Liverpool Goals: Jonjo Shelvey (23) Luis Suárez (75)
Udinese Goals: Antonio Di Natale (46), Sebastian Coates O.G (70), Giovanni Pasquale (72)
Nothing in the game of football should be ever taken for granted. A result is in doubt until those on the pitch put it beyond all realms of uncertainty. That's why so many games that appear to be heading in one direction can suddenly turn on their heads at any given moment. When you're dealing with a side that has so many players with lots to learn, this is a lesson they are going to have to take in very quickly.
Brendan Rodgers' starting line up came as no surprise to anyone, perhaps barring the inclusion of Glen Johnson and Joe Allen. Those in the attacking areas of the pitch (Downing, Borini, Assaidi, Shelvey and Henderson) would be the ones whom the manager would be needing to perform against an Udinese side that may have been struggling in the league as of late but boasted a whole host of experience and as such could not be underestimated.
As for the game itself, Udinese began with a sharp aggressive tempo that forced us into playing it around a little quicker than even we would have wanted to. So many teams have arrived at Anfield and completely frozen on the occasion so it was impressive to see them completely unwed. While we were under pressure, there was enough composure there to evade it for the majority and with Borini up front drifting from side to side there was always an outlet for it to stick up front. The Italians were quick to match up with our passing and had a little more fire in their bellies which we would have to subdue.
What was noticeable from the off was that the splitting of our centre backs was much more pronounced than it had been in previous matches and that Joe Allen was by far the deepest lying Liverpool player. He was able to pick the ball up pretty much at will and with nobody tracking him was able to dictate the early goings. The movement between he, Shelvey and Henderson looked very impressive as we got more into it. All three would close the ball down in clusters and make it difficult for the opposition to work space while at the same time be concious of the fact that we needed people to close the space between the midfield and attack.
The first really good chances of the game came down the left hand side. Assaidi had already shown his intent with a run across the edge of the penalty area that fizzled out before a few minutes later we got ourselves a corner down that same side. Having been whipped in with some real pace, the ball was met by the head of Sebastian Coates who forced a great save from Željko Brkić in the Udinese goal. Coates is such an aerial threat these days it's so encouraging to see. He's approaching Sami Hyppia levels of dominance from corners that we haven't been properly able to replace since the big Finn left for Germany (although Skrtel is also getting there). With one centre half nearly scoring at one end, it was up to Jamie Carragher to deal with prevented one at the other. If we didn't know it already - and it would certainly come into play later - Udinese are a great counter attacking side.
Both sides had settled although there had yet to be a real grip on the game by anyone. What followed was the closest thing either side had managed to an onslaught, with Pepe Reina right in the thick of the action. First there was a corner from which he tried to come through five players, failed and in the end just about got a glove onto it to half clear it only to be forced into a reaction save seconds later. If that one wasn't exactly a confidence boosting showcase of dominance, the next one will have certainly helped a little on that front. Antonio Di Natale's free kick on the right hand side of the penalty area looked for all the world like it would be converted by Mehdi Benatia only for Reina to at the last second palm it away at the far post. He's not had everything all his own way so far this season but it was good to see a reminder of why he became such a fixed position in my mind as one of the best goalkeepers out there.
Something which really helped Udinese in pinning us back was the fact that when they would go forward, there would be a doubling up on our full backs. For whatever reason, Assaidi and Downing were a little reluctant in getting close to their man - perhaps by design - as a midfielder, usually Jordan Henderson would stretch out the midfield and help out. What this did was make it so that when we had the ball it was fairly easy to go down the centre of the park and look for an opening as we had a man advantage but when they were in possession we looked a little stretched and this allowed them to probe down the wide areas as well as the centre.
Having survived the opening exchanges, there was a real step up from the wide areas as we looked to assert some home authority on the game. Downing was involved a little more, first providing a chance for Borini which led to a complete air shot before Assaidi and Robinson on the other side combined to good effect down the left. As a result of this they started knocking the ball long for Di Natale to chase a little and this played into our hands perfectly and ultimately led to the opening goal. We were taking turns going down one side and then the other, trying to find the right avenue that would lead to a goalscoring opportunity. Jonjo Shelvey then picked the ball up in a pocket of space ahead of their back four and passed it off to Stewart Downing on the right hand side. The ball into the box was a good one but Shelvey's run was even better. Timed to perfection so that he could meet it with his head at exactly the right time to power home. No matter what anyone else thinks about the Europa League, Jonjo loves it.
What we've seen so far this season is not only a growth in confidence of all those players just coming through at the club but a real vindication of it in the first place. In the twenty odd minutes that followed between Shelvey's goal and the half time whistle, it really was an exhibition in possession football and a pure joy to watch. No sooner had the goal been scored than there was a real zip about our passing. Shelvey in particular is riding high at the moment and laid a beautiful ball through to Glen Johnson that they were unable to cut out, it was a shame we were unable to make more of the move given the sheer amount of space involved.
Football is such a deceptively simple game and this was it being executed at as high a level as I've seen for some time. The midfield trio were sumptuous in their fluidity and in being on the front foot at all times, constantly demanding the ball and trying to get us going again. Another player who appeared to have grown by about ten feet was Stewart Downing. He was starting to get involved on a regular basis at both ends of the pitch. A lot has been made - rather negatively - about the way in which Downing needs to get going and whether or not he can be accommodated but this was becoming a very good performance. What would have to happen in order for him to play in the first team regularly I think would be an added goal threat. This has to be the beginning for Stewart, not the bottom line.
Playing the ball first time is one of those things that coaches drill into their players at the highest level so often and hard that it's easy to forget just how effective it is. In order to do so, there has to be an overall level of technical ability as well as vision. There's no point in trying to thread a pointless ball through five players with a back flick that's unlikely to come off but instead laying it across the middle, out wide and then back again works very well to long as there's that intent there. As it was, the game seemed to be completely focused on the right hand side with Glen Johnson and Stewart Downing getting involved as often as possible. On the other side there was a lot of good play from Assaidi and real intent as he always looked to try and create something but he was defended a lot better than he had been in previous games and as such found very little joy.
All over the pitch, it was a Liverpool player who was getting to the ball first. For the most part, the passing and movement was so easy that it never looked in doubt but even on those occasions where Udinese might have got a toe to the ball it was still the Reds who'd come away with it. Di Natale was now incredibly isolated and whereas he and Borini were making very similar movements it was only the Liverpool forward who was able to receive the ball and lay it off. When a team is playing like we were, it was only an inevitability that chances would come and even the half chances had so many people involved in their creation. Downing, Shelvey and Borini played it between them before laying it off to Johnson close to the touchline. Henderson wasn't able to do much with the cross but it was a sign of the dominance and understanding between all those involved that we were able to get so many of our players into the game in attacking areas of the pitch.
Another tick in the box for the ability of our players was that when Udinese's midfield did try to close us down, the range of passing we had in our locker was such that still the spare man could be found. There were long periods of play in which the Italian side just couldn't get anywhere near the ball and it was a wonder that Brkić didn't have more to contend with as the half drew to a close. They did actually manage one chance just before the break in forcing a corner that probably shouldn't have been given, with Carragher fouled close to the half way line before being pressured into conceding it. The set piece passed without note however and the referee drew to a close another exhilarating performance capped by another goal for Jonjo Shelvey. Both the manager and all those watching will have been hoping for something similar in the second. Nobody could quite have predicted or known quite what they would be in for.
An initial change in personnel suggested that Francesco Guidolin was far from happy with the way things had gone and had given his players severe talking to at half time. Whatever was said had an immediate effect as one missed interception by Glen Johnson allowed Udinese the chance to break into the space behind him. The ball was played back over to Di Natale and he wasted no time in levelling up the game with barely a minute of the second half having been played. The confidence given to them by the goal added to whatever motivation they'd come out with and as such we were under severe pressure when it came to trying to recover and settle down once more. Passes were misplaced, there was suddenly a lot of tension around the ground where not so long ago we had been very comfortable. Goals change games.
Responding to the goal and trying to getting back into the game was then made much harder by the fact that they had changed shape at the interval and closed off the gap in midfield. Shelvey found someone watching him all the way and as such wasn't able to come into space as easy as he did in the first half and that forced us to play about twenty yards back. On the break Udinese weren't shy of getting players forward either so that meant that Glen Johnson and Stewart Downing were continually in a battle with their counterparts as both were desperate to be involved as high up the pitch as possible but had to be weary of leaving space. The one area we did remain composed in was at centre half and in particular Sebastian Coates, who even after the goal still exuded a solidity that confounded the tension running rife throughout the rest of the squad. With our opponents firmly on the front foot, it was clear he would still have a lot of work to do.
Borini did his best to work hard and put their defenders under some kind of pressure but in terms of having anything to play off, he'd barely had a kick. It was pleasantly surprising - emphasis firmly on the surprising - to see Downing once again look to be the one who would try and pick the lock. So many times I've seen decent performances from the winger in one half of football disappear but this one he looked as bright as ever once more, weaving into the box and trying to get a shot away. It was a combination of how well they'd played down the right hand side and how off colour Assaidi was but all our play seemed to come through either Johnson or Downing, with a half chance for Henderson coming at the end of one such move.
Rodgers had seen enough and with twenty five to go, brought on a couple of aces he had in his sleeve. Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez replaced Henderson and Assaidi at a time where the game could go either way. What happened next was a succession of set pieces that ultimately decided the game. Udinese sat off ever so slightly, weary of the threat of the players we'd brought on and as such we were able to get men closer to the box. Suarez was clumsily fouled first of all before the resulting free kick - which could have led to a penalty for holding on Coates - led to a break for Udinese. Having seen off the danger Downing broke again down their right flank and was quite literally wrestled to the floor by Pinzi. It was a horrible challenge which again led to a chance for Suarez, this time cleared off the line by Shelvey of all people. If that one hurt, the next would would be even worse.
Another break forced Robinson into a challenge on the left hand side of our penalty area. The game now becoming very stretched and the room for error minimal. What Lazzari delivered into the box was a standard cross, Sebastian Coates got his head to it but not a decisive enough one and the ball sailed agonisingly into the net for an own goal and gave Udinese the lead. It was a complete 180 in terms of how the game had turned around from the first half and the goals kept on coming. Once again this season it came from a seemingly innocuous piece of play in which we had the ball and nothing appeared on. When Gerrard lost it twice in the space of a couple of instances, it wasn't great but there was only Di Natale in behind. This is what a good player can do. To be fair, the ball was played in behind Jamie Carragher to perfection and once he'd gotten control of it the Udinese front man there was no taking it off him. Coates and Carra had the situation in hand, with Johnson watching the spare man. What everyone hadn't seen until it was too late was Pasquale bombing on and when the ball was laid off to him everyone in the ground knew where it was going. It was probably the first time in the match that Downing hadn't tracked his man and even then it could have been very easy for Johnson to give Coates a shout and then go and shut off the outlet. Either way, it was a great finish to a splendid counter attacking move and having been in total control at half time, we suddenly found ourselves two goals down. Not for long though.
There was maybe a little more space in midfield to play the ball. Even then I'm probably being picky, for any side that has just turned things around in the manner that Udinese had would drop off a little even if it were only subconsciously. Borini was taken down on the edge of the box and with the time that remained, there was a sense that even though it would take something special if there was to be any comeback it would have to happen soon. Luis Suarez deals in the magnificent however and for the second time this season hit a free kick right out of the top draw, curling it superbly around the wall and in beyond the diving Udinese goalkeeper. Suddenly all the momentum was once again with those in red. Football is a strange old game sometimes.
With fifteen minutes to find the equalizer, the ground became awash with anticipation. Suarez had another golden chance moments later, with Downing's superb cross finding him all alone but his header was straight at Brkić and he was unable to profit from the rebound. There was an urgency now rampant through the players and in going for the jugular, Raheem Sterling was summoned to come on for Fabio Borini. His impact was instant as he cut inside and created a chance for Steven Gerrard that they were able to scramble clear. Udinese had the look of a side that was definitely starting to hang on a little but having said that they can be more than proud with the way they defended in the last few minutes, always managing to get something in the way. The one time Suarez did manage to get through on goal, he smashed the ball at the near post when hitting it across goal would have been far more likely to result in a late leveller. Still the pressure mounted.
The last five minutes were all about trying to make sure we didn't get sucker punched on the break while still trying to mount one last serious offensive. Their midfield pressed the ball intensely and those behind them tried every trick in the book to try and run the clock down, when Raheem Sterling burst through - despite the defender pulling on his shirt a good three or four times - and fired agonisingly over, you got the sense that it wouldn't be our night. There was one final chance for Stewart Downing, who maybe in a parallel dimension puts them into the top corner for fun. Our number nineteen isn't that lucky however and the goalkeeper took it comfortably. A disappointing result and one that ultimately could end up really biting us later on in the competition but for now there is still plenty of time to rectify what happened. The most important thing now is that we can get back-to-back wins in the league for the first time in a very long time. If only we were playing a side that didn't relish coming to Anfield and playing the role of spoiler.
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