The Round Ball Game

[teamsaint]

The defence that didnt concede a goal on the way to the final included VVD, who would have done a better job on Zlatan. He might not have stopped him, plenty have failed. But so it goes.People get injured , and a second choice CB pairing got us to wembley, against different kinds of quality strikers admittedly.
The second goal was born of Steve Davies losing concentration, from there the damage was done. Put a rookie defender under that kind of pressure against top class, and there is one likely outcome.we were always going to have to score 2 ro win the game.
The fact that we got the two goal lead back is irrelevant to the unnecessary injustice of the offside decision. It would have changed the game, in who knows what way. But whatever, it couldn't have made the result worse for us.And the way we played,we might just have put the game beyond even Zlatan.

One reason Mourinho teams win is beacuse they play the way they did yesterday. At one up, after 20 minutes, (!!)they were slowing the game down , playing for free kicks, all the usual stuff . I don't doubt that we would have used similar tactics defending a one goal lead in the last 10 minutes, but that doesn't make it better.

I've been pretty lucky over the years, following a club that has often entertained me well. But on average we get a final every 12 years, and to play so well, and lose ,possibly because of one avoidably poor decision,( the ref should have consulted the lino as to why he was flagging ) is a bit tough to take.

.........In the moments when these things matter !!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I suppose Man U only won because they have the Special One (and I don't mean the manager) but without him, I wonder where the team would be this season?

[Stanfordian]

Man Utd without Ibrahimovic. Or Chelsea without Costa, or Spurs without Kane, or Liverpool without Mane, or City without Aguero, or Arsenal without Sanchez.

[EdgeleyRob]

Man Utd without Ibrahimovic. Or Chelsea without Costa, or Spurs without Kane, or Liverpool without Mane, or City without Aguero, or Arsenal without Sanchez.

Or Stockport without Lloyd

We all follow teams that have been on the wrong end of incorrect offside decisions,they are always hard to take,especially in a cup final.
Sometimes they go for us too.

[johncorrigan]

Or Stockport without Lloyd

We all follow teams that have been on the wrong end of incorrect offside decisions,they are always hard to take,especially in a cup final.
Sometimes they go for us too.

Yeah, St Mirren got away with one as they went on to gloriously claim the 1987 Scottish Cup Championship.

Re Zlatan, seems to me he is playing the best and most consistent footie of his life. He's become Utd's talisman in such a short period. Someone the opposition fears, like Larsson was for Celtic, or Suarez (even discounting the gnashers), or Henri, or King Kenny, or Shearer...great players who win games. I have to say that it was a great spectacle, Sunday's match; but as ts said, I don't think that Zlatan would have been allowed to drift unnoticed into the penalty box if Vergil had been around. But that's footie, I suppose.

[antongould]

Interested that within a recent post Beefo mentioned, IIRC, that he had played at a reasonable level - what level did others reach ... ??? No chance of me boasting here by the way ......

[jayne lee wilson]

Foxes 3, Reds 1...
Everything I said, worst fears confirmed.... we have a two-week break and come back with senses dulled, not sharpened; playing exactly the same narrow way which everyone now knows.
Even Coutinho's goal exhibited the problem: if that's the only so-intricate way you try to score, it's not going to come off very often unless - or sometimes even if - you're at the very peak of your game.
We woke up after the hour and varied it a little more, but God knows where we go from here. It might get worse before it gets better.

So well done Foxes, terrific win with 3 excellent (direct!) goals; stunning Drinkwater strike for No.2, shades of Pogba v Swansea.
Hopefully Leicester can pull up from the drop-zone now, and ... Alison - you're still in the Champions League, start getting excited about Sevilla!

[Beef Oven!]

Beefy's comment about the Lingard goal is a spot on.
From behind the goal you just knew he was going to score, he looked so beautifully balanced.

I think the defenders and the ‘keeper thought he was going to have another touch and larrup it, but what he did was pure class. I’m very impressed with him, although there have been one or two games where it hasn’t clicked.

I bet it looked great from behind the goal (even though you might not have wanted it to go in!!).

[teamsaint]

Interested that within a recent post Beefo mentioned, IIRC, that he had played at a reasonable level - what level did others reach ... ??? No chance of me boasting here by the way ......

Nothing like a reasonable level for me, I'm afraid.

Moment of glory ? I scored a goal in a 4-2 win in the intramural cup final at University ( which was a kind of grand final, being a 4 team knockout between 2 cup winners and two league winners ) . The Goal was said, ( mostly by overly kind people) to be reminiscent of Martin Peters' goal in the World cup final .

I think we celebrated by getting drunk.Which was appropriate,as our preparation mostly involved a lot of beer. We were lucky to have several very decent players in our team, not including me.

I was a better at cricket, tidy medium pacer , but nothing special.

[Beef Oven!]

Nothing like a reasonable level for me, I'm afraid.

Moment of glory ? I scored a goal in a 4-2 win in the intramural cup final at University ( which was a kind of grand final, being a 4 team knockout between 2 cup winners and two league winners ) . The Goal was said, ( mostly by overly kind people) to be reminiscent of Martin Peter's goal in the World cup final .

I think we celebrated by getting drunk.Which was appropriate,as our preparation mostly involved a lot of beer. We were lucky to have several very decent players in our team, not including me.

I was a better at cricket, tidy medium pacer , but nothing special.

What about that winning goal you scored in the U14s all England Schools Cup final?

Ok you were 23, but they all count.

[teamsaint]

What about that winning goal you scored in the U14s all England Cup final? Ok you were 23, but they all count.

and they STILL wouldn't serve me in the bar afterwards .

[EdgeleyRob]

Interested that within a recent post Beefo mentioned, IIRC, that he had played at a reasonable level - what level did others reach ... ??? No chance of me boasting here by the way ......

Midfield general in a Sunday league pub team.

[EdgeleyRob]

Foxes 3, Reds 1...
Everything I said, worst fears confirmed.... we have a two-week break and come back with senses dulled, not sharpened; playing exactly the same narrow way which everyone now knows.
Even Coutinho's goal exhibited the problem: if that's the only so-intricate way you try to score, it's not going to come off very often unless - or sometimes even if - you're at the very peak of your game.
We woke up after the hour and varied it a little more, but God knows where we go from here. It might get worse before it gets better.

So well done Foxes, terrific win with 3 excellent (direct!) goals; stunning Drinkwater strike for No.2, shades of Pogba v Swansea.
Hopefully Leicester can pull up from the drop-zone now, and ... Alison - you're still in the Champions League, start getting excited about Sevilla!

Yep

Leicester City 3 Liverpool 1 Forum derby,Foxes 3-0 up after an hour,first league goals this year,out of the bottom 3,goal on 68 mins gave Reds hope,lost 5 of last 7 in all competitions,5th

[Alison]

Thanks Jayne and Rob.

Thought that might happen and landed a couple of wagers. Foxes 5-2 just to score in first half!

Carra has been my favourite pundit until now but don't rate his Leicester analysis. Anybody would think the Foxes were the first team to find fresh inspiration from a change of manager!

[teamsaint]

I can't remember a team ever getting so much criticism for a return to form !!

great result for Leicester, complete contast to their abject effort when I saw them recently.