Everton v Liverpool is the gift that keeps on giving, with Toffees, Gunners and more enjoying the collective head-loss of the fans.
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The perfect result
Everton get the utter joy of a last minute last kick hail Mary equaliser in front of the Gladys; Liverpool get a hard earned point which on balance of play is the most they deserve and when they calm down will see they are now 7 (SEVEN) points clear; Sky and the Media have enough talking points to eke out until the weekend; Arsenal and Forest still feel like they have a chance; “Proper” footie fans will have seen an almighty ding dong at the end that no-one (everyone) wants to see. If Carlsberg did Derbies..
Just perfect.
Dan, London
Why Liverpool are hated…
When Trent does it to the Everton fans it’s fine, but when Doucoure does it to the Liverpool fans it’s not alright and Jones is a top lad for standing up for them, and the bottle thrown at the Everton players is justified.
Is there any wonder why everyone hates them?
Aidan, EFC, Hoxton
…Loved reading the mailbox this morning! 7 points clear at the top of the table, closest challengers have no attackers for the rest for the season, biggest rivals having their worst season in recent memory and the kopites are still whinging!
Some observations….
– Gueye should have been sent off for a 2nd yellow…if that’s the case, so should Mac Allister!
– Beto push on Konate…most likely but at the same time even he didn’t appeal as he knew he had not been strong enough.
– Everton’s Cup Final…Yes because we absolutely hate you. A little to do with success but mostly because you make everyone hate you! You are completely unlikeable! Kopites are…..
– Doucoure ran the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the fans….he didn’t…it was about 20 yards…silly but no one is talking about the Liverpool player (possibly Tsimikas) pumping his arms in front of the Gladys street on 93 mins as the ball went out for a goal kick.
Final point, if there is an agenda against you it is thoroughly deserved. You are the most unlikeable team in the league…after Spurs!
He had red hair and we don’t care!
Matt
MORE MERSEYSIDE DERBY REACTION ON F365:
👉 Liverpool ‘absolutely robbed’ as the Reds see their arses over derby draw
👉 ‘Out of order’ Liverpool star ‘overreacted’ to sh*thousery as Van Dijk hits out at Michael Oliver
👉 Arne Slot ‘raging’ as ex-PGMOL chief admits to Michael Oliver mistake in Merseyside derby
…From Los Angeles to Litherland, Singapore to Sandhills, Cape Town to Childwall, the absolutely generational headloss from Liverpool fans has been beautiful to see.
If you’ve got a problem with supporters of a team going wild at a 98th minute equaliser against their much more successful, arrogant rivals in the last derby match at their historic ground that’s been their home for over 100 years, then I’m afraid football’s not the sport for you lads.
I do have thoughts on the game, and LFC fans can count themselves lucky to have even got a point quite frankly – N’Diaye doesn’t go off injured and Everton win that game. But the salient facts are these: UTFT.
I know he’s an unpleasant individual for many reasons, but someone might need to give Elon Musk a bell and ask if he can collect all of the Liverpool fans and staff’s heads when he goes to Mars, as that’s where most of them seem to have ended up. I definitely prefer Moyesball to Dycheball.
Joe, EFC
Want some sugar with that saltiness, Reds?
Wow, all kinds of saltiness, where to start?
James Outram, some marginal decisions were given to the blue team, plenty of people have listed those. Some marginal decisions were also given to the red team. There was Diaz, Mac Allister and Szoboslai all not getting booked, Konate handball in the area (I don’t think it was a pen but I also wouldn’t have been surprised if it was given), Bradley possible second yellow (if you don’t send of Gueye then you also don’t send him off so they cancel each other out). Almost like referees are human, decisions are subjective and whatever they give, people will complain.
Eric, LA, thanks for the laugh. I can see arguments about the Konate ‘push’ but you’re actually going to attempt to say that it was offside as well? Sure… And for the push, watch it again, it’s a contact sport and even Konate doesn’t try and claim a foul.
Mark, Cape Town, you do realise Doucoure was stood by the Liverpool fans at the final whistle because the ball had been down that end? He could’ve not turned to them but then I think we need more of that kind of thing. Fans spend the whole time goading players so they shouldn’t complain when they get a bit back. Also, he didn’t exactly run towards them, he just turned and clenched his fists. He got a probably deserved second yellow so that’s that. It’ll make the return one at Anfield interesting.
Can’t we have less talk about refs in general and more talk about matches? This was a fantastic game of football with a raucous atmosphere and on the balance of play, a fair result. I would’ve liked to have seen how it had turned out had N’diaye stayed on the pitch, without him, our main ball carrying threat was gone.
There’ll be another one at Anfield in a couple of months time. Looking forward to it!
Sam, London
Liverpool were rubbish
While it is delightful to watch the collective melt down of Liverpool fans over the refereeing performance last night, I do think they have some legitimate gripes. But this just highlights the problem!
How can every team in the league think that they are on the receiving end of horrendously unjust decisions week after week. Some of it is confirmation bias, but a lot of it comes down to the bafflingly inconsistent application of the rules.
I was in the ground last night and came away with the clear feeling that Michael Oliver was wearing his Liverpool shirt all night and Everton should have had a penalty and should have been playing against 10 men in the first half due to a number of cynical fouls. Whilst acknowledging that Gana could have been sent off. I also watched Liverpool players push our players whilst they were jumping for headers with nothing given, but then sometimes they were given. I watched a blatant foul on Diaz not given because he stayed on his feet, only for us to get a lucky free kick seconds later.
Anyway, I don’t care about any of that really. Liverpool were rubbish, much worse than I thought they were going to be. They didn’t do enough to win the game, and were lucky to be ahead when they were. Both teams were just as dirty and cynical as each other. Both teams have players who are happy to go down at a touch and roll around like they’ve been shot. Referees are mostly shit and only very very rarely actually corrupt. There’s no agenda against your team. If you want to beat us next time play better.
James EFC
Liverpool fans definitely not like Gooners
Not wishing to be a dick (but I will anyway) I am enjoying reading a mailbox full of Scousers bleating on about being seven points ahead and not doing an Arteta by going on and on (while ironically going on and on).
Smells to me like the pressure is now on and a seven point gap seems oh so small.
Roll on the final act of the season.
Alexander Tovey
…I have to say, all the Liverpool fans crying about Michael Oliver’s latest ‘performance’ having spent the last few weeks hammering Arsenal fans for pointing out he is incompetent (at best) is absolutely delicious.
Yummy.
Dan, London
…Got the full gamut of predictable responses from Liverpool fans following the derby, including Minty’s “Don’t get me wrong…” to imply that he’s Mr Reasonable. But top marks to Eric from Los Angeles who ends his six whinging paragraphs with ” But rather than Arteta about it and Goonering on and on, we’ll take the point and the high road…”. Really!
Sean, East Finchley
A neutral view on dirty Diaz
Watched the game last night as a neutral (Reading fan). Not sure what different game I watched compared to all the salty Liverpool mailbox contributors this morning, but the main ref take away I got was how Diaz got away with a LOT of sly fouls all game, and that Liverpool were fortunate not to concede a penalty from that raised arms handball.
Thought it was a good game all round, plenty of passion and desire, and I was pleased the goal stood. Not convinced it was a penalty at all myself.
Chris (on a hill, somewhere) Reading FC
Arne Slot: Sore loser
So Arne Slot behaved like a total tw*t in that Everton game and everybody still loves and respects his shiny bald head for all he achieved (?) this season.
That, ladies and gentleman, is the result of the mainstream media painting Liverpool as the heroes, and Arsenal + Man City as the villains. No matter how the hero behaves he is still the hero, loved by all, and there will always be reasons to hate the villains more.
Fair objectivity, my ass.
Stanley Hudson, THFC (journalism is a circus with blind sheep for an audience)
Nothing wrong with celebrations
I’m a Liverpool fan and I’ve got a somewhat controversial view to counterbalance some of the angry reactions from yesterday….what’s the big deal about celebrating in front of rival fans?
It’s provocative yes but that’s football. It’s so innocuous in the grand scheme of things and I wouldn’t mind my team’s players doing the same in front of their rivals fans (whether home or away). The fact that Jones lost his rag over that doesn’t sit right with me.
It’s all part of the fun of football and seeing grown men being so mad about it just leaves me mystified.
Am I the only one with this view?
Turiyo Damascene, Kigali, Rwanda
…I am certain that the mailboxes today will be crammed with Liverpool fans berating the referee but that’s not what we should focus on.
Instead focus on the poetic beauty of the last Merseyside derby. It wasn’t the best game of football but it was a classic derby. End-to-end. The underdog of the two raising their performance while simultaneously making the game right for their style and even as a Liverpool fan I can admit to feeling pleased for the Everton fans to get a climax like that.
In all honesty, a draw was a fair result and though I’ll miss the Bantz of being able to say we won more at Goodison than they did, I could totally relate to the joy that every Everton fan in that ground was feeling as Tarkowski leathered in that volley. Unbelievable Jeff!
Adam LFC (loving the spectacle)
Wrong decision but right call?
Gutted we dropped points of course. Was some game that though.
Oliver was weirdly niggly and then not niggly at all.
Not overly upset about the result or the 41 wins each in truth. Seems to be about fair enough in a karmic world.
But can we agree that there was def a foul on Konate, a shove in the back so he couldn’t play the ball before Tarkowski’s thunder bastard but if the VAR had overturned that goal there would have been a full on proper 70s/80s stye riot. There were already loads of Everton fans on the pitch..
I think, while the the decision was incorrect, the call was the right one to avoid full madness (far worse than it was at full time anyway..)
Al – LFC – 7pts to the no striker team. It’s the Trees that worry me more and they are the only team that can do the double!
This Liverpool fan is not letting it go
I don’t take football super seriously, and haven’t for a while. It’s just a consequence of having a busy life with certain priorities, and it’s rare for me to feel aggrieved or incensed after a game, regardless of the result. When United beat Liverpool 4-3 in the FA Cup last year I laughed as their fourth goal went in. I love it when Liverpool are doing well, it becomes a happy place for me, but when they aren’t, I compartmentalise it. I don’t lose interest, I still watch as many games as I can, and I still engage with it, but at the end of the day, it is a load of overpaid millionaires hoofing a bag of wind around.
I’m also pretty good at taking the biased goggles off and accepting defeats, or disappointing results.
But, without going into too much detail – that’s been done in spades already – I think that something had a distinct effect on the referee last night. His decisions clearly favoured one team consistently throughout the game. Everton players went down at the slightest touch, and he gave a free kick pretty much every time. Contrast this with the obvious foul on Salah after a jinking run with the referee in a perfect position to see it, and he waved play on, at a time when Everton were chasing the game. It’s a little incomprehensible that he chose to give the defender the benefit of the doubt when you look at his decision making throughout the game.
Something affected his thinking last night. I don’t believe he is consciously biased against Liverpool, nor do I believe he had an agenda, but it seems fairly clear that some sort of unconscious bias had an effect on his decision making. Why were they even still playing at the time Everton scored their second goal? He played two extra minutes for a one minute delay.
I wonder if the FA ever look at such a game, look at the litany of obviously poor decisions, and consider changing the way they do things? If they can offer psychological assistance to all referees, perhaps to get them to realise that their thinking is not as neutral as it could be at times? We are all affected by unconscious biases, and referees are not immune from this.
Usually, what happens is referees rarely get pulled up for anything, that errors are only admitted when they have literally no choice but to admit it. Obviously we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors, but this particular referee is given big gigs all the time, and there is plenty of evidence from plenty of people that would suggest he is often very bad at his job. Yet on he goes, often being the most influential person on the pitch, as he clearly was last night. When that happens – and it happens a lot with this referee – something is obviously wrong.
I can’t even begin to understand the pressure that officials are under. It looks horrendous, almost a form of torture, so it is completely understandable that it has a profound impact on their behaviour. Is this acknowledged and dealt with?
Everton deserved a draw on the balance of play. I would have taken a draw before the game started. I am fine with the result. The nature of it though – that’s not sitting well with me at all. There is something wrong here, and perhaps it would be useful if all fans showed a little solidarity here. A ridiculous thought, I know.
Mat (if we’re top by seven points after the next four games then I may even start to get optimistic, god help me)
Liverpool have no rivals
Liverpool reserves got beat in a cup tie and then the first team drew away at a ground where they’ve only won 2 in 13 and now people are questioning their title credentials? This level of straw clutching makes Liverpool look nailed on for the title. They have no rivals this season.
There’s been a massive drop in quality at the top of the PL with City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Man U no longer being elite teams and Liverpool the only PL team capable of challenging (but not winning) in the Champions League. Villa and Arsenal will both be knocked out of the CL by the first decent team they play and Liverpool will lose to Madrid or Barca.
The highlight of this season will be Liverpool equalling United’s 20 titles and possibly a team outside the big 6 winning a cup.
Ben Teacher
MORE MERSEYSIDE DERBY REACTION ON F365:
👉 Liverpool ‘absolutely robbed’ as the Reds see their arses over derby draw
👉 ‘Out of order’ Liverpool star ‘overreacted’ to sh*thousery as Van Dijk hits out at Michael Oliver
👉 Arne Slot ‘raging’ as ex-PGMOL chief admits to Michael Oliver mistake in Merseyside derby
Wrong about the Arsenal striker situation
Last week, I wrote here that I was genuinely happy Arsenal did not buy a striker. I even speculated about the question, “What happens if Havertz gets injured?” Well, it turns out that’s exactly what happened. Am I still happy Arsenal didn’t buy a striker?
First, I want to admit that I am often wrong. Last month, Kyle Walker left Man City after nearly eight highly successful years. Looking back, the £45m spent on Walker now seems like a great investment. However, that wasn’t always the general consensus. While £45m is a fairly standard price for an international full-back today, in 2017, this fee caused quite a stir.
On July 17, 2017, I wrote in these very pages that Walker was grossly overpriced. I even compared his transfer to that of Leonardo Bonucci, who had just moved to AC Milan for £10m less. At the time, I argued that Walker was a terrible investment. I went as far as comparing the Premier League’s silly, unrealistic, and unwarranted transfer fees to the crazy spending of a certain Asian league. Back then, that league wasn’t Saudi Arabia—it was China. How times have changed!
I pointed out that Walker had won nothing compared to Bonucci’s trophy-laden career. I even made a fictional bet that Bonucci would earn his last international cap after Walker, despite being three years older.
I was wrong. Very wrong.
Walker went on to win six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four EFL Cups, the Champions League, the Super Cup, and the Club World Cup. Meanwhile, Bonucci won nothing at AC Milan and returned to Juventus a year later, swapped for Mattia Caldara—who, according to Wikipedia, played exactly once for AC Milan.
Bonucci did go on to win a couple more league titles with Juventus and, of course, Euro 2020 with Italy, cementing his place as a true legend of the Italian game. But in the context of Bonucci’s move to Milan versus Walker’s move to City, the difference is immense.
And so, we come back to my statement last week—that I was happy Arsenal didn’t buy a striker. With Havertz now out for the season, that statement already looks foolish. However, I still believe that signing a second-tier striker like Ollie Watkins only made sense if it was a good value-for-money deal that wouldn’t jeopardize the future signing of a top-tier striker this summer.
Since last week, there has been speculation that Alvaro Morata could have arrived on loan. But the fact that he has ended up in the Turkish league instead tells you a lot about his current level. That said, a loan deal for Morata until the summer—bringing in not just another body but also his winning experience (let’s not forget he played a key role in Spain’s Euros victory last summer)—did make sense.
So, I am happy to say I may have also got this wrong.
To all the naysayers and negative voices in the comments, I urge you to look in the mirror today and ask yourself how many times you’ve been wrong about football. Instead of—or at least as well as—jumping in to say how stupid Arsenal are, take a moment to reflect.
I assume that because you were so sure Liverpool would win the league after Arsenal’s inactivity in the transfer market, you all took your life savings and bet on Liverpool to win the title. Although the odds were not great, it must have been an easy way for you to make a quick buck, right?
Paul K, London
Agents are clowns
Chido Obi Martin needs to fire his agent.
Arsenal’s 16 year old striking sensation was advised by his agents that there was no pathway to the first team. That they were not convinced by the project. A first team that for years people have said is lacking a striker. A project that has seen them go from 5 years out of the Champions League to 2 years finishing second and needing a final piece for the puzzle.
Seeing that both 17 year old Nwaneri and 18 year old Miles Lewis-Skelly are regulars in the first team, with so many players ahead on paper, it feels like that Agent did what was best for the agent and not for Chido Obi Martin. Especially since the kid has been stuck not being able to play even competitive football since the move until recently. He is making 30k a week though, double what Arsenal offered him. Money that would doubled still, if he had continued learning, growing and performing at the highest level which is obviously around the corner at Arsenal. Nwaneri is on 60k at 17.
The Danish youngster joined a club which had just signed a 23 year old striker for 40million earlier in the summer and already had a 21 year old Danish striker whom they signed for 64m a year before. It is premature now and it definitely was then to write them off. Compare that with “I am not really a goal scorer “ Jesus and “I am a trier signed as a midfielder” Havertz – not really that difficult to seize that opportunity.
No disrespect to these players, but they are not elite strikers, something that Obi-Martin and hopefully his team want him to be, especially since they demand that treatment at 16. Now they are both injured and out for the season. Chido would have possibly be playing now for the first team.
Manchester United are a historic club and more accomplished than Arsenal. That’s just a fact. They are in a tough moment which they will get out of. In the present moment, there seems to be churn and instability, not the best bedding in period for a kid who needs opportunity and patience. Especially when their high profile expensive signings are young and need the same thing.
He should fire his Agent for his/her bad advice.
PS- This agency previously represented Balogun and said similar nonsense. There’s Arteta’s direct quote,”You need three parties to make a deal. For sure, the club wants to make a deal, the manager wants to make a deal, the player wants to stay and I’m not sure about the agent.” Won’t be surprised if the agency has a cut throat current-year-numbers target as opposed to long term Player welfare/success as their target. Hope Saka doesn’t fall prey to this as he has the same agent. As did Nketiah. And Chuba Akpom. There is a pattern.
Harish Rajagopalan ( AFC, Ayden Heavens move makes more sense, even though I loathe it, also different agent, Chennai, India)(Maybe I should change my name as Stewie or write unhinged diatribes to suit the narrative/idea of an “arsenal fan” to get published and stir the pot. )
