Woodwork strike number sixteen and seventeen were duly recorded at Villa Park on Sunday as Luis Suarez once again rued his luck in front of goal.
Dalglish had responded to the absence of both Lucas and Spearing by giving Jonjo Shelvey his first Premier League start in a five-man midfield with Henderson and Adam playing slightly deeper roles. The youngster, recalled from loan at Blackpool, was instrumental in much of the Reds forward play, linking well with Bellamy, Downing and Suarez. It was that quartet who combined to open the scoring in the tenth minute. Shelvey cleverly back heeled Downing’s corner into the six-yard box, where Suarez repeated the flick and Bellamy reacted quickly to the rebound to side foot the ball home. It was reward for Bellamy and vindication for Downing who had been roundly booed by the home support.
Four minutes later Skrtel got in front of four Villa defenders to meet Bellamy’s corner and the Slovakian used the pace of the ball to angle his header into the top corner. A poor Villa side was effectively beaten at this point and, outside of a few long-range efforts by N’Zogbia, offered little resistance.
The second half opened with a flurry of Liverpool chances. Two minutes in, Bellamy, enjoying probably his best game in a Liverpool shirt, set Suarez free on the left. Having initially shown too much of the ball to Dunne, Suarez regained it, skipped passed Collins and blasted the ball against the bar. Three minutes later Glen Johnson tested Guzan from range and just before the hour Suarez brought down a superb pass from Downing before floating the ball over two defenders and Guzan only to see it rebound off the inside of the post. There looked to be a suspicion of handball in Suarez’s initial control so, given the week he has endured, it may have been a blessing that a sublime piece of skill didn’t result in a controversial goal and further pundit pearl clutching regarding his integrity.
As the game played out with the visitors dominant and the locals heading for the exits in droves Dalglish must have watched with immense satisfaction from the touchline. Alarm bells had been rung when Lucas suffered his injury at Chelsea and defeat was tasted at Fulham but the Scot has shuffled his pack in the last two games and six more points have been added to the season’s tally. The evolution of the side continues and the overriding impression, and a recurring theme this season, was of a team enjoying out working the opposition and subsequently earning the opportunity to out play them. The effort was exemplified in the build up to Suarez’s first strike against the bar. Prior to Bellamy nicking the ball, and threading a perfectly weighted pass through to the Uraguayan, Skrtel, Adam and Shelvey had all put pressure on the man on the ball, snuffing out room and time until possession was conceded.
As the busy Christmas period starts Dalglish has a substitutes bench with players eager to be involved and just as importantly a pattern of play that they can slot into when called upon. With the FA induced circus around Suarez’s disciplinary hearing it would have been easy for preparations to be disrupted but Liverpool arrived in the Midlands focused on the job in hand. The potential ban for Suarez, while problematic, does not have to spell disaster for Liverpool. Kuyt or Carroll could both play the lone striker role (Carroll in particular probably feels he has a point to prove) or forge a partnership in a 442 line up. Whatever verdict the FA reach Dalglish has fostered a mental strength in the squad that will inoculate against any self pity.
It was an important victory on Sunday, following on from both Chelsea and Newcastle dropping points on Saturday and Arsenals subsequent defeat in Manchester, and keeps the Reds firmly in the running for a top four finish.