Liverpool would not be denied another win, despite Crystal Palace’s controversial goal. It made my celebration that bit sweeter…
I’VE seldom celebrated a clincher more than Florian Wirtz’s beautiful goal on Saturday.
I mean, we all felt the relief of finally putting a game to bed and we all loved the sheer quality of the finish, but more than anything I roared my joy for the simple reason that it rendered Crystal Palace’s blag goal useless.
Caveat: I’ve both mentioned and been mocked for my pro-Palace stance on these pages over the years. I love a club with soul and a support that’s far more interested in singing about their own club than cheap identikit songs about us. I love their kits and I like that they’re just a bit annoying to the Reds so this has nothing to do with the flavour of the opposition. Actually, in some ways this made things a little worse.
It’s just that I’m not having their goal or the celebration of it. You don’t do that.
And I’ve the advantage of stressing this from a position of victory. It can’t be sour grapes if my side got the points. This isn’t moaning because they got something from the game. They didn’t and we got everything.
But it rankled all the same. I can’t lie.
And I know the arguments. It’s up to the referee, not the player. You play to the whistle. You’d want a Liverpool player to score in that situation.
I don’t care. 1) The player wouldn’t loft the ball into the top corner if he thought Freddie Woodman wasn’t injured. He’d belt it. 2) Was there even any time for a whistle? The keeper’s clearly waving his arm in the air to show that he’s in pain so I think our lads were just waiting for him to do the decent thing, and 3) I honestly wouldn’t.
I think it’s a low trick and, what’s more, it’s a low trick at any level. My league, which sits somewhere in the 2,748th tier of the game, would stop the game and treat the player. You don’t take advantage of an injury like that.
And, yes, he was alright a few minutes afterwards and, yes, he finished the game, but it’s a sh*thouse trick. You stop the game.
I just don’t like things like that.
Also, if it’s disallowed and we get a third, the Reds go above Man Utd.
That doesn’t mean we’d necessarily get a third anyway, but the point still stands. I just wonder why the ref didn’t think the most important player in that situation lying on the floor with his arm in the air was alright. Did he think he was faking it?
Anyway, we got to see the third goal, and we’ve won two on the trot so that’s all that matters. I could have just done without the ever ‘on brand’ Leon Osman talking about ‘Palace being under no obligation to kick the ball out’ on the stream I watched. Mind you, at least he called Jeremie Frimpong by his name and not ‘Rio Ngumoha’ like his mate did. Honestly, the level of punditry matches the refereeing at times.
I know. An old man shouting at clouds.
There are further positives too. The two £100m lads scoring in the same game, Anfield looking gorgeous in the sunshine and the fourth keeper not getting on. I only suggest the latter as I’ve never seen someone with such a ‘What? Me? Really? Are you sure?’ look on his face as he was told to warm up. I often pull the same face when asked a question in a long meeting where I’ve not been paying that much attention.
‘Karl? Anything to add?’
‘Erm… sorry?
The two wins have offered some cheer and a third next week would definitely take a sad song and make it better. Much better.
Everything is about that now.
Enjoy the week. Rest your voices. We’ll need them next weekend.
Hell of a finish for the third though, wasn’t it?
