A Proper Perspective
And…breathe. It was a hugely difficult one to take at Old Trafford for all manner of reasons on Sunday. Not least because we were comprehensively the architects of our downfall. But, I’ve found myself coming through the other side quicker than I thought. Putting where we are as a club into perspective is a huge part of that.
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As I sat locked in the stadium waiting for the police to release the 9,000 of us as is customary at the home of our rivals, it dawned on me that this was perhaps the one game I’d have surrendered between now and the end of the campaign.
It didn’t feel like that during the contest. You naturally get swept up in what the rivalry means and the prospect of another trip to Wembley next month. But as Liverpool fans, we can honestly argue that we have bigger fish to fry without being accused of demonstrating after-timing resentment.
The League Perspective
Our Premier League destiny is in our own hands. I imagine the vast majority would agree that we’d have taken a 20th crown over a cup treble when the first ball was kicked back in August.
That we already have the first major trophy locked away in our cabinet realistically reduced the pressure on ourselves in any of the other competitions.
Of course, seeing our possible hopes of a quadruple fade against an immeasurably inferior United side was tough to stomach. But winning twice at Old Trafford in the space of three weeks was always going to be a tough ask. I know which one I’d rather take.
It provides us with the opportunity to right the wrongs of Sunday in a fixture that will ultimately prove to be more significant in the fullness of time, and the way in which that second half panned out gives me more than enough confidence to believe that will be the case.
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Our own mistakes were ultimately what cost us. Needless to say though, one of the many things this manager gets right is that he very rarely allows lightning to strike twice in such scenarios.
He will have been acutely aware that the Reds could and should have put the game to bed after the break, with their dominance failing to yield a goal during a 45-minute period in which they could perhaps have been accused of a little bit of complacency.
Liverpool toyed with Man United in that second half. At one point it looked as though they had surrendered hope. They could barely string three passes of their own together. But that ended up being a cruel preamble.
Looking Back, Looking Forward
We were the heavy favorites going into the quarter-final and with good reason, despite the injuries.
It is always worth remembering that we are still streets ahead of them at the moment. That win will have meant an awful lot more in the context of their season than it would have done for ours.
Losing is never fun, and we haven’t done much of it this season. Nevertheless, there are bigger things to come and we need to relish these final few months of what has been an incredible period for the football club.
Up the Reds.
