Liverpool Into The FA Quarterfinals

It wasn't the prettiest of matches at all times, but the dream of silverware is still alive for Liverpool FC.  It wasn't the best of starts, falling behind to Crystal Palace on the road, but the Reds managed to get enough right to pull out a win.  Several old problems began to creep back into the squad, but they managed to overcome them instead of allowing those problems to dictate the match.

Liverpool came into this FA Cup tie flying.  No, they haven't played on the level of Real Madrid or Barcelona, but very few in the world can or have.  Liverpool played like Liverpool though and ultimately, as long as that happens, the result is all that matters.  LFC didn't have the most rousing of starts to this cup match.  They conceded an early goal, only 15 minutes into the game on a bit of uninspiring defense.  The ball popped up into the box and Simon Mingolet punched it, while colliding with one of the Eagles.  No foul was called, rightly, and Frazier Campbell managed to bang home the loose ball.

While there was no clear blame to any one person on the goal, the blame can be shared by all.  No one marked the follow up player and the defense was shaky as a whole for much of the first half.  Despite the retro-grade defending, Liverpool managed to dominate possession as they have in many of their recent matches.  Unfortunately for the Reds, Crystal Palace began packing it in following their go-ahead score.  Liverpool pressed and the Eagles just slammed in more bodies.

Brendan Rodgers then made the changes.  Seeking to capitalize on the good form from the weekend match, Rodgers inserted Mario Balotelli for Lazar Markovic straight away following halftime.  While it was not surprising to see the Italian come on, it was a bit surprising to see Markovic come off since he had not really done anything wrong and one could argue Liverpool needed his speed on the flanks.  But, as has been the case in the new year, Rodgers' decisions paid off.

Jordan Henderson, given the captain's armband following the disappointing news of Steven Gerrard's leg injury, played a very inspired second half.  Henderson smartly set up the tying goal with a nice cross to Daniel Sturridge who continued to show his worth to the club by neatly finishing off the one-time strike.  While the ball did deflect off the goalkeeper, it would've taken a Herculean effort to keep out.

Then it was Balo-time.  Mario Balotelli took on the defense and drew an important foul in a very dangerous area, just outside the penalty box.  Full of new-found confidence, Balotelli was not about to let anyone not named Steven Gerrard tell him he was not taking the free kick.  Balotelli smashed his shot right where it needed to be and while the goalkeeper managed to get a piece of it, Adam Lallana made an intelligent run and knocked home the rebound.  Not to give all credit to Balotelli, the wall did a masterful job of spacing out the defenders and moving at the perfect time for Mario's shot to glide through the vacated space in the wall.

Balotelli continued his turnaround by doing what he does best, when not on the ball.  Balotelli was an instigator.  Many will say this is not an important role in the game - something I would agree with on principle - however, it does exist and when Mario is in the right frame of mind he gives his team an advantage in this area.  Balotelli is always in the mix.  Opposing teams know his short temper and try to set the fuse.  When the striker is not in form and not in the right mind, it is a detriment to his club.  When he is in the right frame, as he was on this night, he is a benefit.  He attracts so much attention that if he is able to stand up and just smile, he sets off his opponent and frustrates them.

But let us not focus too much on Balotelli just for a couple good games.  The team as a whole did what they needed to do.  Emre Can had his moments of defensive lapses, but he still continues to do just enough right and allow an escape valve for the back three.  Simon Mingolet was not challenged often, but you continue to see confidence that was simply not there earlier in the season.  Sakho always has moments that make you cringe when he is on the ball but he continues to thwart offenses.  Coutinho had a better match than he did on the weekend.  Joe Allen, well...Joe Allen did not make many mistakes.  Allen continues to be a questionable start, but as long as he fills in and makes no mistakes then you cannot fault the position too much.

This is the team supporters were expecting at the beginning of the season.  Seeing how players have actually performed, winning the league title or even contending was always going to be a long shot no matter how strong a fan you are.  However, these sorts of matches are what fans still expected from their club.  It is exactly what they did not get at the beginning of the year.  Earlier in the season, Liverpool would have shrunk from the occasion.  They would've failed to score despite their possession and chances.  They would've conceded another goal on a corner or set-piece.  They would have been knocked out of the FA Cup.

It took a lot longer than anyone expected, rightly or wrongly.  The pieces have now begun to gel and this squad is playing like a team that Liverpool fans can be proud of.  It wasn't the best of matches and Liverpool did not dominate from start to finish, but as mentioned they won.  In the end that's all that matters.  They have turned the tide and are now winning matches even when they do not play to their full capabilities.  That is Liverpool football.

Random Thoughts:

- I'm somewhat confused as to what Fox Sports plan was.  They put this live match on Fox Sports Plus, which I do not subscribe to and many probably do not either.  Thus I had to watch the match on Fox Sports En Vivo and listen to the audio through my computer.  I did manage to time it up pretty well though.  Kudos to me.

- I think all LFC fans are holding their breathe regarding Raheem Sterling.  It is being reported as a minor foot injury, but having already lost Gerrard for at least a month LFC cannot afford to lose such an important player for long, especially given their turnaround.

- Despite the fact that I'm a fan of the player, I still concede that Balotelli makes poor plays.  He has had a decent turnaround in the last two matches but he should be kept as far away from defensive corner kicks as possible.  I'm all for placing more responsibility on players and saying "This is how we do things here" but he's just too much of a liability despite his size advantage.

- Can deserves all the praise he is getting, but he is terrible in the air.  He is young but his timing on headers is just awful.

- Speaking of Can, I was surprised he was still in the back three.  It had been suggested that he would join Henderson in the midfield and Lovren would start in the backline.  Obviously Rodgers' lineup worked, but if given the opportunity it would be nice to see Can back in a more comfortable midfield role.  We shall see.

Walk On.