Romp

It was a slick performance from our maddeningly inconsistent squad, but there was one rather notable difference that must be pointed out. As I’ve mentioned in this column before, we have an internal chat going on during the games, and in it, after we went down one to that well-struck Gordon goal, I observed that for the first time since last March, the Reds looked angry as opposed to deflated. I barely even had time to note it before Hugo Ekitike drew us level and then pulled us ahead with the sweetest Torres-like finish since…well, since Torres. You know, that little shot midway during the running step that catches the keeper unprepared.

The resulting romp – and make no mistake, this game could have ended even more lopsided than it did – was exactly what that kind of anger brings, and if that fire can kindled and maintained then it bodes well for the rest of this season. For long stretches in the second half it looked like we were one last pass or lucky break away from another goal, while the Toons looked rather sketchy.

The emerging partnership between Flo and Kiki (alright, alright, Ekitike) is a thing of beauty, and will produce many more goals for this next generation Liverpool. Then we had the third goal, a simple yet effective combination between Flo and Mo (MoFlo? FloMo?) that, should it become more common, will not only serve to bring Mo back into business, but add a rather pointed frontline threat. And let’s not forget Isak, who is back in training.

Still, worth noting even more than our engines and our forwards today was our backline, especially considering how thin it is. It was refreshing to see us properly defending set piece after set piece, and in particular, the second balls, our true Achilles heel of the season so far. It still looked a bit shaky, but it also looked better than it used to, at least in the league.

That brings me to my man-of-the-match. There were a fair number of players to choose from, but in the end, it’s the one who ended up in tears who gets my nod. Ibou Konate was everywhere he needed to be when he needed to be there, cleaned up a whole bunch of maybes, and his goal at the end capped a magnificent performance. It was lovely to see it from him again.

Liverpool is without doubt in the conversation for top-5, which should be enough to guarantee a Champions League spot next season. More importantly, though, is that Liverpool is increasingly in the conversation to not care about how high they end up in the Premier League, because the Reds may well secure their next season’s spot by winning the thing. At this point, and I’m a bit surprised to find myself saying this…

I wouldn’t bet against us.