We're Almost There

Referee Lee Mason blew the whistle to start the game and immediately Lucas picked up the ball, passed it through to Suarez and as the clock hit 31 seconds, Maxi sent a great shot heading goal wards.  It went in and my immediate thought was, what Manchester united can do, we can do better and it felt wonderful.  The ball was quickly returned to the field of play and Liverpool began to play the best football we have seen in a while.  It was the pass and move style that Kenny has been advocating since his return in January. This evening though it was accompanied with speed and if you blinked you missed something.  Everyone was playing with the Liverbird screaming out from their chest, they were going to win this game and win it in style. 

Fulham were folding under the pressure already mounted, so much so that Danny Murphy was booked with the clock barely showing four minutes.  Their midfield was in total disarray, so much so, that Lucas again picked up a ball, passed it to Glen Johnson, who then passed it to Maxi and goal number two was in the back of the net.

Liverpool was on a high and took total command of the game, so much so that, Mark Hughes was looking totally shell shocked.  The team he had worked wonders with and believed could win the game last night, had completely folded.  It was like watching a Premiership team play a team of schoolboys and I suspect the Fulham players knew that and it seemed they were already resigned to a defeat.

So much so that they got a away with what should have been a penalty for Liverpool. There was a handball in the area, although after consulting with his linesman, Lee Mason decided it had not happened - I could bring in the touchline camera argument here, but I won't.  It was just one of those things and as the replays showed afterwards, it should have been given.

Now the Liverpool of old, under its three previous incarnations would have given up and decided there and then to ensure that held onto the score they had.  Not this Liverpool though and several minutes later, Mr Duracell himself, Dirk Kuyt picked up a ball from Glen Johnson and smashed it through the hands of Mark Suarez.  Liverpool was now three up and cruising along whilst playing the most wonderful football.  Football that sent the mind racing back to those fantastic days of the 60's to the late 80's when that was our style of play.

Liverpool continued to press forward and it was anyone's guess if and when the fourth goal would come.  It did come but half time intervened and Mark Hughes made what in Fulham's terms was a major substitution.  Bobby Zamora came on and his arrival seemed to change the mentality of the side.  They came out for the second half with every intention of trying to claw back some pride.  This they did with Clint Dempsey Meeting a Clint Dempsey corner, which was then picked up by Johnson, who shot the ball into the net.  It worked and for around five minutes Liverpool looked as though the stuffing had been knocked out of them.

This though is a Kenny Dalglish side and although, the team were hit with an injury to Meireles, who was then replaced by JonJo Shelvey they battled on.  This of course, led to yet another goal, and the scorer was of course the one and only Maxi.  From being someone who appeared to be out of favour early last month to the hat trick King, the lad has come on leaps and bounds in his performance.

Liverpool though were not finished, Luis Suarez who had been all over the pitch during the game, got the goal he had been trying to get all evening and goal number five sent into the back of the net. Again Fulham did not give up and on 86 Minutes Sidwell hit the back of the net. They had recovered but even with four minutes added time, it would be unlikely if they could reach 5.

Saying that though, Liverpool continued to fight and if it had not been for a couple of good saves by Schwarzer we could have scored another two and indeed should have had another penalty just before the final whistle.

The game though finished with every red in the country knowing that finally their club was in the right hands.  The Kenny Dalglish Master class in football management was gaining momentum.  Every player in the team appears to have improved since January. They have gone from players who could not give a damn to players who realise who they play for and what they need to do.  These players include Lucas, who and I wrote off a couple of season ago. That young man has proved what happens when you begin to enjoy what you are doing and I owe him one hell of an apology.  We also have Jay Spearing who had effectively been written off, by a couple of the previous managers as not good enough.  Fate though stepped in and with Stevie injured he was given his chance.  We now have another home grown player who is bossing our midfield and enjoying his football.

We must of course not forget the other players, because once again Liverpool are playing as a team and it showed last night.  They are no longer the disjointed unit that were playing under Roy Hodgson, they are now part of the new Kenny Dalglish revolution that is about to rampage its way through the Premier League.

We must of course not forget the other members of his backroom staff.  Steve Clarke who was brought in with him in January has helped the team move forward also, in fact people were saying this morning that perhaps he is the new Bob Paisley.  Lastly of course there is the old stalwart, Sammy Lee, who under Kenny appears to have rediscovered what being a Liverpool coach is. Having watched him training with the team, I suspect he has been given a lot more freedom and is using his own training methods, rather than those put forward by his manager.

Liverpool are on their way back and it will not matter how much Manchester United go on about taking the title from us, because we know it is only a temporary glitch.  The Liverbird will soon be back on its perch and under Kenny's guidance will remain there for some time to come.