Walk On
This could not have gone any better.
Certainly, the three points were likely to end up in the Reds’ column before the game started. But how they were won makes it perfect. The biggest threat to Liverpool at this stage of the season, as they are still in every competition they entered, comes from feature congestion and injuries. The Tractor Boys under Kieran McKenna can be a tiresome opponent at times. That’s a testament to their dogged determination to prove they belong in the league. Today, though, and I feel bad saying this, they looked like a League One team.
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Liverpool being three up before halftime was merely a side effect. The goals, though…oh, the goals were pretty. Szoboszlai’s opener was sublime and so much like the ones he nails regularly for Hungary and seemingly never for Liverpool, a beautiful and highly accurate left-footed strike to the bottom corner from outside the box. He also played brilliantly throughout until he was subbed off later to give him a rest. That’s the Szobo we want to see and if we are getting this version for the rest of the season then we have much to celebrate.
Then we got another ridiculous Salah special. Forget the control on receipt, which was epic. Forget the dancing feet. The man was practically standing on the touchline when he slotted the ball into the top net, hitting with massive and necessary power (or Walton would have deflected it) a target about as big as a basketball hoop. Salah can be a frustrating figure at times. Like today, because he always backs himself to score from difficult positions when a pass might be better. But then he does this and you have to grudgingly admit that he has a point.
And then came Gakpo. His goals in and of themselves were – as much as any goal can be – routine finishes, but the passes that led to them were anything but. The second one, in particular, has become a signature move from Trent Alexander-Arnold. That curled pass from the corner of the box is, one must conclude, unplayable – as a defender, you just have to hope nobody connects with it. Today Gakpo was there, biding his time carefully and timing his run to perfection, knowing full well that the delivery would make it easy for him. Like Szobo, Trent was insane today and got oh-so close to scoring a couple himself. He defended brilliantly too, with one particular run back to cover after Liverpool was four up that showed full commitment.
Liverpool was so dominant that Ipswich only got their first attempt about an hour in when the game was effectively over. But the important part was that the Reds didn’t tire themselves out while doing all this; they looked like champions, and it was as much of an afternoon stroll as anything in the premier league. That is worthy of a little celebration. One sad moment concerns Ipswich’s poor Wes Burns, whose injury as he tried to put one on Gakpo looks like, at his age, might be a career-ender.
So how, in all of this, did the visitors score? It’s a good question which I kept to the end because it leads to my choice for man-of-the-match. Something changed in the last 15 minutes. Suddenly, Ipswich looked much more competitive, generated a few chances, and converted one. They looked like the team that can still be here next year.
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That something is called Alexis Mac Allister. If anyone had any questions as to who was truly outstanding today, the simple fact that the entire game changed complexion the moment he left should help resolve any lingering doubts. What Macca did to Ipswich today was, and I’m trying to be kind here, ownership, utterly and completely. The reason they couldn’t seem to cross the halfway line was that Macca covered all of it. Our #10 was everywhere all the time all at once. If I gave ratings out, his would match his shirt number. Liverpool were dominant because Macca was supreme. It was a stupendous performance from someone who knows how to win a World Cup and has decided he wants to add a premier league title to his personal trophy cabinet.
Well done, Macca. Bravo.
Elsewhere, the Cherries ground Forest to dust, a result I certainly did not anticipate. They are on a serious run of form. The game at Vitality Stadium next weekend seems more ominous than one might have expected. Then again, if Macca et al show up to that one the way they did today, it will end well. Another reason to cheer today’s training exercise is that the game against PSV midweek is as dead rubber as they come.
