us away on the break.  As had been a feature of the second half, the pass then to Enrique was a little heavy and asked too much of him but even in first gear we were still operating at a level well above our opponents.

With minutes to go, Brendan Rodgers allowed a chance for Anfield to applaud the returning Lucas Leiva with a substitution which would see Jamie Carragher play a holding role in front of the back four.  The blond Brazilian had done well to last so long on his return to duty and had gone about his game in a way which belied the severity of his recent injury problems.  There was still a couple of minutes left in which to wrap the game up as Luis Suarez was still chasing lost causes and looking for a goal in amongst a defence which was virtually counting down the seconds until full time.  First he very nearly got on the inside of Yoshida as the Japanese defender only just about managed to shield the ball out of play.  Only seconds later and a cross field ball was intercepted by Raheem Sterling who gave it to Suarez, whose placed finish went just wide of the post.  A third chance even came, this time Jose Enrique playing it into the Uruguyan whose shot was blocked. Suarez would be denied his goal on this day but it wasn't through lack of trying.

Southampton mustered little in injury time, as they had all game.  Reina came out and Shelvey dealt with a free kick into the box and Luke Shaw had a wild effort with virtually the last kick of the game that summed up their day as an attacking force with it nearly going wide.  In between there was still one final chance for us to underline our superiority as Suarez played in Raheem Sterling who was first held up by two defenders and then couldn't find Gerrard with an under hit reverse pass.  It wasn't the most dominating results we've had over the years but it's still a much needed three points and aside from the suspension to Luis Suarez is a positive result.  He will now likely travel to Italy, where we will look to progress to the next round of the Europa League where the challenge we face against Udinese could be very different to the straightforward nature of this one.