Brute
Before I dive into the match, I must ask: does anyone like Richarlison except the fans of the team he plays for? The man is a street thug, a brute, and once he’s done playing soccer, I’m sure every mobster gang and mafia in the world would welcome him with open arms. Take, for example, what he did to Ekitike right after he scored his scrappy goal. Forget the well-deserved red card for Xavi Simmons in the first half; he wasn’t malicious in his awful play, just an idiot. But bring up the replay for yourself and look again at Richarlison’s nasty, fully intentional, choking and twisting act of violence against Hugo. I was happy that Hugo kept his head down to avoid getting injured to dragged into the kind of confrontation that the Brazilian was trying to inflame.
It was deserving of an immediate red card, and at least a three match ban for unsporting behavior.
But Richarlison is experienced enough to know how to do these when the ref isn’t likely to see them. His career is sadly full of these moments, many of them against Liverpool players. And in the current iteration of Spurs, he had found himself a perfect gang of like-minded individuals. Romero’s red card, for example, was well-earned, and he really is the skipper of this Spurs team, embodying them in action and spirit. They remind of me of how I grew up hating Italian football, because of how downright violent and harsh it was. There was no joy in it, even if their teams, including the national squad, were doing well results-wise. Football played this way is not fun to watch.
In the end the Reds collected another three points on the road, building up a bit of momentum in their turnaround effort. Don’t look now, but Liverpool is definitely back in the hunt for a top-4 finish, and may well find itself in that position by the new year. After the November meltdown, this is welcome news. Even Florian Wirtz finally had one of the chances he constantly creates converted, to open the scoring, and by none other than Alexander Isak. The latter got himself injured again in the process of scoring, and it didn’t look good; all we can hope for is that it isn’t too serious.
Ekitike’s goal and Liverpool’s second came at the perfect time to keep the lid on an attempted Spurs comeback, and it’s five in three premier league games for him. He seems unflappable, Hugo, and while I do still expect great things from Isak if he is ever able to exit medbay for a decent stretch, for now, the Reds have a brilliant number 9 in their 22.
Still, almost shockingly after utter domination for a good 80 minutes, the Reds absolutely needed some Alisson heroics to save their bacon. So let’s say this again: Ali, once he hangs his gloves, will surely be recognized over time as one of the greatest keepers in history. As much as he is appreciated, I don’t think he gets the credit he actually deserves today, as the best in the world. Out of the three points Liverpool took in London, two can be credited to him.
Lastly, in a game where all three of Macca, Grav, and Szobo were comparatively quiet, one Curtis Jones was anything but, and if there was an engine behind the apparent elimination of Spurs from the game, it was him in a man-of-the-match performance. It’s nice to see Curtis flourishing recently, and it feels like his game is maturing in exactly the right way to make him a crucial piece of the puzzle Slot is trying to solve.
Two more games to wrap up the first half of the season, and if the Reds can win both (as they should) I suspect everyone at the club will breathe a bit easier. I know I will.