On a hazy, dreamy afternoon at Selhurst Park, all delicate solar and delicate air, Liverpool produced one thing that appeared to suit the day, an train in management and the issues of management. A 1-0 victory means they may keep on the high of the league heading in direction of the top of October. This is a excessive‑functioning entity now. They have a good supervisor, good gamers, a superb central midfield and the fewest objectives conceded within the league.
At the identical time Liverpool additionally in some way ended up hanging on at occasions within the second half of a recreation that was like an expertly staged act of euthanasia the place the corpse inexplicably begins waking up after an hour making an attempt to have a chat about issues.
First got here the anaesthetic. For 45 minutes this was high-grade Coldplay soccer, a managed, top-spec stadium expertise. Score. Wait. Win. This has been the perfect of Arne Slot’s growing Liverpool to this point. Six of their eight wins have adopted that sample of take the lead, management possession and win.
By half-time Liverpool had been 1-0 up, with 73% possession and a sense of items being pushed round a board. They weren’t precisely dominant. Dominant suggests some type of battle, or no less than a secondary aspect that wants dominating. Instead Liverpool occupied Selhurst Park like a team of peacekeepers.
This was a team in eco mode, regenerative braking soccer, a recreation of mature and wise throttle administration. That fashion additionally raises its personal points. Palace will likely be criticised for missing aggression within the first half, throughout which they didn’t commit a single foul. But Liverpool additionally carry this on. They’re principally chloroforming you in these moments. Give in to it. Sleep.
Teams will be taught to reply to this, and there was extra from Palace within the second half after Jean-Philippe Mateta got here on. They may need had a penalty, however didn’t fairly meet the bar for holding at a nook. Eberechi Eze failed to complete a good opening after a superb break. Liverpool turn into much less, no more, incisive as the top loomed. The drawback with bringing down the temperature is, are you able to at all times carry it again up, crank the lever when you'll want to? Control is tough. It’s not passive or chilly. It’s an act of aggression too.
It can also be one which Liverpool are nonetheless studying. At the beginning it was fascinating to see the again 4 continually speaking, shuttling, rearranging one another. Shape not power is every thing now.
The solely purpose got here from a fantastically easy transfer with eight minutes gone. Kostas Tsimikas performed a straight by ball contained in the left-back channel because the Palace defence dithered. Cody Gakpo put the cross into probably the most logical house. Diogo Jota produced a basic poacher’s diagonal run and completed with a cool little poke of the toe.
This was a rational purpose, an empirically wise purpose. Palace urgent excessive with two slim central midfielders left house on the flank. Trevoh Chalobah in his first begin would naturally must discover the fitting strategy to work together with his left wing-back. This is a tender level. We will press at it.
For a whereas after that the sport was like a film the place issues maintain threatening to occur however don’t. Jota ought to have made it 2-0. Maybe Liverpool would endure from “not killing the game off”? But they didn’t actually. Instead for lengthy durations Palace had been simply bolted into their very own half. Liverpool can play a excessive line, can maintain the ball, can maintain that midfield field in possession. They will simply strangle you when this works.
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Ryan Gravenberch was glorious once more, such a pretty, simple mover, at all times trying round whilst he barrels into the clinches. He touched the ball 40 occasions within the opening half-hour. It can be a shock to listen to he truly broke a sweat throughout this. From a distance Gravenberch appeared as if he was quietly mowing the garden or listening to a podcast whereas by the way dominating a Premier League midfield.
The most fascinating side is, of course, how shortly this Liverpool team have gotten right here, the journey from at all times cranking the throttle and gunning the carbon, led by a beaming petrolhead in a baseball cap, pumping the pedal in his sweat-soaked trainers, slurping one other power drink, home windows down, pomp rock classics on repeat. It is a exceptional factor to modify to the zero emission stuff so successfully, a tribute to Slot’s readability and persuasiveness. It can also be price remembering that in December 2020 Liverpool got here right here, received 7-0, went high of the desk, then principally fell aside amid an damage disaster and didn’t win at dwelling once more till March.
They have a run of video games now that may correctly take a look at and refine the extra measured fashion. It appears apparent sufficient that is a team that may attempt to construct these different gears on high, to seek out aggression out of management. Watching Liverpool win right here was at occasions like sitting although a finely honed piece of music with out emotional peaks, simply ready for a Mozart to return alongside and bash a few trills and swoops into it. But high of the league isn’t a unhealthy place to be taught from.
