Post Match: Fulham v Liverpool (EPL 17/3/19 3.15pm)

[Neukolln]

Today was the very first time in a long time that I actually felt cool and composed and confident in the boys to pull out the result. Even all square at 1-1 something felt like we were going to pull it out. Prior to the match it's easy to look at the table and think we should have just walked that match today, and admittedly we made that much tougher than it needed to be but there was also a pretext going into the match, including:

-Coming off a hugely emotional European night against the very best club in Germany
-Playing a bottom of the table side that is fighting for their lives to stay up in the Prem

Then during the match:
-Sleepy and sedate atmosphere
-Fulham have individual quality all over their lineup
-Not taking chances to put it away early

There was certainly some things to be annoyed with today, and I don't begrduge my fellow supporters for feeling annoyed or agitated, but as was said early in this post-match thread: At this stage, the ONLY thing that matters is the result.

3 points delivered, top of the table, we go again. The rest is just noise. Don't let yourself get caught up in the sensationalist histrionics being falsely manufactured by the pundits for drama and doubt.

Let's enjoy the ride.

 

[FGred]

This is where being slightly detached from the game would be helpful for fans. If Man City play this exact game then comments on this forum would be "bastards, they're relentless". For us it is "fuck me we are shite".

This was a "normal" game by the standards of 99% of football teams - we just haven't seen it often this season as we are so good.

3 pts, top of the league, pressure handed back to City.

Totally agree in fact Molby summed it up perfectly when he said this is how championship run in is exactly like remember he went through the same ringer and he won the league that year.

 

[FGred]

Oh dear.

Me I am buying an extra box of Imodium as alcohol seem to make matters worse haha

 

[FGred]

Good for Babel,now his form will return to being wank,like his hair.

I hope he is just as motivated against Shitty

 

[hugo the horrible]

3. Points,top for now,will take that anyway.
But I would prefer we didn’t look for the hard way to do it.
We’ve plenty of form for taking the hard road,and I dOn’t want to get back to that.
The easier route is fine with me and I’m certain my Cardiologist would agree.
Mane MOTM for me,the lad is on fire.

 

[Incognito]

Loved how Milner and VVD kept saying it was their fault for the goal. Unity!

 

[FGred]

3 points, and I have deleted the game from my DVR. I do not want to rewatch that one, probably mess my shorts watching it again, even knowing the outcome. I was worried about Fabinho for a big chunk of the game, after he got the early yellow. Did not want to play Spurs without the big man in the middle of the park. Off to buy a laxative, so that I can get regular again after that game.

Wrong choice of medicine it will make the condition worse I would recommend Imodium mate and Brown pants won’t cut it either

 

[jabu]

Football is a funny game. I leave the house and bitters are under pressure. Come back home and they are leading 2-0... smh...

 

[Billy Biskix]

Totally agree in fact Molby summed it up perfectly when he said this is how championship run in is exactly like remember he went through the same ringer and he won the league that year.

This is exactly how league titles are won. I can still (vaguely) remember us winning them and I don't remember any seasons where we were brillant from start to finish ( except maybe 87/88). One or two great performances, a few good ones, a whole lot of average ones and a few dogturd performances. That was your average title winning season. The important thing is the result. Getting wins any which way you can and that's what this team has been doing all season.

A weird mix of complacency and lethargy about the performance today but when we messed up we didn't panic. We just stepped it up. We got our break, shut the game down and got the three points. That's all that matters.

 

[FGred]

I'm waiting for those inbreds to miss top 4 again.
They are a shit club with shit fan base. Funny that their captain slipped on his arse to and lost in the UCL final.

At least Gerrard didn’t cry like a baby at the end

 

[Walshy07]

Anyone reckon Shaq a falling out?
He’s not played for ages. Not even coming on from bench.
Only thing I can think of is when you saw Salah case back when Fulham has counter shaq just wouldn’t do that.

 

[Wrongintheadbutalwaysared]

im sorry yes 3 points but apart from mane everyone else was poor,cant be happy with a shit performance like that,we going to needa hell of a lot of luck to keep up there,i really dont know whats happenned to our stunning football from last season.

Are Keita and Shaqiri injured because Shaq and Keita were being used far more as starters or regular subs when we were ripping Arsenal to bits and since then through our 0-0 spells and last few poor performances have seen very little of them? We miss their creativity and general forward play.

 

[The Infamous]

Anyone reckon Shaq a falling out?
He’s not played for ages. Not even coming on from bench.
Only thing I can think of is when you saw Salah case back when Fulham has counter shaq just wouldn’t do that.

Or maybe he isn’t needed

He was needed for midfield back when Fabinho wasn’t a starter and since then we have a settled midfield and he isn’t fast or trickey enough for the front 3

Don’t think it’s a fall out per say just doesn’t fit the team at the moment

 

[redaderry]

Jeez, that seemed like a harder job than the one in Munich during the week.
Back in your Babel-copter Ryan and fly on

 

[pass_and_move]

We’re top of the league because we’ve been fucking brilliant. I’m so tired of this bullshit.

I think we've been brilliant in getting three points in games that previously we would have lost or drawn. I don't think we have been as gung ho as last season, which is why it probably feels like we aren't playing as well, but defensively we have improved significantly. I hope we are saving our most scintillating performances for the end of the season.

 

[Mascot88]

I think we've been brilliant in getting three points in games that previously we would have lost or drawn. I don't think we have been as gung ho as last season, which is why it probably feels like we aren't playing as well, but defensively we have improved significantly. I hope we are saving our most scintillating performances for the end of the season.

There is a lot more control to our play, which makes for less explosiveness, but much less tendency to drop stupid points. As others have said, there is a maturity about us.

That said, we were shite today. But any away after a midweek Champions League away is going to be dicey. We needed to find a way to win, and we did.

 

[Scott Jones]

I've decided i'm going to do my own in match live commentary from now on,i'm as useless as the useless cunts they use,easily.

 

[RedForever2014]

Carragher is as big a prick as Tyler these days.

Always interesting how ex Liverpool players who are now media pundits tend to overcompensate so they can't be accused of bias, whereas ex players of other clubs are open and proud of their favouritism towards their former clubs.

 

[Show me the Mane]

We couldn't smash them could we
they play City next
let Babbel build his confidence up
and make the keeper more determined next time out
perfect

 

[Livvy]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1107341550089093120

 

[big noyd]

Milly provided our best corner today ,Trent couldn’t get the ball past there first defender .

and milner gave vvd an absolute peach for the goal on wednesday

nobody is more guilty of blaming milner's crossing from right back (& by extension klopp's team selection) for the draw at the theater of snores than i am

but they wouldn't have necessarily played the same way against trent, and as we saw today trent's delivery isn't always top-notch

 

[Hope in your heart]

Carragher is as big a prick as Tyler these days.

Agree with this. He has gone down quite a few levels since he started to be a pundit. The Sky atmosphere is obviously getting into his head, and doing some damage in there...

 

[Scott Jones]

We have a disadvantage when it comes to crossing into the box as our front 3 are not exactly tall,we should mix more of the running to the outside edge of the 18 yard box with the low pull back across the 6 yard box more often,Mane loves them.

 

[pass_and_move]

Tempted to change my name to Babel's haircut. Did he do it for a bet or a dare?

 

[wibseyred]

Agree with this. He has gone down quite a few levels since he started to be a pundit. The Sky atmosphere is obviously getting into his head, and doing some damage in there...

He's like a lot of our ex players who now pundit they seem to be so scared this group is going to achieve something great more than they have done.

 

[Joely G]

I was at the game in the Fulham stand today. A very different perspective on things having to stay calm for the entire game (as pretending to be neutral at the least).

We were the better side for the vast majority of the game. It was a pleasure to watch our shape in the first half. Every ball out of defence came through VVD and onwards. Sometimes to Matip and out, but always out to one of our fullbacks who had a free run at each corner on either side.

Lallana was useful carrying the ball in the middle. And Firmino also finding space and creating little one twos on the edge of their box. Along with the balls in from the aforementioned fullbacks we created a lot of chances.

Salah still looks like he is trying to hard, but it is certainly better than not trying at all and, bar the obvious brianfart, the defence dealt with all Fulham had to throw at us (which was not too much admittedly).

It is also worth mentioning that the only period that Fulham got on top of us was during a freak hail storm with mental icy rain and gusty winds which definitely affected the run of play.

My heart fell when Babel scored just after Klop had taken Firmino and Lallana off and it felt like we would struggle to find a goal in the time left... Then all became calm again when I realised it meant that Milner was there to take the penalty they offered to us. He does not miss those.

Respect to Fulham. It is a pleasant place to go and the fans are not dicks. I had a great day out. Seeing some of the players get back on the coach out the front of the ground was a bonus... As are the (deserved) 3 points that keep us in the title race

 

[[email protected]]

'Playing badly and still getting a result, that's what champions do'. Heard that till it was drilled into my head as everyone else won titles around us. Funny how that's changed in 2018/19

 

[scouseheadross]

Back from my ban in time to comment. We made hard work of that. Should have been about goal difference, not the three points. Very wasteful. Fulham were woeful and scored from a freak, joke of a goal. We're all human after all it seems!

Still, glad to be over the line in that one after a big European week. The international break shouldn't really affect our continuity as we have little lately. Who knows but Spurs is going to be massive. I'm stockpiling the heart pills given Brexit and all too.

 

[Joely G]

I was at the game in the Fulham stand today. A very different perspective on things having to stay calm for the entire game (as pretending to be neutral at the least).

We were the better side for the vast majority of the game. It was a pleasure to watch our shape in the first half. Every ball out of defence came through VVD and onwards. Sometimes to Matip and out, but always out to one of our fullbacks who had a free run at each corner on either side.

Lallana was useful carrying the ball in the middle. And Firmino also finding space and creating little one twos on the edge of their box. Along with the balls in from the aforementioned fullbacks we created a lot of chances.

Salah still looks like he is trying to hard, but it is certainly better than not trying at all and, bar the obvious brianfart, the defence dealt with all Fulham had to throw at us (which was not too much admittedly).

It is also worth mentioning that the only period that Fulham got on top of us was during a freak hail storm with mental icy rain and gusty winds which definitely affected the run of play.

My heart fell when Babel scored just after Klop had taken Firmino and Lallana off and it felt like we would struggle to find a goal in the time left... Then all became calm again when I realised it meant that Milner was there to take the penalty they offered to us. He does not miss those.

Respect to Fulham. It is a pleasant place to go and the fans are not dicks. I had a great day out. Seeing some of the players get back on the coach out the front of the ground was a bonus... As are the (deserved) 3 points that keep us in the title race

Have also remembered this is not the first time I have seen Liverpool live. I did a similar secret agent mission into QPR to watch us lose under Kenny. The game that Coates scored the overhead kick. Those QPR fans were dicks. I would much rather go to Fulham for a pleasant day out, take home 3 points and go top of the league than go there again. Glad they got relegated.

 

[Red over the water]

Three points. That’s the best I can say about that!

We started slowly, which was understandable, but then when we got in front there was a long, long way to go, and I thought we would add another couple and run out comfortable winners. But we never got that crucial two goal cushion.

I love Mo, but as I watched that one I found myself criticizing him. He was lingering on it a bit too long, dribbling a bit too much, and not quite looking for his teammate as he should. I know he is desperate for a goal, but it’s starting to become a thing. Mane put one on a plate for him and he hit a tame shot when at another time he would have smacked it in the bottom corner.

They equalized through a comedy of errors. Milner slice, Van Dijk weak header, Alisson on his heels.

At that time Fulham looked like they were going for it a bit more, and they had one or two more attacking players come on and it was looking a bit hairy. Fortunately we won a penalty and Milner sent it down the middle and into the back of the net.

Mane was my MOTM as he looked lively, scored a good goal and won the penalty. At least one of our strikers is bang on form! At the moment it’s carrying us through. At some point Mo needs to rejoin the party. He has so much quality his drought can’t last forever, and ideally he hits the goalscoring trail again soon, as that could be the difference between winning something or not.

Overall an iffy day. After a big night in Munich the performance level wasn’t really there today, so at that point we will take our three points and move on. The pressure goes back to Man City now as they need a win to go back to the top.