The Liver Bird  

Liverpool collected their first victory of the Premier League season in some style on Sunday after putting four past West Ham with no return. Expectations were high for the Reds who had strengthened their side during the summer transfer window but there was no reason to fear as Klopp’s side made this game look relatively straightforward.

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The Liverpool XI featured new signings Keita and Alisson but Shaqiri and Fabinho started on the bench. Keita, in particular, made a real impression on the game leaving pundits drooling over his obvious ability. He’s the kind of player who is always looking for the next ball, the next pass, the next move forward and just going off Sunday’s performance I think we can expect to see a lot from him this season.

The first goal for the Reds came from a familiar face, Mr Mo Salah! In the right place, at the right time, the Egyptian king was never going to miss this opportunity as he converted Andy Robertson’s cross. I was never in any d…

I very rarely get the chance to go to Anfield due to a variety of reasons, so when I saw that my favourite italian team Torino were coming to L4 for a friendly, I knew I had to try and get to the match.

It would be just two days after returning from a holiday in Montenegro and I'd need to convince the fella to drive us all the way up from Wolverhampton and back on a school night, but it could work? 


It did work, thanks to a very kind fella and a mad rush running across Stanley Park, I'd made it to my seat on the Kop just in time for You'll Never Walk Alone.

It was fantastic to get to see the likes of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane in the flesh and I was also lucky enough to get a glimpse of the new signings. Firmino, Wijnaldum and Sturridge all scored for the Reds. Sturridge's at the Kop end after a link up with Shaqiri was particularly special. 

I was also happy to see Belotti net one at the Kop End, which I know may seem like a strange thing to say but I have a…

A comfortable win for Liverpool over Brighton at Anfield on Sunday has secured the Reds' place in Europe's elite for another season. Prior to kick off with Chelsea on their tail, it could have been a tricky afternoon for Klopp's side but in the end, it was a walk in the park.
Mo Salah opened up the scoring, stretching his lead for the golden boot. Harry Kane tried his best in Spurs' tie with Leicester but thankfully the forward remained behind, nobody that desperate to steal a goal off a teammate should win the boot! Salah thorough deserved the award. In the process, the Egyptian also broke the record for the most goals scored in a 38 game Premier League season. Phenomenal. 
The remainder of the score sheet for the Reds contained some interesting names. Dejan Lovren who we've seen net a couple, but not often, managed to find a header just before half time. 
In the second half, Solanke with a great strike put his side 3-0 up. It was his first goal for the club. 
Then fi…

1) Liverpool have nothing to be embarrassed aboutYes we lost and yes it was pretty darn terrible but as far as I am concerned, Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool have nothing to be embarrassed about. That match went perfectly with Mourinho's plan. A couple of long balls and some solid finishing thanks to errors in defence, once United were 2-0 up it was always going to be immensely difficult for the likes of Mane, Salah and Firmino to get through.

Mourinho plays a very negative game and it gets them results but if anybody tries to tell me United play better football than Liverpool, they can jog on. I would much rather watch the football we play with flair players leading the attack than turn up to watch a relatively bland United side slog out another last-minute win and have Fellaini as a key player. Mourinho is the first to complain when a side plays long ball against his team but when he does it? Genius. It drives me mad. Let them have their moment, I still think we'll finish above t…

Rafa Benitez brings his Newcastle side to Anfield on Saturday evening and instead of doing a standard, short match preview I thought I'd take this opportunity to look back at just a few of Rafa's memorable away days as Liverpool manager.

Here's hoping he doesn't get another iconic win this weekend though...


Barcelona - 21st February 2007
Result: 1-2 
Scorers: Bellamy and Riise


It's February 2007, Liverpool are once again storming it in the Champions League under Rafael Benitez and the Reds have drawn Barcelona in the last 16. 

In the run-up to their visit to the Nou Camp Liverpool had seen a goalless draw in the Merseyside derby and lost at the hands of Newcastle. Tactical magician Benitez though wasn't going to let this poor form ruin his chances of being one of the very few managers to walk away victorious from Barcelona's precious ground. 

On the night, Barca actually took the lead thanks to a goal from Deco but Benitez's side remained focused and Craig Bel…

Well, it's never a dull occasion is it when Liverpool play one of the big teams? The match against Spurs at Anfield on Sunday was certainly full of goals as most expected but the result was somewhat tinged by some very questionable referring/lino decisions. 
I'm not one to dwell on decisions usually but the linesman had a massive effect on the game on Sunday and after watching various replays, listening to various viewpoints and reading what you guys had to say on social media, I think most will agree that we were robbed of the win. 
The Reds opened up the scoring after just three minutes thanks to a pouncing Mo Salah. For a while in the first half, it looked as though Klopp's side were in control but things quickly began to turn in Spurs' favour as the pressure from the visitors began to mount. 
Liverpool, on the whole, dealt well with this pressure. Karius, in particular, should get a mention, I'm not his biggest fan but he pulled off some strong saves on Sunday. Ho…

Liverpool welcome Spurs to Anfield on Sunday as they look to continue their winning streak on the back of a victory over Huddersfield. The Reds have had a couple of slip-ups recently, namely against West Brom in the FA Cup and losing to Swansea in the league but Klopp's side usually performs well against the so-called bigger sides.

Injury news for this one means Liverpool are still unable to call upon Adam Lallana. For Tottenham, Lucas Moura who recently signed for the club is looking unlikely to start but manager Pochettino could welcome Alderweireld back into the fold.

The last time the two sides met was in October, the Reds fell to a heavy 4-1 defeat. To be perfectly honest it was one of the worst games I've seen us play in a long time. Mo Salah managed to find the back of the net but the home side recorded a Harry Kane brace, a Son goal and a Delle Alli effort all within an hour.

At Anfield, Tottenham don't have a fantastic record, in the last five meetings between the tw…

Arsenal Fan TV may have had a bad weekend but at least they can thank the Reds for halting City's chances of creating another team of invincibles. Liverpool at times on Sunday afternoon looked unbeatable themselves and thankfully, despite conceding in quick succession late on, Klopp's side did what no other has done this season and beat Pep Guardiola. 
A line up that was missing Coutinho for the first time and also had no van Dijk may have struck fear into some fans' minds but I was never in doubt of this victory. Nothing would shake the thought that we could outscore them. I knew we'd concede but with the way City play, so openly, we were certain to find the net multiple times. 
And it was a cracking set of goals from our four attacking stars. 
First up was Oxlade-Chamberlain, the boss has asked him to shoot more and it paid off when he chanced a long-range effort, a great finish put Liverpool 1-0 up after just nine minutes. 
A dominant first half for the Reds was somewha…

Liverpool welcome Pep Guardiola's unbeaten Manchester City to Anfield on Sunday but can Jurgen Klopp's team be the spanner in the works? City don't exactly have the best of records at L4 and it's no secret that the Reds play better against open, attacking sides.

I honestly think we're going to beat them, I very often am overly optimistic in a jokey, rose-tinted manner but I genuinely think we're getting those three points this weekend. I just can't shake the feeling and I'll definitely be popping a couple of quid on a 3-2 victory. I can just picture it now, Mo Salah in the dying moments nets the winner...

Enough about what I think though, what do the previous fixtures say? Well, the last time the two sides met in September was a day to forget for Liverpool, City put five goals past the Reds without return and to make things worse, Sadio Mane was sent off.

The last fixture at Anfield in December 2016 ended more positively with a 1-0 win to the home side tha…

Liverpool put five past Swansea at Anfield on Boxing Day and regained 4th place in the league from Spurs in the process. It was an emphatic win for the Reds but it is important to remember that Swansea were not exactly the strongest of opposition. The Welsh side are still languishing at the bottom of the league after this fixture and look in serious trouble. 

Nevertheless, Liverpool did score five without conceding, a feat to be applauded as we head into the final game of 2018 against Leicester. Captain Philippe Coutinho opened up the scoring with a typical long-range effort sweetly slotted into the top corner. 

I was chatting on Twitter prior to kick-off about Coutinho, I hope to god that we keep hold of him but I can't shake the feeling that he will be off in January. Whatever happens, you cannot deny that he still puts his all into every game for the club.

The Reds had plenty of further chances in the first half and really should have extended their lead but they would not find th…

For fifty minutes on Friday night, Liverpool had fooled their fans into thinking it would be a walk in the park at the Emirates. Two-nil up after goals from Philippe Coutinho and Mo Salah, the Reds looked dominate against an Arsenal side lacking in ideas but after a spell of just five minutes, Klopp's side had lost their lead.

A headed goal from Alexis Sanchez opened up the period of utter madness, this was followed by a shot from Xhaka and two minutes later Ozil put the Gunners ahead. Thankfully for Liverpool, Firmino found an equaliser just after 70 minutes but the Reds should never have put themselves in that situation and they have no real excuse.

An early forced substitution saw James Milner replace Jordan Henderson, in reality, that should have affected the balance of the Liverpool side but Milner performed well and was involved in some of the chances.

Coutinho's goal was a rare effort using his head but it was Mo Salah's goal that really lit up the night. A timely pass…

The Liver Bird is back! Where've I been? Well, to be honest, I don't really have a good excuse, other than being mega busy and struggling to balance my job with blogging at the moment but I'm determined to keep doing what I love; writing about Liverpool FC!

So we're here, as I write this it's the day before the match and the day before I break up for a whole week of general merriness. I'm looking forward to the forthcoming fixture pile-up and genuinely think we will get the better of Wenger's side in London. 

Arsenal are currently sat 5th in the table, just behind the Reds in 4th. The Gunners have 33 points to Liverpool's 34 and would leapfrog Klopp's side with a win. 

Injuries mean Liverpool are unable to call upon Alberto Moreno and Joel Matip while Daniel Sturridge is also struggling with fitness. For Arsenal, Olivier Giroud is out. Klopp, however, does have one positive, welcoming Emre Can back from suspension.

The last time the two sides met was ac…

Liverpool couldn't quite hold on to their 1-0 lead at Anfield on Saturday with the Reds having to settle for a draw after a Willian equaliser in the 85th minute. It was a strange starting line up from manager Jurgen Klopp but overall a draw was probably the right result.

A starting XI consisting of the likes of Milner and Daniel Sturridge meant players such as Firmino and Mane were left on the bench. It was an interesting decision by Klopp, was he rotating with one eye on the busy fixture schedule ahead? Did he change the line up specifically because he felt it would work well against Conte's Chelsea? Who knows. All I know is, if Mane and Firmino were on from the start, this would have been a different result.

The first half, even with the weird starting XI, went quite well for the Reds. No major chances but Liverpool maintained a lot of possession and looked relatively at ease against Chelsea who looked lacking in ideas to begin with. After neither side found the back of the ne…

Liverpool lost 4-1 to Spurs at Wembley on Sunday afternoon thanks to a frankly pathetic defensive display. A single goal from Mo Salah fooled us all into thinking there may be a glimmer of hope but the Spurs attack was far too strong and the Liverpool defence far too weak. 

Seriously, it's reached a point where I have actually given up on the back four for a variety of reasons:
Firstly I think Clyne walks straight back into that defence and to be honest adds a whole lot of security. Secondly, some may have changed their minds once again about Moreno but I certainly have not, he's no defender and why buy Robertson if you aren't gonna play him?
Granted Moreno has some sting on the attack but I challenge anybody to suggest that Robertson's crosses are any worse?
Then we have the centre-backs and the goalkeeper. Well, where's the soddin leadership that's what I say? Where's the Carra role screaming yer head off for 90 minutes and making sure everyone isn't stra…

Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool side travel to Wembley on Sunday for a league match against Spurs. It's a weird sensation knowing your side is going to Wembley but not to battle for some silverware. Positively for the Reds though, Spurs' new home doesn't appear to be doing them many favours at the moment.

Injury news means Spurs are unable to call upon Dembele, Lamela and Wanyama but Dele Alli is once again available after serving a suspension. For Liverpool, Klopp has noted that Jordan Henderson will return to the side after not featuring during the Champions League tie against Maribor. The Reds however are still without Lallana, Mane and Clyne.

The last time the two sides met was in February this year. Liverpool won 2-0 at Anfield thanks to a Sadio Mane brace. In the last six fixtures in the league between the two sides, the Reds have picked up three wins and the remaining results have all been draws.

Spurs come into this game on the back of a 1-1 draw with Real Madrid in the …

It's the big one on Saturday (well, the big one if you're a wool like me from the Midlands). Liverpool welcome Manchester United to Anfield this weekend and since at least Monday this week I've felt the venom bubbling.

Since I was a kid this has always been the match I most look forward to in a Premier League season, there is no team I enjoy beating more than Manchester United. In recent years my confidence in this fixture has been high but despite the social media front, I'm not feeling as positive this time out.


Shared snaps of Torres leaving Vidic for dead or Gerrard netting a peno may give the impression that I think the Reds can nail this one but I have to admit, I'm not so sure. Liverpool have struggled all season with a shoddy defence and facing a Jose Mourinho side who aren't afraid to simply fling the ball to Lukaku could spell disaster for Jurgen Klopp.

Add to this the fact that Liverpool are now without the influential Sadio Mane and you have a bit of a…

It was another frustrating afternoon for Liverpool on Sunday after reaching a stalemate with ex-manager Rafael Benitez. Of all the managers in the league, the Spaniard knows how to tactically kill a game but the Reds still managed to create chances, just failed to convert. Again. 

For me, it was the correct decision to try Daniel Sturridge in place of Roberto Firmino and while Sturridge definitely should have found the back of the net, I still feel as though he added more of a threat than Firmino has done of late. 
Philippe Coutinho yet again proved his worth with a stunning strike on 29 minutes. It's dangerous to give any player space in that area but even more so when it's the Brazilian, that was prime Coutinho territory and he made them suffer. 
Just seven minutes later though and Liverpool were back to their familiar ways, Joselu left Lovren and Matip for dead, or so it seemed. Matip was unlucky not to see his last-ditch tackle come off and Newcastle managed to get the equali…