1. This was the strangest of penalty shootouts
The tension evaporated from the usually nail-biting penalty shootout as 30 spot-kicks were taken.
There are some players, like Mario Balotelli, who have mastered the art of penalty taking and it was hardly surprising to see him convert his two spot kicks. Other than him, the players who seemed looked devoid of confidence actually converted their penalties with some conviction. On the other hand, the likes of Patrick Bamford, Raheem Sterling and eventually Albert Adomah seemed confident yet they all missed their spot kicks. Adomah initially picked out the top corner with his first penalty and tried to repeat that perfect penalty only to slice his second wide.
2. The new “Stevie G” showed traits of Gerrard in his game
In a week in which Steven Gerrard has endured some publicity because of his supposedly waning powers, Jordan Rossiter excited Anfield with a dream debut. Rossiter, Liverpool’s Academy Player of the Season last year, has already received a lot of comparisons with Steven Gerrard because of his background and style of play.
The teenager got his debut in central midfield and he did not disappoint. His intelligent runs showed his ability to read the game well and his passing range was impressive for a 17-year-old. He also impressed with his communication off the ball as he was not afraid to keep his teammates in check despite their seniority.
3. Jamal Blackman should be disappointed with the first goal he conceded
There was very little Boro could have done to prevent Suso’s goal as Liverpool pinned them too deep with their superior quality on the ball, but the first goal they conceded was definitely preventable.
Blackman should have saved Rossiter’s 30-yard attempt as the ball was struck from a good distance, was not too powerful and went straight past the keeper. For a second-choice keeper who rarely gets opportunities, he needed a much better performance to wrestle Dimitrios Konstantopoulos’ place.
4. Brendan Rodgers should keep his first-choice defenders for now
Liverpool have only kept a clean-sheet against Tottenham in all their games this season and new recruits like Dejan Lovren and Alberto Moreno have received a lot of criticism for that. This was a good opportunity for Jose Enrique and Kolo Toure to take advantage but they did not. They had little defending throughout the game but when they were tested they were far from convincing.
They could have easily prevented Middlesbrough’s goals. Enrique should have headed clear Grant Leadbitter’s set-piece but the full-back went for the difficult option by trying to clear the ball with his foot before Adam Reach scored Middlesbrough’s first goal.
Toure conceded a poor penalty with two minutes to go in extra time to take the game to penalties.
5. Suso was the main positive for Liverpool in forward positions
Save for Sterling, Liverpool’s attacking midfielders and strikers have been accused of not investing enough effort. Suso was really industrious when he came on.
The Spaniard came on in extra-time and gave Liverpool total control of the game with his movement and the visitors struggled to contain him. Liverpool have a lot of quality players but only Sterling has the zest that Suso showed. He could be useful coming off from the bench in games that demand a lot of energy.
