LIVERPOOL FC beat Ian Holloway’s Crystal Palace side 3-1 courtesy of goals from our very own SAS team, and a penalty thanks to our captain, Steven Gerrard.
Raheem Sterling replaced the suspended Lucas, whilst Jordan Henderson moved into the midfield alongside Gerrard.
Luis Suarez started his first game back at Anfield after his summer dramas, and heroics last week against Sunderland.
Suarez introduced his newborn son Benjamin to the Kop before kick-off.
Suarez: 3 goals in two games
Suarez opened the scoring after 13 minutes at Anfield. After good work from Victor Moses, Luis Suarez played the ball to the overlapping Jose Enrique, Luis then got the return; he then slipped over 10 yards from goal but improvised splendidly to poke the ball into the net while on the floor.
Suarez has now scored 19 goals in his last 22 Liverpool games.
@basstunedtored tweeted after the goal:
“To those expressing surprise at Enrique assist stat, he has created more open play chances in centre of box (5) than any other #LFC player”
Daniel Sturridge: Quality Finish makes it 2-0
Daniel Sturridge twisted Damien Delaney inside out before ramming an emphatic finish into the far corner from a tight angle. Sturridge has 19 in 25 games and 5 assists since joining the club in January.
Gerrard: 99 not out
Captain Steven Gerrard only needs one more Premier League Goal to make it into the 100 club. He netted his 99th goal from the penalty spot after defender Dean Moxey fouled Sterling just inside the box. Gerrard sent Julian Speroni the wrong way to score for the 15th consecutive league season, a club record.
Jordan Henderson: Vital to team progression
I must single out Jordan Henderson for his overall performance on Saturday afternoon. As you can see from the diagram below he was vital in how the team played against Crystal Palace. His work rate and effort was immense.
Also as you can see from his statistics from the match; he was instrumental within the midfield areas.
Ground Duels: 10 (90% won)
Aerial Duels: 1 (100%)
Tackles: 7 (100%)
Passing: 69/75 – 92%
Possession won: 12
Final thoughts
Another win for the Reds to continue their excellent start to the season. The game could have seen 4 or 5 goals if Moses and Sturridge’s shots had not hit the woodwork.
We started the first half brilliantly and some of our attacking play was a joy to watch, however it was a case of second of half syndrome again for the team – we do seem to switch off during the course of the second 45 minutes, it is a little concerning.
The back three of Sakho, Toure and Skrtel are working together and are now getting an understanding of how each other is playing. The introduction of Agger for Sakho disrupted our defensive line, it would have been interesting to see if Mamadou was still on the pitch, if he would have marked Gayle at the post, where the Palace striker scored from.
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When Sakho left the pitch on Saturday he had the most touches for LFC so far in the match – 67. 90% pass accuracy and a whopping 5 interceptions too.
I must make reference to Sterling and his performance on Saturday; he is becoming very frustrating to watch. At this moment in time I do not think he is not playing to his full potential and does not warrant a place within the match day squad. You may think I am being harsh but if you look at it when he has come on as substitute he effectively does not change the game.
Playing him out of position as a right wing-back did not help matters as he was caught out a few times and this resulted in him fouling the Crystal Palace player giving away the free kick which gave Palace their goal. At times during the match he lost possession in key areas which gave Palace opportunities to get forward.
Sterling needs to evaluate his game and what he brings to the team collectively. He needs to take a leaf out of Henderson’s book and have the EFFORT, DESIRE and work rate and also use his asset which his pace at the right time in the right areas. Maybe the wages have gone to his head? Gerrard even had to encourage him during the first half.
Stat attack
– Luis Suarez’s next game for Liverpool will be his 100th. He’s scored 54 goals so far, which is a goal every 1.8 games.
– Suarez and Sturridge have started 9 Premier League matches together and scored 12 goals between them: Suarez 7, Sturridge 5.
– Mignolet has saved 30 of the 35 shots on target LFC have allowed their opponents this season.
– Liverpool now have taken 71 points from their previous 38 league games, and have 49 from 25 matches in 2013.
– At present, Liverpool have scored a goal every 38 minutes when both Suárez and Sturridge have been on the pitch. Luis Suárez has only played 105 minutes of Premier League football this season. Only 7 players in the league have scored more goals in 2013/14.
– This is now the 5th time that Suárez and Sturridge have scored in the same game for Liverpool and the 3rd league game running (with both playing)
– Steven Gerrard moved into 7th place on LFC all-time appearance list, overtaking Tommy Smith’s 638 games for club in all competitions.
Next up for the Reds is trip to St James’ Park to take on Alan Pardew’s Newcastle side who have vastly improved in the last two games. Hopefully the defence can keep Loic Remy quiet. A 6-0 win will do nicely again lads please.
Follow me on Twitter @MRSSG
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Impressive. Thank you.
Simply love your article. Complete with facts and figures. 🙂