When the phrase “circle the calendar” is used by football fans, it refers to a very select group of matchdays on the fixture list. For many supporters, regardless of whether one’s club is a continental giant or local minnow, these days define seasons. Whether critical points or just bragging rights are up for grabs, derbies occupy a sacred spot in the minds and hearts of football fans.
My odd-dual fandom of Liverpool or Crystal Palace, however, means that there is a fixture that occupies a place on my soccer calendar above the Merseyside derby, the North-West Derby or “English Clásico” that is Liverpool vs. Manchester United, or the unusual but not wholly unintuitive M-25 derby between the Eagles of South London and the Seagulls of Brighton. Like most fans, I do not always have control over what games I can watch, but you can be sure I prioritize when Liverpool and Crystal Palace meet at either Anfield or Selhurst Park. The recent fireworks this contest has produced over the last six years have given a reason for neutrals to do the same.
As I have mentioned in earlier posts, most soccer fans shake their head in disbelief when I reveal my dual-fandom. It is admittedly hard to fathom when you consider just how massive a thorn the South London club have been in the Reds’ side for over half-a-decade. This trend obviously started with the infamous “Miracle of Crystanbul,” but the Eagles have been a bogeyman for Liverpool more recently as well.
In the season following Liverpool’s 2014 title collapse, Palace did the league double over the Reds, and the Eagles are, incredibly, the last team to beat Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League, a 2-1 victory on April 23, 2017. Even when the Eagles have failed to come away with any points, they have shown a habit of pushing Liverpool to the limit. Palace almost completely derailed Liverpool’s title hopes again last season in a narrow 4-3 defeat at Anfield, and Liverpool only won at Selhurst in November thanks to a scrappy goal in the 85th minute from Roberto Firmino. Last Wednesday’s match was certainly seen as a potentially tricky one for the Reds, though the task was definitely not as difficult as my decision on where to place my allegiance for those ninety minutes.
It’s always tough when a goal goes in or a pivotal moment goes one team’s way; one side of my heart leaps while the other half drops. I usually try to side with which club needs the points more, but that was a very ambiguous concept this time around.
With Liverpool exiting both the FA Cup and Champions League in March — not to mention losing the opportunity to clinch their first Premier League title with their famous supporters in attendance due to COVID-19 — the Reds’ season is in danger of finishing in a small anticlimax after they inevitably clinched their first league title in thirty years. Breaking City’s 100 points record, however, could be a monumental achievement that would firmly cement Liverpool “back on their perch.”
At this point in the season, the Palace fan in me is often biting my nails as the Eagles scrap to avoid the drop or is beginning to focus on next season as the team meanders in the mid-table. Palace were all but safe when the restart began, but the Eagles earned their fourth consecutive win in the league after two early goals away at Bournemouth last Saturday. The three points meant Palace jumped Arsenal and sat just four points off 5th place and the potential Champions League spot created by UEFA’s two-year ban on Manchester City in European competitions (which City have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport).
In just under a quarter of an hour, however, this dilemma was unfortunately irrelevant. The mercurial Wilfred Zaha, the pride and joy of South London, was forced to exit with a calf strain after attempting to sprint away on a counter. My heart sank and my dreams (or delusions) of European football under the lights at Selhurst suddenly seemed very distant. In the first game between the two clubs in the new decade, Palace would not foil Liverpool’s title party this time.
The comprehensive 4-0 scoreline, however, does not reflect the fact that it took a cheap foul by Jordan Ayew and an absolutely brilliant free-kick by Trent Alexander-Arnold for the Reds’ to really hit their stride. That being said, Palace could have quite easily been 5-0 down at half-time. Cahill was lucky not to concede two penalties, and is was honestly disheartening to see VAR fail to intervene when he blatantly pulled Van Dijk back on a corner and committed a stonewall handball to prevent Firmino from flicking the ball past him and running through clean on goal.
My perspective on these events is obviously far from unbiased, and I do not want to see VAR function like it did at the most recent Men’s and Women’s World Cups. We certainly do not need lengthy reviews to give away dubious penalties like the “handball” that doomed Croatia in the 2018 final vs. France, but when Stockley Park continuously fails to intervene when refs objectively miss calls (think Cahill’s handball and the ball that clearly crossed the goal-line in the Villa-Sheffield United game), you wonder why the system is even there in the first place.
In his first game back since the restart, Salah was a bit rusty at first and sliced a great chance when Hennessey’s headed clearance came straight to him. When he clinically finished Fabinho’s beautiful chipped pass over Van Aanholt on the stroke of halftime, however, there was only going to be one winner in the game.
Crystal Palace failed to record one single touch in the Reds’ penalty area, but the Eagles provided plenty of entertainment in the form of former Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho. Sakho’s departure was unrelated to his ability on the pitch, but his performance Wednesday was simply Dejan Lovren on steroids. His high-risk flicks, ill-advised back passes, and last-ditch blocks truly covered the spectrum from terrific to downright terrible defending.
Fabinho marked his 50th appearance in a Liverpool shirt with an absolute cracker from distance, Mané got the goal his performance deserved, and the Reds displayed why they might have the most dominant Premier League season ever. However, it is worth noting that a great set piece and a ridiculous long-range strike played a huge part in giving Liverpool daylight. When these sort of goals do not go in, teams that can sit deep and quickly counter with talent going forward (like Everton on Sunday and Palace often), can really cause problems for Klopp’s side. This season, Liverpool’s subtle stutter at Goodison was entirely understandable given the unprecedented circumstances, and the result only delayed Liverpool’s title celebrations from thirty years and fifty-seven days to thirty years and fifty-eight sunrises. A nil-nil game in last season’s Merseyside derby, however, was the difference between history and heartbreak. Liverpool are the earliest team to clinch the Premier League title, but their difficult run before lockdown — which saw them lose their “invincible” status vs. Watford and exit both the FA Cup and Champions League — emphasizes the insanely minuscule margin for error in the upper echelons of European football. This Liverpool team may be the most dominant English champions ever, but if they hope to someday equal United’s heroes of ‘99 by becoming the second English side ever to win a traditional treble, they must continue to find ways to strengthen. Given that Liverpool could not come up with just $62 million for Timo Werner, that will obviously be difficult in this summer of COVID-19, but the potential return of Coutinho at a cut price would be an ideal move. The return of one of the Reds’ prodigal sons would provide consistent creativity in the midfield — one of Liverpool’s few deficiencies — and would be more than capable of filling in for a member of the front three if need be.
Of course, these reflections may appear extremely disingenuous at this moment. The current standards for Klopp’s men are so absurd that after the Palace match, the Liverpool boss admitted that the coaching staff emphasized all the things his team did well vs. Everton when the squad watched the game film together before addressing any room for improvement. Even one of the best-teams in the history of English football needs to manage expectations occasionally.
For anyone associated with Liverpool Football Club, last Thursday night was not a time for nitpicking, but a moment of unadulterated joy and relief. Christian Pulisic has the talent to eventually become a bane of existence for Liverpool fans, but he and Willian became Liverpool legends by making the Reds’ coronation official with Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Manchester City. I guess one would expect a Liverpool fan like myself to be churning out post after post about this monumental triumph. Despite the countless storylines, however, I feel there is not much more to say that has not already been covered by others. I could talk about John Henry and Fenway Sports Group ending another long championship drought by shrewdly amassing a team of stars without the mind-boggling spending of City, the incredible charisma of Jurgen Klopp, or just reflect on what emotions will stir within the hearts of generations of Reds fans when Jordan Henderson lifts the trophy, but my work would be far from original. In this instance, I may just sit back and enjoy the ride.
I will admit, though, that I had a tinge of disappointment when City failed to extend the title race for one more matchday. It would have been some spectacle if Liverpool had the opportunity to dethrone the Citizens at the Etihad this Thursday, but I think I will get over it pretty quick. Watching the Reds march through a guard of honor from Pep Guardiola’s men will be sweet enough.
