A disappointed Brendan Rodgers said Liverpool weren’t threatening enough and made too many mistakes in their 3-1 defeat to West Ham on Saturday.
Goals from Winston Reid and Diafra Sakho gave the Hammers a 2-0 lead inside seven minutes as Liverpool struggled to find their stride in east London.
Raheem Sterling’s strike later in the first-half gave Liverpool hope, but Morgan Amalfitano’s 88th minute goal sealed defeat for the Reds.
It was a dreary and uninspiring performance from Liverpool — enduring their third defeat in their opening five Premier League games.
Rodgers cast an abject figure at full-time, quoted on the club’s official website as saying, “We were nowhere near the standard today. We made a really slow start and before we knew it we were 2-0 down.
“Lots of elements in our game have been very good and everyone has seen that over the last couple of seasons, but it is just not quite happening for us at the moment. We have a lot of work to do and today was very disappointing in terms of performance.
“They had better intensity than us. Our performance level wasn’t anywhere near what I would expect. We made too many long passes; normally our passing is shorter, crisper and faster in the game. Today we didn’t show enough composure on the ball.
“But, first and foremost, I thought the intensity of our game wasn’t quite at the level. But that’s something that we will look at. I’m very fortunate that I’ve got an honest group of players that know that sort of level isn’t what we expect. We will, over the course of the season, get better and better.”
Liverpool next face Middlesbrough in the League Cup third round at Anfield on Tuesday night, before a home Merseyside derby clash against Everton on Saturday, 27th September.
Where did it all go wrong for Liverpool at West Ham and what needs doing to ensure immediate positive change? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
.
A disappointed Brendan Rodgers said Liverpool weren’t threatening enough and made too many mistakes in their 3-1 defeat to West Ham on Saturday.
Goals from Winston Reid and Diafra Sakho gave the Hammers a 2-0 lead inside seven minutes as Liverpool struggled to find their stride in east London.
Raheem Sterling’s strike later in the first-half gave Liverpool hope, but Morgan Amalfitano’s 88th minute goal sealed defeat for the Reds.
It was a dreary and uninspiring performance from Liverpool — enduring their third defeat in their opening five Premier League games.
Rodgers cast an abject figure at full-time, quoted on the club’s official website as saying, “We were nowhere near the standard today. We made a really slow start and before we knew it we were 2-0 down.
“Lots of elements in our game have been very good and everyone has seen that over the last couple of seasons, but it is just not quite happening for us at the moment. We have a lot of work to do and today was very disappointing in terms of performance.
“They had better intensity than us. Our performance level wasn’t anywhere near what I would expect. We made too many long passes; normally our passing is shorter, crisper and faster in the game. Today we didn’t show enough composure on the ball.
“But, first and foremost, I thought the intensity of our game wasn’t quite at the level. But that’s something that we will look at. I’m very fortunate that I’ve got an honest group of players that know that sort of level isn’t what we expect. We will, over the course of the season, get better and better.”
Liverpool next face Middlesbrough in the League Cup third round at Anfield on Tuesday night, before a home Merseyside derby clash against Everton on Saturday, 27th September.
Where did it all go wrong for Liverpool at West Ham and what needs doing to ensure immediate positive change? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
.
Formulating, presenting and articulating an article in 140 characters isn’t enough, as Mark Jones explains off the back of Liverpool’s depressing 3-1 defeat at West Ham on Saturday.
This isn’t about tactics.
So many things are about tactics these days aren’t they? Tactics and stats. Tactics, stats and an almost fanatical devotion to the joke.
Every issue is broken down to a tweet, six seconds of video or a Photoshopped picture. That’s it. That’s all our attention span can handle these days. You’re this because this says you are. LOL.
Liverpool railed against that last season. We were top on Christmas Day and I remember joking to mates I’ve made since moving south that we wouldn’t stay there, but secretly I thought ‘you know what? F**k you.’ No other teams really scared me. We lost at Chelsea just before New Year and fell to fifth but I wasn’t panicking. The Vines were out that night, too.
Was it arrogance? No. Although I’ve since heard people say it was.
There is a difference between a ‘we’re going to win the league’ attitude and actually believing that you’ll win the thing, but somewhere in the April-May fog that seemed to get lost in translation. There was a meme doing the rounds during the final Newcastle game that simply spelt out the words of that age old ‘we’re going to win the league’ chant – the one that Southampton fans will jokingly be singing now, and Villa’s did at Anfield – next to a picture of Liverpool supporters, claiming that that’s what we were singing during the 6-3 win at Cardiff. We were, but it wasn’t the statement of fact it was being presented as here. That’s not how chants work. I knew the Neville family didn’t really do those things.
I should explain now that part of my life involves keeping track of such social media bollocks. At weekends one of my freelance jobs involves running the Twitter account for a fairly well-known bookmaker, and these sort of cheap laughs are encouraged. They were at the even more well-known bookmaker I worked for before, too.
It happens. There is always the running joke. Every missed chance gets compared to Torres, every transfer fee to Carroll’s. The Gibbs & Oxlade-Chamberlain red card thing was a godsend for many whose well had run dry once Aaron Ramsey started getting goals regularly, thereby removing that whole ‘he kills famous people when he scores’ thing. Heady days.
Liverpool were so good last season that so many tweets remained unsent, just saved in the drafts folder and then eventually deleted. Then Gerrard lost the ball against Chelsea (watch it again, masochistically. He’s lost possession before the slip), Aspas took his corner, people remembered the post-City game captain’s speech, nine months of emotion left the body in about nine minutes at Palace. It was a free-for-all.
Everything that everyone had been wanting to say for months was now out there, and we couldn’t do anything to stop it. The fact that we were all still buzzing off our tits at how great the season was would be ignored because a daft tweet from someone with a Liver Bird avatar had gone viral. Obviously this fella and his 17 followers represents how we all think. There can be no other logical explanation.
A narrative was formed then, and after West Ham we’ve walked right into the middle of it now.
Most of it, like everything else, centres around Suarez. We’ve spent three years listening to how much of a disgrace we are for indulging him, how we should have sacked him or fired him out of a cannon or something, and now we’re a worse team because he’s gone. No mention of the fact that the mad little b**tard still can’t play for another five weeks because of his latest bout of idiocy.
This might be the old rose tinted glasses going on here though, but I tend not to think of Luis Suarez when I remember the key moments of last season.
He didn’t score in the Arsenal 5-1, he got the fourth in the 4-0 derby and the third in the 3-0 at Old Trafford – adding to the damage not causing it – and he was a bit of a liability in the Man City 3-2. In fact he was lucky not to be sent off.
My point is that despite what the 140-character ‘b*nt*r’ merchants will have you believe, the brilliant madness which engulfed the final four months of the season weren’t all down to him, so why has it disappeared now?
The answer lies in status.
Last season we simply couldn’t give a f**k. We’d turn up, play you and probably win. To hell with the consequences.
Now Suarez has gone, loads of new players have turned up, Brendan Rodgers is the man to lead England to glory, with Sterling and Sturridge scoring his goals. Jordan Henderson is a statesman. There’s the Champions League. Oh Jesus, the Champions League.
Given the way that’s been talked about you wonder why we even bothered entering it. Before the West Ham game the Sky presenter asked pundit Gianfranco Zola if he thought that playing in it was a factor in some of our low-key performances this season. He said it was. This was five days after Ludogorets. We hadn’t actually played anyone post-Champions League yet.
But that’s what’s been written, isn’t it? The same way that it’s been written that Mario Balotelli is going to do something daft and let us all down, that Adam Lallana will be just another overpriced English flop, that Steven Gerrard is finished. You can either just accept that and follow along with it or you can rail against it. Last season’s Liverpool would have railed against it, but have we got the energy to do that any more?
I’ll admit that for the first part of last season all I was bothered about was being better than United, Everton and Spurs, because if we were then that’d mean we’d finish fourth.
This new, genetically modified United has made my mind drift back towards those thoughts again already, and maybe that’s what we should all be doing for now. Just be better than those three for a bit and then all the Vines and memes will stop.
Defensively we’re a mess, but that’s more to do with organisation than personnel. Dejan Lovren has already looked a very good defender with another Premier League team, and Mamadou Sakho and Martin Skrtel probably would do, too.
The young full-backs are brilliant, and would have fitted right into all that was going on last season. Lallana is a lovely footballer, so elegant and poised, but he just wants that extra second at the moment. Last season’s team didn’t have that second, or if they did it was being used to embarrass you. See Sterling’s goal against City.
Balotelli’s back story fits in with everything that they are saying about us right now, which is what made him such a balls out signing. Lazar Markovic is going to need time, but we haven’t got time. Philippe Coutinho is going to need patience, but we don’t have that either. We want the moon on a stick, but instead we’ve got Rickie Lambert.
What happens from here? The League Cup, and then a derby next weekend.
This time a year ago we’d just lost 1-0 at home to Southampton. People still thought United and Spurs were better than us. Some said Everton, too.
I honestly don’t know what to think of the title challenge right now, but I also know that I wasn’t even entertaining one five games in to last season.
But then that’s football for you. The unexpected happens.
And it takes a lot more than 140 characters to explain it.
.
Formulating, presenting and articulating an article in 140 characters isn’t enough, as Mark Jones explains off the back of Liverpool’s depressing 3-1 defeat at West Ham on Saturday.
This isn’t about tactics.
So many things are about tactics these days aren’t they? Tactics and stats. Tactics, stats and an almost fanatical devotion to the joke.
Every issue is broken down to a tweet, six seconds of video or a Photoshopped picture. That’s it. That’s all our attention span can handle these days. You’re this because this says you are. LOL.
Liverpool railed against that last season. We were top on Christmas Day and I remember joking to mates I’ve made since moving south that we wouldn’t stay there, but secretly I thought ‘you know what? F**k you.’ No other teams really scared me. We lost at Chelsea just before New Year and fell to fifth but I wasn’t panicking. The Vines were out that night, too.
Was it arrogance? No. Although I’ve since heard people say it was.
There is a difference between a ‘we’re going to win the league’ attitude and actually believing that you’ll win the thing, but somewhere in the April-May fog that seemed to get lost in translation. There was a meme doing the rounds during the final Newcastle game that simply spelt out the words of that age old ‘we’re going to win the league’ chant – the one that Southampton fans will jokingly be singing now, and Villa’s did at Anfield – next to a picture of Liverpool supporters, claiming that that’s what we were singing during the 6-3 win at Cardiff. We were, but it wasn’t the statement of fact it was being presented as here. That’s not how chants work. I knew the Neville family didn’t really do those things.
I should explain now that part of my life involves keeping track of such social media bollocks. At weekends one of my freelance jobs involves running the Twitter account for a fairly well-known bookmaker, and these sort of cheap laughs are encouraged. They were at the even more well-known bookmaker I worked for before, too.
It happens. There is always the running joke. Every missed chance gets compared to Torres, every transfer fee to Carroll’s. The Gibbs & Oxlade-Chamberlain red card thing was a godsend for many whose well had run dry once Aaron Ramsey started getting goals regularly, thereby removing that whole ‘he kills famous people when he scores’ thing. Heady days.
Liverpool were so good last season that so many tweets remained unsent, just saved in the drafts folder and then eventually deleted. Then Gerrard lost the ball against Chelsea (watch it again, masochistically. He’s lost possession before the slip), Aspas took his corner, people remembered the post-City game captain’s speech, nine months of emotion left the body in about nine minutes at Palace. It was a free-for-all.
Everything that everyone had been wanting to say for months was now out there, and we couldn’t do anything to stop it. The fact that we were all still buzzing off our tits at how great the season was would be ignored because a daft tweet from someone with a Liver Bird avatar had gone viral. Obviously this fella and his 17 followers represents how we all think. There can be no other logical explanation.
A narrative was formed then, and after West Ham we’ve walked right into the middle of it now.
Most of it, like everything else, centres around Suarez. We’ve spent three years listening to how much of a disgrace we are for indulging him, how we should have sacked him or fired him out of a cannon or something, and now we’re a worse team because he’s gone. No mention of the fact that the mad little b**tard still can’t play for another five weeks because of his latest bout of idiocy.
This might be the old rose tinted glasses going on here though, but I tend not to think of Luis Suarez when I remember the key moments of last season.
He didn’t score in the Arsenal 5-1, he got the fourth in the 4-0 derby and the third in the 3-0 at Old Trafford – adding to the damage not causing it – and he was a bit of a liability in the Man City 3-2. In fact he was lucky not to be sent off.
My point is that despite what the 140-character ‘b*nt*r’ merchants will have you believe, the brilliant madness which engulfed the final four months of the season weren’t all down to him, so why has it disappeared now?
The answer lies in status.
Last season we simply couldn’t give a f**k. We’d turn up, play you and probably win. To hell with the consequences.
Now Suarez has gone, loads of new players have turned up, Brendan Rodgers is the man to lead England to glory, with Sterling and Sturridge scoring his goals. Jordan Henderson is a statesman. There’s the Champions League. Oh Jesus, the Champions League.
Given the way that’s been talked about you wonder why we even bothered entering it. Before the West Ham game the Sky presenter asked pundit Gianfranco Zola if he thought that playing in it was a factor in some of our low-key performances this season. He said it was. This was five days after Ludogorets. We hadn’t actually played anyone post-Champions League yet.
But that’s what’s been written, isn’t it? The same way that it’s been written that Mario Balotelli is going to do something daft and let us all down, that Adam Lallana will be just another overpriced English flop, that Steven Gerrard is finished. You can either just accept that and follow along with it or you can rail against it. Last season’s Liverpool would have railed against it, but have we got the energy to do that any more?
I’ll admit that for the first part of last season all I was bothered about was being better than United, Everton and Spurs, because if we were then that’d mean we’d finish fourth.
This new, genetically modified United has made my mind drift back towards those thoughts again already, and maybe that’s what we should all be doing for now. Just be better than those three for a bit and then all the Vines and memes will stop.
Defensively we’re a mess, but that’s more to do with organisation than personnel. Dejan Lovren has already looked a very good defender with another Premier League team, and Mamadou Sakho and Martin Skrtel probably would do, too.
The young full-backs are brilliant, and would have fitted right into all that was going on last season. Lallana is a lovely footballer, so elegant and poised, but he just wants that extra second at the moment. Last season’s team didn’t have that second, or if they did it was being used to embarrass you. See Sterling’s goal against City.
Balotelli’s back story fits in with everything that they are saying about us right now, which is what made him such a balls out signing. Lazar Markovic is going to need time, but we haven’t got time. Philippe Coutinho is going to need patience, but we don’t have that either. We want the moon on a stick, but instead we’ve got Rickie Lambert.
What happens from here? The League Cup, and then a derby next weekend.
This time a year ago we’d just lost 1-0 at home to Southampton. People still thought United and Spurs were better than us. Some said Everton, too.
I honestly don’t know what to think of the title challenge right now, but I also know that I wasn’t even entertaining one five games in to last season.
But then that’s football for you. The unexpected happens.
And it takes a lot more than 140 characters to explain it.
.
Another weekend, another disappointing defeat for Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool. Here, we round up the thoughts of journalists following the Reds loss away to West Ham.
Don’t hold back, this was a performance worthy of significant criticism, as evidenced by Sunday’s papers.
After having lost to Aston Villa at Anfield the previous weekend, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool side needed a big performance away at West Ham United’s Boleyn Ground on Saturday night to reassert their momentum.
However, goals from Winston Reid, Diafra Sakho and Morgan Amalfitano consigned the Reds to defeat in another disappointing Premier League encounter.
Defensive issues on Liverpool’s end were matched by a boundless energy and remarkable hunger, particularly from former Red Stewart Downing, as Sam Allardyce’s London side cruised to victory.
Unsurprisingly, the majority of the criticism levelled at Rodgers’ side was aimed at myriad defensive issues—particularly, centre-backs Dejan Lovren, Mamadou Sakho and Martin Skrtel struggled.
Writing for the Liverpool Echo , Ian Doyle summarised:
Forget the length of the grass, the heat of the dressing room or the parking of the away team coach. Liverpool FC have only themselves to blame after their start to the season slipped from indifferent to dismal with shocking defeat at West Ham United…Liverpool have kept just one clean sheet in their last 12 games, the money spent on addressing last season’s shortcoming having arguably made the situation even worse.
Also for the Liverpool Echo , Joe Rimmer wrote:
Terrible, horrible, shambolic, pathetic, embarrassing, rubbish. There were a lot of words floating around the internet to describe Liverpool’s defending during the the game at Upton Park – and these were just the ones that can be repeated…In truth, nobody led, nobody stepped up and won the ball, nobody won headers and nobody won tackles. You could point the finger at any of Liverpool’s back line whether it be Lovren, Martin Skrtel, Mamadou Sakho, Alberto Moreno or Javier Manquillo.
Having signed nine players this summer, and with the side currently underperforming, accusations of the side having ‘done a Spurs’ are inevitable, with Dom Fifield of The Guardian writing:
In truth, if this revamped squad are still becoming accustomed to each other’s foibles then the actual team’s constant shape-shifting even within games can leave them looking dizzied at times. A troubling injury list, the raised expectations from last term, a more onerous schedule incorporating Champions League football and the disruption caused by Luis Suárez’s departure are all mitigating circumstances of sorts, but here they were eclipsed by West Ham’s energy.
At the moment, with Rodgers seemingly facing difficulty in finding his best XI, there are shades of Spurs under Andre Villas-Boas last season but—and this is a huge but—the Reds boss and his immense quality demand patience from a fraught fan-base.
Writing for the Sunday People , Dave Kidd focussed on the problems Rodgers is facing with a busy fixture list:
It may be too early to panic just yet – but Liverpool’s post-Suarez era is suffering a seriously stuttering start. As the Reds returned to domestic action after their first Champions League match in five years, Brendan Rodgers found the juggling routine too tricky to handle in the East End last night.
Arash Hekmet, also of the Mirror , chose to stress the promise shown by Raheem Sterling and Adam Lallana despite defeat:
In the absence of Sturridge’s deadly finishing, the weight of Liverpool’s attack has fallen on their best player so far this season, Raheem Sterling. Again, he looked a cut above and it was no surprise that the 19-year-old popped up with Liverpool’s goal after some fine control by Balotelli in the box. But the 19-year-old needs more help from his team-mates, who have now slumped to back-to-back defeats in the league and only just beat minnows Ludogorets on their Champions League return.
It was Adam Lallana who did just that following his introduction, and the £26million man gave West Ham’s defence plenty to think about in the second half.
These fragments of optimism are what Reds fans must cling to in the wake of this dismal performance—Liverpool welcome Middlesborough to Anfield on Tuesday night for a Capital One Cup tie, and this is perhaps the perfect opportunity to bounce back.
What can be taken from this defeat, and how can Brendan Rodgers bounce back? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
.
Another weekend, another disappointing defeat for Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool. Here, we round up the thoughts of journalists following the Reds loss away to West Ham.
Don’t hold back, this was a performance worthy of significant criticism, as evidenced by Sunday’s papers.
After having lost to Aston Villa at Anfield the previous weekend, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool side needed a big performance away at West Ham United’s Boleyn Ground on Saturday night to reassert their momentum.
However, goals from Winston Reid, Diafra Sakho and Morgan Amalfitano consigned the Reds to defeat in another disappointing Premier League encounter.
Defensive issues on Liverpool’s end were matched by a boundless energy and remarkable hunger, particularly from former Red Stewart Downing, as Sam Allardyce’s London side cruised to victory.
Unsurprisingly, the majority of the criticism levelled at Rodgers’ side was aimed at myriad defensive issues—particularly, centre-backs Dejan Lovren, Mamadou Sakho and Martin Skrtel struggled.
Writing for the Liverpool Echo , Ian Doyle summarised:
Forget the length of the grass, the heat of the dressing room or the parking of the away team coach. Liverpool FC have only themselves to blame after their start to the season slipped from indifferent to dismal with shocking defeat at West Ham United…Liverpool have kept just one clean sheet in their last 12 games, the money spent on addressing last season’s shortcoming having arguably made the situation even worse.
Also for the Liverpool Echo , Joe Rimmer wrote:
Terrible, horrible, shambolic, pathetic, embarrassing, rubbish. There were a lot of words floating around the internet to describe Liverpool’s defending during the the game at Upton Park – and these were just the ones that can be repeated…In truth, nobody led, nobody stepped up and won the ball, nobody won headers and nobody won tackles. You could point the finger at any of Liverpool’s back line whether it be Lovren, Martin Skrtel, Mamadou Sakho, Alberto Moreno or Javier Manquillo.
Having signed nine players this summer, and with the side currently underperforming, accusations of the side having ‘done a Spurs’ are inevitable, with Dom Fifield of The Guardian writing:
In truth, if this revamped squad are still becoming accustomed to each other’s foibles then the actual team’s constant shape-shifting even within games can leave them looking dizzied at times. A troubling injury list, the raised expectations from last term, a more onerous schedule incorporating Champions League football and the disruption caused by Luis Suárez’s departure are all mitigating circumstances of sorts, but here they were eclipsed by West Ham’s energy.
At the moment, with Rodgers seemingly facing difficulty in finding his best XI, there are shades of Spurs under Andre Villas-Boas last season but—and this is a huge but—the Reds boss and his immense quality demand patience from a fraught fan-base.
Writing for the Sunday People , Dave Kidd focussed on the problems Rodgers is facing with a busy fixture list:
It may be too early to panic just yet – but Liverpool’s post-Suarez era is suffering a seriously stuttering start. As the Reds returned to domestic action after their first Champions League match in five years, Brendan Rodgers found the juggling routine too tricky to handle in the East End last night.
Arash Hekmet, also of the Mirror , chose to stress the promise shown by Raheem Sterling and Adam Lallana despite defeat:
In the absence of Sturridge’s deadly finishing, the weight of Liverpool’s attack has fallen on their best player so far this season, Raheem Sterling. Again, he looked a cut above and it was no surprise that the 19-year-old popped up with Liverpool’s goal after some fine control by Balotelli in the box. But the 19-year-old needs more help from his team-mates, who have now slumped to back-to-back defeats in the league and only just beat minnows Ludogorets on their Champions League return.
It was Adam Lallana who did just that following his introduction, and the £26million man gave West Ham’s defence plenty to think about in the second half.
These fragments of optimism are what Reds fans must cling to in the wake of this dismal performance—Liverpool welcome Middlesborough to Anfield on Tuesday night for a Capital One Cup tie, and this is perhaps the perfect opportunity to bounce back.
What can be taken from this defeat, and how can Brendan Rodgers bounce back? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
.
Unsurprisingly, Liverpool fans haven’t taken kindly to Brendan Rodgers’ side losing another game in the Premier League, after a 3-1 loss away to West Ham United on Saturday.
After a dismal defeat at home to Aston Villa last weekend, Liverpool were expected to bounce back with a win away to Sam Allardyce’s West Ham, but the bolshie manager clearly hadn’t read the script.
Goals from Winston Reid, Diafra Sakho and Morgan Amalfitano were enough to see off Rodgers’ side, with a great strike from Raheem Sterling proving scant consolation.
Riddled with defensive errors and a vacuous midfield, Liverpool were even worse on Saturday than against Villa; gaps between the defence and midfield at the Boleyn Ground much more costly than between the midfield and attack at Anfield.
Surprise inclusions of Lucas Leiva and Fabio Borini proved a tactical oversight by Rodgers, who struggled with a thin squad due to injuries to Daniel Sturridge, Joe Allen and Emre Can—Lucas is by no means capable of operating in a diamond midfield beyond the holding role.
Liverpool play Middlesborough in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday night—a wanton distraction at this juncture—and will be looking to quash this current poor form on a return to Anfield.
Here, we round up a mixture of tweets following Saturday’s game and reaction in our Liverpool FC Forums.
Let us know your thoughts on West Ham 3-1 Liverpool and what Rodgers must do in the future in the comments section below.
Yo55arian22 on the forums:
Dreadful performance again. Defending is shambolic. Attack play is ponderous. Hopefully this latest dire performance and result will force Rodgers to confront some glaring problems.
turnkeychevy on the forums:
It’s so obvious. Basically teams are being told “Go out and attack this lot with a high ball you will score.” And they do.
RichLFC on the forums:
Though wondering if my optimism with Lovren might have been somewhat against my better judgement. Have we paid 20m for a Croatian Phil Babb?
BostonMick on the forums:
Trusting that BR, coaching staff and players turn it around.
.
Unsurprisingly, Liverpool fans haven’t taken kindly to Brendan Rodgers’ side losing another game in the Premier League, after a 3-1 loss away to West Ham United on Saturday.
After a dismal defeat at home to Aston Villa last weekend, Liverpool were expected to bounce back with a win away to Sam Allardyce’s West Ham, but the bolshie manager clearly hadn’t read the script.
Goals from Winston Reid, Diafra Sakho and Morgan Amalfitano were enough to see off Rodgers’ side, with a great strike from Raheem Sterling proving scant consolation.
Riddled with defensive errors and a vacuous midfield, Liverpool were even worse on Saturday than against Villa; gaps between the defence and midfield at the Boleyn Ground much more costly than between the midfield and attack at Anfield.
Surprise inclusions of Lucas Leiva and Fabio Borini proved a tactical oversight by Rodgers, who struggled with a thin squad due to injuries to Daniel Sturridge, Joe Allen and Emre Can—Lucas is by no means capable of operating in a diamond midfield beyond the holding role.
Liverpool play Middlesborough in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday night—a wanton distraction at this juncture—and will be looking to quash this current poor form on a return to Anfield.
Here, we round up a mixture of tweets following Saturday’s game and reaction in our Liverpool FC Forums.
Let us know your thoughts on West Ham 3-1 Liverpool and what Rodgers must do in the future in the comments section below.
Yo55arian22 on the forums:
Dreadful performance again. Defending is shambolic. Attack play is ponderous. Hopefully this latest dire performance and result will force Rodgers to confront some glaring problems.
turnkeychevy on the forums:
It’s so obvious. Basically teams are being told “Go out and attack this lot with a high ball you will score.” And they do.
RichLFC on the forums:
Though wondering if my optimism with Lovren might have been somewhat against my better judgement. Have we paid 20m for a Croatian Phil Babb?
BostonMick on the forums:
Trusting that BR, coaching staff and players turn it around.
.
Liverpool produced an appalling display at Upton Park, as they were deservedly beaten 3-1 by Sam Allardyce’s side on Saturday. Henry Jackson rates each Reds player on the day.
SIMON MIGNOLET- 5.5 (out of 10)
The 26-year-old once again showed no real presence between the sticks, and he was not particularly convincing positionally for either of West Ham’s first two goals.
JAVIER MANQUILLO- 5.5
The 20-year-old was unconvincing before being substituted midway through the first-half as Brendan Rodgers changed to a 3-5-2 formation.
MARTIN SKRTEL- 6
The Slovakian returned to the side following injury, and he was probably the best of a bad bunch in defence. The 29-year-old lacked dominance, however.
DEJAN LOVREN- 5
Lovren continues to struggle hugely early on in his Reds career, and he was a shaky presence all afternoon. The 25-year-old’s poor display was compounded by a nasty clash of heads with Mamadou Sakho.
ALBERTO MORENO- 5.5
The young Spaniard simply never got into the game in an attacking sense, and he did not get close enough to Diafra Sakho for the Hammers’ second goal.
The skipper had a very poor afternoon by his standards, failing to influence things from midfield and giving the ball away on numerous occasions. Three games in a week proved to be too much for the 34-year-old, who struggled from start to finish.
JORDAN HENDERSON- 6
The 24-year-old’s performance was hardly memorable, but he did at least show more fight and urgency than some of his teammates. Played a part in Raheem Sterling’s goal.
LUCAS LEIVA- 4
The Brazilian was drafted into the side by Rodgers, but he did absolutely nothing of note in an extremely poor display. The 27-year-old has very little to offer these days, and should not be starting key matches.
RAHEEM STERLING- 7
Sterling produced a terrific strike to get Liverpool back into the game before the break, and he was easily his side’s biggest threat in the second-half. About the only positive on the day.
FABIO BORINI- 5
Despite a good work ethic, Borini showed that he is just not good enough to be starting games for Liverpool. The Italian offered almost no quality or threat throughout, and was eventually substituted late on.
MARIO BALOTELLI- 6
Although Balotelli was quiet on the whole, he did at least show a few signs of promise. The 24-year-old played a key role in Sterling’s goal, held the ball up well and tested Adrian on a couple of occasions. Needs to do better though.
Substitutes
MAMADOU SAKHO (on for Manquillo 22)- 5.5
The Frenchman was largely solid when he came on with the score at 2-0, but his poor header led to West Ham’s third goal.
ADAM LALLANA (on for Lucas 46)- 7
The former Southampton man added far more trickery and creativity than Lucas when he came on at half-time, and in hindsight he should have started.
RICKIE LAMBERT (on for Borini 75) 5.5
The 32-year-old was largely unnoticed.
Who was your star man for Liverpool on a miserable day in east London? Let us know in the comments section below.
.
Liverpool produced an appalling display at Upton Park, as they were deservedly beaten 3-1 by Sam Allardyce’s side on Saturday. Henry Jackson rates each Reds player on the day.
SIMON MIGNOLET- 5.5 (out of 10)
The 26-year-old once again showed no real presence between the sticks, and he was not particularly convincing positionally for either of West Ham’s first two goals.
JAVIER MANQUILLO- 5.5
The 20-year-old was unconvincing before being substituted midway through the first-half as Brendan Rodgers changed to a 3-5-2 formation.
MARTIN SKRTEL- 6
The Slovakian returned to the side following injury, and he was probably the best of a bad bunch in defence. The 29-year-old lacked dominance, however.
DEJAN LOVREN- 5
Lovren continues to struggle hugely early on in his Reds career, and he was a shaky presence all afternoon. The 25-year-old’s poor display was compounded by a nasty clash of heads with Mamadou Sakho.
ALBERTO MORENO- 5.5
The young Spaniard simply never got into the game in an attacking sense, and he did not get close enough to Diafra Sakho for the Hammers’ second goal.
The skipper had a very poor afternoon by his standards, failing to influence things from midfield and giving the ball away on numerous occasions. Three games in a week proved to be too much for the 34-year-old, who struggled from start to finish.
JORDAN HENDERSON- 6
The 24-year-old’s performance was hardly memorable, but he did at least show more fight and urgency than some of his teammates. Played a part in Raheem Sterling’s goal.
LUCAS LEIVA- 4
The Brazilian was drafted into the side by Rodgers, but he did absolutely nothing of note in an extremely poor display. The 27-year-old has very little to offer these days, and should not be starting key matches.
RAHEEM STERLING- 7
Sterling produced a terrific strike to get Liverpool back into the game before the break, and he was easily his side’s biggest threat in the second-half. About the only positive on the day.
FABIO BORINI- 5
Despite a good work ethic, Borini showed that he is just not good enough to be starting games for Liverpool. The Italian offered almost no quality or threat throughout, and was eventually substituted late on.
MARIO BALOTELLI- 6
Although Balotelli was quiet on the whole, he did at least show a few signs of promise. The 24-year-old played a key role in Sterling’s goal, held the ball up well and tested Adrian on a couple of occasions. Needs to do better though.
Substitutes
MAMADOU SAKHO (on for Manquillo 22)- 5.5
The Frenchman was largely solid when he came on with the score at 2-0, but his poor header led to West Ham’s third goal.
ADAM LALLANA (on for Lucas 46)- 7
The former Southampton man added far more trickery and creativity than Lucas when he came on at half-time, and in hindsight he should have started.
RICKIE LAMBERT (on for Borini 75) 5.5
The 32-year-old was largely unnoticed.
Who was your star man for Liverpool on a miserable day in east London? Let us know in the comments section below.
.
Brendan Rodgers admits Liverpool's performance level was 'nowhere near what we would expect' in a 3-1 defeat at West Ham United.
The Reds never got going at Upton Park and found themselves two goals down inside the opening seven minutes, through Winston Reid and Diafra Sakho.
Things improved marginally from that point, with Raheem Sterling halving the deficit, but the visitors struggled to force their way back into the contest.
A third was conceded late on, with Morgan Amalfitano profiting from a defensive mistake, and Rodgers concedes that his side allowed their standards to drop alarmingly.
He told Sky Sports: “We are obviously a team that is associated with coming out quickly, but for some reason we just didn’t get going.
“In fairness to West Ham, they came out and put us under pressure on the ball and we were just unable to play around that. Before we knew it, we were 2-0 down and from that point it was very difficult for us.”
Rodgers, who replaced Javier Manquillo with Mamadou Sakho just 22 minutes in, added: “I felt that how they started the game, with two front players and Stewart Downing in behind, they were giving us a problem.
“We didn’t look like we could compete with that at that stage, so as the coach you make the change and the system to give them something else to think about.
“It worked reasonably well for us, we started getting the ball into wide players and got back into the game at 2-1. From that, probably up until they then scored the third goal, we had decent control of the game.
“But for us, the standard of our play was nowhere near what we would expect. Our passing and composure today was too short, there were too many long passes and overall our performance wasn’t at the required level.”
Rodgers is refusing to offer any excuses for the disappointing display, with it important that Liverpool adapt quickly to the demands of Premier League and UEFA Champions League competition.
Fresh from a narrow victory over Ludogorets in midweek, the Anfield boss added: “It’s something we have got to get used to because we have got plenty more Champions League games.
“I think the group has come a long way in the last few years. To arrive into this season, there is always big expectancy when you play for Liverpool, but after our performance level in the last 18 months, the expectation level as grown.
“But we have to cope with that. At the moment we’re not, it’s as simple as that.
“But this is a group, a very honest group, and we will work every day to get that concentration and focus back again.”
Brendan Rodgers admits Liverpool's performance level was 'nowhere near what we would expect' in a 3-1 defeat at West Ham United.
The Reds never got going at Upton Park and found themselves two goals down inside the opening seven minutes, through Winston Reid and Diafra Sakho.
Things improved marginally from that point, with Raheem Sterling halving the deficit, but the visitors struggled to force their way back into the contest.
A third was conceded late on, with Morgan Amalfitano profiting from a defensive mistake, and Rodgers concedes that his side allowed their standards to drop alarmingly.
He told Sky Sports: “We are obviously a team that is associated with coming out quickly, but for some reason we just didn’t get going.
“In fairness to West Ham, they came out and put us under pressure on the ball and we were just unable to play around that. Before we knew it, we were 2-0 down and from that point it was very difficult for us.”
Rodgers, who replaced Javier Manquillo with Mamadou Sakho just 22 minutes in, added: “I felt that how they started the game, with two front players and Stewart Downing in behind, they were giving us a problem.
“We didn’t look like we could compete with that at that stage, so as the coach you make the change and the system to give them something else to think about.
“It worked reasonably well for us, we started getting the ball into wide players and got back into the game at 2-1. From that, probably up until they then scored the third goal, we had decent control of the game.
“But for us, the standard of our play was nowhere near what we would expect. Our passing and composure today was too short, there were too many long passes and overall our performance wasn’t at the required level.”
Rodgers is refusing to offer any excuses for the disappointing display, with it important that Liverpool adapt quickly to the demands of Premier League and UEFA Champions League competition.
Fresh from a narrow victory over Ludogorets in midweek, the Anfield boss added: “It’s something we have got to get used to because we have got plenty more Champions League games.
“I think the group has come a long way in the last few years. To arrive into this season, there is always big expectancy when you play for Liverpool, but after our performance level in the last 18 months, the expectation level as grown.
“But we have to cope with that. At the moment we’re not, it’s as simple as that.
“But this is a group, a very honest group, and we will work every day to get that concentration and focus back again.”
Liverpool succumbed to their third defeat in five Premier League games this season, as they lost 3-1 to West Ham at Upton Park. Raheem Sterling scored what proved to be a consolation for the Reds.
West Ham 3-1 Liverpool
Premier League / Upton Park / Saturday, 20th September 2014
Goals: Sterling (26); Reid (2), Sakho (8), Amalfitano (88)
Brendan Rodgers made three changes to the side that scraped past Ludogorets in the Champions League on Tuesday, with Martin Skrtel, Lucas Leiva and Fabio Borini coming in for Mamadou Sakho, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana, respectively.
The Reds got off to an appalling start, with Winston Reid heading home Stewart Downing’s free-kick, after it was squared by James Tomkins, after just 90 seconds. It was yet more poor defending from a set piece.
Five minutes later and Liverpool’s woeful opening to the game continued. Diafra Sakho’s chip from the right-hand side of the penalty area found the far corner of Simon Mignolet‘s net, but Alberto Moreno simply had to get closer to him. Aaron Cresswell tested the Belgian soon after as well, as the Reds endured one of the worst starts to a game since Rodgers took over in the summer of 2012.
Rodgers’ men barely managed a single attack of note in the first 20 minutes of proceedings, and the Northern Irishman replaced Javier Manquillo for Mamadou Sakho as he switched to a 3-5-2 formation.
It seemed to do the trick, because on 26 minutes Liverpool were back in it. Excellent work from Mario Balotelli in the penalty area led to Raheem Sterling firing home an unstoppable effort from 15 yards out. It was the brilliant 19-year-old’s third goal of the season.
Despite the goal, Liverpool still struggled to gain control of the game. Enner Valencia twice tested Mignolet and Tomkins headed wide, as Sam Allardyce’s side continued to be much the better team.
At the break it was 2-1, and the Reds were lucky to even be in the game still. Changes were needed.
Adam Lallana replaced the hugely ineffective Lucas at the interval, as Liverpool looked to produce a far better performance in the second-half.
Sterling had the first chance after the break, but skewed a tame effort wide, while Fabio Borini and Balotelli both tested Adrian in the West Ham goal before the hour mark.
Borini also curled an effort narrowly over, as the Reds were much improved on the whole. The introduction of Lallana added more creativity to the side, while Sterling grew more and more influential.
Balotelli’s fearsome effort forced Adrian into a save once more with 20 minutes remaining, but the elusive equaliser just wouldn’t come.
The last 10 minutes ebbed away, and although the hosts had rarely threatened Mignolet in the second-half, Morgan Amalfitano made it 3-1 after 87 minutes to seal victory. The east London club saw out the remainder of the game, as Liverpool’s poor start to the 2014/15 campaign continued. It was a terrible performance.
Man of the Match: Raheem Sterling
Tactical Overview
Rodgers ditched the 4-3-3 formation that hasn’t seemed to work much of late, opting for his preferred 4-4-2 diamond system instead.
Despite a definite improvement when the Reds switched to 3-5-2, it was still an unacceptable display, raising yet more question marks over their defensive expertise in particular.
Liverpool:Mignolet, Manquillo (Sakho 22), Skrtel, Lovren, Moreno, Gerrard, Henderson, Lucas (Lallana 46), Sterling, Borini (75), Balotelli.
Subs not used: Jones, Toure, Enrique, Markovic.
West Ham starting XI: Adrian, Cresswell, Reid, Tomkins, Demel, Noble, Song, Kouyate, Sakho, Downing, Valencia.
.
Liverpool succumbed to their third defeat in five Premier League games this season, as they lost 3-1 to West Ham at Upton Park. Raheem Sterling scored what proved to be a consolation for the Reds.
West Ham 3-1 Liverpool
Premier League / Upton Park / Saturday, 20th September 2014
Goals: Sterling (26); Reid (2), Sakho (8), Amalfitano (88)
Brendan Rodgers made three changes to the side that scraped past Ludogorets in the Champions League on Tuesday, with Martin Skrtel, Lucas Leiva and Fabio Borini coming in for Mamadou Sakho, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana, respectively.
The Reds got off to an appalling start, with Winston Reid heading home Stewart Downing’s free-kick, after it was squared by James Tomkins, after just 90 seconds. It was yet more poor defending from a set piece.
Five minutes later and Liverpool’s woeful opening to the game continued. Diafra Sakho’s chip from the right-hand side of the penalty area found the far corner of Simon Mignolet‘s net, but Alberto Moreno simply had to get closer to him. Aaron Cresswell tested the Belgian soon after as well, as the Reds endured one of the worst starts to a game since Rodgers took over in the summer of 2012.
Rodgers’ men barely managed a single attack of note in the first 20 minutes of proceedings, and the Northern Irishman replaced Javier Manquillo for Mamadou Sakho as he switched to a 3-5-2 formation.
It seemed to do the trick, because on 26 minutes Liverpool were back in it. Excellent work from Mario Balotelli in the penalty area led to Raheem Sterling firing home an unstoppable effort from 15 yards out. It was the brilliant 19-year-old’s third goal of the season.
Despite the goal, Liverpool still struggled to gain control of the game. Enner Valencia twice tested Mignolet and Tomkins headed wide, as Sam Allardyce’s side continued to be much the better team.
At the break it was 2-1, and the Reds were lucky to even be in the game still. Changes were needed.
Adam Lallana replaced the hugely ineffective Lucas at the interval, as Liverpool looked to produce a far better performance in the second-half.
Sterling had the first chance after the break, but skewed a tame effort wide, while Fabio Borini and Balotelli both tested Adrian in the West Ham goal before the hour mark.
Borini also curled an effort narrowly over, as the Reds were much improved on the whole. The introduction of Lallana added more creativity to the side, while Sterling grew more and more influential.
Balotelli’s fearsome effort forced Adrian into a save once more with 20 minutes remaining, but the elusive equaliser just wouldn’t come.
The last 10 minutes ebbed away, and although the hosts had rarely threatened Mignolet in the second-half, Morgan Amalfitano made it 3-1 after 87 minutes to seal victory. The east London club saw out the remainder of the game, as Liverpool’s poor start to the 2014/15 campaign continued. It was a terrible performance.
Man of the Match: Raheem Sterling
Tactical Overview
Rodgers ditched the 4-3-3 formation that hasn’t seemed to work much of late, opting for his preferred 4-4-2 diamond system instead.
Despite a definite improvement when the Reds switched to 3-5-2, it was still an unacceptable display, raising yet more question marks over their defensive expertise in particular.
Liverpool:Mignolet, Manquillo (Sakho 22), Skrtel, Lovren, Moreno, Gerrard, Henderson, Lucas (Lallana 46), Sterling, Borini (75), Balotelli.
Subs not used: Jones, Toure, Enrique, Markovic.
West Ham starting XI: Adrian, Cresswell, Reid, Tomkins, Demel, Noble, Song, Kouyate, Sakho, Downing, Valencia.
.
West Ham United netted twice inside the opening seven minutes en route to a 3-1 victory over Liverpool at Upton Park.
The hosts burst out of the blocks and saw their early endeavour rewarded as Winston Reid bundled home inside 90 seconds and Diafra Sakho doubled their advantage soon after.
Raheem Sterling was able to pull one back for Brendan Rodgers’ visitors, who have now lost three of their opening five fixtures, but a poor clearance from Mamadou Sakho late on led to Morgan Amalfitano being teed up to seal the win for Sam Allardyce’s side.
Liverpool are now six points behind leaders Chelsea in the table, having played a game more, while the pressure on Allardyce, in front of his own fans at least, has lessened with a second home win in six matches.
Liverpool needed a last-gasp penalty to beat Ludogorets on their UEFA Champions League return in midweek, but face a test of their top four credentials this season.
The Reds, runners-up last term, were expected to add to West Ham's misery and inflict a third home loss of the season after Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton won last month.
Liverpool had Martin Skrtel restored following a three-match absence with a knee injury, but a defensive reshuffle was required after 22 minutes, by which time the visitors were already two down.
The source of the first goal was former Reds winger Stewart Downing, whose inswinging free-kick found James Tomkins at the back post.
Impress
Tomkins' header back across the six-yard box was turned goalwards by Reid, whose header went in off Dejan Lovren.
Downing seemed determined to impress and danced around Steven Gerrard before Mark Noble darted from left to right and fed Diafra Sakho.
The Senegal forward, a summer recruit from Metz, burst into the area and had the audacity to lob the ball over Simon Mignolet into the far corner for his third goal in three games.
Aaron Cresswell then tried his luck from 25 yards and Mignolet turned the ball round the post.
The closest Liverpool came to the Hammers goal in the opening 20 minutes was when Mario Balotelli attempted to block an Adrian clearance and tangled with the goalkeeper, who kicked out before facing off with the striker. Both men were booked.
A frustrated Rodgers hauled off Javier Manquillo for Mamadou Sakho and switched to a back three in an attempt to wrest some of the initiative from Cheikhou Kouyate and Alex Song in midfield.
Liverpool struck back when Balotelli pulled down a Jordan Henderson cross from the left and saw his shot blocked by Cresswell. The ball ricocheted to Sterling, who drilled a low first-time volley into the far corner.
Bombardment
West Ham continued to press forward and Mignolet turned a Enner Valencia free-kick round the post.
Lovren required lengthy treatment after colliding with his team-mate Mamadou Sakho. He initially appeared groggy but returned following a change of shirt, with a heavily bandaged head and after a consultation with the tunnel doctor in compliance with Premier League concussion rules.
Mignolet saved from Valencia as the Hammers' bombardment continued.
Adam Lallana replaced Lucas at half-time and tried to tee up Sterling, who dragged his shot wide.
Liverpool exerted some more pressure, with Fabio Borini and Balotelli each twice finding shooting space without really testing Adrian.
As the visitors pushed forwards, gaps in their defence became evident.
Diafra Sakho was unable to punish a Skrtel lapse as he lifted the ball over, but a third West Ham goal came when they broke and Downing threaded the ball through for substitute Amalfitano to score.
West Ham United netted twice inside the opening seven minutes en route to a 3-1 victory over Liverpool at Upton Park.
The hosts burst out of the blocks and saw their early endeavour rewarded as Winston Reid bundled home inside 90 seconds and Diafra Sakho doubled their advantage soon after.
Raheem Sterling was able to pull one back for Brendan Rodgers’ visitors, who have now lost three of their opening five fixtures, but a poor clearance from Mamadou Sakho late on led to Morgan Amalfitano being teed up to seal the win for Sam Allardyce’s side.
Liverpool are now six points behind leaders Chelsea in the table, having played a game more, while the pressure on Allardyce, in front of his own fans at least, has lessened with a second home win in six matches.
Liverpool needed a last-gasp penalty to beat Ludogorets on their UEFA Champions League return in midweek, but face a test of their top four credentials this season.
The Reds, runners-up last term, were expected to add to West Ham's misery and inflict a third home loss of the season after Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton won last month.
Liverpool had Martin Skrtel restored following a three-match absence with a knee injury, but a defensive reshuffle was required after 22 minutes, by which time the visitors were already two down.
The source of the first goal was former Reds winger Stewart Downing, whose inswinging free-kick found James Tomkins at the back post.
Impress
Tomkins' header back across the six-yard box was turned goalwards by Reid, whose header went in off Dejan Lovren.
Downing seemed determined to impress and danced around Steven Gerrard before Mark Noble darted from left to right and fed Diafra Sakho.
The Senegal forward, a summer recruit from Metz, burst into the area and had the audacity to lob the ball over Simon Mignolet into the far corner for his third goal in three games.
Aaron Cresswell then tried his luck from 25 yards and Mignolet turned the ball round the post.
The closest Liverpool came to the Hammers goal in the opening 20 minutes was when Mario Balotelli attempted to block an Adrian clearance and tangled with the goalkeeper, who kicked out before facing off with the striker. Both men were booked.
A frustrated Rodgers hauled off Javier Manquillo for Mamadou Sakho and switched to a back three in an attempt to wrest some of the initiative from Cheikhou Kouyate and Alex Song in midfield.
Liverpool struck back when Balotelli pulled down a Jordan Henderson cross from the left and saw his shot blocked by Cresswell. The ball ricocheted to Sterling, who drilled a low first-time volley into the far corner.
Bombardment
West Ham continued to press forward and Mignolet turned a Enner Valencia free-kick round the post.
Lovren required lengthy treatment after colliding with his team-mate Mamadou Sakho. He initially appeared groggy but returned following a change of shirt, with a heavily bandaged head and after a consultation with the tunnel doctor in compliance with Premier League concussion rules.
Mignolet saved from Valencia as the Hammers' bombardment continued.
Adam Lallana replaced Lucas at half-time and tried to tee up Sterling, who dragged his shot wide.
Liverpool exerted some more pressure, with Fabio Borini and Balotelli each twice finding shooting space without really testing Adrian.
As the visitors pushed forwards, gaps in their defence became evident.
Diafra Sakho was unable to punish a Skrtel lapse as he lifted the ball over, but a third West Ham goal came when they broke and Downing threaded the ball through for substitute Amalfitano to score.
West Ham United netted twice inside the opening seven minutes en route to a 3-1 victory over Liverpool at Upton Park.
The hosts burst out of the blocks and saw their early endeavour rewarded as Winston Reid bundled home inside 90 seconds and Diafra Sakho doubled their advantage soon after.
Raheem Sterling was able to pull one back for Brendan Rodgers’ visitors, who have now lost three of their opening five fixtures, but a poor clearance from Mamadou Sakho late on led to Morgan Amalfitano being teed up to seal the win for Sam Allardyce’s side.
More to follow…
West Ham United netted twice inside the opening seven minutes en route to a 3-1 victory over Liverpool at Upton Park.
The hosts burst out of the blocks and saw their early endeavour rewarded as Winston Reid bundled home inside 90 seconds and Diafra Sakho doubled their advantage soon after.
Raheem Sterling was able to pull one back for Brendan Rodgers’ visitors, who have now lost three of their opening five fixtures, but a poor clearance from Mamadou Sakho late on led to Morgan Amalfitano being teed up to seal the win for Sam Allardyce’s side.
More to follow…
0 comments: