(H) West Ham - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                             Sunday 7th April 2013
                                                Anfield

                                  Liverpool VS West Ham

Another Sunday afternoon kick off, another encounter with a team that plays in claret and blue.  Following up on victory over Aston Villa last week, this one doesn't have quite the same edge.  For starters there is no need to look for any immediate redemption in that Villa may have beaten us at Anfield but our record against the Hammers makes much more pleasant reading.  Secondly, with the fact that they're perched in a relatively safe midtable slot there is no real danger of them coming to Anfield desperate for a point.  That's not to say they won't make it hard for us.  We only have to look to their manager for proof of that.

It would take a miracle or some other unforseen sign of the apocalypse, but I sense that we'll have a lot of the ball this afternoon.  Allardyce's men tend to take a hot potato approach to the game of football and if any of them hold onto it any period of time it will inevitably be followed by a demand to kick it high and long.  The middle of the park will need to be claimed as quickly as possible and I would be shocked if Henderson wasn't included to assist with that.  We saw in the game at Upton Park earlier on in the season how they can over run us if we back off, Diame in particular was spectacular that day and part of the reason why we got back into it was that he was forced off via injury.

More than anything we need to keep West Ham on the back foot as the precise thing they're very good at is our Achilles heel right now.  Defending set plays will be key and Carlton Cole will no doubt be looking to rough up our centre halves much as he did in the reverse fixture.  Hopefully Jamie Carragher's calming influence as of late will limit these moments to an absolute minimum.  Looking out alongside Carra in defence, it could be a good day for Glen Johnson to find some form again.  He was almost on a par with Luis Suarez in terms of effectiveness at one point - and let's be fair, no-one was ever really going to get close to him so that's a compliment in itself - but has cooled off as of late.  Johnson has scored against West Ham in our last three encounters with them.  Hopefully that's a trend which will continue today.

In terms of shape, because we're almost certain to be afforded a lot more space, I'm wondering whether Rodgers will opt to put Sturridge in there and go with the two in midfield.  If that were the case, it would require one of Coutinho or Downing to be benched to work properly - Lucas and Gerrard in a flat midfield could get outmanoeuvred very quickly - and it would be unfortunate if either one had to miss out.  Certainly the temptation would be there to go with the same team that won at Villa Park last week and given that I'm not sure how well Sturridge's injury is coming along then it's tough to gage.  I can certainly see the need for added attacking threat given how they'll sit deep and require a lot of work to break down but would hate to see it come at the expense of our shape in the middle of the park.

The temptation is there to say that with Everton playing Spurs, there are points to be dropped for those above us.  Truth is, that doesn't matter any more.  We simply have to get as many points as possible and whatever wants to align in front of us we will have to accept.  Even though this is likely to be a very attritional game of football and at times very uneasy on the eye - Allardyce will do that to you - I think we're doubly fortunate in that West Ham don't have that much to play for either and Andy Carroll isn't playing.  He would have something to prove and has been in decent form for them as of late.  Joe Cole meanwhile will try to come back and haunt us but I have a feeling this may be just one in a catalogue of limp performances at Anfield for him.  Some games have a lot riding on them or a multitude of angles that at any time could spark the match into life.  This isn't one of them.  Get the points and move on.

(H) Sunderland - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                        Wednesday 3rd January 2013

                                                  Anfield

                                   Liverpool VS Sunderland

We come into the new year still cautiously optimistic but all the same worried about the consistency - or should that be lack thereof - in terms of league performance. The good wins over Fulham and QPR were mixed in with abominable performances and results against both Aston Villa and Stoke. What we need to do now is buck the trend and put another good on the board. Let's start 2013 in the right way and not be playing catch up from the beginning, shall we?

Over the years, Sunderland have amassed a seeming litany of managers whom aren't exactly at the top of my Christmas card list. Roy Keane, Steve Bruce and Martin O'Neill. Just the thought of them is enough to send a cold shiver down my spine. Surprisingly, most of my rage is saved for the incumbent Sunderland manager for at least the other two aren't regarded as footballing geniuses when their record suggests otherwise. Having watched Sunderland's struggles this year I can't help but raise a smile. O'Neill is a decent motivator and credible tactician certainly, but the style he employs (without the same criticism levelled at Stoke or an Allardyce side) I can't help but enjoy them.

After enduring a terrible run of form earlier on in the season, Sunderland appeared to have woken up with back to back victories including one over current champions Manchester City. Spurs then went to the Stadium of Light and beat them on Saturday so they'll be looking to bounce back. Their record at Anfield isn't too bad in recent seasons either with each of their last two visits ending in frustrating draws. Coming to Anfield and escaping with a point last year on the opening day was the beginning of what would be a season littered with home disappointments. I'm looking to see us underline our commitment to reclaiming Anfield by making sure that doesn't happen again.

Our luck with injuries (or specifically Jose Enrique's) continues to disrupt the flow of the team. Moving Stewart Downing to left back could disrupt the decent run of form he has found himself in and so it could mean a return to the side for Andre Wisdom. That would in turn mean a potential unsettling of Glen Johnson and moving him over to the left hand side so as ever the question of balance remains ever pertinent.  Other than that the team more or less picks itself, with the exception of whether Rodgers will go for Allen or Henderson as I imagine Lucas will come back into the team following his rest against QPR on Sunday.

This appears to be one of those times during a season which we've failed to capitalize on so many times. The fixture itself isn't exactly the most difficult - in spite of the threat presented by Stephen Fletcher - and we're coming into it on the back of a resounding victory. Confidence and common sense would suggest that there is only one winner tonight but I'm all too aware of our power to stumble when there appears to be nothing which would make us fall over. Including this game there are two others to be played at Anfield in January and the other fixtures loom large (away at Manchesters United and City as well as Arsenal) as such we cannot afford to show any mercy.

(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.

(H) Aston Villa - Post Match Thoughts

Final Score: Liverpool 1-3 Aston Villa

Liverpool Goal: Steven Gerrard (87)
Aston Villa Goals: Christian Benteke (29, 51), Andreas Weimann (40)

The nightmare before Christmas.  A real chance to push on with our season and it looks like we've taken a number of steps back.  I understand that the temptation to overreact might be too easy to resist for some people.  This was as gutless and insipid a performance for quite some time.  That being said, those crying out the loudest now were probably the ones who were overly buoyant last week.  There are some things still very wrong with this team and on this occasion many individuals let us down also.  I'll take a deep breath, try and make some sense of it all and then hopefully never speak of this again.

We took to the field with what was a relatively straightforward team - save for the inclusion of Stewart Downing.  It's not so much him being in the team but it does highlight both the problems we have with depth in having to persist with him but also the way in which Glen Johnson is playing and how Rodgers doesn't want to mess with it by having Wisdom come in at right back and shifting him over.  Prior to the game there was a minutes applause held for a former Liverpool player, captain and manager.  Phil Taylor played for the Reds in two spells separated by World War II over the thirties and forties and it's a shame to say goodbye but respect is due to someone who was a part of the history of this club.  RIP Phil Taylor (18 September 1917 – 1 December 2012).

As the action got under way it didn't take very long for Villa to have a chance at goal, a short back to Martin Skrtel pass inside the first minute forced the Slovakian into committing a foul and the subsequent free kick led to a decent header well saved by Pepe Reina.  It took a minute or two but after Steven Gerrard found some space in the middle of the park we really seemed to come to life.  Suarez was chasing down Brad Guzan who then booted the ball into the stands and from then on the ball rarely exited the Villa half.  This pressure seemed to intensify when Stewart Downing found some space on the left hand side and his early cross was very nearly put into his own net by Eric Lichaj.  The chance that followed it was even more clear cut.  Joe Allen chased the ball down in the middle of the park and it was then given away to Luis Suarez.  He only had one defender in front of him and Steven Gerrard running alongside.  If the ball had been played anywhere in front of him, Gerrard would have been through on goal and almost certainly have finished it off.  As it was, Suarez played it behind him and though Stevie managed to get a shot away it was easily saved and a big opportunity had been missed.

Stewart Downing might be no stranger to hearing a smattering of boos at Anfield so the fact that the Aston Villa faithful were jeering his every touch didn't really seem to phase him.  In fact, despite my reticence to see him employed at left back again his movement was very good and he seemed to be desperate to prove a point to his former fan base with a speculative hit from distance that was only just wide.  Paul Lambert's weren't being allowed any time on the ball whatsoever as we pressed them very aggressively in their own half, which led constantly to chances for Sterling or Johnson to run at their men but every time the final ball wasn't there.  Raheem in particular was having a hard time where everything he seemed to try had an air of predictability about it.

We were incredibly comfortable with the state of the game, with our passing going right throughout the side.  From Agger just outside our box and Shelvey on the left hand side to Lucas in the middle and then Johnson on the far side.  With Villa employing three at the back it meant that they were very narrow and there was space to run into inside the fullback areas but unfortunately even though we got into these areas constantly there was nothing in the way of delivery with Sterling's final ball being cut out and Johnson picking out Brad Guzan when he had time.  I understand that there's time and space for balls to be played aerially but when a t team has flooded the middle and are giving us the wide areas, it doesn't make sense to be playing in crosses like this.

The following statement could only be true of one person.  For a goalkeeper, he is so good at tackling.  One ball seemingly out of nowhere caught Martin Skrtel on the wrong side of Andreas Weimann but Reina was alert enough to come out to him and usher him wide, before executing a perfect challenge to give away a corner and not anything worse.  On the break now even Suarez had decided to come out wide and try to take advantage of the space being afforded out there.  His cross field pass to Steven Gerrard was glorious  and looked to have put him through on goal.  Gerrard's first touch was okay but it then bobbled up onto his left foot and harmlessly out for a goal kick.  Perhaps it was one he should have hit it first time.  Suarez was the provider once again a few moments later when he caught Christopher Herd dallying on the ball after Guzan had thrown it out to him.  Suarez cut inside and laid it off to Jonjo Shelvey who was about to pull the trigger when an excellent challenge from Nathan Baker blocked the effort.

Nineteen minutes into the game and the Aston Villa fans were cheering.  Not for a goal or any piece of play that would have them on their feet but for Stiliyan Petrov, who is currently undergoing treatment for acute leukaemia.  Everyone else then joined in as the whole stadium shared their support for a man going fighting a difficult battle.  On the pitch it was very much as you were, both Sterling and Glen Johnson found their efforts blocked or over hit in no particular order as the tempo upped slightly but the quality remained as it was.  There was certainly an air of containment as Villa passed it around in the middle, growing into it slightly but never venturing forward with the ball.  We pressed them efficiently if not dynamically and it appeared as though we were much further ahead in the game than we were.  Almost as if it never entered the concious minds of either team that they could score.  And then they did.

Sterling and Shelvey had swapped wings to see if they could get some joy down their opposite flank and though it did bring with it no obvious chances there was a glorious long ball from deep played by Stewart Downing over to Shelvey who knocked it down for Suarez only for the offside flag to be raised.  Another Liverpool corner moments later and even though Villa were able to break clear again Lucas was able to snuff out the danger as he does so well.  As he passed it off to Suarez on the right hand side ahead of him with his back to the defender, everything looked perfectly fine.  Luis tried a needless back heel and proceeded to give it away and that's where it all started to go wrong.  Lichaj had the ball out wide and passed it over to Benteke.  He drifted inside for a moment before looking up and deciding to hit one out of nowhere.  It passed through a crowd of bodies and somehow crept inside Reina's near post, giving Villa the lead with their first real shot of the game.

The whole thing seemed surreal yet depressingly familiar.  At the rate we were playing though, I really did think it wouldn't take much to get back into it.  What it had done however was give Villa an added confidence and something to hold on to.  Immediately they pulled their wing backs in about ten yards, filling up the gaps in the wide areas and making sure that our wide players were denied access to the space that had been previously available all game.  Sterling and Shelvey were shifted back to the side which they had started the game and Raheem then combined with Gerrard to set up Suarez who drilled one into the side netting from a wide angle.  Whereas we were forever underlining our attacking impotence, they were not only aware of our potential fragility but keen to exploit it.  Weimann followed in on a soft header from Glen Johnson and was unlucky not to score after he lobbed it over Pepe Reina and saw it fall down on the top of the goal.  The first goal may have come as a surprise but now Villa were beginning to smell blood.

With the lead to protect and safe in the knowledge that we would come forward and could be punished on the break, their front players were looking alert and menacing.  Without even really overcommitting, they nearly got in behind with a pass played over to Weimann that Skrtel had to drift wide and a fortunate bobble  making sure it went back to Reina safely.  When we did manage to go forward however, the sheer weight of numbers defending made it difficult to see a pass, let alone play one correctly.  At one point - and this is on the counter attack - they had seven players inside the penalty area to our four.  Things weren't looking good.  The situation was about to get a whole lot worse.

It was an absolute lesson in movement.  The kind of goal you want your team to score and had it been in any other game I would have been very impressed with it.  Sadly it was our net that the ball found it's way into and then you can do nothing but grit your teeth, especially in the circumstances.  It began with the most basic of midfield presses.  Villa held the ball on the edge of their own half but weren't really going anywhere.  Allen, Lucas and lastly Gerrard all rushed the player on the ball and did their bit to push them back if not to make them give it up.  Unfortunately when Stevie went to close down his man he slipped and allowed him into the space behind him.  Villa were now three against two in the middle of the park and the key to the goal was what happened next.  Benteke dropped deep to make it four against two and once he had laid the ball off he ran diagonally across the two centre backs into the space vacated by Agger as he came out to close Weimann down.  Benteke back heeled it instantly and Weimann followed it up perfectly, slotting the ball beyond Pepe Reina to double their lead.

Those at "fault" would have been Agger for failing to pick up the runner, Johnson for not coming across or one of Lucas/Allen who should have been tracking Weimann anyway.  I would be hard pressed to say there was any actual blame attached (especially in Johnson's case, there was a spare man at the back post who could have been given a tap in had he come over) as the movement and passing was too good but that being said I'm not particularly happy with the way we tried to defend it.  Confidence now overflowing from the away side, we needed to get back into it quickly.  Lucas played a great ball over their packed defence to Gerrard who may have been able to hit it first time but instead played it back to Suarez who couldn't really get a hold of it.  Jonjo Shelvey didn't cover himself in glory with a couple of bad miscues in the space of a moment but at the very least he was getting into those spaces.  We really needed someone to make it count however.

Paul Lambert's men had closed off the middle of the park.  It was now flooded completely with those horrible fluorescent shirts that they were wearing.  Right up until the half all we were able to manage was half chances, if you could even call them that.  Shelvey's decent free kick whipped in from the right hand side wasn't fully cleared and when Sterling recovered it on the other side all he could do was cross it along the floor into the arms of Guzan.  Stewart Downing looked to have found a way through when he played a ball intended for Suarez on the edge of the penalty area only for Joe Allen to take it off his toes and look to be through on goal, only for it to bobble wide - summing up the half in an attacking sense.  As the players went off for half time they might have been wondering just how they were two goals down to a side who'd hardly kicked the ball.  All I could wonder was how a side that doesn't score enough would get back into it.

When you're trailing by a couple of goals and the manager wants to make a change to get back into the game, Joe Cole isn't exactly the saviour that many had in mind.  Part of it is indicative of how little squad depth we have at present and that is something which needs to be addressed, especially when you consider that in the face of all the negativity surrounding him he was still probably the one most likely to come on and score a goal.  He came out for the start of the second half in place of Jonjo Shelvey who'd had one of "those" first forty five minutes.  Despite having done well to get into some decent positions, his touch had all but abandoned him at a time when we really needed something to happen for us.  Right from the off though, we did look like there was a willingness and an urgency to get back into the game and perhaps really should have been given that platform as early as the second minute of the second half.  A corner came in which Martin Skrtel headed back across goal for Daniel Agger, who was having his shirt tugged so hard it may as well have been pulled over his head.  Our long awaited search for a penalty this season continues.  There won't be many occasions where we'll have needed it more.

The foul on Agger rather seemed to rattle the crowd but have no real affect on the players.  Maybe they've got to the point now where it's an acceptance of the way things have been going in that regard, which would be incredibly sad.  Still that didn't stop them from trying to get back into the game, Suarez as per usual at the heart of everything; first backing into Baker and then turning him before his eventual shot lacked any power to trouble Guzan and then linking with Stewart Downing who came inside and forced the American goalkeeper into making a decent save.  Once again though, despite our presence as an attacking force it was our complete absence of any real strength and composure which was to be our downfall.  While their second goal was crafted magnificently the third featured perhaps the worst showcase of defending I've seen for some time.

A rather straightforward ball was played into Joe Cole in the middle of the park and instead of controlling it  he allowed Benteke to take it from him.  I can understand he will have been keen to turn and get it on the front foot but this was a very basic error for which there can be no excuses.  From here the defence seemed to collapse in on itself, allowing the Villa front man to run as far forward with the ball as possible, Skrtel even doing his part to show him a path into the middle of the goal where he breezed past him and fired beyond Reina to really underline our misery.  After the goal all thoughts of getting back into the game had disappeared.  This was turning into a real embarrassment and Villa looked to be capable of adding to it at any time.

From here the pattern that emerged was one of two completely different circumstances.  When the ball was in their half they packed the defence but left just enough of a gap in between the lines for us to pick up the ball and run at them, safe in the knowledge that even if we managed to get in behind our profligacy would take hold.  We went from left to right and back again, looking for a gap in their defence but none was forthcoming.  Meanwhile when they were on the break there was no such stranglehold in the middle and Benteke in particular was having the run of things as our midfield failed in any way to get a grip when we'd inevitably lose the ball.  Despite all the possession and pressure we were trying to exert it was Villa who were coming closer to adding to the score, Weimann and Bannan both having chances that Reina was just able to keep out.

Everything about his period of the match was painful.  The lack of imagination and of any real desire, it was incredibly infuriating.  Villa would back off, almost allowing us to do whatever we wanted in the first two thirds of the park and there wasn't anything which suggested we might be able to get so much as a foothold back into the game.  Downing and Johnson continued to put balls into the box aimlessly, while Sterling was trying to beat his man but constantly ran down blind alleys.  The one ball of any real danger was played by Lucas through to Suarez but his effort was gathered by Guzan at the second attempt.  It was to be Lucas' last contribution to the game as he was taken off for Jordan Henderson.  It was one of those rare occasions where even he was as guilty as everyone else for the problems in midfield.  Everyone is allowed one off game, especially when you're still trying to come back from two serious injuries.

Coming on with half an hour to go with your side three goals down, there was nothing for Henderson to lose getting stuck in and he did just that, providing some instant energy in the middle of the park that had seemed to be lacking from the moment Villa took the lead.  Another half hearted penalty appeal came minutes later as it appeared that Chris Herd handled a header from Glen Johnson.  Once again the referee wasn't interested and this time even I found it hard to muster up any resentment.  At this point we were relying on a piece of individual brilliance with Agger invited to come forward and unleashing a thunderbolt from just outside the area.  Had Guzan spilt it there were three waiting to pounce but he managed to make sure it didn't escape his grasp.

Villa had abandoned any and all attempts to add to their lead and were now happy to sit in and wait for the match to end.  Their narrow defence allowed our widemen plenty of the ball but the numbers they had ready in the penalty area were always enough to deal with whatever we could offer.  Sterling and Johnson were the primary options as we probed down the flanks with them both looking to go beyond or cut inside.  Downing was a little more one dimensional and even though none of them were successful  he's the one who struggled the most as Villa played at from a distance and his delivery not being of any real quality.  They had pushed themselves so deep at this point that had the scoreline been any closer it's the kind of policy that would backfire but with the three goal cushion it was up to us to find some answers and even the ever industrious and skilful Suarez was finding it hard to create anything with so many players around him.

Late in the game and referee Neil Swarbrick awarded a handball shout that saw ironic cheers go up around Anfield.  With the incident by the left hand touchline as opposed to inside the penalty area it was naturally much easier for an official to blow his whistle which in turn had the crowd cursing that this one was a free kick when the other one wasn't a penalty.  Naturally the free kick turned out to be something of a waste, we had long past the point where a realization of what kind of day this was turning out to be and if we needed any more evidence then the air shot which saw the ball bounce off the leg of Daniel Agger and go well wide after Sterling and Downing had worked some room on the left was enough to convince many inside the ground that this game had gone.

Incredibly subdued, Anfield was filled with a kind of hostile acceptance when out of the blue we managed to get a goal.  Glen Johnson had it on the right hand side and then drove infield to shoot.  His effort wasn't perhaps meant to be a cross but nevertheless Steven Gerrard ducked his head into it and beyond Guzan in the Villa goal.  All the while as the second half ticked on all I could ask for was a goal.  The idea that we could be completely kept out having been so dominant was particularly galling and now that we were on the score sheet - however late it may have been - there was nothing to lose by pushing for more.  If they had caught us on the break and gotten more then it didn't matter so it was time to throw everything at them.

A second goal would have made for a very tense finish.  I think had we scored once in the few minutes that remained, Villa's fragile defence may crumbled and we would very likely have got a third.  As it was there was very little to test Guzan in the short time that was left.  Johnson and Benteke tangled and for a moment it looked like the fire had been reignited in the game.  Unfortunately all it did in the end was waste a few more seconds and put a dampener over our momentum.  Villa defended stoutly as we went into added time and though we looked a little more urgent they were able to keep us away from goal.  There was a brief moment where Joe Allen right at the end of the game played a pass to Gerrard who in turn looked to have put Suarez in but the goalkeeper came out and gathered it for what would be the last act of a miserable game for us.

The reaction will be loud and emotional.  It's a reality check that we cannot ignore though I would be loathed to look too much into a game I think we would have won a vast majority of the time.  Villa took their chances and played very well for a period and we were during that passage of play as bad as we've been all season.  Failing to burying teams when we're on top of them is something we will forever be punished for and we need to react better to the goal against the run of play rather than let it be something that throws us off completely.  Next week is another home game and one we should be winning.  Now we simply have to.

(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.

Questions, Answers & More Questions

If knowledge is power, then those that ask questions are forever trying to arm themselves for the future. To seek out solutions that may never be found for problems which could never be encountered; the quest for understanding is a never-ending one. Answers can be as simple or complex, depending on the  question that preceded it.  Sometimes they only ever seem to lead to more problems.  In order to learn and to grow however, we must continue to ask.

In spite of all that Brendan Rodgers has brought with him to Liverpool, the one thing he could use the most is unavailable to him; experience. Though ambition and talent will get you so far, the journey that both club and manager are taking together would be a lot smoother had Rodgers experienced anything like this before. It's not a criticism of the man but more of an illustration. Often in daily life we encounter difficulties and they become much easier after a certain time and we're able to plan around them. These aren't minor inconveniences we're talking about here, either.

Every thought process begins with a desire or need. To eat, to sleep, to accomplish. It's only when something gets in the way that our ability to solve puzzles and go through obstacles determines how ultimately successful we will be. In the world of sport nothing is ever that straightforward however. Battles aren't won and lost in a single ninety minutes and something that works in one instance could be your downfall the next. Persistence is the key. If your overall design is correct eventually the details will fall into place. Even if it means trial by error.

There are still some major issues within the squad that need confronting, first and foremost being the inability to make something count when they're on top.  Likewise the reaction to setbacks and the mental fragility of the squad as a whole needs addressing, particularly against the so called weaker sides. Any decision goes their way in a game Liverpool are favourites to win and there's more of a sense of resignation than there is injustice. These are all things that subtle changes will not affect. What will eventually turn the tide in these matters is that which isn't seen on television or at the games. It's every day when Brendan Rodgers has them on the training ground.

Every decision has a knock on effect within the team and the manager won't know quite the positive or negative connotations until he tries. If there's one thing that Brendan Rodgers has shown in his brief tenure as Liverpool manager it's that he's not afraid to try. Some may call it papering over the cracks or stretching the squad too far. He would probably call it doing the very best with what he's got.

To have a plan is one thing. Wile E Coyote never caught the Roadrunner not because of his lack of a strategy, but rather that he was too quick to change tack and move on to the next one rather than iron out the mistakes from his previous scheme. When things go wrong, it's not enough to suggest that because it's not infallible it is therefore worthless. No one tactic is perfect and there is nothing wrong with altering a vision or adding tweaks to a master-plan along the way.

It's unlikely Rodgers took the job at Anfield to fulfil a lifelong ambition to turn Stewart Downing into Roberto Carlos or Dani Alves and as far as Jose Enrique the marauding midfielder? Right now it appears to be working at least half right. In theory, Downing in the defence seemed fine with the idea that the team would be so in control of the game he wouldn't even need to defend. In practice what we've seen is something come off that shouldn't have and another idea hasn't quite worked out.  This by the way is Rodgers asking questions for the sake of it. What does he do with actual problems?

Steven Gerrard has had so much written about him over the years, there's probably a forest somewhere that's been cut down with his name all over it. At the start of the season it was said that he wouldn't be able to fit into a Brendan Rodgers team and right now it appears as though he can barely play for anyone, such is his lack of energy. Despite every criticism that has come his way of late, he remains Liverpool's joint second top scorer and leading assist maker. That's as equally encouraging in that if he were able to spark back into life as it is discouraging as it is indicative of a wider problem.  As Gerrard enters the final stages of his career, adaptation to a new way of playing becomes a necessity both for him and for Liverpool. But the headache for Rodgers is not easily remedied as those that would have him removed from the squad may believe.

If the problem is that Steven Gerrard is not living up to his standards, then there is no replacement that can do that either. His lethargy in the middle of the park isn't so much a worry as it is a full scale terror alert. A move into the front three does seem justifiable, not least of all because it puts someone who is still arguably the clubs best finisher closer to the danger area while making sure our back four don't have to worry about facing a veritable charge of the light brigade. Still, even doing that has it's consequences. Boxing Gerrard out of the midfield leaves it incredibly low on any kind of fire-power  At the moment that looks like a sacrifice worth making.  On another day it may not.

People learn by doing and as such, often mistakes are made. In trying to get Liverpool back into the upper
echelons of English football once more, Brendan Rodgers may still find a lot to puzzle him but every day he - and everybody else at the club - will continue to work on putting the pieces together.  All the things that he's tried that has worked and even that which hasn't, all of it comes together to form a greater understanding. When you fully understand something, then you can truly do something about it.

(A) Tottenham - Post Match Thoughts

Final Score: Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool

Tottenham Goals: Aaron Lennon (8), Gareth Bale (16)
Liverpool Goal: Gareth Bale O.G (72)

In the end I'm not sure what to think.  Should I be mad for the way in which the game started and the predictability of the situation we found ourselves in or mildly pleased with the way in which we fought back from that point on.  Either way, it won't do anything to change the fact that this was not only the end of an eight game unbeaten run but also shines a light on the fact that we have only won once in the last six games.  However optimistic you want to feel, we need to get back on track.

Despite the worries over Downing's positional sense or Steven Gerrard needing a rest there were to be no changes from the same eleven that started at Swansea on Sunday.  The game started with both teams very keen to get onto the front foot as the pre match predictions of it being a high tempo affair were to be instantly vindicated.  The pitch at White Hart Lane is a very big one and though we passed the ball around carefully and neatly in the opening minute or so, the pressure applied by the home side made it especially important that the movement was good.  Steven Gerrard received the ball just inside his own half and within seconds was closed down by three Spurs players.  Up top, Jose Enrique was drifting from left to right, making sure to run in behind whenever Suarez would drop deep.  It took a couple of minutes for Tottenham to look threatening but when they did it was a case of "blink and you'll miss it" breathless pace from Aaron Lennon as he took the ball a long way only for it to get ahead of him at the crucial moment and allow Martin Skrtel to clear.  The game had barely started and already the fuse was lit.

One of the certainties I will take away from this game that hadn't really entered my conciousness before is that Clint Dempsey is someone who makes my blood boil.  His first dive of the evening was one that led to absolute mayhem in the penalty area.  Gareth Bale hit the valve with his free kick and Reina could only punch it, the ensuing scramble was eventually ended when Glen Johnson managed to tuck it behind for a corner.  The danger was there for all to see as Spurs continued to play at an electric pace, something that wasn't helped by the fact that we had no way of playing around it or the intelligence to try and slow it down.  Steven Gerrard gave the ball away first, it was simple as he tried to link the play between midfield and attack but dallied on the ball and very nearly saw Gareth Bale score from the left hand side in the resulting counter.  If this was to be a warning sign, it wasn't one we'd pay any attention to.

When Glen Johnson tried to force one forward and played it into Michael Dawson, he then laid it back to Bale.  What happened next was both excruciating and inevitable in equal measure.  With Johnson leaving a gap behind him, Bale made a direct purposeful run forward.  Gerrard's attempts to tackle him were easily brushed aside and when he got into position to cross his ball along the back line was perfect.  What was the opposite of perfect was the marking of Stewart Downing, who had let Aaron Lennon run twenty yards unopposed to allow him the simplest of finishes. Spurs a goal up within the first few minutes of the game, exactly the way you'd expect them to score and exploiting the very weaknesses that had been muted prior to the game.  If this is being right, I'd much rather be wrong.

Whether it was our sense of urgency or simply playing into their hands, there would be no let up in the tempo with which the game was being played.  Almost immediately after the goal, out of absolutely nowhere Suarez had the ball bobbled to his feet on the edge of the box and forced a save out of Lloris.  Whatever the way in which we were going about it, it was clear that we weren't at all upset by the goal but rather fully ready to roll with whatever punches they could throw at us.  The problem with that was whereas they were able to finish their chance when it presented itself, we couldn't.  Gerrard had been outmuscled by Sandro but still had enough to battle back and win the ball in midfield.  He passed it off to Suarez who played a ball through intended for Jose Enrique.  Hugo Lloris comes storming out of his goal and the ball arrives at the feet of Jordan Henderson with the goal gaping, who then lashed it wildly into the stands.  Once again it was a missed opportunity, once again we would be made to pay.

It was the same combination that had reeked havoc in our penalty area at the start of the game. Clint Dempsey has had an absolute shocker - going down at the feel of Henderson's breath on his neck - and allowed Gareth Bale to have a shot on goal.  His free kick wasn't quite of the same quality of the previous one, but this one had that ever redeeming tangible about it; luck.  Brushing the head of Jordan Henderson, this in turn wrong footed Pepe Reina and had him helplessly diving away to his left hand side while the ball settled in his right hand corner.  Just over fifteen minutes had been played and Tottenham were already two goals to the good.  At this point I feared the worst, that we would be in for a similar style mauling that we suffered on this ground last year.  All over the park Spurs players were brimming full of confidence, with Sandro brushing aside Joe Allen before Gareth Bale was the first I've seen in a long while get the better of Glen Johnson.

Trying to steady things up would have been the first priority and with a decent passage of play that was the first real patient build up by either side, at least we kept the ball.  There were some twenty passes that saw the ball go back and forth between defence and midfield before eventually Raheem Sterling played Glen Johnson in down the right hand side and he took on Gareth Bale.  The chance unfortunately never quite materialized for either he or Suarez and Enrique that were following up as Tottenham were always quick to get a block in.  Spurs were quite content to play on the counter now and as such had a lot of players behind the ball when we'd be in control of it, so much so that Daniel Agger was able to break free and stride forward with the ball, albeit with no real end product.  As ever our play was being dictated to by inches and the passes which we were making being close but not close enough.  Gerrard played a ball over to Downing and his ball was agonisingly behind Jose Enrique and moments later Suarez held off Dawson and forced Lloris into a sharp save at a difficult angle.  Despite being two goals down we were starting to boss the game.

Having a two goal cushion should allow a defence room to breath and coupled with how devastating they are on the break, you could see that Spurs were confident in their ability to defend whatever we were throwing at them.  Once Tottenham did eventually get the ball back however, they tried to show us that they could play neat passing football as well as we could and held onto it for a long period of time, really making us work without ever overexerting our defence and it was mainly played around in the middle with Dembele linking it all together.  Our energy was good all over the park, working hard in terms of movement when we were on the ball and work rate when we didn't.  As such they didn't really carve out any chances of note but did alleviate the pressure that we had built up.

With the team looking for a response before half time, again we took full control of possession and tried to squeeze them.  It mostly came down the right hand side as Raheem Sterling and particularly Glen Johnson took a real grip of the game.  His direct run into the box led to a chance for Enrique and moments later nearly found Henderson with a cross from deep.  Then came what could have been a game changing moment and just reward for all our hard work.  Suarez had the ball on the edge of the penalty area and threaded a ball through for Steven Gerrard.  The ensuing challenge was clumsy to say the least but there was no response by the referee.  Suarez even could have had a goal in the aftermath as he followed up and poked it toward goal and would have were it not for Kyle Walker's intervention, who cleared it off the line.

The chances continued to arrive in their number.  Suarez was played through by Downing and isolated Dawson but was only able to win a corner.  From that set piece there was real trouble for Spurs in the penalty area but after a series of frantic shooting and blocking they were eventually able to get it clear.  There was a certain edginess about their defending that belied their goal-line superiority.  It looked like they were the team desperate to cling on to something and we were the ones full of confidence and trying to add to our advantage.  Having not been able to make it count however, Spurs were able to get some control back in their game and had a few half chances of their own.  Vertonghen and Lennon combined with Defoe before the ball was eventually cleared and moments later the Belgian defender had a wild effort of his own.

Perhaps then our best chance of getting back into it - especially given what happened later - was an error out of nowhere from the Tottenham defence.  Stewart Downing's cross at nobody in particular was hit against Gallas by Michael Dawson and narrowly behind for a corner instead of an own goal.  Half time came after another couple of wild shots from distance, this time by Kyle Walker and Gareth Bale with the latter forcing Reina into a good save.  Other than that, it's hard to remember a time when you've been so impressed with the side that's two goals down.

If the fear was that half time would allow Spurs the chance to regroup and we wouldn't be able to have quite the same dominance then I needn't have worried.  The second half started as if there were only one team playing.  It began relatively calmly with a period of easy possession, that led to Suarez playing Jose Enrique in behind the defence.  Had he been able to sort his feet out better then there were people waiting in the box but Jose then scuffed it.  The stress we put them under - understandably so at 2-0 down - was incredibly intense and Tottenham couldn't deal with it, constantly giving it away.  It should have led to more, especially when they gave the ball up right on the edge of their penalty area and Suarez's cross found Enrique perfectly.  He decided to head it back across goal when the right move would have been to test Hugo Lloris.  The chance had gone but the momentum was there in abundance.

With the first two decent chances of the half falling to a makeshift winger, moments later we finally managed to get it the right way round with Enrique putting Suarez through on goal.  The ball forced him much wider than he would have liked and allowed Lloris to smother it well as Luis tried to cut it back.  Tottenham needed to take a breather and yet the game continued to move at a rapid pace.  Out of nowhere we nearly shot ourselves in the foot completely - not for the first time this season - when Skrtel's bad touch allowed Defoe to go through on goal but Clint Dempsey took it off him and the chance quickly dissipated.  After Jose Enrique nearly barrelled his way through five defenders at the other end they finally did have the chance to slow the tempo down a little.  Despite having the chance to counter, Tottenham instead chose to hold onto the ball and pass it around for the first real time.

They were getting back into the game and looked to have survived the worst of it.  Gareth Bale's impressive running with the ball couldn't be halted until three players came to deal with him before Clint Dempsey fell over once again and won a free kick, all the time our impetus had started to wane.  Brendan Rodgers took this time to call for one of his substitutes and brought on Jonjo Shelvey in place of Jordan Henderson, hoping that the young midfielder would be able to add a much needed goal threat.  Of those we already had on the pitch, Jose Enrique was continually making a nuisance of himself whenever the ball would be played anywhere near him and the Tottenham back four.  Constantly chasing and not giving up on any lost cause, it helped in making sure that they weren't allowed to simply waste time by knocking it around at the back.

One of the things that makes it easier to play at White Hart Lane - in spite of all the good players that they have at their disposal - is the crowd's ability to get on their own teams back.  It never ceases to amaze me how quickly fear can be transmitted from stands to pitch side and a side that really should be in total control might suddenly be up against it through no fault of their opponents.  Spurs had not really been comfortable for any real part of the game after those first fifteen minutes and after the way in which they'd begun the second half it was really starting to tell among the fans.  Mistakes were beginning to appear which weren't even being brought on by ourselves.  We just needed to take full advantage of them.

Time was against us and it looked almost like we were starting to run out of ideas a little.  The concession of a few soft free kicks allowed Tottenham the chance to come on to us some more and even though they weren't able to produce any real quality it still broke the game up and made sure we couldn't put anything together.  A long shot by Suarez seemed to underline the fact that maybe this wasn't going to be our day but then something changed.  Steven Gerrard had already played a wonderful crossfield pass to Glen Johnson some moments earlier but no-one was there and he was unable to make anything happen.  On the second occasion however, Johnson was able to combine with Suarez and put in a very good ball which saw Jose Enrique's effort just about blocked.  The resulting corner was our way back into the game as the ball flicked off Agger's head and then Gerrard's.  William Gallas tried to clear Stevie's header off the line but only ended up smashing it against Gareth Bale's not so handsome face and into the Tottenham net.  It was the one thing we'd not had any of in the game up until that point.  Luck.

As you'd expect, following the goal there was a clear effort to get right into their faces and as had been the case all game, it didn't take long before we had the ball back and looked to attack once more.  They tucked their fullbacks fairly narrow and as such allowed ours to push on, with Gareth Bale doing little to track Glen Johnson and making him an easy outlet - although whenever he did get it Bale was quick to close down the space and not give him a chance for further progression.  When our attacks fizzled out and Spurs had the ball back, they were a little confused as to what to do with it.  There was no such confusion among our players and though Tottenham had spells where they connected with a few passes, there was always a Liverpool player coming in to make the interception.  As such the game was becoming increasingly more frantic and it felt like a matter of time before a fourth - and decisive - goal would be on it's way.

Brendan Rodgers used his last roll of the dice to bring on Assaidi in place of Stewart Downing, moving Jose Enrique back into defence in the process.  Though their commitment on the ball was torn between whether to stick or twist, off it Tottenham were very keen and working hard to press us sufficiently in order to keep us at bay.  While we were able to pass the ball around, it seemed like there was no real forward momentum in the play.  That was until the right gap would appear and it looked to have been found when Skrtel slipped in Suarez down the right hand side, catching the Spurs defence on their heels and erroneously claiming for offside.  Bearing down on goal, their defence did just enough to push him out wide and then cut out his attempted cross.  Suarez wouldn't have to wait long for another chance, this time it was a little more hopeful and increasingly more difficult.  A high ball played into the penalty area saw Agger challenge with two defenders either side of him.  When it bounced they fell asleep thinking it would go harmlessly wide only for the Dane to get there and hook it back across goal, whereby Suarez had to take it early and ended up blazing over.  Though Spurs were angry at the linesman for not suggesting the ball had gone out of play, they would then be grateful to Moussa Dembele, who went down to kill some time after colliding with Steven Gerrard.   Time that was very much against us.

As the tension mounted and the game edged ever near it's close, still the chances came.  Suarez was able to hold the ball up and then play in Raheem Sterling but his cross was cut out and then William Gallas was in the right place at the right time to cut out a ball from Suarez to Shelvey that would have seen him all but through on goal.  As more risks were needed to be taken we had a succession of corners the second of which Tottenham had a chance to counter but Jose Enrique who was virtually the only line of defence was able to deal with it and knock it safely back to Reina.  He would be involved again moments later after another set piece  this time a long Agger throw only half cleared which Enrique met on the volley with the curl sending it agonisingly wide.  He would continue to be a central figure in what was left of the game, firstly with a ball over the top that a great first touch looked to have put Suarez in between the two centre halves but Gallas was there again to clear.  Enrique then fell victim to Aaron Lennon's quickness as the winger looked to hold onto the ball and waste some of the precious few seconds that remained.

Though no-one in the stadium could have begrudged us an equaliser, the storm that we managed to brew up wasn't enough to blow them down.  Lloris was relatively untested in the Tottenham goal and even though we fought very hard, as the final whistle blew and put an end to our unbeaten streak the simple fact remained that you can't start a game two goals down, no matter how hard the effort.  Perspective has now completely switched from a team that was unbeaten in eight but in spite of the loss our heads shouldn't drop after this performance but the mistakes have to be cut out.  The fixture list does get kinder to us for the next couple of weeks and we'll be going into much more winnable games than we have over the last few days.  That being said we still have to play well enough to win them.