LFC Forever 2017/18

Liverpool 2-1 Everton

(I said he had a great knee slide early on, didn't think I'd be seeing it like that!)

Woke up at 7:12 for work, started thinking about this game at 7:14, spent at least from 12 sat waiting for the clock to go round, waiting for any kind of update on Liverpool Echo because there was nothing for me to do at work, strangely I didn't get nervous until about 5 minutes before kick off. There wasn't much, Coutinho and Can fear mongering and we've loaned Corey whelan (our 23s captain) to Yeovil Town so I guess the plan to break up our top of the league team is going into effect, sad about that.

Oh I also found out Salah won African Player of the Year by 97% Mane and Aubameyang had to share less than 3% in that order. Wow.

And we're nominated for the PL player of the month Firmino or Salah, Goal of the month and manager of the month so go vote if you can. I voted Firmino and am going to vote Salah and am going to vote the goal and manager since the links went to fb and carling so college's internet was like FB! Alcohol! Banned! so I can't do those two twice. You have til the 8th.

MotM- Virgil Van Dijk

(What a debut?! He was sorting us out from the first minute and then he goes and and scores the winning goal. Saw his post match interview, he definitely doesn't realise what he's done yet.)

I really didn't think VVD was gonna start so that was a nice surprise and the subs were so attacking too only Ward who hasn't scored (with Solanke's WBA goal counting)

Another 2-1! Another completely different story to the previous two.

Now I've had a lot of time to read Liverpool Echo's and BBC's build up content discussing previous derbies. This really flashed into being one of those really firey ones for a little while, something we've not seen in a long while.

Our good friend Rooney, he was out for blood and could've ended up seeing a certain square type of red. He really looked like a man trying to make up for missing a ton of derbies with his boyhood club. It knackered him in the end!

The first half, most of it, despite Rooney's efforts was a lot more subdued. We couldn't really get our passes together due to Lallana coming back, Mane's plane ride, the Salah shaped hole.  Everton looked scary because they had both their bus parking and their attack active I thought it might end up being their time.

In the last game Everton got a Not a Penalty, the ref Bobby Madley clearly heard about this and gave us a Not a Penalty back. I love that Alan Shearer spent like all of half time and post match like it's a contact sport, you're allowed to touch each other. I didn't even think it was in the box for some of the angles, Holgate was in the box but Lallana in his acrobatics made bloody well sure he was in the box at the end of the incident. Milner's back to being Mr Reliable, if you can take back the title with a single pen.

From holding his arm round Lallana, Holgate's next move was to lose his head. Firmino forced his way in front of him to get to the ball and for his trouble he got a shove that sent him right into the fans. Firmino reacted really surprisingly angry but I really don't blame him. I can't lip read especially not in Portuguese so I hope it doesn't turn out that he said something offensive in his anger - he's being investigated. Holgate grabbed the ref too and had to be pulled away by his team mates.

Somehow neither was punished at all, even after a chat with the fourth official.

I'm sure the ref was happy when half time came just to give a break to that situation and let the young lad calm down.

Everton made a signing Cenk Tosunin the break, I swear Allardyce insisted he'd be ready for the match in the press conference cos I was like but we're not even gonna put on VVD and he's been here 5 days! Well, you can't put him on in the second half!

They showed the FA cup derby in 1991 that was 4-4 at Anfield, I accdentally cheered an Everton goal, in my defence both keepers were green and there was loads in blue and 1 red so I guess I thought it was the red who battled through not got overwhelmed.

The second half saw Rooney chop down Can, someone's tired! He's swapped for Lookman. Is Rooney there to bring the team's age up? So many young ones.

Gomez, Lallana and Robertson all could and probably should have scored to give us a proper lead. We really get piling the pressure on and then Sigurdsson equalised out of seemingly nothing! We've really got to get those balls in the back of the net if we're going to accept the goals are gonna happen at the other end like that. Turns out VVD really isn't the miracle solution after all!

As if the Karius confusion ball gets knocked from his hands and somehow that's not a foul and it coulda gone in one wasn't a heart attack enough now we equalised again!

Gini replaces Lallana and then Solanke and TAA replaced Milner and Gomez. I was confused by the double swap like hey where's our defence gone if you're taking those two off and replacing them with a striker and a right back that loves attack?!

Firmino had his shot deflected wide. The game was getting away from us a bit and I was just holding onto the Milner scoring equals not losing thing and praying not to have another replay on our hands and not because we've got no FA cup to fight for.

VVD decided to show off just how good he is with headers and not just in defence. I thought the keeper was going to get the ball so looked away for a second. looked back and the ball's going in the net and then everyone's hugging the hell out of our new boy. Can not believe it! If he thought he was going to have a quiet game, he should've waited a week before adding his signature, BIG welcome to Liverpool. You're really not gonna be forgotten any time soon now!

We kept reasonable control (by our standards) to see the game out including another 4 minutes extra.

It's so amazing having an Anfield night with everyone singing even if it was hard to join in because there were like two waves at different parts of songs. I got my wish to hear 1995 so it's all good, in fact today was great. My brother walked in at the YNWA at the beginning and found it weird that, that happens at the start of every home match. I didn't know what to say to that other than that's the point of having a song.

Milner scores and that record of his goals equals safety continues. Long may it continue but it's getting weird now!

We're through to the 4th round of the FA cup! Can't wait to see who's next after that.

Everton aren't going to get near winning it for another year. 1995.

Next up Manchester City, at home, Sunday 14th January 2018 16:00

Is it just me or are we always at home recently? Can we be the ones to stop them just a little bit? Mane, keep your feet on the ground, okay?

I don't want to add this to this chapter but it needs to be say and I remembered it so I can't not. Jon Flanagan, he's been found guilty of common assault on his girlfriend and could go to prison, probably won't but still, he can't be the legend we want him to be anymore.