Xhaka is struggling to keep up with the pace of the game

Getting that annoying little feeling with the ref. Lots of 50/50 free kicks going their way. Bellerin was just pushed from behind and sandwiched by two Liverpool players and only got given the throw.

He just made a really poor decision to dribble out between 3 Liverpool players, tackled easily in a dangerous area

2-1 liverpool no cover at the back post

To be fair El Nenny isn’t at the races either and our defenders are under such pressure. Need to get to half time now

Has Willian touched the ball yet???

Good tracking there tbf

Doesn't feel like we've been anywhere near aggressive enough. We've not really made any fouls, giving Liverpool far too much space, its like we're almost too concerned with staying in our shape that we're just covering space and no one is putting any pressure on the ball

what a chance. AMN is clean through, he just needs to control the long ball and he has men running square as well. miscontrolled though

Need to change the formation to get an extra midfield player involved

They have the run of the midfield

Frustrating AMN couldn’t control the ball with that through ball to him. If he had and wasn’t offside he’d have had a one on one with the keeper.

its the first time we've actually gone long and over the high line Liverpool hold. Need to see much more of it

This has been as good as I've seen from Liverpool for a while though. They've been very very good this half

I'm not so sure we need to change the formation, we need to protect the wings as much as possible. Just think we need to bypass our midfield when we're in possession

Gabriel on for AMN, Tierney LB. Saka for Holding For me

Luiz bypassing our midfield and playing long because he knows it’s *%^@ yet some people think it’s brilliant

Completely and utterly dominated, but we're actually still in the game being 2-1 down. You can see why Aouar and Partey are our priorities in the market, players who can carry the ball and beat the press.

We’re not looking quite as confident as we have done recently. Elneny not having enough of an impact centrally, and Willian and Aubameyang not getting enough of the ball.
AMN has been our best player.
Second goal was poor defensively from Bellerin; he should have let Holding go for the header and laid off to wait for the ball to drop.
The first goal; should Leno have done better?

He tried to control it on the run with the outside of his right foot, so difficult to do - Henry could do it. The obvious way to do that is let it run across and control it with the instep of your left, you have much more control to kill the ball, it could still hit your calf and be controlled - it will always bounce away from you if it hits the outside of your right shin. Even if you mess it up going with your left it turns in to a scrappy square pass for Aubameyang who is 1v1
Borderline offside - we won't ever know - but we have to be better in those situations

Offside

And tbf Liverpool are doing a brilliant job of pressing and closing down as a team. Working hard for each other. Textbook stuff.

Id be tempted to bring Saka on for Bellerin and move AMN to RWB and bring Saka in at LWB. Saka is better on the ball and could bring some control to the midfield and some creativity.
AMN might get more from Willian

Alexander Arnold is at his very best tonight. His passing/crossing is outstanding. Maybe throw on Saka to give him something to think about.

Xhaka and Holding are struggling with Liverpool's pressing. They look panicked.

Liverpool are very good this evening, unfortunately.

Because I think you’re taking insufficient account of him being new to England, and the Premier League. Indeed, I’m not sure you took any account of it. Even some of the very best foreign players have started slowly over here. He made a slow start, but still showed skill.

If you want to be ultra critical on Mané's goal I think Leno should have stronger wrists on Salah's shot, he parries it sideways instead of parrying it out.

2nd goal Bellerin needs to trust Holding and Luiz to go 1v1 with their strikers on the cross, if they are being marked then trust the CB to win the header. Bellerin goes in for the header as well and Robertson is totally free at the back post.

Lacazette has been told to sit on Fabinho to stop him dictating play, sensible enough, but Liverpool are pushing so high that van dijk is pretty much in a holding midfield role and he's spraying passes to their right all day under no pressure.

Not sure anyone thinks our midfield is brilliant.

Was it? Not seen a reply. Rich said it was borderline but we’ll never know.

Games like this are why we need that strength on central midfield. I know it is easy to look at players linked but put Partey and Aouar in there and the ball retention, dribbling, pace and power all go up a big notch.
Elneny is a simple metronome, he hasn't given it away much but he's just being used to bounce short passes off and stick to covering space. Xhaka needs space and he isn't getting any and he certainly can't dribble out of the press and isn't great at taking more than one touch when receiving the ball with his back to goal and under pressure.

All this needs to be quantified by just how good Liverpool are playing though. We thought we'd been pretty good at beating the press but the press tonight is in perfect harmony for them

Men against boys.

I've seen relegation fodder give Liverpool more of a contest than we have.

Xhaka falls over everytime he gets it to try and win a cheap freekick.

Luiz the only one of the back four to come out with any credit and that's only because our best moments have come from his passes.

2 *%^@*** touches in the opposition box!!!.

Leeds *%^@*** caused them a million times more trouble than we have.

We are afraid to play.

As always with these it is the fullback on the opposite side who is closest to playing him on. They showed a replay, but not along the line or with lines drawn on the pitch, but by the cut of the grass it looked very close.

It was offside. Not that it matters.

I was thinking the same thing dec.

Hang on ! You’ve changed your tune !

Get Elneny off please Mikel

Holding caught in possession again in our own 3rd. He's the definite weak link in this system and style. Ask him to stand in the box and head, block, clear anything round and he's good.

Second half looking a little bit more like an actual football game so far.

People laughed at Liverpool for employing a throw in coach but they never lose the balls from throw ins and equally we find it so difficult to retain any decent possession. Specialist coaches much like American sport are going to be the way forward in football I think

Lacazette must have had 2-3 fouls on him not given by the ref.

I think he is but I feel sorry for the 3 centre halves who are exposed time and again. Not easy if your side can’t retain the ball

No I haven’t. I don’t ever recall calling our current midfield brilliant.

Fabinho slides in aggressively on Willian, doesn't win the balll, no free kick given. thankfully Liverpool put it out for us.

This new offside thing of keeping the flag down is a load of complete and utter bollix.