After a long ‘absence’, I guess I have to write about this, especially as it just happened, and happened so dramatically. Yes, I am going to write about my beloved Liverpool.
You see, Liverpool visits Everton today for the traditional Merseyside Derby, and any Liverpool fans know that this is THE biggest match of the season, bigger than even the Liverpool-ManU match. It gives the victor bragging rights till the next Merseyside Derby come along. This is especially so for those living in Liverpool. Yes, the blue and the red separate the otherwise quiet and peaceful city and if the team you support wins it, you can lift up your head a little higher walking on the street. Such is the passion of football that those who don’t watch will never understand.
I have been a Liverpool fan since I know what a football is, so moments like this just gets my adrenalin rises up. Most people have been critical of the team this last few weeks, even though they have yet to lose a match in the BPL. You sometimes wonder what you must do to keep the critic happy, and than you think deeper and the answer will come out, “NOTHING”. Yes, absolutely nothing, unless you win 5-0 every match, playing superb attractive football everytime, and don’t change a single player every match. No, after a while they may say you are too one dimensional. So I got sick of reading news after news about this so call ‘expert’, who I wonder if they are so good why is no club clamoring for their signature to sign for them as their manager, who picks on every little fault and expect a perfect game everytime.
Everton vs Liverpool games never fails to keep your heart pumping faster and faster and after a good start, Liverpool faded away and allow Everton to come at them. Just before half time, a rare Sami Hyypia own goal allow Everton to take the lead. I could almost see tomorrow’s headline, “Rafa the tinker-man does it again”, and the sub-headline will read, “Liverpool’s season over after defeat at Everton, no thanks to Rafa rotation policy”.
In the second half, Liverpool started strongly again but failed to press home their advantage, and Everton started to gain confidence. I was particularly impress by Lescott who played the left back position, a position he played for England last week. But Superhero Gerrard is at it again as in one of his now familiar surging run, he was taken down in the box by Hibbert, and been the last man, was rightfully send off by the referee. Kuyt converted the resultant penalty and it is now game on. Strangely, when Liverpool seems to be on top and controlling the situation, Rafa decided to take off Gerrard and replaced him with Leiva, a decision greeted with great amazement and disgust by first Gerrard himself, and than the commentator, the fans, and I sure just about everyone.
I could almost picture another headline. “Rafa blew it by taking Gerrard off”, and the sub-headline will probably read, “What the hell is Rafa thinking!?!”. Pardon me for my language here but I truly believe someone will really write that if Liverpool had lost. But Rafa in the end have the last laugh and the man who replaces him had that kick in injury time that Neville had to save with his hand (just in case you don’t know, Neville is NOT their goalkeeper) and Liverpool got their second penalty of the game and Everton got their second player sent off. Kuyt is up again, same player, same direction, same result. Everton 1 – 2 Liverpool. That’s for bragging rights till the next time we meet.
You’ll Never Walk Alone.
![[del.icio.us]](http://images.del.icio.us/static/img/delicious.small.gif){kind=small}