The pressure was off Liverpool.
A Champions League knockout tie at Anfield was a game for Liverpool to enjoy, that was the thinking anyway. Instead it passed without incident, in every sense.
Jurgen Klopp’s makeshift defence got through the first 90 minutes of the tie with a scoreless draw. The game briefly threatened to be exciting before becoming sloppy and petered out into a classic first leg, but Liverpool may well be happy with that.
This was a strange game for Liverpool, coming ahead of their trip to Old Trafford on Sunday which will have such a bearing on their title challenge.
On The Football Spin, Paddy McKenna and Dion Fanning wonder if Liverpool just wanted to negotiate this game without any damage, physical or psychological, ahead of the match against Manchester United.
Melissa Reddy was at Anfield and she felt that Liverpool were more concerned with surviving and not conceding a goal without the suspended Virgil Van Dijk rather than thinking too much about Sunday. But the fact they emerged from the game with no injuries ahead of the weekend will encourage them.
But they will need bigger performances from their forwards, especially Mo Salah if they are to defeat Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United.
After the win at Chelsea, the feeling that Solskjaer should be given the United job has become more widespread. Everyone is happy and you can’t put a price on happiness, even though plenty of people in football have done their best to try. Solskjaer seems certain to get the job and is there any reason not to appoint him? Dion thinks there is.
And since when did beating this Chelsea side merit such joy? Dion wonders what the London club’s supporters are thinking and shouldn’t they remember their previous endorsements before they turn on the manager.
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