Andy

Tried to allow my thoughts to digest a bit before posting in this thread post-match. The game pretty much went how I expected tbh - good effort but we ultimately lacked quality and, most importantly, big game experience. Thought Joelinton and Bruno were good, Isak as well when he came on. Max was frustrating but bright in patches. There were certainly positives, just a lack of end product, which is the recurring theme lately. Given where we were 12 months ago, we don't really have any right to be in and amongst it yet, so the fact that we gave a good account of ourselves and lost it to two "moments" is reason to be proud. We're still bringing the likes of Murphy, Ritchie and Anderson off the bench. They're bringing on the likes of Wan-Bissaka, Sancho and Sabitzer. Talents like Garnacho sat in reserve. There's a gulf there that we need to narrow in the summer, but we all knew that coming in. It's easy to forget how far we've come, and the work that still needs to be done. This is just the beginning.

Infuriating as ever at times, but it's obvious he needs to start. The criticism of his lack of "support" for Burn is really frustrating tbh. You don't pick a winger to accommodate your full back's weaknesses, you pick a full back to accommodate for your winger's weaknesses. I've defended Burn at full back, but it's time for MT to come back in with ASM in front of him.

Taller keepers probably save it, or those with ridiculously strong hands, but I think it's beating most keepers.

Aye. The way he whips them, you're gonna see a lot of them go straight to the keeper, particularly the in-swingers. There's at least one a game lately that is postage-stamped though, but Schar and obviously Burn in particular are terrible at attacking and directing the ball, they mistime their jump or close their eyes frequently. Indirect free kicks are a bit more of a problem, we don't know how to break a high defensive line.

Not sure he's the answer as a back up, but it was a good performance today, and he can hold his head up. Second goal, probably half the keepers in the league save it, half don't. Suspect all of them don't if they haven't played a competitive game for so long.

He had a couple of dodgy ones, but we still should have scored one or two today from his set pieces. We are shite at attacking the ball - that is the biggest problem, not the delivery.

Isak needs to come on at half time, would probably take Miggy off, they've got him sussed. Early second half goal changes the game entirely, just go for it.

It's Hatem Ben Arfa/Laurent Robert syndrome. Our fans have always loved to blame a winger for a fullback having a shitter.

Burn and Wilson chances were huge, either of those go in and I think Liverpool would've crumbled.

Don't really know where to start with that. Shite defending for all three major incidents. Pope should've just let Salah score like, we'd have been capable of coming back with 11 men against their defence, and a defeat isn't the end of the world anyway. Obviously just instinctive from him though.

Rubbish by VAR again, was blatantly offside by eye after seeing one replay.

Fuck, had stopped checking this thread. I assumed he was okay after the sheer confidence in the updates that were posted the other day; journos obviously rushing to get the news out there first without fact-checking, like it's just a transfer story or something. Useless cunts.

Amazingly, he looks a better footballer when he has players from his own team in front of him. Lad had no chance in that Everton setup.

Sick of coverage cutting to replays/crowd shots while the ball is in play and missing the action. Seems to happen far more often these days.

The tackle is just one of those things - no malice, mistimed; if it's a split second earlier his foot just catches their player's toe at worst. Not going to berate him for it, or the niggly fouls before that. If you take away the aggressive side of his game, you kill him as a midfielder.

Poor for the majority of his time here, with the exception of a few purple patches that massive inflated fans' perceptions of him, especially the one towards the end of last season. He did a job when we needed him last year and helped keep us up - grateful for that, but this is absolutely the right time to sell.

Wouldn't be surprised if someone has given him a nudge to get himself to the metro tbh. Mingle with the fans, get a few photos; a bit of easy relationship building to get some of the doubters on side.

I don't blame him for what he's done like, home town club or not. His career is going nowhere at Everton and he may have asked for a move in a more professional way, then they've pissed us/him about with their inflated valuation. Any other player forcing a move like this wouldn't be criticised by the buying club. It happens all the time.

From what I've seen of him at Everton, he's always cut an isolated figure in attack, trying to create goals from very little; similar to ASM under Bruce but obviously with a lot less individual guile. Judge him on antics and personality all day long, but I think it may be harsh judging him on performances and stats in such a poor and incoherent attacking team.

Different class. Must start next week.

It's only a matter of time until we start getting punished for our finishing. We won't keep this defensive record up forever.

Mental. If that's a centre half going up, it's never given as a free kick in a million years. Abysmal refereeing.

That's an absolutely shocking decision like, can't fathom what they've seen.

"Shite" is more than a little bit hyperbolic like.

We've had three similar games against Palace, it's hardly a disaster, they can be a tough team to play against.