1. Sterling has developed remarkably quickly
WATCHING RAHEEM STERLING today, it was hard to believed he only turned 19 in December.
The young star produced an impressive all-round performance against Manchester City this afternoon that belied his tender years.
Moreover, amid the chaotic opening minutes, he showed a level of icy composure in front of goal that even the most battle-hardened veterans would have found difficult to emulate.
Consequently, if anyone epitomises this Liverpool team’s potent mixture of skill, vibrancy and audacity, it’s Sterling.
And having previously been talked of as a potential squad member for England at the World Cup this summer, he now seems odds-on for a starting spot.
2. Chelsea missing Hazard
Chelsea’s game against Swansea today was in stark contrast with their memorable midweek Champions League exploits.
Unlike the excitement that permeated Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, today’s game at the Liberty Stadium was less glamorous on every level.
The buoyant atmosphere was quelled early on, following the harsh-but-fair dismissal of Swansea’s Chico Flores, after the Spaniard committed two needless fouls that both led to bookings.
And despite playing against 10 men, Chelsea made life extremely difficult for themselves by producing a conspicuously sluggish display, resulting in a game that was especially drab for viewers who had previously witnessed the relentlessly thrilling Liverpool-City encounter.
Not for the first time this season, Jose Mourinho’s men were consistently inept going forward — January signing Mohamed Salah has plenty of promise, but despite his obvious talent, end product eluded the 21-year-old for much of the afternoon.
Consequently, Chelsea were left to curse the enforced absence through injury of prodigious playmaker Eden Hazard, as they hung on for an unconvincing victory.
3. Was Kompany fully fit?
Manchester City’s normally imperious centre-back was a pale imitation of his usual self against Liverpool today.
Kompany was partially at fault for at least two of the goals, as a player who most consider to be among the world’s best defenders looked strangely out of his depth all of a sudden.
It is therefore surely no coincidence that there were considerable doubts about the Belgian’s fitness prior to kick-off, and he did little to play down such concerns with his performance thereafter.
Thus, with Kompany not at his best, Yaya Toure having to depart the action early through injury, and Sergio Aguero not being fit enough to start, Liverpool today enjoyed the type of good fortune that most teams require at some point in order to ultimately claim the title.
And with just four more wins needed to fulfil that ambition, it’s no surprise that the Anfield club are the new bookies’ favourites to triumph come 11 May.
4. Substitutions key to Hull’s success
At half-time today, Hull City were facing the prospect of an embarrassing FA Cup exit, as they found themselves 2-1 down against League One side Sheffield United.
Steve Bruce, however, made a double substitution that changed the game.
Matt Fryatt and Sone Aluko replaced George Boyd and Maynor Figueroa, and the Tigers barely looked back thereafter.
Within ten minutes of the restart, they found themselves 3-2 up, with Fryatt scoring the all-important second goal.
And fittingly, it was another substitute, Ireland’s Stephen Quinn — playing against his former club — who got the fourth goal, which effectively sealed Hull’s triumph, leading to emotional celebrations from the Dubliner.
5. Suarez his own worst enemy at times
One of the few sour notes of Liverpool’s win today was the at times petulant behaviour of star striker Luis Suarez.
The Uruguayan player is rightly commended on a regular basis for his tremendous ability, and looks set to deservedly be named as the Player of the Year.
He gave glimpses of his brilliance today, as evidenced by the sublime skill and pass he produced to create Sterling’s opener.
Yet the 27-year-old set the tone for his more unsavoury antics in the game’s opening stages, with a rash challenge that deservedly earned him a booking.
In addition, Suarez failed to take heed of this early warning, engaging in more than one cynical dive subsequently, which could conceivably have cost his team the game had the referee been less charitable and sent him off. Furthermore, the star’s reputation preceded him when he had a seemingly legitimate shout for a penalty turned down later in the game.
The particularly frustrating element in all of this is that Suarez’s behaviour appeared to be improving of late, yet today, on such an important and high-profile occasion, he unfortunately showed that old habits die hard.
