For the last couple of weeks Liverpool fans have had a bit of a flirtation with the idea of finishing in the top four this season, that coveted Champions League place winking at us like a girl in a crowded bar. Turns out she was winking at that bloke standing next to us and for now we'll be going home without her.
West Brom coming to Anfield and winning 2-0 wasn't just unexpected before kick off, it was unexpected right the way up to the 80th minute last night. I'm sure some Liverpool fans and many journalists will go over the top about the result, which wasn't really acceptable, we need to stop conceding, and fast. The truth is we weren't as bad as the result sounds. Did we do enough to win the game? Obviously not. Did our approach play suggest we'd score goals? Probably yes.
It took until the 80th minute for the visitors to have their first attempt at goal, Reina palming a long range effort around the post, and with an air of inevitability the resulting corner was headed in, Daniel Agger completely losing his man and with him any chance of us taking the three points. An injury time second on a breakaway counter attack sealed it, Agger again losing his individual battle.
We didn't deserve to lose the game, that's without question, but with finishing like ours last night we can't claim to have deserved the win either. That Ben Foster in the visitors goal was man of the match tells part of the story, but aside from two saves from Steven Gerrard he didn't have to make any saves beyond the ordinary.
The key moment of the game came when Liverpool were awarded a penalty with a quarter of an hour to go. Suarez was knocked over in the box, not a particularly bad foul and one that defenders tend to get away with, but it was a foul nonetheless and it was inside the penalty area, so it was a penalty, I'm not totally sure what Steve Clarke was complaining about afterwards. As Gerrard stepped up you just didn't get that feeling that he was about to score, and so it proved. It was a fairly well hit spot kick but Foster was equal to it and saved very well low down to his left. We've now missed five of our last six penalties in the league and that has to improve. The feeling that it was going to be one of those games where we just couldn't score only intensified with Foster's save.
It's now four games in a row without a win for Liverpool, and Zenit away on Thursday certainly won't be an easy match to try to break the sequence. We've conceded at least two goals in four of our last five games and defensive concentration simply has to be top priority for the remainder of the season so we can begin the next campaign with a solid base.
However, if your looking for positives there are one or two. The fact that we're so gutted to be out of contention for the Champions League shows that we've actually come far enough to think we were going to make it back into the continent's premier competition. Our last two away performances have given us hope, and even if we're taking two steps forward and one step back that's still progress. We won't get back to the top overnight, but the feeling of disappointment last night is a good sign we've been making strides forward. There have been times in our not too distant past where a result like last night's wouldn't have surprised us in the slightest, that it did is a good thing.
Also last night showed us how much of an impact Daniel Sturridge has made. Sturridge was missing through injury last night and that made it even easier to see what he brings to us. His pace, directness and ability to stretch defences will be a key weapon for us as we continue building a side that will be able to compete at the top.
Brendan Rodgers' decision to replace Sturridge with Jonjo Shelvey was a bizarre one though. I understand the logic of wanting to keep the changes to a minimum after the previous two performances, and keeping everyone in the same positions they had played with makes sense on some levels. But Luis Suarez has been one of the best two strikers in the league this season and should have been played as the central striker from the kick off, no debate. Best players in best positions wins you matches, always has, always will. I fully support our young manager but one or two of his selections recently have been what I'd consider to be gambles, and they haven't paid off. He must learn as his young team does. We've shown over the last few seasons we're not afraid to make managerial changes if it's called for and he will be no different. But, like I said, I support our manager and am willing to give him time as long as he continues to deliver us progress. Last night was a setback, but that happens to everybody, it's the reaction that counts and we will be demanding one in our next couple of fixtures.
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