Just 12days Later

Losing 5-2 at home is enough to knock any team’s confidence. So to be facing your fiercest domestic rivals, where the hatred is visceral, in the same stadium just 12 days later ought to end awfully. Just one problem with that though, no-one told Liverpool.

They’re always at their best when no-one gives them a hope in hell of getting a result, I learnt that back on 25th May 2005. Now the world has seen that never-say-die attitude in full force once again.

Facing a United team on the back of some incredible form, unbeaten since 22nd January, the scousers tore them to shreds. Sure it took the Reds 43 minutes to take the lead but that was just how long it took to translate their dominance from pitch to scoresheet. Once they had the lead they didn’t let up, they became the team they were last season and blew they opponents away.

The match ended 7-0 to the hosts. Along with bragging rights over their rivals, this result also gives their fans hope that the return to the behemoth that came just 2 games away from quadruple immortality may not be as far away as they feared. In even better news, both Nunez and Gakpo secured braces so at least the future looks secure.

AFC Bournemouth, glued to the bottom of the table, are the next opponents for Klopp’s rebuilding reds. To show true progress they need to back-up tonight’s humiliation of their near neighbours with a similarly positive result on the south coast. Secure that and they can head to Mission Impossible: Santiago Bernabéu in 10 days time.

Failure to secure the full 3 points in Hampshire would see this 7-0 relegated to the status of yet another false dawn in a season that has been full of them so far.