SAS 2.0

photo by angermann	via PhotoRee

Scott is so drunk on Liverpool's success we're surprised he was able to string together a relatively coherent piece this week:

 

So who decided to start the English Premier League the weekend right before kids go back to school in Broward County, Florida?  Clearly not anyone who earns absolutely nothing blogging about the former while trying to shuttle kids about to the latter.  Inevitably, the dearth of time to write, and resulting non-post, led to a Tottenham-like tantrum from the “I can’t possibly blog while I summer in the Hamptons” Correspondent Ed who only recently converted that season to a verb.  Making up for lost time, said Ed is clearly so “Fired Up” he had to “Pinch This” before his latest “Roundup.”  Meanwhile, the Bossman continues to claim "writer’s block" while he slings his toys from his pram and gurgles on about something like “we’ll see at the end of the season.”   Those who were there swear it was uttered in Dutch.

 

But I digress.  While there were several interesting games this past weekend, the one that captivated our home, and required a crimson sartorial display, was the clash between Liverpool and the team it has so remorselessly pillaged during the transfer window.  The bottom line summary of this encounter is: for a team so resoundingly burgled (well, they were fairly compensated, but that’s a really fun word to use) of their key players, Southampton gave the red Merseysiders more than just a little scare and Liverpool were lucky to win.

 

Despite having the most of possession, Liverpool lacked many real chances until Jordon Henderson battled for the ball and then played the most sublimely weighted and directed pass that I have ever seen.  It was as if Raheem Sterling needed not even actually kick the ball to score, but rather by simply continuing his then-present gait he would have notched the 1-0 advantage.  The Saints leveled shortly after the restart via an emphatic strike from Nathaniel Clyne, who surged forward from defense to catch, mainly Martin Skrtl, slightly out of position.  Energized by the goal, Southampton outplayed Liverpool for a period before the Reds began to assert themselves again, even if the visitors were consistently dangerous.  Ultimately, it was none other than the new SAS (Sturridge and Sterling) who combined for the winner, the latter deftly cushioning his header into the path of the former who ever-so-barely grazed the ball to guide it into the net.

Too Soon But Thickening: Liverpool 3 - Southampton 0

Scott is enjoying himself, almost as much as this guy here:

Still too soon for title talk, but the win over Southampton at St. Mary's bode well indeed. Not that the score line accurately reflected the run of play. For most of the first half it was the home side who was firmly on the front foot forcing clearances and saves aplenty from the scrambling Reds. Only a fortuitous bounce to Luis Suarez, who promptly put his mini-drought behind him by cooly finishing into the side netting, allowed the one goal margin at half time. 

The second half started much as the first with high pressing by the Saints causing many of us to grab our rosaries and mumble in the general direction of Liverpool's beleaguered back line. Then, as if to renew faith in a higher power, who clearly has time to take in a match or two over the weekend, Suarez found the recently-entered Raheem Sterling who passed into the goal and restored breathing to Liverpudlians while simultaneously knocking the air out of the valiant home team.