Flight Of The Liver Bird

Anthony McIntyre ⚽ I went to The Pheasant thinking a bird of a different kind, the Liver bird, would fail to fly.

Or, if it managed to get off the ground, its sojourn in the sky would be short lived, it would certainly be out of the running for any of the Masters of the Air awards, to borrow from the title of the gripping World War 2 drama we are currently watching.

I was uncertain if I even wanted to go to the pub, considering that watching it from home would be as good an option, and the debit card would be considerably less debited on completion of the game. A path I seemed more settled on once I had rang Paddy and he was for stretching out on the settee with a few cans. Still, that all changed as the persuasion from my son grew in intensity and achieved the outcome he wanted - me paying for the drinks!

After telling him to set up a pint of Guinness for me, I strolled down. In the absence of Paddy I was in the company of three teenagers, one of them an Arsenal supporter. Wasn't hard to work out what result he was hoping for.

What a game. Each time the Reds leave the pitch it is like watching the return of the squadrons from Masters of the Air, fewer faces available for the next foray. With a squad seriously depleted due to injury, Jurgen Klopp has, in his final season in charge, again worked his magic. The team that faced Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday was not the one that turned up at the Emirates last month to be mowed down by the Gunners. This was the team that came out onto the turf of Wembley determined to go down fighting but preferably not down at all. As it proved to be the old Status Quo 70s hit Down Down was not going to echo around Anfield after this one on Sunday.

After something of a less than assured start, Liverpool upped a gear and really took it to City, particularly in the second half. As a match commentator said it is rare to see the Etihad men so hemmed in. Intense soccer, far from the flat and pedestrian performances so often served up in the EPL, with Liverpool being no exception. But as my son observes, this Klopp side always manages to raise its game to the level of its opponents. Against City, the altitude to be reached was always going to be in the stratosphere yet Klopp turned out a side that not only got there but had the stamina to remain and for much of the game could gaze down on their opponents.

That said, it was never one way traffic or a cruise for the home side. Pep Guardiola's team hugely contributed to one of the best games of soccer in the EPL this season. City could have snatched it in the closing minutes when a shot rebounded off the post. Liverpool too could claim to have been denied a penalty well into time added on, which if awarded would have seemed harsh.

I left the Pheasant and the three teenagers behind, feeling that a draw was a fair result. Liverpool are now in three horse race as the home straight beckons, the fences ahead to be either jumped or fallen at. With Aintree so close to Anfield, those who believe in astrology, see the symbolic gallop of the Klopp steeplechaser picking up pace. The jury of astronomers is still out.

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