Liverpool FC - The Week That Is #2

Article by e-Liverpool Correspondent Tony Thorne

A Fulham Cake with Arsenal Icing, Not the Other Way Around.

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For Liverpool fans, beating Fulham at Craven Cottage on a blustery, game-postponing Wednesday night was not the icing on the cake after the 5-1 drubbing of Arsenal, but the soft, gooey and essential centre. There was no use in beating a possible title contender (as the Reds are starting to be named in some circles now) if the following game saw another slip up, the likes of which have recently been seen against Aston Villa and West Brom.

For so long, it seemed that this was another match to see Liverpool fall to the sword of mediocrity, but a determined performance, spawned by one of Steven Gerrard’s best games of the season, showed that Liverpool have increased their mental fortitude. Liverpool came from behind twice. First, a spectacular first-time threaded ball from Gerrard to Daniel Sturridge, who has become as close to a dead cert in one-on-one situations as it is possible to be, split Fulham into quarters and saw Liverpool up the tempo both sides of the interval. Luis Suarez’s “barren spell” (if it can be called such) continued as he hit the post for the second game in a row.

But if attacking prowess is our strength right now, defensive stability remains elusive. Aly Cissohko was back to his old tricks and Jon Flanagan was not quite as assured at the back as he once was. But the multiple Premier League champion Kolo Toure has become one of the biggest disappointments of the season, with another unsteady display that included an inexplicable slice over Mignolet for the opening goal. Having played more games than he or Brendan Rodgers likely imagined due to injuries, he looked mentally exhausted at having another error cost the team a goal, and he looked like his confidence had deserted him throughout the rest of the game. Indeed he even decided to tackle the referee Phil Dowd at one point. Martin Skrtel then made an atypical mistake to allow Kieran Richardson to prod home from a few yards out.

The good news, defensively at least, is that Daniel Agger made his long awaited return, being brought on as a substitute after Liverpool took the lead. Mamadou Sakho, Luis Enrique and, most crucially, Lucas Leiva, are all due to be back in contention by the end of the month. Agger instantly brought a sense of sanctuary to the back line that survived to the end of the game.

And what an end it was. Liverpool entered the last twenty minutes in total dominating mode, yet found themselves 2-1 down. Step up Philippe Coutinho, who grew into the game as it went on and struck a slightly deflected shot from 20 yards. Heading into injury time, Fulham had every man back and were content to sit out for a draw. Sturridge received the ball in the area and was given the space to turn before Sascha Riether scythed the striker down in the box. Step up Captain Fantastic, as we remarked on Twitter during the game, whose penalty finish was outstanding.

But Gerrard’s reaction was more telling than the scoreboard. Elated, he yanked his shirt over his head and twirled it around and around whilst jumping high in the air. Reds fans across the world took a collective sigh, similar to the one they took after the game against Stoke, knowing that this result took on more significance than the Arsenal game because it strengthened the notion that Liverpool could come back from adversity, rather than just swamp teams in the opening half hour.

The FA Cup game against Arsenal this weekend should be an exciting affair, and a good cup run would be useful as well as memorable for Brendan Rodgers, who has not had much joy in any cup competition to date. But for Reds fans looking at the Premier League table, this game has become the icing on a much more important, top-four cake. Some Liverpool fans are dreaming that we can take more than just a bite come the end of the season.

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