LFC 21/22 – The Good, The Bad And The Ugly – Gameweek #22
Almost as vintage as a song on vinyl, the Reds reach a domestic final. The Eagles are defeated in the smoke, with bad refereeing an unfunny joke. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Another week reviewed at Liverpool Football Club.
The Good
Defeating Arsenal 0-2 at the Emirates to reach the Carabao Cup final. A double from Diogo Jota was sufficient to dismantle the gunners in their backyard.
This game wasn’t a classic by any means but more of a tactical battle. Mikel Arteta doing his best to thwart Liverpool with early pressure and the Reds having to find a way through.
The absences of Mo Salah and Sadio Mané were forgotten as Liverpool clawed their way back into the game. A fortunate first goal and a second delayed due to VAR demonstrated what a talent Liverpool have in Jota.
The Reds have now reached their first League Cup final in a decade, when they beat Cardiff City on penalties in 2012. This is the first domestic final of Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool reign and will go some way to silence criticism that the boss doesn’t take these competitions seriously.
The truth is however, is that as a business, Liverpool FC focuses on the most lucrative. Sad but true.
FULL TIME | ARSENAL 0-2 LIVERPOOL
LIVERPOOL ARE IN THE #CarabaoCup FINAL!
THOUGHTS? #ARSLIV #LFC #MatchReaction pic.twitter.com/P9izhr7U2g
— The Redmen TV (@TheRedmenTV) January 20, 2022
The (Not) Bad
Another win on the road saw Liverpool run out 1-3 winners against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The scoreline rather flattered the Reds who, having taken the lead through Virgil van Dijk, struggled to contain their hosts.
When Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made it two nil after 32 minutes it looked to be game over. Patrick Viera had other ideas and his side seemed revitalised in the second period.
“We lost control”
When Odsonne Edouard slotted past Alisson, it was clear the Eagles were up for the challenge. Liverpool struggled to contain the south Londoners and dig deep to hold onto their lead.
A dubious penalty (see The Ugly) at the death saw Fabinho put the game beyond doubt and finally kill off the Palace’s challenge.
“We had our moments but we did not control it any more. If you lose a little bit of focus it showed how tired we could be as Palace played a really good game.” Lamented Klopp after the game. A fair assessment all told.
FULL-TIME Crystal Palace 1-3 Liverpool
Fabinho's penalty seals a hard-earned win for Jurgen Klopp's side#CRYLIV pic.twitter.com/yEF9afhaLe
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 23, 2022
The Ugly
The most dubious of dubious penalties was awarded against Crystal Palace in their defeat to the Reds.
Liverpool struggled to manage a determined home team and as the final whistle approached, Diogo Jota was ‘ brought down’ in the Palace box. On review and after a lengthy break, referee Kevin Friend pointed to the spot to everyone’s dismay.
Never a penalty. Ridiculous decision. Jota lost control of the ball and ran into Guaita. Jota was never going to reach the ball. Harsh on #cpfc and ruined any chance of a comeback. Quality of officiating such an issue in @premierleague. But Riley doesn’t recognise it. #CRYLIV
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) January 23, 2022
It was fairly obvious that Jota had run into Vicente Guaita in a clear attempt to win the spot kick. An art that the Portuguese international is becoming quite adept at, it galls me to say. Another example of a dodgy refereeing decision.
Personally, although I am somewhat sympathetic with referees, I felt in this occasion , with an experienced eye and the benefit of numerous replays from various angles, one could see there was a huge degree of doubt in this conclusion.
Unfortunate for Palace, but we move on. A crucial win for Liverpool nonetheless.
Good News
The latest edition of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is now available. “3rd Against All Odds“. A bit late this time, but better late than never as they say! Follow last season’s exploits with relevant Tweets in full colour. Order a copy from the Amazon store here. Or Apple Books here.
YNWA
