It’s January 11th - welcome to the latest show after Liverpool have been absolutely battered in 1 cup game and outplayed in another and miraculously find themselves in the FA Cup 4th round and ahead in the League Cup semi-final. I’m Paul and I am joined by Sean and Daz. We’ll talk about these 2 games and the upcoming Bournemouth game and the 2nd leg of the finely balanced League Cup semi-final.

Part One - Arsenal 0 - Liverpool 2 (xG 1.76 to 0.64 - 5 big chances to 5 to 1)

• Outplayed and outcoached - BATTERED, they said. If Arsenal had scored all their big chances (3 were in the same sequence) we’d have been buried at half time.
• TAA did hit the bar in the game the first Half.
• Formation needed a bit of working out - Odegaard and Havertz pushing high, creating problems with the press - season high 5 recoveries in our half.

• We are really good at blocking, or are Arsenal just poor at creating open play chances. Gomez (Joey!), Quansah and mostly Konate - immense

• Team selection - very strong compared to what it could have been

• Second half….
• Diaz chance, good save from Ramsdale, Jota header off the bar, Nunez snapshot was close

• Trent’s cross and then our one big chance Luis Diaz buries

• Lots we could say about Arsenal, but safe to say they are not on the same level as us right now.

• One narrative is that Havertz took too many touches - and when he shot ‘there were purple shirts everywhere’ unlike in the Liverpool store.

• Note on John Brooks - Harvey gets a yellow for one moment of dissent, Odegaard has multiple moments and the key foul and ….nothing. As for the man with Oompa Lumpa skin tones at right back:(). Oh and there’s Jorginho telling him to fuck off.

Part Two - Liverpool 2 - Fulham 1 (xG 1.99 to 0.48 - Fotmob had 1.77 to 0.29)

• First half - figuring things out with changes - still need to effectively assimilate Gravenberch (saw some Szobozlai moves in that second half).

• Be better after a full pre-season?

• 19 minutes - not great defending from VVD, but preoccupied by Jimenez and the Willian shot squeezes through.

• Before their goal we were just lacking a little bit of quality in their final third. Last ball just wasn't there
• They had a bit of momentum for a few minutes but overall it was a game we dominated. Second half the pressure ramped up. Commentary did their best to big up the Decordova Reid moment - only had to make a good pass for a tap in… That second goal was a work of art - Curtis, Diogo, Darwin and Cody’s flick finish.
• This team is relentless - there’s a reason they don’t lose many games. And the subs are a cheat code - Nunez and Gakpo, after being tested by Jota and Luis Diaz for 56 minutes.
• Conor Bradley - he is not an inexperienced footballer, but he’s not played much at this level. Love the Academy boys coming through - CURTIS!!!
• We have to mention Darwin’s offensive contribution (19 G/A) on the season. As well as his contribution to an impending coronary.
• Let’s parse through our individual feelings about him.

• The chaos line is a lazy bullshit narrative that misses his incredible contribution.

• Coote performance was not as bad as I feared - the non foul for Pereira in the second half was probably a result of him being told he was duped by the same player in the first half.

Part Three - Bournemouth and Fulham to come in just over a week’s time.

• Formations hugely impacted by availability.
• Darwin has looked so unmanageable in the last 4 games - more of that and goals at the Vitality would not go amiss
• We think Bournemouth will be tricky. They lost 3-1 away to Spurs and should have got something from that game
• Lineup + prediction.

We will likely be back after the second leg against Fulham. Thanks to Sean and Daz. And thank you dear listener for joining us.
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