"Chasing the Impossible and a Sword of Damocles - Two seasons with Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool" Part 5

My third self-published book and first on Liverpool Football Club, is a compendium of diary entries, match reports and personal stories wrapped up and around season's 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 and here, in my fifth and final part, I indulge in the splendour of writing on their 7-0 demolition of Manchester United as the 2022-2023 season came to a close.

Here's a link to the paperback version of the book and an excerpt from a chapter entitled "Reds in Seven Heaven"

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C6W6TYCL

"With 15 minutes still to play this evening, The Kop, that mass of footballing humanity behind the goal of Anfield’s famed stadium where I’ve had the privilege of standing umpteen times in my match going days, delved into their collective songbook for a tune to mark the occasion.

They serenaded their footballing heroes dressed all in red with the old school chant of

“One Two, One Two Three, One Two Three Four, Five Nil!”

before more old school chants reverberated around the fields of Anfield Road.

The Spanish matador cry of “Olé” surfaced as early as the 50th minute as Liverpool had swept Manchester United away in just 7 minutes of actual game time either side of half-time to race into a 3–0 lead.

“Show Them The Way To Go Home” soon followed as Darwin Núñez delicately flicked home his second goal of the game, and after Mo Salah had smashed home an unstoppable volley for his first. I ADORE the “Show Me The Way to Go Home” song, bastardised to reflect on the “them”, the opposition, and a bedraggled and beaten opposition serenaded, tired and weary into their beds:

“Cos they’re only half a football team, compared to the boys in Red”.

Boy do I love that song! It’s the ultimate song of triumph. The opposition, whomever they shall be, are beaten, humiliated, no chance of a revival, and merely playing out time in utter, abject, embarrassed defeat. Today’s defeated “Red Devils” of Manchester United were described by their legendary ex defender Gary Neville on TV co-commentary duties as a “shambles” at 5–0 down, a “disgrace” at 7–0 and “unprofessional” during his first bout of post match analysis. I’m sure worse followed and will continue to do so in the coming days, but he reserved his earliest and angriest criticism for United’s captain Bruno Fernandes who, like Luke Shaw in particular, completely lost their heads and professionalism.
Whilst Shaw danced a fine line as he compounded a dreadful performance with some snide and dirty little challenges, venting his anger at his team’s humiliation, Fernandes had all but given up. Unforgivable. Fernandes has long since joined Dennis Wise, Vinnie Jones and Luis Suárez (and please feel free to insert your own Hall of Fame inductee here) as Premier League footballers who could start a fight in an empty house. I’d call him a namby-pamby fishwife, but then again, that’s probably politically incorrect.

Then again, so is beating Manchester United 7–0".

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