Newcastle Undone

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth a million. So I won't spend too many trying to describe the major incidents of the match against Newcastle when you can watch them instead:



Video courtesy of Youtube.

It was great to see Kuyt get off the mark, and we'll gloss over the small matter of the Newcastle defender getting the last touch on the ball, as Kuyt's initial touch had ensured it was goalbound anyway. The Dutchman has already proved popular with the Anfield faithful for his workrate and attitude, and now he's in the scoring my bet is that he'll go from strength to strength.

Alonso has hit efforts from his own half with either foot within the space of nine months, and must now hold the world record for the most distance travelled by the ball in two consecutive club goals (his last effort being the left-footed strike against Luton from his own half).

Most of all though, it's great to see the team getting a scrappy three points. We didn't play well: we regularly squandered possession and looked far too nervous. But after a run of bad form, it was just what the doctor ordered, and with more of our team looking like they're returning to form and fitness it's a good time to face two more home ties against Tottenham and Galatasaray.

If we can get a run of form going, hopefully it will snowball into the kind of form we saw in two great runs last season. If that happens then our season will have started a week or two earlier than last term. Progress of a kind.

If we can avoid the mini-dip we suffered after new year as well then we will undoubtedly be closer to the title than last season. Whether that will be enough remains to be seen, but looking at our last seven fixtures compared to Chelsea, there is still a slim hope ...