LFC Forever 2017/18

1889 Hoffenheim 1-2 Liverpool

MotM- Trent Alexander Arnold and Simon Mignolet

(What a first European match for the lad, what a goal, what a performance?!  Penalty, quite a few really good saves)

I don't know why but I was disappointed by the team sheet being the same as Saturday, what's Klopp gonna do pull a new squad out his arse? There aren't really changes available to be made right now and I don't wanna get into transfers (can't wait for that window to shut) but it's scary to think the squad we have as Liverpool players right now have to compete on four fronts when last season we had three and instantly down to one and it was hard.
One or two minutes in and I get to sarcastically cheer for an obviously offside goal from Salah. At least he put it in the net this time!
Lovren challenges in the box. The player goes down and the ref decides a penalty. We came to the decision of a dive but we did get all the slow motion and different angles even if we didn't see it in anything near HD.
Dad said one nil here and immediately went slating Lovren on a FB group, literally wouldn't let go of Lovren being "not fit for the boots" all match. I just don't see the point cos once you react like that he could do the best thing in the world ever and you'd still think it's shit cos it's in your mind that he's crap. I can't claim to be a fan, I've just about let go of thinking of his bad moments and letting them outweigh the good. He didn't hate on Moreno like that even though yet again he had attack on his mind, leaving the others open.
I'm happy to report he was wrong, I told him to shut up with my blind optimism and he says when do Germans miss penalties and my response is is he German though and the next thing Mignolet's kept the ball out of that net.
That's twice I've gotten him on a penalty shout although this time I definitely didn't try to call it, not when it involves my team, no way! The other one was Ronaldo in the Euros, there's probably been other times but that one stands out cos I can't stand that man.

That's the 7th penalty he's saved for us and the sixth spot-kick save by a Liverpool goalkeeper in European competition.

In a way, this was just what we needed

Salah gets away and runs clear but finishes poorly on his right foot. He actually managed to not look fast there. That would've been an amazing punishment of a mistake.

The match goes kinda boring and see Liverpool, look boring is fine. Boring is okay.

All of a sudden Mane is in on goal, he's one on one with the keeper almost, he's the on;yone left between Mane and the goal and he's taken down.

I believe Bikakcicshould've been sent off for that but he got yellow. He was the last man apart from the keeper even though someone who was coming from the side was getting there which then why did he risk being sent off when someone else was so close? Never mind we didn't need them to go down to 10 men, we got an even better prize.
Now who's gonna take this free kick? It would be Coutinho's but he's not there. I'm thinking it's Henderson's time to step up and take the game by the scruff of the neck. TAA though, it's his first ever European match, his full debut, he's full of confidence it's his. It goes over the wall, it curls and there is no saving that one. I was so proud I could've cried. What a time to pick to score your first Liverpool goal?!

I was tempted to put in one of those TAA as a mascot pictures in but Liverpool Echo have just revealed it isn't him in those pictures. I did think I don't see the resemblance/ it's a bit too good to be true whenever I saw them.

At 18 years and 10 month, he's the youngest of our Champion's League and third youngest in all European competitions to score for the Reds. We knew him and his mate are destined for big things, now they've both started with youngest evers.

No Liverpool player made more passes (24), interceptions (4) or had more touches (41) than Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 1st half

Moreno takes the corner, Lovren heads it just wide. Look at us almost scoring from corners.

We take that one nil into half time.

GaryLineker called him double A, no IT'S TAA!

We start ready to score more. Mane works his way down the left, cuts it inside for Firmino whose shot is saved.

Hoffenheim have the ball in the net but it's rightly disallowed.

TAA gets booked for mouthing off about a throw in

Milner came on, captain for captain.

Hoffenheim started causing issues with crosses, obviously. We were dealing with them though, that or they just couldn't finish them, probably the latter.

Milner gets onto a pass from Firmino down the left, checks onto his right foot and curls a cross to the far post it deflects and nestles right in the far corner.

It took too long to decide Milner's goal was in fact an own goal even though it was very clearly a cross that wasn't meant to be going in until the deflection not that it actually matters at all.

We were going for three, we were meant to get three but it never came.

It was going pretty damn great, couple minutes to go and then of course we have to have a moment of switching off so they can have a goal. I'm not disappointed it's basically expected of us at the moment and to be fair Hoffenheim did sort of deserve something from that game.
It was weird that quite a few of their fans started leaving and then they picked up, no your fans don't think you can do it, you're supposed to give up.

The blame seems to be going TAA's way because he had his hand up for offside but I can't say anything against him after that goal and the rest of the work he put in all night.

Liverpool break, and the move ends with Grujic forcing a save from Baumann. What a goal that would've been to end on.

I love how Klopp spoke about him in his usual protecting/ containing manner and said he told him to take the free kick rather than our image of TAA insisting.

One team has beat Hoffenheim at their home in 15 months, who's that? Liverpool!!!

I went on twitter afterward since dad complained about hearing me type while he was trying to sleep so I couldn't write (hence why it's taken so long to post) and it made me thing I underestimated how important this match was/ how good the result was. It was a very happy, positive twitter, I needed to see that.

We are actually going back to Anfield and taking two beautiful away goals with us!
Next up Crystal Palace at home, Saturday 19 August, 15:00