I am ecstatic after our 4-0 win over Stoke last night. Going into the game, I knew that we had to put in a better performance than we did against Spurs but I still had memories about Stoke’s visit to Anfield last season when they frustrated us into a 0-0 draw. But all that changed last night when Torres gave us the lead after 4 minutes. It may not have been a spectacular goal but a player like Torres just needs to keep scoring goals to build the confidence up.

We looked in fine profile last night as we attacked well. I was a bit concerned by the number of free kicks we were giving away in dangerous areas. A better team would have punished us with all those chances. I think I was just as nervous for Ayala last night as he was for himself. You could see the guy was not comfortable at times but Carra talked him through the game and he came out well. It could have been a different story if Stoke had opted to play with two men upfront, that really would have tested Ayala. But credit to the bloke for stepping up and I hope he can build from this.

Now the main crux of this post has to centre around Glen Johnson. He was head and shoulders my Man of the Match yesterday and I don’t think many of you would disagree with me. We have been missing a genuine attacking threat down our right and Johnson has just filled that gap for us. He seems to be doubling up as a right back and a right winger. We know Kuyt does not have the greatest pace and skill to be a wing wizard down the right but now he has the perfect compliment in the form of Glen. The two of them (Kuyt and Johnson) seem to have already struck a great understanding with each other and if teams thought that our only attacking threat was through Gerrrard and Torres, they better think again as Johnson and Kuyt are going to unlock many defences this season.

Johnson capped off his home debut with a stunning goal to make it 2-0 just before the break. The technique he showed with his scissors kick was of the top draw. You would expect a finish like that from Torres but Glen showed that he can also do it. For 90 minutes Glen was an attacking threat and his defence was also rock solid. A 10 / 10 performance by him and long may it continue. It is refreshing to see us being able to attack from the right back position again. I think the last time we had a right back attacking threat was back in the day of Rob Jones and Jason McAteer, now that was a long time ago!

There has to be special mention about our third goal…sheer class by Steven Gerrard. I have not seen a turn like that in a very long time. Usually you see players make turns like that and a goal does not come from it but this time Gerrard laid it on for Kuyt to make it three. Gerrard’s turn last night reminds me of the ‘turn’ Redondo did on Henning Burg in the Champions League a couple of seasons back.

N’gog came on to make it 4-0 and it was virtually a tap in but all goals count and maybe that goal will spur the young mans confidence. Yet again, the creator of that goal….my man Glen Johnson.

I have just been reading reactions from the game this morning and Rafa has made special mention to Lucas’ performance past night. Yes, he played better than he did at Spurs but still he needs to up his game in my opinion. What is concerning me though is that it seems that Mascherano is having the ball at his feet more now than he did when Alonso was there. I am not saying Mascherano is a bad ball player but I would be expecting Lucas to be the one running to the middle of the park and picking up the ball from Mascherano and then Lucas would make the call and decide which way to go. But I guess Lucas is not ready to take up this responsibilty and thus Javier is the one ‘dictating’ play from midfield. I guess that is why we signed Aquilani because that is exactly what he will be doing (dictating play from midfield). One thing Lucas has improved on though is his ball retention. He is not giving the ball away like he used to last season which is a bonus.

All in all, great performance by the Reds and we now just need to build from it. I can not help but laugh at Manure after they lost to Burnley last night!!! We already ahead of them on the table!

YNWA

It is a good thing that we have a game again so soon after our 2-1 loss to Spurs on Sunday. And to make it even better we are back at Anfield for the first time this season. I will not forget the corresponding fixture last season when we were held to a draw by Stoke. A draw that may have just cost us the title. It will be interesting to see how Rafa sets out tonight as I am sure he remembers all too well what Stoke did when they came to Anfield last season. We have to attack them from the first whistle and find a way to unlock them if they decide to play with 10 defenders.

We have to up our game from Sunday, especially our first half performance. I am sure Rafa is going to tinker with the starting lineup. I am not too sure if he will drop Lucas at this stage. Personally I would not want to see Lucas start but we really do not have any other options. The only option at this stage would be to see Stevie G drop back into midfield but I doubt Rafa would do this at this stage. So expect to see Lucas start tonight. The left wing position is going to be interesting as Rafa can pick from Babel, Riera and Benayoun. I would like to see Yossi starting as he offers us more going forward and his game intelligence may just be what we need to unlock a stubborn Stoke.

Rafa is going to make a late call with regards to the availability of Skrtel as he is still suffering from the jaw injury he picked up on Sunday. With Agger still out injured, we are looking thin in central defence so Ayala may just be called up if Skrtel is not fit.

This is a MUST win game for us as anything less than 3 points will be a disaster. My prediction: 3-0 to the Reds.

YNWA

So it’s back, all the agony and the ecstasy. The familiar twisting knots in the stomach, almost seeming to follow the minute-by-minute tracks of the football on the field as our dearest club gets off the blocks in this new Premiership season. A 2-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur later, I am surprisingly not blowing my top and ranting all about those 90 minutes to anyone who’d care to listen, because I’ve got it all figured out, and I invite you all to ponder the same.

Last season, we blew everyone away with our breathtaking beginning to the season. Even Fergie choked on his chewing gun, John Terry was forced to add us to the top of the title-challengers list, and old Rio probably spent a few minutes gnashing his teeth over every sparkling victory we churned out, unfailingly, one after the other. The latent voices in the background used to only whispering about our trophy ambitions in the league became louder and louder, nearly a cacophony. Unfortunately, this fairytale didn’t have a happy ending. You all know what happened, 2009 brought with it a Gerrard bar brawl, a Rafa rant, tons of dropped points and heartbreak, and ultimately, a position in the league for which there exists no trophy.

So I’ll take this for now, opening blues, a bit of a stumble early on, lessons learnt and all, if it means the business end of the league goes our way. In Niccolo Machiavelli and his ‘ends justifies the means’ theories we trust, and hopefully, the slackness shown today can soon be consigned to distant memory. Bring on the rest, we’ll be ready. Meanwhile, whoever you see delighting in our loss today, don’t hesitate to sock it to them.

YNWA.

PS — But what did all of you think of today’s match?

The wait is over! We finally kick off our season on Sunday when we travel to White Hart Lane to face Spurs. It is funny that we ended last season with a home game against Spurs and this season we start against them. I guess we have to now just accept that it is our destiny to play away from home on our first game of the season. I think this is the sixth season running when we have started away from home.

I am upbeat about the coming season and we need to get off to a good start. Spurs at the Lane is never an easy game and I am sure the players do not need any reminding as to what happened last season there. We went down 2-1 in a game I feel we should have at least gotten a draw.
So looking at it this way, a draw or a win on Sunday will be one or three points better than we did last season. We simply can not afford to walk away with nothing on Sunday especially since Chelsea and United have what should be home bankers.

Looking ahead to the game on Sunday, the biggest worry is that Stevie G may not be fully fit as he struggles to recover from a groin strain. Rafa says that if the game were on Saturday then Stevie may not have made it but we remain in hope that the extra day may mean he is fit to play. But I still insist that if he is not 100% ready then there is no need to rush him. I have maintained that for us to win the league this season, Gerrard and Torres must start at least 80% of the games together. If Stevie is not fit for Sunday…there we go already, no Gerrard and Torres combo.

However it is good to hear that our central defenders are fit (Carragher, Agger and Skrtel). I am sure Rafa is going to start with the two who are the fittest. Personally, I would like to see a Carragher - Agger combination as Spurs are likely to start with Crouch and Defoe so Carra can deal with Crouch whilst the pace of Agger can contain Defoe.

My probable lineups for the game are:
Tottenham (Probable, 4-4-2): Gomes; Corluka, Bassong, King, Assou-Ekotto; Palacios, Jenas, Modric, Lennon; Crouch, Defoe.
Liverpool (Probable, 4-2-3-1): Reina; Insua, Agger, Carragher, Johnson; Lucas, Mascherano; Riera, Kuyt, Gerrard; Torres.

Looking at that probable Spurs lineup, I feel their defence is suspect. Gomes is a very dodgy keeper and if he is having one of his off days then we will bag a couple of goals. Spurs greatest threat would come from their attack and I wonder how well Insua will be able to handle Lennon. It will be a big test for the young Argentine but he should pull though. Mascherano will have his hands full trying to pick up the runs of Modric and Jenas but as Spurs do not tend to have Modric sitting wide on the left during the entire game, that should give Glen Johnson a bit of attacking freedom down the right.
If Stevie is not fit to play then I see Yossi coming in and filling in in his role as opposed to us going with another striker like Voronin or N’gog.

Prediction time: I would want a win and if it is a win, I see us winning 2-1.

The season is now officially over! And what a good result to end it all off with. It is a pity we did not keep the clean sheet so that Pepe could have won another Golden Glove. But I think this game was all to do about the farewell to Sami. I was a bit surprised when I saw the starting lineups and saw Sami starting on the bench. I would have thought that Rafa would give him a start today together with the captains armband, but I guess it just goes to show that Rafa really wanted to go out and get the win today to end off the season.

We got off to a great start with Torres clinching his 50th goal for Liverpool with a header. That is some return, 50 goals in two seasons, I see him reaching 100 goals in no time at all. Alan Hutton then made it 2-0 for us in the second half after he deflected a Kuyt shot into his own goal. I think it was written in the script for Robbie Keane to score on his return to Anfield, and he did just that to make it 2-1. But Yossi wrapped up the points with a few minutes to go to make it 3-1 then it was time for Sami to get onto the field. It was a really emotional moment when Stevie came off for him and gave him the armband for the last time. It would have been the perfect ending if Sami had scored with his header from the corner. I don’t know how many times we have seen those headers fly into the net over the last 10 years.

The season is over now and we have to start looking forward to next season and seeing who is leaving the club and who is going to come in. Over the summer OurKop.com will be keeping you updated with all the transfer talk and we will also be looking back to this season that has gone by.

The league race may have been over as United clinched it by drawing with Arsenal yesterday, but we still had a job to do today against West Brom. To see that our lads were still up for this, you just have to look at the little incident between Carragher and Arbeloa when the two fought with each other over their defensive responsibilities. I am glad with the way the lads played today, they could have easily given up knowing that there is no way they can win the league anymore but they still put in a professional performance and easily took care of West Brom.

I expected a bit more from West Brom today, especially since they knew they had to win to avoid relegation. But the moment their defender made an error and gifted Stevie G the ball and Captain Fantastic scored the opening goal, it was game over for West Brom. They tried to fight back but we were just to good for them and they were just poor. When Kuyt made it 2-0 for us, I actually felt sorry for West Brom as they had no officially been relegated.

Not much else to say about this game as I am still feeling a bit low that we missed out on winning the title but we just have to walk on with hope in our heart!

YNWA

Yesterdays 3-0 win over West Ham at Upton Park was easy! Going into the game, I was a bit worried as I know West Ham have been playing some pretty good football this season. In seasons gone by we would have struggled in this fixture but we have come forward in leaps and bounds this season and we handled this game with ease. I guess it was all made easier due to the early goal we scored after 90 seconds. Yet again the Torres and Gerrard combination was at work. If only these two had played more games together for us this season, we may have wrapped up the title by now! But we can not live with “if only”!

At 1-0 up we were in charge then when it was 2-0 before half time we had already wrapped up the game. There was no doubt about the penalty we won. It was bit disappointing to see Stevie miss the spot kick but credit to him for the follow up.

In the second half it looked like we were disinterested in the game We were playing at such a relaxed pace. It looked like a typical end of season game of two teams playing who have nothing to fight for but we are still fighting for the league. It is up to Manchester City to do us a favour today and beat United.

Babel made it three in the end with what I think could be his last ever goal for Liverpool as I see him moving on in the summer.

I am glad we are still alive in the title race. I can not remember the last time we still had a chance of winning the league with 2 games to go! By now we would have been long out of the race and fighting to finish in the top four. No matter how the season end, we have progressed from last season. The experience has been great but we have to make sure we build on this for next season so we can go one better and get #19. Don’t get me wrong, we could still do it this season. We just have to walk on with hope in our heart!

YNWA

It does not get any easier than this! I am never one to slate the opposition but with the way Newcastle played today, they deserve to be relegated this season! We had a stroll in the sun this afternoon and I do not think a single one of our players broke sweat today. It was too easy!

I never gave Newcastle any hope going into this game. Even when we heard that Torres was not going to play today, I was not worried. We are playing so well at this moment in time and Newcastle are playing so poorly that there was only ever going to be one winner today.

Newcastle did however start well but it only lasted about five minutes and then from there it was just us who were playing. I do not recall Pepe having to make a single save for 90 minutes. I must admit though that Benayoun’s first goal was clearly offside but I guess you have a bit of luck at times. When that goal went in, it was just plane sailing. Then Kuyt got the second to just kill the game off.

If it were not for the woodwork we easily could have won this game 6-0. Then to add more pain to Newcastle they had Barton sent off for what looked like a really bad challenge on Alonso. I hope the injury to Alonso is not that bad. For me Alonso was my man of the match. The way he controlled the midfield and sprayed the balls to all corners of the park was brilliant. There is no way we can afford to sell Alonso this summer!

Lucas (my not so favourite player) rounded off the game with the third. That was his first ever Premiership goal. Maybe now that he has broken his duck he can go on and be the player we are expecting.

All in all, good performance by the lads. We just have to keep on winning and hope that United slip up at some stage.

YNWA

As I write this post, I have just come from watching the Man U - Spurs game on telly and I am dejected! First of all, we did what we had to do earlier in the day by winning at Hull. It was never going to be easy up there especially when I saw Lucas starting the game for us and playing in the Stevie G position. I am not the biggest Lucas fan out there and today he seemed pretty confused as to what he was meant to be doing on the field. He didn’t know when to attack and when to defend and because of that he made far too many mistakes for my liking. But I am not going to sit hear and write about Lucas but let’s rather focus on our great win.

Hull have frustrated the big four this season but it was clear we were a class above them this afternoon. The longer the game went, I knew it was just going to be a matter of time before we scored and thanks to Alonso just before the break we took the lead after another wonder strike from him.

The game changed when Hull had Folan sent off for kicking Skrtel. It was a clear red card and I think the FA may take further action as that was verging on assault!! he could easily had broken one of Skrtel’s ribs with that kick. With Hull down to 10 men there was only going to be one winner and we made it 2-0 thanks to Kuyt. I got worried when Hull pulled one back to make it 2-1 as they carved up our defence. But we always had the momentum in this one especially since Hull only had 10 men and Kuyt sealed the win in the closing minutes with another strike.

We went back on top the table until a few minutes ago when United trounced Spurs. At halftime in that game I was getting excited as Spurs were leading 2-0. I never trusted Spurs and I was right! They let United back into the game although United were awarded a soft freekick but I guess we used to United winning dodgey calls at home. The rest is history and United have won 5-2 and they back at the top. #19 seems to be slipping away from us now but we have to keep on fighting. Anything can happen!!

YNWA

I do not even know where to start! What a game! I am still trying to get to grips with what actually happened last night but I think I have reached the conclusion that our title hopes may just have been dashed last night. We knew we had to win every game left this season to stand a chance but we dropped two points last night. Some will say that we clinched one point at the death last night. I guess a point was better than nothing but in the context of the game, we should easily have won that game in my view!

Where we failed last night was that we made TOO many errors in defence. Errors that should never have been made and that we have hardly made all season. Arsenal’s first goal was due to an error by Mascherano, then Arbeloa made an error for their second, Aurelio was at fault for the third and the whole team was at fault for the fourth as they failed to defend the line from an attacking corner. To say Arsenal carved us up and created great goal scoring opportunities for themselves would be a lie. We gifted them all four goals but credit to Arshavin for burying all four chances.

Going into the game I was very confident we could win this game especially since Arsenal were without their two main strikers and their defence is a make shift one. We started the game like a house on fire and I thought it was only a matter of time until we would score but the whole dynamic of the game shifted when Arsenal scored first. I was over the moon at the start of the second half when Torres and Benayoun gave us the lead to make it 2-1. The next goal was going to be crucial and we needed to get it but we messed up again and gifted it to Arsenal. If we went 3-1 up there was no way I could see Arsenal fighting back.

Credit has to go to our boys for fighting the way they did to get back into the game when we were down. Credit also to the fans at Anfield! When it looked over at 4-3 down the Kop rose to its feet and started singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone”! I am sorry but we are the BEST fans in the world. At that stage many fans would have walked out but we continued supporting our team to the end and they gave at the goal to make it 4-4.

Now the title is United’s to loose. We may be top of the table right now but tonight they play Portsmouth and there is no guessing who I will be supporting. I do not have a lot of faith in Pompey but with the way this season is shaping out you never know what the result may be. Even if Pompey manage to get a draw I will be happy.