LiverPoo vs WHUFC -- February 4th, 2019

good morning everybody peeps... yes, 'glutton-for-punishment' here about to sit down and watch a game that could - in the proper West Ham tradition - be a complete drubbing, a boring stalemate or an in the view of many) an unexpected victory...

we turned Liverpool over nicely a couple years back... but let's be honest here... we've been appalling of late... really appalling... like not seemingly bothered to turn up of aware of how to play footie...

so... which West Ham is going to turn up... I'm guessing Arnie will not be available after being carried off... please god don't play Carroll... or Noble... or Ogbonna... or Masuaku... or... or...

I mean.... it almost doesn't matter who we pick... it's all about how the player(s) decide to perform when they are picked...

so our last 4 meetings against L'Pool have been at the cost of 16 goals... 4 against us in each game... we've only scored twice...

so look at the stats... stats don't lie..


fupp... noble is out there warming up with the team... so we got no midfield going into this game...

Chicharito is out there

So is Diangana, Antonio...

there's only 30 points separating the two teams...

and here's our apparent line-up:

West Ham United: Fabianski, Fredericks, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Snodgrass, Noble, Rice, Felipe Anderson, Antonio, Hernandez.

Subs: Zabaleta, Carroll, Adrian, Obiang, Masuaku, Lucas Perez, Diangana.

Fredericks gets look in - not a bad idea as he looks sharper than the rest when he came on t'other day... not sure why Ogbonna always seems to get the nod over Obiang... but maybe I'm mixing up the players...

in a perfect world... Snodgrass and Anderson feeding Antonio and Chicharito wouldn't be a bad set-up... but those same players have consistently failed to find any kind of form or understanding in recent games... so they really need to step up their game(s) today

good to see Cresswell back in the team... but we have to stop the opposition getting in behind us... we'll be shredded if we remain as sloppy as we have recently..

not least of all because we have full backs do like to come forward which leaves us exposed down the flanks...

Chicharito takes the kick off as 'bubbles' echoes out around the stadium...

but possession falls almost immediately to Liverpool... they play it around at the back but over extend the forward pass and Fabianski gets it...

ooh... chicharito just wide of the post... think Noble laid on the pass into the box..

Cresswell got injured in the build up... that's no bueno...

dealt well with Liverpool's first corner... but they still have all the possession...

Judas priest... so a 2nd Liverpool corner goes over everyone but then gets to Noble and he just deflects it straight back the Liverpool...

we get an attack... some nice play... ends in a rifle from Cresswell that goes wide...

13 minutes gone...

we're getting some spells of possession and then just missing the final link up...

better than recently... but still too early to get a real sense of how this will end up as we can fall apart at any moment in any game...

crowd is well up for it tho'

Chicharito elects to not pass to the running Snoddy and go for a solo effort from outside the box... reminding him that he's score 49 premiership goals ALL from INSIDE the box...

that's how the news saw it...

"16 min: Space for Cresswell down the left. He hooks low into the area, looking for Snodgrass. But the ball clanks off Lallana and back into Allison’s arms. A lucky break. But West Ham are soon coming at Liverpool again, Hernandez pearling a shot from the right of the D towards the top left. Allison does extremely well to bat it away at full stretch, and the danger is over. Liverpool are looking very nervous; West Ham can sense their shakiness."


of course... as I hit the 'p on the c&p, Liverpool cut open our defense and we need Fabianski to save us...

ooh... Anderson wins a corner...

Snoddy took it but it curled basically out of the area to no one...

20 minutes gone...

Lallana twists and turns past a couple of defenders on the wing... gets in behind them... crosses to Mane but the ball is behind him... makes no difference... Mane gets time to spin and slice it into the corner of the goal...

Comms is calling the player offside... but you play to the whistle not until you think you should...

so here we go... 0-1 and pretty much of our own making...

how the news saw it...

"GOAL! West Ham United 0-1 Liverpool (Mane 22)

The in-form Mane gives Liverpool the lead against the run of play! It’s wonderful work by Lallana, tiptoeing on the right-hand touchline and dinking the ball past Cresswell and Snodgrass, who had surely boxed him in. But no! Milner’s set free. Milner pulls the ball back for Mane, who takes a touch, turns and pearls a shot into the bottom left! That was a delightful move. There’s only one problem, though ... Milner was a good yard offside when Lallana found him with his twinkle toes. Liverpool get a huge break there."

to be fair... we've not laid down...

and as I type that... we SCORE!!!!!

we get a free kick outside the box... it's weakest of set plays... almost rolling the ball out wide to where Antonio rolls and picks it up... slots it into the far corner of the net...

It was almost so slow it felt like in slow motion or that there was something wrong...

but it was actually absolutely brilliant...

1-1

and as they say at times like this... game on.

"24 min: Liverpool haven’t lost after scoring first since April 2017, bogey team Crystal Palace doing for them that time. West Ham have troubled Liverpool already, though; can they put an end to that record?"

and then...

"GOAL! West Ham United 1-1 Liverpool (Antonio 28)

Fabinho clumsily bundles Snodgrass to the ground, gifting West Ham a free kick 35 yards out, Everyone’s bunched to the left of the D. Felipe Anderson gives it the eyebrows, making to cross, then slips a cheeky one down the right. Antonio is in the box free, having torn away from a dozing Keita. Antonio threads a glorious shot across Allison and into the bottom left! What a brilliant training ground free kick ... but terrible sleepy defending by the title hopefuls."

we're actually playing pretty well...

the passing is a tiny bit off but we're at least trying... making an effort... which is everything we haven't done in the past three games...

another free kick to us as Liverpool look shaky in the midfield...

the ball fizzes across our goal mouth as we look shaky in the defense...

holy shit... that was about the most perfect free kick of all time...

Declan Rice finds himself free and clear running onto the ball in the penalty area... but his header somehow misses the goal - that was a sitter...

if we can hold out at the back.. there's a chance in this game.

secundo tiempo is underway...

Anderson wins a free kick as he dances down the wing...

Antonio has been limping since he scored... but he's still playing and wins us a corner...

Diop glances his free header wide...

Antonio was apparently injured by all the West Ham players leaping on his back after he scored... talk about typical West Ham...

not sure if that's true... or why he's still playing... or what... but Liverpool are on the attvck...

possession is 70-30 in favor of liverpool...

Anderson is too clever even for himself and gives away possession down by the corner flag...

Anderson looks very much engage in this game... he wins another free kick centrally outside the area...

Anderson's almost being too cool for school...

you got to believe the hype AFTER you deserve the hype... not before...

it's not like we're 6-0 ahead... we're even-steven at 1-1 and could fupp things up at any given moment...