Even When We Do Right We Do Wrong: Newcastle 3 - Liverpool 1

Although I know some people would disagree, I thought the first 70 minutes of this match were all right. Not great, no. Maybe only approaching good. But Liverpool dominated possession, actually worked some nice stuff through midfield with Lucas and Meireles being pretty creative. One problem was it didn't create much of an end product, but maybe I'm so jaded by our away performances this year that one where we simply hold the ball and can manage three straight passes without making me cry is all I'm asking these days.

Sure, we gave up a silly goal that I saw coming from my couch a good 5,000 miles away, but we're going to give up silly goals when Paul Konchesky is on the pitch. I've come to terms with this, it's a law of nature, and I think you should too. You'll be happier for it, and there might be less broken things around your house.

After the interval, Pool were even better. Sure, they got a lucky equalizer, but they created multiple chances after that and Torres really should have buried is, and Ngog probably should have done the same with his header. Still, it was only a matter of time, right?

But then, of course, as it's always been, and may always be this season, two things happened. Liverpool decided it wasn't fair that they had the ball all the time, and thought it would be nice if they just let the hosts have it and we'll just chill out back here near our 18-yard box, coolio dawg? Secondly, our defense was terrified of the introduction of Nile Ranger. Nile Fucking Ranger. Yes, he's tall, and yes he's quick. But the only discernible skill he has is a striking resemblance to Marlo Stanfield's female assassin in The Wire. He's a complete donkey. But Martin Skrtel and Menelaus looked like kids who had just seen Jaws when he came on.

Speaking of which, where did this theory that Kyrgiakos is having a good season come from? Because he's scored a couple goals? His defending consists of going for headers he can't possibly get to and then complaining after a foul is called on him. He's positionally awful, has the speed of King Tut in his current state, and falls asleep at the switch too (notice Joey Barton's winner where he ghosted past Menelaus as he was pondering Socrates). Liverpool's defense with him and Konchesky in it is some strange level philosophy designed to get you to recognize the absurdity of life.

I'll go into this more tomorrow, but watching Torres sleep walk through another away match, I wonder if the sting of him leaving at the 40m coming the other way won't be lessened.

Other than that, Kuyt was fine, Johnson pretty good, Meireles all right too. The rest doesn't matter.