17 min Alexander-Arnold’s left-wing corner is headed over from 10 yards by van Dijk. It was a tricky chance because the ball was slightly behind him, so he did well to steer it anywhere near the goal.
15 min Salah hares into the area and pokes wide from 12 yards with his right foot. He should probably have played in Henderson on the outside.
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14 min Grant wins a corner for Huddersfield, who are dominating this match. It’s curled in towards Mounie, who completely mis-hits a volley from 12 yards. It was a difficult ball to hit first time.
13 min Liverpool have been complacent since going ahead, which is understandable in the circumstances. Another right-wing cross, this time from Smith, is cleared unconvincingly by Alexander-Arnold. There’s a strong wind at Anfield, which is making those booming crosses more difficult to deal with.
11 min “After the Manchester derby, this feels like a low-key, anticlimactic affair,” says Phil Podolsky. “Nothing to do with the football, everything with the absence of Roy Keane, whose punditry on Wednesday was about 500 times more gripping than the actual match. Every panel needs an Irishman whose relentlessly grim rage reaches boiling point whenever he sees that some French teenager is too slow in tracking back or whatever.”
It was utterly beautiful. Two yards, man!
10 min More good play from Huddersfield. Kongolo surges forward and plays the ball wide to Mbenza on the right. He fizzes a dangerous low cross between Alisson and the Liverpool defence, but Mounie can’t get on the end of it.
8 min “Nice try, but I’m with Rob Carey on this one,” says Tim. “I too read your comments after the Spurs match and hold you responsible for all of this.”
Well, if you insist.
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6 min Huddersfield have started brightly, if you ignore the shambolic goal they conceded after 15 seconds. A left-wing cross finds its way to Mbenza, whose sidefooted shot is blocked.
3 min And now Huddersfield almost equalise! Stankovic, given a scandalous amount of space just inside the area, sidefoots a low shot that deflects off Lovren, loops over Alisson and ripples the side netting.
2 min Salah almost makes it 2-0 with a fierce rising drive that is beaten away by Lossl. Crikey.
It was a desperate shambles from Huddersfield’s point of view. The keeper Lossl played a short pass to Stankovic, who dithered and was robbed by Keita. The ball went to Salah, who pushed a return pass into the area for Keita, and he dragged a precise low shot across Lossl and in off the post.
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GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Huddersfield (Keita 15 secs)
Liverpool take the lead after 15 seconds!
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“Good evening Rob,” says Rob Carey. “Not using a snarky tone here I promise, but a few weeks ago you were telling us it was Liverpool’s title. Now apparently they might as well give up. What’s changed? Did anyone really think Man Utd were going to get anything from City? Next you’ll be joining the experts who think OGS was appointed too early after wetting themselves over his managerial abilities a few months ago. I think they call it kneejerk don’t they?”
Well, I thought Liverpool would win all their games and City would drop two points somewhere. They haven’t, yet. As soon as City went out of Europe I thought they would win all their remaining league games. I might be right. And I might not!
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“I honestly agree with you,” says a pained Hubert O’Hearn. “Liverpool get edged out for the PL and win Big Cup. I was starting to think about whether or not I should feel disappointed when I gave myself a smack across the face with a freshly caught salmon and gave myself a scolding. To see reaching the highest levels of both domestic and European football as anything other than a great season is to be he sort of snivelling, self-entitled yob fans of other clubs hate. Damn it, I WILL enjoy these last three weeks and this time. Not them, on to the butter, lemon and thyme.”
Admirable sentiments, with which I wholeheartedly agree. In fact, your take on Liverpool’s season reminds me of another of my favourite songs.
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“OK Rob,” says Sully. “You are a glass-half-empty guy. Or gets to the bar after last orders is called. Hope springs eternal, man. Bright side of life.”
Actually, you’re right, I should be more positive about the situation – especially as it evokes the lyrics of one of my favourite songs.
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“Come, come Mr Smyth,” says Ian Copestake. “You take just as much pleasure out of killing the dream as I do. But you know football is never straightforward. Except when it is. Which it often isn’t. This race is over when we say it’s over. By losing at home to a relegated side. Okay?”
Team news
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain returns to the Liverpool squad for the first time since his serious knee injury a year ago. Roberto Firmino is absent, presumably a precuation ahead of next week’s trip to Barcelina, so Daniel Sturridge starts. Huddersfield are without the injured Aaron Mooy.
Liverpool (4-3-3) Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, van Dijk Robertson; Henderson, Wijnaldum, Keita; Salah, Sturridge, Mane.
Substitutes: Mignolet, Milner, Gomez, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Shaqiri, Origi, Matip.
Huddersfield Town (4-1-4-1) Lossl; Smith, Schindler, Kongolo, Durm; Stankovic; Grant, Bacuna, Hogg, Mbenza; Mounie.
Substitutes: Coleman, Kachunga, Diakhaby, Lowe, Pritchard, Zanka, Daly.
Referee Kevin Friend.
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Preamble
So now what? Liverpool supporters put so many of their eggs in the basket marked ‘Manchester United’ that they must now be starting to fear the worst. For all Jurgen Klopp’s positive vibes, he knows deep down that finishing runners-up with 97 points is not cool. Everyone connected with Liverpool must be struggling to escape the feeling that the title race is over. They know, but they don’t know.
It won’t be quite as painful as 2014, primarily because they have done so little wrong. But it will still be raw. And it will smart even more because two of the few things they did wrong – those tepid draws at Manchester United and Everton in late February and early March – look likely to cost them the league. Had they won either match, they would now be three games away from immortality.
Neither Liverpool nor Manchester City have dropped points since, and that’s not going to change tonight. Spoiler: Liverpool win this game. They might thump Huddersfield and take a big chunk out of Manchester City’s goal-difference advantage, which currently stands at eight. But even a 482-0 win will be no use unless City drop points in one of their last three games. And it is in the humble opinion of this narrator that Liverpool will be left holding the greatest consolation prize in the world: the European Cup.
This preamble will look ridiculous if Manchester City fail to beat Burnley, Leicester or Brighton, and ridiculing other human beings is what the internet is for. All Liverpool can do is keep taking care of business, as they have for the last six games, and hope Brendan Rodgers does them a solid next weekend. It’s not likely, but nor is it impossible. It’s not the despair, Laura…
Kick off is at 8pm BST.
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