OK, 3 points is where we need to start. After two consecutive draws and 4 dropped points it was once again nice to welcome the full haul back to Anfield.
Liverpool started the game well and should really have been 1 up inside the first minute after Enrique picked out Luis Suarez with an inch perfect pass; however the Uruguayan bag of tricks was unable to bring the ball fully under his spell. Liverpool continued to show their dominance under the wand of Suarez and were rightly awarded a penalty after 8 minutes which was duly converted by Charlie Adam.
I’d now love to be able to unravel the story of 4 other goals that were hammered in during the remaining first half minutes but once again a lack of killer instinct means I can only reflect on a late finish by Andy Carroll. The big man has been rewarded with his goal, but it will come as a massive release of pressure, especially as most of the crowd and the millions watching thought he’d taken it too far before a deft little poke took it underneath the hapless Foster. Although it was a goal finished by a big Geordie the build up was solely made in South America. Lucas to Suarez and then on to Carroll, two beautiful examples of one touch football at its best meant that KD’s men went in to the break with a deserved larger margin.
Unsurprisingly when the two teams came out for the 2nd half I don’t think I was alone in thinking, hoping and wanting that the Liverpool team in front of me would rip apart an embarrassingly poor WBA. Predictability though, as constant during the first part of this season it wasn’t forthcoming. In fact to the latter stages of the game I was glad we came away with a clean sheet.
This for me, is the major difference between us and those at the top of the league table at the moment. Our inability to finish teams off and go for the kill could come back to haunt us come May. Manchester City ripped apart a poor Man Utd team that should never have left Anfield with a point. Norwich City battled well and came away from Anfield with a point they did deserve, but should never have got. WBA were there for the taking today, I doubt Manchester City, Chelsea or the enemy from down the A580 would have left The Hawthorns with only 2 goals to add to the difference.
Liverpool rarely moved out of 2nd gear tonight and to be honest many would say they didn’t need to, they were pitted against a very lacklustre side that played every minute like a team I saw 12 months ago, a team managed by Uncle Roy. It would though have been nice to see the Albion net bulge another 2 or 3 times. If it wasn’t for the woodwork (AGAIN) then Stuart Downing would have also broke his duck.
That is a nice little link into Downing himself. He is proving to be an enigma. A perceived lack of passion and ability is leading to many (me included) to question his desire to be at Liverpool. He seems to be one of the first on the Anfield team sheet and I’m not here to question KD but I feel a spell on the bench watching Craig Bellamy rip down the wing and terrorise those in front of him, may, just may, bring a bit of hunger to his play.
Let us not though end on a negative. Enrique, Lucas, Suarez and the combination of Skrtel and Agger were excellent, as was Pepe’s distribution after a very rare off night in Stoke. Three points is 3 points, bring on Swansea and a return to the beautiful view from Block 222.
