We were prepared for Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak missing from the team sheet but not Dominik Szoboszlai as well and eventually the bravery of the Reds was outdone by not making their chances count and finished off with a terrible second yellow seeing Gravenberch sent off.
Winners and Losers
For this writer I feel to start with the losers and end on a slightly brighter note because today that feels the way this needs to be expressed. So here are the losers.
Football lost today, fair and honest football that is but the
weight of criminal activity poured into one particular club proved that if this season continues without appropriate actions taken then there is going to be a growing anger from football fans. It may not seem so urgent if it wasn’t for the fact 114 City are the Premier League juggernauts (corrupt) and currently remain at the top of the table with maximum points.
It’s also important to remember that they have been found guilty so the punishment should be now… criminals don’t get to stay out of prison while an appeal is going through.
The officiating by Chris Kavanaugh was a disgrace and both cards given out to Gravenberch were not worthy of yellows but even worse was the 114 City players encouraging the ref to give another which saw Gravenberch sent off while Liverpool were taking the game to their opponents.
Ronald Araujo was shown a card for gesturing for one to be given to a 114 player but ignored several 114 players doing the same and when it came to Gravenberch’s second the ref didn’t reach for a card until Haaland ran up to him and then the ref produces the second yellow.
One winner was Ryan Gravenberch who has struggled mostly this season so far but today he really showed up and enjoyed carrying the ball forward, sometimes too slow with decision making, but was a lot better which is good to see as we are going to need every player at their best.
Victor Munoz deserves a mention too as he once again showed his raw power, grit and is handling playing on the right impressively having played most of his football on the left up to this point in his career. Munoz is proving that he will keep going in a match and never drops his head, a quality that earns a lot of respect from the supporters.
Lewis Koumas did what we all expected which was to show energy in the press and comfortable moving across the front line while doing so. There does need to be more from his game but it feels only a matter of time before Koumas gets a goal or assist to kickstart that next level he can reach.
Dissecting the Narrative
This match was already fueled with the 114 cheating charges but the way it all played out has left many football fans feeling even more cheated due to the officiating because up until that moment of the sending off Liverpool were at times dominating 114 City who had hardly had a sniff at scoring a goal. This was being done by a Liverpool team missing three of their most inform players and an attack led by young koumas.
We all knew there was going to be a moment during the season when our lack of depth in the squad was going to cause issues and that moment is now. With a Champions league coming up midweek it is very likely that those players who started today will have to again as there isn’t enough time for Isak, Gakpo and Szoboszlai to be match fit.
How The Players/Manager Reacted
Head coach Andoni Iraola’s reaction was that the red card was the turning point and his frustration with the ref’s officiating was obvious but something else of note was that the interviewer tried to call out Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola as the worse players. Iraola wasn’t having it and stood up for them both by not getting drawn into saying something that would make a hot take headline.
Another take from the post match presser was that it lasted for three questions which is understandable and the one positive was Iraola praising the supporters and also the effort of the players but the frustration (and disappointment) at everything else was clear for all to see.
What Happens Next
Iraola and the players travel to play Lask on Wednesday followed by an away game against Brentford on Saturday so this is going to be a very tough challenge with barely enough time for the players to rest between traveling and matches.
Hopefully something else that happens next is 114 City actually being punished for the good of all football fans and clubs.
