Low Expectations

[Manchester United 3 – 2 Liverpool].

I’ll start by saying that my expectations going into this game were low. Extremely low. I was, in fact, nervous about us being trounced badly, like the 5-0 or more kind of badly. The way the game started certainly did nothing to allay those fears. United had a game plan, and they executed it, while Liverpool looked rudderless, lost, and generally miserable. That the hosts didn’t score more before the half was on them, rather than anything Liverpool did.

For that first half, we were holding on and trying to avoid a shellacking.

So when Liverpool scored two in the first ten minutes of the second half, it certainly came as a pleasant surprise, shock even. Both goals came from nowhere, and both involved an incredibly cool-headed Dominik Szoboszlai, my man-of-the-match, who has that killer instinct and I bet would have scored a second had Rio passed to him instead of taking a difficult shot on goal later on in the game. Suddenly it was Liverpool who had all the momentum, and somehow looked like it could even turn the game around completely.

In the end, a poor defensive effort and a poorer clearance from Macca let Kobbie Mainoo score the decisive goal in the match, to the delight of the home fans. Still, at least for me, this game had a couple of positives. For one thing, we actually converted chances we were gifted, something that has not been true for much of this season. It was United who were awfully wasteful, and really could have put five or more in the back of Woodman’s net.

Second, we only lost by one, preserving our significant goal differential advantage over Villa and the Cherries. That could matter come end of the season.

Beyond that, there isn’t much to be excited about. Florian Wirtz was mostly a passenger. Gakpo on the wing was awful, and did much better down the middle, as it seems everyone knows except his manager. Rio should have either opened or been brought on far earlier, and seeing the difference between him and Frimpong was painful. Curtis continues to do well as right back, and while he may not love this idea, it could be his position to keep. Konate’s howlers, which happen too often, really need stamping out, especially if he is to become our future defensive anchor. And Grav’s and especially Macca’s decline from last season is, sadly, as epic as the Iliad.

Oh, and Bruno should have seen a red for that tackle. From the back, on the ankle, studs up. That’s a red these days and he should not have gotten with it.

In the end, though, this loss really doesn’t hurt as much as it normally would. That’s the beauty of low expectations, I guess. Do the job against Chelsea at Anfield next weekend, and the Champions League spot will be all but guaranteed.