Hola amigos.

Of course, from the title you would have guessed what I am gonna rant about. Yes, Liverpool slumped to a defeat against Aston Villa, at home. Liverpool won only 1 match out of the three. Collecting only 3 points from the maximum of 9 points. Not a good start. Of course not. I am not bias. The first half against Aston Villa was a huge disappointment. They played exactly like how they did against Spurs which wasn't impressive, at all. To add salt to the wound, Lucas Leiva headed an own goal... making Aston Villa lead 1-0 before half time.

Lucas had a very impressive game against Stoke City last week. Just when the faith was still burning, Lucas just had to do something to blow it away. That was an AWFUL own goal. He headed it in the net as if he was really scoring for Aston Villa. I had no clue what he was up to. And one fan came up with a quote "Every team needs the 12th man and Aston Villa has Lucas".

Of course, I was optimistic then. I reckoned Redmen would bounce back. Well, right before half time, the referee awarded a corner for Aston Villa. It was a poor decision. It looked like the ball was deflected from Martin Skrtel's leg but it didn't. And... Aston Villa scored. 2-0 down in first half.

Second half... I had expected a defensive formation from Aston Villa. But, it was a much better, better performance from Liverpool. They created countless chances but failed to convert them into goals. Freidel, Aston Villa's keeper, played a blinder. He was in his top form. He saved many goal attempts from Liverpool. Hell, even I was impressed but of course, I was even more frustrated. Fernando Torres was totally trapped in between defenders. There was one time, when Liverpool totally deserved a penalty. Fernando Torres would obviously get a ball in the net when the defender tackled him right in the penalty box. But obviously, the referee just had to make a poor, poor decision and gave Liverpool none. Again, I don't wanna be like Arsene Wenger who whines non stop about the referee.

Fernando Torres managed to get a ball in the net and it was 1-2. Faith was burning. I was sure Liverpool was going to comeback. And so I thought.

A few minutes after Aston Villa was awarded a penalty after a player being tackled my Stevie G. And let me say something, it was a bollock to give such penalty to Aston Villa. It was a fair tackle. If you watch the replay, the opponent actually fell AFTER Stevie G fell from the tackle. And, he practically DIVED. To compare this scenario with the one from Nando, Nando should deserve a penalty kick. And then it was 1-3. It was obvious. The looks on the players. Morale was perhaps low. But they kept on fighting till the final whistle. But it was too late. A little too late.

They had chances but they didn't make it. Aston Villa played fairly well. If only Liverpool scored as early as how they did against Stoke... Liverpool could have bagged 3 points home. Xabi Alonso's absence was felt during the match. He was a specialist for crosses and passes when he played for the Reds. And the defence... wasn't impressive. Carragher wasn't himself. Was it because of the bandage wrapped around his head like a ninja? Skrtel just recovered. How I wish Sami Hyppia was there. He could have run down Aston Villa like a bulldozer. And we missed Daniel Agger. :( But Glem Johnson had a good game. I like the fact that he's a threat to the opponent's defender. He attacks and defends just like Daniel Agger. Also, I would wish for Fabio Aureliio to recover fast and join the squad.

No more hopes for Liverpool to get their 19th title this season? Not so fast, amigo. Let me summarize on what a Liverpool legend, Ian Rush said. Last season, Manchester United lost 4 games and yet they won the title. Liverpool lost only 2 games but they failed to win the title. If a team with 4 loses can bring the title home, why not a team with only 2 loses? Liverpool just could not afford to lose more points. And, one thing that haunts Liverpool is to draw. We had to much draw last season and that explains our failure to bring our 19th home last season. So, keep the faith, fellow Reds! And to amateur football analysis from Berita Harian named Yusoff A. Rahman, I hope you read my post and feel ashame of yourself. Selamat berpuasa!

Adios
xoxo