9 things we learned as we stayed awake through Liverpool's draw with Blackburn

08 March 2015 19:46

There was one English football match on TV today – so Liverpool and Blackburn had substantial pressure on their shoulders to entertain the nation.

They failed. It was pretty turgid stuff at Anfield as the third of the weekend’s FA Cup quarter-finals ended in a goalless draw, with the biggest talking point being a nasty-looking injury to Martin Skrtel.

Here’s what we learned…

1. Martin Skrtel is nails

Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel is stretchered off
(Peter Byrne/PA)

We knew that anyway, but we loved that he thought to give a thumbs-up as he was carted off a stretcher to let everyone know he was okay. What a guy.

It seems Skrtel didn’t suffer anything too serious after he was injured in an aerial clash with Rudy Gestede.

2. People really don’t like Glen Johnson

3. Brendan Rodgers still hasn’t won everyone over

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers blows a kiss to the crowd
(Jon Super/AP)

Rodgers did great things for Liverpool last season, and has turned things around in impressive fashion this time around. Nevertheless, he does make some baffling decisions sometimes…

4. Rudy Gestede has made it

Blackburn's Rudy Gestede battles for the ball against Liverpool
(Peter Byrne/PA)

If the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about, Blackburn striker Gestede has nothing to worry about. The commentators were not slow to voice their admiration for the Benin international – and that met with approval and disdain in equal measure from the massed ranks on Twitter.

5. Sorry Michael Owen, you’re not there yet…

We reckon Michael Owen’s getting better and better in his role as a co-commentator, but not that many people seem to agree with us.

6. Everyone loves a goal

And that’s one of the reasons why this match failed to capture the imagination…

7. People still believe in Mario Balotelli…

Mario Balotelli playing for Liverpool against Blackburn
(Peter Byrne/PA)

After 58 minutes, Balotelli stepped off the bench. As the dirge of a match continued, people began to get a feeling…

8. …but maybe they shouldn’t

9. Maybe replays aren’t such a good thing

Now we have to sit through the whole thing all over again. Oh lord…

Source: SNAPPA