That was a tough watch. One of those paradoxical performances where you think how are we losing 4–1? Yet also, we probably deserve this.
When Eddie House released the line up, I was initially bewildered.
Willock and Ramsey either side of Tonali, no recognised striker, no Botman, it wasn’t obvious what we were trying to achieve. But after a moment it began to make sense: legs, energy, pressing, and the ability to sustain intensity.
This wasn’t about control through possession; it was about disrupting Liverpool’s build-up and forcing chaos higher up the pitch.
For half an hour, it worked.
We pressed in a narrow 4-3-3/4-1-4-1 hybrid, with Willock and Ramsey jumping aggressively onto Liverpool Gravenberch and Mac Allister, with Tonali anchoring behind them. Barnes and Elanga went after the full backs whilst blocking passing lanes into midfield, forcing play wide to Salah and Gakpo where Trippier and Hall could step up. In possession, Willock repeatedly attacked the left half-space to overload alongside Barnes, while Gordon’s movement dragged defenders out of shape. Barnes hitting the post from a clever free-kick routine was almost a reward for our really solid opening salvo.
Liverpool gradually adjusted, pushing Szoboszlai into midfield more often and drawing our press forward, but we still looked the sharper side. Then Anthony Gordon scored the goal we deserved, 0–1 after 36 minutes. At that point, the game state was exactly where we wanted it.
Obviously, that wasn’t going to last.
The equaliser came from a moment that summed up our defensive fragility. Wirtz was able to drive through the right half-space because our midfield line had become disconnected from the back four — the defensive line was too far from the midfield. Trippier’s slip was disastrous and gave Wirtz the space he needed to find Ekitike, but the warning signs were already there: once the distances stretched, Liverpool suddenly had room to attack the box at speed.
Two minutes later, we were punished again. I don’t know what our defensive structure was supposed to be from our corner, but the one we had left Tonali isolated and Hall too deep — and Liverpool transitioned instantly. One simple pass and they were through. Thiaw had plenty of time to engage Ekitike, but he left it far too late and allowed him to stroll through unchallenged.
The second half followed a familiar pattern. We had territory and effort but little incision. Without a natural striker, our possession often stalled in the final third. Crosses were delayed, opportunities to have a dig weren’t taken, and Liverpool were able to defend the central zones comfortably. Gordon’s half chance came from transition rather than sustained build-up, while Barnes’ best effort was too close to Alisson.
Defensively, we were largely fine in open play, but individual actions kept undermining the collective structure. Burn’s poor touch nearly gifted Ekitike a hat-trick, and when it didn’t, it felt like a temporary reprieve rather than a turning point. On 67 minutes, a sloppy pass from Thiaw into Trippier triggered another turnover, Liverpool shifted the ball wide, and Dan Burn wandered away from Wirtz who he had initially closed down on the edge of the box. Giving a player like Wirtz eight yards space twelve yards from goal is asking for trouble. He duly delivered it, 3-1.
The fourth goal was its own separate issue. Goalkeeping errors at key moments have become part of the story this season and I really don’t feel like I need to say any more than that. It was a shame for Pope because he had been fine up until that point.
At 3–1, Eddie Howe finally proved he reads my articles on The Mag by bringing on Wissa and Woltemade.
Woltemade operated as a true 10, finding pockets between the lines, with Wissa higher up occupying centre-backs. The difference was immediate: we progressed the ball more cleanly and built a couple of promising situations. Then, execution failed us — rushed passes, poor decisions, and attacks dying just as they became dangerous.
This is where the season keeps repeating itself. We cope well at one tempo but struggle badly when the game accelerates. When an opponent raises the intensity, we can’t seem to alter our own, and we get run absolutely ragged. I hate going one nil up these days. It’s less about tactics and more about managing moments — something the best sides do instinctively.
To Howe’s credit, he’s searching. In the last week alone we’ve seen 4-3-3, 5-4-1, and 4-2-3-1. The willingness to adapt is there. The solutions, so far, are not.
Yes, it’s a different game with Joelinton and Bruno available. Different again with a fully fit Botman, or with Miley or Tino offering control at right-back. But that’s elite football. Everyone has injuries. The top teams compensate through structure and decision-making.
We didn’t. We made too many of our own problems and Liverpool had the quality and ruthlessness to make us pay for most of them.