Liverpool vs. Luton: *Bumper* Post-Match Analysis

Paul Tomkins, Andrew Beasley, Daniel Rhodes and other TTT regulars will give their thoughts on the match for 24 hours after the game, so the article received via email is unlikely to be the final version. There's statistics from the match and videos too.

Post-Match Thoughts

Paul Tomkins

While not the most beautiful, and certainly not against the most illustrious opponents, the second half tonight was, in its way, a work of art.

To be 1-0 down against the run of play with almost an hour gone, and have a young team and pretty much only kids on the bench, and to win 4-1 was nothing short of remarkable.

With so many players injured and the games coming thick and fast, Liverpool lined up with Caoimhín Kelleher, Joe Gomez, Phil Thompson, Alan Hansen, Ephraim Longworth, Alberto Aquilani (back from loan), Phil Chisnall, Ken Dodd, George Sephton, Billy Corkhill and Ringo Starr.

Longer term, a high level with lots of absentees is not sustainable, but I wonder sometimes if it focuses minds, too.

The worst thing in football, for team confidence, is a shaky keeper, followed by a shaky centre-back, as their mistakes are the costliest. But if you have a reserve keeper and a rookie centre-back, it can means everyone else has to sharpen up; wants to help and protect them, not leave them exposed.

We saw in the run-in in 2021 that two rookie centre-backs whose main (almost only) skill was heading a football saw a minor miracle occur.

And this run of wins in the league is equally impressive in the circumstances.

The first half was one of the worst in a long time for decision-making, with panicked shots from distance and skewed through-balls.

Luis Díaz was everywhere, but nothing quite worked. Players didn’t shoot when the chance was there, and Díaz, Harvey Elliott and Cody Gakpo all had big chances where they didn’t even get the shot away; nothing on the xG but big chances if they hit the ball.

Still, they’d get other chances, and the night would end with the fifth Liverpool player to reach double-figures for the season.

The majority of my analysis and the analysis of the others follows for subscribers only.