Eye Witness Report: Liverpool FC 3 - Tottenham Hotspur 2

Posted by Harinder on March 11, 2013, 02:46:41 pm

First off I’d like to thank the RAWK user Motisingh for tempting fate. When my cousin said in the pre match preview that those people with runflat tyres and cars of Bayerische Motoren Werke variety should change to normal, I didn’t expect to have his experience bite me in the backside. Saturday midday went to the car and saw a massive white cable clip buried into my passenger rear side tyre. After a few curses and phone calls managed to track down a tyre and went off to get it replaced. Only issue was that they saw another cable clip – buried in the inner area of the drivers rear side. No amount of cursing would cure my rage now but it was tempered with Kwit Fit having 2 tyres. Having errmmed and arred about it all, once the tyres were on the decision was made – curse or no curse I’m getting to Anfield!

I’ve covered my irrational hatred for Spurs in the preview so won’t go over old ground. What’s slightly more annoying than them are the supreme armchair heroes who call radio stations after matches so I’ll come to that in chronological order – why spoil the flow?

Here’s a question for you. When sitting waiting for teams to come out what do you do? Are you checking your phone for tweets or updating Facebook? Are you trying to see if Davo made it to his seat ok in the main stand? Who’s in the directors area maybe? I’m usually in my block with around 30 minutes til kick off. Catching up with the stewards and chewing the fat on performances prior and what to expect today. When the twitterati broke some team news which had Reina starting it was retweeted or cut and pasted all over the internet. When the actual team news came out, the same occurred with some doom mongering. RAWK had its own too with a few fearful of having Brad Jones in goal. Reina had a calf strain but it didn’t stop some in the world assuming much worse – we’ll come to that beauty later. Oh, I’m usually at my seat at looking over at the Kop and seeing Stoz and co get the banners going. Having given a couple of spares to Hoppy he was there too flying a banner with his son again I believe. You have to love that. Those moments are precious and one of many father to son times the Kop has inspired. It has to be said the Kop pre-match roar was spine tingling. Looking at the crowd in the Lower Annie I spotted a Canada flag. I guess that trumped “Kilmarnock” in the away fans section! Wonders never cease eh? ;)

First half

First 5 minutes we looked awesome and broke them easily. Sturridge though didn't exploit that with a goal. We’ve seen this before and I had a horrible sensation in my stomach that made me think we could be back at the Aston Villa game. The next 18 minutes we sat back and let Spurs come at us. Bale was not magnificent but Sigurdsson and Dembele pressed. We even stood off Parker which gave me kittens at one point where he had the ball near enough stopped at his feet and we had 3 players backing off him. Just no Liverpool. NO! Please don’t do that!

So when Coutinho bedazzled again and put in Enrique it was a special moment. You just know Joses muscles said to the Spurs players “Eh, Amigo. Joo dohn know me. I'm just stronger than joo and I'm gonna get past joo and put Sooharej through for gol”. The goal epitomised what clinical passing and creativity can do. Coutinho’s flick was sublime. Jose’s running was fearless. Suarez’ finish was lethal and at least he stopped running towards Spurs fans and changed direction heading right behind the goal ;D I hope I’m not the only one who saw that!

We then have 5 minutes of pushing and then it was all Spurs. When they equalised it was coming and they'd threatened. I found till then we'd look alright with crosses into the box so didn't think it was going to lead to an equaliser. Vertonghen getting in to score wasn’t the chance that came from nothing. The warning shot was 10 minutes earlier when Gylfi put it just wide of the post. We’d given them a lot of freedom to exert themselves and that carried on in periods of the game. I’ll never know if it’s tactical. I do know it’s scary! 1-1. Whistle blows and pffft to their equaliser.

Half-time Musings

• Coutinho a pleasure. Real delight
• Suarez fouled by Parker. Cue Dembele. Every bloody foul includes Dembele. Moussa – kindly sod off
• Gerrard welcomes Bale to Anfield. Unfortunately he returns to the field to cross in for Vertonghen to equalise
• Michael Oliver must be a part time relationship consultant. Likes the huggy feely approach.
• Michael Oliver must not go to Specsavers. Else we’d have a penalty for sure courtesy of Kyle Walker
• Lana Del who?

Second half

Now when Bale grabbed his face I was livid. Apoplectic with rage actually. Not that he designs himself to be the centre of attention but when Lucas’ arms are at his shoulder/chest just how can that be a slap in the face? If I had the time I’d create more diagrams than the magic bullet and JFK but lets face it he’s a dirty ape faced simian Cornelius look-a-likey cheating bastard and doesn’t deserve it. They didn’t deserve the second goal either. I would have expected it cleared before Vertonghen got his second but alas no. Two Spurs crosses and two goals and to hell with it.

I didn’t expect Allen to be coming on if I’m honest. When you see the bench from CE5 making out 24/14 is a little harder when the cold bites. I thought it was Jordan coming on not Joe. When he gave the ball away in one of his first few touches a deep sigh let out. Here I am praying that the voodoo that has been there for so long, so bitterly long, would be obliterated and he goes and does that. Does he not know my anguish? 8 years. 10 odd years ago I saw us beat Spurs at White Hart Lane. 8 years ago I saw them at Anfield when it finished 2-2 annoyingly. Erik Edman scored a worldy that day and did next to nothing for Spurs before or after. I needed to get pitchside to convey my annoyance but stewards said no.

Downing. Much maligned. Much improved. Muchos gracias ;D The money was on him to miss and he put it away with a real steely coldness that even the most ardent haters had to appreciate. I’m taking this time to out 2 of them. Every god forsaken trip to Anfield where these two are sat behind me there is a commentary in a broadish Yorkshire accent that goes a bit like this

“Oh, we were lucky there kid”
“aaah naaww. Eeeeee this Downin’ fella been bloodeh youseless I tell ya. Youseless”
“Ohhhh. Dan-yul. Dan-yul. He’s not at the races”
“Stoowaart Downyeeng. Done nothin’ all bloody game”
“That Feeleep. Gettin’ outmuswulled every bawrl I tell ya”

And so on and so forth. When we score generally they’re happy. One’s at least 60 and the other over 40 so it’s not some day tripping kids we’re talking about here. At first I thought they were opposition fans as I first noticed them at the Sunderland game. But they’ve been back since. IF you’re reading this and you sit behind my season ticket in CE5 it means you sit in row 4, seats 134 and 133. I’m happy to have a discussion about the merits of supporting your team to the fullest when we are 2-1 down and playing against one of the most in form teams at moment. Should it lead to a conversation “outside” please ensure someone will collect you to take you home afterwards ;)

I’m the man in front of you who gave you the most coldest of stares when you piped up, again, about Stewart in the 60th or so minute. I’m the same fella who went berserk when Stewy made it 2-2. Game on.

The remainder of this match for me was on a knife-edge. Open and we were either going down fighting or taking the three. A draw was not on the cards from that point onwards. When we did get the penalty it meant everything to me. Pretty sure we all felt the same. Monday at work or school for some was all coming down to this spot kick. Any Spurs fan who thinks that from the deeper recesses of the Lower Annie Rd  they had a clear view of it is simply bullshitting and they know it. Suarez got a leg in the back and elbow in the neck/head as I saw it so it’s a penalty. Watch the replays, I’m sure Andre Villas Boas has.

When you hear that crisp sound of the ball hitting the back of net in a penalty, there is no greater feeling of relief or euphoria. The mad rush of adrenalin had Anfield rocking. I guess I wasn’t the only one looking to have a voodoo/curse lifted! Liverpool 3, Tottenham Hotspur 2. They didn’t get a sniff post that either so my money on the post match handbags was on Luis to feign a body blow to the lower left of Moussa and then smashing him with a headbutt to the bridge of the nose. “Brave” Scotty Parker would have run away I’m sure at the sight of blood.

We’d won and it felt good. A test that we needed to pass and at times we didn’t get all the answers right but the working out looked ok and in the end we passed with the flying colour that counted – together!

Now I rarely talk about what happens post match but this was too good not to share. I’ll sometimes listen to the radio and the call ins. More for comic relief than anything else and they never fail to deliver but yesterday Mothering Sunday brought out some howlers. Mainly about other clubs and no surprises some of them being from Chelsea but I couldn’t care for them. When Liverpool fans call in…

Station 1 – CityTalk

Lady calls in from Everton. She’s definitely been on the sauce and actually gets a little saucy/frisk with Aldo who’s not too sure what to do. She’s the only Red in the family and talk about the dog, I think referred to as an ugly mutt, called Moyesy :)

Station 2 – BBC Radio Five Live. Alan Green. 2 beauties. One caller.

Gavin (the caller). Great Game. Counted Bale going over 11 times (well his mate did sitting next to him). Suarez/Sturridge looked exhausted after an hour. When Henderson came on he gave it a bit more spirit and gave Suarez/Sturridge space. Hint from Harinder – don’t count Garriff’s dives. Watch the match and realise who’s on the pitch and when ;D

Just when you think Gavin will quit when he’s ahead after he states he’s a Suarez fan and Gareth Bale fan, Alan Green stokes the Pepe Reina fire. Gavin gets in

“Oh well it depends who you listen to. Rumour is he’s going to Barca so Jones is getting a run out blah blah blah… I don’t want to be too critical after a 3-2 win but…” Maybe Gavin you really shouldn’t be.

Station 3 – Talksport. Call Collymore
.
Steve – It is time for the British Footballing Fan, For every sports journalist to end the Luis Suarez witch-hunt. IF there was any debate today as to who should be the PFA player of the year, unequivocally Suarez is the clear contender”

Nothing actually too bad about the last one – I agree with that ;D

There is a comedic genius somewhere in the echelons of the presenters through to the callers who’ve rung in but they are all superseded by the disenfranchised call handler who answers the phone, logs the points the person wants to make and realises what will come next. Call handler – we salute you. You know it’s been 16 months, 2 weeks, a day and approx 18 hours that you’ve been doing this job. Tolerating Robbie Savage and Jason Roberts is hard. Jason Cundy is more a variation of his second name. Alan Green is well Alan Green so nothing more to add. No love from the ego of the presenter who desires intelligence and credence amongst the pundit Gold Star awarders without showing any and definitely none from Steve calling from Reading who’s just seen the game on Sky Sports and and and needs to put Alan Green in his place ‘cos he’s 25 and been going the game 40 years!

Call handler – you just want to see it all come falling down. That’s why you put through the most charismatically failing fans. You do it for a laugh ;D

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