Say what you will about the lineup. Sometimes you don’t get the handball call. Sometimes you’re on the wrong end of a harsh pen. Sometimes your striker doesn’t keep his head while clean through on goal. Sometimes it feels like you’re trying to score on a 4 foot net with a beach ball. Sometimes your two-year undefeated home record gets done in by fecking Burnley. That’s the game. 19 to go. The Law of averages suggests we’ll score again before the season is done. What’s the thing from Friday Night Lights? “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t score.” I don’t think that’s it. But anyway, “eyes closed, fingers crossed, more booze” is more like it…

RATINGS

Becker – 6
Makes a couple of big reflex saves. Perhaps could have been quicker off his line for the save that led to the pen. 

TAA – 5
Just so far off it right now. When he’s not over hitting crosses he’s cutting it back into the defense. Lacks the confidence to take anyone on. 

Matip – 8
Thought he was tits. Not great when him slaloming out of the back is the most dangerous we look, offensively.

Fabinho – 7
Another solid outing. Still smiling. Even while he waits on a red.

Robertson – 6
Promising linkup play with Sane early on but then faded. More of the same. Series of mishits and missed connections. Like my personal life. 

Gini – 6
Made one, long, powerful run in the 2nd half that looked to threaten but other than that was pretty forgettable.

Thiago – 6
You can see he’s still getting on the same page with the lads. A little bit of a recessed role on the night. Don’t know up what’s up with all the late, lunging tackles he was putting in, but that’s trouble waiting to happen

Shaq – 7
Pretty promising display before being pulled. Thought he put in the work and did a good job of staying wide and trying to put the ball into the half-spaces.

Ox – 4
Never liked Ox out wide. Has a tendency to drift central. Looked sorely out of form and has since well before the injury.

Origi – 5
The rare start, centrally. Doesn’t provide any of the press or linkup play, Bobby does but did well to pepper the goal early on. We don’t need to get into the rest. 

Mane – 6
Same as the last match. Looks most likely of the front three to come closest to scoring without scoring.

SUBSTITUTIONS

Mo – 6 (‘57)
The urgency is there. The quality and the confidence isn’t. Predictably turning everything onto his left these days. 

Firmino – 6 (‘57)
Dreadfully unlucky on the shank and then again on the block that was goal bound. That’s it in a nutshell, right now.

Taki – NA (‘83