Five things we learned from the Liverpool draw – can we reach the final…
Liverpool earned a deserved 1-1 draw to take back to Stamford Bridge in a week’s time, as they were held by Chelsea in the first leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final. Eden Hazard opened the scoring from the penalty spot, before Raheem Sterling’s superb solo effort leveled the scores.
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Here are five things we learned from last night’s game:
5) The Liverpool revival is for real
Brendan Rodgers’ side have now lost just one game in 15 in all competitions. While we are still not at our free-flowing, free-scoring best, we are improving all the time. The new signings have bedded in well over recent weeks and there are more reasons for optimism with every passing game. We’re still short a striker, but with Daniel Sturridge still to come back into the team, who knows what might still happen this season.
4) Steven Gerrard’s time is being managed well
After being forced off at half-time against Sunderland and missing the game against Aston Villa, it was nice to see that we are no longer dependent on Gerrard’s presence. The captain was rightly restored to the starting line-up for such a crucial clash, but was withdrawn mid-way through the second-half. His replacement, Adam Lallana, did well and proved that there is such a thing as life after Gerrard. He will be missed next season, but perhaps not as much as we might have feared.
3) Raheem Sterling’s winter break has paid off
Raheem Sterling missed two games during his extended winter break – the FA Cup game with AFC Wimbledon and the league match with Sunderland. The Reds won both of those games. A refreshed Sterling has since returned to help pick-up another victory, this time against Aston Villa, as well as scored a magnificent individual goal against Chelsea, giving us every chance of qualifying for a major final next week. Brendan Rodgers, your gamble has paid off – well done!
2) The back three can work, even against the very best
There were fears that Liverpool’s back three of Emre Can, Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho would be exposed when they came against Diego Costa, Eden Hazard et al. However, other than giving away a dubious penalty, they were all excellent once again tonight, with Lucas Leiva equally impressive in the holding midfield role. Their confidence has even rubbed off on Simon Mignolet, who has now conceded just one goal in his last three games.
1) We can win the Capital One Cup
Brendan Rodgers will no doubt be gutted not to have won tonight. He might not say it, but he’ll know the opportunity was there. Nonetheless, are strong and confident performance against a Chelsea side that included all of its top stars, proved that we are more than capable of going head-to-head with the very best. A similar performance next week will give us every chance of progressing, so maybe expect to see a few of the big names rested against Bolton this weekend.
