Kid Icarus

It's not necessarily a criticism of Howe, I thought key performances from Trippier (obviously) and Wilson were really poor. First half we could have been in so many times but played it too short, lost it, or hit it too hard. Those are performance issues from the players for me. If it was needs must in the 2nd half, which it looked like, 1-0 is ridiculously perilous so Wilson needed to make it stick when we got it and he was so so poor.

Yet it came. Trippier or any player shitting his kegs and making a mistake is always one of the many things that are likely to happen when you're inviting pressure for an entire half. Honestly can't believe anyone watched that half and thought 'this is fine/sustainable.'

It's not that it's not his fault that he's shit, it's that he wasn't in any way uniquely shit, or even really shit at all. He did what he was supposed to do as part of our park the bus approach and had a fine pen well saved. The approach, Trippier's mistake and pen miss, Wilson's shit forward play, and every forward player misplacing passes that should have broken their lines, all come way before any finger pointing at Ritchie. It's clear that defensively Howe doesn't trust Hall yet, even as much as Ritchie. Why that is, who knows.

Crazy player to be scapegoating

Not by me tbh. I was ready to start my reaction post with "I cannot believe we've won that match", I thought the approach was so poor. I always felt the goal was coming.

I've defended how knackered we've been this season and we are knackered, but that was absolutely shit tbh, I can't defend the way we played in that 2nd half. Whether it was a Trippier mistake, a good bit of play, or anything, something was always likely to happen, it just so happened to be that.

Hexed him didn't I? Jesus Christ, what a combo of absolute shit he's had since that Man United match.

Hated that match even when we were winning tbh. Felt like their goal was coming from about 65 minutes and when it mattered we (well, one player inparticular) played like idiots against a painfully average team unfortunately. No sympathy this time, I'd have been really surprised if we'd won. Dubravka: 6 Krafth: 6.5 Trippier: 2 Lascelles: 7 Botman: 6.5 Burn: 7 Livramento: 6.5 Miley: 7.5 Bruno: 7 Longstaff: 6.5 Almiron: 5 Wilson: 4.5 Gordon: 5.5

Not if the 2nd doesn't happen because the game state has changed because the 1st one is given. In reality though he's missed a definite red and a potential one.

He wasn't He was asking what Caicedo was playing at doing that after only 2 minutes

Game state changes if the first red is given

Good half all things considered. Their offside goal kind of summed it up for me, they got that chance from us being in a great position but just giving them the ball back and then we're exposed. There were so many times that with the right ball we were in, but we were too sloppy. A 2nd, at least, will be needed imo so hopefully we sort that out because they'll surely get back into it if it stays 1-0 too long. Ref's shit as well, giving us nothing, them everything, and they should be down to 10. Colwill did that knowing there was no VAR as well.

The one who's made of string and papier mache. Yeah it is a bit mental when the other one's injured as well, well done

I can't believe he's starting Wilson Can't be accused of not going for it

Yeah I mean including us if he went to Man United. It would be 3 years at Brighton, 1 and a bit years here.

It has that 'if you start out a relationship by cheating with a cheater and then they cheat, you can't be surprised' feel about it. I get that he has ambition and all that, but he's barely stayed anywhere longer than a year since leaving England like.

I'm all for going strong, but there's a line where it's wilfully suicidal. That line for me is knowing his history and starting Wilson when he's just played on Saturday, and with Isak also out injured.

They're on a 78 point total for their 38 rolling games. IIRC the best we've had under Howe is 76 and ours is currently 66 (mainly because of that slump before the EFL final and our tough start this season)

Call me mental, but I'm not in favour of giving refs license to be even pettier power freaks myself.

We've had some fantastic games in recent years. When they were hyping up the Ferguson vs Mourinho top of table clashes they were without exception fucking godawful.

Think he's been making some awful decisions for years now mind, we've just been protected from them.

Good result for us if Liverpool fall away

Insane decision

Christ, their shooting has been woeful

Liverpool don't look anything like title contenders.