I wasn’t sure what to say about this game, so decided to take my time and think about it beforehand.
My impression was that while we were seriously outclassed by a team that are frighteningly good when they’re attacking, we did very well in managing to subdue them for most of the game.
It made for very hard watching, as they dominated while constantly looking like scoring and it really was edge of the seat stuff.
Just not in a good way.
And I also had the nagging feeling that while we were totally dominated, we were at the same time robbed by a penalty that shouldn’t have been.
And then I’ve seen this, over and over;
Extra points for the accentuated roll and extended legs and arms pic.twitter.com/I1D7oCcLJ1
— Carpy Villan™️ (@PeteVillan1981) December 11, 2021
My money says that Salah’s left leg has taken Mings’ left leg out and that penalty should never have been given.
I actually think it should have been a foul on Mings.
In real time, I didn’t see any leg contact and actually thought it was given for Mings’ arm across Salah’s body.
Even so it would have been really soft.
I’m not into conspiracies when it comes to penalties, but after watching that and adding in the fact that Man City and Chelsea have also won by penalties today, you do have to wonder.
And there’s also the fact that the incident was checked by VAR, meaning it should have been overturned.
Yet I don’t think Watkins’ appeal was at all.
No wonder many people are wondering what’s going on.
I’m not for one minute suggesting that Liverpool didn’t deserve the win. They did.
They massively dominated this game, having loads of possesion around our box and I often wondered how long it would be before they scored.
Yet the reality is that we did well enough to keep them at bay and they failed to score in open play.
After me saying in the preview that I thought we’d go at them from the off, we did exactly as we did in the previous two games, in giving them too much respect again.
I’m not suggesting we go all out attack, but I just feel that if you don’t give the opposition something to think about, it just makes their job all that bit easier.
Instead we resorted to hoofing it long, only to not find Watkins. It’s a poor tactic, but I guess all you have when your midfield is also penned in.
So if you take out that penalty that never was, we held them to a 0-0 draw, which was frankly a great result, if not a great performance.
And while I know that’s not reality, it’s how I’m assessing the game.
So how did individuals play?
Martinez was excellent and made at least a few good saves. The defence did well overall, although Robertson taught Cash a bit of a lesson.
The midfield was a bit of a mixed bag. McGinn was his usual industrious self. Luiz was poor, but got better as the game went on. Young did nothing wrong either, but I don’t think it’s any coincidence that we looked better when Ramsey was replaced by Ings.
That said, perhaps I’m being unfair there and I felt that all of the substitutions improved us.
Certainly Buendia looked very decent, even if he looks lightweight. He certainly has a good eye for a ball.
Even Sanson managed to stay fit and healthy during his half hour and he put in a good show too, with some nice passes.
Perhaps there’s still time for him to change my mind about him, after all.
And then there was Ollie, stuck up top on his own and looking pretty useless when our even more useless long hoofs got nowhere near him. His is really a thankless task, but he was helped out when he was backed up by Ings.
Ollie had a shout for a penalty, but I really don’t think it was so won’t mention it anymore.
We looked so much better when we took it to them and even had ten minutes where we put them under the same cosh that they’d given us for the whole rest of the game.
And it looked like it was exactly how we should have approached the game from the off; giving it full guns and going all out for goals.
Until they countered so, so quickly.
It was easy to see that if we had gone all out, we’d have been facing a real hiding. That’s how good Liverpool are when they attack.
So in hindsight, we took the correct approach and did very well.
I’m disappointed, but not overly so. Only us and Man City have managed to prevent Liverpool scoring before half time this season. That’s an accomplishment in itself.
And if you take that very dubious penalty out of the game, we should have got a 0-0.
There are much easier games (on paper) coming up and while there are no easy games in the Premier league, I’d expect better results in the next two, at least.
Stevie G can walk away from Anfield with his head held high. As can the lads.
Dare I say a “plucky effort”?
Probably not. I don’t like it either.
We’re certainly not pushovers now though.
No team will relish facing us.
It seems we’re also beginning to learn the dark arts too.
I don’t like it, but needs must and everyone else does it.
We have the players Badger but it’s the officials that’s our problem, again questionable decisions that pisses me off, even pundits have pointed out refs mistakes and we’re the looser every time, Liverpool had to fight to win and it was given to them, Klopp in refs ears moaning ,players getting free kicks for nothing tackles, we fought hard today against a team that are ridding high and they had a hard time trying. We are getting there and Gerrard doing it with what was given to him. I can see a team coming that clubs will know how hard it will be to get points. Proud of them today we was robbed again for a draw..
I knew Man Ure would get a penalty and sure enough they did. Norwich deserved to win the game and will prove difficult for us on Tuesday. De Gea kept Man Ure in it for sure.
Aarons was naive though Holte. You can’t grab a player around the neck, even if I don’t think Ronaldo went down because of it.
And I think we’re a better side than Man U, so expect the points on Tuesday. That’s for the future though 🙂
Comments on Twitter – sounds like Wolves got stiffed as well:
“VAR is just an insurance scheme for the top sides and no one can convince me otherwise”
“How on earth, with VAR & the ability to review the footage dozens of times, have they determined that that Man City penalty should stand? Referee not even going to have another look at it himself. I dislike criticising referees. But it’s difficult to take this game seriously now.”
“So Rodri should’ve had 2 yellows.
Sterling has dived (I think more than once) unpunished.
Raul’s first was never a yellow.
And it WASN’T a handball for the penalty.
Just another day in the Premier League for Wolves.”
What are the odds of all the top teams getting penalties to help them win in one afternoon? United got their win with one as well, to add to City, Liverpool, and Chelsea. Seriously dodgy.
I won’t forget that article earlier in the year when someone in high football places was quoted as saying “we don’t want too many Leicester Citys winning the league.” Who are ‘we’?
The whole thing is rigged. But we’re all hopelessly addicted to say “f*** you, I’m out, empty the stadiums and pull the plug on Sky’s subscriptions.”
I’m sick of it.
BFR, don’t know if you read this on previous post. This was the game I was watching and Yes they was also a victim of bad refs and VAR. John Moss is the Ref and never be one again. He lives up north.
Badger, forgive me for bringing this up on Villa site but I’m fuming over he state of refereeing. I’m watching a match and as I’ve said a few days ago there are 3 refs that live up north and always get Man games along with clubs from the North. John Moss is one of them I’ve mentioned. Today he’s robbed a Midland club giving penalty and a sending off . Both are seen to be highly questionable., how can we play games with refs that are poor on refereeing. I fear for us playing clubs from up north. I see we have Targett back young in attack, and Luiz in midfield. Today it’s on Bein sports English 1.
Bill, my concern is that it’s not simply “bad refs” but something more sinister and is endemic in the game. There is far too much evidence for it to be just poor refereeing. The comment about VAR being an “insurance policy” for the top clubs is very interesting, and history shows, time and time and time again, that this is true.
The game’s dead, Bill. We’re just too addicted to it to accept it.
I remember Warnock ( is a wanker ha ha) shouting from touchline and politely discussing things with the 4th official and getting booked…..well Clipperty was at it whole game ….but also could be seen inviting him around for tea later….
Nigeria’s Emmanuel Dennis has scored 7 goals and provided 5 assists in 15 Premier League so far this season.
Please go back in time and sign him instead of Bailey.
More comments from fans:
“if you watch the replay salah clearly threw himself to the ground. more contact on the first contact from mings. well done man city, chelsea , man utd and liverpool for getting 3 points today not one should have been penalties after watching all the replays but you are the biggest clubs so you get what you want (uh oh here come the snowflakes). integrity is gone in football. no longer a mans game just pure cheating, chelsea player also barely got touched and goes down. fake.”
“When Liverpool can’t score they go to ground, chelsea liverpool United City all had pens today says everything you need to know about this league”
Here’s the article with the comment about Leicester winning the league. Superb article that goes into depth about why the game is screwed.
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/champions-league-superclubs-liverpool-man-utd-barcelona-real-madrid-a9330431.html
I remember that article from when I originally read it.
Thoroughly depressing it is too, albeit excellent.
I think an interesting point is that it’s wages that make teams better and not transfer spend.
The two seem obviously linked and to some extent they are.
But there is a subtle difference.
It seems our owners know this and the wages have shot up mostly without us realising it, as well as having a larger transfer spend.
That was written before the Super League attempted break away. The author didn’t seem to think that would ever happen. In reality, what they proposed was even worse. A complete tale over of the domestic leagues by several top level clubs.
I really wish they’d all do it. Break away and play each other every week. Boring in the extreme.
Well I’ve seen enough to think what BFR saying something is drastically wrong in football, VAR was for mistakes from wrong decisions by idiotic refs, but it’s being used for keeping the big six happy. Think you all seen the games yesterday of two teams being unfavourable not given the right decision in them games. The FA also needs a clear out making rules thats now contradictory to rules they’ve made years ago and seeing now how football going wrong for clubs outside the club’s they support. they can start by getting refs from outside of their part of the country and spend money for the right referees.
Didn’t see any football yesterday but sympathetic with the views expressed on here – the one rule syndrome seems rife in the EPL
As for getting anything changed – brick walls and sore heads spring to mind!
Wow, you think footy is bent?
Go and watch the F1.
Bent as a nine bob note.
I’m pleased that Hamilton didn’t win though. And before anyone says I’m not patriotic, then maybe we should remember that he doesn’t pay taxes in the UK now he can afford to live in a tax haven and I recall he wore a Brazilian flag a few races back. Plus I hate his preachy holier than though approach to us (the peasants) in the same way Bono or anyone else who gets to live a life of luxury tell the ordinary people how they should live their lives.
Rant over and congratulations Max!
Totally disagree.
I like Verstappen and his time was coming anyway.
I get what you’re saying, but that was just totally wrong, to my mind and I hope Mercedez win any appeal.
That was 100% showbiz, exactly why CH 4 did a deal with Sky to show it live.
And exactly the same sort of thing that we’re complaining about re the match.
I’m not disagreeing with the fact that Hamilton was screwed over although I think his team balls up with the decision not to change his tyres earlier. The crash which led to a safety car was one of those things. For the good of the race it would have been a massive anti climax if the race ended under a safety car. The decision to let lapped cars overtake was the wrong one.
Verstappen lives in Monaco. I assume that’s ok as he isn’t British
Irrespective of where drivers pay – or don’t pay – tax that decision is F1 was outrageous and, it seemed to me, that the Race Director allowed himself to be persuaded by Red Bull to change his decision.
I have no problem with a last lap sprint but they shouldn’t have allowed the lapped cars to pass the safety car – that would have been an equally exciting sprint but fairer on Hamilton.
It was not only a poor decision it was exacerbated by the Race Directors change of instruction regarding the lapped cars immediatekyvbefore the safety car ended.
Worse than VAR 🙂
I’ve watched the Mings ‘foul’ on Salah a number of times now and I remain convinced that the top brass will do anything to maintain the top 6. I keep hearing commentators / pundits say how ‘clever’ it is for Salah to stretch his left leg out wide knowing that Mings would collide with it and abracadabra Salah falls to the floor having fooled the referee 👏
My gripe is mainly with VAR. They get to watch it and they must see what everyone thinks and knows and that is Salah CHEATED. It’s not being clever at all. When a player dives without contact they call it cheating. In my mind it’s the same thing. Mings for some strange reason didn’t make a song or dance out of it. If it was the other way round you can bet the opposition would have surrounded the referee. Not that those things happen to the top 6 of course. The same happened to Wolves and Norwich. How on earth VAR’s excuse that they didn’t have a good angle for the handball is a complete joke. And of course Ronaldo has a hand on his shoulder and falls to the floor like he’s been hit by a bus.
Whether it’s cheating by the same old same old or VAR protecting their favourites, the game is becoming uglier with every passing season.
I have already resigned myself to the fact that we will probably never achieve champions league because there is too much corruption in the game.
“If it was the other way round you can bet the opposition would have surrounded the referee.”
This is exactly what I’m on about.
I hate it, but we need to start doing the same to maximise our chances of anything.
I play on Sunday and we got dominated first half and it was only 1-0. Then lost 7-0 after being thrashed second half with a better performance. Shows if Liverpool were more clinical they would have got more, or does it because I thought Villa were good defensively like we were so it just shows that you have to get lucky with a penalty or have moments of madness like they did. Sounds stupid the comparison I am making but it just shows that sometimes the scoreline doesn’t reflect the game is what I mean.
Liverpools weren’t a pen it’s clear they want the top teams at the top so the TV companies get more money resulting in more compensation to them. Liverpool, United, Man City, and Chelsea all getting 1 goal wins from pens and we’re supposed to believe it’s not rigged? I’d be pushing my luck in saying they gave Brentford a penalty because they want to keep the promotion flourishers headlines going hahaha!
But good defensive work, if you’d have offered me 9 points out of Palace, Brighton, Leicester, Man City and Liverpool I’d have bit your hand off for it.
Easier run, well a bit as they say ”no easy game in the Premier League” but I reckon 13 points from the next 5 is definitely doable which would mean we do not lose in this run of Norwich, Burnley, Chelsea, Leeds and Brentford, with the draw coming from Chelsea, of course.
Anyways, that is enough from me, UTV. Rhymes a bit. Lol.
Bad luck on your loss.
It sounds like Villa’s defence is better than yours! 😉
That’s a good point about us taking 9 points from those games. It looked very unlikely under Dean Smith.
13 points from the next 5? I’ll have some of that.
Keep trying hard and UTV lad 🙂
I see Nakamba seeing a knee specialist tomorrow just as we need him . Never rains but pours.
Gerrard saying Nakamba out until after Christmas and we have two players testing positive for Covid but can’t name them because of ‘medical confidentiality’. That’s a pretty neat way of not declaring our hand for tomorrow night.
He did go on to say ‘it woukd give others an opportunity to come into the group and show what they can do’. So reading between the lines two first team players.
Not a good omen but maybe a chance for Sanson to finally prove his worth.
We still need results and at least a draw tomorrow.
99% sure it’s Martinez and Konsa, will happily say my source if it’s wrong considering I’m not in direct contact with them but think it’s impossible it can be wrong…
This might just be a way of getting him out of the African Cup of Nations (or whatever it’s called) !
Well games are called off on Sunday due to COVID, we’ll be seeing that a lot lot more in the coming months it seems…
Also take offence to that considering I am part of the defence hahaha. Unstoppable last week it seemed.
It’s probably Sanson who’s tested positive Hitch! He is our number one sick note. 🤢
I know someone who knows someone who is saying it’s Martinez and Konsa, we could be in deep trouble because I’ve heard the source and I can’t see how it’ll be wrong. But praying to God it is wrong, but it’s a friend who has no reason to lie who has told me…
Might be wrong about Martinez and Konsa to be fair, but hope I am but I am being told it could be them or other, please don’t slam me this is what I am being told haha