Say hello to the new sound, same as the old sound. Despite a rather dramatic victory, today's season opener will be considered a disappointment for many Liverpool fans, who have been daydreaming of dramatic Torres/Babel linkups for the past month. Although we should be happy with three points instead of the usual one we earn on opening day, the expectations set by the arrival of the new boys had us expecting a higher level of football than we saw.
We wanted fluidity and flair, we got fouls and freekicks. It wasn't pretty, but it was a necessary reminder that the entire team has not been replaced. Having a nice-looking Spanish boy at the front isn't going to make Arbeloa's defense any more solid, or Risse's long shots any more accurate.
However, any disappointment was only due to the unrealistic expectations that many of us held. Make no mistake: the team is top-quality. Having been brought back to reality, we must look at today's game with satisfaction. Torres did look very good, out-running and out-thinking defenders nearly every time the ball came in his vicinity.
Although opposing fans were scoffing that our initial lead was from an own-goal, they neglected to note the amount of pressure Torres and Kuyt were applying to create that defensive collapse. Torres had just forced an impressive save from the Villa keeper, which rebounded to Kuyt, who immediately fed it back into the box, where it was deflected into the net by Villa defender Martin Laursen. Neither Kuyt or Torres will earn a stat for it, but observant fans will give credit where credit is due. If this is Torres adjusting to the English game, then the league should be terrified of him settling.
As a late substitute, Babel also made an immediate impression, going close to goal twice in the span of a few minutes. His style is fantastic, and I honestly believe that with a bit of experience, he will become one of the most exciting players in the Premiership.
But in the end, the most promising moments of offense were courtesy of Steven Gerrard, as usual. In the first half, he broke the defense easily to feed Torres, and went just over the net a few times himself. After Villa equalised on a penalty, He stepped up in the 87th minute, scoring a late winner on what might be the most beautiful free-kick we see all year.
Reina also deserves praise. He deserved a clean sheet for the game, and would have had one except for Carragher's careless handball, which led to the Villa penalty. Even after Gerrard regained Liverpool's lead in the 87th minute, Reina was needed to save the three points. In added time, a long dropping shot from Villa nearly went in, but Pepe was smart enough to stay back and punch it out.
When all is said and done, it was a good win. Next week is Chelsea, which means that today's three points could be the most important we earn all year, in terms of applying pressure to our rivals. And if they're not intimidated by our early points, they certainly will be by Gerrard's free-kick, which will be seen here just as soon as it's posted online.
Goals: Aston Villa Barry, Penalty (85)
Goals: LiverpoolLaursen, OG (35)
Gerrard (87)
I'm also impressed that they had the brains to show Gerrard's free-kick. While beautiful, it was a more subtle depiction of skill than Obafemi Martin's dramatic overhead kick for Newcastle earlier in the day. Such acrobatics, along with those included in his goal celebration, are usually the type of football highlights that make it onto American television. Kudos to ESPN.
