Stanley Park Theater
For long stretches in the first half, I was wondering if the other guy on the sidelines was Simeone instead of Lampard. The Toffees played the Athletico way almost as well as the originals, complete with an utter lack of interest in attacking, and even more so, theatrical flourishes up and down the pitch. At some point, even the lackluster Stuart Attwell had enough of it and gave Anthony Gordon a yellow after a dramatic cartwheel in the box, which in a way was a shame because young Gordon played his boots off today and was a constant menace to the Reds. I think he’s wasted on Everton, and if they do find themselves relegated this season – a distinct possibility – then I suspect that he would be one to be snapped up by a bigger club.
Which also feels like a dig at Everton, so you know… bonus.
The ones who did deserve a yellow for their thespian endeavors were, first and foremost, Richarlison – who should not have seen the final whistle from pitchside – and Pickford, whose time-wasting was obvious even before he started embellishing it. In the end, it fell to Alisson to point that out in what was the best moment of the game, as he had the presence of mind and sense of humor to emulate his counterpart’s ridiculous behavior. He did so in excellent fashion, sending the crowd roaring. Thankfully, Liverpool was up two by then.
The way the game evolved, this wasn’t by any means a given
I, for one, will be very sad to see Divock Origi leave in the summer. The man is a Liverpool legend already and has cemented a spot in our hearts as maybe the best special moments fella we’ve ever had. And it is even better that so many of those moments have come against these very same opponents. Sure, he didn’t actually pass to Robbo for the latter’s downright brilliant-headed finish which finally broke Everton open – it was Salah – but he earned an honorary assist there.
It seems like his mere presence in the Toffees’ box creates a weird vibe that unnerves them. Then he got his own, off an inspirational scissors pass from the fantastic Diaz, and I suspect that the Kop could not get any happier. So fuck it, Origi gets my nod as man-of-the-match, because it’s probably my last chance to give one to him and I dare anyone to suggest he didn’t have a huge impact on the game – as did Diaz.
This game was conceivably the trickiest one we had left in our run-in; Spurs will be tough, for sure, but at least in their case, the Reds won’t have to spend an hour trying to make it through the spirit of Simeone.
We’re almost to May, and still, everything to play for. Oh, it’s great to be a Liverpool fan, isn’t it?
