The Liver Bird  

Anybody else deafen their mom for Mother's Day yesterday?! Cause I certainly did. Own goal or not, it didn't matter, all that mattered was that Liverpool had somehow managed to collect another three points. 
It was a massive win for the Reds who needed to keep the pressure on Manchester City knowing the sky blues would be playing mid week. 
The first half for Liverpool started well, the lads kept a lot of possession and it was a great goal from Firmino to open up the scoring. The one thing missing? Fabinho. Many fans seemed confused as to why the Brazilian didn't start and I was one of them. When he did enter the game later on in the match he instantly showed why he should have started. 
In the second half Spurs very much came into their own Pochettino being allowed to speak to his team in the dressing room after having to try and instruct from the stands obviously took his chance to motivate his team. Spurs proved a real threat and managed to equalise on 70 minutes thanks to…

Bloody hell don't you just hate international breaks? I never thought I'd own up to this but that sickening feeling that the title race has been giving me each match? I've actually missed it. Thankfully it's back on Mother's Day as the Reds welcome Tottenham to Anfield.

Injury news for Liverpool means they are still unable to call upon Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who is nearing fitness but remains out. A doubt also hangs over Alexander-Arnold who picked up a back injury recently. For Spurs, they are without Eric Dier but Trippier should be back in contention for this fixture.

The last time the two sides met was in September last year. Liverpool won the match 2-1 thanks to goals from Wijnaldum and Firmino. Spurs found their consolation goal at 90 minutes. 

Tottenham's last trip to Anfield ended in a 2-2 draw, Mo Salah found a brace in this clash. The Reds have won five out of the last ten meetings between the two sides, Spurs have won just once (a 4-1 victory in Octobe…

Liverpool make the short trip across Stanley Park on Sunday afternoon as they prepare to face rivals Everton in another huge game for the Reds. A win over Bournemouth for Man City means Pep Guardiola's side are at the top of the table at the time of writing, a win for Liverpool would put them back on top of the pile.

Injuries for Liverpool mean they will have to make a late decision on Roberto Firmino who went off injured in the United game. Dejan Lovren and Joe Gomez also remain out for the Reds. For Everton, they are unable to call upon Leighton Baines who has a rib injury but Andre Gomez is expected to return.

Everton have lost four out of their last six in all competitions and currently sit 10th in the table on 36 points. It's not been a great season for the Toffees but if there's any team out there that will want to throw a spanner in the works for Jurgen Klopp it's the boys from Goodison Park.

Liverpool's form has slipped slightly over recent games but the Reds …

For the first time in I think ever on this blog I did not post about a United match. I moved out of the parents' house this weekend so I saw the game but the whole weekend was pretty hectic and I never got chance to blog, but fear not, I am back with a small Watford preview.
Injuries for Liverpool mean they are still without Dejan Lovren and Joe Gomez but there is some good news on Roberto Firmino as the injury he picked up in the United game doesn't appear to be as bad as first feared. Watford only have one absentee as Kiko Femenia who is unavailable due to a hamstring issue.
Liverpool's 0-0 draw with Manchester United was enough to take them to the top of the table. The Reds are now on 66 points with City in second place on 65. Watford are currently 7th in the table on 40 points, it's been a strong season so far for Watford but I'm not sure they will get the better of Klopp's side at Anfield.
The Hornets have won two out of their last five league games, matching…

1) This is going to be a long old season

A 1-1 draw away at West Ham in seasons gone by would actually be considered a good result for most teams but this season is just different for Liverpool. I find myself fuming at the fact we're three points clear at the top, it makes no sense to the neutrals but as a Kopite, I know what Liverpool are like and I want so desperately for us to win the title, therefore I want as much padding and protection as possible.

While being three points clear is nothing to frown at, it's the knowing that it could have been five. However, positively for Liverpool we did not entirely crumble against the Hammers, it would have been a nightmare if we'd failed to pick up any points in that game.

City have Everton next followed quite swiftly by Chelsea while Klopp's side have Bournemouth. It's gonna be a long old season...

2) Lallana hasn't lost it?

Now those who read the blog or follow me on Twitter will know that I've never really been a ma…

Liverpool travel to London on Monday evening as they prepare to face West Ham. At the time of writing, Manchester City and Arsenal have not yet kicked off but the result of that fixture could have a massive impact on the Reds. No matter what happens at the Etihad though, Liverpool need to keep their momentum and after a draw with Leicester, Klopp will be looking for three points on this occasion.
Injuries for Liverpool have taken a bit of a set back as it was announced this week that Joe Gomez will be out longer than originally expected. Also unavailable is Dejan Lovren who has a hamstring injury. James Milner returns to the squad after serving a suspension and is likely to play at right-back covering Trent Alexander-Arnold who is also out.
For West Ham, Samir Nasri is unavailable due to a calf issue but Fabianksi and Cresswell may be available for selection. Arnautovic who went off against Wolves also looks to be an option for manager Pellegrini.
The last time the two sides met was in A…

Top of the league and still four points clear, despite losing to the champions... so why am I so frustrated? It's surely a sign of how well Liverpool are playing that I find myself annoyed at last night's result even after a night's sleep. 
Don't get me wrong, it was the correct result, City deserved to win, I just worry how that will affect our momentum and I just know what we're like. It's bizarre cause I'm usually the rose-tinted optimistic fan that gets on people's nerves on Twitter for being too positive but I think I've been scorned by that Brendan Rodgers title race and I just desperately want everything to go right, even though I know there will be blips along the way and that it will not be straightforward. 

There is no shame at all in losing to Guardiola's City at the Etihad, I am just hoping we can pick up where we left off. 
For me, Jurgen Klopp took a decision to select Milner, Henderson and Wijnaldum in his midfield and I can see the …

Liverpool make the short trip along the M62 on Thursday evening as they prepare to face title race rivals Manchester City. The Reds are currently sitting top of the table, six points ahead of Spurs and seven points ahead of City. The match at the Etihad could prove pivotal for Jurgen Klopp's side who are searching for their first ever Premier League title.

Injury wise Liverpool have received a boost as James Milner returns to fitness. For City, 
Gundogan becomes available while Delph and Mendy remain out injured. 

It's such a strange time being a Liverpool fan at the moment because the Reds are playing absolutely brilliantly, we're top of the table with an immense squad yet we can't quite bring ourselves to get excited.The chance to take the Premier League title is a prize too great for many a Liverpool fan who has been burnt recently by the agonisingly close campaign steered by Brendan Rodgers. The heartache is real and I for one am not quite ready to allow myself to get…

Liverpool came back from a goal down to stun Unai Emery's Arsenal side in an emphatic 5-1 victory at Anfield. A hat-trick from Roberto Firmino was joined by goals from Sadio Mane and Mo Salah meaning the Reds remain unbeaten at the top of the table.

Arsenal's opening goal after just 11 minutes came as a bit of a surprise to onlooking Kopites who perhaps assumed it would be the Reds finding the back of the net first on their home turf. A good cross from Iwobi found the Gunners' youngster Maitland-Niles who ensured he converted to put his side ahead.

Some Arsenal fans in the pub went absolutely crazy for the goal, a risky tactic I thought as surely they didn't think that alone would stop Klopp's XI?

Firmino punished just three minutes later with his now signature "no look goal", it was Bobby himself who also started the attack, linking up with Mo Salah.

The Brazilian clearly wasn't content with just the one goal on Saturday evening though as he found the ne…

Liverpool travel to Wolverhampton on Friday evening, my hometown and a place I love dearly. As a kid growing up, my brother was mad on the Reds so my football allegiance was aligned early to the lads from L4 but with a fella, family and friends supporting the boys in gold I always want them to do well, apart from tomorrow that is. 
After all we've been through this season, still top of the league and still unbeaten, I don't think I could take it if them Wolves lot managed to beat us. The scary thing is, they are fully capable. Wolves have had a brilliant start to the season and while they've struggled against sides like Huddersfield, they have absolutely thrived against the likes of Man City and Chelsea. 
I think a lot of neutrals weren't sure what to expect from the Midlands side when they got promoted. I remember having a debate with several fans on Twitter first day of the season as some were calling Nuno's side a one-man team after a 2-2 draw with Everton. I was …

Liverpool put themselves back on their perch on Sunday afternoon as three goals from the Reds brushed United aside at Anfield. Jose Mourinho's team was quite frankly horrendous, it was easily one of the worst United sides I've seen at Anfield in a very long time. 
Liverpool opened up the scoring with a beautiful goal from Mane, set up by an even more beautiful assist from the impressive Fabinho. 
It was the Reds piling on all the pressure and Anfield was bouncing but a somewhat lucky equaliser for United took the sting out of it for the Reds for the remainder of the second half. Lingard managed to convert from close range after a rare error from Alisson. 
The start of the second half saw immediate desperation from Mourinho as he brought on Fellaini straight away and soon began the hoof it and hope tactic. I mean, it's embarrassing, they're supposed to be the mighty Manchester United but they're set up like Stoke...
It was Klopp who would make the most inspired substitu…

This must be the least concerned I've been about Liverpool facing United in a very, very long time. I mean don't get me wrong, I'm always up for the United match and I always think the Reds will be able to get the win but equally, I also fear what the devils have to offer... not this time out though.
United, at the time of writing, are sitting 6th in the table on just 26 points. A full sixteen points behind Liverpool at present, and potentially nineteen points behind tomorrow. The United side used to be one filled with talent you would begrudgingly own up to saying you would like in your own team but as fans, including neutrals, up and down the country have been filling out their Liverpool/United combined XIs this week, it's the boys from L4 making up the majority of the lineup.
The last time the two sides met was in March this year, I'd moved our dream holiday to Australia back a week in order to make sure I could watch this fixture but we lost the game 2-1. A brace…

I've seen some Merseyside derbies in my time but that could quite possibly be my favourite ending ever, you just couldn't make it up! After a battle between the two sides over 90 minutes it was the forgotten Divock Origi who found himself in the right place at the right time to take all three points for Liverpool. 
I have to hand it to the Toffees they look a far stronger side under Marco Silva and they held their own at Anfield for the majority of the match. Liverpool have improved vastly in defence compared to last season and that showed when Alisson was forced into a close-range reaction save, stopping Andre Gomes' header. The danger wasn't quite clear but Joe Gomez's quick thinking ensured the Reds cleared it off the line. 
Annoyingly for Liverpool, while their defence is ten times better their attack seems to have gone a bit quiet over recent weeks and for me, this isn't necessarily to do with the forward players. I'm not sure what other people's opi…

Liverpool welcome Everton to Anfield on Sunday afternoon for the 232nd Merseyside derby. A loss at the hands of PSG in the Champions League during the week will have dented the Reds' confidence levels slightly but the chance of another victory over Everton will surely spur on Klopp's side.

Liverpool will be without captain Jordan Henderson who is serving a suspension. Klopp has also hinted that some players may be rested after a difficult game in Paris where several members of the team picked up knocks. For Everton, they are in a very strong situation as manager Marco Silva has no real injury worries to contend with. 

At the time of writing, Everton are 6th having lost just one of their last five games in the league. The Reds are in 2nd place, still unbeaten and chasing Manchester City who will remain two points ahead at the top if Klopp's side seals all three points. Liverpool have won four out of their last five league games, drawing the remaining match with Arsenal in Nov…

Long time, no blog... I must apologise for the lack of content on The Liver Bird lately. I've struggled quite a bit balancing blogging since starting work a couple of years back now and it always seems to be even more difficult towards the Christmas period with fixture pile ups and festivities. However, I am here and I will certainly still be writing about my beloved Reds just perhaps a tad infrequently.

Anway... I am glad you have all survived the international break. I genuinely feel like part of me is missing during these parts of the season, don't know where to put myself, but we're back and it's Watford up next for Jurgen Klopp's side.

Liverpool have pretty much a full squad for this game with just the one doubt hanging over Jordan Henderson. For Watford, they are also looking strong as Capoue returns from a suspension and Will Hughes regains fitness.

The last time the two sides met was in March this year, the game ended 5-0 for Liverpool with four goals from the…

Liverpool had the better chances at the Emirates on Saturday evening but could not find a way to collect all three points against Arsenal. 
The Reds started in a lively fashion and despite Arsenal's increasing possession stats, Klopp's side were still able to make the most of it on the break. 
A goal in the first half from Sadio Mane was incorrectly ruled offside, Mane being involved in the second phase of play after Firmino, who was onside, played the pass. It was a harsh decision and had it been given it could have provided Liverpool with a real boost early on in a difficult game. 
You don't necessarily expect a defender to have the best chances for your side but Virgil van Dijk went close on three occasions for Liverpool. It was extra frustrating for me watching on as I had a quid on van Dijk to score anytime arghhhhh haha. I particularly enjoyed his effort when he remained up from a corner and took it down like a world class striker if only he'd sent it to the left or…