Tea = £1-90
Mint tea = £2-20
Sandwich = £1-50
Ticket = £47
Train = £15-85
Bus to Anfield = £4
Programme = £3-50
Total = £75-95
So we're back at Anfield for the post-Gerrard era. Once again the team's early season form has been patchy, despite more and more investment over the summer.
The great thing about Liverpool's Autumn games is that nearly all the ones we are going to fall on Sundays due to Europa League...which means that I can do a non-league game on the Saturday. Today we'd made excellent savings on the train thanks to some advance tickets, costing £15-85 each!
So it was in relaxed mood that we arrived at Anfield, and after some photos of the developing Main Stand, we went straight inside to a familiar block MX. We were right next to the Norwich fans who had brought a big contingent despite the distance. No matter what happens to the fortunes of the team, Liverpool are still regarded as a 'big' club to visit.
On the pitch, the home side started well, seizing the ball with desire and attacking with pace. The best opportunities were crafted by Moreno's work on the left, with Milner firing into Ruddy's hands and then just wide. Sturridge, back after a long absence, looked ropey and lacking in sharpness. At one point hd got himself into a complete tangle when trying to shoot (and when hd should have let Coutinho have the ball). The Brazilian was excellent too, heading just wide after another swift move. At the Kop end, Norwich's best chances came with a header which drifted just wide, and when no 10 forced a save from Mignolet.
So far it was a familiar story. Plenty of possession but little real bite. Norwich seemed to come out more confident and for the first 5 minutes of the second half the Reds' defence was in disarray. Cameron Jerome was looking like a real threat up front. Then came the breakthrough for the home side when Danny Ings superbly controlled a through ball and rolled it past Ruddy with his second touch. I was pleased to see a young English striker score for such a big club again. But Liverpool's concentration wavered, and within 5-10 minutes Norwich had equalised. Mignolet came rushing out of his goal for a corner, completely missed the ball, allowing Russell Martin to control the ball and loop it over him to nestle in the net. Another defensive lapse had cost the home side.
Shortly after Norwich's 6 forced a fine save from the Liverpool number 1 - Mignolet is capable of moments of brilliance like that but cannot get the basics right (like catching a ball!). Coutinho had a gilt edged chance when he ran clear, but was foiled by a great one handed block by Ruddy. The Reds had plenty of possession and some of the passing in midfield was terrific but there was no end result. Thanks to some lacklustre finishing and determined defending, Norwich held on for a point. It hadn't been a bad game of football and there were several bright spots for Liverpool - the performances of Ings, Milner and Clyne for instance. As we headed off for the bus, slowly parading like penguins round the Main Stand, this felt like Groundhog Day. Liverpool FC - 'work in progress'.
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