Heavy Fog, Clear Skies

Liverpool was never losing this.

Sure, the fog was ridiculous, and while it looked better on the ground than from the aerial TV camera, surely the conditions played a role in the way the match developed. When the Foxes grabbed a lucky early lead – Ayew was always going to win a shoulder challenge with Robbo, I would have expected better cover from Virgil, and it still took a deflection of the latter’s heel to get past Ali – it didn’t seem like we needed to worry. The Reds could well afford to spot their opponents a goal.

Except that, for almost the entirety of the first half, it started to look like maybe they couldn’t. Cross after cross came flying into the Leicester box, but if there is one solid thing in the Foxes’ lineup, it’s their centerbacks in the air, and they frustrated Liverpool over and again. The Reds kept trying a scramble play from corners, but with the heavy fog, Trent Alexander-Arnold seemed to lose some of his legendary aiming, and they went nowhere. Liverpool needed a moment of individual brilliance, and they finally got it seconds from the halftime whistle. It came off a Gakpo Special, that move that Gakpo does on the edge of the box when given the opportunity. It’s similar to what Salah does on the other side, but Salah’s earlier attempt hit the bar, whereas Gakpo’s guided missile went right into the top far corner.

At that point, it was just a matter of time until Liverpool reasserted its dominance.

It took only three more minutes, and a complex, well orchestrated series of moves saw Jones poke the ball in with elegance to finally establish a deserved lead. Otherwise poor on the night, Jones’ goal meant that the Anfield crowd could relax, and more spirited singing followed thereafter. I suspect that anyone sitting above the bottom rows couldn’t see much of the game anyway, but there was plenty to sing about. Salah later slotted (or is it Slot-ted?) in a third, with an incredibly composed and slick precision finish, and the clear air on the perch became even crisper. As an aside, I don’t know how Mo does these things over and over again, year in and year out; everyone knows what he’s going to do, but that doesn’t seem to matter.

Liverpool dominated this game to such a degree that it could easily have been a more lopsided result, and without the fog, I suspect it might have been. At the same time, Liverpool never really got out of second gear. Such is disparity between the quality and form of the two squads at this moment. Nobody was excellent today, but two players stood out to me. First was Mac Allister, whose tireless, focused work in the midfield was the big engine behind the Reds’ dominance. Second was my man-of-the-match, Joe Gomez, who is doing what he’s done multiple times before in giving Arne Slot a selection headache even once Konate is healthy. Not that Gomez should worry; as fabulous as is the Frenchman, he doesn’t seem to stay fit for long stretches. What is truly astonishing about Gomez, though, is his ability to come into the squad and play as if he’s always in it, time and again.

I simply cannot wait for the moment when he finally scores a goal.

I hope it happens at Anfield.

Boxing day, seven clear, game in hand. Liverpool fans are an anxious bunch (for good reason), so I won’t state the obvious. Still, not a bad place to be.

I’ll end this one by (sarcastically, folks) conceding the point many Liverpool haters have been making: the only time Liverpool met an actual strong opponent this season, the Reds lost. Forget Real Madrid, City, Arsenal, Chelsea, or any of the rest; that one strong opponent was, of course, Nottingham Forest. Take a gander at that league table! I still remember being a kid during the golden years and them being a chief rival. It’s nice to see them back where they are.