A 5-0 score is a hell of a way to start a Saturday morning! Ugly goals, beautiful goals, movement and passing, pass and move; this game had all of it. Funny season, isn’t it? Only a few short months ago we were languishing in mid-table, wishing for the season to be over by Christmas so we could start anew. The savior came in and turned around a set of players, a club, millions of fans world-wide and an entire culture. Since his reign started we have gone 8-3-3 and improved our goal difference from -3 to +12.
Of everything we saw today, one of the things that shown through was the unity in this squad that King Kenny has been able to muster since taking control. As if the post-game celebrations last week at the Emirates weren’t enough of indication, seeing the way the guys moved together and played for each other today warmed the heart. Maxi’s first goal came from a great sequence of movement from Flanagan to Suarez to Kuyt to Spearing before Maxi hustled the ball in off the rebound. Kuyt’s work to get in position to support Suarez on the second was rewarded with one of the greatest ugly goals you’ll ever see, all due to his hustle. The two young lads on the outside turned in equally different yet further respectable displays, with Flanagan taking the opportunities to get forward while Robinson’s hustle closed down any slight moves Birmingham tried to create. The lasting bit of evidence of this in my mind was in the 85th minute when Pepe collected the ball and pushed the pace up, distributing the ball like only he can. He delivered the ball spot-on to Kuyt who got the ball to Cole for his first touch of awkward touches before scoring on a weak shot. We were up 4-0 at that point; holding the ball and slowing the pace would have been the easy, common answer taken by the team of old. But in a sign of things to come, a sign of the growing sense of a new dawn for Liverpool, we pushed on, not settling for a Rafa-style death of the game. This is the type of killer instinct this club has needed for years. This is the type of the thing that champions do; this will hopefully be the beginning of the new culture at the club.
Yes, this was a display of effort and hustled and common goal achievement.
This was a group of guys playing for the same thing.
This was a display of a group of players building towards a common goal.
This game showed that we Liverpool fans have much to look forward to over the summer and next season. I, for one, can hardly wait.
Until we meet again,
The Red Yank
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