So the much anticipated crowd problems never really turned up. There are a few reports of a small minority engaging in unsavoury chanting after the final whistle in a near empty stadium but none of this has been fully substantiated and if it is it will be condemned widely enough for me not to have to go into it on here. Both sets of fans observed the pre match Hillsborough tributes with the dignity the occasion demanded and as the game drew to a close the visiting supporters taunted the home crowd with purely football related shouts and nothing approaching crossing the line. Suarez and Evra shook hands as we all expected they would and the tone followed on from there. I feel I must add at this point that much of the talk around this handshake seemed to say Evra was the innocent party, which in my view isn't strictly accurate. Yes, he wasn't at fault in the whole racist comment saga, but his behaviour at the end of the league fixture at Old Trafford last season was unsporting to say the least and will have riled more than just Suarez in the Liverpool camp, his acceptance of the handshake today was just as important to the occasion as the Uruguayans.
I'm assuming most of you reading this have watched the game so I'm not going to give a blow by blow account but Liverpool played very well, we passed accurately, worked hard and made very few of the errors that have so far blighted our season. All the possession and attacking play will continue to count for nothing though if we continue to struggle putting chances away. Borini is still young with plenty to learn and at time his movement was good, as was his work rate, but at the moment I wouldn't have him in my team ahead of Kuyt or Maxi, both of whom were moved on in the summer to make way for players like the Italian. Suarez and Sterling looked good as a combination and most of our more dangerous moments involved either one or both of them. Allen and Gerrard worked tirelessly and efficiently in midfield alongside Jojo Shelvey for the majority of the first half until he saw red. I've no complaints with Shelvey's dismissal, indeed he was very lucky to escape a yellow card early on in the game so he should really have taken that as a warning and calmed down. He was off the ground and not in control of his body and by the letter of the law that is a sending off, as is jumping in two footed studs first like Johnny Evans in the same challenge. I'm sure if Brendan Rodgers sat down with Mark Halsey and talked through the Shelvey red card and then asked why Evans' tackle didn't meet the same criteria the ref would admit it should have been a double dismissal. Even with ten men Liverpool looked the better side and it wasn't until the very end when legs tired that it looked like we were numerically disadvantaged.
Gerrard took his goal well and we thoroughly deserved our lead, only to be pegged back minutes later. Our wastefulness in front of goal was brutally highlighted when Rafael curled the ball into the top corner with his wrong foot, a goal which he will never repeat but unfortunately on the evidence of this season so far neither will our attackers. Next up was the non award of a penalty for a foul on Suarez, he got to the ball before Evans, toed it past him and has his foot kicked out from under him before he was also tripped by Evans' shin. It was a very blatant foul and there was no real excuse for the spot kick not to be awarded but again Mr Halsey failed to rule in the Reds favour. Suarez should now have been awarded penalties in our last three fixtures and, while it's true reputation can go before a player, a foul is a foul, regardless of who it is committed on. It's also true that decisions can even themselves out, look at Everton, screaming for the introduction of video technology after being wrongly denied a goal against Newcastle last week only to score their breakthrough goal yesterday thanks to an assist from Fellaini's hand, something that would not have been allowed if technology had been used. On this basis we should be due a fair few dodgy calls over the coming weeks, might be worth putting money on Gerrard as first goalscorer again the amount of spot kicks that may be coming our way.... Just to rub it in Utd then got a penalty of their own, Johnson bringing down Valencia on the edge of the six yard box after a quick breakaway from the Utd winger. It was an accidental clip of the back of Valencia's foot as he swung it back to kick the ball but it impeded him and we can't really complain about the award.
Our overall performance was excellent and we deserved to win, never mind draw, but sometimes such is football. The better team on the day doesn't always get the victory but that doesn't mean we can't take positives. Our effort, pressing, passing and moving was top drawer against a very good side who will be challenging for the title come next May and a couple of decisions were all that stood between us and the three points. Many more afternoons like this and our current league position will be improved upon very quickly.
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