Liverpool vs. West Ham: *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

Well, given the name of his goalkeeper, you'd think Michail Antonio would know better than to make a total tit of himself.

The idea, before a game, is to give the opposition toffee; Bob Paisley's mantra about talking up the opposition, so that they go soft and gooey.

What you don't do when visiting Anfield is send a shit sandwich to the Reds; as you'll likely be the one eating your words, and thus, eating shit.

Antonio, to paraphrase my favourite Scottish band, should be swallowing his pride, to the point where he's unable to eat another word.

“I am backing myself over Liverpool,” Antonio said on the Footballer's Football Podcast. “You know what, I think we are going to finish higher than Liverpool this season. I'm putting it out there. "I watched the game [Liverpool 3-1 Wolves] because it was before our game and Wolves could have run away with it!”

(And also, for a battle of wits, Antonio had come half prepared.)

It brought to mind a game I was at, 22 years ago. Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison had just said that he was better than Michael Owen (who would soon win the European Footballer of the Year) after scoring in the first leg of a cup semifinal, ahead of the second leg; and promptly missed an absolute sitter. Liverpool won 5-0.

Antonio likewise had a great chance to head at goal in front of the Kop (and West Ham only seem to do headers), and instead headed at NASA’s OSIRIS-REx reentering the Earth's atmosphere.

At least the scheduling meant West Ham were also on the back of a Thursday night game, and so to have these fixtures where those in Europe play each other always make sense.

This was another impressive and sharp 3rd-gear win for the Reds, who are keeping gears four and five in reserve for times when down to ten men or more than a goal behind.

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