Tales of the Kop End
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Why, Liverpool? Why?
I mean, of course, yes, as a long-time fan I had my blood pressure medication and medical team at the ready for immediate resuscitation. No disrespect to Wolves, but this game was one where I thought these safety measures might not be necessary. And the first half, with the Reds attacking their favorite Kop end, certainly provided much appreciated comfort. Going into the half, Liverpool looked dominant, completely in control, and the only question left was how many more balls would Jose Sa have to collect from the back of his net?
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Alas, no. That was entirely the wrong question.
Hello, med team!
Cunha’s fantastic strike aside, Liverpool’s second half performance was the worst I’d seen this season, and against a better team than Wolves, would have easily resulted in at least two dropped points, perhaps three. Well, at least until my eventual man-of-the-match came on. Wataru Endo is a cult hero on merseyside, just like he was in every other club he’s ever played for, and even though he only played for twenty minutes, his impact was immense. In that second half, before Endo, the Reds looked shellshocked, seemingly offended that their opponents were actually trying to snatch something from the game, and then transitioned into what can best be described as scared shitless (sorry).
On comes the Japanese warrior, and suddenly, almost magically, it felt like Liverpool found its foundation again. Don’t get me wrong; Jose Sa was never in danger, but from that point onwards, at least the same could also be said for Alisson. That was a welcome relief. Still, I only realized that I had stopped breathing once Simon Hooper blew his whistle to end proceedings.
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That first half welcomed Lucho back to the scoring ranks, an awkward goal scored with…his hip? His, well, jockstrap? It all counts, and Mo dispatched another perfect penalty to give us that false sense of comfort. There is tremendous skill involved in scoring penalties with such consistency, and an argument could be made that Salah deserved an assist for the first goal, but I’m sure he’ll take it either way. He was largely quiet otherwise, and like most of the squad, pretty much disappeared in the second half.
It is an old cliché’ that to win a title, you have to win these kinds of games. It’s true; winning teams must squeeze points with mediocre performances against poorer opponents. When considering the potential wobble, this second half felt far less reassuring than anything against the Toffees – or Plymouth – did. Will it be enough vs. Villa on Wednesday? City next Sunday?
The Toons at Anfield the following Wednesday?
That last one I will be watching from inside the stadium, at long last fulfilling a many decades-old childhood dream.
I just hope it’s one I get to celebrate after.
