Liverpool Thrash Hull City In Impressive Fashion

Liverpool should have been up 1-0 in the ninth minute.  Sadio Mane got in a decent cross from the right.  Coutinho was all alone in front of the keeper and either tried to toe poke it or scuffed it, but neither put it in the net.

The Reds kept on the pressure though and their patience paid off.  In the 17th minute, Coutinho drove his way into the area and dished it off to Adam Lallana.  The Englishman got a weak left foot through it, cutting it across his body and into the side netting.

It wasn't a pretty goal, but it broke down the defending and gave the keeper no chance.  There is not much more you can ask for than that.

The patience was the key for the entire half.  They just took what was available to them and built upon it each time.  It paid off in the 29th minute.

Again, good build up from the right hand side after a giveaway and Mane pushed down the right.  His strong cross found Coutinho at the penalty spot.  He blasted one and the defender got caught with his hands out and was awarded a red card.

Liverpool went up 2-0 on a James Milner penalty kick.  He tucked it in nicely in the bottom right corner, just slipping it under the goalkeeper.  That opened the flood gates from there.

Liverpool kept up the pressure, putting the squeeze on the depleted Hull City defense.  Mane, who was begging for a goal after all his set up play, was rewarded in the 35th minute.  Lallana cut toward the box from the left and put it right to Mane at the penalty spot.  The Liverpool newcomer was surrounded by defenders, but calmly spun around and slotted it past the despairing keeper.

The Reds came within a whisker of making it 4-0 before half.  Milner, playing as a left back, got all the way to the attacking endline.  He flashed a great pass across the face of goal, but nobody was on the doorstep to tap it in.

It would not be all sunshine and rainbows in the second half though.  Hull City earned a corner kick in the 50th minute.  Unfortunately, Liverpool's habit of making a hash of set pieces continued.  They failed to clear the ball and it was smashed past Karius to cut the lead to two.

Coutinho was having none of that though.  The Brazilian absolutely ripped home a goal not even a minute later.

Liverpool took the ball right after the kick and Lallana found some space.  When closed down, he crossed to Coutinho in the middle.  His shot came from about 22 yards away and there was no shot for any keeper to get a hand on it.

The Reds kept on it from there.  Daniel Sturridge earned a penalty in the 70th minute, which Milner finished off for a second time, again sticking it just under the keeper.

Liverpool mainly toyed with the Tigers after that.  The Reds pressed up the field a few times, but never really sought out their sixth goal with any great urgency.

In the end, it was a fine performance against a team Liverpool should beat.  These are the games that have tripped them up in the past, so it was good to come away with three points.

The win, whether temporarily or not, puts them in third place in the table.  It vaulted them past Everton and keeps them above Manchester United.  Liverpool seem to have really settled into some good form and it will be interesting to see how long it lasts.

Random Thoughts:
- It was a shame that Sturridge couldn't get a goal after earning the penalty.  After the Balotelli incidents where everyone was whining about taking the penalties, I understand having to use one kicker but it still seems as though you should be allowed to take it if you earned it.

- I'm curious as to the switch in goalkeepers.  I know many fans are against Simon Mignolet, but Karius didn't do much in the midweek game and didn't do much against Hull.  So, what did he do to earn the start?  If Liverpool wins, it's fine.  Just curious as to the reasoning.

Walk On

Game In Hand Goes To Pot

Let me preface today's blog with the fact that I did not see the entirety of today's match due to another DVR SNAFU (Which did not end up mattering as I saw the entire first half).  Liverpool's faint glimmer of hope for Champions League football has been all but dashed.  A midweek clash with Hull City, a squad fighting to stay above the relegation zone, seemed to be the good medicine Liverpool would need following a disappointing weekend match against West Brom.  Despite manager Brendan Rodgers' claims that the club played well on the weekend and just did not score, the team failed to answer the call in a time when three points are ever so precious.

Again, three points were needed to continue any hope of playing in Europe's top competition in this Tuesday match and Liverpool, again, failed to answer the bell.  This club, simply, has been a disappointment this season.  Despite glimmers and flashes of what could be, there have been far too many bad performances from the team.

Liverpool did create chances.  12 shots and nine on target are not stats to be scoffed at, but the quality of some of the attempts leaves much to be desired.  While the Reds could easily have had two or three goals in the first half - one coming off Mario Balotelli's backheel that went straight at the keeper, one coming off Coutinho's one-timer that went straight at the keeper and one that Jordan Henderson shot straight at the keeper - the bottom line is that the team did not finish their chances.  As fans we want to believe that there is talent in this squad, but either it is not being utilized correctly or it is simply not there.

People may blame Mario Balotelli for the loss, and would not be completely incorrect, but in fairness he was in position to make three Hull City attackers offside.  Unfortunately, the pass went to the one attacker smart enough to stay onside and nobody defended the ball.  Yes, Balotelli played the man offside and shoulders a large bit of blame, but the lack of urgency in attempting to defend that ball was shocking.  Premier League defenders should not be standing with their feet in quicksand and watching the ball go over their heads as though they were watching the first rocket blast into outer space.

One can also argue that the lack of urgency in this squad is quite alarming.  Fine, you go down by a goal in a late season match, only three days removed from your last match and one on the road.  But to see little to no fight after the halftime break is shocking.  If not for Simon Mingolet, a goalkeeper many fans were willing to place on the sacrificial altar during the January window, this team would have lost many more than 10 games.  The score would have been much worse than 1-0 in today's match as well.  Mingolet has been a rare bright spot in the month of April as the team has crumbled around him.

The sad part of all this is we have reached the point where cold, hard, calculated moves must be made.  Personally, I really like Brendan Rodgers.  But if he has lost the ear of this team and seems unable to pull off the moves to keep Liverpool in the upper echelon, then he must go.  Raheem Sterling is a great young talent.  However, as good as he is and can be, seven goals is not good enough.  I would not advocate selling him, but he has to do more than simply dribble and show speed to be a player deserving of the money he wants.  Coutinho is in the same boat.  He is a fantastic player, but more must be accomplished.  He cannot simply keep the ball on a string and show filthy moves and then blast the ball over the bar.  Sadly, despite their lack of truly accomplishing anything this season, those two have been the lone bright spots on this squad (at least in attacking terms).

Again, once the season is finished and every result tabulated, I will go more into depth about what this team needs and who is just not good enough.  As supporters, though, we are incredibly disappointed and frustrated right now.  Unfortunately, last year seems to be fools gold and we all took a piece.  Everyone knew, the loss of one of the top five players in the world in Suarez was going to be a big blow, but we did not know that it would deprive the team of all its scoring.  Nobody has stepped up to fill the void and players that were to be counted on in important roles like Daniel Sturridge and Lucas continue to get injured if you look at them the wrong way.

Even taking the supporter hat off, this team has become difficult to watch.  The club is slow at the back, ineffective through the midfield and lack cutthroat, clinical finishing in attack.  At this moment, we are all at a loss.  Anger presents many options and opinions in the heat of the moment, but many are lacking any true thought or consideration.  The winds of change are surely stirring inside the Shankly Gates, but for now all the fans can do is hope the season ends on an up-note.  It is a sad state of affairs, given the promise going into the year, but that is what they are left with.

Walk On.